Web site awards always look like a good idea but who really benefits? Are they worth the effort and what good do they do?

I have just filled in my very first web site award application form.

It took me almost half an hour and at the end I realised I hadn't given any thought to why I wanted the wretched award in the first place.

I guess it all started with the rather attractive logo that I was sure would look rather cool on my web site - "eye candy" the Americans call it.

I simply had to have one of those logos or people wouldn't think my web site was worth visiting - or would they?

The truth is that most people don't even notice award logos unless they review web sites for a living.

In the main, award logos are useless bits of graphic frippery that serve no real purpose other than to look pretty on web pages.

Most awards do not demand that the web site reaches a certain standard of usability or functionality.

They do not insist on interesting content or usable data. They simply need the site to exist.

There is no award criteria other than the site needs space to display the logo.

So why does almost every other web site have them on display?

Vanity is a great deluder.

If we are told that what we are doing is worthwhile and shows signs of talent we are not inclined to argue with the compliment.

In fact, human nature being what it is, we like other people to hear how good we are too. Which is precisely why worthless web awards get web space.

Award acceptability has everything to do with "perceived value" to a web site visitor and has nothing to do with how accurate or how pertinent they are.

The visitor will not take time to read them and will rarely bother to click on the logo unless they are looking for web site awards for themselves. So what good are they?

In truth, most are virtually useless and do not give a web site any real benefits or kudos.

In fact the only people who truly benefit from web site awards are those who give them away.

Each time a gullible visitor clicks on the award logo the awarding organisation gets another punter to add to the constant trickle of visitors to their web site which, in turn, allows them to sell more advertising space.

Is that any reason to encourage them?

I know the internet is a hard way to earn a crust unless you are selling naked pictures of Kylie or punting cheap plane tickets to Australia but I do feel that some of the scams set up to part people from their money are a tad pathetic.

The word bogus (an excellent word at any time) comes to mind when thinking about web site awards.

They would all deny any suggestion of a scam but look who makes money from the award - it definitely isn't the person who wins it.

Having had my rant, I now need to say that a small number of awards are actually extremely useful.

I am referring specifically to those which reassure incoming site visitors that your web site is above reproach and suitable for its intended audience.

"Kid safe" style logos are fine and are only awarded after a web site has been thoroughly checked out by a suitably qualified panel of experts.

My personal favourite is the Family Friendly Site logo (see www.familyfriendlysites.

com) which is respected throughout the internet community.

If you have a community web site please take the trouble to get the Family Friendly Site approval logo.

They are a great bunch of people who genuinely seem to care that the internet is made safe for kids to use.