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awardprogram articles - ask the experts 15th nov 02

Are status pages helpful and what details should they include?

The answer to the question "are status pages helpful" will often depend on two things

1.The expectations of applicants and award givers.

2.The detail within the status pages.

Status pages are provided by award givers to enable their applicants to follow the evaluation process. To this end, they must contain three basic elements:

• the name of the site or applicant, or some unique code known only to the applicant
• confirmation that the evaluation process has commenced
• confirmation that the evaluation has ended

However, there are additional elements that can be included:

• the date of submission
• the date the evaluation process commenced
• whether this is the 1st, 2nd, 3rd (or more) visit to the site

More personalised status pages can provide further information that is accessible to, or only identifiable by, the specific award applicant. For example: (1)whether the site has gained an award, failed to gain an award, or been disqualified 0r;(2) a detailed analysis of the site

If award applicants are expecting a detailed analysis of their site or an explanation for their failure to attain an award, then they will not find the status page particularly helpful, unless it is personalised. The reality is that personalised status pages are the exception rather than the rule So, how helpful are status pages? If applicants simply want to know whether or not they have gained an award, then status pages are very helpful. Often the alternative is to hear nothing, as many award givers reserve the right to notify winners only. Applicants tend to assume the worst in this situation.

Do status pages help award givers? Often they are created to eliminate the need to write to unsuccessful applicants, and they are very helpful in this respect. But if award givers expect to eliminate all enquiries from unsuccessful applicants, then they will find that a status page is not much help, unless they apply a more personalised approach. And even with personalised status pages, the elimination of all enquiries is never guaranteed.

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