I think the web is finally becoming mature. Porn, stealing music, gossip and games. I could do this all day, but I figured I’d stop somewhere. Let’s look back shall we.
Best Website – Hulu
A picture tells a thousand words, a video tells a bajillion, especially when it’s made by a pro and not some hack on the internet. The worst episode of “Bewitched” is better than anything ever produced for the internet, including my own stuff.
Worst Website – Business Insider
Easily the worst site in the Tech/Business space. The entire site is a cut and paste job circa 1973 from other sites or idiotic slideshows designed to increase nonsense traffic numbers. It actually seems that Mike Arrington works there his name is on so many stories.
Best Tech Writer - Kara Swisher
Trust. That’s the bottom line, you can trust Swisher. She doesn’t go for link baiting idiocy like all the other tech sites. Just the facts please.
Worst Tech Writer – Dave Winer
Hey man. No one cares about your delusional attempts to open source twitter. It’s a business, and none of it is yours.
Best Twitter Account – common_squirrel
Short and to the point.
Worst Twitter Account – Scoble
Self-referential ramblings of a grossly obese, poorly dressed mad man.
Best Video Show – Leo Laporte
I was on it once with McCabe and it was awesome. It’s TV. He’s so far ahead of anyone in the space. Pretty sure he can’t stand me at this point though. He hates when I’m mean and infantile which is almost always.
Worst Video Show – The Gillmor Gang
Horribly produced, long, boring and generally always wrong about everything. I stopped doing it when I was fighting with Scoble, and Gillmor says “The Gillmor Gang Is like the new CNN.” I knew at that moment that UHF is more relevant. RSS isn’t dead, this show is.
Best Quote – “It doesn’t matter.” by Loren Feldman
Said by millions every day. Boy, are they right.
Worst Quote – “In The Age Of Realtime, Twitter Is Walter Cronkite” by MG Siegler
This quote is already regarded by many scholars as the absolute stupidest thing ever said on the internet. I think that might be a bit much, but who knows they might be right.
Best Self-Promoter – Jason Calacanis
Despite having an ego that makes Kanye look shy, McCabe continues to be a force. Through his sheer force of will you know about Mahalo.
Worst Self-Promoter – Gary Vee
A multi-millionaire on his quest for fame, love and the NY Jets which he jinxed this year with his idiotic G-O-J-E-T-S twitter campaign.
Best Book – Hugh MacLeod
Ignore Everybody. Perfect advice.
Worst Book – Shel Israel
Twitterville. It came, it went, it was stupid.
Best Couple – Loren and Michelle Feldman
Attractive, funny, and playing together in tune.
Worst Couple – Mike Arrington and The Blue Chick from Avatar
It’s never gonna work with these two. She’s got a tail.
Best Social Media Site – Facebook
It has farmville and other idiotic games that will eventually lead the weak to gambling addiction problems. No one ever clicks on ads, they are just selling your personal habits to credit card companies.
Worst Social Media Site – Twitter
What a disaster. Tons of bots, no security, flooding search results with nonsense, and the only revenue is from your dopey tweets which they cant thread, save, or search correctly, so they had to sell it all to google and bing. Oh yeah, that security thing.
Best Gadget – iPhone
Still the standard.
Worst Gadget – Crunchpad/JooJoo
A completely inept debacle amounting to nothing but paperwork and lawyers fees. If it even makes it to open court, I’ll be covering it for Court TV.
Best Trainwreck – Julia Allison
It’s completely fascinating watching this Donkey get herself into one lie after another in her pursuit of?
Worst Trainwreck – Drew Carey/Drew Olanoff
Was completely heart breaking to watch as an entire “social” media site hung one of their own out to dry.
Best Comment Section – Reblogging Non Society
Usually at least 100 comments from some of the greatest writers on the web. Awesome anonymous rantings from the new guard of journalism and culture. They are young, angry, and brilliant. The nicknames alone are worth it.
Worst Comment Section – AVC
Fred’s readers only care about Fred’s money and deal making ability. Having to watch them act interested in Fred’s musical selections is painful. They figure if they like the Arctic Monkeys it’ll get them that A round.
Best Growth Industry – Mobile
People really really like their phones.
Worst Growth Industry – Blogging
Your writing is horrible, your site visitors are bots, and you are more into twitter anyway.
Best Web Personality – “Pud”
Successful, funny, open, kinda low-key.
Worst Web Personality – Tia Tequila
A weird mess with crazy eyes on the side of her huge triangular shaped head. Her ustream meltdown was epic.
Best Web Marriage – Ze Frank
Did you know Ze Frank is married?
Worst Web Marriage – Chris Pirillio
Did you know Chris Pirillo isn’t?
Best Comeback – Bing
Microsoft finally gets in the game game game.
Worst Comeback – Seesmic
The video sharing site is now a social media client. I thought social media has no clients. Whatever.
Product Of The Year – Echo
The comment section I’m using. It brings the web back to your home. Your blog. They actually charge money. Imagine that.
Drugs Of The Year – Adderall and garbage wines.
Vibe Of The Year – Narcissism.
So there you have it. The best and worst of the web for 2009. I cannot wait for next year. If you feel I’ve missed something of importance by all means leave a comment.
