ok/express/new/star/etc comps - follow on to poll thread

Biker*Chick

Following on from this poll: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/69645957#Comment_69645957

So everyone voted to have these comps posted under one thread. No problem - that's what I've done. However...

One-Eye wrote: »

They can't be posted "condensed" when:

a) They have different end dates for the same prize
eg.
E: 08/12 Win a premium Access All Areas gift box (Daily Star)
E: 09/12 Win a premium Access All Areas gift box (OK!)

b) Sometimes one or more of the sites doesn't put the comp online at the same time as the others.

c) Sometimes the form on one of the sites is faulty.

Biker*Chick does a fantastic job with these and has a system that works well.

^^^^ Exactly this.

A comp I posted yesterday here: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/69869280#Comment_69869280 had a particular prize missing from three of the sites. In that instance I could only post what was appearing on the sites.

After I posted the thread, the comp then appeared on two of the sister sites. My OP was then 'bumped' to give the links to the other sites (Express and Star Mag).

The problem with this is that people who already entered the comp yesterday are unlikely to a) see the bump and b) return to the thread, so those people will miss out on their additional entries.

1. My resolution was/is to post comps which appear AFTER my OP in new threads, then link back to the OP.

2. Where one of the sites shows an earlier end date in the terms, I will use that as the default end date otherwise people may miss out (anyone have a better idea how to handle these ones without splitting the thread into two or more posts?)

3. I could delay posting for 3-4 days AFTER the new comps appear to allow all the sites to update. However, that would mean a 'newbie' may well start posting random comps from the sites as they won't be aware they should be posted all at one time, which would be a right pain.

TBH these take me a couple of hours to sort through and post up, keeping a check on all the comps and on which sites they appear, so I can follow up and post any subsequently appearing.

If people don't like the system I work under, or would prefer these comps to be a free-for-all in terms of posting up then by all means respond here.

Cheers, B*C :cool:

p.s. yes, the toys have been thrown out of the pram today :beer:

mumto2boys

Hey BC, I think the system you had was fine, although a lot of work for you I reckon!

A possible solution could be a not all open yet title?

E: 31/01 Win xbox (not all links live yet)

Then list your links that are live, and go back to it when they are all live, cutting out newbies jumping in, cutting out several open posts, and potentially cutting out people missing any add on's you do, as I personally would skip the entire thread until I could see that you are happy all links are open, working and fine and dandy?

p.s. I throw toys a lot in my house but I don't really notice with all the toys already on the floor xx

Biker*Chick

mumto2boys wrote: »

Hey BC, I think the system you had was fine, although a lot of work for you I reckon!

A possible solution could be a not all open yet title?

E: 31/01 Win xbox (not all links live yet)

Then list your links that are live, and go back to it when they are all live, cutting out newbies jumping in, cutting out several open posts, and potentially cutting out people missing any add on's you do, as I personally would skip the entire thread until I could see that you are happy all links are open, working and fine and dandy?

p.s. I throw toys a lot in my house but I don't really notice with all the toys already on the floor xx

:rotfl:

Thanks Mums - I appreciate your suggestion. That would require people to bookmark all the threads and return to them when they are live (so that was 14 threads for yesterday) or return to them as you say you will do. However, I can never guarantee a comp will always be posted on every site (e.g. the Disney Store vouchers is not appearing on the Express site and actually may never appear there - so do I add that as a 'potential' link even if the comp ultimately never appears? Will that delay people entering the others?)

I still think the better solution is to create a new thread and link to the OP, even if (as happened yesterday) the comps appeared on the sister sites just a few hours after I'd posted the threads :doh::wall:

Maybe I'll go back to my earlier posting style and add this text instead:

"Not on [ADD SITE NAMES] I will create a new thread if/when they appear"

:cool:

mumto2boys

As long as you are happy with how they are posted and it doesn't create more work for you, you do however you think is best :T

bishopsgirl

I am very happy and grateful for the way you are posting them at the moment. However I think you should post them in whatever way you prefer.


Thank you Biker * Chick

grannybiker

Your post, your favoured method- just mho


Thanks for posting x

gizmobenny

I'm very grateful for whichever way you post and I think it should be up to you to do it the way you find the easiest.
Thanks for all your hard work x :beer:

leanfun30

Agree with all above.

You should post in the easiest way for you that takes the least time.

Thank you for all your post and hard work.

jamielmdjs

Your work is being and always will be loved.


All separate was fine but I did like the change to condensed, I have to admit. Quicker and easier to enter (sometimes there is a long stream of those comps and it doesn't seem as taxing when they are condensed and helps anyone who uses snaplinks or the like).


Your suggestion of posting any stragglers in separate threads seems perfect to me (I see some of the condensed MAG dailies threads often have one or 2 posted separate). No great issue with that as a system and as you say, better than bumping so people don't miss them.


The end date question, I agree with going with the earliest one and just sticking that for all. There's only a day of a difference, and you could even find that the early one is actually the real end date and the other is a mistake (sometimes these have been posted with a time of expiry - 6pm I think, when often they update their website on the day much earlier than that so they are taken from the site before that expiry time). Erring on the early is better. Lots of comps get posted with an end date, but it ends at midnight that day, ie the first second of that day, so it really expires the day before!


But - it's your thread, your comps, do what makes it easier for you which in the end, is the most important thing.

One-Eye

Biker*Chick wrote: »

"Not on [ADD SITE NAMES] I will create a new thread if/when they appear"

^^^^ This sort of thing is the best idea.

With suitable wording you can have text that can apply to ALL the Northern & Shell group comps so you can just copy it into all your posts. It can be used both for the original thread and for the subsequent "catch-up" threads. It can also be used where you decide on separate threads due to a different end date (although if it is only a couple of days difference you might as well post them in one thread with the earlier date). You also do not really need to link back/forward to the other threads. This should save you some work.

eg.

Links to the comp on any group website missing above will be posted in a separate thread.
Please DO NOT post links to the other group websites below.

Biker*Chick

One-Eye wrote: »

^^^^ This sort of thing is the best idea.

With suitable wording you can have text that can apply to ALL the Northern & Shell group comps so you can just copy it into all your posts. It can be used both for the original thread and for the subsequent "catch-up" threads. It can also be used where you decide on separate threads due to a different end date (although if it is only a couple of days difference you might as well post them in one thread with the earlier date). You also do not really need to link back/forward to the other threads. This should save you some work.

eg.

Links to the comp on any group website missing above will be posted in a separate thread.
Please DO NOT post links to the other group websites below.

Thanks One-Eye :A :beer:

Thanks also for everyone's comments above - I've picked up the toys and put them back in the pram