The moment you've all been waiting for has arrived.  These are the official judges results for the April BFA!  Congratulations to our first place winner, Jill Bachman for her quality contribution.  Jill, we'll be in contact with you for instructions on how to claim your prize. 

1st Place, Attitude is Everything
Forum Owner: Jill Bachman
Forum Link: http://community.adlandpro.com/forums/9754/ShowForum.aspx

Category	Score*	Judges Comments
Visual	3.5/5	Graphics were used sparingly and with good taste. Anyone interested in positive thinking will visually find an instant connection with this forum. Nothing rally compelling in this Category. It is more about the “mental state” (not a bad thing, but not directly related to this Category).
Originality	3.5/5	The concept of attitude as it pertains to business and life is common as is the number of forums dedicated to raising awareness. There are a lot of Forums about this topic of “Attitude”. I don’t believe this was the first.
Organization	4.5/5	The main forum thread follows a single theme consistently. Only a couple of threads are blatant ads. Content Matches forum title. Her responses and posts never go off topic. Everything is flush in terms of layout and graphics when necessary.
Owner Int.	4.5/5	Jill gets involved often in the threads she creates. Also answers “newbie” questions. Her responsive and joyous posting to her posters stirs up quite an excitement! Everyone wants to join in.
Professionalism	5/5	Jill’s tone and mannerism is nothing short of professional. Her greetings are courteous, polite and pro at all times. She stays very keen to what will draw in more of the posters that appreciate her.
Total	21/25

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2nd Place, Whammy!
Forum Owner: Kathleen VanBeekom
Forum Link: http://community.adlandpro.com/forums/18729/ShowForum.aspx

Category	Score*	Judges Comments
Visual	2.5/5	Large signature file distracting to topic, Thread subjects contain just enough information to be enticing. Used only text for the majority of her Threads; no graphics, really. No visual “punch” for this Category.
Originality	4.5/5	Very unique idea for a thread and thread subjects. Members have made Topics such as this before, but I think that her Forum idea for threads about simply one ARTIST (and providing links to listen to that artist’s works) in particular is refreshing!
Organization	4.5/5	I was initially confused by the term Whammy. The term WHAMMY as it was used in the thread titles is unclear and undefined. Branding perhaps? Either way it made me curious enough to click. Good job. Everything flows; the thread(s) stay on topic, once you realize what that is (very unique Forum name)! Her replies are relevant and interesting.
Owner Int.	4.5/5	Kathleen’s replies always upbeat and cheerful. She replies to darn near everyone who posts! This is excellent and compels all people to respond often.
Professionalism	4.5/5	Kathleen shows her visitors a good time when the come in to her forums. Acknowledges many posts with appropriate personalized thank you’s. Responds to everyone equally, in terms of content and consistency.
Total	20.5/25

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3rd Place, Focus on Facts
Forum Owner: Dave Cottrell
Forum  Link: http://community.adlandpro.com/forums/8307/ShowForum.aspx

Category	Score*	Judges Comments
Visual	3.5/5	There was no formatting to the individual threads. Could use a bit more headlining, sub headlining for readability. Posts are pretty clear to read overall. I don’t note any graphics, but the layout is extremely organized. Easy on the eyes, but not intriguing in terms of visual “punch”.
Originality	3/5	I had a difficult time determining exactly in what direction the forum owner was heading. I knew that on a broad scale he was exposing “facts” but there was no theme for what he was exposing facts on. Scams? Politics? Health? Shotgun approach. This general topic has been done quite a bit, and there is no differentiation as to why it is different from the other factual Forums. With the (Forum) title, I am not sure what I am getting myself into.
Organization	4.5/5	Posts consistently had the structure of providing a compelling article to encourage discussion on it. Easy to follow. He never veers off-topic, which is excellent for his readers as it would make it difficult to mis-comprehend!
Owner Int.	4/5	Forum owner is fairly present on his forums. His replies attempt to encourage ongoing discussion of the topic at hand. Well done. Sporadic postings, but very interesting and intelligent.
Professionalism	4.5/5	Forum owner replies are professional in nature and are in-depth as well. Clearly he respects the opinions of his visitors. The individual rants are somewhat disconcerting and detracted from the final score in this category. Two words: EXTREMELY PROFESSIONAL. I like this very much!
Total	19.5/25

4th Place and Up

Feature of the Week
Forum Owner: John Sanchez
Forum Link: http://community.adlandpro.com/forums/5236/ShowForum.aspx

Category	Score*	Judges Comments
Visual	3.5/5	I like the use of colored text. Something missing in many forums. Overdone in some places but overall nice. The tildes ~ and other decorations I’m not a fan of. The photo of the Member who has won is really the only visual that a viewer gets, but I suppose in this sense it is really the only necessary graphic for this Forum.
Originality	5/5	I know full well that the POTW was the first of its kind on Adlandpro. All other award type forums came afterwards. High marks for originality. I have been informed that this is the First of It’s Kind, and that in itself is awesome!
Organization	4.5/5	John sticks to the topic at hand which is promoting the Person of the Week program. You ALWAYS know that the flow of this Forum is consistent and on-topic.
Owner Int.	2.5/5	As high-profile a topic as the POTW is, John lacks a bit in presence. Needs some work here. Next to no response from him to his posters, no matter how loyally they respond weekly and check out what he has to say.
Professionalism	3.5/5	John’s little quips and sharp one-liners are refreshing. Some posts could use a touch less familiarity.
Total	19/25

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The Power of Positive Thinking
Forum Owner: Marilyn Martin
Forum Link: http://community.adlandpro.com/forums/5337/ShowForum.aspx

Category	Score*	Judges Comments
Visual	3.5/5	Light use of Graphics (GOOD), some posts have obnoxiously large fonts and colors ie: 36 point Verdana in Bold Red. Scanning the topics list upon opening the forum, topics are scattered and varied. I like the usage of different fonts and colours! Only uses graphics when necessary and that is a big bonus.
Originality	2.5/5	Topics on Positive thinking or the general area of improving one’s mental disposition or state are common in business. Perhaps a more creative spin or detailed discussion about an area of positive thinking such as Mind Mapping or NLP might have given this higher marks. This type of Forum has been done quite a bit around Adlandpro; only when you click on the thread(s) do you note any differentiation from what’s been seen. Would make it difficult to attract new faces?
Organization	3.5/5	Large percentage of forum thread titles done in all CAPITALS. Topics unrelated to Positive Thinking such as posts on Political Bills passing, a post about Earth Day etc. are mixed into the topic list. A lot of threads have the exact same name, making it difficult for someone who has not seen this Forum before to decipher what is what. No consistency with relation.
Owner Int.	4/5	Marilyn responds quickly and frequently on her forums. High marks for promptness and positiveness of her replies. Responds to the vast majority of everyone equally, in terms of content and consistency. No favouritism here!
Professionalism	4/5	Marylin’s tone is very casual and down to earth. While I found no examples of a more professional business tone, it’s always nice to see someone who is positive and upbeat. She brings up topics that are interesting, provoking, exciting and relevant. High marks here.
Total	17.5/25

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Pauline Raina's Forums
Forum Owner: Pauline Raina
Forum Link: http://community.adlandpro.com/forums/thread/579752.aspx

Category	Score*	Judges Comments
Visual	2.5/5	ALL CAPS used in forum discussion list. Very hard to read. In some discussions there was overuse of smileys. Distracting. Should maintain a consistent font type, size, and color for her own posts. The only visual impact that I note here is the use of colourful and various text formats; really no graphics to interpret for this Category.
Originality	4.5/5	Overall the entire forum is pretty standard but one particular thread sticks out and that’s the Goodwill N Thank You thread. A well-organized and positive thread. The Forums about welcoming new Members, and religious referencing, has been done quite a bit throughout Adlandpro.
Organization	2.5/5	The forum doesn’t appear to have a clear topic or direction. Topics tend to be random. “Meet my friend, Helloooooo, We Salute You..” etc. Forum title could use a more clear reason to visit the forum. There is no consistency in terms of topic(s). The title of the Forum itself gives no indication in terms of what to expect (first and last name of creator) and the threads themselves do that as well.
Owner Int.	4/5	Owner is adequately visible on her forums. Participates regularly in each one engaging and replying to participants. Very sporadic postings in terms of both numbers of, and addressing to.
Professionalism	3.5/5	Polite and casual in conversation. I had a tough time with font-styles, colors, and sizes varying from post to post. Difficult to identify owner posts/replies by just scanning the posts and text. She stays very pleasant and conversational within all of her posts.
Total	17/25

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Birthdays, Celebrations, Names
Voted Most Popular Forum!
Forum Owner: Georgios Paraskevopoulos
Forum Link: http://community.adlandpro.com/forums/12526/ShowForum.aspx

Category	Score*	Judges Comments
Visual	2.5/5	Lots of graphics but not quite related to the topic at hand, headlines are quite vague and not compelling enough. Initially appealing, however the over-usage of graphics makes it very difficult to follow in terms of relation to Forum topics.
Originality	5/5	Very unique content and thread subjects. This Forum (about names, birthdays, etc.) is the first I personally have ever seen at Adlandpro. Props to him for originality!
Organization	2.5/5	Threads seemed to wave in and out of different ideas. A bit confusing to follow. The over-usage of pictures was mentioned however threads can veer way off tangent sometimes also making it difficult to follow, also.
Owner Int.	3.5/5	Georgios’ presence is in all of his forums. Although he posts back frequently, it is very sporadic (not to everyone) and when he does he will post to the same person 3 or 4 times in a single Forum regardless.
Professionalism	2.5/5	Some replies bordered too much on the personal side and had the potential to turn off visitors. Needs a little work in this area. Appears to show favoritism to female Members, which may be a bit of deterrence for his male posters. Relates to the above mentioned topic.
Total	16/25

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The New Welcome Wagon
Forum Owner: Marilyn Martin
Forum Link: http://community.adlandpro.com/forums/12043/ShowForum.aspx

Category	Score*	Judges Comments
Visual	3/5	I had a tough time reading the highlighted material. Topics list was uniformed and easy to scan. A lot of highlighted material, makes it difficult on the eyes. A lot of graphics were overused (the same graphic in numerous threads); takes away from the visual impact.
Originality	2.5/5	There are several other welcome type forums out on the community. A more unique benefit for joining/posting in this forum would have pushed this above the average mark. This topic has been done repeatedly; the original Welcome Wagon was not done by this Member either, I believe, so there should be some indication of WHY this is the “new” welcome wagon, for those who may not know exactly why.
Organization	4.5/5	Topics list was uniformed and easy to read. The first post in each forum is consistent and clear. It is easy to decipher what is going on in this Forum; very consistent and clear. Good job.
Owner Int.	2/5	While this forum has many threads, I went through 4 with only the first post in each one by the forum owner herself.  Owner should be more present.  I do not see the owner of this Forum anywhere within the postings, really; very few and far between. Not a good thing when you are welcoming someone to Adlandpro.
Professionalism	3.5/5	Couldn’t make an accurate judgment here due to the small number of replies.  What I could see was fair.  There is no way I could state that this Member is not concise and respectful to her “newbies”!
Total	15.5/25

Ready to get in on the action?  Want to get your forum noticed?  If you'd like to put your forum up against the best of the best, nominate your forum here.  You can also nominate other forum owners' forums. 

Good luck in the May round of the Best Forum Awards! 

*Scores posted are an averaging of the judges scores and are displayed out of a possible total score of 25. 

CONGRATULATIONS

1) JILL BACHMAN, Attitude Is Everything at 14%
2) KATHLEEN VANBEEKOM, Whammy! at 15.7%
3) DAVE COTTRELL, Focus on Facts at 4.7%
4) JOHN SANCHEZ, (Person of the week) at 5.2%
5) MARILYN MARTIN, The Power of Positive Thinking! at 4.7%
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I thought there would be five (5) winners to go to the final
Thank you for the rating.  I completelly understand

1) Birthdays, Celebrations, Names at 23.3%
2) Whammy! at 15.7%
3) Attitude Is Everything at 14%
4) Pauline Raina's Forums at 5.2%
4) Feature Of The Week! (Person of the week) at 5.2%
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6) The Power of Positive Thinking! at 4.7%
6) Focus on Facts at 4.7%
6)The NEW Welcome Wagon at 4.7%

I did not know that the committee couldn't count to 5.

I wonder why my forum is not amongst the 5 best forums. It seems that 1/4 of the votes on its first version directly from the members with all forums and hardest competense is not enough to be among the 5 best. Don't count me in another competition.

Why I say that!!! The committee rated this forum with 16
That can not be changed.

SORRY BUT I REALLY AM
DISAPPOINTED

Georgios

FRIENDS,

COME IN AND CONGRASTULATE JILL FOR BEST FORUM IN ADLANDPRO

Don't worry about me. Bogdan said in a quote in his forum

"You can't win unless you learn how to lose."
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, basketball player

I am disppointed and but I know to lose.

Georgios

Hi Michael,

Thanks for the results, I agree with most of your comments on the forums.

Congratulations Jill

Your professionalism has shone through.

Best Wishes

John.

Hi John:

Thanks for agreeing with me.  LOL, but the thing is, the judging is performed by SEVERAL anonymous judges different each month and not just one.  This will allow the judging to remain as fair as possible and get the most variable opinions as possible for each judging phase.

Have a great day John!

Michael