PLEASE READ - Posts by the MSE Team and BG's - me...

[MSE Martin]

Welcome to the new forum. The aim is to list all the free competitions that are around, after all if it's free and you win it - then it's good MoneySaving.

Competitions can be found anywhere and everywhere. Online, in shops, magazines on the TV. Providing they're open to everyone (ie not invite only) then do post them here.

So do scan the web and report a contest. Hopefully a MoneySaver will win. If you're entering online contests, then its worth using a separate e-mail address, it'll stop the risk of spam emails. Just set up a Hotmail, Yahoo or MSN address.

1. Competitions must be open to all If you are invited specially to do a competition with a code, and the competition isn't open to all. Please do not post the codes here, that is breaking terms and conditions of a competition runner and could be seen as incitement to breach contract. (something neither I nor the poster want).

2. Free Competitions Only. This is a not a place to advertise competitions you have to pay to enter. I will accept limited cost text message type competitons (though frankly they're usually naff apart from in special circumstances) where they cost up to £1.50 to text to enter, but generally I would say make sure they are free.

MSE UPDATE JAN 2011: The VAT increase means many paid-to-enter competitions now cost £1.53 to enter. If you still feel you absolutely must enter these competitions then that's fine.

3. No Pyramid Selling. Pyramids where - if you join a list - you may get a X, Y, Z are absolutely no part of this board, or any board on the site. I don't want them here please report them if you spot them.


4. Where did you spot the competition? If you spot a competition it'd be helpful for everyone to know where you got it from. It helps them know how legitimate it is for them to enter.

5. Report your winnings. If you win, we want to know. It's fun - so please use the I WON I WON board to report your winnings.

6. Include the closing date in the title. Please include the closing date of the competition in the title of the thread you are starting. This way once it is closed it can be moved to the 'Game over' board

7. No Vote For Me Competitions. Please do not post vote for me competitions, they are not allowed on this forum.

8. No Bumping Of Posts. Please do not just bump posts for the sake of it. This disrupts the boards.

9. No Advertising Of Own Websites. This site is free from advertising. Posts on any board considered to be advertising goods, services and/or companies will be removed. This includes the posting of a competition from your own site or from a site that you are employed by. We also do not allow advertising via PM. Examples of this can include anything from a specific sales post or a link to your own website in which you attempt to sell something to someone offering their holiday home to forum members. Unfortunately we cannot allow any advertising of any description no matter how honourable the intention.


And as always please be nice to other MoneySavers.....

Martin

[divadee]

Please remember to use the expiry code convention on all comps in this format E: 30/01 if for any reason you cant find a date (it can usually be found in the terms and condition) then please make an end date up (try using the end of the month)

Any weekly or monthly comps should be placed on the regular competitions board. Please use the expiry date convention of
E: WEEKLY E: MONTHLY etc...

Please also remember to do a search first to make sure the competition is not already listed.

[divadee]

A lot of threads being posted are duplicates of other threads. Please can people use the search facility. A userguide to the search facility is above in this thread.

As the search facility can be hit and miss if you do spot a duplicate please can you pm the link of the original and duplicate(s) threads and the board guides can merge them together.

This is not just to keep the boards tidy, but some comps if you enter more than once you disqualify yourself.

Please can you only pm them to one board guide this saves time for board guides when going through the merge requests.

Also please do not expect a reply to the merge request, board guides receive so many that it is just not possible to reply to each merge request pm.

We hope this is understandable to all you compers, and we look forward to receiving your duplicate thread pm's.

[divadee]

I have tonight spent about 5 hours going through all the threads to change all the dates to the correct format.

The correct format from now on is E: 01/01 win.... on the main board and E: WEEKLY win etc.. on the regular comps board

The reason why we have done this as if you want to look for competitions in date order you can do this by using the above format and then going to display options at the bottom of the page and selecting sorted by 'Thread Title' and then selecting sort order 'Ascending'. Click Here for the full guide to finding competitions by date.

This will help everyone who are catching up with their competitions and want to find a certain date.

If everyone sticks to this, it will make finding competitions by date 100% better for everyone.

[divadee]

have tonight spent about 5 hours going through all the threads to change all the dates to the correct format.

The correct format from now on is E: WEEKLY win etc.. on the regular board and E: 01/01 win.... on the main board.

The reason why we have done this as if you want to look for competitions in date order you can do this by using the above format and then going to display options at the bottom of the page and selecting sorted by 'Thread Title' and then selecting sort order 'Ascending'

This will help everyone who are catching up with there competitions and want to find a certain date.

If everyone sticks to this, it will make finding competitions by date 100% better for everyone.

[divadee]

As we have stopped the competitions ending threads due to numerous complaints and arguments. We now have a new way of finding comps by date. This makes it easier for everyone as they can then search for the date they want rather than waiting for the competition ending threads.

The guide below shows how to get them in date order.


Scroll to the bottom of the main competition forum. There are some drop down boxes (under the heading display options).





Choose:

sorted by - "thread title"
sort order - descending or ascending (what ever is your personal preference)

This will bring all the threads up in date order. This only works if people follow the expiry date format as posted here on the board.


Another method you can use for finding comps that end on a particular day is to do a couple of searches using Google or another search engine using each of the following:

"E:01/09" site:moneysavingexpert.com

"E:1/09" site:moneysavingexpert.com

[MSE Andrea]

Hi everyone

We've had some problems with companies complaining about people copying and pasting text including email addresses and answers wholesale into threads on this board.

As well as potentially breaching copyright, if you do it too often companies may be put off doing comps in the first place.

So we just wanted to remind you, if you're posting a competition, please just post the link to the competition, explaining in your own words what the prize is and let the website you've linked to do the talking.

By doing this you'll help us keep the comps board open and the poor forum team saved from potential company wrath

Thanks everyone

Andrea

[MSE Andrea]

Hi everyone

We've had some problems with companies complaining about people copying and pasting text including email addresses and answers wholesale into threads on this board.

As well as potentially breaching copyright, if you do it too often companies may be put off doing comps in the first place.

So we just wanted to remind you, if you're posting a competition, please just post the link to the competition, explaining in your own words what the prize is and let the website you've linked to do the talking.

By doing this you'll help us keep the comps board open and the poor forum team saved from potential company wrath

Thanks everyone

Andrea

[Dalkirst]

Are you saying we can't have the answers at all on any thread anymore?

[xoxlauraxox]

Originally Posted by Al Mac

I suspect it's all the details, including graphics.

Links and answers only, possibly.

Thats what I thought too... either that or my brain will have to start working a bit harder from now on

[iwannabeonthebeach]

how about copying the T and C??

[kipper]

Need some text for keyword searching though.


And email address subject headers would have to be posted for those that don't have Outlook/Live Mail etc as they won't get to see them if its automatically done from the competition web site.

[Mamzie]

Originally Posted by Al Mac

I suspect it's all the details, including graphics.

Links and answers only, possibly.

I imagine the companies actually want us to go through their site, so that would work. Wish we knew which ones had asked through.

(link to discussion thread)

[princessmoneysaver]

Originally Posted by kipper

Need some text for keyword searching though.


And email address subject headers would have to be posted for those that don't have Outlook/Live Mail etc as they won't get to see them if its automatically done from the competition web site.

I use Outlook Express which doesn't work with email 'links' on sites so need the email addy on here PLEASE xxx

[kipper]

Originally Posted by Mamzie

I imagine the companies actually want us to go through their site, so that would work. Wish we knew which ones had asked through.

(link to discussion thread)

Well to get round that, instead of directly linking to the site from here you could always copy the link and open it in a new window, or do what they do on the Gambling Board and hxxp the link.


For example instead of doing http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com as a link

Put in hxxp://forums.moneysavingexpert.com

its now no longer a live link, but if you copy/paste that in a new window/tab the link still works and they don't know where you have come from (sneaky, but it works )

[wokkies]

:confused: I dont understand so I'll not post comps anymore, I'll pm someone else to post for me

[kipper]

Originally Posted by wokkies

:confused: I dont understand so I'll not post comps anymore, I'll pm someone else to post for me

Basically don't copy and paste all the text from a competition webpage onto here. Just do a link and a short description of prize.

From the Forum Etiquette:

Take care over copyright. Use excerpts and links rather than copying long text. This site asserts copyright on all comments posted on the board.

[iamthewalrus]

I'm sure that this only applies to competitions where entry is email based.

After all, competitions are largely promotional efforts by companies to get people onto their websites, right ?

If the competition has to be entered by email, and someone posts the email address, etc. on here, then no one goes to the website, and the promotion effort fails.

On the other hand, if entry is via a form on the company's website, I'm sure they can't be anything but pleased that hundreds of people are being driven to their site because of this one.

[Winjackie]

Originally Posted by kipper

Well to get round that, instead of directly linking to the site from here you could always copy the link and open it in a new window, or do what they do on the Gambling Board and hxxp the link.


For example instead of doing http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com as a link

Put in hxxp://forums.moneysavingexpert.com

its now no longer a live link, but if you copy/paste that in a new window/tab the link still works and they don't know where you have come from (sneaky, but it works )

Think I understand you kipper (hopefully ) but I am in the same position as a previous poster whereby I cannot click through email links, mine don't work :confused: so am always grateful to the people who post email addys for comps.

[wokkies]

So I am ok if I just post the link for the competition of the web page and nuffin else:confused: