As the Nats plan to open their season with a forecast of "spotty showers," we'll open an event that will go on rain or shine: voting for the best Washington sports journalist using Twitter.

Below are the nominees, collected on Twitter, of course, for the best #DCjournotweeps covering sports. The ballot is at the end of this post.

To vote on the best #DCjournotweeps covering local news, local politics and entertainment, see the separate ballots on those questions.

Next week we will recognize winners in all those categories as well as the best non-journalist source on Twitter for local news. We'll also recognize some notable Washington journalists who are AWOL on Twitter or who gave up after a lame start. You can still nominate journalists for consideration in those categories by tweeting with the #dcjournotweeps hashtag or by email or by comments here.

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Update: The winner of this poll was Katy Adams, @katyadams.

Last week Washington area tweeps nominated these journalists as the best on Twitter covering local entertainment.

To vote on the best #DCjournotweeps covering local news and local politics, see the separate ballot on those questions. You can vote in the entertainment category at the end of this post.

Tomorrow we will post a ballot for area journalists who use Twitter well in coverage of sports. You can still nominate journalists for consideration in that category by tweeting with the #dcjournotweeps hashtag or by email or comments here.

We're also interested in your nominees for the best non-journalist source on Twitter for local news. And call out any notable Washington journalists who are AWOL on Twitter or who gave up after a lame start.

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Correction: An earlier version of this post included some national political journalists in the poll. Votes for local journalists before the poll was changed will be counted.

Update: The winner of this poll was Freeman Klopott, @FKlopott.

These Washington-area journalists have been nominated as the best at using Twitter in their coverage of politics.

To vote on the best #DCjournotweeps covering local news, see the separate ballot on that question. You can vote in the local politics category at the end of this post. A few journalists covering national politics were nominated, but we have limited this to local politics. Time has recognized national political journalists in its list of 140 best Twitter feeds. And Politico's Mike Allen (one of those nominated for #DCjournotweeps) started a nationally focused #DCleaders that is not limited to journalists.

Watch for opportunities to vote later in the week on area journalists who use Twitter well in coverage of sports and entertainment. You can still nominate journalists for consideration in those categories by tweeting with the #dcjournotweeps hashtag or by email or comments here.. We're also interested in your nominees for the best non-journalist source on Twitter for local news. And call out any notable Washington journalists who are AWOL on Twitter or who gave up after a lame start. 

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Update: The winner of this poll was Scott Brodbeck, @ARLnowDOTcom.

The tweeps provided lots of answers when we asked who were the best journalists using Twitter in their coverage of local news. In emails, comments and tweets, you gave us a huge slate to consider. We narrowed to a top 20 for this ballot.

Please vote today for your favorite journalists to follow for local news.

Responding to requests on Twitter, we created a separate politics category, so reporters covering local politics have been moved there. That ballot will be posted later this week, along with ballots in other categories. The politics slate includes journalists covering local and national politics.

Perhaps reflecting our emphasis on local news, the the mixture so far includes more journalists covering local politics than national politics. If we get enough journalists covering national politics, we might note winners in both categories. And don't confuse this ballot with the #DCLeaders list (including policy makers as well as journalists) being compiled by Politico.

Keep sending us nominations (use #dcjournotweeps on Twitter or email sbuttry@tbd.com or comment below) for journalists in politics, sports or entertainment, for non-journo tweeps who give you useful news or for journalists who are AWOL (nowhere to be found on Twitter) or quitters (abandoned Twitter after a few lame tweets).

The ballot does include Twitter feeds for three blogs that were nominated from the TBD Community Network that do a great job on Twitter: @borderstan, @ggwash and @welovedc. They are team efforts, though, and we are seeking to recognize individual journalists here.

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The annual Cherry Blossom Festival is famous for its great photographic opportunities. If you have some shots you're proud of, we want to see them.

Send your best photos from the 2011 Cherry Blossom Festival to iwitness@tbd.com, and we will add them to a photo gallery for all to see. Be sure to include your name, so we can give you credit.

For photos of cherry blossoms in the evening sunset, check out our gallery by Heather Farrell.

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It seems like just yesterday that Marion Barry wandered across a live TBD TV set, we posted the video and everyone had a good laugh. Then we asked you to make some fake photos of Barry in other situations where he doesn't belong.

We're happy to say, you came through. In all we received 23 entries in the Great Marion Barry Photoshop contest of 2011. Check out the gallery to see entries, and vote for your favorite from the finalists below.

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Update: We've added a politics category. See below.

As Twitter celebrates its fifth birthday today, TBD seeks your help in identifying and recognizing the best journo tweeps in town.

Who are the Washington journalists you follow on Twitter? Why? Who are the best at interacting with the public, at reporting the news through Twitter? Over the coming days or weeks (or until you and we get tired of it), we'll watch, analyze and report who are the best #dcjournotweeps in several different categories.

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Bet you missed that the first time through. (Photoshopped by Jeff Sonderman)

If you were debating whether or not you should love the Internet, this video of Marion Barry wandering around the TBD set should be a clincher for you.

We can't let this moment in history pass without the most proper of tributes: A Photoshop contest in his honor, inserting him into other situations in which he doesn't belong. Remember Cigar Guy, the costumed fella watching Tiger Woods tee off? Here's what people did with his image. The same thing happened locally in January with "Thundersnow ice-cream cone guy."

And now we're asking you to do the same to immortalize Barry's triumphant TBD appearance. We have a few examples here but you can probably do better, and we'll send you a TBD T-shirt if our readers vote yours the best.

Send your photo to iwitness@tbd.com, or upload to Flickr and tag it with TBDDC. Here are a few of our quick attempts to get you started:

(Terrible attempt by Daniel Victor)

(By Jeff Sonderman)

You can download the cutout image of Barry here.

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Tell us how you would improve the Metro stations you use. We'll share them on the map.

Here's your chance to vent, and maybe get some attention to the problems.

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Steve Jobs announces the iPad 2. (Photo: Associated Press)

The much-anticipated second version of the Apple iPad goes on sale Friday, and shoppers are expected to line up in advance to get the first ones.

Because Apple has not allowed any online orders in advance of the release date, the only way to get an iPad 2 on Friday is by visiting one of the stores that will begin selling them at 5 p.m. Lines are expected to form several hours in advance at many locations.

That's the bad news. The good news is, you have some options of where to wait in line. The devices will be sold at Apple Stores, as well as Target, Best Buy and Wal-Mart locations.

To help you in your quest, we've put together a map of 75 locations of those stores in the region. Choose wisely, and good luck.

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If you could make your home anywhere in the D.C. region, where would it be?

We want to find the most-desirable places to live. So forget about money for a minute and think about entertainment options, restaurants, schools, transportation, safety, or whatever else matters to you.

We'll put the responses on our map and see what we all can learn.

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