Do the Eisners and such awards actually mean something to the comics community, or are they like the Oscars where its just kinda people voting for their friends?

I don’t know about the voting practices, but while awards such as the Eisners are nice, they don’t seem to lead to greater sales or better opportunities. So at most, they’re an acknowledgement of success from the community, a pat on the back for a job well done. And they’re nice to get, but of no particular consequence beyond that.