Poll: Posting comps before the start date....

BlueBella

Question: Should comps be posted before they are open? What do you think?

BlueBella

I am in agreement and voted yes simply because I know some members may have genuine reasons why they are posting early, eg they are busy/away on the day it opens or worried they might forget to post it.

I always subscribe to these posts so I get an email to notify me when it is open (someone always bumps to say when it is). Most people also add 'NOT OPEN UNTIL XX/XX' to their post to make everyone aware which is great!

So YES from me!

sleepyjones

I'd rather have it posted early than not at all. I, for one, find most of the comps I post through google ... If I found one wasn't open yet and wasn't allowed to post it then the chances are I wouldn't find it again, I'm not bothered enough to bookmark it and think about going back to it at a later date so it would probably be lost unless someone else found it at a later date (plus you dont want to have posters jumping through hoops by not posting it until it's open and checking back on it to see if it is open).

fire**fly

thanks blue :j:A

i'm a YES as well
for the reasons you mention & also for the heads up on a comp :A
although I can see both sides of the coin about peeps worrying
they may enter early by mistake,
BUT it only takes a few secs to read the title/post where the op has said 'OPENS XX/XX or whatever,

Stoodles

Yes - everyone who posts is being hugely generous, so why would I object to them being generous in their own timing?

oliveoyl

Yes, as long as it's clear what the open date is, I don't see it as a major problem - as above, better early than not at all.

hannonle

Sorry, I've only just come back online after going to bed for a bit (like I said, I'm poorly). I think my problem came from speed reading and no longer really noticing text colour changes as being important. There are other comps where the comp link is posted in red or blue that I obviously missed the red text as a warning.

I had better make my views a bit clearer though...

If it's a monthly comp where we can enter once only and have the whole of the month to enter, then I don't see why it matters if it was posted a day or two after it opens if the poster is busy and can't post on the day. I don't think there's a desperate need for us to be able to enter the second the comp opens. In this circumstance I would rather have it late than early.

If it's a comp with a time element, especially an hourly, and to a lesser extent a daily, then the forewarning of posting a day early is quite nice. eg - I'm ready for the Times comp tomorrow after reading about it today.

If it's a recurring comp every month then they should be posted each month and not posted all at once, months in advance. Or even just as one thread that is bumped monthly.


I really do appreciate everyone who posts comps on here and I really didn't mean to offend. I guess I was being not very tactful because I was grouchy and I apologise. I'm sorry. I think it's good that it's triggered a discussion though.

PS - no typos this time so hopefully that means I'm well enough to have expressed myself better.

pps - It would be lovely to read some more responses from the No camp. I wonder what their reasonings are too. People seem to have voted but not actually commented.

glennamy

Voted 'Yes' to leave as is... clearly marked as to when it's open works & maybe OP's cannot always post at certain times etc...

One-Eye

It isn't a big deal, but for "normal" single entry comps, posting early should be avoided. It should not be banned. It is better to post early than too late/not at all. The overall principle should be to maximise the number of people who can make a valid entry into the comp.

For me, one problem with early posting is on those rare occasions where the nature of the comp changes between the time of posting and the time the comp actually opens. For example, a comp posted in advance might say "FB L,S,C" when posted, and I don't enter these, but it becomes "FB App" or "FB not needed" when it actually opens. Once I have ignored a comp I don't go back, even if it is bumped, so I would miss out on this.

Another problem with early posting is when a comp was posted so long ago that it is nowhere near the top of a page of search results. This can, and has, caused dupes of the comp when it finally opens.

WeAreGhosts

hannonle wrote: »

pps - It would be lovely to read some more responses from the No camp. I wonder what their reasonings are too. People seem to have voted but not actually commented.

i voted no, because I work via newest thread so never see them get bumped on the day they open. i know i could bookmark them but sometimes i work from a different computer. also, we have a lot of organised people here who tell us about the merits of bookmarking all the time ... why can't they bookmark the comp until it opens?

mrsHall2b

voted yes because it doesnt effect me, i end date so even if it was posted early its unlikely i would come across it untill it was closing anyways.