Building Products and ebuild Present the First Annual Vanguard Best of the Web Awards

Continued from page 6

Category: BEST SECTION FOR PROFESSIONALS

Sites that feature a 'professionals-only' section were favorites among our judges, who like some interactivity for and among building professionals and an easy-to-use keyword search for technical information.

Best in Class

• Bosch Home Appliances' Green Resource Center
As soon as viewers open the Bosch Home Appliances Green Resource Center page, they choose 'consumer' or 'trade' and are directed to relevant information. The pro portal is jammed with handy, interactive information about green building rating systems; Bosch's green product offerings; a dealer locator; and an energy-savings calculator for each appliance.

Bosch-Best Pro

• Southern Pine Council
Southern Pine Council's entire site is valuable to professionals, contended one judge, who liked the site's wealth of specs, instructions, drawings, and details for all types of lumber applications.

Southern Pine Council-Best Pro

Honorable Mention

• Crown Heritage
• Fiberweb
• Hilti
• Integrity Windows and Doors
• Jeld-Wen
• Simpson Strong-Tie
• Thermador

Category: BEST USE OF MULTIMEDIA

Our judges found little in the way of cutting-edge multimedia, like podcasts and videocasts, on the Web sites of Vanguard applicants. They favored sites that use multimedia to add meaning rather than just 'something cool,' and were annoyed by sites that promise whiz-bang presentations that won't open.

Best in Class

• Integrity Windows and Doors
Integrity Windows and Doors' Web site delighted one of our judges with a trio of hilarious 'test' videos that showed how the manufacturer's products perform under conditions like extreme heat or bright sun.

Integrity Windows and Doors Test Videos

• Thermador
Likewise, Thermador's clever video for induction cooktops pairs a clip of a chef demonstrating how they work with animation that shows the cooktop's internal parts. 'Video and graphics are great,' one judge said.

Thermador Induction Cooktop