Voting for the 2000 Due Credit Awards is now officially open on 20 of 29
categories. The categories not responding are having the coding finished,
and will be up by tomorrow. The categories of "Best Author" and "Best New
Author" are up, but not completely updated with every author’s response link.
This does not mean you can’t vote for any author on the ballot. (Also, does
ANYONE know a way to write HTML automatically? I’ve individually typed every
letter of code on every single page, and I don’t think I could do it again
next year!)

I have received several queries as to why the voting system is set up with
variable points. The answer is that it offers the most flexibility to you,
the reader and voter. There were four basic voting systems I looked at, all
of which had been used with varying success on other internet awards
programs.

1: Single flat votes. One vote per voter in each category. All votes have
equal weight. This requires the voter to choose a single story in each
category, and to throw the entire weight of their vote behind it.

2: Multiple flat votes. The voter can choose as many stories as they want to
vote for in each category, but each vote counts equally.

3: Multiple ranked votes. The voter can choose a certain number of stories
to vote for in each category, but must place them in order (1st, 2nd, 3rd).
Points are awarded according to how the story is ranked.

4: Multiple varied votes. The voter can vote for as few or as many stories
as they would like, and can choose the strength of each vote.

I chose the last system for the Due Credits. If a voter likes two stories
equally, he or she may throw equal weight behind the votes. If a voter likes
one story a little more than a second, but still wants to give the second a
vote, they may vote for one more than another. If a story makes a strong
impression, the voter may give a strong vote. If the story makes an
acceptable impression, the voter may make a minimal vote.

No system is perfect, but I feel that this offers the most freedom to the
voter. For a full explanation of the Due Credit 2000 voting process, please
visit the website.

Please forward this to all applicable lists and newsgroups.

Strwriter

Keeper of Benny's "Looney Tunes" behavior from "North", the deck of Canadian
flag playing cards from "Odds," and Benny's adorable little ear-rubbing habit.

Organizer of the Due Credit Awards
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Dunes/7676/duecredit.html

"The uniform, the motion, the legs...driving like pistons...pumping like
steel...something red going fast always catches the eye."
(Inspector Margaret Thatcher, "Seeing Is Believing.")

"He makes the backs of my knees sweat."
(Sophie Ware, "Getting Married In Buffalo Jump.")