Cool Site of the Day

Cool Site of the Day was an early Internet publication and web-curation brand launched in August 1994 by Glenn Davis. Its defining editorial format was deliberately simple: the homepage linked to one selected website that the editors considered especially interesting, innovative, or aesthetically appealing. At a time when the publicly available World Wide Web was still small, difficult to navigate, and lacking established discovery services, this daily recommendation gave the site an outsized role as a guide to emerging online culture. The service quickly became an informal arbiter of taste. Within several months of launch it reportedly drew approximately 10,000 visitors per day, and within its first year daily traffic had risen above 20,000 visitors. A recommendation could provide valuable attention to a young Internet company or creative project, particularly among Silicon Alley start-ups and other early web businesses. The prominence of the award also created a new form of online status: being selected as a cool site became a coveted achievement and encouraged the creation of many imitative awards and directories. Davis became one of the most recognizable figures associated with the early commercial Web. He gave interviews to magazines and radio programs, including NPR, and reportedly had to resist gifts and other approaches from site operators seeking favorable consideration. Newsweek included him among its fifty most influential people on the Internet and referred to him as the “King of Cool,” reflecting the unusual influence that a single curator could exercise before search engines, social networks, and large-scale recommendation platforms dominated online discovery. The brand expanded beyond daily links with the creation of a Cool Site of the Year award around its first anniversary. Also known as the Webby in the account of the site's history, the first ceremony took place in August 1995 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California. Kay Dangaard produced the event, and John Brancato and Michael Ferris presented it. Davis conducted an email poll among five websites that had previously received the daily distinction. The Spot, an early webisodic serial, won the inaugural award. A second ceremony followed on October 3, 1996, at Webster Hall in Manhattan's East Village. Davis left the site in November 1995, but the publication continued operating and expanding. By the end of 1997, it had reportedly become an eight-person mini e-publishing operation, generated millions of page views each month, and produced thousands of imitators. Davis's former employer subsequently decided to sell the site, marking a transition from a founder-led editorial experiment toward a more commercial digital-media asset. The brand's later identity was less closely tied to daily cultural recommendation. During the 2010s, the website shifted toward blog content focused on search-engine optimization while retaining material from its earlier period in its archives. In the first week of February 2020, the site was removed without notice. It returned within approximately a week, but its previous content and historical archives had disappeared. The visible site thereafter consisted primarily of a broken email-form widget offering visitors a free visibility report. The available record does not establish whether the brand remains actively operated, who currently owns it, or whether its original editorial service will return.

Cool Site of the Day emerged in August 1994, when the Web was still a relatively small collection of independently operated pages and reliable discovery tools were scarce. Created and initially maintained by Glenn Davis, the service used a single-link editorial format: each day, its homepage directed visitors to one website chosen for its perceived originality, usefulness, or visual appeal. This narrow format made the brand easy to understand and gave each selection considerable visibility. Traffic grew rapidly. Within months, the site reportedly attracted around 10,000 visitors per day, and within a year it was receiving more than 20,000 daily visitors. The recommendation carried particular weight for early web businesses and Silicon Alley start-ups, for which a prominent link could deliver substantial attention. Cool Site of the Day consequently became an early example of online editorial influence and helped establish the idea that websites could receive reputational recognition comparable to awards in publishing, design, or entertainment. Davis's role extended beyond maintaining a page of links. He became a public representative of the emerging Internet culture, appearing in magazine interviews and on radio programs such as NPR. The site's perceived authority also led website operators to seek favorable treatment, including through gifts. Newsweek later recognized Davis as one of the fifty most influential people on the Internet and nicknamed him the “King of Cool.” Whether or not the selections were formally governed by a transparent process, the brand had become a visible taste-making institution. Around the first anniversary, the project expanded into an annual award called Cool Site of the Year, also referred to in the historical account as the Webby. The first event was held in August 1995 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California. Kay Dangaard produced the ceremony, while John Brancato and Michael Ferris presented it. Davis used an email poll to let audiences choose among five sites that had previously been selected as Cool Site of the Day. The winner was The Spot, an early webisodic serial. A second ceremony was held on October 3, 1996, at Webster Hall in Manhattan's East Village. Davis left the service in November 1995. Its growth nevertheless continued, and by the end of 1997 the site had reportedly developed into an eight-person mini e-publishing operation with millions of page views per month. Its model had also inspired thousands of similar “cool site” awards and recommendation services. At that stage Davis's former employer decided to sell the site, demonstrating that the project had evolved from a personal editorial venture into a commercially valuable digital-media property. The site's role changed as the Internet matured. During the 2010s, it moved away from its original daily-curation identity and operated more like a blog concerned with search-engine optimization. Older archives remained part of the site's historical value, although the brand no longer occupied the same central position in web discovery that it had held in the mid-1990s. In early February 2020, the website was taken offline without notice. It returned within roughly a week, but the previous material, including the Cool Site of the Day archives, had disappeared. The remaining visible interface consisted of a broken email form offering a free visibility report. The available references do not identify the current owner, management, or operating status, so the future of the original brand and archive remains uncertain.

• 2020

  Archives disappear after website interruption

  [1]Cool Site of the Dayen.wikipedia.org

  The website is removed in early February and returns without its former content or archives.

• 1997

  Expansion into digital publishing

  [1]Cool Site of the Dayen.wikipedia.org

  The site is described as an eight-person mini e-publishing operation with millions of monthly page views, before its former employer decides to sell it.

• 1996

  Second annual awards ceremony

  [1]Cool Site of the Dayen.wikipedia.org

  The second Cool Site of the Year ceremony is held at Webster Hall in Manhattan on October 3.

• 1995

  First Cool Site of the Year award

  [1]Cool Site of the Dayen.wikipedia.org

  The first annual award is staged in August at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, with The Spot winning an email poll among five prior daily selections.

• 1995

  Founder departs

  [1]Cool Site of the Dayen.wikipedia.org

  Glenn Davis leaves the site in November, although the publication continues under later management.

• 1994

  Launch of Cool Site of the Day

  [1]Cool Site of the Dayen.wikipedia.org

  Glenn Davis launches the site in August as a daily service recommending one website from its homepage.

An early Internet discovery and editorial-curation brand that identified notable websites for a broad online audience, later shifting toward search-engine-optimization content.

• Web curation service · 1994

  Cool Site of the Day

  The core service selected and linked to one website each day from the Cool Site of the Day homepage. Its editorial simplicity made the selection itself the product: visitors came to discover notable pages, while featured sites received a concentrated burst of attention and a recognizable early-Web accolade.

• Web award · 1995

  Cool Site of the Year

  An annual award developed from the daily recommendation program. The first edition used an email poll involving five websites that had previously received the daily distinction, and the inaugural winner was The Spot. Ceremonies were held in Hollywood in 1995 and at Webster Hall in New York in 1996.

• Online publishing

  Search-engine-optimization blog

  By the 2010s, the site had shifted from general web curation toward blog publishing focused on search-engine optimization. This later incarnation was distinct from the original daily-award model and reportedly retained older material until the site's 2020 interruption.

• 1995Cool Site of the Year

  United States · Online

  The brand extended its daily recommendation concept into an annual public award. An email poll presented five previously recognized websites to voters, and the inaugural ceremony was held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

  Outcome. The Spot won the first award, and the program continued with a second ceremony in 1996.

  Source

• 2010

  Shift toward search-engine-optimization contentStrategy

  Background

  As online discovery became dominated by search engines and larger platforms, the original daily-curation model lost much of its earlier centrality.

  Action taken

  The website moved toward blog publishing focused on search-engine optimization while retaining historical archives for a period.

  Aftermath

  The site operated in a substantially different form from the original award-focused service before its archives disappeared in 2020.

  Source

• 1995

  Expand from daily links into annual awardsStrategy

  Background

  The daily recommendation had become a recognizable early-Web distinction and attracted a substantial audience.

  Action taken

  Glenn Davis introduced the Cool Site of the Year award and supported it with a public email poll and an in-person ceremony.

  Aftermath

  The award created a broader recognition platform and was followed by a second ceremony in 1996.

  Source

• 1995

  Transition after founder departureStrategy

  Background

  Davis left the publication in November after establishing its editorial reputation.

  Action taken

  The site continued operating under subsequent management rather than ending with the founder's departure.

  Aftermath

  The publication reportedly grew into a larger e-publishing operation by the end of 1997.

  Source

1. 1Cool Site of the Dayen.wikipedia.org