RantSome: A Personal Soapbox Site

This was originally written as an entry in my weblog/journal in April 2001. This is edited in style very slightly for this site, but in essence, it's a rant in pure form.

I was recently made aware of The Webby Awards when a site Andrew frequents (Kuro5hin, which is mostly a geek community) was nominated for an award. Apparently, the Webby Awards get a lot of media attention (although not so much that I'd ever paid attention, apparently) and they're given out by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS).

So who the hell are IADAS? I had a look. They're a bunch of people from traditional media (lots from the motion picture industry, for example) who self-appointed themselves with the name International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Their membership includes people like David Bowie, Gillian Anderson, Francis Ford Coppola, and a bunch of other well-respected actors, directors, writers, etc.

This really pisses me off, and I'll tell you why (well, this is a rant site, so you had to figure it was coming).

Since when is Gillian Anderson a good judge of quality web design? Can she debug JavaScript? Does she even know the difference between JavaScript and Java? Does Francis Ford Coppola know what sort of design is cross-browser compatible? Does David Bowie understand the concept of "liquid" web design? Do any of these people know anything about the nuts and bolts of web development, really? Sure, they're fine actors, directors, musicians, writers, etc. But why the hell do they think they have the right to set themselves up as authorities and judges of a medium they don't work in? Web designers don't form an "international academy" to judge motion pictures or short stories or music, so why the hell should these people think they have the right to do the same with the web medium?

A few of the members are real geeks and designers, but their numbers are pitifully few, considering that this self-appointed academy is giving awards in a field most of them don't really understand well. The Academy does graciously note that, "In the future, The Academy may open its membership to Internet professionals." Oh, well, thank you, oh, great and wise "cybergurus" (I took that phrase off their own website, and I'm not making it up). Thank you so much for condescending low enough to consider that your exhaulted organization might deign to allow the presence of people who actually understand and work in the medium you've set yourself up to judge. How gracious of you, oh great arbiters of web excellence and purveyors of this most illustrious and fabulous award.

Recognition by one's peers is a great and encouraging thing. These people (with a few notable exceptions, but only a few) are not the peers of anyone who really makes the internet work. When and if the self-titled International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences can demonstrate that the majority of their members and judges actually know the technical and artistic considerations of the medium they're they're judging, then perhaps the award will be worth something. Until then, it's just a bunch of media hype and self-appointed "cybergurus", as far as most web professionals are concerned.

I don't try to act, make records, direct films, model, or otherwise dabble in media about which I know very little or for which I'm not trained or suited. I wish these wankers in Hollywood and elsewhere would kindly do the same.

Now, lest you think that I just hate awards, I don't. I think they're fine when they're awarded by people in the field. I've got no real problem with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (or whatever the proper title is) giving awards in that field. It's what they do. The Special Effects nominees are judged by special effects experts. The award for Best Director is judged by directors. Actors judge acting. I think that's fair enough (although I do wonder about an industry that gives awards to itself).

And I don't have anything against David Bowie or Francis Ford Coppola or Gillian Anderson or anyone else on the list of members (well, other than Tiffany Shlain, who is the founder and apparently the "cyberguru" who is the resident "technology expert" on Good Morning America, which of course qualifies her to found an international organization to judge websites). I think Gillian Anderson is a fine actress. I think David Bowie is a wonderful musician, and a great performer. Francis Ford Coppola is a brilliant director. But what do they know about web development that would qualify them to give out an award of this nature?

Oh, one more member I'd like to mention. Jonathon Rust, Director, Internet Business Group, Sydney 2000 Olympics. Why is this significant? Well, there was a huge controversy and a lawsuit against the directors of the Sydney Olympics because the official website was inaccessible to the blind. When the court ordered them to fix it, they said it would take "a year" and cost millions of dollars (which, by the way, is utterly and patently ridiculous), and it was never done. They deliberately and knowingly carried on with an inaccessible website despite a court order and laws which specify that Australian websites of certain types (educational, public service, etc.) must be accessible to the blind. But Jonathon Rust is on the board of a self-appointed "International Academy" that judges good websites...

Actually, come to think of it, I don't really have an issue with the award, per se. I have an issue with these wankers calling themselves the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences and pretending their award is in any way significant other than generating a lot of media attention, only because so many of the members have a high media profile.

I think I've ranted enough. I'm running out of steam, at least for the time being, and how much bandwidth do I really want to devote to people who are not my peers but have set themselves up to judge my work and the work of my colleagues (many of whom know more about the internet and web design than any media "cyberguru" has ever dreamed of knowing). I'm seriously thinking that the web needs an anti-webbie award site....

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The International Academy of WHAT?