Competitions Discussion Thread Part 12

Glad

twotimes wrote: »

The main problem is the definition of "regular" which MSE won't define for us so we're all working under our own guidelines, without there being any consistency.

I'll just highlight a few of the comps in the regulars that I have been involved in posting which highlight some the currrent problems:

Chelsea FC "regular" competitions: These are posted as a WEEKLY thread in regulars. The problem with these is that they are not always every week. Sometimes they run for a week, sometimes two weeks, sometimes one and a half weeks. I am currently (wrongly or rightly) also posting each one individually in the main section as I personally see them as separate competitions.

TK Maxx £1000 "regular" competitions: These are posted (wrongly or rightly) as a WEEKLY thread in regulars and I am also (wrongly or rightly) posting them separately each week on the main board, ensuring I have linked them so duplicates are avoided. One of the problems I mentioned with this being solely weekly is that there is a 9 hour gap on Monday mornings between the previous draw closing and the new one opening so people who did their weeklies first thing on a Monday morning would always miss out.

I personally enter comps by end date so like every separate draw to be posted separately so I can just go through and enter. Not everybody else works this way though. If I had to bookmark threads or remember to work through lists of dailies, weeklies and monthlies it would be a nightmare for me. I also feel that the "enter" button doesn't really work with the regulars section.

there will always be some comps which don't fit 'right' in either board but that's ok as long as everyone gets a chance to enter a few oddities don't matter

bargainhuntergal

Glad wrote: »

aww no just wanted you to know I was looking at it but with the team being so busy at the moment I don't want to pester them just yet with my idea about the comp stickies, the idea btw is to do what I've done in the Arms, have one sticky called 'PLEASE READ - posts by the MSE team' and merge them all, new announcements would have their own sticky for a certain length of time before being merged into this thread

Great idea! :T

To be honest, I was never really sure who does what, I know that you and the other BG's move to GO, merge, create stickies, change the end dates and do general tidying up, but I wasn't really sure if you have control as a group over the other things, like we've all been discussing to do with sticky merging and tweaking the boards around and that kind of thing.

Glad

bargainhuntergal wrote: »

Great idea! :T

To be honest, I was never really sure who does what, I know that you and the other BG's move to GO, merge, create stickies, change the end dates and do general tidying up, but I wasn't really sure if you have control as a group over the other things, like we've all been discussing to do with sticky merging and tweaking the boards around and that kind of thing.

we're able to do it but I'd like to run it past Andrea first
and as it's your board it's nice to let the discussion run for a while to see peoples ideas and what they want

bargainhuntergal

Glad wrote: »

we're able to do it but I'd like to run it past Andrea first
and as it's your board it's nice to let the discussion run for a while to see peoples ideas and what they want

Yeah, that's understandable, hopefully plenty of people will join in and throw in their thoughts, it's always good to have plenty of ideas to be going on with I guess there's never going to be something that's 100% perfect for everyone, but if there's a way so that less people miss less comps, and can still carry on entering the way they currently do (ie. as things are posted or by end date), then it's got to be better for everyone, even if it's not perfect.

purplecatlover

herbily wrote: »

I'm sure this has been answered before elsewhere, but I don't know where to look - is there an equal chance of winning with tokens as with online? I would have thought it's easier for the organisers to do the draw electronically - but I sent in tokens last time. Can't make up my mind whether to collect tokens or passwords!

not sure, i think we have to assume that we have an equal chance either way, but i do know dm are crap at saying who won.

Glad wrote: »

I'm just throwing some thoughts in here so please feel free to talk about it

As there is a regular comps sub board it should be used for regular comps, if it was used consistently then serious compers would get used to checking it as well as checking the main board

however if a comp can only be entered once, even though a regular prize (daily, weekly etc) is given out then I think that should be on the main board,
with the regular comps board kept for comps people have to enter daily, weekly etc

hope that made sense

agree completely! please can we have some official clarification on this and/or please please can bgs enforce it by moving threads to regs? only snag is threads in regs get locked so those that have new questions/answers then cannot be posted in with new answer....could something be sorted for that by any chance?

purplecatlover

bargainhuntergal wrote: »

I agree with that setup, but I think it would be a great idea if there was a section in the Daily/Weekly threads (if Gilla agrees) where the 'enter once to be in all draws' threads can go so everyone can find them, as it's so frustrating to come across them when entering by end date and only be in the last draw or so.

Obviously this would only work if people do send the link to Gilla or add a post onto to the end of the Daily thread (the latter probably being the best option incase Gilla doesn't get on everyday, it means less pressure on Gilla to find the time to update the thread)

I'm starting to think that maybe monthlies would be better on the main board being posted afresh as a new competition each month? (To be honest, I reckon this would work better than the current setup for dailies and weeklies too.) Some of the threads in Regulars are years and years old, and being locked, they can't be updated without a whole lot of hassle for both the person wanting to update, and you, as the BG's, having to unlock and relock afterwards. (I'm not sure the Regular threads should be locked off anyway to be honest, I stand by my post from a while ago that stated it makes the Regular board seem very closed off, and I think it probably encourages people to post on the main board instead as they realise that answers might need to be updated each month and can't be easily when the thread is locked.)

I think as this is still causing questions to be asked it needs to be looked at and clarified as no one really knows exactly what is supposed to happen with regular threads and things doesn't appear to be happening the same way for everything of a similar nature, hence the confusion.

agreeing with all of this, i think either a sticky on regulars for enter once but multiple draws/prizes including the likes of magic and kiss comps currenly to be linked in OR a sub section in the daily etc threads that links are added to. they could then be posted either on main or on regs and updates/used as they are now (thinking of magic and kiss which will be bumped numerous times). having them on regs would mean they are not always at the top of main annoying people who dont want to follow the threads and dont wnat comps bumped on there.

monthlies are a nightmare atm, ppd does a sterling job of updating it but there are so so many that i gave up even looking at that thread and as a result only enter those that do get posted on main. they also often get duplicated on main anyway and im in agreement that perhaps the way to go is a new post each month....as some are. they are far enough apart to not be annoying by being reposted daily for example (liek the classic daily comp with diff prizes everyday was..id much rather they had all gone in one thread that was bumped than in a new thread every single day).

ginjim wrote: »

i tend to disagree, those comps will get lost on the main board and by the time the competiton has finished people could miss out on lots of prizes.
because my heavy work schedule i just tend to do ending tomorrow
i know thats my fault but unless you are constantly checking the main board for updates which i dont have time to do those comps would get lost.

i have asked this before but i would love another sticky for comps that is best to enter early eg radio comps where they may phone you.
2 examples are the kissmas and mixemup where you really need to enter early to get the better chance of winning

re the enter once, if they were linked to in either way suggested above it wouldnt matter if they get lost so long as regular threads or new sticky on regs for them was checked daily.

i also comp by end date after ive done daily thread and i will bump posts that have been identified by 5 or 6 people as daily entry, and bumped repeatedly on main, to comment that its a shame no one sent it to gilla to be added as now its the last day and a lot of us have missed out. i hope that way that people who dont know about those threads will start linking, or others will get fed up of the bumps and start linking (yeah i know im dreaming).

purplecatlover

Glad wrote: »

something else to think on

maybe the weekly TAB, Chat etc threads could be in the Reg board (just a thought really) they are popular threads and still would be in the reg board, maybe it would make the reg board a place more people frequented if it had some of the popular threads there

I'm just throwing out thoughts though so let me know what you think

id love to see these all posted in one thread, which is updated with the new answers each week and renewed when the thread gets too long, much in the way that the other tab and puzzler comps are done. that way i could easily work through those ive not entered (spotted by not having clicked thanks) when i have time to do so rather than having to miss out on them when im out of time going by end date.

would also make it far far easier for me to find the specific one my mother wants when her internet is down and she wants answers or when she cant find it! lol

timmmers wrote: »

Just a thought, but if a comp is DAILY WEEKLY ETC. Why not say that in the titles? That way a seach would do the biz for a lot of people.

Personally I have lists of regular comps that I enter saved in notepad and (if I ever get time) will make a little webpage out of them ...but this is nice only because I don't enter all regular comps.

This whole subject is very hard to get 100%, for example...would Loose women be weekly? Would Dickinsns real deal be daily? They are, but are in effect seperate comps...but for my money all TV comps like that could use a sub section to make them easy t find....big prizes and similar rules etc.

If we all had a looky though old stuff and repoted expired ones would that make it easier, or make a lot of work? I'm up for a sping clean

again id like to see all say the dickinsons real deal comps go in one thread and that thread be updated. i find those ones take more time to enter since i always get the blinking captcha wrong the first time or two and since they allow 3 or 5 entries per number again it would be very nice to be able to work through them ion one thread (for each show) rather than skip them because i dont have time the day before they end. and yes by my deffinition they would be daily and that thread would be in the regular board.

blackmidnight

bargainhuntergal wrote: »

I agree about liking every single competition to be posted as seperate though (that was one of my suggestions a few months ago) but I only said weeklies and monthlies to be posted seperately as at the moment some comps are still posted with the next days ending date and (00.01) in the title due to threads being moved over for the day ending on the morning of the day they end rather than the morning after. So dailies could be the only thing in regulars and be updated every day as usual? Should be really easy to keep up with dailies in there as there probably wouldn't be many pages, if even a full page.

I would also just love all comps to be posted seperately and on the main board. If a comp question changes or the prize is different anyway. e.g. things the like the carphone warehouse weekly facebook comp was just one long thread which got bumped each time but would have been easier just to have a new thread each week. The company ones that have a closing date of 25th December i'm not really sure why they are all being posted in one thread at the moment either as although a new comp is being posted daily on their website you have until 25th to enter each draw and each draw has a different prize/answer?

purplecatlover wrote: »

monthlies are a nightmare atm, ppd does a sterling job of updating it but there are so so many that i gave up even looking at that thread and as a result only enter those that do get posted on main. they also often get duplicated on main anyway and im in agreement that perhaps the way to go is a new post each month....as some are. they are far enough apart to not be annoying by being reposted daily for example (liek the classic daily comp with diff prizes everyday was..id much rather they had all gone in one thread that was bumped than in a new thread every single day)

re the enter once, if they were linked to in either way suggested above it wouldnt matter if they get lost so long as regular threads or new sticky on regs for them was checked daily.

i also comp by end date after ive done daily thread and i will bump posts that have been identified by 5 or 6 people as daily entry, and bumped repeatedly on main, to comment that its a shame no one sent it to gilla to be added as now its the last day and a lot of us have missed out. i hope that way that people who dont know about those threads will start linking, or others will get fed up of the bumps and start linking (yeah i know im dreaming).

Not sure here, it gets annoying when daily ones are bumped everyday when nothing has really changed, e.g. the cosmo perfume one for november. I'm not sure why it is bumped everyday. The prize is still perfume (of different perfume but they are mentioned in the OP and I doubt there are many people who have only entered for the 1 perfume they lik) and the question is the same everyday. If the prize was really different each day then i would get why it was bumped. However ones which require a different answer I can understand. I, like some others i think, just bookmark ones that i want to enter everyday where nothing changes, and i don't need to check the thread on here as i know there is no new answer.

Enter once thread would be a good idea and that could be a 4th sticky, or however many there are, in regs.

I think adding about adding anything that is daily to the relevant thread (at least the link) could be added to comping guide if it's not allready. But i guess those of us that comp as posted could have a quick check to see if a comp has been added to the relevant thread too and if i remember i will try.

purplecatlover wrote: »

id love to see these all posted in one thread, which is updated with the new answers each week and renewed when the thread gets too long, much in the way that the other tab and puzzler comps are done. that way i could easily work through those ive not entered (spotted by not having clicked thanks) when i have time to do so rather than having to miss out on them when im out of time going by end date.

again id like to see all say the dickinsons real deal comps go in one thread and that thread be updated. i find those ones take more time to enter since i always get the blinking captcha wrong the first time or two and since they allow 3 or 5 entries per number again it would be very nice to be able to work through them ion one thread (for each show) rather than skip them because i dont have time the day before they end. and yes by my deffinition they would be daily and that thread would be in the regular board.

Surely this would then mean that every website that has competitions should have a thread of it's own rather than each comp being posted seperately. Not really sure why it would be done for some comps and not others. So it would be that Babyworld Comps would have their own thread, glamour comps would have their own thread etc... Not sure how it could really be done for certain comps and not others. I never really understood why the TAB magazine ones were all posted in one thread when they are all seperate competitions, different prizes and different end dates.

My personal view is just that all comps should be posted on main with a link to the comp on the daily/weekly/monthly sticky and that would be all that there was in the regular sub-forum.

All comps should be posted seperately including the magazine ones that are currently in one thread (why is it this way for some of the TAB mags but not others?)

mintymoneysaver

Just putting my comments here. I never use regulars, daily or otherwise,as I never have chance. I wouldn't like to see things like Take a break moved anywhere else than the main thread as I can keep up with these on there. I can see that it is a good idea to have a daily thread, as no one would want to write those out every day, but I think weekly and monthly could go in the regulars board.

However if they're always going to be the same answer then I think they could be in regulars, for those people who can keep tabs on when they enter them.
Also if a daily changes every day maybe put that on the normal thread and just add the answer as a new comment each day?

I think it's a good idea to have an 'enter once only' section somewhere, though not quite sure where that would be best going.

It's just great to have this forum, however it works though. I never entered competitions before I found this, and now I couldn't live without it, so thanks to all posters!

blackmidnight

Glad wrote: »

something else to think on

maybe the weekly TAB, Chat etc threads could be in the Reg board (just a thought really) they are popular threads and still would be in the reg board, maybe it would make the reg board a place more people frequented if it had some of the popular threads there

I'm just throwing out thoughts though so let me know what you think

As i've mentioned above, why should this be done with these comps but not others? They are seperate comps with different prizes and different end dates so if you did it with these it would mean that to avoid confusion all comp should be posted this way so any website that has regular comps should just be posted on one thread in the regulars section? so for example whattodowiththekids should have it's own thread with the comps updated every month, screenrush shoudl have a thread that is then updated every week... tbh i would hate that