Preserved Topic: GWA is a scam

I am serious convinced that the Golden Web Awards are a scam.

quote:

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From Ryan Ford (liquisoft)

As many of you may or may not know, I've been under the impression that the Golden Web Awards is one big scam.
Basically, the idea of this "award" is that you submit your website for review to a committee of judges, who decide whether or not your site is designed well enough to merit this "prestigious" award.

I've won this award in the past, but have always felt that its a scam because I've seen some God-awful websites out there who've won this award. When you "win", you're offered a special membership to the International Assocation of Web Designers (or something to that effect), which will put you out about $80-$100, depending on what kind of registration you're getting.

Anyway, to test my theory, I made this website: [link]
Its the most awful website I could come up with. I spelled everything wrong, the links don't work, and its hosted on angelfire, so there are banner ads everywhere.

Well guess what. IT WON.

Here's the message I received just today:

{ X } Congratulations!
Jacobs Website has been reviewed
and chosen to bear the 2002-2003 Golden Web Award.
If this section has been checked, you will find the
address below where you may pick up your award.

Note: As a recipient of the prestigious Golden Web Award,
we invite you to join your fellow webmasters and designers
in over "145" countries worldwide, by becoming a respected
Professional Member of the International Association of Web
Masters & Designers:

I believe that this, among other things, proves that this Golden Web Awards thing is clearly not a prestigious award. It looks more like its just a script that pumps out an award email about 10 days after you submit your site.

So if you've won yourself a Golden Web Award, just know its not worth anything, despite how nice your website actually may be.

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I know I didn't believe it either untill I checked the Award Verification.

Enter in this website

Hah hah hah he he he he haw heh... heh... ~cough~ ~cough~ ~spit~

Excuse me, I seem to have a bitter taste in my mouth.

I've never liked those silly "Web award" sites. What's the whole point anyhow? You get to put a "Hay I'm a pertinacious git" link on your website and help promote their site for what? What did they give you? Most likely a misplaced warm fuzzy feeling that'll only sweal your head until we come along and kick it in again.

Ya want something like that then you'd be better off showing it to your mommy. At least she won't make you wear a "Come and visit Mommy's website" link on your left but cheek.

If ya ask me, every "web awards" site is a scam. Panel of judges or publicly voted, their all a waste of time.

I've had that bitter taste about "Web Awards" for some time now... thanks for giving me the chance to get it out

Although, I'm honestly not that surprised to find liquisoft whining about this. Don't get me wrong he's an amazing artist but me thinks he has a bit of an ego problem. Keeps seeking gratification about his work. I remember his run in with Doc and weadz on this very board a while back ~smirk~ that was funny.

Kriek: This isn't really news - as far as I was aware if you submitted your site you were pretty much guaranteed one. Its not really a scam either as they don't charge you for the award. If you look at the winners page for a certain month it says that this is a selection of the months awards.

The award is worthless and I'm sorry if this has burst your bubble but to be honest most of the awards out there are crap and not worthy having except as something to do.

What I do think we should do is try and win the Asylum as many crappy awards as possible Anyone else fancy doing that??

[edit: I had actually assumed that the GWA was actually just automated - its what I'd do.

Also I did start a Spittoon Room for any useless awards we could scrape together:
http://faq.ozoneasylum.com/252/

I just never got around to filling it - I know the Doc got himself a GWA for ozones.com which gave me the idea ]

[edit2: http://www.ozoneasylum.com/Archives/Archive-000002/HTML/20020704-1-004431.html ]
___________________
Emps

FAQs: Emperor

LMAO @ Emps...

Where do I sign up? =)

Drac: I think you just have. We should go and bag ourselves a GWA for starters - I have a lot of loose phlegm and there are no spittoons

I've updated the Spittoon Room FAQ - anyone know of any good awards (I know we'd all like to stick a Webby in there [although I don't think it has much capacity] but we might as well start off small)? The worse the better (if that makes any sense).

[edit: Google's directory is interesting but they all seem a little high quality but worth a go :
http://directory.google.com/Top/Computers/Internet/On_the_Web/Best_of_the_Web/Site_Awards/

oooooowwwwwwww - I think we'll want a Kick-Ass Website Award: http://www.guterman.net/kickass/

Perhaps we should start at the worst awards listed here: http://www.awardsites.com
or here: http://www.awardsresource.com

any other ideas?]

___________________
Emps

FAQs: Emperor

Kriek: And you just found this out?

I really hate to add insult to injury, but I wouldn't feel right if I didn't tell you that Santa Claus isn't real either.

Emps: Yeah, a GWA would be a nice addition to our Spittoon Room...

(btw, Emps, did you ever get my last e-mail? I'm still waiting for a reply before I can do anything...)




Cell 270

Suho1004: Sorry about that - I've got a little behind in my email (the 30 hungry Japanese monkeys are all yours if they ever appear ) but I've sent the reply off - thanks for prodding me into action but was this necessary??:

quote:

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but I wouldn't feel right if I didn't tell you that Santa Claus isn't real either.

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Next you'll be telling us the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Faory are made up to

It probably deserves its own thread 'When did you first realise Santa wasn't real?' but I found out when I was 2 or 3 and they supplied my Dad wih a Santa suit which had very small boots and he had to wear his own shoes (I think my parents had to explain that he wasn't real to make sure I didn't grow up think Santa was a murdering shoe stealer).

I'll sort out a GWA for the Asylum - I'll use my own email address rather than have the Doc's inbox filled with stupidity

___________________
Emps

FAQs: Emperor

Awwwww god!! not web awards..... !!!!

Most of the awards sites on that google search Emp did are just scams, worthless, etc crap!!! And even the best web award sites aren't listed at google (I wonder why?, hehe), just like this www.favouritewebsiteawards.com, that site is great and only (note: ONLY) shows the best use of flash on the web, plus macromedia?s one is not there either as well as a few others.

Award sites aren't really listed on search sites cus they'd end up with millons of people with shit sites (mostly), asking to be judged for an award.

The good award sites, PICK YOU, not you pick them.

Suho: What Santa Claus isn't real!!!

~ Runs of crying at the thought of Santa's not real ~



DS

I'll help get us some funky worthless awards! Whoohoo! Maybe we could all make up our own. Hehe. No one would ever know ;-)

But honestly, there are a few that help get more visitors to your site. I belong to the Federation SIM Fleet http://www.sb254.com and we belong to a "top 10" site that when we are in the top then we get a whole lot of people viewing our site from that one and it ups our monthly applications to join as well, which is a good thing. The thing is, it really is a bunch of people that are part of the group going and voting for it daily to get it the best spot possible that day, and the reason is it does help get people to your site. ::Shrugs:: I've even gone to a few myself I saw, for dls and stuff though I wouldn't join another SIM fleet--too many responsiblities since I'm a "Host" for this one!


Ah, dear old Santa. When I was about 3 or 4 we lived in apts and our accross-the way neighbor boys didn't get any gifts from Santa. My dad told me at the time Santa missed their apt and he was going to give them presents. This bothered me enough that I finally asked my parents why Santa would skip them over? I had a good idea what they would say...and they couldn't lie to me so they told me he wasn't real. I remember breaking down and sobbing...but I also pretended until my sister told me she didn't believe in him anymore(she's 4 years younger, and she told me around the age of 12 or something like that) that he was real. I actually had my parents convinced that I forgot what they told me. I didn't want my sister to be heartbroken like I was. Whenever she asked, I would empatically deny that he was made up.

LOL. I find out later my sister, who thought I still believed in him, for a while pretended she did too for my sake. lol! Even though none of us believe anymore we still get a "Santa Present" if any younger cousins or whatever will be around. And my grandparents usually give "Santa Presents" to the cousins who's parents can't afford it.

But golly...that sure does dash some dreams huh? Though I honestly thought I saw the tooth fairy when I was around 6 and believed in the Easter Bunny until 7 or 8 hehe.

Genevieve<---that's me!!
Jinxed<--------that's me too(in description form)!!

Wowzers! o.O
Visit my cell! http://faq.ozoneasylum.com/FaqWiki/shownode.php?id=754&sortby=rating

PS: If I hadn't been convinced at age 4ish, I would have when my dad dressed up as Santa when I was in second grade and visited our class. He did a good job of hiding what he looked like but I recognized his voice, just didn't tell my classmates hehe. I have a pic of me sitting at his feet looking up at him in that outfit. On the back "Genevieve and Daddy in Mrs. York-Ames 2nd grade class" hehehe

Genevieve<---that's me!!
Jinxed<--------that's me too(in description form)!!

Wowzers! o.O
Visit my cell! http://faq.ozoneasylum.com/FaqWiki/shownode.php?id=754&sortby=rating

A scam...didnt you just win a GWA Kreik?
http://www.ozoneasylum.com/Forum1/HTML/005261.html

That would explain his dismay.

I kind of figured that most of these were scams when I went through BSS's awards section. Basically submit your site and get a gif or submit your site, pay some money and get a gif.

quote:

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The good award sites, PICK YOU, not you pick them.

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This isn't exactly true most ligit awards require a submission for the contest-with a pretty hefty submission fee. Since many are run by associations or magazines they either require a subscription or a membership to reduce the fee. These are about 150 USD per submission.

Moaiz-that mushroom sig is a trip


-tiki, cell 478

My contribution to the Spittoon Room: The Middle 5% of the web.



________________________________________________________________
-- Jack of all trades, master of that which has my attention at
the moment.

Unoriginal Cell 693

Emps: Yup, the Easter Bunny's fake, too. Sorry. The Tooth Fairy, on the other hand, is real. She's really just a cratchety old hag, though, and my God is she ever cheap.

I can't remember when I first learned the Santa Claus wasn't real, but I must have been young, because my first thought was, "Now how am I going to get my presents." It's kind of funny when you think about it--to me, he existed up until the point that I discovered he wasn't real. It wasn't until later on that I realized he never existed, and if I had gotten presents before I was mostly likely going to get them in the future.

There's no Santa Claus in Korea, as Christmas is not a traditional Korean holiday. It is celebrated by Christians here, but it's celebrated as the birth of Christ and has nothing to do with trees and fat men stuffing themselves down chimneys. My wife didn't grow up believing in Santa Claus, and it is quite likely that my children won't either. I guess I'll have to make up some other fictional character for them to believe in so they can be traumatized when they find out he isn't real.

Yup. The commercialization of Christmas.

You know what makes me mad though? The fact that parents will go to any length to keep their children from finding out that santa doesn't exist. When kids start to ask questions about it, parents typically try to come up with excuses that keep their children believing in it.

I think the whole thing is stupid in the first place; my parents told me right from the beginning that santa doesn't exist, and I was never caused any pain by it - never had that moment when I found out that he didn't exist. What's the point of lying about it in the first place? It's a stupid tradition. But while I can understand that it *is* a tradition, the fact that kids aren't told even when they start to guess ("how does he get to each house in one night", "how do the raindeers fly", "how does he fit down the chimney", etc) really makes me mad. Don't lie to your children.

Yes, during the BSS thing, I found out the 'awards' were not worth anything...they obviously don't care if a 'ripper' gets an award...and won't ask for the award back when the site in question has been proven as a ripper...

Oh dear, thats pretty low of them. Good trick though I guess.
It looks like its just to get your email address and a topic your interested in for spam.