This is really geeky, but I’ve gotten into this thing called “web page awards”.
You’ve probably seen them on some sites - people show off these nifty web graphics that say “This site won the ‘Sammy’s Cool Site Award’ or ‘Best of the Web 2001’” or something like that. Well, I do that. I give out awards on my main domain site. I figured out the secret - anyone can give out awards, and when it’s done with the right intentions, it’s nice, and rather fun!
Applying for awards are like getting a little “free critique” on your web design and web authoring skills from an objective stranger. You submit your “pride and joy” web site to an award-giver, and they usually give you a “Gold” “Silver” or “Bronze” award, based on their criteria. Judging sites is fun too - because you get to look at other people’s sites with an objective eye, and it feels good to give out those nice shiny awards, which give fellow web authors a nice ego boost.
The criteria of an award program is very important, since every award giver makes up their own. Usually they are simular - “No porn”, “Can’t take too long to load”, and so on. Most award programs that have any credibility have detailed and specific criteria, and they expect all applicants to read the criteria. It’s a good idea, since the applicant will find out if they even want to bother applying. If the criteria states that only personal sites qualify, then there’s no point in submitting a business site - it’ll just be ignored. And so on.
Anyway, I started a nice little awards program, offering pretty, shiny award graphics, and writing detailed, but relatively lenient criteria. All I asked was the the applicant READ the damned criteria, so they’d understand what I was looking for. I even went so far as to hide a “secret word” in the text of the criteria, that only someone who’d READ the criteria would know. I repeated, over and over again that I would disqualify anyone who didn’t read the criteria. OVER AND OVER.
And what happens? People apply for the award. In the box on the application form where I ask for the “secret word”? Nothing. Or some lame word they made up. HAVE THEY NO CLUE? What exactly is the point of this? I just delete their application. Why are people this clueless? I hear tell that this is a big problem for all the award programs - people just apply, apply, apply, and don’t give a damn if their site is even appropriate for the award.
Oh, I know. I know it’s a small thing. And award programs are rather geeky to begin with. But still, the stubborn cluelessness of some people amazes me. I mean, it’s right there on the application form. DON’T APPLY UNTIL YOU READ THE CRITERIA. And yet they gloss right by that and apply anyway.
OK. Thanks. I got that off my chest. I’m sure this is not the only example of such cluelessness.