12.20.97: lawgirl on richard grimes
 | Richard Grimes has been the ultimate arbiter of "cool" on the Web for over two years. As the Producer of Cool Site of the Day, he has the power to make or break a new site. And boy does he know the Web. But what many people don't realize is that there is a man behind the myth. Richard is one of the most interesting people I have ever met. Raised in a nudist colony in Florida, Richard's life is rife with experiences that others only dream about. Richard is busy parlaying that wealth of experience into a succesful career as an author . . . But in between rewrites and site-picking duties, I managed to harass Richard enough that he agreed to share some of his insights on, well, just what makes a site cool. So here you have it, straight from the horses mouth...Lawgirl's exclusive interview with Cool Site of the Day's Richard Grimes...Enjoy. |
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What do you look for in terms of an objectively "good" site? I like nice clean graphics and a little style, but most of all it's got to give me insight into something. That's why I feel comfortable picking something like the "Ain't It Cool" movie gossip Web site. It's ugly as hell, but the guy who runs it, Harry, delivers when it comes to movie gossip. "Lawgirl" delivers the goods, too, but it happens to have a better sense of style and a tighter control on design. (Ed. note: aw, thanks, Richard.) Based on your experience, what are common mistakes that you see made that detract from the overall quality of a site? A site has to "do" something. People want to walk away feeling like they got something useful from visiting a site. If you've got a page of links and a list of favorite albums, odds are that you've missed the point of pointing up a Web site. I've had plumbers with Web sites write me and ask me to make them Cool Site of the Day. I'll actually visit their sites, but instead of offering info that will help someone - like how to shave your back without clogging up the bathtub - it's usually the Web equivalent of a business card - name, address, phone number. My advice to them? If you're not going to make your site useful, you'd better put up naked pictures of yourself because there's no way anyone will visit it more than once. Of course, naked photos of plumbers might drive them away, too, but it's a start in the right direction. Are there any particular technological features that appeal to you when implemented properly on a site? If so, which do you favor and why? I think most sites that go heavy on Java Script, etc. have television envy. Cool Site of the Day wouldn't have it, but we needed something to make the executives go "OOOH" and "AHHHH". But if you haven't figured out the principles of conveying information, no amount of tech wizardry will save your site from being an animated piece of puffery. What is a good way for a webmaster to get your attention? Know your site. Be able to explain it in one paragraph. You may think it's stupid or you may think your site is way too cerebral to be explained so quickly, but we get lots of mail - 600 e-mails a day - and the quicker you catch our eye the less likely you are to be trash-canned. And the truth is this: when we get a well-thought-out message, we know that the Webmaster took time to think about his or her site. Two final pieces of advice: First, never start your letter by saying "You probably won't believe this, but I just learned HTML a week ago and I've already put up a site." Chances are we will believe you and not go to your site. Lie to us. Tell us you've worked monk-like on your HTML for years. Finally, while it's not a good idea to be an ass-kisser, don't be an asshole either. What sites are on your bookmark list? I'll answer this question indirectly. I would immediately visit any site put up by Derek Powazek of the Fray, Michael Sippey of Stating the Obvious, Carl Steadman - most recently with Dianabear, Troy Bolotnik of Asylum and anything, absolutely anything by the people at Enviromedia. There are others I should point out, naturally, but the list is long. Without revealing any of your trade secrets, can you explain the cool-site picking process, or at least the fundamental criteria you utilize? It's mostly "Engine, Engine, Number 9." Actually, it's pretty self-evident. Do you have any tips for people who seek to make money from their websites what about for promoting websites? Yeah. Get to know the biz, or get out of the biz. Where do you see the web in five years? I don't mean to be cryptic, but it you want to see what the Web will be like in five years, look to the people at id Software. These guys have delivered useable virtual reality on the Web in the form of QuakeWorld. Not only that, but while Netscape and Microsoft mess around with "collaboration" tools, Quake clans have beat them at their own game. Quake clans come together, "collaborate" and then quickly disband. Of course, their "collaboration goal" is to kill someone else, but that's not too different from what corporate users want from "collaboration" tools. A year ago I forecast that eventually Netscape would release a Quake plug-in so that corporate users could use the Web to diagram their ideas for company employees spread around the world - and then kill them if they disagreed. It's meant to be a tongue in cheek comment, but there's some truth to it. How did you get to be where you are today and what are your future plans? I credit clean living and Flintstones chewables. Actually, I grew up in a nudist camp in Florida. I'm convinced that experience, more than anything, put me where I am now. As for the future, my ultimate goal is to write one of everything. I've written a newspaper column, a Web column, sotware manuals and obituaries for the local newspaper. My plans are to keep checking off the writing genres until I'm done. I know that in addition to your site-picking duties, you are an author...Care to talk a bit about your work? I'm actually most of the way through writing a book about growing up in a nudist camp near Disney World in the 70s. I'll probably be putting up a Web site for it in January. How do you think your experience as the king cool site-picker has affected the path of your career and/or your life (other than the fact that it helps you get more girls)? I'm actually kinder to children and dogs now - but otherwise...
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