tˈɑːʔn̩ wˈʌn ðə tˈuː θˈaʊzənd sˈɛvən wˈɛblɑːɡ ɐwˈɔːɹd fɔːɹ bˈɛst mˈɪdəl ˈiːst ɔːɹ ˈæfɹɪkə blˈɑːɡ, hiː wˈʌn ɪɾ ɐɡˈɛn ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪt, ænd wʌz nˈeɪmd "blˈɑːɡɚɹ ʌvðə jˈɪɹ" ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd sˈɪks baɪ ðə wˈiːk mˌæɡɐzˈiːn fɔːɹ hɪz dɪspˈætʃᵻz fɹʌmðə mˈɪdəl ˈiːst.
Totten won the 2007 Weblog Award for Best Middle East or Africa Blog, he won it again in 2008, and was named "Blogger of the Year" in 2006 by The Week magazine for his dispatches from the Middle East.