Regular Index Threads- why do people dupe these comps so frequently?

Zanzib

As a relatively new compers, joined the board September/October time I've found that the duplications on the main board seems to be because of how the thread title- the competition prize- is listed.

I've come across comps and listed one or two that were already there, but didn't come up when I put the search term in to check before posting.

Equally I've seen and entered comps from duplicate entries because I've missed the other one.

Don't mean to be unkind, but you seem to be assuming that everyone searches and enters the competitions in the same structured way (apologies if that is not your thoughts), which they obviously don't.

I rarely venture onto the regular competitions board and concentrate on the main board for finding things.

Personally I think it's because the regular competitions bit is in a different bit at the top of the main board, it gets missed out.

With the Advents- and this was my first Advent- I set my choices in my favourites in an Advent folder and used the board as a mop-up system to enter anything that might interest me.

purplecatlover

Blulu wrote: »

I also wonder if there is a better way of recording these comps. What do peeps think of doing more threads like those for The Puzzler, and for Take A Break puzzles?

been suggested before and severely beaten down by some people who don't understand those threads, find it too much effort to follow those threads because its too hard to click thanks and keep track that way and you can't tell in an ongoing thread if there is new stuff by the green tick on the main forum list, or just want every single comp (including every single day) reposted for each time it can be entered again :rotfl:

purplecatlover

starrybee wrote: »

I'm not sure which regs you are referring to - but like others, I only use the main board, once it gets posted there, I make my own note of whatever dailies I want to do.

I thought how the regular boards worked was that they just linked to the original post anyway?

I'm not entirely sure what you're so angry about?

the regular threads just link to lots of threads posted elsewhere. in the same way the advent thread contained links to individual threads and not direct comp links (mostly).

the regular board is the place that all competitions with no known end date are meant to be posted, rather than an end date be made up and them posted on main, or them be reposted regularly thus meaning anyone who entered last time it was posted either has to remember they already entered, open more threads to check if they had or just duplicate their entry and disqualify themselves from any chance of winning.

thus in theory by not ever using the regular threads or the regs board you may miss out on a few comps. most are posted on main, as most do have an end date but no matter where posted all comps that can be entered every day or every week should be linked in those threads, and all comps that can only be entered once should be linked in the once only thread, so you can ignore the rest of regular board threads and just check those threads for new links that may not be on main to add to your own bookmarks if you keep your own.

purplecatlover

OneYorkshireLass wrote: »

My head hurts ....

Some people can find them to add links to but still insist on reposting and duping threads linked in them creating more work with merges for board guides, and more work for those of us who use these threads either to enter form or to bookmark from as we then have to open a new thread (among the hundreds of other new comps we have not entered) to discover that actually its one we have already entered but is not ticked because its a brand new thread that is a duplicate!

Maybe you could give an example of this, because I'm not sure I know what you mean ....

sure

this one,
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3295466

needs entered once only so is linked in the once only thread, but needs checking daily to be able to win so is linked in the daily thread. There is no end date as until further notice a new postcode is chosen every day.

if it is posted on main with an invented end date it goes to game over. so then it gets reposted again and again and again, people who have never entered get the chance to enter thus, but they would also get that chance if they went to either the once only thread or the daily thread. if they choose not to look for new threads in those, or on regs then they miss out but that is there choice imo. this is one that if you have entered once you can't enter again, so its not quite so annoying as entering again and thus disqualifying yourself from all future chances to win. but its yet another new thread to be looked at and ticked each time it is reposted on main, for those of us who do bother to check elsewhere for new comps, especially when its not clear in the title that it is a dupe/repeat of a comp rather than a brand new comp for a brand new prize iyswim.

OneYorkshireLass

purplecatlover wrote: »

sure

this one,
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3295466

Gotcha

purplecatlover

re the dupes: yes they should fall under the same rules as all dupes, but these are competitions that people know are posted elsewhere and are deliberately reposting then reposting again and again and again when their thread gets merged into the original thread. (mainly) rather than accidental dupes because they have not been found via search.
or comps that can only be entered once but are being posted with an invented end date and reposted again and again with a new invented end date each time so if you enter from the second, third or fourth post you are duping your original entry.

particularly comps that are posted on regular board, due to these being "hidden" and not findable by any old member of the public who cares to look in there :rotfl:

Surfermom

I think I must be unusual as I use the regular thread every day rather than bookmarking myself. I also do the same for weeklies and used to do it for monthlies when they were posted on there too.

I comp by keeping up to date with the main board as comps get posted , I prefer the regulars to be kept separate so it doesn't keep moving the main board with comps that have previously been posted. It also means that I can do the regulars all together when I have a spare hour or so.

I hope that is what you were asking:) I certainly don't want to sound ungrateful to anyone who posts anywhere because its always appreciated:T

becky004

I appreciate everybody's effort and hard work in posting as it's not easy. I don't often venture into regulars at the moment because I am so disorganised, but when i was up to date with the boards I did dip in every few days or so.

Not 100% certain i am on the right track here but have come across a few comps last few days where i am having to check back through previous months posts to see if I have entered previously as it's one entry only. I think it would be less time consuming on the posters if it was just posted the once on the main board and then listed in once only in regulars (says she that used to post daily comps each day, as she didn't know how to link them to dailies :rotfl:).

However we all have our own way of posting which isn't going to be liked by all, I like posting the way I do, but have been questioned about it. It's hard to please everyone, and I am grateful for however the poster chooses to post them, personally I would have a sticky for dailies, once only, weekly, monthly, twitter & FB, but hell will freeze over first :eek:. But it would make my comping life so much more organised :rotfl::rotfl:

purplecatlover

Surfermom wrote: »

I think I must be unusual as I use the regular thread every day rather than bookmarking myself. I also do the same for weeklies and used to do it for monthlies when they were posted on there too.

when i am comping regularly thats how i do it too, especially as i comp by end date normally so miss all threads on main until the day or day before they end if they are not added to the threads.

i just dont see the point in bookmarking a thread separately and cluttering up my bookmarks, or having to organise them then delete when they are expired when it is done for me on the threads :rotfl: though i do understand that some people prefer their own system of organising them so to them bookmarking and sorting is preferable and that was why the colour coding for newly added threads on dailies was initially added (excellent idea by bhg), to make it obvious for those people which were new comps rather than ones they got yesterday or a few days ago, and i find it useful if im short on time and don't want to re-enter extra entry comps i have already entered at least once

becky004 wrote: »

I appreciate everybody's effort and hard work in posting as it's not easy. I don't often venture into regulars at the moment because I am so disorganised, but when i was up to date with the boards I did dip in every few days or so.

Not 100% certain i am on the right track here but have come across a few comps last few days where i am having to check back through previous months posts to see if I have entered previously as it's one entry only. I think it would be less time consuming on the posters if it was just posted the once on the main board and then listed in once only in regulars (says she that used to post daily comps each day, as she didn't know how to link them to dailies :rotfl:).

However we all have our own way of posting which isn't going to be liked by all, I like posting the way I do, but have been questioned about it. It's hard to please everyone, and I am grateful for however the poster chooses to post them, personally I would have a sticky for dailies, once only, weekly, monthly, twitter & FB, but hell will freeze over first :eek:. But it would make my comping life so much more organised :rotfl::rotfl:

yep those ones that i had to click on many previous links, and a few others that i opened only to find i already entered because the op had even stated it was already in a live thread were what prompted my post.

they cannot go on main without an end date though, so no matter what made up end date is used they have to be reposted over and over again if they are on main, this means some get lost and forgotten in the realms of game over because the links get removed when the end date is hit, whereas an ongoing thread on regs stays there until someone reports the comp as no longer active. But many people choose not to look on regs ever (and then complain when they miss entering a comp because it is there and not on main or post it as a duplicate which I personally feel is unfair on those of us who do make the time to look in regs OR accept that we will miss a few comps by not doing so).

not knowing is an entirely different scenario than knowing and deliberately duping an already existing thread, and I hope no one thinks I was picking on anyone who didn't know perhaps that regs existed, or that the threads exist. I think there are a few posters who maybe don't know or are following the lead of some long term posters by reposting everything.
In fact I am not intending to pick on anybody, and am sorry it seems I came across as sounding angry, I would like to understand why though.

I would have all those same threads too, or a separate subforum for social media comps since there are pinterest and rafflecopter/blog comps too, would make it a heck of a lot easy to skip certain ones out entirely when I don#t have the time to search through every thread, or just find twitter comps which tend to be the quickest of all to enter.......... but then people would most likely dupe many of those on main as well because they are hidden away in a separate area and cannot be found :eek:

though i don't know why threads in here and in i won are almost always posted in the correct sub/child forum and nobody seems to have trouble with finding them to reply to or read or post comps that have been flagged up as not yet open

purplecatlover

and just to make it clear
i appreciate the time and effort everyone puts into finding and posting comps and helping with answer and questions and general helpfulness.

we do all comp in different ways, and we do all have different ways of organising our comping, and i respect that. sometimes it seems like my wish not to dupe weekly or daily or once only comps that i have already found on regs or via the stickies for those comps is being disrespected by those comps being duped on purpose because that person does not agree with the stickies or the regs board and thus does it their own way. linking to the regs thread in a new post helps prevent duping but it still means an extra thread i need to open every time though i appreciate that finding and linking to the ongoing thread is also more work for the op.

we tried duping all ongoing threads on main a year or two ago and there were many protests at all these extra threads to click on and open to see they had already entered or did not want to enter showing as new posts, as that meant more clicks for everyone, but it is seen by some at least as acceptable for me to have to open more threads because i choose to take the time to try and keep up with regs as well. I fail to understand why i should accept and respect that people don't want to have to click extra times to enter a comp, but they think it is fine for me to have to click extra times to ensure i have not already entered a comp. I can't see the difference between anyone having to click extra times when it can be avoided but I know from past conversations that many others see it as a vast difference because they don't use regs board or stickies so it doesn't matter that I do and all that matters is that it goes on main so no one has to choose to either miss out or check regs stickies or board.

( and on that note i swear to go back to being quiet, saying nothing and letting myself feel disregarded and disrespected for choosing to comp by regs and by end date instead of keeping up with newly posted comps without letting myself say anything anywhere when i find a duped regular or once only entry thread or a daily being reposted every day or a one day only open for a few hours that i miss out on entering because its already ended by the time i come across it).