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Affiliations VBS Contact Legal Mission Drum craft Harp Craft History Music Home Site Map Author Youth Starting your own award program
Come and join us....become part of the Award Community. We have set up a special e-mail address for you in this project. If you need help contact us. We also will design and supply you Free buttons, award graphics, and banners. Many of our top peer's in the Award Community will reach out and help you as you start up. Design A good foundation to build uponSo you want to start a award program? I started a entire ministry as a hobby which has now turned into a worldwide ministry. Expect the unexpected is what I always say. As most of us started as a beginner or as a hobby don't get discouraged. The greatest commodaty that you will need is TIME. A award program takes much time. So if time is very limited for you, perhaps you should reconsider before you begin. It takes commintment just as any other purpose in life we take. So first you will need to do your layout which we talk about below. Most hosting programs allow you to use simple templates they have available, which you can use as a starting point and then develope your own as you become more skilled in html and java. Just like all good web sites one should have a plan. Don't jump into the award giving feet first without preparation. The same thing your Criteria is based around like DESIGN and NAVIGATION you will look at in sites must comply with your own site. If your own Criteria you can not meet then how can you expect others to meet your Criteria. Lets first start with a 'theme' a purpose, a mission. Have you given some thought to a theme for example our program is "The Dove Award" and the theme is based upon a journey. You can simply center around your purpose or mission but make sure you write out just exactly what you whant to achieve? There are many great articles found within the pages of our award Community. So you like stars Ok... Below is a example.
There are many fine programs to help you along your journey in building a program. Great articles for reference and many programs will also work with you in setting up your program. The Award Community works together for the common good of all in the community. The one who comes seeking a award is called a applicant - The person who submits an award application or nominates a Web site. This may be the webmaster, designer, or owner.
Navigation -Just as your own site must be easy to use so must a good award program be easy to go through and navigate. Easy instructions to follow with explainations leading to the final page of the application. You should also have a site map of your award program or contained within your general site map. We recommend a separate site map for just your award program.
Award Graphics/Nomination badge [Sample above] award - A graphical badge,certificate, or physical trophy presented by an award program to a Web site or an individual. Decide how many awards you are going to award. Perhaps just one, or maybe several like gold, silver and bronze. You may wish to offer a special award for a certain theme or a monthly or yearly award. Most award programs want you to keep your award graphic no greater than 200 x 200px in dimension. Make the design simple, and clear with a relationship to your purpose. Also optomise [ make you graphics smaller in size to load faster. You may also create a 'nomination' badge that can be placed upon a site while the site is in review for your award. Criteria/Mandatory/Diqualification
Criteria - The requirements that must be met by a Web site created by the Award program in order to earn awards. Often shown as points. It is very important to read the criteria at every program, because most programs strive to create unique criteria that is often difficult to meet. If you have a question contact the award program. Mandatory criteria - The minimum criteria that a Web site must meet in order to be eligible for a review by an award program. Disqualifying criteria - The criteria that will disqualify a Web site automatically and make it ineligible for the award. Something that causes an evaluator to discontinue a review. Most websites have a waiting period to reapply for their award We all must live by guidelines and Criteria in any award program is very important. Most Criteria on the internet award community is basiclly the same. Some have more, some have less, but you must decide what you want to see and don't want to see. Be creative but follow the basic guidelines of other programs. There can be Mandatory, Disqualification. The Criteria should be well explained for some award seekers are not knowledgable about certian Award terms. You should also make sure that your program falls within the same Criteria that you are requiring from applicants. For example if you state only 2 animations per page, and you use 4 that is wrong. Scoring
Process/Contact
Evaluators/team/panel/Single
We are all different............People have different views on purpose and subject matter as we are all created different and have different tastes to say. You must decide if you be evaluating on your own or will you create a team? Creating a team of evaluators helps to give a more balanced opinion of a website, as everyone has their own personal tastes and opinions. Of course there is nothing wrong in evaluating by yourself many programs do, but you may find your program becoming popular and have many evaluations to do, having a team can cut the time. We have selected a unique approach by using ordianary surfer's. Those who visit sites day in and day out. Like in all things people look for qualifications of judges. So It is also important for you to list any experience that you may have relating to web design including qualifications. |
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After you decide on a theme there are many other things to consider.You must also consider if you want your program to be "Rated" or Certified. rating - A classification assigned to an award program or particular award(s).Such as awardsites AS. Can be deemed at levels from 2.0 UP These are high standards that are offered by many online programs. It is also a good web practice to belong to one or more ethics organizations - A group of award givers, and sometimes award seekers, who promote ethical, positive and professional practices by its members.This site belongs to APEX, Ethics Pledge which are this type of organization. This program also has established a rating program called W.O.R.D. A good web site should be family friendly and associated with programs like ICRA, SafeSurf, Family Friendly, WatchDog, Trustworthy.
Purpose/Mission 
You should set up your point values for each level of your program if you offer multiple awards such as Gold, Silver, Bronze. The scoring should be fair and equal to all those who apply for your award. The scoring should be based around your Criteria for Design, Navigation, purpose and such. You must decide upon a point value for each award according to your set Criteria.
