So You Wanna Be a Five

by Jeff Clark, Webmaster
Internet Brothers (award program closed)
15 February 2000

In August '99 when I wrote the first part of this article — Client Side — I had the dubious distinction of following the great Wally Gross, awardmaster supreme. The task ahead is even more difficult. Don Chisholm has mustered together all the finest award presenters in the past several months, and it appears they all went to journalism school.

Server Side

I was thinking about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little forks and spoons and was wondering; do Chinese mothers feed their babies with toothpicks? Sometimes that's what gets me started, just a simple random thought. Most times it's spurious and meaningless, but last summer I wondered what it might be like to have a World's Top Award program.

I was fortunate to have earned a 4.5 rating from Focus Award Sites right out of the box with my first effort, thanks in large part to Glenn Akiyama, who graciously allowed me to model my guidelines after his. Since I didn't have to go very far to reach the pinnacle — that helped — I dove right in; hard head first. Detailed here is what happened. I learned a lot; I learned a lot about myself; mostly I learned there are a lot of great people out in cyberspace.

Events and Circumstances

About the same time I was pondering how nostalgia isn't what it used to be, I happened to notice that David Bancroft over at Focus Award Sites seemed to be having a housecleaning of sorts. Over the course of a few weeks, it appeared more than half the Level 5 award programs were dropped from his rolls. Some of them broke rules, some of them became so big they didn't need the ratings system anymore, some of them just quit while they were ahead. Whatever the reasons, there was a void. It was time to strike while the iron was hot.

I also had to do something about the workload of the award program I was running at that time. Popularity is great, but with it comes responsibility. I was receiving more applications than I could review fully and honestly.

I operated a multi-level system of the Gold, Silver, and Bronze variety. For those who have done it, you will understand completely when I say it is very time consuming. That type of system requires a thorough examination, at least a half hour per site, in order to determine placing. One of the changes I had to make with the new system was a switch to "yes" or "no." Because of other commitments, and the volume of applications, I simply couldn't afford as much time anymore.

People, Places, and Things

If any of you have seen my digital art work, you will understand why I also had to find someone else to create new award graphics for me. I even wrote an article for my site and some newsletters titled Web Design for the No-Talent Artist. Earlier I mentioned learning a few things about myself during this project. One of them is that I am too picky. Will someone please pack me in styrofoam?

Two terrific ladies, Bonnie Gauthier of The Technology Security Blanket, and Elise Marks Tomek of Elise's Zesty Weasel, spent countless hours of their personal time designing award graphics that I ultimately rejected. Don't get me wrong, they both did fantastic work I would recommend in a minute, but I can be a stubborn old coot. Call it the Dopeler Effect: the tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly. Eventually I decided on some designs of my own that are your basic black on white, but extremely low bandwidth. More on that later.

Diligently study Focus Award Sites' rules and guidelines, and you'll discover a number of keys to success in the ratings game. In my view, paramount among them is a well-structured, meaningful purpose and criteria for your web awards. That simple fact became my focus. I spent weeks developing those portions of my new program, researching the successful sites, and even trying to be ingenuitive, but when I'm not in my right mind, my left mind gets pretty crowded. I developed a method of determining who among the applicants were conscientious about their submission, and who took the easy way out. If you've been there, you're aware of my infamous "secret password."

Finally, I put together a team of reviewers, with a nice scattering of geography. Dave Clark is from the Rocky Mountains, the aforementioned Elise Tomek from the heartland, and I'm from the mid-Atlantic region. If there are international reviewers reading this with an interest in joining the panel, please let me know. AltaVista Systran is a great help to me with European sites, but Kanji and Cyrillic leave me cross-eyed.

So What Happened?

It worked, that's what happened. The first week of October '99, Dave Bancroft notified me of Focus Award Sites' selection of Internet Brothers Presents as a Level 5 web award, followed almost immediately by recognition from Don Chisholm as a World's Top Award. Cool, right? Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it. If I thought I had application overload before... Let's put it this way, "Are you sure you wanna be a Five?" I've developed a new appreciation for Microsoft's Outlook Express.

Admit it. When you first applied for web awards, where did you go? Did you immediately seek out the Level 1's and 2's? You did? Well never mind then, but an awful lot of folks sure didn't get that message. Seriously, I deeply appreciate the exposure both Dave and Don have given Internet Brothers, and I'm sincerely humbled by their recognition.

I'll tell you something else about that exposure. There are people sitting in dank, dark basements somewhere monitoring what these guys do. Not long after the flood from those two, IB Presents started getting listed in "Top Award" directories all over the map. ODP, Lycos, AOL, Netscape; and I didn't even have to do anything. It all happened by osteopromosis: a promotional virus. I'm going to have to talk with Don and Dave about power.

Backlogs Are Good, and So Are the Sites

Work, work, work. Anyway, I learned something else about myself. Don't sweat it. I don't fret over backlogged site reviews like I used to. It seems most people accept that top awards will be buried in an avalanche of applications, and you know what? They seem to be genuinely more delighted to learn they've won three weeks after the fact rather than three days. Go figure, probably a surprise factor. Now I'll start to worry when I stop receiving applications entirely.

The best news out of all this is the superior quality of web sites today. The bar on the horizon is constantly being raised, and challenged. There are sites I never knew existed that have come to my attention. It seems a lot of folks only apply for Level 5 awards, and with their talent, I can't blame them. This opportunity has opened a whole new web world for me. I've been inspired, I've witnessed creativity, I've learned, and I've observed humility. I have an even deeper respect for the artistry and imagination of the people on this planet.

So You Wanna Be a Five? Here's How

Ask yourself a few pointed questions. Are you serious enough about your web award to work longer, and harder than you imagined? Do you have the energy and time to stick with it for the long haul, through thick and thin? Are you willing to have your spouse think you're ignoring her? Can you take criticism, both constructive and harsh? If a man says something in the woods, and there's no woman there, is he still wrong? Whoops, left brain thing again. Additionally, when do you get a break? Still game? OK, here's the quick tour.

Top awards receive lots of applications, so conceive a system that allows for easy dismissal. Harsh reality. If you want to be responsive to every single individual, you'll never make it; an unfortunate cold, hard fact. I miss the cordial communication the most. If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

That's the reason I switched from a multi-level award to simple "yea" or "nay". You can't be any more vague than "only winners will be notified." Winners constitute less than 10% of all applications, so hundreds will never know how they stacked up. I don't like it, but it comes with the territory. Develop a mechanism to weed out the slackers. If they don't take the time to review your criteria, don't review their site; my "secret password" concept.

Focus your energies on your reason for being, and your expectations. All the top level award programs have thorough and concise criteria and purposes. Try to stick with those guidelines, but if you find yourself wavering, modify the guidelines. I can't emphasize enough the importance of a well planned scheme. It doesn't happen overnight. Be prepared to spend weeks or longer developing your system. Put it all on paper before you even approach your computer.

Start a new trend. Who knows, other than Dave Bancroft, whether it will win points for you, but try to be different. I used to think the look of the awards themselves made a big difference. Perhaps it does, but the rating panel also appears to like the idea of compact, light graphics. I created award graphics that load really fast. 50K animations with gold and velvet plugins are pretty, but they're sucking up valuable Internet bandwidth. Mine don't, but then some of the winners aren't displaying them either. Not to worry though, it isn't required. My goal is to honor the winning web sites, not the award program.

Don't be afraid to ask for help. Many of the highly rated programs have review teams or panels. There are several reasons for that. Fairness is one, but it also allows the program to continue unabated. If you go on vacation or get sick, others can pick up the slack in your absence. The higher your rating, the more popular your award will become, and the more work you will inherit. If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?

Conduct your reviews professionally. You must think of yourself as a World's Top Award program. It took me awhile to comprehend that responsibility. Remember, Level 5 awards are very hard to win, so avoid the temptation to neglect your own criterium and guidelines. You won't remain on top for long if you diminish the value of the recognition.

You will get spammed, and you will get flamed. So develop a thick skin. If you want to last, don't burn any bridges. Expect to see the same sites over and over, but determine a way to politely tell them they don't measure up, yet. Encourage continuous improvement. Offer constructive suggestions where appropriate. As a Level 5 you've earned some respect. If used wisely, that respect can help reduce your workload.

Most of all, have fun. If you design a system that won't be enjoyable for both you and your applicants, you'll lose interest real fast. Provide an opportunity for participation. People love interactivity. Allow your applicants and other visitors to vote on Site of the Month or Year competitions. Make them feel like they are a part of the process. Partake in forums and do something like this; write articles that expose you for the fraud you really are.

The Future of Web Awards

The dot com people tell us there are thousands of new domains being added every single day. It naturally follows that many of them will be interested in feedback and self-gratification. Those who enjoy receiving awards may also discover the pleasure of giving. Will there be more web awards?

Thousands will come and go, but Wally Gross will be here forever. I think the entire Internet is on the verge of another paradigm shaft, ...errr shift. Wireless communications and presentation convergence will change the face during the next decade. Familiarize yourself with an acronym named WAP. We won't have 19 inch, or larger monitors to display to anymore. When information is sent to PIMs, cell phones, and toaster ovens they'll need awards, right? Well, mine are small and ready.

Allow me to leave you with a final thought to consider as you develop your entry into the world of web awards. In the early days, web awards were a great way to bring traffic to your site. Many took advantage and pasted their graphic on every web space that applied. Consequently, the value and reputation of awards in general took a nose dive. To recover, new award programs need to offer a conscientious, quality approach.

Please divest your plan of self-seeking promotion, it has become a tired and bothersome methodology. Instead focus attention where it rightly belongs; on the very best sites and the people behind them.