Awards Programs: Handling The Losers

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Sometimes it's an easy decision, sometimes it's more difficult.
Occasionallyyou find a site which on the surface looks very good and you spend hourslooking it over, comparing it to each part of your c... Sometimes it's an easy decision, sometimes it's more difficult.
Occasionallyyou find a site which on the surface looks very good and you spend hourslooking it over, comparing it to each part of your criteria. Believe me,it's those last one's that hurt the most - the site is gorgeous andwonderful, but ...
it just does not meet your criteria.So what should you do? Should I send a note to the webmaster to fill him inon what I found that was not correct? Wouldn't he or she want to know? Thesequestions go through my mind every time I look at a site which applies forone of my awards. Should I tell them what's wrong?NEVER.
Let me be fully and completely clear about this - NEVER UNDER ANYCONDITIONS, WHETHER REQUESTED OR NOT, SEND BACK CRITICAL COMMENTS TO ANYONEWHO HAS APPLIED FOR YOUR AWARDS PROGRAM. NEVER.
After all, if you apply yourcriteria to the letter it should be obvious why the site didn't win theaward - it didn't meet the criteria.There are lots of reasons not to tell webmasters why they didn't get youraward.There is nothing more devastating to a webmaster than getting back criticalcomments, especially when those comments are not anticipated. It's one thingto be in a classroom environment and receive feedback, it's entirely adifferent matter to have a professional webmaster tell you your site ishorrible or even that the "navigation needs work".Let's say you do send a quick note which explains, "your navigation wasdifficult to comprehend." Well, now the webmaster has to send you an emailback asking "what do you mean?" After this, you might spend the next weektrying to explain what on earth you meant.
Wouldn't it be better to beworking on your web site, doing your job or taking your kids to the circus?The odds of you winning this discussion are very low.More often, you'll send the note and get back an incredibly hostileresponse. You have not made a friend.And even more often, the webmaster will not send a note back to you at all.You will never hear from this person again.
But the unkind words will stickin his mind. He or she will be hurt or unhappy.Once in a while, your words may discourage what could have been a goodwebmaster.
You may return to the site a few weeks later and find it gone ...and you will never know whether it was your comments that did it.Once I received a comment from an awardmaster who told me, in a very longemail, that my site was great but since I do not accept psychiatric sitesinto my own awards program he could not award me an award. Keep in mind hisown criteria did not mention such a restriction.
I was so furious. How darethis pinhead make that kind of comment?I remember another woman who had a beautiful site with some non-traditionalnavigation (it was some floating squares and was absolutely gorgeous).
Shedidn't get an award and received a response from the awardmaster which saidher navigation was terrible. She was upset and posted a note to a newsgroupasking for a site review.
Before long, she got back a dozen responses, somenegative some positive. She was so confused, discouraged and unhappy.Nothing good came from the comments.I've known many beginning webmasters who are just starting out.
Of coursetheir GeoCities and Tripod sites are lacking ... but heck, these people arebeginners.
What do you expect? Telling them they didn't get the awardbecause, well, their site failed all 26 criteria points just will not makeany friends and, believe me, will not help anyone.Okay, what about honorable mention awards? Lord, I hate these ... this is awonderful way of saying, "your site was only a little bit sucky".
Come on,either give out the award or don't, but please don't hand out honorablementions.My opinion: honorable mention awards are the product of amateurawardmasters. Don't include them in your program.So what should you do about those who do not win? It's simple ...
don't doanything. No matter how much time you spent judging the site, just put itaside and resist any temptation to "help" or "give some advice".
Move on tothe next web site without looking back.If the webmaster sends a note asking (and this has only happened to meonce), well, then you can either (a) ignore the request or (b) just send aquick note saying it didn't meet the criteria. You can suggest he read thecriteria again and in, say, a few months he can resubmit his site.
Don't getinto any details, even if he asks and says that he wants to know. Believeme, he really doesn't.The bottom line? Keep you negative comments to yourself.
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