mediajunk

There are many different types of webmasters but two types I encounter often are:

1. Standards-Obsessed Designers (SODs)
2. Profit-Oriented Webmasters (POWs).

SODs strive for neat, compliant XHTML and best practices in usability and accessibility. Their websites are typically clean, clear and slick.

However, SOD websites can also look cold and generic. Indeed, many so-called "Web 2.0" websites look trendy but soulless.

POWs on the other hand are not concerned about look-and-feel so much as the message they transmit. These are typically bombastic and aggressive - "BEST HOTEL DEALS GUARANTEED", "MAKE $$$ WORKING FROM HOME" etc.

POW-created sites crop up a lot in lucrative areas such as travel. POW travel sites do well in search engine results pages but ultimately look like cheap imitations of market leaders such as Hotels.com or Lastminute.com. (This is because they are all powered by a small number of "white label" booking engines, so they all offer the same "products".)

The worst kind of POW site, from a user perspective, is the "Made for Adsense" site, which lures you in under false pretenses as it were, only to pitch more advertising at you.

That's why authentic websites come as a breath of fresh air on the web. What's an authentic website? Well, if you're an experienced internet user, you'll know one when you see one. But typically they are exhibit the following traits:

• Clearly made with care and passion
• A "homemade" look and feel
• Don't follow latest trends or best practices
• Few if any advertising messages
• Engaging, unique content

As a quick example, Algarve Beach Life is a genuinely authentic site I discovered recently when trying to discover things to see and do in the Algarve, Portugal. The site is designed and maintained by one woman, and is clearly a labour of love.

Now, if only there were a way to tag such a site as "authentic" in Google, not just in deli.cio.us...