UWSAG talks to Huub Crapels
of BV. Lindenheuvel Awards

Owner: BV. Lindenheuvel Awards rated 4.0 with UWSAG
Winner: UWSAG Top Ten! March, 2003 - August, 2003
Winner: UWSAG Award Seekers Pick! for March, 2003 - August, 2003 - October, 2003 - December, 2003

1. What got you started in website design?
   
   "It started all as a joke; I had no knowledge of web design at all. I was and am still a member of a little billiard club and wanted to make a web site to promote our little club. So all my pages where in Dutch, after a while I thought why not in English? So I started to translate my site and ask some friends to correct my bad English. Once this was done I did apply for some awards which was funny because I received some awards. I also found out what I made was not what I wanted. I started to read some books to improve my site, because I saw excellent sites and became curious how they did it. I found out that a site is still under construction and if I found some new techniques I try to do it myself too. I’m still learning and started a course for web design and I notice it’s not as hard as I thought. I’m a very lucky man to know a lot of friends who are helping me, make graphics for me. But I want to make my own graphics and even make a new site, we will see if it all works out."
   
   
2. What do you hope to accomplish with your award program?
   
   "Making an Award Program was the second goal, but how to evaluate a site was something different, I made a lot of friends who give me advice and my English became better. Knowing how hard it is to evaluate sites as a beginner I found out what I was looking for. I’m almost every free minute busy with it, I hope to accomplish with my Award program to reward those sites who have useful content and has a good design. The site has to be family and children safe because adults know what they are doing while surfing the internet but children do not. The most important thing to award sites is to find out if there are no links to adult material; because if I open my mailbox, there are everyday a lot of mails which contain adult material. With my Award Program I try to prevent such things. I’m not a saint but if I can pick some sites who apply for an award and I find links to adult material even without the knowledge of the owner I send him or her an e-mail, the webmaster should remove those links or sites who containing links to such sites. This is an advantage of running an award program."
   
   
3. What advice would you give other program owners?
   
   "My advice to new award program owners is, before you start with an award program, make yourself a goal and don’t expect things from a webmaster who applied for an award, if you can’t do the same as those who are applying for an award. For example if you put into your criteria “I award only those sites with an excellent design! “ Make sure your design is better then the design from an applicant. Leave some room for yourself, like the first impression; this gives you the opportunity to give someone a lower award, as written in your criteria. Be polite to your applicants even if you give no feedback. This is an important statement in your criteria, let them know if you give feedback or not. If you give feedback and you get involved into a discussion, don’t do it! Because it makes no sense, it takes a lot of time and frustration. If you need some advice or help don’t hesitate to ask someone you know, just remember running an Award Program should be a hobby, which cost you sometimes a lot of work, if you don’t have time don’t start! Another advice is you’re the owner and your decision should be final."
   
   
4. What was the biggest problem you faced with your award program?
   
   "My biggest problem when I started my award program was my bad English, I could read and understand it but writing was another thing, because my primary language is Dutch. I also gave feedback to applicants who did not win an award and got involved in endless discussions, which where not very friendly. After I received ratings, from different organizations like AS, WA and Uwsag. I started to participate in the forums I found out that I was not the only one who had “problems” with dissatisfied applicants. I learned a lot on those forums and started to make friends, at this moment there is only one forum left where I spend a lot of time."
   
   
5. If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently?
   
   "If you mean not knowing about running an award program and what I know now? Well I guess looking first at award programs, which existed longer to get more familiar with the intension of an award program. Find out what I want and what I don’t want. Participate in the Award Forums to gain experience, to setup an award program with criteria that fits what you stand for. In general all award programs have the same basic criteria. I want to make something unique."
   
   
6. What plans do you have for the future?
   
   "My plans for the future are to setup a new organization for award programs with some friends! Maybe making a new and better Award Program."
   
   
7. What else do you like to do?
   
   "To become a professional web designer, but only as a hobby! To meet some friends I made, and have a good time with them. If there is time left enjoy it with my grandson and my wife."