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

Contests & Sweepstakes Tips, Advice, and Questions

Sears
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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
Deal Details
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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May 21, 2013 01:29 AM
639 Posts
Joined Mar 2013
credmondMay 21, 2013 01:29 AM
639 Posts
Quote from implode :
No clue...could be something as stupid as zip code. Still ticked off, uncool to offer money then tell me tough luck.
Agreed. For this type of survey no one should be disqualified. It mostly concentrated on their sweepstakes/contest. Maybe you can inquire about it? http://www.marcresearch.com/surve...303&r=1408
May 21, 2013 05:46 AM
23,805 Posts
Joined Jan 2010
countylineMay 21, 2013 05:46 AM
23,805 Posts
Quote from implode :
Got a $20 survey invitation from Grizzly...so I spent some time filling it out, only to find out after 10 mins I didn't qualify. What a rip off. If you get the invitation don't waste your time. They are or someone else imitating them are running some kind rip off. They should be up front if their is some chance they won't award the money promised.
Quote from credmond :
I just did it and successfully completed it. What question do you think made you get disqualified?
Quote from implode :
No clue...could be something as stupid as zip code. Still ticked off, uncool to offer money then tell me tough luck.
I got it as well and qualified. If it made you go all the way through it then yeah I would be pissed too. Any questions that had the potential to dq you should have been at the very beginning and dropped you before going through the whole thing.

I doubt it was zipcode, probably an answer regarding usage.
May 21, 2013 09:00 AM
3,884 Posts
Joined Dec 2009
sweepstakerMay 21, 2013 09:00 AM
3,884 Posts
Thumbed and dangerous!

[ATTACH]2001562[/ATTACH]

Be on the lookout.

Brought to you by Sheriff sweepstaker and Deputy MLx3.
May 21, 2013 09:16 AM
26,018 Posts
Joined Dec 2010
User1144648May 21, 2013 09:16 AM
26,018 Posts
Quote from sweepstaker :
Thumbed and dangerous!

[ATTACH]2001562[/ATTACH]

Be on the lookout.

Brought to you by Sheriff sweepstaker and Deputy MLx3.
Time to round up a posse, boss!
[ATTACH]2001572[/ATTACH]
May 21, 2013 09:19 AM
976 Posts
Joined Oct 2008
miggy82May 21, 2013 09:19 AM
976 Posts
.....
Last edited by miggy82 February 17, 2016 at 09:02 PM.
May 21, 2013 12:29 PM
3,884 Posts
Joined Dec 2009
sweepstakerMay 21, 2013 12:29 PM
3,884 Posts
Quote from miggy82 :
I could really use some chocolate. Any specific threads to see if there is some kind of trend? The thing I really dislike about thumbs down in c&s section is that the person is pretty much insulting the original poster. People take the time to find sweeps. Get all the relevant information and then post in a clear format only for somebody to thumb a thread down. I really don't understand it. The only way I see a legitimate thumbs down is if it somehow leads to spam or the sweepstakes/contest is shady. It really discourages people from posting. People want to share but to be spit in the face for taking the time to share is not right. I see it done many times on contests. Especially on weekends. I think people forget that this is the Sweepstakes and Contests section. I mean these are Sweepstakes/Contests not deals. There is nothing you lose from entering/not entering.
If you're looking for a trend, it would be easier to look at what WASN'T touched. Yesterday for example, 68 threads were posted up until 9 pm. Of those, 59 received at least one negative or 'x' vote. 5 received all positive votes, and 4 received no votes. Here are the 9 threads that didn't receive any negative ratings:

http://slickdeals.net/f/6041022-MAKE-A-PLAY-FOR-AN-INSIDER-PADRES-EXPERIENCE-SWEEPSTAKES-21-CA-Only-06-30-13?v=1

http://slickdeals.net/f/6040992-Farmers-Insurance-Rascal-Facts-Sweepstakes-10-14-13-FB?v=1

http://slickdeals.net/f/6040628-Retweet-to-Win-a-Touchscreen-Deadbolt-Twitter-5-31-2013?v=1

http://slickdeals.net/f/6040410-Starts-6-1-Coca-Cola-POWERADE-Ultimate-Coaching-Session-with-a-Soccer-Legend-Sweepstakes-IWG-13-6-30-13?v=1

http://slickdeals.net/f/6040150-Premiere-Radio-Networks-Easton-Corbin-All-Over-The-Road-Country-Prize-You-Can-t-Buy-Sweepstakes-Presented-by-Super-8-6-2-13?v=1

http://slickdeals.net/f/6039800-Get-Your-FREE-Credit-Score-and-200-Visa-Gift-Card-Giveaway?v=1

http://slickdeals.net/f/6039594-Talbots-Have-Summer-Will-Travel-Sweepstakes-6-24-13-FB?v=1

http://slickdeals.net/f/6039482-Wii-U-Nintendo-E3-Contest-5-29-13-FB-Photo?v=1

http://slickdeals.net/f/6039474-Microsoft-Citizenship-Youth-Spark-Challenge-for-Change-Contest-18-25YO-6-24-13-FB-Photo-short-essay?v=1
May 21, 2013 03:08 PM
118,455 Posts
Joined May 2006
implodeMay 21, 2013 03:08 PM
118,455 Posts
Also speaking of Grizzly, anyone else receive shipping notice from My UPS about an item you won last week. But after further inspection they have only printed a label, and no movement on the item for an entire weeks time.

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May 21, 2013 05:33 PM
976 Posts
Joined Oct 2008
miggy82May 21, 2013 05:33 PM
976 Posts
.....
Last edited by miggy82 February 17, 2016 at 09:02 PM.
May 21, 2013 06:11 PM
6,323 Posts
Joined Sep 2006
KMAMay 21, 2013 06:11 PM
6,323 Posts
I'm a potential winner from Mike's Hard Lemonade (seat cushion), but when I click the link and enter my email address, it says, "Sorry, we were unable to find your email address.
Please check the address and try again." Any suggestions?
May 21, 2013 06:24 PM
2,432 Posts
Joined May 2006
TBotzonMay 21, 2013 06:24 PM
2,432 Posts
Quote from KMA :
I'm a potential winner from Mike's Hard Lemonade (seat cushion), but when I click the link and enter my email address, it says, "Sorry, we were unable to find your email address.
Please check the address and try again." Any suggestions?
Exact same email. Uggg. Will not work.

While I am complaining got to winning emails from the Reeses/NCAA saying I won on it $100 but codes will not work. Booo Mad
May 21, 2013 07:28 PM
976 Posts
Joined Oct 2008
miggy82May 21, 2013 07:28 PM
976 Posts
.....
Last edited by miggy82 February 17, 2016 at 09:01 PM.
May 21, 2013 07:36 PM
5,152 Posts
Joined Oct 2008
SweepaholicMay 21, 2013 07:36 PM
5,152 Posts
Quote from miggy82 :
Was wondering if anybody would be interested in a friendly C&S sweep/contest posting competition. The way it would work would be that somebody would use random.org to roll between 1 - 30 to figure out a date in June. On that date the threads posted by the qualified competitors would count towards the competition. Seven days after at a selected time we would count up the points for the threads that were posted on the competition date. You would receive one point for each unique user post (ex thanks) in your thread and two points for each thumbs up. You would also receive negative points for blunders. Negative three points for a repost and negative one point for a Canada only thread. In the spirit of honest competition competitors would be unable to thumb up their own thread on the competition date. Competitors posts on their own threads would also not count towards their point total. Competitors would also be asked to refrain from asking family/friends/etc for thumbs up or posts. In order to throw off non competitors from the contest date competitors would need to qualify for the competition by posting at least two threads each day for the two days before the competition date and the two days after. In order to prevent competitors from saving their sweeps/contests for the competition, only threads whose sweep/contest start date is within five days of post date would count. All time would be EST since most sweeps/contests run on EST. The winner would receive three quality sweeps for the winner to post from each competitor. Losing competitors would have thirty days to give winner three quality sweeps. If winner does not post given sweep within six hours of PM then the competitor would have the right to post sweep and the sweep would count towards their three. These are just general terms and conditions but they can be changed to make the competition better as long as the majority of competitors agree. If anybody is interested PM me. This is just to make things more fun and the C&S community also benefits from the sweeps posted on the competition date. If this is not allowed or if anybody is offended please let me know and I will forget the whole competition and delete my post.
EEK! That made my head hurt reading that LMAO
May 21, 2013 07:44 PM
6,323 Posts
Joined Sep 2006
KMAMay 21, 2013 07:44 PM
6,323 Posts
Quote from miggy82 :
You would also receive negative points for blunders. Negative three points for a repost and negative one point for a Canada only thread.
Unfortunately there are a couple of problems that make for reposts by seasoned posters:
1. OP used the wrong/unofficial sweepstakes title
2. SD search feature sometimes misses even when you use the correct spelling and it also misses when you hit submit or preview.

I've created a few reposts and it's very annoying when I've gone through the effort to search, then through the effort to post, only to find that the sweeps already exists. I'd think it would be more beneficial to just post things like, "Thanks," than to create a new sweeps thread, since you don't risk losing points from reposting.
May 21, 2013 07:44 PM
26,018 Posts
Joined Dec 2010
User1144648May 21, 2013 07:44 PM
26,018 Posts
Quote from Sweepaholic :
EEK! That made my head hurt reading that LMAO
Me too! Blackeye

No, I'm not interested in a sweeps posting competition. I post sweeps for fun, because I enjoy sharing with the SD community, and love to read about fellow SDer's wins.

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May 21, 2013 08:13 PM
118,455 Posts
Joined May 2006
implodeMay 21, 2013 08:13 PM
118,455 Posts
I have no intention to compete with others posting...afraid not only would it create arguments, but the quality of posts would suffer. I really don't see an issue with posting a Canadian contest, or a local one, if people find out about it can use it.

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