Competitions (NO ASKING FOR VOTES)

Twixster · 18-05-2011 05:13PM

I have to say that since the facebook group was set up for competitions this thread seems to have slowed down alot.
If boards.ie start deleting our links to competitions due to regulations it will make this thread even quieter.
This will be hard for some people as I know they don't have access to facebook so they will really miss out on our 'group'

doradoll · 18-05-2011 05:28PM

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Darragh · 18-05-2011 06:16PM

Twixster wrote: »

I have to say that since the facebook group was set up for competitions this thread seems to have slowed down alot.
If boards.ie start deleting our links to competitions due to regulations it will make this thread even quieter.
This will be hard for some people as I know they don't have access to facebook so they will really miss out on our 'group'

This is a worry of mine as well.

Don't worry, we'll come up with the best possible solution we can

Skid · 18-05-2011 06:25PM

I'm at a loss as to how this thread has been going for over three years, then all of a sudden it's considered toxic and posts are being deleted.

Surely it would have been better for Boards to come up a new policy for the thread, rather than jumping in and leaving it in the current state of limbo?

I, for one, have no interest in posting new competitions until there is a clear policy in place - I've no idea what will or won't be deleted.

Ghall · 18-05-2011 07:09PM

Win Tickets to see Joseph at the Grand Canal Theatre:

Question: How many brothers has Joseph?

Answers by e-mail only to Competition@informer.ie

Include your details and contact number.

Closing date: 31st May.

hayser · 18-05-2011 07:37PM

Does anyone know the name or have the link to the Facebook page?

Darragh · 18-05-2011 09:10PM

SkidMark wrote: »

I'm at a loss as to how this thread has been going for over three years, then all of a sudden it's considered toxic and posts are being deleted.

Surely it would have been better for Boards to come up a new policy for the thread, rather than jumping in and leaving it in the current state of limbo?

I, for one, have no interest in posting new competitions until there is a clear policy in place - I've no idea what will or won't be deleted.

It's very simple. Boards.ie is a very popular website and marketers are using this thread to push traffic to their websites, without supporting the site by contributing posts or by advertising with us. They come for the traffic and give nothing.

If we were to continue to allow this, the site would have to close. We wouldn't have the money to pay for staff, offices or infrastructure. No more site. Extreme? Not if you look at the amount of sites directly profiting from this thread.

So what I have to do now is come up with a policy around this - one of the suggestions being that we restrict this thread, like others on the site, to members with x amounts of posts or who have been a certain time on site.

Our policy on commercial activity on Boards.ie is fairly simple - if you are earning money because of what you post - be that a link to your website, promoting an event or whatever - you should pay Boards.ie to do that. I think that's fairly reasonable, don't you?

This is probably my favourite thread on Boards.ie.

You should know that I have defied many people in the office by keeping this thread open for as long as I have. I have been challenged on it numerous times, especially when posters who have never contributed before and never will again have popped up to promote competitions they wouldn't advertise on our site. While it's great for the community, it's not great for our revenue.

I also don't like the Facebook Group. Small though it might be, it is taking members away from posting and contributing here. It's something we'll have to talk about.

So let me ask you - other than leaving things as they were - what's best for Boards.ie to do here, to keep you posting and continue sharing on our site? How can we make this better for you and avoid people promoting their own websites or competitions?

I'm open to all reasonable suggestions here.

Darragh

christinadublin · 18-05-2011 09:15PM

Every three months hamleys will draw one lucky child's name to win a themed party at the store of your choice.

www.hamleys.com/winaparty

Vain · 18-05-2011 09:25PM

Darragh wrote: »

I also don't like the Facebook Group. Small though it might be, it is taking members away from posting and contributing here. It's something we'll have to talk about.

So let me ask you - other than leaving things as they were - what's best for Boards.ie to do here, to keep you posting and continue sharing on our site? How can we make this better for you and avoid people promoting their own websites or competitions?

I'm open to all reasonable suggestions here.

Darragh

For what its worth I also think posting comps here is better than on the facebook group. I just find the group hard to read and for checking back over comps. Like I could win something and just search this thread for it and I can find when it was posted and what prize was it and how i entered. When you enter so many comps its hard to remember them all.

As for people coming on here to promote their own website, This thread seems to have its regular users so how about restrict access to this thread for people over 10 posts so ye know its not a spammer or a promoter or having this thread blocked like the ranting and raving one where access can be gained only from pmin a mod?

kerash · 18-05-2011 09:27PM

Surely if people report posts that are obvious shilling and mods delete them the thread can continue? Is this all about money?
The regular posters who link are not earning money from what they post. Restrictions to posters with a certain number of posts would work I think.

Or are you looking at going more extreme route- So the only competitions would be direct entry ones i.e no linking to an outside website?
but for example 'send your entry to comp@wherever.com to win a holiday' would be ok?

Darragh · 18-05-2011 09:34PM

You know, if posts were reported, that might be enough. I'm very aware of the regular posters here - I read the posts every day - and I don't want to lose them

I do think though that x amount of posts for access would be a good thing too.

buttonsc · 18-05-2011 09:50PM

We are Runing a competition for two FREE tickets to see Mary Black in concert @ The Bridge House Hotel on Sunday 12th June, doors open @ 8pm,
To be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is answer the following question?
What date is Mary Black playing at the Bridge House Hotel?

http://www.bridgehouse.com/competition

rameire · 18-05-2011 09:54PM

i concur with the post count before being able to post a competition.
i am part of the facebook group, but I aim to post every competition here and on the facebook group.

i agree with the above poster, the facebook setup is very messy and the ideal format is on boards. as it leaves out all the rubbish that comes with facebook posts.

Skid · 18-05-2011 10:09PM

Darragh wrote: »

It's very simple. Boards.ie is a very popular website and marketers are using this thread to push traffic to their websites, without supporting the site by contributing posts or by advertising with us. They come for the traffic and give nothing.

If we were to continue to allow this, the site would have to close. We wouldn't have the money to pay for staff, offices or infrastructure. No more site. Extreme? Not if you look at the amount of sites directly profiting from this thread.

So what I have to do now is come up with a policy around this - one of the suggestions being that we restrict this thread, like others on the site, to members with x amounts of posts or who have been a certain time on site.

Our policy on commercial activity on Boards.ie is fairly simple - if you are earning money because of what you post - be that a link to your website, promoting an event or whatever - you should pay Boards.ie to do that. I think that's fairly reasonable, don't you?

This is probably my favourite thread on Boards.ie.

You should know that I have defied many people in the office by keeping this thread open for as long as I have. I have been challenged on it numerous times, especially when posters who have never contributed before and never will again have popped up to promote competitions they wouldn't advertise on our site. While it's great for the community, it's not great for our revenue.

I also don't like the Facebook Group. Small though it might be, it is taking members away from posting and contributing here. It's something we'll have to talk about.

So let me ask you - other than leaving things as they were - what's best for Boards.ie to do here, to keep you posting and continue sharing on our site? How can we make this better for you and avoid people promoting their own websites or competitions?

I'm open to all reasonable suggestions here.

Darragh

Thanks Darragh,

For starters I wasn't aware that it was such a problem.

There is nothing in the Forum Charter and I've never seen a Mod Warning in this forum that companies should not post to promote their own competitions.

I might have missed it - I tend to dip in and out of the thread.
I still think the majority of competitions are posted by people who just like to enter competitions.

Clearly some are posted by people connected to their own comps - If Boards does not want these competitions to be posted I'd be happy to report them when I see them.

A lot of regular posters here have low post counts - this is because they mainly or only post in this forum, but for some reasons posts in this forum are not added to your overall post count.

If you look at their history they plenty of posts, all just sharing various competitions they have found on the Internet.

Our policy on commercial activity on Boards.ie is fairly simple - if you are earning money because of what you post - be that a link to your website, promoting an event or whatever - you should pay Boards.ie to do that. I think that's fairly reasonable, don't you?

I have no problem with that statement at all, I'm just surprised it is only being mentioned now.

So what's the best way to stop free promotion on this thread?

I'd suggest that access should be by request only, similar to the Soccer Forum - in a separate 'Competitions' forum rather than 'Puzzles and Quizzes'

It would at least make companies jump through at least one hoop before they pimp their competitions.

Also, a clear statement that posters cannot promote competitions to which they are connected.

Some heavy - handed modding will probably be necessary.

You should know that I have defied many people in the office by keeping this thread open for as long as I have. I have been challenged on it numerous times, especially when posters who have never contributed before and never will again have popped up to promote competitions they wouldn't advertise on our site.

Thanks for sticking up for the thread - clearly something has to be done and what will emerge at the end will be different to the thread which previously existed.

I doubt if any posters were aware of the seriousness of the issue, there will be no doubt about it now.

rameire · 18-05-2011 10:13PM

Fancy some royal treatment? We are offering a weekend break at the D4 Berkeley Hotel in a deluxe double room with breakfast, a 3 course dinner for 2 and a complimentary bottle of Prosecco on arrival! To enter just tell us your thoughts on the Queen's visit this week and email your details to marketing@d4hotels.ie. Good luck!

Grindylow · 18-05-2011 10:40PM

I agree about the Facebook group, I had to leave it as it's not functional at all. The posts don't even go in order of date added, they just randomly crop up at any stage, and the amount of emails received is ridiculous.

Maybe even calling it "Boards.ie Competition Group" is a step too far since it's not officially affiliated with Boards?

colonel-yum-yum · 18-05-2011 11:00PM

Hi Darragh,

First off thanks very much for keeping the thread as open as it is and doing what you can to keep it that way.

I did set up the facebook group, but rest assured I didn't do so to step on any toes and or bring people away from this thread. I only expected a dozen or so to join it rather than the 90 that have in the last couple of days. I agree with other poster that it is very unorganised as even liking an old post bumps it straight back up to the top.

On the point of using boards.ie in the name, I will gladly change that if you wish as I have seen mentioned in your Ts & Cs that if it's used there are rules. Just give the word.

If you think that it's not a good idea to have the group then I'm sure we could persuade people to come back on here and close the group, as long as they know they can post links without them being removed.

In terms of possibly locking the thread down, I agree that the post count is a good idea, but from viewing other forums the only thing to consider is the number. Put it too low and they'll just spam other threads to reach the number.

Any other ideas you could give would be more than welcome.
Finally, I've been a member of boards for a short while, but I think it's a great resource and community, so anything we can do to keep things running smoothly would be great.

Thanks, Colonel

Marioda · 18-05-2011 11:12PM

I only found this thread over 6 months ago and started doing comps on it. I am in the facebook group but would gladly give it up to save this one, but it hasnt stopped me from checking in here. The comps here are better, and I think there is more of a community here. As to counting the posts, mine says I only have 2 so I would have to go and post in the other forums just to bring up my count. I hope the thread keeps going just as I've started to win stuff.

Rant1 · 19-05-2011 12:01AM

Why not ban people that are caught promoting comps their associated with for a month. Then if they re-offend give them the boot for good. Bit harsh but their only barnacles anyway, so no loss.

Edit: Might be a good idea after you use the idea of restricting the thread like the Soccer forum.

Rant1 · 19-05-2011 12:04AM

Noel2k9 wrote: »

I agree about the Facebook group, I had to leave it as it's not functional at all. The posts don't even go in order of date added, they just randomly crop up at any stage, and the amount of emails received is ridiculous.

Maybe even calling it "Boards.ie Competition Group" is a step too far since it's not officially affiliated with Boards?

You can stop the emails and notifications if you go to 'Edit settings' on the said page and uncheck the boxes. Found 50 odd emails waiting for me yesterday:)

colonel-yum-yum · 19-05-2011 12:12AM

Rant1 wrote: »

You can stop the emails and notifications if you go to 'Edit settings' on the said page and uncheck the boxes. Found 50 odd emails waiting for me yesterday:)

Try being the admin! I had to filter my emails out of my inbox just so my phone would stop thinking it was a vibrator!

WhiteChocolate · 19-05-2011 12:16AM

colonel-yum-yum wrote: »

Try being the admin! I had to filter my emails out of my inbox just so my phone would stop thinking it was a vibrator!

I actually spat my water out laughing...

proulx · 19-05-2011 12:18AM

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carolireland · 19-05-2011 12:51AM

I just wanted to say thank you very much to Darragh for his support of this competition part of boards.ie.
I have been an avid follower of the competition thread for a long time. There is a good sense of community and a strong willingness to do our best to keep the thread going. I, for one, would be bitterly disappointed to see it have to go.
The vast amount of people here are regulars who just enjoy doing competitions and reading about others good fortune if they do happen to win something.
I would be very happy to work together with others to help to overcome the difficulties being experienced by Darragh and the team.

remeneerb · 19-05-2011 08:33AM

Twixster wrote: »

I have to say that since the facebook group was set up for competitions this thread seems to have slowed down alot.
If boards.ie start deleting our links to competitions due to regulations it will make this thread even quieter.
This will be hard for some people as I know they don't have access to facebook so they will really miss out on our 'group'

I totally agree with you, i'm one of those who can't access facebook or twitter so i'll really really miss out if this thread disappears

remeneerb · 19-05-2011 08:43AM

Thanks for helping us out Darragh....
I don't like the idea of "a certain number of posts". I love this thread but have limited computer access and by the time i find competitions, they are already posted.
What about limiting access to people who request access from you - they would have to send you personal details etc and you would need to approve them prior to allowing them be part of the forum?
I totally understand your problem but i would hate to see the end of this thread, there's a nice sense of community with it. I've never seen the facebook one but it sounds like people want to keep this one in preference.

Eoineo · 19-05-2011 08:43AM

I think the idea of restricting the thread - like the Soccer forum is a good one. It would be harder for commercial posters to gain access as their details would have to be approved.

I'm a member of the group on Facebook but I don't mind if it's closed so long as we have a good way to share the information. Boards.ie has been a fantastic community for us all up to now and it would be a pity if it were to cease because of technical difficulties.

Snaggerman · 19-05-2011 09:17AM

Eoineo wrote: »

I think the idea of restricting the thread - like the Soccer forum is a good one. It would be harder for commercial posters to gain access as their details would have to be approved.

+1

tribb99 · 19-05-2011 09:22AM

Like some of the others, by the time I get to the thread the competitions have already been posted and my post count is low (or non existent) as this is the only thread i view daily on boards. If the post count is low then i wouldn't be able to add a competition if i found one or as pointed out i'd have to go find other areas to make posts just to get the count required.
I joined the facebook group too and i agree that it's very hard to see whats going on, i'd happily forget that if this thread has the competitions on.

I think the approval to get in the group is a good idea, along with a strict set of guidelines on who/what can be posted, clearly displayed and followed up on (although i appreciate it's more work for the mods).

proulx · 19-05-2011 09:45AM

remeneerb wrote: »

I totally agree with you, i'm one of those who can't access facebook or twitter so i'll really really miss out if this thread disappears

The Facebook group as far as I have seen so far are 99% facebook comps so if you do not have facebook access you are not missing out, maybe the slowdown is just the lack of facebook comps.

Competitions (NO ASKING FOR VOTES)

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