Power Surge

Many eye-opening stories emerged in 2004 but the rise of "Bloggers"-- every day people who post Web logs on the Internet for all to see -- is clearly one of the most interesting. Because of the persistent questions raised by Bloggers surrounding a fabricated story that aired on CBS about the President's military service, CBS was forced to send Dan Rather to the unemployment line. These types of embarrassing slip-ups have many industry watchers seriously questioning the relevance and future existence of traditional media outlets. While I doubt the New York Times will disappear any time soon, the power that Bloggers possess, which includes everyone with a computer and Internet access, is undeniably awesome.

In the scope of information technology, a Blogging environment can also be a great tool to help users sort fact from fiction. The annual Reader's Choice issue, for instance, which you now hold in your hands, was compiled strictly by your input through a simple e-mail voting process that excludes vendor participation. Top tech players in categories like Supply Chain Execution, Customer Relationship Management and Radio Frequency Identification are all on parade here and the results speak for themselves. An e-mail ballot might be a different forum than an everyday Web log, but the notion that our readers can vote in a simple and unbiased method carries similar "of-the-moment" attributes of Blogging.

As always, we hope you find the Reader's Choice rankings (pages 12 to 32) useful, in addition to our "Companies on the Move" section (pages 34 to 36). After reviewing this issue, please feel free to let me know your thoughts at [email protected]. Remember, CGT is your magazine. The power is in your hands to make this franchise the best it can be in 2005 and beyond.