Bearclover.net "El Capitan" Award

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Rating (Scoring) Breakdown for the El Capitan Award:

Content - Design and Color - Navigation - Graphics - Wow!

Up to 60 points - Content. This is mainly a Content Award - so content is my main emphasis. And while quantity is important, quality is too. I can also add up to an extra 20 points to this score, if your page is just chock full of lots of excellent content. (At least 30+ pages of quality content to get the extra points.)

This means that even if you have a site which falls short in all the other areas, you can still get at least a Merit Award based on your content alone. (As long it does not violate any of my main criteria.)

My definition of "Content" is original material created by you. This can be graphics, artwork, creative writing, or just information or reviews on a favorite hobby or interest. If most of your content is in the form of images or graphics, it is good to have some written content to compliment the images. More points are given if you take pains to explain how or why you did your creative work.

"Family/friends" type of web sites usually do not really qualify as "content" in my mind. Not that I don't think that these sites don't have their place, but try to think of the average web surfer. They probably aren't that interested in a picture of your friend, or your dog, if all you are going to say is "Here is my dog" or "Here is my friend". That isn't very interesting to anyone outside your circle of friends.

To break down the "content" points even more:

25 points: Quality of content. Is it well-done? Well-presented? Does it show knowledge, and ability? Are you coherent? Have you proofread your text, checked for typos?

10 points: Quantity. Is there just a small "sampling" or "taste" of the topic you are covering? Or is there so much that I look forward to coming back to see more later? Quality is very important, but a certain amount of quantity is expected too.

10 points: Interest. Is the topic you are covering of interest to a certain faction of the public? Would people search for it in a search engine? It can be a specialized interest (underwater model railroads) but someone has to be interested! On the other hand, not many people outside your family or friends are going to want to see a picture of your friend by the Dairy Queen, are they?

15 points: Heart. A passion for the topic, a personality. Your heart shows through, and is infectious. I want to see or read more, because I can tell you care so much. "Heart" is a very important part of good content.

Up to 25 points - Color and design. Design is a subjective thing, and I have my opinions just like everyone else! I thought I'd break down the design portion into three sections:

Color scheme: 8 points. Is the color scheme harmonious? Does it compliment the topic or theme of the site? Does it allow the text to still be readable? Do the web graphics and background and fonts all compliment each other?

Layout: 8 points. Is the layout attractive, allowing the eye to flow from one section to the next? Is it not too cluttered?

Attractiveness: 9 points. Overall, is the design attractive and creative? Is it a little bit unique, or at least pleasing to the eye?

Up to 25 points - Navigation: Do I have to use the "back" button to get around in your site? (Using "back" to return to previous page after clicking on thumbnails to see larger versions of graphics is acceptable.) Do I have to hunt around for links to other pages in the site? Do I have to s-c-r-o-l-l back to the top of a long page to find links to other parts of the site? These things are not good. Each page should have enough navigational links so that a visitor can get to wherever they want on the site with only a few clicks. They shouldn't have to constantly "back track". "Back to Top" links are recommended on longer pages. A visitor shouldn't have to struggle and "guess" their way around a site. Navigation doesn't have to be fancy, but it does need to be intuitive, and at least a little obvious!

Up to 25 points - Graphics & Photo Quality:

Points breakdown for graphics:

Photo or image quality: 13 points. (You get the 8 points by default if you have NO photographic images on your site.) Are the graphics optimized so they don't take forever to load? (For instance, a 150 x 150 jpg file should not be 25 KB. There is usually no reason it should be that large. 5-12 KB is more like it. ) Do you use gifs when you should use jpgs? Are the photos sharp and clear, but not over-optimized?

Web graphics quality: 12 points. (You can only get up to 5 points if you have someone else make your graphics for you. I don't want to seem unfair to the non-graphics people out there, but I do value original graphics created by the webmaster.) Are the graphics optimized so they don't take too long to load? Are they attractive and compliment the site?

Up to 25 points - Wow! factor. Completely subjective. Do I love it? Is it ultra-nifty? I can give up to 25 extra points at my whim.

Award points breakdown:

141-160+ points: Platinum

121-140 points: Gold

101-120 points: Silver

81-100 points: Bronze

60-80 points: Merit

Oh, in case you are wondering - what award would I give my own site, by these criterion? Well, definitely not Platinum. Perhaps a Gold, or Silver? Or maybe a Bronze? (It all depends on what my self-esteem level is at when you ask me!) I guess I'm a typical neurotic artist.

I only mention this so you know that I hope to judge sites that I consider to be better than my own!

Want to submit your site? Go to the Award Application Page. >>

The Self -Test will help give you an idea if your site will qualify for the El Capitan Award. >>

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