Below the belt, it shows how Norwegian react to Filipinos.

Another example is this. She was ready to rock the Norwegian radio waves, but....you be the judge....

Indeed. While my post-count is less impressive, I certainly thought I knew most frequent and valuable kibitzers. Guess we learn something every day.

<Best analyst - Eyal
Best written post - Domdaniel>

While what's happening is certainly weird and I'm not a major fan of it, we should not be too hard on <Iskubadayb> or the Barangay Wesley; much of <Iskubadayb>'s analysis is written in Tagalog, meaning the rest of us have pretty much no way of knowing just how good an analyst he is. For all we know, he might indeed be the best non-computer analyst on this site. :-)

Moreover and more importantly, the Filipinos are by no means the first group of people to vote based on friendship or group attachment. Last year, <jessicafischerqueen> and her pals did this in almost every category. And indeed, even unorganized kibitzers have always tended to vote friends.

This has always meant that <even highly deserving candidates get many of their votes from personal friends.> Just to pick one random example where no particular organized effort was supporting the winner: Best Written Post for 2007.

<Domdaniel> was the winner, and few would argue he doesn't have some damn good posts to his name. Here are the people who voted for him that year:

<achieve>
<whiteshark>
<JoeWms>
<Open Defence>
<jessicafischerqueen>

But yes, those are friends. Doesn't everyone think their friends are the wisest, wittiest, most constructive and most analytical people one could wish for?

Ethnic/linguistic/tribal voting is a different phenomenon. Not entirely dissimilar - if we define a nation as a device for providing millions of semi-imaginary friends - but different.

What's happening here - perhaps regrettably - is that the number of highly motivated and organized Filipinos is starting to exceed the number of 'regular' members who still care about the Caissas.

It's a familiar net phenomenon. Previous campaigns (on the BBC, for instance) have seen Turks voting for Ataturk as 'Man of the century' and got the Irish diaspora to elect some woeful dirge as the best-ever song. It happens.

<Doesn't everyone think their friends are the wisest, wittiest, most constructive and most analytical people one could wish for?>

Surely. Especially in the almighty internets where it is not all that hard to 'meet' new people. There are some around on this site who are quite clever and witty and fluffy and charming, who I barely speak at all; however the people that do have me stumbling in their forum every so often have at least one of such characteristics - maybe even more!