| "Frankly, it's technically weird and ugly."Although no | | | | happens.The website connects to the audience.In this |
| one can say exactly what it looks like when a | | | | case, the premise of Burny's story connected to the |
| website is weird and ugly, a web designer actually | | | | audience. And it turned out that they wanted |
| e-mailed 23-year old artist Burny Madden with an | | | | more.You never really appreciate a story until you |
| offer to "beautify his website technically."Indeed, in | | | | enter the door of a character's head and walk around |
| the Internet - where the word "techie" is | | | | in it. But Burny's original website was a beautiful door |
| synonymous to godling, and the word "newbie" is | | | | that opened up to nothing!The Power of a StorySo |
| almost an insult - a "technically cool" website seems | | | | Burny and Nona said goodbye to the techie beauty |
| inevitable. Whether a Flash eye-candy website with | | | | and built a simple HTML website. No cool effects. It |
| animated buttons, titles, images, streaming video, | | | | only uses Burny's original artworks to illustrate the |
| cinematic sound effects, pop-ups, and techie cool | | | | story. The only thing that moves in it is the visitor's |
| what-have-yous is visually distracting is beside the | | | | cursor.In this new website, they continue telling the |
| point. Never mind what you've heard about beauty in | | | | story, revealing that while Burny's mother insists that |
| simplicity. In cyberspace, techie cool is what's | | | | his burning condition is a symptom of demonic |
| beautiful.A Burning Man's Weird and Ugly | | | | possession, his stepfather is forcing him to burn and |
| WebsiteBurny and his best friend Nona have built a | | | | heal others for a huge fee.Because of this revolting |
| website to tell his life story to the world. Burny is | | | | development, Nona has decided to launch an online |
| afflicted with a mysterious chronic burning disease | | | | campaign to save Burny from burning to death.Nona's |
| that causes parts of his body to ignite at random. | | | | message connected to people all over the world.The |
| Burn scars constellate his body. He walks with a limp. | | | | website generated five times more hits in just one |
| He is too mortified to be with people. Some even call | | | | month than what the old Flash website made for an |
| him a freak. Then he discovers that the flames killing | | | | entire year. This time, people are coming back to the |
| him little by little have miraculous healing powers. His | | | | website several times a week. They are sending |
| life has never been the same again, especially after | | | | Burny and Nona e-mails. Some of them post |
| going online.But now Burny and Nona feel that if a | | | | messages on the blogs.And a lot of them are now |
| website is called weird and ugly; it probably looks a | | | | buying Burning Man stuff!A Site of SecretsIt's almost |
| lot like their website.It certainly feels that way when | | | | a real success story, except for the fact that Burny |
| people say the website will have tremendous | | | | and Nona are not real persons. They are just |
| potential if they show a short animated feature | | | | characters from the illustrated online novel and |
| about the story. It certainly feels that way when | | | | screenplay "BURNY" by Gil De Palma. He put them |
| they receive e-mails asking in so many ways why | | | | online to help him develop their characters and write |
| the site is "sooo static." And it certainly feels that | | | | the story.But people react like they're real persons |
| way when they read this message from a returning | | | | just the same. Some are even too happy to receive |
| site visitor: "Hey, no offense guys, but I think your | | | | a personal e-mail (not auto-responder generated) |
| old Flash website looks a lot better than this dead | | | | from fictional characters. The whole situation has |
| mind-numbing stuff."They Built It, They Came, and | | | | become like an uncanny experience that gets people |
| They Left ForeverIt is an offshoot of an original | | | | hooked on the website. A secret they must |
| fancy Flash website, their newbie attempt at being | | | | keep.Now it seems like Burny and Nona have |
| webbies. It was an absolute "techie beauty." | | | | developed a life of their own. They even have their |
| Cinematic intro. Scrolling text. An array of moving | | | | own online friends.Burny and Nona still do not know |
| thingies. Even an animated page-turner. All this plus | | | | that they are just fictional characters. They are still |
| some Hollywood-style effects. It gave that peculiar | | | | running the website, posting new content, reading |
| feeling of watching a mystery movie.But where's the | | | | and answering e-mails. If you visit the website and |
| rest of the story? That was the question of most | | | | click the "author" button, you will understand |
| site visitors.Burny and Nona intended to tell the | | | | why.Accidental Viral MarketingGil De Palma passed on |
| Burny's story in that website. Trouble is, the | | | | Nona's blog letter to a few friends who got so |
| animated page-turner limited them to a maximum of | | | | amused by it - they passed it on to others. Without |
| sixteen pages - about 106 pages short of the site's | | | | really trying, it became a form of word-of-mouth |
| designed content.Their first website became some | | | | advertising via e-mail, going around the world in a |
| kind of an unfinished visual treat that people would | | | | matter of seconds. The website got over 50,000 hits |
| visit once or twice at the most, and then never | | | | the next day!So if you receive Nona's letter from |
| again. Adding more animated effects served like a | | | | someone you know, he or she probably got this |
| one time adrenaline boost for the site, that's all. | | | | forwarded e-mail from a friend or colleague or even |
| Requesting those who purchased the ebook to | | | | a family member who also got it from someone, |
| recommend it to others led some people to accuse | | | | who also...well, you know.People have a subconscious |
| them of spamming. They even tried using | | | | desire to communicate about things that have no |
| sophisticated linking software to increase its | | | | relevance to their primary needs for existence. The |
| exposure to no avail. Webmasters would visit, but | | | | urge to tell others about Burny's predicament is |
| only a handful would link to it. Their website traffic | | | | actually working for the website.Content is KingA |
| seemed to trudge to a dreary drumbeat - | | | | techie beauty is not a bad idea at all. Stretching one's |
| one...two...bye. They built it and they came, and they | | | | imagination to push technology far beyond its |
| left forever.Connection is the KeyIt took an unusual | | | | comfort zone to create the coolest visually stunning |
| degree of humility for them to accept that the techie | | | | websites in cyberspace can certainly bring a big thrill |
| beauty they were so proud of did not actually work | | | | to the senses. But they will only work if they fulfill |
| for them. After all, it revealed to them the extent to | | | | the primary mandate of a website - to connect to |
| which people responded to the website's story more | | | | the audience.Burny and Nona are doing it with a |
| than its looks.They discovered that although | | | | simple interactive story. Their website may be weird |
| head-turning imagery and special effects raise web | | | | and ugly, but it might as well be its own revenge for |
| design to a higher level, they will only work if they | | | | being so."You've got great content," the persistent |
| are built on a good concept. The cool stuff is in the | | | | web designer said in his recent e-mail to Burny, "even |
| content. When an idea translates into a compelling | | | | I keep on coming back to know what happens next. |
| content with which audiences can relate, it causes | | | | It's a shame that you didn't give its overall design |
| them to hook up psychologically to the website. | | | | much thought."Burny did not hire him.Gil De Palma is a |
| When it makes an emotional bond by showing people | | | | writer, artist, filmmaker, and CEO of Palmagick |
| an idea or experience they've had, an idea or | | | | Entertainment. He is the author of the illustrated |
| experience they'd like to have, or the information | | | | online novel and screenplay "BURNY" and the creator |
| they've been looking for, real cool content stuff | | | | of the superhero pack TAEKWONDOGGS. |