Best Blogs of 2022

The annual HOUNDIES™ awards are back. Highlighting content by Hound Labs’ experts and guest authors, the HOUNDIES are a great way to catch up on some of the year’s best content. Category winners are determined by a panel of judges, including Google Analytics, LinkedIn Insights, and Yours Truly. 

Categories for the 2022 HOUNDIES include:

1. MOST ORIGINAL TOPIC
2. PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
3. BEST GUEST BLOG
4. BEST SCIENCE + TECHNOLOGY
5. BEST DOCUMENTARY
6. BEST SEQUEL
7. BEST INTERVIEW FORMAT
8. BEST BY THE NUMBERS
9. BEST BLOG OF THE YEAR
10. BEST BLOG GRAPHIC OF THE YEAR

Good luck to all the nominees.

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1. MOST ORIGINAL TOPIC

Our first award category, Most Original Topic, highlights blogs featuring both creative content and original titles.  

Nominees:

• Reduce the Scare Factor of Cannabis Testing with the Right Policy by Casei Malone
• Can I Be Blunt? Three Things to Keep in Mind on 4/20 by Jaime Feinberg
• Much Ado About Detection by Nina M. French

The WINNER: Reduce the Scare Factor of Cannabis Testing with the Right Policy
Casei Malone, making her debut in 2022 as a contributor to the Hound Labs’ blog, wowed readers with a Halloween-themed piece. Her storytelling approach resonated with readers, helping illustrate the importance of breath testing now that most employees can use cannabis legally outside of work.

2. PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD

The People’s Choice Award recognizes blog engagement, measuring readership volume and social media activity as audiences engage with each post. 

Nominees:

• Why 4/21 is Considered “National Drug Testing Day” by Louisa Ashford 
• The Benefits of Drug Testing Remote Workers by Tricia O’Connor
• The Importance of Educating Employees About Workplace Cannabis Policies by Tricia O’Connor

THE WINNER: The Benefit of Drug Testing Remote Workers
This winning blog engaged readers by tackling a new and trending topic – remote work and drug testing. Veteran blogger Tricia O’Connor joined Hound Labs in early 2022 as Director of Content, and her quality and engaging content offers a fresh perspective on industry trends and insights.

3. BEST GUEST BLOG

Nominees in this category are selected from our ‘Industry Spotlight: Guest Blog’ series, sharing insights from experts in the cannabis testing and drug testing industries.  

Nominee:

• Effective Cannabis Testing: An MRO’s View by Jenny Lynn

THE WINNER: Effective Cannabis Testing: An MRO’s View
This blog is a Q + A between me (Jenny Lynn) and Angela Moore, CEO of Cynergy Wellness, Inc.¹, a privately-owned provider of nationwide Medical Review Officer (MRO) services, and one of our partners. The goal of our conversation is to help employers as they seek to balance workplace safety and employee privacy.

“The best programs are the ones that have been well-advertised to employees. To achieve the goals of deterrence and education, employers who spend time educating their employees about why they have certain ‘drug-safe’ policies will have the most impact. In the end, employees should know that effective drug testing programs keep them safe at work.”

– Angela Moore, CEO of Cynergy Wellness, Inc., and an MRO

4. BEST SCIENCE + TECHNOLOGY BLOG

In 2022, this category has expanded to include technical content related to cybersecurity, drug testing procedures, and the science behind the HOUND^® CANNABIS BREATHALYZER.

Nominees:

• Specimen Custody and Control – A Critical Component in Workplace Testing by Nina M. French
• Don’t Let the Term Breathalyzer Fool You by Dr. Mike Lynn + Jenny Lynn
• Expanding Safety-Sensitive Roles to Address Cyberattacks by Don Boian

THE WINNER: Don’t Let the Term Breathalyzer Fool You
Although the nominees covered a wider range of content, the winner represents an established breath testing category. For his cutting-edge and relatable scientific content, Dr. Mike Lynn, CEO of Hound Labs, won this HOUNDIE in collaboration with me, Co-Founder Jenny Lynn.

5. BEST DOCUMENTARY

Blogs nominated in this category share industry perspectives based on true events. 

Nominee:

• Keys to Safety + Other Lessons from a Life on the Road by Aaron Atkinson

THE WINNER: Keys to Safety + Other Lessons from a Life on the Road 
This piece by Hound Labs’ Senior Vice President of Marketing Aaron Atkinson is a heartwarming chronicle about his grandfather-in-law’s experience as the only two-time winner of the prestigious American Trucking Association’s National Driver of the Year award.

6. BEST SEQUEL

Rarely can complex topics be thoroughly covered in just one blog. This year’s nominees for Best Sequel represent a wide range of topics across the cannabis testing industry. 

Nominees:

• Cannabis Legislation Trends: Political Shock Value No More by Jessica Cohen Taubman
• 10 Years of Cannabis Reform – Part Two by Jenny Lynn
• Part Two: Easy Steps to Implement the HOUND^® CANNABIS BREATHALYZER by Sammie Dabbs

THE WINNER: Part Two: Easy Steps to Implement the HOUND^® CANNABIS BREATHALYZER 
A fan favorite, Sammie Dabbs’ blog shared insights from her webinar recording, ‘5 Easy Steps to Implement the HOUND^® CANNABIS BREATHALYZER’. Her content features fresh perspectives from the sales team’s conversations with employers and partners about solving the challenges of cannabis testing in the workplace.

7. BEST INTERVIEW FORMAT

This year’s Best Interview Format created a buzz, featuring conversations with industry leaders giving readers insights on the continuing evolution of cannabis legalization.

Nominees:

• Cannabis Legalization: Employment Law Insights by Doug Boxer, with Michael Clarkson and Rayna Jones of Ogletree Deakins² 
• Meet the Expert: Sammie Dabbs, Executive Vice President of Sales by Hound Labs
• Cannabis Reform – Thoughts from Safety Professionals by Jaime Feinberg
• Meet the Expert: Nina French, President of Employer Solutions by Hound Labs

THE WINNER: Cannabis Legalization: Employment Law Insights 
Based on the webinar, ‘Updates On State Cannabis Laws + Trends for 2022’, Doug Boxer, Chief of Policy + Strategic Initiatives for Hound Labs, secured a win with his interview featuring Michael Clarkson and Rayna Jones, co-chairs of the Drug Testing Practice Group at employment law firm Ogletree Deakins.

8. BEST BY THE NUMBERS

Nominees in this category represent Hound Labs’ blogs garnering the highest number of unique pageviews. The metrics for the Best by the Numbers award are certified by Google Analytics.

Nominees:

• Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Holders and Cannabis Use by Nina M. French
• The Benefits of Drug Testing Remote Workers by Tricia O’Connor
• What Determines if a Position is Safety Sensitive? by Nina M. French
• Does the Military Need to Modernize its Drug Testing? by Tricia O’Connor
• A Negative Marijuana Test Result Might be More Important than a Positive One by Nina M. French

THE WINNER: Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Holders and Cannabis Use
As the top-viewed blog of 2022, this blog navigates the complexities of cannabis testing for drivers who must secure a Commercial Driver’s License. Interestingly, this blog by Nina M. French, President of Employer + Law Enforcement Solutions at Hound Labs, holds two honors; it’s the best-by-the-numbers blog with the most unique pageviews, and it is also among the top 10 pages receiving the most web traffic in 2022.

9. BEST BLOG OF THE YEAR

The Best Blog of the Year award is presented to the blog that is a fan favorite – measured by both social engagement and web analytics – generating the highest number of pageviews and unique visitors for the year.

Nominees:

• Why the Workday Matters When Testing for Cannabis by Tricia O’Connor 
• A F.A.I.R. Way to Start 2022 by Jenny Lynn
• Five Ways Cannabis Breath Testing Can Improve Employee Retention by Tricia O’Connor
• Swaying Organizational Change by Jaime Feinberg
• Accentuate the Negative, Deter the Positive by Nina M. French

THE WINNER: Why the Workday Matters When Testing for Cannabis  
Since its debut in the fall, this blog has sent shockwaves through the industry. Tricia O’Connor’s blog presents the reasons for updating workplace drug testing policies and tools to focus on deterring cannabis use during the workday. The simplicity of cannabis breath testing for recent use detection addresses the needs of both employers and employees.  

10. BEST BLOG GRAPHIC OF THE YEAR

One of our readers’ favorite categories, this year’s Best Blog Graphic nominee list includes several clever graphics. 

Nominees:

Sharing Our Gratitude This Thanksgiving by Tricia O’Connor

Why the Workday Matters When Testing for Cannabis by Tricia O’Connor 

How Current World Events May Impact Your Cybersecurity by Don Boian

THE WINNER: How Current World Events Could Impact Your Cybersecurity  
An accomplished technology leader, Don Boian’s blog and accompanying graphic clearly illustrate the importance of information security. The hooded figure and exclamation mark evoke a sense of urgency and the binary code background is an insightful use of negative space in the design. 

Congratulations to all the nominees, and a special round of applause to the 2022 HOUNDIES™ winners. The topics covered by our experts provided exciting content and I cannot wait to read what the experts have to say next year.  

Wishing you Happy Holidays and a safe and fair 2023.