New Jersey Monthly Readers' Choice Restaurant Poll

[Rosie]

Now you can vote online for your favorite New Jersey restaurants on the New Jersey Monthly annual Readers' Choice Restaurant Poll. Just go to

http://www.njmonthly.com/issues/Feb04/restpoll.html

and take part in this survey. The entry deadline is March 12, 2004 and the results will be posted in the August New Jersey Monthly magazine and online. You can name restaurants that are anywhere in New Jersey. Three regions are being represented:

North: Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, Union, and Warren counties

Central: Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, and Somerset counties

South: Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean, and Salem counties

The Readers' Choice Restaurant Poll is your chance to decide which are the best dining spots in the Garden State. By submitting a ballot you also become eligible for a prize to be awarded by random drawing: dinner for two at the restaurant named Best of the Best in your region. And your choices will help New Jersey Monthly identify New Jersey's favorite restaurants in the August issue.

The annual Readers' Choice Awards is one of New Jersey Monthly's most popular and successful features. So be part of it.

All responses are confidential. Your name, street address, e-mail address, and phone number are required for your ballot to be counted, and this information will be used to notify you if you win the drawing. New Jersey Monthly does not hold onto the names for other use, they strictly help with fraud control. Restaurants assisting in the submission of poll ballots and restaurants distributing ballots or magazines containing them will be disqualified. New Jersey Monthly reserves the right to reject ballots that appear to have been submitted improperly.

Every vote in the Readers' Choice Restaurant Poll counts. An outside auditing firm is used to ensure that all votes are counted and treated fairly. The auditing team also inspects the ballots for signs of ballot stuffing and other fraud. So please vote!

[Rosie]

Just a reminder to vote and wanted to keep this on page 1.

[Lreda]

Just wanted to keep this one up. Means a lot business-wise in August for a lot of restaurants when it comes out. If I can't get in Zagat's at least this give me a little boost in late summer. Strange thing though, I've always noticed the debate over NJ Monthly's poll but whether we got voted based on advertising and I don't believe that's the case since I run a ad only two to four times a year or on merit I think it's just the way the people vote. I've won Best New American in North Jersey for 4 years straight but neither Valerie or Anthony has reviewed The Grill.

[Rosie]

Many of the winners are not advertisers.

It's important to vote. Deadline is March 12.

[tommy]

i get an error when i click submit:

"Sorry, this CGI is only available to sites hosted with EarthLink, Inc.

Please visit: http://www.earthlink.net/biz/hosting/ to explore EarthLink Web Hosting and E-Commerce solutions. "

lovely.

[Rosie]

Tommy--try updating your web browser software. I let NJM know about your problem. Rosie

[Kim WB]

Also a friendly reminder that you need to submitt alll the personal info in order for you vote to count, and then you need to contact them again to get your name off the list they share.

[tommy]

Also a friendly reminder that you need to submitt alll the personal info in order for you vote to count, and then you need to contact them again to get your name off the list they share.

for real? i just put in fake info except for the email address. i assume that works. i mean, they're not going to *call* me to verify, are they?

[Kim WB]

Geez, I am such a nerd sometimes. Like a good girl, I followed the rules, didn't even THINK of putting in false info...I am a dork.

[Lreda]

Also a friendly reminder that you need to submitt alll the personal info in order for you vote to count, and then you need to contact them again to get your name off the list they share.

for real? i just put in fake info except for the email address. i assume that works. i mean, they're not going to *call* me to verify, are they?

Yeah, but what happens if you win the grand prize........dinner for two at North Jersey's best restaurant..............Highlawn Pavillion!!!

[tommy]

Yeah, but what happens if you win the grand prize........dinner for two at North Jersey's best restaurant..............Highlawn Pavillion!!!

mmmmm. goooood.

i'm not sure, but i think with anything like this, you're not required to fill out all of that junk. you can just request to be entered into the thing. but i don't care enough to bother doing that.

[Rosie]

New Jersey Monthly does not create a mailing list from the information submitted for the Readers' Choice Restaurant Poll. There is no list, not to share, not to sell, no list at all. No one needs to contact NJM to take their name off a list because there isn't one. NJM asks readers to include their info so they can prove that actual people voted, that is it. Please don't submit false information because if it it is discovered your ballot doesn't count.

[tommy]

from their privacy statement

We use some of the information you provide when entering the sweepstakes to help us improve our content. New Jersey Monthly® does share names, postal addresses and demographic information with other pre-screened organizations who have specific direct mail product and service offers we think may be of interest to you. If you do not wish to receive this valuable information, please e-mail promo@njmonthly.com with the words OPT OUT in the subject line.

i'm not convinced the information given for this poll is completely confidential and not shared.

[Kim WB]

New Jersey Monthly does not create a mailing list from the information submitted for the Readers' Choice Restaurant Poll. There is no list, not to share, not to sell, no list at all. No one needs to contact NJM to take their name off a list because there isn't one. NJM asks readers to include their info so they can prove that actual people voted, that is it. Please don't submit false information because if it it is discovered your ballot doesn't count.

I'm sorry Rosie, but this is not correct. I have been having a problem with some direct mail to one of my kids lately, and I have been making an effort to remove myself from whatever lists I might be on, and read the policy of other places before I give info.

NJ Moanthly tells you in their privacy statement that they will share your name.

I gave my correct info, and then sent an email as specified to get off their list. I assume that will solve it, but it misrepresents things to say that they don't share the info that you provide.

[bethb]

Okay, everyone, here it is from the horse's mouth... New Jersey Monthly does NOT use these names for any other purpose other than to help protect against fraud. We don't have the time or the staffing to put the names into any kind of format for use to people, nor do we care to.

Basically, we look at the ballots for patterns of fraud... such as the same handwriting on paper ballots, or the same IP address for electronic ballots, or the same restaurant in every category (yes, it happens). The ballots then go the the accounting firm, where the votes are tallied. (Don't know which firm it will be this year.) The ballots then get sent back, where we box them up and hold onto them for a year or so in case of any problems.

People are either giving us too much credit or too little, but we don't lie.

As for the privacy policy, it is general and applies to the site as a whole. Perhaps next year we'll post a note with the ballot saying that we are not collecting this information to use or to sell.

Beth Bressman

Promotions Director, New Jersey Monthly

[tommy]

Perhaps next year we'll post a note with the ballot saying that we are not collecting this information to use or to sell.

beth, that would probably be your best course of action. i'm guessing there are quite a few internet/security/privacy savvy people out there who simply do not participate in the poll because of the concerns voiced here. people like us have no time or desire to second guess posted privacy policies. i don't think it has anything to do with giving too much or too little credit to the publication.

Edited February 24, 2004 by tommy (log)

[Kim WB]

People are either giving us too much credit or too little, but we don't lie.

As for the privacy policy, it is general and applies to the site as a whole. Perhaps next year we'll post a note with the ballot saying that we are not collecting this information to use or to sell.

Beth, sorry to question you, but there is certainly two presentations of how the sweepstakes is handled, and that means one is wrong. I'm not suggesting its lying, simply that if a magazine takes two differnt positions, one of the positions IS the truth, and one is NOT.

The website says you need to register for the sweepstakes in order to vote. The privacy policy says that the names from the sweepstakes are shared with other organizations. And that if you do NOT want your name shared you need to contact them.

You say that you need to register for the sweepstakes in order to make sure there is not fraud,a nd that the names are NOT shared or data banked in any way.

Neither those statements, nor yours, have any shades of grey.

So while I believe that you are sincere, and am NOT calling you a liar, please understand why there is concern.

[Rosie]

I wanted to remind everyone that the deadline is March 12.

[tommy]

rosie, have they sorted out their online poll issues?

[Rosie]

Do you mean the glitch they recently had? Not sure. Try again and let us know.

If you mean the questions about privacy then this is what Beth Bressman wrote:

" Okay, everyone, here it is from the horse's mouth... New Jersey Monthly does NOT use these names for any other purpose other than to help protect against fraud. We don't have the time or the staffing to put the names into any kind of format for use to people, nor do we care to.

Basically, we look at the ballots for patterns of fraud... such as the same handwriting on paper ballots, or the same IP address for electronic ballots, or the same restaurant in every category (yes, it happens). The ballots then go the the accounting firm, where the votes are tallied. (Don't know which firm it will be this year.) The ballots then get sent back, where we box them up and hold onto them for a year or so in case of any problems.

People are either giving us too much credit or too little, but we don't lie.

As for the privacy policy, it is general and applies to the site as a whole. Perhaps next year we'll post a note with the ballot saying that we are not collecting this information to use or to sell."

Beth Bressman

Promotions Director, New Jersey Monthly

[tommy]

Do you mean the glitch they recently had? Not sure. Try again and let us know.

no, they didn't. and that was the last time i'm going through the motions.

[Rosie]

OK--I'll let them know that there is a problem.

[Rosie]

Last day to vote is March 12.