I'm probably opening a can of worms here [I hope so].

Does anyone have a clue as to the criteria by which Golden Spider Awards are given out?

I have been having a quick look at some of the shortlisted sites and frankly I'm baffled.

Is it Design? Functionality? Originality? Compliance [ha ha]? What?

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However my personal favourite is this:


8. Best Web Design Agency Website
www.arekibo.com - failed validation
www.clearscape.ie - failed validation
www.continuum.ie - failed validation
www.lightbox.ie - passed validation
www.magico.ie - failed validation
www.strata3.com - failed validation
www.tower.ie - passed validation
www.webfactory.ie - failed validation


Wow only two of the nominees has a valid page!!! I didnt bother testing the CSS - I mean if they cant get the html right, what hope would any CSS have?
If this is the view of the country’s standard, then I would bury my head in the sand

Saw your blog [great blog BTW!]

Incidentally, edit your post to remove "Automatically retrieve titles from external links". We need to name and shame.

I'm well aware that the coding standard in the majority of web designers websites is less than non existant.

So obviously they aren't judged on technical compitance.

What are they judged on?

There is nothing special about them. There is nothing that makes me stand back and ghasp "WOW!". They are bog ordinary sites.

How did they get there?

This topic is really kicking off over at Richards blog:
If You’re Going To Promote Your W3C Credentials… | Search Engine Optimisation Ireland .:. Red Cardinal

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BTW, the reason I started this is that there is a debate raging on http://www.redcardinal.ie/webdev/02-...plaint-website

I don't want to hijack his topic, but it is a subject I think a lot of people are interested in.

P.S. Just got a mail to say someone has beaten me to it with this message

Maybe it's time that we in the industry organised our own awards?

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My blood is boiling. I have just been reading Richard's blog. Something has to be done.

One wee suggestion: How about we set up a site that tells it as it is? With our combined expertise, particularly in SEO, we should be able to get it up there with the other site. Let the public, and particularly Irish industry know what lies behind the farce that calls itself the "Oscars of the Internet Industry", and how they have been conned by an elitist clique [who frankly wouldn't know a good website if it jumped up and bit them].

And I am all behind a new standard of award. I know I won't win any, but its time something serious was done.

Categories 5-8 are now available for your perusal.

These categories include the web desgin companies

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Catering Company Dublin - My sister's handmade canape company!

Well the Zeddies were set up in response to the bogus WebIreland awards [1], the equally useless Golden Spiders and the originally useless Netvisionary awards. That said, when the new management took over at IIA, the Netvisionary awards changed to being more trustworthy and representative. (Though the litany of press release recyclers that won the technology journo Netvisionary award still makes me laugh. ) Though the Golden Spiders awards have been utterly useless since they started. All they really are is an excuse to extract money from companies who think that they are in the web business.

It might be worth mentioning this on the Open list as I think some of the Zeddie people are still on it.

Regards...jmcc
[1] True winner of the Web Ireland Technology Journalist Of the Year Award 2000.

Since this awards bashing thing seems to happen every year BUT nobody ever actually does anything about it I've setup a wiki on a new domain

If anyone would like to contribute then please feel free:

Main Page - IrishWebAwards

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