GNN'S second annual "Best of the Net" awards celebrate the rich diversity and character of the global Internet community; twenty awards presented in gala event and Esther Dyson chosen as Netizen of the Year

Business Wire, Nov 4, 1995

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 4, 1995--GNN, the first fully-integrated and consumer-oriented Internet service recognized the best sites on the World Wide Web (Web) in the second annual "Best of the Net" awards held in San Francisco yesterday.

Twenty world-class Web sites, representing the fascinating and dynamic character of a flourishing Web community were named. In the same ceremony, Esther Dyson was presented with the "1995 Netizen of the Year" award in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the evolution of the global Internet community in this watershed year.

Twenty winners were chosen from 100 nominees in ten categories: arts and entertainment; computers; food and wine; interactivity; Internet navigation; K-12 education; literature; personal finance; sports; travel. Winners and nominees were all recognized at the event.

"The Web has become a place where the conscience and culture of an exciting new global environment is reflected," said Lisa Gansky, vice president of GNN. "Dreams are being born on the Internet every single day - from the eleven year-old kid next door who builds a Web site for his online magazine to the eager entrepreneur who `sets up shop.' The Web has become the playground, meeting place, newsdesk, and business venue of millions of people all over the world."

The first "Best of the Net" Awards honored the Web's "coming of age" in June of 1994. This year, the "Best of the Net" awards represent the collective progress of a brave and fast-growing new world. Once a network primarily used by the academic and computer communities, the Internet is now a place where mainstream culture thrives. Since last year's awards the number of Web sites has increased from 3,100 to 185,506 with the number of new Web sites now doubling every three months, according to Internet Solutions, Inc. of Seattle.

Room for everyone

This year, the GNN staff thoughtfully developed a new structure for the awards. For each award category, both an amateur and a professional winner was chosen, recognizing that sites conceived by professional organizations evolve differently than those built by amateur individuals. This distinction ensured that sites created by Web enthusiasts in their spare time did not go head-to-head with corporate or institutional sites.

Web sites were considered to be professional if they were maintained by businesses, government or educational institutions, or formally recognized non-profit organizations. Amateur sites were considered to be those maintained by an individual seeking neither profit nor promotional gain from the online venture. Amateurs also included informal groups such as support or interest groups, or students and/or faculty of an educational institution whose work is not "officially" sponsored by the institution.

"One of the most compelling aspects of the Web is that there is room for both kinds of expression - professional and amateur," explained Gansky. "It's a place where sites like MidLink, an online magazine written by and for children, and Pathfinder, the online home for Time-Warner's publishing empire, can exist side by side. The Best of the Net awards not only reflect but also encourage this fundamentally democratic spirit."

During the process of selection the judges noted that many sites that would have fallen in the amateur category a year ago had caught the eye of the business community and were now being maintained by professional organizations. In most cases, the original founders of the site have remained as the hosts and are now getting paid to be passionate about the Web.

Selection process

The GNN editors considered seven factors when they selected nominees in each category:

-- Content - A nominated site should have rich and unique content that inspires users to visit regularly for information or entertainment.

-- Design - Design should be attractive, appropriate to a site's subject matter, and functional. Good design directs users towards the information they want, rather than away from it.

-- Updates - Sites should be updated and/or maintained regularly.

-- Medium - Sites should make use of the Internet in ways that transcend the delivery of information via traditional media like newsprint or television.

-- Track Record - Nominated sites should have a proven performance record dating back at least three months prior to nomination. (Former winners and nominees can be nominated again in ensuing years.)

-- Reputation - Sites should be well-regarded by the people on the Internet.

-- Cost - Sites are nominated on the basis of free content.

Nominees were selected by the GNN editorial staff. Primary responsibility for selections in each category fell to the GNN subject specialist in each area. For example, the personal finance award nominations were made by the editor of GNN's Personal Finance Voice. The remaining nominations were chosen by the editors of the Whole Internet Catalog with assistance from subject experts on the Web. Final winners in each category were determined by consensus of the GNN editorial staff.