Best Of The Web -- Where Www Means Wit And Wisdom In Washington

It's that time of year when the glitterati gather, the nominees hope for fame and fortune and the folks at home wonder if their favorites will win.

That's right. It's time to announce the winners of the Seattle Times Best of the Web contest.

Now in its third year, the competition has gotten stiffer as the Web grows by leaps and bounds. According to one estimate, there may be 350 million sites on the Web. Oh, that was a few months ago. There are lots more now.

Today, we present the best in eight categories; they're listed on this page.

There are some caveats.

First, our three eminently qualified judges didn't look at all 350 million or so sites, though it must have seemed like it at times.

The field included only sites nominated by you, the readers - about 140 in the general category and somewhere between 25 and 100 in each of the seven other categories. No weight was given to how many times a site was nominated: Alex Rodriguez has a lot of fans, but his Web site is mediocre.

Also, except for the general category, which was open to sites hosted anywhere in the world, all others were limited to Washington state. We don't proclaim these to be the best in the world, just among the best in our little corner of the world.

And though it seems unfair, a site created by a Web novice using a dog-eared HTML book in her basement was treated the same as a Microsoft site with its army of professional designers. On the Web no one knows your name, and they certainly don't want to hear your excuses. The good news is sometimes the talented upstart on a budget wins.

Judges were asked to consider the following criteria: design, content, navigability, innovation and whether the site had "oomph" - a special something that made it stand out.

Yes, it's subjective, but who really thought Academy Award winner "Braveheart" deserved the best picture Oscar in 1995?

While the judges often disagreed - sometimes vehemently - on their individual picks, they agree on some universal truths about the state of the Web.

They concurred that Web sites are generally improving, as technology becomes more accessible. Web designers are using glitzy tools such as Shockwave and Flash to make sites more interactive. It's a trend they believe will continue.

"A lot of sites are using more images," said Glenn Fleishman, a Seattle-based Web consultant and one of the judges. "I'm seeing a lot more sophistication and slickness. It's almost a seamless multimedia experience now."

However, thoughtful design and logical organization still carry the day for these Web experts.

"Sound principles of design have pushed everything else out," said Seattle Times technology columnist Paul Andrews, another of the judges. "People have gotten back to the idea (that) the medium is the message."

There's still plenty of rookie mistakes making their way onto the Web, the judges said.

Among Andrews' pet peeves: sites that are too crowded or poorly organized, commands placed below the screen border, sites that don't tell when they were last updated and sites that make the user work to find out what the company or organization is about.

Simplicity and consistency make Cathie Walker take notice. Walker, a judge, is a content provider and consultant based in Victoria, B.C. Her "Easily Amused" site won the humor award in last year's Best of the Web.

"It has to grab me within 30 seconds or I'll click away," she said. "A Web site should have a consistent voice. If it's done by committee, it doesn't work."

The judges also agree there is still a significant difference between the sites with generous financial backing and ample staff and the lone Web rangers, but the gap is closing because of new tools accessible to everyone.

And now, the envelope please . . .

Even though the general category was open to a site hosted anywhere in the world, the top two vote-getters hail from right here in Seattle.

The Written Word, a site that sells "information design," won based on the strength of being No. 1 on Andrews' and Walker's lists. Nye Labs Online, the Web version of the popular "Bill Nye, the Science Guy" television show was in the top tier in all three judges' lists.

The Written Word impressed two of the judges with its minimal text and jazzy design.

"It really grabbed me. It was so simple and eloquent. It was different, yet easy to navigate," Walker said.

Proving that there is no objective measure of what makes a great site, Fleishman hated the site, ranking it near the bottom of his list.

"The design is tacky and crappy. The writing is bad. It's unaesthetic and unappealing. The typography is extremely poor," he said.

Anything else? "It has no utility for any individual," he added.

Nye's site, which features Shockwave and can only be viewed in newer browsers, has the same look and flavor of his PBS show, with plenty of pictures of Nye in his lab coat, a daily experiment that kids can try at home and an "Ask Bill Nye" link.

Runners-up in the general excellence category included the magazine-style health advice site Onhealth (also based in Seattle) and The Fray, a site dedicated to prose and poetry.

In the highly competitive commercial category, the omnipresent Amazon.com floated to the top. It's not a new concept anymore, but the judges couldn't ignore the consistently well designed and useful site that was last year's general excellence winner.

Judges also gave sentimental nods to the Pike Place Fish, featuring - what else? - flying fish, and McPhee, the site of the fun-loving Archie McPhee novelty store in Fremont.

Of several government sites favored by the judges, the city of Seattle Public Access Network ranked the highest for its depth, utility and ease of use. One judge called it "mind-blowingly comprehensive."

However, Renton's $600,000 image makeover campaign may be paying off. Fleishman liked the Renton city site best.

In a tight contest between the University of Washington and Washington State University, the Cougs beat the Dawgs by a touchdown in the schools category. Fleishman praised its design as elegant, clean and fun. Of the non-university sites, the Kent School District and Blanchet High School received high marks.

The judges were disappointed in the quality of entries in the humor and individual Web site categories, but still found a few they liked.

Planet Wally, the creation of Seattle resident Glenn Wally and the only unanimous choice in the contest, was picked for its trashy jokes and features such as "gallery of the stupid" and "observations of a madman."

In the individual sites category, judges chose the quirky and privacy-be-damned Jessaymyn Dot Com over the competition. Few people know how to do an individual page that is personal and interesting, but not promotional, the judges said.

Jessamyn, an obvious labor of love by Seattle resident Jessamyn West, is an exception. Such features as her journal, her "every job I've ever had" list and a layout of her Ballard apartment with links to each room fascinated the judges.

"There aren't many people who are great memorializers of their lives," Fleishman said. "She is very good at turning a self-reflective eye on herself."

In the category of best site for kids, flip a coin between Nye Labs Online site and Headbone Zone, a neon colored display of games, G-rated jokes and kids' chat from Seattle-based Headbone Interactive.

"I thought it captured what kids would like," Andrews said of Headbone. "So many kids' sites look like sites designed by adults for kids."

Among community-service sites, Petshelter Network edged out the Seattle Art Museum Egyptian exhibit site, which judges thought was beautiful, but a little too promotional to be considered community service.

Petshelter is put together by the Seattle-area Pet Adoption League and features cute animals who need a home. Who wouldn't love that?

-------------------------------------------- Winners of the 1999 Best of the Web contest. --------------------------------------------

General Award for Web Excellence.

The Written Word.

http://www.writtenword.com

Nye Labs Online.

http://nyelabs.kcts.org

Best Commercial Site.

Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com

Best Community Service Site.

petshelter network.

http://www.petshelter.org

Best Government Site.

Seattle public access network.

http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us

Best Humor Award.

Planet Wally.

http://www.gwally.com

Best Individual Home Page.

JESSAMYN DOT COM

http://www.jessamyn.com

Best Site for Kids.

Nye Labs Online.

http://nyelabs.kcts.org

HEAD BONE ZONE.

http://headbone.com

Best School Site.

Washington State University.

http://www.wsu.edu

---------- The judges ----------

Paul Andrews, who has covered the technology industry for more than 15 years, writes the User Friendly column for The Seattle Times. He is co-author with Steve Manes of "Gates: How Microsoft's Mogul Reinvented an Industry and Made Himself the Richest Man in America" (Touchstone).

Glenn Fleishman is a Seattle freelance writer, consultant and programmer. He is former Amazon.com catalog manager and founder of one of the earliest Web development companies. He currently is a regular contributor to the New York Times Circuits section, columnist at Adobe Magazine, and consultant for Powell's Books.

Cathie Walker is a one-person Web factory in Vancouver, B.C. She manages the Centre for the Easily Amused (http://www.amused.com) and is a partner in Forkinthehead.com (http://www.forkinthehead.com). She works with Uproar (http://www.uproar.com) online game shows and Cool Site of the Day (http://www.coolsiteoftheday.com).