How often has "Under Construction Bob" welcomed you to a site? It seems like many sites today are undergoing some sort of construction from small changes and additions to sweeping renovations to frames and java. These sites have employed Under Construction Bob to occupy their pages. This has caused mixed feelings among the cybercitizens and unfortunately Under Construction Bob is in the middle of the debate.

Jennifer from San Diego, CA had this to say:

"Under Construction Bob is a nuisance to the WWW and his constant occupation of webpages is suspect. Do we really know who he is, anyway? Can we trust him? Are some Webmasters employing him when their sites are not under construction? Until these issues are addressed I think Under Construction Bob should be suspended from the WWW."

Henry from Miami, Fl was a bit more practical:

"I like to be warned if a site is under construction that way I can be prepared for broken links. Under Construction Bob is a good man. He alerts us that a site is undergoing change and change is good. I don't know why anyone would want to get rid of him. I just feel safer knowing Under Construction Bob is on a site."

Michael from Long Island, NY expressed this concern:

"Sometimes I will go to a site that is under construction but I don't see anything happening. This is very frustrating to me since Under Construction Bob is on the site. I think- hey, maybe it's me. Maybe I'm just not noticing the construction. One time a spent an entire month reloading a page that Under Construction Bob was on because I thought I was missing something. It got so bad that I received an email from the Webmaster pleading with me to stop reloading his page because it was messing up his counter. Well I just told him that until I see some construction on his page or until Under Construction Bob vacates the site I would continue to reload."

Peter from Hartford, CT is studying the environment:

"I'm sure Under Construction Bob is responsible for depleting the Ozone Layer. His appearance on all these sites has contributed significantly to global warming. We are heading down the road toward environmental catastrophe now and we don't need someone like him speeding us along. I have written to various officials asking them to sanction Under Construction Bob and I plan to boycott all sites on which he exists. Under Construction Bob is no good for us, the environment, or the WWW."

Paula, who wished to remain anonymous said:

Under Construction Bob is not of this world. Several years ago I was abducted by aliens resembling Under Construction Bob and that Yellow Triangle that surrounds him represents a Space Craft. This craft is preparing to invade earth through cyberspace. The sites that Under Construction Bob currently occupy will be the first step toward aliens conquest of the earth and once they have those sites secured it will be the end of humanity as we know it."

So while the debate rages, Under Construction Bob continues to occupy his sites, and has even diversified his functions a bit. Here we see Bob operating a backhoe and actually clearing a site for construction.

One reason Webmasters prefer Bob is his willingness to roll up his sleeves and get down to business. He is not shy about using a pickaxe.

This was one of Bob's larger jobs but he makes short work of a substantial site by knocking down a portion of a page to make room for newer construction.

"In the last year the demand for my service has tripled. In this age of ever changing websites no longer is it possible to assume that a cybercitizen will know which websites are under construction and which websites remain static. Dynamic pages get the hits and hits translate to advertising space and the potential for profit. It is a thankless job I perform, free of charge and without hesitation. Love me or hate but you cannot deny my presence on the Web." - Under Construction Bob, March 3, 1997 at a Webpresence convention.

Since it is sometimes difficult to determine which sites are under construction and to what extent, the following guide should aide cybercitizens. Displayed below are various icons denoting states of construction. As a rule, the larger the icon the larger the extent of construction. Small, animated gifs generally indicate that a site is changing quickly. Larger animated gifs with flashing lights are used for sites undergoing massive construction. A text banner is usually used to denote sections of a page under construction.

Links

People Against Under Construction Images
Under Construction
Under Construction
The Under Construction Zone
Under Construction
The Construction Sign Museum
Alta Vista Search