What Makes a Website Great?

Web 2.0 is becoming the end all and be all of the internet.  Websites want to be the best in the social networking world.  It’s really exciting when you find out that your little site has won a prestigious award.  It is not so exciting if you discover that everyone and your grandmother also got the same award.  It’s the internet equivalent of a participation trophy.

Is there any real way to tell if your site is among the best?  I know of people that are making money from websites that could be written by my eight year old (who hates to write).  At the same time, there are sites out there that are generating plenty of traffic and putting out quality material and aren’t making a dime.  Clearly, money is not the clear answer as to whether or not your site is a good one.

If knowing who is on top is not a matter of money or awards, then it must be a matter of personal perception.  If you want to get a lot of traffic and you are then you are tops in your own eyes.  If you want to be one of the folks the news stations call, and they do, then that is a sign you are tops in that area.

Awards are great, but they are not the only way to judge a website.