Internet Awards: Setting the Standards

by Wally Gross, Webmaster
Surfers Choice Internet Awards
14 August 1999

Before I shake the very foundations of the Internet Awards business with my shocking revelations :-) below, I would like to thank my friend and neighbour, Don Chisholm, for this opportunity and for his relentless and dedicated service to the Internet.

Introduction

The article I have contributed below takes a hard look at the Internet Awards industry and while it may well be misinterpreted by some it will be appreciated by others. As much as it is written with the knowledge and wisdom of many years of direct experience and the donation of thousands of hours of time and effort to assist and help, it is nonetheless the opinion of just one person.

Nevertheless this message is not delivered without empathy or appreciation for those that deserve it. For those rapscallions who post abhorrent award sites that make a mockery out of the dedication of those Webmasters who work endlessly to the advancement of this industry on the Web, may this serve as message to shape up or ship out.

Whose Rules are They Anyway?

If you visit the World Wide Web Consortium, you will find the DTD and standards for HTML and applications like CSS, XML, plus any new proposed standards that may be still in the works. This site is one of the most important places for anyone with an interest in developing properly structured Web documents. There are standards and rules that must be followed for Style Sheets to work, HTML to work at it's best or any other of a number of Web applications.

You won't find a similar site that sets forth a set of global standards for the process of earning a meaningful and credible Internet Award. Such an implementation would be difficult at best. Nevertheless for an award to have a meaning beyond tokenism or egotistical satiation any award site that holds itself out as such must include a reasonable and defined set of standards that provide credibility to the award.

Where there are literally thousands and thousands of sites that issue awards, only a select number have made a whole hearted effort to list proper submission standards. For those that have made this effort, their frustrations in getting submitters to read them are never ending.

On a regular basis I see sites that offer visitors the opportunity for an award make comments on their Websites like these below:

    "This award is easy to win. All you have to do is sign my guestbook and it's yours."

    "To win this award all you have to do is link to my site."

I would say a somewhat less than salubrious situation. It is painfully obvious that Webmasters that take this approach have little else on their minds other than the promotion of their own sites and the stroking of their own egos. Furthermore any site owner that succumbs to such bribery by submitting to these sites is nothing more than a bird of a feather.

Awards should be a matter of quality and not quantity. If an award site issues awards to sites that do not meet a fair, yet strict set of standards, then it defeats it's own purpose and credibility and most certainly that of the awarded site. Any reasonably intelligent person recognizes tokenism as easily as he or she appreciates and acknowledges true effort and exemplary quality.

What Are Reasonable Standards?

Webmasters that run high quality award sites have taken the time to write a set of standards that make sense and reward those sites that come within a reasonable range of meeting or surpassing those submission rules and standards. Included in these standards, but not limited to this list, would be:

These standards are made by the site's Webmaster and therefore belong to the site. For those seeking their award there is one very important consideration — and I shout this out loudly:

    READ THE DAMN SUBMISSION RULES BEFORE YOU WASTE EVERYONE'S TIME!!

In case you're thinking: "Well, buddy you put the award site on the Net and you gotta take what comes with the territory," forget it!! It does not come with the territory but the submission rules and standards do. It is incumbent upon any visitor to any award site to display common decency and make an effort to abide. That requires a simple investment of 2-5 minutes to read the submission standards.

This show of respect is easy for anyone and is a major time saver to the Webmaster. Don't submit a site for an award unless it comes somewhere within reasonable range of meeting the standards as set by the site.

Those that take this process for granted and submit without reading the rules — and believe me busy award sites get hundreds and hundreds each month — display little else but their collective ignorance and more oft than not have Websites that have little resemblance to award winning quality.

So You Want an Award for Your Website — Why?

Let's face it, most of us love to be acknowledged and recognized for our efforts. There are a variety of reasons that our society has created such a cornucopia of awards for anything from movies to baking pies. It is as innate to our cultures as the air we breath and the water we drink.

The reasons range from ego stroking to that good old proverbial slap on the back for a job well done. If you seek an award for your site, it is important that you know why. Your reasons may well be the prime considerations as to where you should apply for a Web award.

Is Your Work Ready to be Reviewed?

However, before you start submitting your site here, there and everywhere, take the time to make an honest assessment of your work. Take the time to visit a variety of award sites and make a point to read their criteria and visit resident sites. Pay attention to the services the site offers with respect to it's efforts in providing a presence for your Website.

While it is most difficult to provide a certain answer as to which sites any particular award site will recognize with one of it's awards, I believe there are a few guidelines that might be almost universal among the better ones.

Sites that contain any of the following are not, in my opinion, deserving of a credible award:

If there is a lingua franca that applies to all Websites, then it should be content. Don't hide it by making the common mistakes I list above. Be sure that your site loads well (less than 30 seconds unless you provide the visitor with a good reason he or she should expect a longer wait), that it is neat and simple so the content is easily visible and that it makes it's purpose obvious.

After you have spent some time looking at awarded sites from a variety of award sites, it is time to make an honest assessment of your site. To thine ownself be true — it's that simple. If your site really does have superb content that would be of value to the Web community, then feel free to submit it to the best award sites you can find. You will reap many benefits for your work.

If it's little more than a first effort and basically sucks, well then be honest enough to make that judgment. If the latter applies and you still want an award to placate your tender ego, then by all means find yourself one of those token award sites, give them your guest book entry or promise you'll link to their site. When you get your award display it for the whole world to see. If that makes you feel good, then more power to you.

What Does a Quality Awards Site Look Like Anyway?

Far be it from me to recommend this site or that site for your award submissions. There are a few good sites (this being one) that will assist you with that process. However, there are, in my opinion at least, some common characteristics that may be innate:

1) A set of criteria that define some reasonable standards that will make the award very possible to earn for those sites that comply and also make it credible and real. Don't submit your site unless it comes close to satisfying the listed rules or guidelines. Some award sites only review certain types of sites, so don't submit your dog site to one that specializes in felines!

2) An award graphic that is downloadable by all Web users, not just those with high speed connections.

3) Winning sites receive a great deal of attention and links to them are highly visible to visitors. Look for a searchable directory, a presentation of winning sites with descriptions and these type of services.

4) A quality award site will never insist that you link to them or sign their Guest Book as a prerequisite to receiving the award. The emphasis should be on providing a meaningful award and quality services to the awarded sites.

5) An award site should at least look the part. It's pretty difficult to take it seriously if it's loaded with free graphics, sleezy animations, and downloads in something that approaches the speed of a snail on the coldest winter's day.

A Final Word

At best this article just scratches the surface of what is a rather large and prominent service on the Web. There are thousands of award sites out there and many are run by dedicated Webmasters who work endless hours to bring you superb service. Some of these are in the exceptional category and are the trend setters that have gained recognition for the credibility of their award throughout the Web.

I have put the time and effort into writing this article not because there was nothing else for me to do, but rather to promote the concept of quality in the services provided by award sites. I am powerless to put an end to those award sites that serve no purpose but their own as they seek e-mail addresses, guest book entries and links to their sites by making their award contingent upon submitters to comply with this folly.

Only you can put an end to this foolishness by developing quality Websites and submitting them only to honest and credible award sites. In so doing you help set and elevate the standards of the material presented on the Web.

If you do win a credible Web award (never link to an award site for any other reason than you have won the award), please do just one thing as an expression of your appreciation. Whilst most good award sites do not insist that you link to them, I suggest you do so anyway as a show of your support for the efforts of the site reviewers and all others associated with the site.

Sending a note of thanks will also demonstrate your appreciation and is something I highly recommend. Don't take it for granted that they get enough of that. I can assure you that it means as much to those that review your site as the award may mean to you.