The second day of the Lozzies, and again I have two more awards to reveal! So far, some of you have wondered if I’d maybe forgotten the Rembrant, because I did awards listed as one and three. However, just to clarify, I am going semi-out of order, just to spice things up! And so, today, I am going to reveal the winners of the Socialite, site with the most appealing forum community, and the Colbert, site with the best editorial/satire content.

The Socialite: Hyrule.net – www.hyrule.net

When we first considered Hyrule.net for this award, the first thing I notice about Hyrule.net is that there is a log-in box on their front page, suggesting that I can log in to Hyrule.net itself, and not necessarily just their forums. This also makes it so that I can be connected to the forum while browsing their front page. Not many sites do this, and so it’s a great way to feel like the forum is very much a part of the site. As I read their front page, I can see that very recently (just yesterday), they upgraded to the next version of Invision Power Board, so I know that their forum is fully functional and up to date with the latest, greatest features with software I’m familiar with and can trust.

Next, after deciding that I’m a forum freak and really want to check their forums out, I switch on over, which is a breeze. If I were already logged in, it’d be even easier! However, at this point, I wasn’t registered (not sure if I am now, even – they allow a lot of guest access, which is a great way to let a potential member browse your board before joining to see if they want to), but just scrolling along their index, I can see a great amount of activity, but not so much that it seems like the moment I register, I’m going to be swallowed whole. I also take note of the fact that the index is neither incredibly small nor overfilled with a vast amount of boards I potentially will not care about. I scroll down to the bottom and see that they have well over 250,000 posts, and over 5,000 members. This tells me that not only is their community active, but that it is dedicated.

After this, I go in and read a few posts, and I have to say, I am impressed. The community, as a whole, feels very welcoming, intelligent, and great to be a part of. No Zelda site would be complete without a forum of its own, but if you’re looking for a beacon of an example, look to Hyrule.net! Dustin and Tappy certainly did a wonderful job creating stunning and inviting forums.

The Colbert: Exploding Deku Nut – www.explodingdekunut.net

Aside from the fact that I always seem to type “dekunet.nut” before I get the URL right, this site is just fantastic. First thing I notice is that on the top right, there is an update box for their latest comic strip, called “Accidentally Linked”, which for those of you who have not read it, it is quite funny. The most recent one details a conversation between two of our most favorite characters that secretly annoy us, Midna and Navi. If you haven’t read it, it takes a good poke at both Midna and at Twilight Princess in general!

After going back to their front page, I decide to check out more about their comic, and read about the characters, and check out some of the other strips. I then go to check out their articles, and the first one to catch my eye is “A.S.S.A.” which stands for: “A Somewhat Serious Article”. It is a collection of fifteen articles, written by Darth Citrus, the Webmaster, originally intended for ZeldaBlog. The articles are a great read, and I recommend them to all of you! After that, I check out “The Deku University” and I see another plethora of articles, all very interesting, and then some humorous ones, too.

By the time I’m ready to leave Exploding Deku Nut, I overall feel much more enlightened about the Zelda series, and much more light-spirited in general, because humor is such a vital aspect of their site. As the slogan reads, “Cause Humor Ain’t Just for Crazy People”! Indeed, Darth Citrus has managed to create laugh after laugh, the true example of what satire is really all about.

So that’s four Lozzies down, and five to go! Be sure to come back tomorrow for the revealing of the next two. Until then, go express your thoughts on the forums!