On the Bookshelf at O.N.Z.C.D.A™

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It is here, right at the start, that I cannot continue without paying my dues to the many persons who assisted and guided me through the building and ultimate debut of my award program. They are the people who set the standards for me to follow; the ones who set me straight when I was going wrong; my support always in the background never seeking any rewards for themselves - always giving of their very best and receiving nothing other than my desire and will to learn from them. They all now who they are - I thank and salute them all.

Building an award program can either be a mentally stressful process or an extremely enjoyable and rewarding experience. It is over to you which you choose.

Surf around - read through as many award programs as you are able - soak up all the information you will need to enable you to build your own program. Do not 'remove' information from their web sites; their content will be, in the main, copyrighted material. If you wish to seek help from any owner, e-mail them - you can always find this contact information within their web sites - tell them what you would like to do. There are many program owners out there who will help you.

Make certain that the design of your program 'fits in' with your main web site if both sections are integrated. This will provide a 'comfort zone' for viewers.

Will your award program be an integral part of a 'main subject' web site or stand on it's own? Having a 'stand alone' award program has value in that applicants can bypass your 'main subject' web site if they wish or, if the occasion arises, you can delete the 'main subject' web site leaving the award program functional. Having both the 'stand alone' and the 'main subject' web sites linked to each other will give you the best of both worlds.

Do you want a 'family safe' program? If this is the case it must be made clear to your viewers what you will not assess. There is no use in wasting applicants time and yours sorting out applications from persons who web sites will not qualify due to unsafe content. If you don't wish to entertain warez, xxx rated, hate sites etc. say so. It is far better to be 'up front' with your requirements than to be obscure leaving your applicants confused.

Have you decided upon the form and style of your award images? If so, what and why?

Thematic schemes within web sites provide comfort and psychological feelings of safety and security to visitors and many rating services for award programs like to see a theme carried through into the award images offered. Larger images that chew up loading time are a big 'no no' - a good balance would be an image weighted 5 to 6k and approximately 125 - 150 pixels width x 125 - 150 pixels height. Sizes are, of course, a matter of personal choice.

Your potential applicants are inside your program for a reason - to get at the content so don't hide it. Navigation is one of the most important processes within your program. Keep them flowing to where you want them to go; this will assist them to be guided to what you want them to read.

Not a necessary item but a good one. Once your applicants have been accepted they can then check back from time to time to a certain page to view the on-going status of their application.

Your work within your new program will decide the overall quality of the awards that you offer. Be prepared for the many hours of hard work it will take to achieve quality. Ask other program owners for their suggestions; be prepared to listen to what they have to say - remember they have been in this business a long time and have answers to many of the pitfalls along the way.

Listing all award achievers provides recognition for the great work they are doing within their web sites. It takes but a few minutes to add a winner into a list.

Send applicants a 'Thank you for your Application' e-mail including in this the URL where they may find their listing displayed. There is much more than I have written here in the creation of an award program but these few items will give you a start on a great new adventure.