Web (2.0)

Web OK or KO? vs. CommandShit3: Website Ratings

By EAN ⋅ February 25, 2008 ⋅  Email this Post ⋅  Print this Post ⋅ Post a Comment

I remember a time when these “Hot or Not” style websites were all the rage. As the internet moved forward, I thought these sites had all but vanished, but alas, they’re still going strong. And it seems they’ve permeated into nearly every aspect of digital life.

Now, as much as I enjoy rating attractive girls, Software Battle is a site devoted to apps, the internet, and technology in general. And to keep things in the tech genre, I present you with two unique offshoots from the hot or not craze: Web OK or KO? and CommandShift3. No pretty girls here. Sorry.

Let’s start with Web OK or KO. This site takes its roots almost directly from the Hot or Not format with the characteristic 1 to 10 voting scale and single screenshot. There are a couple of links to click on to visit a particular site if you so see fit, but the screenshot is more than enough information to make a decision on. If voting isn’t your thing, you can always submit a site, leave a comment, or search through the site’s growing database. It’s all pretty straightforward.

The problem with Web OK or KO is that it doesn’t break any new ground. Nothing new whatsoever. It’s cool to see sites from around the world–but it gets boring fast.

CommandShift3 is a completely different beast that somehow manages to get lumped in with the other Hot or Not clones. If you’re not an Apple user, Command-Shift-3 is the keyboard shortcut to take a screenshot.

Right off the bat, you can just tell that CommandShift3 is a better designed site than Web Hot or Not. Much more work was done here–from the simple effects to the running collection of screenshots documenting changes to the site for the last month.

Unlike the traditional Hot or Not model, CommandShift3 makes users select one site or the other instead of giving a 1-10 rating. No rocket science here. Also, to keep you voting, the site displays random motivational headers that just ooze satire. Nevertheless, CommandShift3 still gets boring pretty quick.

Recommended:

CommandShift3 is the clear winner. It has the better design, the more upbeat atmosphere, a unique spin on the Hot or Not trend, and an overall more impressive collection of websites. As an inspirational tool for designers, CommandShift3 is spot on too.

An interesting aside, CommandShift3 affixes the “nofollow” attribute to their links, so don’t expect to get any backlinks by submitting your site to their database. Web Hot or Not, however, does not.

Handy Chart: