The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

It's likely that we've all seen a fairly large amount of different websites. One thing you've likely noticed by now is that websites are just like any other product in the sense that they can be fantastic and they can be completely horrible. Let's take a look at an example of what makes a great website and then use it as a point of comparison for some awful sites.

1. The Good: Amazon - Amazon is THE shining example of what a great webpage is and the standard that any other website should hold themselves too. When I open up Amazon, I know where everything is without having to think about it. There is nothing more important to any website than for as many users as possible to know where everything is the first time they land on the site without having to think about it. With Amazon, the search bar is on the top of the page and clearly visible. The search bar has an unobtrusive drop down that allows you to search specific departments, but you don't have to use it. The top left corner has the Amazon logo which doubles as a link to the home page. The left side has links for each department within Amazon to make for easy browsing. The right hand side includes recommendations. The main body of the page is used to highlight a specific product and recommend other products based on past purchases and page views. When you search for a product, you get an easy to use listing that includes a descriptive title, a five star average of reviews, a picture, the product category and the price (or multiple prices if there are options for new and used). The product page itself includes descriptive information and reviews to assist in making an informed purchase and the top right corner has easy to use and (most importantly) easy to find purchase options. Buying a product is extremely easy on Amazon. Amazon understands the most important rule of running a business: make it easy for the customer to give you their money. 
2. The Bad: SipHawaii - I feel bad for making you look at this disaster. Would you like to buy some Kona coffee beans? Well you're in luck because if you go to SipHawaii, close your eyes and click your mouse just about anywhere, you have about a 50% chance of clicking on a product link. At the top of what I think could be the body of the page, there's three sentences that actually turn out to be hyperlinks for three products (despite being in three different colors with one of those colors being BLACK). Two of those products are actually the same link though, and who knows if I can buy both products on the same page that it links to because I would never even consider buying from a company with such a horribly disorganized website. I hope SipHawaii didn't pay someone to build this mess because they should really consider trying to get a refund. The top left corner, where a company logo would go if they had any idea about web standards, is instead what appears to be a company logo but is instead a link to a product. The link listing on the left hand side is the closest thing I can find to an example of good web design and yet it still fails. The lack of any sort of logic to their categories is mind numbing. The changes in font sizing and the inconsistencies with capitalizing letters also hurts to look at. Coffee and Tea are great categories for a site that sells coffee and tea (although that's still too general for a site that would seem to specialize in those products). However, what is "A little Aloha"? How about "Island Music-video"? The best one is "Buy the Case". What case? What am I buying a case of? Do I even need to get started on the body of the page? Scroll through the entire body of the page if it's been awhile since you're had a migraine and miss that feeling.
3. The Ugly: Space Jam - Are you interested in finding out more about the blockbuster hit movie "Space Jam"? Well it won't be easy if you go to the official website for Space Jam hosted by Warner Brothers. Are these "planets/basketballs/spaceships" links or just pictures? What do you suppose is located on the Planet B-Ball section of the website? It turns out to be the best place to go if you like basketball and you like to jam. When I click on the Spinning "Games" icon on the Planet B-Ball page, it immediately tries to download "shoot.dcr", to which I hit cancel because I'm not fool enough to download random files with unfamiliar file extensions, even if it is from a reputable site such as the official Space Jam website. Maybe .dcr files were all the rage back in 1996 but I canceled by Geocities account 12 years ago and don't think I have the proper plugins to run that file anymore as a result.
4. The Weird: ZOMBO - You can do anything at Zombocom. The only limit is yourself (and whether your speakers are turned on). I go to Zombocom anytime I'm looking for enlightenment and spiritual awakening.

Two Webpages I find Useful

Some web sites are entertaining while others are just plain useful. Here are two websites that I find to be extremely useful.

1. Khan Academy - I'm 31 years old. I decided that I wanted to go back to school last May. I didn't even remember how to do long division. I spent that Summer getting caught up on Math and I don't think I would have been nearly successful without Khan Academy. After studying on Khan Academy for about a month, I was able to take a placement test and get placed into Advanced Algebra and Trig. I just completed the Summer semester with Calculus II and I got an A in the course. It took a lot of work to do that but I know that Khan Academy helped me to not only prepare, but to assist me with understanding new topics as well. There are many other topics beyond Math as well including computer programming and science.
2. Lifehacker - Lifehacker revolves around "How to" articles, much of which is useful for every day annoyances. For example, on their home page at the time of this writing, there is a link to an article about everyday household items that can remove the reside left behind by stickers. You can also find much more in depth articles including Getting Started with Linux: The Complete Guide and The Complete Guide to Getting Cheap Textbooks. It's worth keeping an eye on this site on a daily basis if you like learning new skills.

Two Webpages I Find Interesting

There are many different pages throughout the web that I've come across, but two of them keep me coming back due to constantly having content that is fresh and interesting.

1. Cracked - Cracked can be rather offensive so please don't bother clicking on it if you don't like cuss words. With that disclaimer out of the way, I think that Cracked has some of the best insights on culture that you can find. The articles are well researched and witty, making for an entertaining as well as informative read.
2. The Scale of the Universe - Have you ever wondered about the scale of things? The Sun is really big and an ant is really small, right? Well the Scale of the Universe puts all sorts of different items into perspective. The page defaults to approximately the scale of a human being as that's what we can relate to best. You can use the scroll wheel on your mouse or on the side of the frame to then scale all the way down to particles or all the way up to whole universes. I find it very interesting!