The Hot Blogger Calendar project is the brainchild of Sarah Morgan and Jane Couto.
Here is the story:
Sometimes, at just the right moment, the fates collide just so. Like in July 2008.
Playboy.com had just published its list of the web’s hottest bloggers, causing the blogosphere to erupt in a debate over the objectification of the chosen women. But most troubling to blogger Jane Couto was the list’s omission of one very important group of bloggers: Men.
She quickly took action, asking her friends on Twitter to name the web’s hottest male bloggers. A list of 7 men emerged, but Jane decided that only 1 could hold the coveted title of Hottest Male Blogger. So she made it into a contest on her blog and asked people to vote via email.
The impromptu contest went viral, landing stories on sites like Gawker and mediabistro. Jane was flooded with emails.
One in particular came from another blogger, Sarah Morgan, who cast her vote, and ended her email with a proposition: “Why not go the whole way with it – let’s have a Hot Blogger calendar!”
Jane’s response: “I love the idea! Love it! Wanna help pull it together…?” Was followed quickly by Sarah’s vow: “I’m 100% in.”
With that brief but serendipitous exchange, the Hot Blogger Calendar project was born.
While Jane thought the response to the Hottest Male Blogger contest was huge, both she and Sarah were in for a surprise when the nominations for the calendar started rolling in. A total of 359 bloggers ended up competing for the 24 coveted calendar spots (12 Hot Male Bloggers and 12 Hot Female Bloggers), and over the course of the voting week in August 2008, an astounding 23,745 unique votes were cast to determine the winners.
The Hot Bloggers with the most votes graced the 2009 calendars.
After a year on hiatus, the Hot Blogger Calendar is back! We will be heating things up here all throughout 2010 to ensure an insanely hot 2011 Hot Blogger Calendar. With your help, of course. Who else is going to vote the hot bloggers into those 24 coveted spots? Or help us decide to which charity the calendar proceeds will go? You hot do-gooders, that’s who!
And as for sponsorship opportunities? To contact Hot Blogger Calendar co-founders Jane and Sarah, email us here!
