Pizza Hut, State of Texas and Southwest Airlines Among Finalists for NetStudio's Mud Brick Awards for World's Ugliest Web Sites

Business Wire, April 19, 1999

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 19, 1999--

NetStudio Corp., a leading provider of Web graphics services and software, today announced its second annual NetStudio(TM) Mud Brick Awards(TM) finalists for the world's ugliest Web sites. "Winners" of the not-so-prestigious event will be announced 2:30pm PT on May 4 via live ZDTV Webcast.

"Let's face it: A lot of Web sites are such eyesores that surfing the Web can be as painful as a root canal," said Manish Vij, NetStudio's CEO. "The NetStudio Mud Brick Awards aim to expose the Web's unprofessional-looking Web sites, especially those of big businesses who should know better."

The Muddies(TM) are the Webby Awards'(TM) beer-drinking, trailer park counterpart for the world's ugliest Web sites. This year, Mud Bricks will be awarded in three different categories: Big businesses, small to medium-sized businesses, and government organizations.

Here's what the Mud Brick Awards' celebrity judges had to say about this year's finalists. For a complete list of comments, more information, or to nominate an ugly Web site for a Mud Brick Award, visit www.muddies.com.

Finalists -- Big Businesses Who Should Know Better

Pizza Hut (www.pizzahut.com)

"...About as appetizing as a broccoli and lima bean pizza." -- Jesse Berst, editorial director, ZDNET AnchorDesk

"After seeing this site I was reasonably sure I would never eat Pizza again... What is scary is they likely paid a lot of money for this. They should not only get a refund but sue for defamation of character." -- Rob Enderle, vice president, Giga Information Group

Quaker Oats (www.quakeroats.com)

"...An embarrassing site for a corporation that is a household name." -- Tim Bajarin, president, Creative Strategies

"Someone's pulling my leg, right? ...Someone get me a can of spray paint!" -- Dan Shafer, editorial director, CNET Builder.com

"The more I look at it the more I think someone had to have sent the wrong file to the server." -- Joan-Carol Brigham, senior consultant, International Data Corporation

Southwest Airlines (www.southwest.com)

"As Velveeta is to fine cheese...as Ripple is to fine wine...as Taco Time is to fine dining...so is Southwest Airlines to fine design." -- Jesse Berst

"...Did they have this done by some high-schoolers (not to insult America's high-school kids...)? Then again, the site reflects very well the airline's approach to customer service..." -- Jim Seymour, information-strategies consultant (The Seymour Group, Inc.), and columnist for PC MAGAZINE and TheStreet.com

"Looks like a high school project. All that is missing is the animated GIF depicting the little dog running back and forth across the screen. An embarrassment." -- John C. Dvorak, columnist PC Magazine, PC/Computing, Computer Shopper, Boardwatch

Finalists -- Small to Mid-Sized Company

GEM Hosting Inc. (www.hostbiz.com)

"This site is aesthetically offensive. We should fix it as a service to surfers..." -- Amy D. Wohl, editor Amy D. Wohl's Opinions

"This one actually hurts to look at. It's like a textbook on what NOT to put on a Web page..." -- Jim Seymour

"This is a company in the web design and hosting business. My first thought is that they should quickly consider a new career choice..." -- Rob Enderle

Scope Systems (www.scopesys.com)

"This site is the Web equivalent of the CEO-does-his-own-TV-commercials phenomenon. If the owner of this business didn't do this site, he should fire -- or perhaps torture -- the person who did." -- Dan Shafer

"Log onto this site and you're immediately assaulted by four animated icons, one of which is a happy face with apparent dental problems..." -- Lincoln Spector, Computer Journalist, Columnist, Humorist and Public Speaker

"A collection of junk GIFS, bad clip art and tasteless layout. Just plain horrid." -- John C. Dvorak

Tradeshop Incorporated (www.tradeshop.com/master/custom.html)

"...Looks like they tried to put their entire shop on a single page." -- Tim Bajarin

"...One of the worst sites I have ever seen...It looks like it should be for a pawn shop in a bad neighborhood..." -- Rob Enderle

"Ouch! My eyes hurt after spending 3.2 seconds on this site...Hard to believe this one was actually designed. I think maybe it fell out of a deck of cards." --Dan Shafer

Finalists -- Government Organizations

City of Villa Hills, Kentucky (www.villahills.com)

"Great site if you are on LSD." -- Tim Bajarin

"...Between the music and the wallpaper, this is not a site to visit with a hangover..." -- Lincoln Spector

The State of Texas (www.state.tx.us)

"... (zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz) Huh? Oh, yeah, the (yaaaaawwwwnn) Texas site... (zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... snort, snort...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz)" -- Jesse Berst

"This site proves once and for all that they don't do things bigger and better in Texas. A humiliation considering the state is a high-tech mecca." -- John C. Dvorak

"I always heard they had so much nothing in Texas that they put fences around it. Now I believe it. And it's all gathered neatly together here in one completely ridiculous Web site! Yahoo and yippee!" -- Dan Shafer