Like television 50 years before, the Internet was hailed far and wide as a brave new medium with the power to educate, communicate, and entertain the masses. It was an interesting theory.
Like television, you can sit around for hours and hours on the Internet, flipping through Web sites without finding anything worth a second look. Channel surfing and Web surfing are one and the same, and at times they feel equally pointless.
That doesn’t mean that there’s nothing good on television unless you’re into wrestling, soap operas, re-runs, trashy talk shows and lame syndicated news. That doesn’t mean that there’s nothing good on the Internet if you’re not into gossip, online chat rooms, e-mail, second-hand news.
In both cases you just have to know where to look.
For the past five years the Webby Awards have recognized the sites that are worth a second look because they are interesting, informative, entertaining, visually appealing, functional, interactive, and/or up-to-date.
The Webby Awards were created by members of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences to honour the best Web sites in more than 30 categories. Last year a People’s Choice award was added and this year three awards will be chosen by the Nielsen/NetRatings based on user traffic: The Rising Star award will go to the site with the largest percentage growth of unique visitors from April to May 2002; The Top U.S. Properties award will go to the most visited site in the U.S., and the Top Global Properties award will go to the most visited international site.
The 30 Webby Award categories include everything from Activism to Commerce to Sports. There are five nominees in each category and the winner will be decided by the Academy at a special ceremony in San Francisco on June 18.
The Academy itself is a diverse group that includes such media luminaries as director Francis Ford Coppola, musicians David Bowie and Beck, "The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening, actor and activist Susan Sarandon, and Oracle chairman Larry Ellison.
Without further ado, here are the categories and nominees for the 2002 Webby Awards. This week: Activism and Best Practices.
Activism
The freedom and anonymity of the Internet has made it the first bastion of counterculturists and activists everywhere. Free speech is not only permitted, it’s encouraged as like minded people flung across the globe meet on the Web to discuss issues in their common interest. Ever wonder how those protesters at those global conferences got so organized all of a sudden? Ever wonder how all those causes managed to get so many names on their petitions? Ever wonder why the Green Party in the U.S. was so effective in the last federal election? Wonder no more.
The following sites were nominated in the Activism category:
AlterNet ( www.alternet.org ) – "AlterNet.org is an online magazine and information resource where pressing issues are subject to examination and debate," is the mission statement of this alternative news Web site. It picks up on the really important issues that other corporate-controlled media would rather fell through the cracks.
CorpWatch ( www.corpwatch.org ) – The slogan for this site is "Holding Corporations Accountable," and they mean it. We all know that corporations can sometimes be less than ethical in their pursuit of wealth and power, but we often don’t really get to hear about what’s really going on.
Idealist ( www.idealist.org ) – The Idealist.org mantra is "Action Without Borders." It’s a global network of individuals and organizations working to build a world "where all people can live free and dignified lives." Idealist.org independent of government, politics and religion, and instead focuses on practical solutions to social and environmental problems.
PETA ( www.peta.org ) – Movie stars made it trendy, and as recently as last week the Germans have made it law. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals campaigns against animal testing and the overuse and abuse of animals for our own ends.
Tolerance ( www.tolerance.org ) – Whatever some people may say, hate crimes and all forms of racial, social, economic, religious, and gender discrimination still persist around the world within our own communities. Tolerance.org is committed to promoting mutual tolerance people everywhere.
Best Practices
The Best Practices category is a little harder to explain than Activism, but here goes. Best Practices awards companies and organizations that have flourished because they are good at what they do, and use the Internet well to further their goals. It’s sort of like a yearbook endorsement for "Most likely to succeed."
Amazon.com ( www.amazon.com ) – They racked up billions in debt and rallied shareholders through the dot-com collapses of a few years ago to build a sound and comprehensive online retail outlet.
Google ( www.google.com ) – Google built a better Internet search engine that many have imitated but few have duplicated. Nothing falls through the cracks of this site, which has catalogued more than two billion Web pages.
National Geographic (www.nationalgeographic.com) – Every nook and cranny of the planet has probably been probed a hundred times over at this point, yet the National Geographic never fails to make the Earth, and the universe we live in, a fascinating place to be. They have taken the Web’s capabilities and made the most of the medium with dynamic maps, articles, and a variety of interactive features.
Peace Corps ( www.peacecorps.gov ) – The Peace Corps has turned the Web into a powerful recruiting tool, enlisting idealistic men and women in campaigns to improve the quality of life for the Third World.
Go Army ( www.goarmy.com/basic/ ) – Recruitment in a slightly different vein. Ever wonder what basic training would be like?
