Long story short: ImagineX is a challenge we’re currently running to collect great ideas from people like you that we can then turn into campaigns that – knock on wood – improve the world. There is $10K up for grabs, just for your ideas.
I can’t participate because I work for HeroX, so I’m sharing challenge ideas here on this blog and urging readers to steal and submit them to ImagineX. So far, I’m 1 for 4. Four challenges ideas suggested, one “stolen” and submitted to ImagineX.
Here’s Challenge Idea #5, which you are invited to “steal” and submit to the ImagineX Challenge, if it hasn’t already been…
Dead ends. They are a waste of time. And given that time is the most important commodity in our content-saturated 21st Century, dead ends are the bane of any structure used to deliver that content.
I am of course talking about 404 Error pages.
A 404 Error is a server response code. It’s the computer that holds a website telling your computer, “Sorry bud, I ain’t got them droids you’re looking for.”
A caring web designer will incorporate a website’s 404 Error page into the design of the website, so at least they are consistent in their layout when they fail to give you the content for which you’re looking. Or they’ll try to balance the awkwardness of this moment with a humorous apology – something about their team of monkeys. Sometimes there’s a request to contact the administrator of the website to let them know they screwed the pooch on this one. But more often than not, this server response code generates a blank white page with big block letters and pointless instructions such as “Click the Back Button to try another link”. A dead end.
A 404 Error is web architects shrugging. And they break the very nature of the Internet. The Internet was designed to spread information around so if one node was removed, there would be no loss of information. Sure, it was first imagined most practically as a way to backup files, but it has since matured into something that has a flow that can be measured with charts and infographs and timetables.
A more perfect Internet would not have a 404 Error page.
A more perfect Internet would be able to discern what content I was looking for and then, when that wasn’t available where I was looking for it, it would give me the option to access content that is closest to what I am looking for elsewhere.
It could be the exact content I’m looking for but in a different location, on the same website or a different website.
Or if the content I’m looking for simply no longer exists, it could give me 5-10 options of content that is as identical as possible to the content I’m looking for.
Like if Google’s search algorithm had a 404 Error page baby with all the functionality of its parent.
Is this a necessary challenge? No, of course not. People can still use the Internet despite the presence of 404 errors.
But necessity is only one gauge by which a challenge can be judged. Not every challenge needs to fill a vacuum. Some challenges can merely improve upon or provide alternatives to what’s already present.
Catchy title: The 404-No-More Challenge.
