Stupid Versions of the WPTS Home Page

It always amazes me that people come to WPTS expecting to see me use "good" design on this site. It is, after all, called "Web Pages That SUCK." The mistakes I make aren't as bad as most of the sites I feature, but you should also learn from my mistakes.

I've created a number of sucky versions of the home page. Some are so sucky that you would think anyone would get the joke. Not so. Here are some examples:

1. The Page Peel

The "Peel" is a lot like the "Drop" — where an advertisement drops and pushes the whole page down.

There are other problems with my implementation of the Peel. If you resize the window, the top navigation gets pushed past its borders. Here's a screen shot showing the problem.

Yes, the picture is a picture of me — but heavily edited. I've never been able to grow a goatee, still have hair and I don't have any tattoos.

Page Peel version

2. The Drop-Down Ad Version

A lot of web sites now have drop-down ads (World Series of Poker). It's not cool so, of course, I implemented a version for my site. (new window)

3. Random Mystery Meat Navigation Version

We should all know by now that Mystery Meat Navigation is not for use on "real" sites. I wondered how I could make MMN even worse. Well, how about making the links random? Random Mystery Meat Navigation. (new window)

4. Making it Bad on Purpose Version

When I used this one, people thought I was being serious. No. I was making it seriously bad (new window)

5. Silly Flash Version

Flash is a tool and like any tool can be used for good or evil or stupid. This is stupid. Silly Flash (new window).

6. Even Sillier Flash Version

I created this in January 2003 to show that the combination of Flash and DuhHTML can be deadly. The regular page sucks massively, but no one got the humor. Even Sillier Flash (new window).

7. Silly Art Fart Version

You should be able to look at any home page and know what the site is about within 10 seconds. Without the explanatory text, you wouldn't have a clue. Silly Art Fart (new window)

8. Sliding Door Version

This is similar to the "Making It Bad" entry below except I used DuhHTML to add a sliding door effect. Really stupid. Sliding Door version (new window).

9. It's Valid HTML 4.01, but it Sucks Version

Lots of designers are making a big deal out of web sites adhering to "Web Standards." Part of this adherence is using code that "validates." Well, here is one of my home pages that sucks (moderately) that is completely valid. Oops. Validation does not equal anything other than "valid use of code." Take a look for yourself. (new window)

10. The Javascript Menu Version

People complained the menu was too long, so I shortened it using a template I purchased. It doesn't work very well here. The Javascript menu version (new window)

Other examples to come when I create stupid home pages.