Best of the Net Awards
for German Language
See past "Best of the Net" winners below.
From time to time, as the About.com Guide for German Language, I select an outstanding German Web site as a "Best of the Net" link from the many sites we list in various categories in our Articles & Resources (in left column). To earn this award, a Web site must be one of the very best in its category. It has to stand out as a better-than-average resource for German-learners. Not many sites can earn the distinction of "Best of the Net" for German Language.
CRITERIA
What are the criteria we use to select a "Best of the Net" site? Here are some of the considerations involved in choosing the best in a category. A selected site has to rate highly in each of the five criteria listed below.
- Content: Does the site offer an extensive (wide and deep) range of materials or information? Is the content useful and well organized?
- Accuracy: Is the information that the site provides accurate and reliable? For instance, a grammar or vocabulary site that has too many typos or errors is out of the running.
- Design: Is the site's design functional and aesthetically pleasing? Does it help or hinder visitors in finding what they seek?
- Uniqueness: Does the site stand out above similar offerings on the Web? A copycat site that is just more of the same can't qualify. We're looking for sites with a fresh approach.
- Pizzazz: Does the site "grab" you? (This goes beyond mere design.) We're looking for sites that have a little something extra. We want excitement, but a site that is too flashy and graphics-intensive may rank lower than a less gimmicky site.
CATEGORIES
The categories are those found in our Articles & Resources for German Language (on the left). They range from Audio/Listening to Translating German.
Not every category may have a "Best of the Net" award. That award depends on the merit of various sites, and these may not fall into every category. We only select a total of one or two sites each month, and in some months there may be no award given at all. In time, most or all of our NetLink categories for German will probably have at least one or two "Best of the Net" sites. But the award is not given out lightly or by category.
PAST AWARDS
Selected Web sites designated "Best of the Net" for German Language:
InfoRadio Berlin-Brandenburg
"24 Stunden lang live informiert." The latest news—world, regional, local—in German as a live RealAudio stream (click on "live hören") or text. One of the best places on the Web for listening to live spoken German at any time, day or night. (Found in our links for Radio in German.)Emil und die Detektive - ZLB
Von der Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin (ZLB). Alles über das Werk von Erich Kästner: Entstehungsgeschichte, Emils Geschichte, Berliner Adreßbuch und mehr. All about this work by Erich Kästner: Origin of the Story, the Story, Berlin Address Book, and more. In German only. (Found in our links for Literature and Erich Kästner on the Web.)
Watch for more "Best of the Net" sites in our Articles & Resources listings.
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