Best International Support Sites: Entry Information

Dear colleagues,

LISA (www.lisa.org) and ASP (www.asponline.com) would like to invite you to enter the 2008 Best International Web Support Sites program.

Judged by localization professionals, the winning sites will be recognized as leaders in international online support innovation and implementation. While we can’t promise that your site will be a winner, even if you’re a runner-up, you’ll still receive several valuable benefits:

• Site analysis: After the winners are announced, we’ll send you your scorecard results in each of 25 different categories, which can show you how key aspects of your site compare to benchmark averages of other international support sites. The scorecard will also include comments by the judges and suggestions for site improvements.
• Special report: We’ll also send you an electronic copy of The Best International Web Support Sites - 2008 edition, a book that profiles the winners and explores emerging trends in online support (regular price, $795).

The Entry materials section explains the entry process in more detail. You can also find information about it in our FAQ, or e-mail Arle Lommel, the awards program manager, at arlego@lisaaway.org.

Entry in the Best International Web Support Sites Awards is $230 and entries are due September 18, 2008.

Eligibility & Entry Procedures

Entries may be submitted by individuals, companies or outside firms that participated in the site development process. Each entry must be accompanied by an application form, plus a set of screen shots and two essays—one that identifies three key site features and one that describes how the international support site integrates international needs into an overall support strategy. (All entry materials are submitted via a secure website made available to entrants.) The final deadline for all entries is September 18, 2008.

Scoring

The judges will use a scoring system that addresses five general areas:

• Overall usability, design, and navigation
• Knowledgebase and search implementation
• Interactive features
• Personalization and locale-specific adaptation
• Integration of international support into an overall strategy

Publication

The winning sites will be profiled in an annual LISA electronic book that will include screen shots, essays, and related material. All entrants will receive a complimentary copy of this book.

Entry Materials

After payment has been processed, you will be provided information on accessing a site where you can upload and update your entry materials prior to them being sent to the judges. Each entry will consist of the following items:

• Completed entry form
• Up to ten screen shots per language (twenty total) that illustrate key features of your international support site
• A short essay describing three features or aspects of the site that the judges should look at most closely (maximum six pages).
• An essay (maximum ten pages) that describes how your international sites are integrated into an overall support strategy and how the site addresses local needs and localization concerns in a systematic manner. Possible topics include business or technical aspects of the site that tie it into a global support platform. In addition, you should describe any lessons related to localization that you learned in the process of site development that would be relevant to organizations implementing global support. To see what specific criteria your essay will be judged on, please review the Score Criteria document.