Submitter’s comments: As a grants administrator, one of my jobs is to find grants for our faculty. This is one of the worst web sites for a foundation that I’ve ever seen. There’s the constant motion over the logo (which is repeated on subsequent pages). This motion distracts the eye so that it’s hard to figure out that you have to click on either “ENGLISH” or the Arabic letters next to it to move to the next page. Which leads you to the Intro page, that also has a back and forth motion page.

After the Intro page, there are two different distracting elements – the row of flowers at the upper left, and a bunch of flowers floating around on the page, both of which are in constant motion. How do you find the pages with the information? Look for the little brown pouffy things in the upper right. Oh. I think those are discolored hydrangeas. For a major corporation, this web site. is just lame.

Vincent Flanders’ comments: Since it appears the site took in its last grant application on December 11, 2008, I agree this site is among the most horrible nonprofits I’ve ever seen.

There is so much that’s obviously wrong, I won’t even discuss it. What I find most amusing is they can’t spell “can’t” (they spell it “cant”) on the home page. That’s one of the reasons why Flash sucks. It’s hard to correct typos.

On the other hand, if this web site were active, it would be The Perfect Web Site. This is one of the most important and least-discussed elements of web design.

The reason is simple. They’re giving away money. Yes, they expect you to “do” something in return for the money, but they’re giving away money. Any site that gives away money has The Perfect Web Site — no matter what the site looks like.

The Kresge Foundation web site is perfect. The Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation web site is perfect and, of course, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s web site is The Perfect Web Site.

Even if the designers at the Gates Foundation flipped out and made their site look horrible (Warning: audio involved), it will still be The Perfect Web Site. Repeat after me, “They’re giving away money.”

On the other hand, you’re not giving away money on your web site — heck, you’re probably asking for money or selling something — so your site can’t suck.

Since it seems to be out of commission, The Ford Conservation and Environmental Grants web site qualifies as the Daily Sucker.

Ford Conservation and Environmental Grants

Submitter’s comments: Found this on Digg, and instantly thought of you for these four factors:

• Way over-the-top intro.
• Flashturbation.
• Religious web site.
• GlobeGuy would like it.

Vincent Flanders’ comments: I searched for it on Digg and discovered the site was Dugg 7,852 times, with over 1,000 comments. The headline was The Most Intense Web site. Intro Ever and it certainly qualifies.

Yes, it sucks like…well, I can’t write the analogy because I try to be somewhat audience friendly. Nevertheless, I WANT A SPLASH-FLASH PAGE LIKE THIS FOR WPTS. I’ve always prided myself on having a somewhat tacky design. This FlashSplash is perfect. All some talented designer with a Flash decompiler has to do is replace ICCM with WPTS and change some of the wording around. Man, oh, man, I’d love to start off WPTS with a steaming, smelling pile of crap like that.

ICCM

One of the problems about linking to sucky web sites is they get fixed or will probably get fixed. I’ve uploaded some videos catching them in all their “glory.”

1. This site may have the dumbest navigation in history. It was tied for 3rd Worst Web Site of 2006. Here’s the YouTube version and a higher-def version.
2. Here’s one I uploaded to YouTube about FlashSplash pages and here’s a higher-def version.
3. When a steel manufacturing company uses Mystery Meat Navigation, it’s the end of the world. Here’s the YouTube version and here’s a higher-def version.
4. Here’s a web site that is the Worst Web Site in the World and may be the Worst Web Site Ever Created. I just have  the larger version.

Submitter’s comments: Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing… and about the 15th anniversary of when this was top-of-the-line Web page design. It’s even got a modern equivalent to one of those “Top 5%” badges. Gosh, that takes me back.

Vincent Flanders’ comments: Yes, it takes me back — to a place I don’t want to go. I was there once, thank you, and I don’t want to go back. The only thing that’s right is there’s plenty of color contrast. Unfortunately, the colors are ugly and you can read the text.

The Omaha Science Fiction Education Society

No. You’re not worth it.

Submitter’s comments: I’ve seen worse, yet it seems to have enough of the fundamental(ly bad) features that it was worth sending your way.

Vincent Flanders’ comments: There’s a sad irony in the fact that what looks to be an organization to increase one’s self-esteem has an incredibly sucky web site. Actually, I don’t have the foggiest clue what the organization is really about.

To make matters worse. The page wants to play the song “We are the world,” but according to the Windows Media Player, the file is copy-protected and I don’t have the right to play it. Hmm.

If I wanted to be nice, I’d say this site is a classic example of Mistake #5 from Biggest Mistakes in Web Design 1995-2015 — “Have you ever seen another web site? Really? Doesn’t look like it.“

They can chant “I’m worth it” until they’re blue in the face, but the design isn’t worth the paper it isn’t printed on. Oh, and GlobeGuy probably will wet his pants when he sees today’s sucker.

We’re Worth It

Uh…Is the public welcome?

Submitter’s comments: Try finding a product to purchase on this web site. I dare you!

Vincent Flanders’ comments: Of course, I can’t. If a human could, it wouldn’t have been submitted. Is this an intranet that’s available for the public? It’s like it’s for current customers, but there’s nothing to tell you that.

SCW

Three non-web page related items.

1. Thursday night I’m going to watch James McMurtry, one of America’s best songwriters, at the Tractor Tavern in Seattle — http://tractortavern.ypguides.net/page/ntqa/CALENDAR.html . McMurtry’s web site is logically at http://www.jamesmcmurtry.com/

2. Slate has an article about one of McMurtry’s songs and why it should be America’s new national anthem. http://www.slate.com/id/2213709 — heck, he predicted the home mortgage meltdown back in 2002.

3. Has anybody else noticed that Susan Boyle (Britain Has Talent sensation) looks like Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)? Were they Separated at Birth? Could we get Susan to sing “Stairway to Heaven” while Jimmy plays?

Jimmy — http://localrhythms.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/jimmy-page.jpg
Susan — http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/Susan%20Boyle.jpg

WTF?

Submitter’s comments: Here’s an incredible waste of time and bandwidth and one of the most pretentious Flash videos I’ve seen.

What were they THINKING?

Vincent Flanders’ comments: I love the introduction:

Are Wyatt
instruments
the product
of Intelligent Design…

…or evolution?

Personally, I think they’re the product of someone with too much money, not enough taste, and way too much time on their hands. Pompous drivel.

Wyatt Technology Corporation

GlobeGuy strikes again.

GlobeGuy’s comments: In researching companies, I’ve run across some really ugly sites, and a few times I’ve been tempted to send one to you, but in the case of the one below, I’m unable to resist temptation:

Notice not just the spinning globe floating over the hand, but the series of blue worlds in the upper right.

Vincent Flanders’ comments: The only way the spinning globe above the hand would makes sense is if the web site were called He’s-Got-The-Whole-World-In-His-Hands.com; otherwise, it’s a stupid cliche. It doesn’t even make sense to have the globe because the phrase above it is “Let VSoft Navigate You Through the Payment Landscape!” An image of a compass would make sense, but knowing these folks, they’d make the compass spin and rotate and be all shiny.

VSoft