Comments on: Joining Contests: Being Fooled for a Chance at Something?

By: My 2 Cents 01/25/08 | Blogging with Cents

My 2 Cents 01/25/08 | Blogging with Cents — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 06:03:12 +0000

[...] I think contests are great and I enjoy, both, having them and participating in them but do you feel like you’ve been fooled in some way? Some people do. [...]

By: 45n5

45n5 — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 03:17:11 +0000

off topic: did you get my email today? I sent you a tweet also to tell you I’d sent it.

By: Tay - Super Blogging

Tay - Super Blogging — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:16:50 +0000

Contests are a perfect way for bloggers to benefit, and those that enter them are motivated to win the prize that’s being offered. Contests don’t just exist for no reason, they are there for more readers, subscribers, links, buzz, and whatnot.

I have entered contests before where it has been required to link to the blogger’s site, etc. I don’t really mind it at all, because I give links away to my blogging friends all the time without expecting anything in return. A link is a link, and even if I don’t win the contest, I still don’t mind.

By: Wayne Liew

Wayne Liew — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 09:19:40 +0000

Prizes and money can be a great motivation to make someone does something for you. This is why blog contests is all about.

A grand prize money might bring in a lot of participation but at the end, only a few will actually get the prizes, those who have failed to win it will not remove their posts written for the contest. Really a good bargain for those who hold a contest.

By: David

David — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 23:41:56 +0000

Thanks for commenting Lori. I am not naive but I am an idealist.

I do understand that there is always an underlying motive for every contest, but it is how far certain people take things that makes me shudder. You can have a contest with the goal to have more RSS subscribers and not be “evil” about it. And I don’t mind if a contest brings success to a blog. My post was more of a warning, saying that people should understand what they are doing for others before they involve themselves in a contest, and that certain people will go too far to get themselves noticed.

By: Lori

Lori — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 23:38:14 +0000

Not trying to be rude David, but if you think people hold contests “out of the kindness of their heart”, you are more naive than I thought. I’m sure their a few (including yourself) that are that nice but that’s just not how it is.

Every blogger (especially a money making blogger) has a motive when holding a contest, whether we need traffic, backlinks, or just want to be noticed.

When I started my contest on my food blog, I had 3 subscribers. I now have 260 with an average of 1000 hits a day. While some of those may unsubscribe, I’m willing to bet that more will stay with me than leave me. Had I not had the contest, none of them would never know me or my blog. They are discovering a new GOOD food blog and I am getting something in return as well. I didn’t set out to screw them by any means but I also knew what I would get in return for giving away such a good prize.

It’s sad to say that, in this day in age, you don’t get something for nothing. I wish it wasn’t that way but it is.