E: 11/06 Win! £70 M&S vouchers plus cookery books

elver_man

According to our gallery, '7 dinners under £1 a head: Monday 7th May 2012', how much does it cost to make the quick ratatouille pasta?

• £3.53
• £3.99
• £4.99

click

claire_leck

Win! £70 M&S vouchers plus cookery books

Question

According to our gallery, '7 dinners under £1 a head: Monday 7th May 2012', how much does it cost to make the quick ratatouille pasta?

• £3.53:D
• £3.99
• £4.99

claire_leck

I tried to give you all something back by having a go at my first comp but I've failed!!!! Can't fathom how to post link?!!:(:eek:

fire**fly

sorry, already posted by elver man

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/53088247#Comment_53088247

claire_leck

think i need to do a bit more reading in the guide!! thanks xx:o

weeowens

claire_leck wrote: »

think i need to do a bit more reading in the guide!! thanks xx:o

Here's the bit you need.You'll soon get there :-)
Maybe "GoodtoKnow" is not the best one to start with as elver man is on top of them so your chance of dupe posting is high.

Posting Comps

1 How can I find comps to post on here, I’ve entered loads & want to give some back?
Regular compers on MSE already post the daily ITV comps & will arrange for someone to cover them if they aren't going to be around - because the search facility won't pick something up for at least 30 mins after posting, please remember that regular posters will probably already have this in hand! Also, the magazine comps that have their own threads will have lists of people that buy the magazines, answer the puzzles then post the answers on here for others. Please respect these existing posters as it is their money they are handing over to buy the mags & give us the answers. If you are interested in helping out or posting a particular magazine then either post in that mags thread or if you can't find the actual thread then post in the Comps Discussion thread to ask about it & another comper will be along to help point you in the right direction.

At the end of the day, no comper 'owns the right' to post a particular comp but please take a moment, have a look around & ask in the Comps Discussion Thread if necessary to ask if there is a regular poster for a particular comp. Let's keep this a friendly place to play, avoid duplication & misunderstandings

As you surf you may come across a comp which hasn’t been posted here yet, although you will find a lot of them have already been hunted out & posted. Some MSE Compers have regular sites that they check for new comps & others will just come across comps in their email or when they surf the net. If you do a Google search for comps then do be careful that they are still running as it is easy to find comps which have ended but haven’t been taken offline. Obvious places to look for new comps are magazine websites, TV channels etc.

You can also find comps on magazines websites. If you need some ideas then try looking on WH Smith to give you the more unusual magazine names. Then Google a particular magazine name to find out if it has a website. Then it is just a matter of looking on the website to see if they have any comps which aren't already on here!

If you are looking for other places to find comps that may not have been found yet, then your local library can be an excellent source of new comps as they have a lot of non mainstream mags / publications. When you go to the library take a pen / paper (to write comps down), if you have a camera phone then you could even take pictures of the comp pages to look at on your computer when you get back home. Some libraries have a photocopier, although they may charge to copy things. Also a big plus for libraries (unlike newsagents) is that staff don't hassle you writing the comp info down, photographing it or even photocopying it for sharing later.

Don't feel bad if you can’t find any new comps to post, you can contribute in other ways like posting answers where they need to be researched, joining in with discussions, PM’ing BGs with closed comps that are still in the main forum, spotting duplicate comps, etc. Even if you're not able to help with answers or feel a little shy about posting then please don’t worry. The only thing that would be slightly unfair is if you were off finding loads of other comps yourself & then not sharing them with everyone else as that would be a little selfish.


2 How do I search to see if a comp has been posted?
The Forum Search is not foolproof although if you take a couple of easy steps then it can help you not to post duplicate comps.

On any Forum page, just above where the threads are listed you will see the option to ‘Search this Forum’, click this & then select ‘Advanced Search’.

A new screen will open, which is the Advanced Search screen & seems to be more responsive to searches.

Please refer to the image below for numbered steps.

1. Key Words.
   Take the main part of a comp page address (URL) & type / paste it here.
   For Example, if http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/competitions/show/id/2704 is the comp page, use keyword: goodtoknow.co.uk
   Also, for the radio comps, try searching for the part of the url that starts '/Article...' it should bring up the other stations if they have been posted.
   
   I recommend you only use the main part of the comp URL as sometimes comps change location on a site.
   
   If that search brings back too many results, then try using a word from the comp which will have been used if it was posted on MSE to narrow it down slightly.
   For Example, goodtoknow.co.uk watch
   
   You could also use the answer to search again, just to ensure you aren’t about to post a comp that is already on here.
2. Search Forums.
   If Competitions Time is not already highlighted in the list, simply scroll down the list & click on it to highlight.
3. Also search in child forums.
   Ensure this box is ticked, it means the search will also check in Competitions Time sub forums (the I won! Forum, the Game Over Forum & the Regular Competitions Forum).

Click on the 'Search Now' button & it will bring back a list of results. Read through the list carefully to see if the comp has already been posted. Repeat the search a couple of times with different search criteria to be more certain that the comp is a new one.

Something else to be aware of is that it can take a couple of hours for the forum software to include new threads into the search function. If you take a quick glance down the last couple of pages of threads to check for comps that sound similar to the one you are about to post & don’t see anything then you are about ready to post a new comp!

Another way some MSE Compers use to search for specific comps is to use the Google Search Engine. If you wanted to search for, say, Kung Fu Panda comps in the forum then you would type:
"Kung Fu Panda" "competition" site:forums.moneysavingexpert.com
(Please note the placement of the speech marks as that is very important!)
This would then return results relating to your search request.

weeowens

claire_leck wrote: »

Win! £70 M&S vouchers plus cookery books

Question

According to our gallery, '7 dinners under £1 a head: Monday 7th May 2012', how much does it cost to make the quick ratatouille pasta?

• £3.53:D
• £3.99
• £4.99

fire**fly wrote: »

sorry, already posted by elver man

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/53088247#Comment_53088247

I'll pm dalkirst for a merge

weeowens

6 How do I post a comp on here?
Firstly, do a thorough search (see above) to ensure the comp is not already on MSE.

Check you are in the Competitions Time Forum & then click ‘New Thread’, from the link at the top or the bottom of any main forum page.

A new page is displayed for you to fill information about the comp you want to post.

1. Put the date at the beginning of the title box, & please use the Forum standard, below.
   
   E: XX/XX, For Example, E: 02/04 Win a .....
   
   This makes things a lot easier for the BGs & Compers (like you) to find comps that are ending. If the comp ends within 12 months then it is fine to put the dd/mm date as explained above. If you have a rare comp that has more than a year to the end date then please stick to the posting convention above then put a space & put the year in brackets - but only if it is MORE THAN 12 months ahead.
   E: 02/04 (2012) Win....... <-Only if comp is more than 12 months away from ending.
   
   If you can’t see the closing date for a comp in the T & C or on the webpage then please estimate an end date. Without an end date on the thread title it will be moved into the Game Over sub forum prematurely, which would be a bit of a waste of your effort in posting it for us. If you had to estimate the end date then pop that into your post so that if, later on, the website add an end date another member can highlight the new information.
   
   E: 30/06 (?)
   
   The Thread Title then needs a short description of the prize that can be won, For Example, Holiday to Tenerife.
   
   If you are posting the answers to a mag with multiple comps & answers then put the mag name & issue in the thread title, eg, That’s Life Magazine Issue 10
   
   If the comp is entered by email or there is an age / location restriction then it is helpful to put that in the title in brackets, For Example, (U16)
   
   If a comp has a particular end time it is useful if it is posted in the thread title too, For Example, 5pm.
   
   So a few examples to sum it up:
   E: 28/12 Trip to New York (email)
   E: 15/09 Bee movie DVD (U16)
   E: 05/03 3pm Indiana Jones Goody Bag
   E: 07/01 £50 ToysRUs vouchers (email)(Oxford)
2. In the main body of the post, you can type in the link to the page & whether it is a comp where you need to login / register. (I’ll go through neat link or clickies in just a moment). Do be aware when you are posting a comp that you should be using excerpts & links rather than copying long text.

You can ‘Preview Post’ to see how it will look, if you want, before you click to ‘Submit New Thread’. Please remember that if a site URL appears as !!!!!! in the preview then it is a site which has been banned on MSE & shouldn't be posted.

Bauer / Heart Radio Station Competitions:
You can only enter through one Bauer station now, and that includes Kerrang, (but not Kiss for some strange reason).

You can also only enter through one Heart station, and whilst you don't have to enter through your local station they prefer that you do. The regular comp poster for these ones posts a list of all the stations for the big prizes to make it easier to enter.


7 How can I amend my thread title if I need to?
To edit the thread title you can click 'Edit' then select 'Go Advanced'.

The next screen will show your post & above it you will see 2 boxes 'Reason for Editing', which you don't have to complete & also 'Title' which has your thread title info in it. Simply click into the Title box & amend your text as necessary. You can 'Preview Changes' to see how it will look, if you want, before you click to 'Save Changes'.

8 How can I delete my post if I need to?
If you want to delete you post because you accidentally duplicated a comp already on MSE then it would be better if you PM a BG with the details (see What do I do if I see a comp which has already been posted on here? / How do I send a merge request to a Board Guide? above for help with this) & some MSE Compers also amend the Title of their thread, For Example, ‘Duplicate to be merged’. Since the post is not deleted it means that if anyone entered from your duplicate post there would still be a record of their ‘Thanks’ on your post when it is merged with the original.

If the post you want to delete is on another MSE Compers thread then you should be able to click 'Edit' on your post.

On the image below follow the numbered steps.

1. Click the ‘Delete’ button, the box expands & the other options below the line become visible.
2. Select ‘Delete Message’ & insert the reason for deleting your post in the box. The post & the reason for deletion will still be seen by BGs & Moderators but normal MSE Compers will no longer be able to see the post.

Click on ‘Delete this Message’ to complete the deletion of your post.


9 How do I do a 'clicky' instead of putting the full URL?
On the image below, follow the numbered steps.

Right click & copy the URL of the comp you want to post.

1. Type the text that you want to be your neat link / clicky, For Example, ‘Hamper Clicky’ on the post & then highlight it. (I also make the word/s bold too at this point so they show up better in the post as a link).
2. Click the icon of a world with a paper clip under it & a box will appear.

Remove 'http://' that is already in the box & then paste the comp URL in. Then click 'OK'. Your neat link / clicky is now done.


10 How can I put a picture in my post?
Once you have found the image that you want, you need to obtain its properties. (Right click the image & select properties). The properties should end in .gif or .jpeg
Highlight & copy the image location, then return to your posting screen on MSE. Put your cursor in the post where you want the picture to appear.

Click the 'insert image' icon & remove the 'http://' text from the box which appears, (as mentioned above) & click 'OK'.

Preview the post first because the picture may be huge & stretch the page which is a bad thing. If the Preview looks OK then when you submit the post should too.

If you end up with a little red cross that is bad as you have hotlinked. It means you have directly linked to an image that the originating site does not want people to link to directly. So you will either need to find another image which isn’t protected against hotlinking or save the image & host it yourself, which is outside the scope of this Guide. There is another Image Guide elsewhere on MSE which goes into the more complex areas further.

Do remember that there are possible copyright restrictions on images on the net & these must be respected.

claire_leck

Oh my goodness gracious!! Best get reading ...:T

Ta very much! I shall make you proud when I manage my first comp! :rotfl:xx

fire**fly

weeowens wrote: »

I'll pm dalkirst for a merge

that's very good of you as i've not the time

weeowens

fire**fly wrote: »

that's very good of you as i've not the time

No problem at all

Loving the new signature though :-)

Yeah and you're so intelligent with your little snide comments grow up - comment

'growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional'

:dance:huge thanks to all comps posters :Aam having a great year:dance: