The Dos Leos Evaluators are experienced, honest, fair and ethical.  We are also very thorough.  So take the time to review your site and cross-check with our criteria and tips before applying.  Dos Leos may employ the services of other Evaluators, from time-to-time.  They are selected using past experience and impeccable ethics as qualifiers.  Occasionally, we will use evaluators who are not award site owners, but are experts in law, HTML, JavaScripting, etc.

Princess Leo, my lovely wife, is the assistant Evaluator and is responsible for judging content, where poetry is concerned.  A published poet in her own right, she is a qualified judge of poetry.  An avid surfer, Princess Leo knows her way around the Internet.

Marc Reposa, of KoolKat Site Awards and WECP comes to Dos Leos with a wealth of knowledge and experience.   I have known Marc for some time now and he has proven himself honest, ethical and caring.  He is a skilled webmaster as well as a technical consultant.

Some of Marc's qualifications and experience include:

- Owning and running a successful AP for 3 years.
- Obtaining ratings and improving for continual upgrades.
- Membership into Ethics organizations and hold these Ethics in very high regard.
- Continuing evaluation skills through memberships of various AP's. (including highly rated programs.)
- A former seat as a board member for a major rating indice.
- Former Official "Head Master" of the CCA school.
- Seat below the Director of Memberships at APEX.
- Certification through similar programs who have established member bases.
- Efforts to obtain memberships into other organizations to improve the quality of my credentials.
- 3 complete years of research on "Copyrights and the Internet."
- Co-Manager of CEM/CEMA.

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There are some great Award Programs out there and some wonderful people too.  I have met a few.  And you know what?  They love giving Awards as much as I do!  I think our purpose is not only to fill a need, but to provide quality feedback and guidance to Webmasters the world over.  It is important to understand that the Awards community is not trying to change your website to what we think it should be, but only to provide the basics of web design and promote Internet honesty, on which you can apply your talents and artistry to create a website that is as unique as you are.  Many of us are not learned webmasters.  Many, like myself are self taught and we are constantly learning and applying new ideas and techniques.  There are some though, that are true masters, in their own right and well respected.  Well, enough of that.  Let's get on with the "Evaluation Process."

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How We Evaluate

The evaluation process can range from simple to complex.  It all depends on the site and it's content, but it usually is something like this:  After we have determined compliance with the basic pass/fail criteria an email is sent out to the applicant, advising of the approximate date of the beginning evaluation.  Then, a three-step process occurs. 

1. When the turn comes to the applicant's site we start by viewing the site from beginning to end, to make an assessment of look and feel, content is also noted.  We look for anything out of place and note anything we come across for later scrutiny.

2.  On the second visit we will look closely at source code, META tags, ratings and all aspects of graphics and page layout, colors and contrast, navigation and a few other elements.  We will check spelling, light grammar, all of your links, both internal and external. 

3.  On the third visit we will arrive with another browser, if required, and look at compatibility.  Flash, music and sounds are looked at and scored.  Any elements left not covered by the first two evaluations will be covered - if needed, a fourth evaluation visit will be required for large or complex webs. 

That's pretty much all there is to it.  We then add up the point deductions to determine if the site qualifies for an award and at which level.  The average evaluation takes from 3-7 hours and large sites take even more.  A personal email is then written and sent out to the applicant, advising him or her of the outcome.  A critique may be enclosed if it was asked for, along with the laudatio and Award Graphic (if the site retained enough points). 

So, let's get that site polished up!  We're waiting for you.