2002 Free Press favorite Michigan Web sites

July 15, 2002

BY MIKE WENDLAND & HEATHER NEWMAN
FREE PRESS TECHNOLOGY WRITERS

Michigan, you've got Web.

To compile this list of the 40 best Michigan Web sites, we spent weeks poring over thousands of sites created in and about the state. We listened to audio clips, watched videos, clicked on thousands and thousands of links, scrolled through photos, scrutinized site maps and read through thousands of pages of written material.

Some sites were funny; others were packed with information; still others wowed us with beautiful pictures, deep thoughts and great design.

To make it to the top of any category, a site had to have a combination of great information, entertaining content and thoughtful design. When in doubt, information won; we figure folks are willing to put up with a bit of clumsy Web design if a site offers information or other things they can't get anywhere else.

We gave high marks to sites that made it easy to find your way, contained complete and in-depth information and were updated often enough to make you want to visit again and again. The sites at the top of each category were all strong contenders for the overall best Web site. It was a tough choice to make.

We excluded national and international companies that can afford to hire Web designers dozens of states away. We rejected national sites that happen to have local pages referring to Michigan, concentrating instead on sites dedicated to the Great Lakes State or created by and for those who live here.

We also didn't consider any media sites, even though there are dozens of wonderful pages for newspapers, magazines and television stations in the state, because that would have been a conflict of interest. If we recommended the Free Press' www.freep.com, Heather's www.heathernewman.com or Mike's www.pcmike.com, that wouldn't make us seem very credible, would it?

This list of Michigan Web sites represents just a tiny fraction of the great pages posted in and about our two peninsulas. We're confident you'd enjoy visiting any of them. Bon voyage!

July 15, 2002

Michigan Morels.com

http://www.michiganmorels.com/

Hunting for the bumpy mushroom delicacies is a great Michigan pastime, and this well-designed site might woo some dedicated couch potatoes into the woods. It's worth visiting for the funny, always-changing comment at the top of the page, but you'll stick around to read people's constantly updated morel-hunting diaries, to learn more about this haute cuisine treat and to figure out where to go to find the best caches.

Contact HEATHER NEWMAN at 313-223-3336, newman@freepress.com or www.freep.com/tech. Contact MIKE WENDLAND at 313-222-8861 or mwendland@freepress.com.

HEATHER NEWMAN | MIKE WENDLAND