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forum threadFreebiesRGreat posted Jun 03, 2008 02:50 AM
forum threadFreebiesRGreat posted Jun 03, 2008 02:50 AM

Contests & Sweepstakes Tips, Advice, and Questions

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The intent of this thread is for users, both new and not-so-new, to ask questions, and help with tips/advice. This is not by any means the "gospel". Please feel free to add your words of wisdom, and if you have questions, just ask! If you have a tip that will make sweeping easier for folks, please feel free to share. This is a community effort. We all will benefit in some way.


The Basic Advice/Tips for the new-to-sweeping folks.
Enter for the items you want/need. If you have no interest in trips, avoid the sweeps where the only prize is a trip. If you know you can't afford the tax on a new vehicle, avoid entering for those.

Set up folders in your bookmark/favorites. Create a separate one for each month, and file any sweeps you are interested in into the folder corresponding with when it ends. Then, if you have a day where you're pressed for time, enter at least the ones ending that day.

Play the instant win games.

Follow the rules! If a sweep is restricted to only females, a certain age group, certain states, etc, make sure you fit the criteria! If you don't, move on to another sweep that you do qualify for. Do not create a bunch of email addresses so you can enter something more than once, or so you can play an Instant win game more. The Sponsors can tell, and will DQ you. You're better off playing by the rules than cheating and getting disqualified and having NO entries.

Don't immediately dismiss essay required sweeps (or recipes, photos, etc)....well, unless you know you don't want to write something. A lot of people pass on them, so you might have a better shot at winning something.

Don't expect this to be lucrative enough to become a job. Yes, a lot of us win, and often, but not nearly enough to quit a job!

Expect things to go slow at first. It takes a while for the wins to roll in. But once they do...look out!

Expect to occasionally hit a dry spell. It happens to ALL of us.

DEFINITELY USE YOUR REAL INFO! If you use a fake phone number, and a sponsor is calling to notify people of wins, you'll never know what you missed out on. I, and many others, have been doing this for a long time, and we have no problems with sales calls. Also, use your real name. If your name is Robert or Catherine, using Bob or Cathy is ok, as they are known acceptable shorter versions of that name. if your name is Matilda, and you go by Fluffy, don't use Fluffy. Looking at your ID to get an affy notarized, they may reject it because the names don't match. The sponsor may also say "Fluffy won, not Matilda". So stick with using your real name, or something close to it.

Most of all, HAVE FUN! And don't be afraid to ask questions. We were all new to this at one time. Any one of us would be happy to answer questions.


For easy form filling, check out Roboform [roboform.com]. Google Tool bar and the autofill feature on IE also work well.

For Mac users, the best form filler is 1Password: http://agilewebsolutions.com/products/1Password (thanks javaFlower!)

FireFox Form Filler browser extensions: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/...ll&cat=all

To set up the autofill feature in IE: Click on Tools, then internet options, then choose 'content'. When that pops up, click on "Autocomplete", and make sure to check the boxes for forms and passwords on forms. This is not a good idea if you are on a shared/public computer!

February 17, 2009, 3:10 am: System Notice: This thread has been automatically renewed after reaching a post limit. Most of its content has been moved to this thread for reference purposes.

July 12, 2010, 3:23 pm: System Notice: This thread has been automatically renewed after reaching a post limit. Most of its content has been moved to this thread for reference purposes.
Community Notes
About the Poster
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Community Notes
About the Poster
The intent of this thread is for users, both new and not-so-new, to ask questions, and help with tips/advice. This is not by any means the "gospel". Please feel free to add your words of wisdom, and if you have questions, just ask! If you have a tip that will make sweeping easier for folks, please feel free to share. This is a community effort. We all will benefit in some way.


The Basic Advice/Tips for the new-to-sweeping folks.
Enter for the items you want/need. If you have no interest in trips, avoid the sweeps where the only prize is a trip. If you know you can't afford the tax on a new vehicle, avoid entering for those.

Set up folders in your bookmark/favorites. Create a separate one for each month, and file any sweeps you are interested in into the folder corresponding with when it ends. Then, if you have a day where you're pressed for time, enter at least the ones ending that day.

Play the instant win games.

Follow the rules! If a sweep is restricted to only females, a certain age group, certain states, etc, make sure you fit the criteria! If you don't, move on to another sweep that you do qualify for. Do not create a bunch of email addresses so you can enter something more than once, or so you can play an Instant win game more. The Sponsors can tell, and will DQ you. You're better off playing by the rules than cheating and getting disqualified and having NO entries.

Don't immediately dismiss essay required sweeps (or recipes, photos, etc)....well, unless you know you don't want to write something. A lot of people pass on them, so you might have a better shot at winning something.

Don't expect this to be lucrative enough to become a job. Yes, a lot of us win, and often, but not nearly enough to quit a job!

Expect things to go slow at first. It takes a while for the wins to roll in. But once they do...look out!

Expect to occasionally hit a dry spell. It happens to ALL of us.

DEFINITELY USE YOUR REAL INFO! If you use a fake phone number, and a sponsor is calling to notify people of wins, you'll never know what you missed out on. I, and many others, have been doing this for a long time, and we have no problems with sales calls. Also, use your real name. If your name is Robert or Catherine, using Bob or Cathy is ok, as they are known acceptable shorter versions of that name. if your name is Matilda, and you go by Fluffy, don't use Fluffy. Looking at your ID to get an affy notarized, they may reject it because the names don't match. The sponsor may also say "Fluffy won, not Matilda". So stick with using your real name, or something close to it.

Most of all, HAVE FUN! And don't be afraid to ask questions. We were all new to this at one time. Any one of us would be happy to answer questions.


For easy form filling, check out Roboform [roboform.com]. Google Tool bar and the autofill feature on IE also work well.

For Mac users, the best form filler is 1Password: http://agilewebsolutions.com/products/1Password (thanks javaFlower!)

FireFox Form Filler browser extensions: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/...ll&cat=all

To set up the autofill feature in IE: Click on Tools, then internet options, then choose 'content'. When that pops up, click on "Autocomplete", and make sure to check the boxes for forms and passwords on forms. This is not a good idea if you are on a shared/public computer!

February 17, 2009, 3:10 am: System Notice: This thread has been automatically renewed after reaching a post limit. Most of its content has been moved to this thread for reference purposes.

July 12, 2010, 3:23 pm: System Notice: This thread has been automatically renewed after reaching a post limit. Most of its content has been moved to this thread for reference purposes.

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Aug 23, 2012 04:26 PM
248 Posts
Joined Apr 2008
theviper21Aug 23, 2012 04:26 PM
248 Posts
Quote from chuckecheez :
Well, there isn't any one right system. If bookmarks work for you, then by all means use that method; it's really about whatever someone finds most convenient and comfortable. I don't find that opening a bunch of tabs at once really saves much time, and on the off chance that a site is down and you can't enter right at that moment, it becomes difficult to remember to check it later. I highlight the spreadsheet with yellow so I know which ones are done for the day.

Also, while keeping track of total entries really is more for stats than anything (I'm just anal that way), the last time entered comes in really handy for 24-hour sweeps. I've found that a lot of the ones listed here as daily entry are actually once per 24 hours so you have to keep track of last entry to avoid possible disqualification. Not all of them will tell you that you already submitted within 24 hours but the rules may disqualify duplicates. I'm sure there are dozens of methods that different people use to organize but was simply providing my own feedback to anyone wanting advice.
I agree with you and you definitely make some good points. I wouldn't be surprised if I DQ myself accidentally from some 24hr. contests because I enter sooner than 24hrs and it doesn't give me an error (which is why I like ones like the Shell one that at least tell you). Yours sounds like a good system and I wish I had time to keep track of mine like that, but I usually only have about 30-45 min a day to do mine so I pretty much just launch them all and if I can't enter one that day, I forget about it until the next.

I definitely wasn't trying to knock on your method, I just like to try and understand why people use the systems they use so I can incorporate any new methods I find useful.
Aug 23, 2012 07:40 PM
67 Posts
Joined Mar 2008
ITAF3CanAug 23, 2012 07:40 PM
67 Posts
Quote from crazee_an :
even i got the ups alert from q pharma today for a 1.3lb package... what was it for you???
Any idea what this is? I got the alert yesterday and could not figure out where it came from.
Aug 23, 2012 07:43 PM
547 Posts
Joined Sep 2008
CoachSauersAug 23, 2012 07:43 PM
547 Posts
I received a package from q pharma a few days ago. It was filled with cheap stuff related to protecting your skin from sun damage(ugly hat/chap-stick/sunscreen).
Aug 23, 2012 07:46 PM
67 Posts
Joined Mar 2008
ITAF3CanAug 23, 2012 07:46 PM
67 Posts
Quote from cheba63 :
I received a package from q pharma a few days ago. It was filled with cheap stuff related to protecting your skin from sun damage(ugly hat/chap-stick/sunscreen).
In that case I'm hoping they are working their way up the prize ladder. Do you know what contest it was from?
Aug 23, 2012 07:59 PM
547 Posts
Joined Sep 2008
CoachSauersAug 23, 2012 07:59 PM
547 Posts
I have no idea what it was from.
Pro
QA
Aug 23, 2012 08:31 PM
3,567 Posts
Joined Feb 2009
rachaelm
Pro
QA
Aug 23, 2012 08:31 PM
3,567 Posts
Quote from pennyrose :
FWIW - I didn't think your post sounded nasty - I've read nastynod

I do have a question, though. Could you tell me how you find the contests that end on a certain date? I used to put the end date in the search box, but that hasn't worked in a long time.

Appreciate any help I can get. Thanks.
I'm glad I had a lot of positive responses to my post. I wasn't trying to be ugly, it's so hard to read inflection. Interwebz is good for miscommunication.

I search the contest & sweeps forum by end date by entering the date in the search box like this "8/23/12" (yes I include the quotation marks for a cleaner search), then I check the 'thread titles only' box. This way I can get a pretty good list of ones that will end that day. HTH & good luck!
Aug 24, 2012 12:09 AM
1,369 Posts
Joined Sep 2009
pennyroseAug 24, 2012 12:09 AM
1,369 Posts
Quote from rachaelm :
I'm glad I had a lot of positive responses to my post. I wasn't trying to be ugly, it's so hard to read inflection. Interwebz is good for miscommunication.

I search the contest & sweeps forum by end date by entering the date in the search box like this "8/23/12" (yes I include the quotation marks for a cleaner search), then I check the 'thread titles only' box. This way I can get a pretty good list of ones that will end that day. HTH & good luck!
That is ALMOST exactly what I did - except I entered it like this "8-23-12" and it would come up with 0 posts.EEK! Who would have thunk?? lol But so glad I can finally do this again.

Thanks and repped rachaelm!

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Aug 24, 2012 01:21 AM
1,998 Posts
Joined Jul 2007
fruitdog69Aug 24, 2012 01:21 AM
1,998 Posts
Quote from Sweepaholic :
I understand what your saying, my pet peeve is people bumping dead threads to post a win when thats what we have the "what I won" thread for!
My pet peeve is people misusing your/you're. Stick Out Tongue

Edit: Oh yeah, why I came here initially. Has anyone figured out how to stop Roboform from failing so hard on the FB promotions lately?
Aug 26, 2012 07:08 AM
1,133 Posts
Joined Nov 2007
chuckecheezAug 26, 2012 07:08 AM
1,133 Posts
How many here enter blog giveaways? I had a couple of good wins right off the bat so got hooked but the entry process is so cumbersome that I don't think I'm going to focus on them much going forward. I mean...how many different blogs can I possibly "Like" and "Follow"? Just when I think I must have gotten them all, a new giveaway shows up with 20 new required "likes". I must be at around 200 now; can't even keep up with my tweets or facebook stream anymore. Just wondering if there's some trick I don't know about, or is that just the nature of blogs? Click Like on every new one that pops up til you hit your 5K Facebook max "Like" limit. I really don't get it; do the blog owners honestly think people are keeping up with those hundreds of posts a day? I just don't see the advantage of getting everyone in the world to "Like" your page, especially when the reality is most of them only do it for the latest giveaway.
Aug 26, 2012 02:00 PM
5,152 Posts
Joined Oct 2008
SweepaholicAug 26, 2012 02:00 PM
5,152 Posts
Quote from chuckecheez :
How many here enter blog giveaways? I had a couple of good wins right off the bat so got hooked but the entry process is so cumbersome that I don't think I'm going to focus on them much going forward. I mean...how many different blogs can I possibly "Like" and "Follow"? Just when I think I must have gotten them all, a new giveaway shows up with 20 new required "likes". I must be at around 200 now; can't even keep up with my tweets or facebook stream anymore. Just wondering if there's some trick I don't know about, or is that just the nature of blogs? Click Like on every new one that pops up til you hit your 5K Facebook max "Like" limit. I really don't get it; do the blog owners honestly think people are keeping up with those hundreds of posts a day? I just don't see the advantage of getting everyone in the world to "Like" your page, especially when the reality is most of them only do it for the latest giveaway.
I never do blog giveaways!
Aug 26, 2012 02:04 PM
2,985 Posts
Joined Oct 2007
lusesitaAug 26, 2012 02:04 PM
2,985 Posts
Quote from Sweepaholic :
I never do blog giveaways!
me either and I rarely like something on fb - if I do not have to I do not like - if I like I dislike after LOL
Aug 26, 2012 02:10 PM
5,152 Posts
Joined Oct 2008
SweepaholicAug 26, 2012 02:10 PM
5,152 Posts
Quote from lusesita :
me either and I rarely like something on fb - if I do not have to I do not like - if I like I dislike after LOL
Me to LMAO
Aug 26, 2012 03:28 PM
118,455 Posts
Joined May 2006
implodeAug 26, 2012 03:28 PM
118,455 Posts
Quote from chuckecheez :
How many here enter blog giveaways? I had a couple of good wins right off the bat so got hooked but the entry process is so cumbersome that I don't think I'm going to focus on them much going forward. I mean...how many different blogs can I possibly "Like" and "Follow"? Just when I think I must have gotten them all, a new giveaway shows up with 20 new required "likes". I must be at around 200 now; can't even keep up with my tweets or facebook stream anymore. Just wondering if there's some trick I don't know about, or is that just the nature of blogs? Click Like on every new one that pops up til you hit your 5K Facebook max "Like" limit. I really don't get it; do the blog owners honestly think people are keeping up with those hundreds of posts a day? I just don't see the advantage of getting everyone in the world to "Like" your page, especially when the reality is most of them only do it for the latest giveaway.
Contests run by individuals may or may not be totally on the up and up. Find myself getting spammed a lot more when I enter those. Plus chances are they may pocket the prizes. As such not a huge fan.
Aug 26, 2012 04:41 PM
893 Posts
Joined Mar 2012
mannymannAug 26, 2012 04:41 PM
893 Posts
I got a UPS notification from "Don Jagoda".. any idea what this can be?..

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Aug 26, 2012 04:46 PM
208 Posts
Joined May 2009
empyreanAug 26, 2012 04:46 PM
208 Posts
Quote from chuckecheez :
How many here enter blog giveaways? I had a couple of good wins right off the bat so got hooked but the entry process is so cumbersome that I don't think I'm going to focus on them much going forward. I mean...how many different blogs can I possibly "Like" and "Follow"? Just when I think I must have gotten them all, a new giveaway shows up with 20 new required "likes". I must be at around 200 now; can't even keep up with my tweets or facebook stream anymore. Just wondering if there's some trick I don't know about, or is that just the nature of blogs? Click Like on every new one that pops up til you hit your 5K Facebook max "Like" limit. I really don't get it; do the blog owners honestly think people are keeping up with those hundreds of posts a day? I just don't see the advantage of getting everyone in the world to "Like" your page, especially when the reality is most of them only do it for the latest giveaway.
I used to enter a ton of blog giveaways (I don't enter sweeps from Slickdeals) and have started back doing them this past week. I've won a lot from them from expensive sheet sets to strollers and carseat sets for my sister to a ton of gift cards - always, always received my prizes. I tallied that I was winning about 1 out of every 50 - of course I tweeted everyday. I'm following my limit on Twitter now and never look at my twitter feed laugh out loud Then the huge creative presentation blogs came along and I don't enter them at all. Too much trouble and I would be scared to like that many Facebook pages at once. Now I rarely will like a blog for an entry. The bigger the following a blog has, the bigger sponsors they can get hence the need for as many likes and follows as possible.

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