Hi, ( If you have already received this email and have voted, thank you ! ) ( If you have not voted, and wanted to, this is a nice reminder. ) ( If you do not wish to vote, sorry for the noise. ) Please take 10 minutes to help raise open source profile in the government area by voting for the PloneGov project at the european egov awards. See below what PloneGov is and why you could vote to support open source even if you do not use Plone. Anyone from any country can vote, you don't have to live in the EU. And please vote *now*, the deadline is almost upon us **SEPTEMBER 7** — you are likely to forget if you don't set aside 10 minutes now. This process is unfortunately a bit involved — since we're dealing with governments — but shouldn't take longer than 10 minutes to complete. Step-by-step: 1. Go to http://www.epractice.eu/register 2. Wait for the email confirmation and log in. 3. Fill out your profile: http://www.epractice.eu/myprofile/personal http://www.epractice.eu/myprofile/professional http://www.epractice.eu/myprofile/contact (If you don't want to provide professional info, we suggest you add "I just want to vote" in the required fields) 4. Vote for PloneGov by clicking here: http://www.epractice.eu/do/voteinspiring/1026 Thanks! More information below, if you're interested in what PloneGov is. _____________________________________ What is PloneGov? PloneGov aims to create a collaborative software ecosystem where governmental organizations work together, in close relationship with SMEs, to share the cost of software development and enhanced capabilities. This new initiative started by small towns now reaches all levels of public administration and spans over 13 countries on 3 continents. http://www.plonegov.org Your vote for the "Most innovative good practice" award is a unique opportunity to reach politicians and decision makers. Winning this award will highlight the maturity achieved by the Open Source collaborative model as a pragmatic way to tackle IT challenges in society. You may vote until Friday, September 7th. The Public Sector has an important influence on many sectors of society. A wider Open Source acceptance in this field is strategic to all Open Source users and advocates. Users in sectors such as Education, NGOs and businesses would directly benefit from broader adoption. It would result in a growing pool of available software, tools, and developers. Beyond the practical example of PloneGov, your vote contributes to support Open Source values that are based on collaboration, openness and fair trade. It is an opportunity to support Open Source as an innovative model of IT development in which the Public Sector, NGOs and Education can work together and all of society will benefit. -- Godefroid Chapelle (aka __gotcha)- BubbleNet http://bubblenet.be