Thursday, April 22, 2010

Changing Giveaway Format? What Are You Thoughts?

I love hosting giveaways but it is something I do for my readers so...here is my question to you:

What are your feelings about extra entries? Should there be extra entries?

As a mom who decided to start a blog, I look toward my peers to to show me how to run giveaways.  My peers were doing extra entries. I loved that I could get extra entries into giveaways that I was interested in so it seemed like a good idea.

This morning, while on 5 Minutes for Mom I read and participated in there poll.  While there I found this article from She Posts.Com. It was an interesting read and got me wondering how everyone feels.

Personally, I don't believe Giveaways are rigged. How? I would love to know. Many times sponsors offer my readers something and I receive nothing in return except the knowledge that one of my readers was able to enter and win. There are many times I have wanted to enter my own giveaway (especially when a sponsor is offering something great to my readers and don't have one for me.) I could say no to hosting since I am getting nothing of value in return, but love offering to my readers so I do the work required to host (and believe me, it is WORK, there is a lot involved in hosting giveaways) and love being able to send the email to whowever's number comes up from Random.Org.

So, with all of that, what do you guys think? Extra Entries? If I had more time this morning, I would do a poll, maybe I will get to that later today. Got to get the kids out the door now.

Let me know, I am interested in your answers

10 comments:

  1. I do extra entries on my own giveaways and I like entering with extra entries on others giveaways.

    Also, I don't see how it could be rigged either.. I mean, if you are using random.org, then how could it be rigged?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like the way you have it now, but maybe simplifying would be best. I advise extra entries for a follow or spread the word, (eg; blog, twitter or whatever.) It gives you extra chances, but keeps it neat and easy for you to deal with.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous7:04 PM

    I like the extra entries. It gives me a better chance at winning.

    I dont understand how it can be rigged! Is not like you are choosing a name out of your own hat. You are using random.org.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I like extra entries, but I'm a review/giveaway blogger myself, so perhaps that skews my views a bit.

    I know that additional entries, especially blogging, tweeting, emailing, etc, can help out the blog runner a lot because it's effortless promotion.

    Also, it allows people to choose how much effort they want to put into winning. If I really want something, I'll blog about it, but usually not. I think that if a person is willing to go the extra step, because they want it worse, they should be rewarded for that by having a higher chance of winning.

    :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous6:40 AM

    I am new to all this. I have seen some that I thought were rigged (just a gut feeling),but also seen the exact same person winning multiple times. The odds of that are astronimical when you add on random.org. I think it would be easy to rig it, just take a screen shot of the number that you want to come up. It wouldn't be that hard. I am not being critical, I just think it happens.
    As to the extra entries, if you want to put the extra time into why not?

    ReplyDelete
  6. I like extra entries as long as they aren't too complicated or there aren't too many. I think 4-5 extra is plenty. Someone who is really interested can do them, and someone who isn't will still feel like they have a chance.

    I agree it would be easy to rig giveaways, I just trust that most bloggers are honest. I win about 1 out every 100 giveaways I enter, which seems about right based on the odds. And much better odds than most contests.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I like getting extra entries for being a loyal subscriber to your blog :D but if it is too much work for you or might get you in trouble I would not mind at all having only one entry per giveaway, per person.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I already replied to the 5 Minutes for Mom survey and I'll repeat my response here:
    I don’t tweet and I don’t use facebook so I am immediately at a disadvantage on giveaways that allow you to tweet every day for another entry. If I see a giveaway that allows for all sorts of extra jumping through hoops/tweeting entries I don’t bother with them. I also have stopped following some of the blogs that insist on doing this for every giveaway. I enjoy reading through the blogs and entering their giveaways but there is only so much time in the day. I also get very put off by giveaways where one of the ways to get an entry is to vote for the person in some other contest.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous1:18 PM

    I dont like extra entries..I do them because I may want to win that particular item but I rather see more single entry in Blog giveaways

    As for being rigged I have had that feeling from time to time. Random org could be preseed again and again until you get a number you want
    I have also come across items being given away but never a winner posted..In my state when a sponsor holds a giveaway its mandated that a winners list be produced I think the same should be done for blogs. Is the items being given to friends or even kept? Not saying all giveaways are dishonest but we would be fools to think everyone is honest

    ReplyDelete
  10. I know for a fact it is not rigged. I am your friend and you know what my likes and dislikes are. There have been things that you give away that I would really like to win and I don't win. If these things were rigged then I would win all the things I wanted to win. I like the extras it gives you a better chance to win. I do wonder though if it is more work for you? If that is the case then its not worth your aggravation. You are a good person but you shouldn't have to exhaust yourself to make people happy.

    ReplyDelete

I love comments. Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love to talk to you further