UWSAG talks to Deborah Sibert
of NWESS Awards

Owner: NWESS Awards rated 2.0 with UWSAG
Winner: UWSAG Award Seekers Pick! for October, 2003

1. What got you started in website design?
   
   "Nine years ago as a marketing director, I was able to see that our target audience would become an important part of the internet. I had contracted a site to be built for our company and was sadly disappointed in the end result. I’ve always lived by the rule of -- if you don’t like how it’s done, learn how to do it…and do it yourself! I took several online classes at the local college, read many books and spent a great deal of my spare time on the web analyzing web sites and marketing avenues, techniques, etc. I like the fact that I can control what’s happening with our site instantaneously. How it’s presented, the information that it contains and even how our target audience needs are met on a personal level."
   
   
2. What do you hope to accomplish with your award program?
   
   "I would hope to provide an avenue of information to those persons seeking advice and needing honest input. All too often we as webmasters get too involved in our site building – and we loose objectivity. You know there’s a problem, you just can’t always put your finger on it. Webmasters spend many hours working on their sites trying to improve this or change that, it’s an endless project. It’s nice to hear a peer say “Good Job” or “I like how you did this.” It makes all those hours spent worth it. It’s also nice to have someone say “Have you thought about….” Feed back is a wonderful thing – it helps to improve the outcome of your product."
   
   
3. What advice would you give other program owners?
   
   "Learn HTML. Web authoring programs are great, but you need to know code even if you use one."
   
   
4. What was the biggest problem you faced with your award program?
   
   "The issue of Time is the greatest problem I face to this day."
   
   
5. If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently?
   
   "I would have recruited others to the team to help with the program’s structure and to disperse the workload. Hours and hours have been spent putting this award program together. I have a great respect for anyone who has undertaken such a venture. Though an award program is time consuming, I’ve met many wonderful people which rewards are infinite."
   
   
6. What plans do you have for the future?
   
   "Our award program is currently undergoing a complete revision. I have recruited a team of people that have the same ideals and goals that I wanted to maintain for our award program. Together, we hope to build an even greater award program and to provide more input for our Award seekers."
   
   
7. What else do you like to do?
   
   "I love photography and architecture."