So what are these Medals all about? I love every single Irish Dance website I visit and I hate to give the "best" ones the award all the time and give the great fledgling sites a miss! The Medals are a way for all sites that I see to receive an award because they are all AWESOME.

There are several things considered in which medal a site receives. The main three are Content, Layout, and Graphics.

By Content, I mean "what does your site have on it?" Is there a lot of useful information that web-surfing Irish dancers can benefit from, or is it just a collection of links? Is there anything on your site that isn't anywhere else on the Web? (bonus points for that!) Do you take a different spin on something that's been overdone and do it well?

Layout is a bit more complicated. I tend to like more organized sites, such as those arranged in tables (Oscail an Doras is a table site, though the borders of it are invisible) but many of my favorite sites aren't in tables!! This is also tied-in with Content. If your site is color-coordinated, neatly-organized, easy on the eye, very attractive-looking, and is full of good info, look forward to a very good medal!

When I say Graphics I don't mean do you have the biggest and the best. Do you have too many, causing the page download time to be extremely slow? (a discouragement for future visits by past visitors to your site!!) Are they tasteful? Do they crowd the page? Is your site all graphics and no info?

Basically I am looking for simple, well-rounded sites that appeal to a wide-range of visitors. Don't worry, everyone who applies will get some sort of medal! Now that I have mentioned applying, let me tell you how it works:

I'm sure you are familiar with my Irish Dance Website Reviews and Links page. Almost all of those sites came out of my guestbook and, eventually, all of them will receive one of my medals. To be eligible for one of the OAD Medals, sign the OAD Guestbook making sure to leave your NAME and your WEBSITE URL. All guestbook sites will make it onto the review page and from there they will receive a medal. Some sites not in the guestbook will be reviewed and awarded, but for your best chances sign the guestbook!

Simple enough? If you have any questions or concerns regarding the medals, email me at soylindo1@hotmail.com or contact me via AOL Instant Messenger, where my screenname is Oscail an Doras.

Thank you for your interest in the Medals, and especially for visiting Oscail an Doras!