How Not To Hold A Blog Contest
Please see this post from A Blog About Nothing for something I totally missed before and my apology in the comments. Much of what is below has been somewhat invalidated, however it is still good advice for holding a contest. Pick a random winner whenever you can and be very clear on how to enter the contest and how it will be judged.
A while back I entered a competition to describe what I would do if I had $50 to spend on my blog. I wrote this post for a competition on A Blog About Nothing and the winner was chosen recently. If you read through the comments from the post announcing the winner you will find some interesting responses. In particular, Beth from afrogtokiss.net summed things up rather well:
A bit offensive? Really offensive. We took the time to write a post giving you a backlinks and you 1. don’t thank us and 2. Insult those of us who entered.
There are a few things that one can learn on how not to hold a blog contest by using this contest as an example.
Here is the first lesson when running a blog contest: pick a random winner. If that is not the way you wish to hold the contest, then be very clear exactly how you will pick the winner...up front. Had I known that the intent was to come up with the most original way of spending $50 on my blog I certainly would have composed a different post for the contest. Instead:
Zybron - This was a pretty common entry/comment for this contest. Buy a domain name and move to a real self-host Word Press solution. Again not original
Well, next time that I am aware that I'm looking for something 'original' I'll be happy to post an original idea. Instead, you asked what I would do if I had $50 to spend on my blog. I was truthful. I would spend the money improving my blog like I described.
Second lesson - announce exactly what you are looking for in your contest. Since part of the criteria of judging in this contest was originality and it wasn't announced before-hand, many of the contestants were upset with the manner in which it was judged. I'm sure, had the originality factor been present from the first day of the contest, no one would have been upset for being critiqued on their choice of how to spend the money.
It's important to realize before hand that people can become quite upset over something like this and it could impact your blog negatively. Personally, I'm pretty happy that I was only tagged with being unoriginal. He was fairly scathing to some of the other participants.
7 comments:
I think the worst part of it is the fact that he still believes he did nothing wrong. I had nothing to do with the contest, but reading over what he wrote even made me feel a bit offended. There just wasn't any tact to it.
Anything good that could have come from the contest will now be reverted and multiplied to bad. It's sad really.
I was going to write a nice long winded response to your post, but instead I'll write a post in response to you and a few others. I think you'll see where I'm coming from once I do. If nothing else I don't mind throwing a few more links out there.
Oh good, I look forward to reading it.
If I was holding any contest, even a contest where the winner won nothing but a link back, I certainly wouldn't point out what was "wrong" with each entry. I would thank every person for entering and give them an automatic entry into another contest, or something of that nature. Being rude to your readers -not the way to blog. I think he knew who he wanted to win before we even submitted our posts. Random is always the best way to go and SHOW your readers by using Random.org. It's fair.
http://afrogtokiss.net
Wow!
I wasn't involved with that contest, but I really think his "reasons" for not choosing folks were just crass. It's no wonder people got angry.
ABAN,
You should really look at that post objectively. It really is a slap in the face to anyone that entered that contest. I also feel like your "Well, I linked back to you, didn't I?" is beyond arrogant. You didn't have to go to those lengths (nor did you have to kiss butt).
Just my unbiased opinion.
Beth - You are incorrigible. There's no point in even dialogging with you. I think he knew who he wanted to win before we even submitted our posts. That is by far the most absurd thing I've read yet regarding this whole thing.
Lizzie - How were my reasons "crass"? They were within the bounds of the contest rules I set. I didn't make up false reasons I simply told people why they didn't win. Some people like to know those things, and apparently some people don't. The only reason that I even mentioned the backlinks is because on more than one occasion I've been lambasted by people preaching at me how they "took the time to enter my contest providing links back to my blog". I was merely pointing out that they hadn't done so in a vacuum without anyone returning the favor.
Zybron - I appreciate you acknowledging there had been an oversight in your reading of the "rules" and you're right. I should have been brutally clear several times over about how it would be judged.
wah seem the owner of the contest answered all your complains hehe.
beth, I am looking for your 200 cr contest then..
it just usd 50 , not 500
cheers
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