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The Awards
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2012 Winners
OPEN DIVISION
Cisco Systems
Infor
Informatica
Quest Software
Red Hat
SAS Institute
Yahoo!
SMALL COMPANY DIVISION
Blackbaud
TiVo
Tricentis
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ASPonline.com >
FAQ for Judges
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FAQ for Judges
Each year, the ASP assembles a panel of volunteer judges to pick
the "ten best" Web support sites. Most of our judges have taken
part in previous years' competitions, but we're always looking for
fresh recruits. If you think you'd like to take part in this awesome
adventure, browse the following FAQ and then contact ASP executive
director Al Hahn (ahahn@asponline.com).
What qualifications do I need to be a judge?
Most importantly, we look for people who feel strongly about good
Web support and have some experience with implementing online support
solutions. We also try to recruit judges with a variety of specific
domain experience—for instance, in usability, knowledgebase
design, traditional telephone support, services marketing, or
performance metrics. We don't need a resume: Just drop us a note
introducing yourself, and we'll get back to you if there are
mysteries we think need to be cleared up.
How much time will the judging take?
We usually give judges three sites to evaluate. You'll have at least
a month to review and score these sites; judges typically spend one
to three hours per site.
What's the schedule for the 2013 competition?
The deadline for entries is Friday, March 1. It takes us about a
week to log in all the entries and allocate them to individual judges,
plus a few more days for uploading the entries on Box.com—so
you should expect to see entry materials some time between March 11
and 15. (We also get a lot of late entries, which may cause delays
to some judges.)
We'd like to get your scores and comments by Wednesday, May 15. We'll
tabulate the results and announce the winners the following week.
If you're planning a vacation, liposuction, or temporary insanity
during this period, you should probably not sign up as a judge.
Can I be a judge if my company has entered the
competition?
No problem. Obviously, we won't ask you to judge your own entry or
entries from competitors, clients, or former employers.
What are the entry materials like?
We now use an all-electronic format for entries.
Instead of hard copies of entry essays, we'll send you a link to a
private FTP site that we're using to host all the competition
entries (in pdf format). You'll download the entries we ask you to
judge, which will include passwords and support site URLs. We've
also imposed a strict 12-page limit on entry essays—a rule
that many judges have requested.
How does the scoring work?
The ASP has developed a scoring system that helps you evaluate 25
different criteria. We've also developed an online scoresheet that
you can use to submit your scores and submit comments.
Every entry gets scored independently by five judges, and we
calculate a composite score to determine overall rankings.
What do judges get in return?
You'll get a complimentary copy of "The Year's Ten Best Web Support
Sites," the book-length report we publish on each year's winners
(regular price $95). You'll also get a nice resume credential, an
impressive-looking certificate, and a modest amount of publicity on
the ASP awards site. And most judges tell us that analyzing and
scoring real Web sites is a nifty experience. (In other words, no
cash.)
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