A Virtual Bash for the Webbys

The Webby Awards, once hailed as the Oscars of the Internet, are being scaled down. This year’s bash will be held online.

Nominees apparently expressed concerns about traveling to San Francisco for the planned June ceremony -- once a glitzy, celebrity-studded extravaganza.

“With our nominees now reflecting a truly global Web we’re facing new considerations, especially in light of everything that’s going on in the world right now,” said Maya Draisin, executive director of the Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences, which organizes the awards.

“This is a challenging time for people in any business at this point,” Draisin added.

The awards honor the best of the Internet, and during the dot-com boom years the ceremony’s pomp testified to the irreverence and creativity of the online community.

Webbys first were awarded in 1996.

However, hundreds of Web sites, many of them Webby winners, have shut down as the industry tanked.