The SYS-CON Media Annual Readers' Choice Awards program is a carefully orchestrated user-centric process in which SYS-CON Readers are able each year to nominate and/or vote for the products, services, and applications that they feel are most deserving in the numerous key categories that our team of experts choose each year. Here in the form of an FAQ are the answers to some questions we commonly receive on the Readers' Choice awards.

For the Virtualization Journal Readers' Choice Awards our readers will be casting their votes until November 8, 2008, giving three full months for voting to take place. The polls opened on August 1, 2008.


WHEN DID THE SYS-CON MEDIA READERS' CHOICE AWARDS BEGIN?

SYS-CON's Readers' Choice Awards program is the longest-running reader-driven awards program anywhere on the Web, having started in 1997. with the JDJ's Readers' Choice Awards program - the first openly monitored technology media awards program of its kind. As happens with every innovation, since then a number of other media organizations and magazines have imitated our program...but then imitation is the highest form of flattery!


HOW DO I VOTE?

Voting in the acclaimed SYS-CON's Readers' Choice Awards is simple and pleasurable, due to SYS-CON Media's unique and patented voting procedure. Just click on the "Click Here to Vote Now!" banner, enter your email address, and then proceed to vote accordingly. You will receive a confirmation e-mail once you have completed your voting in all categories. The confirmation e-mail gives you an exact record of who you voted for. That's it!

HOW ARE WINNERS DETERMINED?

The polls remain open for three months. At the end of the voting period, the votes are carefully audited, any non-compliant voting such as multiple or automated or anonymous voting is eliminated from the reckoning, and the top three in each category the day the polls close are declared Winner and Runners-Up accordingly. SYS-CON Media's unique and patented voting procedure ensures that votes are 100% openly tabulated in real time and voting is also audited for accuracy by an independent audit firm.


ARE MULTIPLE VOTES BY THE SAME READER AUDITED AND REMOVED?

Yes. Individual readers cannot vote more than once in the same Readers' Choice Awards. Careful checks and balances are in place, and any non-compliant multiple votes will be found at audit and eliminated from the final reckoning.


HOW ARE THE READERS' CHOICE AWARDS ANNOUNCED?

Winners and finalists will be announced at the 14th International SOA World Conference & Expo 2008 West and the 4th International Virtualization Conference & Expo 2008 West, November 19-21, in San Jose, CA. Each SYS-CON magazine will also announce the winners and finalists in its end-of-year issue, and the full results will be posted on the main page of the magazine in question. Historically the results are usually viewed by between 100,000-250,000 readers for each and every magazine.


WHAT DOES A WINNING COMPANY RECEIVE?

Winning companies automatically receive a certificate and has the opportunity to purchase the Readers' Choice Awards Winner logo and/or a plaque. Please contact Corinna Melcon, for more details: Corinna Melcon / Corinna@sys-con.com / Ph. 201 802 3026