Why rec stuff? Well, very few people do it, so the more who do, the better cross-section of work that gets represented. Also, because so few people rec stuff, a lot of very worthy work never reaches the final ballot.
If you haven't nominated anything this year, your excuses have evaporated... unless you didn't read anything, that is. And if so, shame on you. I've been as guilty of this as most of us, but I'm going to change that now.
Best,
Chris