©02 The Media Desk
The Original Best of the Web the Best List and Best Links
The Desk has done some looking and has decided that it needs to update its list of what's out there and which is better than most and so on.
Now. What criteria does the Desk use to decide something belongs in this list?
Well. There are a few hard and fast rules it goes by. Such as, no music or sound effects blasting at you as soon as you hit the page, or they give you an option to turn it off if there is. Minimal animation and fancy scripts that take forever to load, (the Desk has evaluated most of these on its older home computer which has a 28.8 modem in it). Light on the graphics too thank you. Something that will knock an otherwise great site out of this list and into what may be a Worst of the Web list to come is a Flash presentation that MUST play before anything else on the page loads with no Click Out button to be seen. Another one is requiring the latest and greatest plug-in of any type. Some people either can't or won't download Joe's Player version 7.5 just to see your front page. Lastly, browser specific pages are a no go. Your site can recommend using Bob's Browser 6.0, but don't assume everybody has it and write your page only for that program.
Also, the Desk looks to see if you deliver what you promise your site is about. And it doesn't matter what it is about either. If you have a site devoted to the Buffalo Bills Cheerleaders, it shouldn't spend half its time and space to why you hate Verizon Cel Phones. If you are Irma the Internet Used Appliance Lady, sell used appliances. If you want to go in depth about the evils of on-line gambling, put up a separate section on your site and point to it with a simple link or graphic, don't rage on and on covering your homepage with it. We are there to see used appliances.
No the Desk is NOT registering with your site, it is not giving up credit card information to access 'free' information, and it will not share its email address to get to whatever it is either. Period. [This one requirement knocked everybody from the New York Times to Lincoln Christian College out of the running right now.]
Easy to use, up front links and indexes, and three-click rule. One of the Desk's pet peeves is when people are too clever with their icons and links. Almost hiding the link behind cute buttons that don't look like buttons and we have to figure out which picture means what. Or turning half the page into buttons that overlap or whatever. Heavy image map users are in this basket. 'OK, you can do mouse-over scripts and the picture changes when we happen to find the link. That's cute. Now, how about a list of text links across the bottom so if we want to see your vacation pictures we don't have to guess that that is what the palm tree means.' Also, the Three Click rule is almost Gospel. By the fifth click if the Desk isn't seeing your vacation pictures, or perusing the features on your used appliances, its next click is on its browser's Back button.
So. Now which sites have managed to make the cut and add themselves to the Best of the Web List?
Well. Everything from a guy that wants you to send him a dollar, or ten or twenty to a Think Tank. A virtual newsanchor with green hair. Some people that think ancient spacemen built a Sphinx on Mars, and the Cubs. And More.
As far as the Desk knows, the below links and all the links on the original Best Links page, and the other links everywhere else on the Desk still go someplace. No, it hasn't clicked each and every one today, so if one dies, please let the Desk know. The Desk is not endorsing these sites and has not received any compensation (not even a buck) for including anybody on this list. All links will open in a new browser window.
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