Its time once again for the Internet award season.  And what would we be without the Webby Awards.

From their web site: The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet. Established in 1996 during the Web’s infancy, the Webbys are presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a 650-member body of leading Web experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries and creative celebrities.

This year, the Webbys’  have honored the top 10 Internet moments of the decade.  With so much to choose from, its amazing it was narrowed down to ten.

Here are the Webbys’ Top 10:

• Craigslist expands beyond San Francisco (2000): When the free classifieds web site broadened its reach into nine more cities, it began a major shift away from newspaper classifieds, according to the Webbys. Craigslist now hosts listings in more than 500 cities in 50 countries.

• Google AdWords launches (2000): The Webbys say the launch of Google’s self-service ad program opened up the online marketplace, allowed advertisers to better target their customers and, in short, “turned advertising on its head.”

• Wikipedia launches (2001): The free, open-source encyclopedia now has more than 14 million articles in 271 languages with 20,000 of those coming in the first year. The Webbys credit Wikipedia with being an early example of strangers from around the world coming together to collaborate on projects.

• Napster shuts down (2001): Although the controversial file-sharing site bemoaned by many in the recording industry shut down in 2001, the Webbys note that it opened up the floodgates. Hulu, iTunes and other legal sites followed, as did downloading songs from less reputable sites and artists releasing their music exclusively online.

• Google’s IPO (2004): One of the largest stock offerings in history put the search engine on the path to becoming what the Webbys call “the most dominant and influential company of the decade.” Gmail, YouTube, Google Earth, Google Maps and Android would all follow.

• Online video revolution (2006): Faster bandwidth, cheaper camcorders and YouTube’s use of Adobe’s Flash 9 video player combine to make online video explode. “The trifecta led to a boom in homemade and professional content – the Diet Coke and Mentos guys, lonelygirl15, SNL’s Lazy Sunday, and Sen. George Allen’s “Macaca-gate” — that has reshaped everything from pop culture to politics,” the Webbys write.

• Facebook opens up, Twitter takes off (2006): In September, Facebook expands from only college students to anyone older than 13. Almost overnight, social networking went mainstream. Less than a month later, Twitter’s owners acquire the company, paving the way for the service to take off the following year.

• The iPhone debuts (2007): It was released on June 29, 2007, and by the end of the weekend a half-million had been sold. The phone from Apple has inspired a slew of other smartphones and an app for just about every aspect of modern life.

• U.S. presidential campaign (2008): The Internet “altered presidential politicking in 2008 much as television had forty years earlier,” according to the Webby list. “Obama Girl” and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s controversial sermons helped shape the debate, social networking helped mobilize volunteers and voters and online fundraising shattered records.

What would you have nominated?

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