Millburn Resident Wants to Honor Web's Unsung Heroes

A Millburn resident is hoping to bring attention to Web sites that do good work but never receive any recognition.

Alan Wolk is behind the Hive Awards, an online awards program to recognize "the unsung heroes of the Internet."

"All of the Web site awards are for sites that focus on the glamour industries like gaming," said the South Mountain area resident. "People do a lot of good work on the more mundane, business to business sites, but there is no recognition for them. No one is setting the standards."

The awards allow people to receive recognition for their work other than from their boss, said Wolk, who is a noted blogger and marketing strategist. Also, it builds an awareness of who is doing something special on the Web.

"It encourages people's craft," he said. "We get to see what is innovative...I saw a niche and a lack of understanding on how things come together on the Web."

The name comes from the "hive mentality" of the Internet where one idea is built off of another, and Wolk said its received a lot of positive feedback thus far.

The awards first were announced in the spring at the South by Southwest Conference, which focuses on the Internet, music and film in Austin. Wolk described it a conference of the Internet world, citing how Twitter first gained popularity because of the conference.

There has been a tremendous response on Twitter, he said, and people think it's brilliant. "No one has done this before," he said. Plus the site was honored as a "Site of the Week" by Abduzeedo.

People can submit an entry for $179 for a business and $29 for a personal blog in 21 categories. Each entry must come with a URL, three photos and a 200 word essay on way the site or application is special. Wolk said the essay gives entrants the chance to explain why their work is special.

"There are so many things (the judges) can look at on a site, and the essay allows them to focus on the areas people feel are special," he said.

The deadline for the reduced rate on the application fee is Dec. 31, and the final call for entries is Jan. 31.

But it's not the final round of awards. An adjacent award—The Unsung Hero Awards—will come early next year. People will be able to nominate someone with whom they work. Wolk said the awards will be similar to the Open Web Awards or the Shorty Awards.