So, for the past 4 days it's been all vomit, diarrhea and fevers around here! Everyone (including the hubs) has been sick! He didn't get diarrhea and was not vomiting! I have not *knock on wood* gotten sick (PRAISE GOD)! I've just had some body aches and have been VERY tired!
On a lighter note!
I really want to hear from all of you regarding my asking for votes or likes as additional, optional entry methods into my giveaways!
Do you think that it's ok?
I really try to bring alot of giveaways and free things to all of you, and hope that in return you would help me.
I am going to be entering another photo giveaway that goes live on 9 May and will end on the 13th of May! Now, that being said, I'd love for you all to vote for my picture!
I have some brand new cloth diapers here that I was thinking of offering (from me to you) in a giveaway for those of you that will vote for me during those times/days.
What do you think of this?
From my experience with the companies that put on these contests, their whole goal is to increase their Facebook numbers, and to get their business/company on the map.
So, by asking you guys to vote, I am doing just that!
What do you think?
I want to hear from you!
Please leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts!
~Mama of the Littles~
I think it's fine especially if we get to have extra entries. Plus it's always nice to help another win some great prizes when you offer great chances and prizes to win too :)
ReplyDeleteI don't mind either. If they are optional then people can decide if they want to anyway. I usually do.
ReplyDeleteI love all of your great giveaways and contests, especially for the cloth diapers! In most cases, I will do a lot of the extra entries to increase my chances of winning, but I do have a hard time voting for a photo contest, like the most recent one, especially since you got 4 extra entries for voting. So if someone did not want to vote, their chances were decreased! I think that it is an unfair advantage for all the other mamas who entered the contest hoping for a chance to win. You blew all the other contestants out of the water, which is great that you have fans willing to help you out, but by hundreds and hundreds! Just my thoughts! Thanks for the opportunity to voice our opinions!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think it would be more fair to make all the entry methods worth the same amount.
DeleteJennifer,
DeleteI agree!
I think it is not right to use the giveaway, which is supposed to be about promoting a brand and your blog, to generate entries for another contest. Not only does not every person have the time to enter, but what about contestants who don't have blogs to promote entries for themselves. I am very tired of all these popularity contests online, bc the biggest blogs always win, not necessarily the cutest photo or the best idea. Of course, everyone can do what they want with their giveaway entries, but I don't ask for votes, and I will not do a voting entry. Now if someone just asks for a favor vote in a group or on Facebook, that is okay bc it's not tied to winning something... Just my thoughts. :)
ReplyDeleteI do the voting and don't mind. But I also don't ever enter the FB contests where you have to have the most likes b/c it is impossible to win those b/c of bloggers like you. But even if you didn't do this i still probably wouldn't enter them and other bloggers would continue to do it and win them. So I say go ahead and I will happily take the extra enteries and/or vote to be in the giveaway you have going. And just FYI even if you didn't have it as an extra entry... i would still vote for you if you asked. Although probably only once instead of everyday. Hope that made sense :)
ReplyDeleteI think it gives you an unfair advantage against the other contestants. It's a photo contest and should be based on the PHOTO and not how many fans you can get to vote for you by giving away free stuff. I personally will skip those entires and will never put them on my own rafflecopter forms no mater how much I want to win a contest. The best photo should win, not who's more popular.
ReplyDeleteI think it's not fair to the contestants who don't have the same avenue that you do to gain votes. It seems to me like a bribe; if you do this for me you MIGHT win this prize. What would be more fair would be to ask your fans on FB to vote for you the same way every other contestant has to. I just think that while you may be helping the sponsoring company you're really using your "fame" to gain an unfair advantage.
ReplyDeleteThanks for giving us the opportunity to share our thoughts on this! In my opinion, using a blog giveaway to gain votes for an unrelated contest is unethical for several reasons. First of all, it's unfair to the sponsors who are providing products free to you to review. The giveaway entries should be to gain fans and exposure for them and for your blog - and nothing else.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the other entrants in the contest don't even have a chance when a big blogger uses their influence to gain votes. Then it's not fun for anyone else.
You wrote in your post "I really try to bring alot of giveaways and free things to all of you, and hope that in return you would help me." Just wanted to point out that many of the free things and giveaways are being provided by businesses. It's out of their pocket.
For a Facebook contest, I would suggest using Facebook or email to promote your photo entry. I'm wondering if there might even be legal ramifications for using a "free" sweepstakes to try and buy something tangigle (i.e. a $100 Thanks Mama gift card).
Just my two cents. Again, thank you for the opportunity to share our opinions!!
And by the way, I really loved your photo. Beautiful!
Very well said!
DeleteAnd I commend you for being so honest and forthright about this!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Pardon my type - that's tangible, not tangigle!!
I had to think on this a few days ago, because I saw that a momma had commented about it on one of the giveaways.
ReplyDeleteOn the side here, using it as points to enter the rafflecopter, I'm not sure I see anything wrong with it persay. Picket Fences, Klout, Top Blogs with the Boost #'s....that is all EXACTLY THE SAME THING. What makes one different than the other?
On the side of the other entrants in that FB contest...I DO think that's unfair. It does give that unfair advantage. And you see it ALL the time, where one person will have like 234523465324 votes, and all the rest of the entrants will have between 0 and 300 because their social networking circle or family/friends group isn't that large. I won't even enter that stuff, because I know that stuff like this happens and I have ZERO chance of winning. I'm not going to waste my time on a popularity contest. Especially when it's not a real competition because it's just being 'owned' by one person.
But back to your giveaways....That IS an OPTIONAL entry. If someone doesn't want to do it, they don't have to. Just like I don't have to subscribe by email to the insane number of blogs that have been flooding my inbox recently. It's a choice. But it does come across as kind of 'buying votes'.......
Morally, I would probably never put that as an entry option myself, just because I personally would not want to catch the heat for it.
I agree with those who, personally, aren't a fan of it. I don't do those extra entries because I feel bad for the non-bloggers who are entering the contest. I'm kind of glad to see it's not just me who feels that way. In fact, I have occasionally seen a request for votes, clicked on over to check out the contest, seen how one-sided it is in favor of a very popular blogger, and then voted for a different contestant who only has a couple of votes. Their child is just as loved and just as cute. I guess I'm just a little sensitive to that, thinking how I would feel if I was silly enough (as a non-blogger) to enter one of those popularity contests without realizing that's what it was, then feeling like nobody thought my photo was good. ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you all for sharing your honest opinions with me.
ReplyDeleteThe reason I asked this question is because there is another voting contest coming up and I have several more 'company-sponsored' reviews and giveaways to post. That being said, how would you feel about my offering a self-funded giveaway in hopes of gaining votes? I agree that some bloggers ask for a vote for me on picket fences or Klout or Top Blogs is very similar. I don’t use any of those social media outlets!
Being a blogger takes a lot of time and hard work. Sure, I receive free items for review, but to review any one item can take anywhere for a day to a week (depending on the item)! It is a lot of work for me to constantly reach out to companies for their support. But, I do it because it’s fun, and I know that all of you love the giveaways!
I really want to be fair to the other contestants and feel that so many people (non-bloggers) have hundreds of friends on Facebook, of whom they would ask to vote, it is very similar for me to ask you to vote!? I am leaning towards leaving the voting option up for the upcoming contest, as it is a voting contest, but only offering one extra entry per day per vote. What do you all think of that? Fair?
I have come across very few photo contests that are based on the quality of the image alone. The whole reason behind a company sponsoring one of these ‘popularity’ contests is to get their own Facebook numbers up. So am I really doing them a disfavor by advertising their contest and asking for votes if I am giving that company what they want?
What are your thoughts?
Asking a hundred or so friends to vote for you of which only a few will is far different than asking almost 2000 people to vote and giving them something in return. Of course you will get more people to vote because they want something from you. It's not the same thing and it's unfair.
DeleteI have a blog and run giveaways and would never ask for votes. Picket fences etc isn't the same at all. You don't get anything out of that, just exposure for your blog. Asking for votes in a contest is for monetary gain either through a prize or gift certificate.
I completely agree with Regan. Asking your friends and family to vote for you is simply requesting a favor. But even if YOU sponsor the giveaway, you're not just asking for a favor. You are offering them an actual tangible prize in exchange for their vote. That's where I think it crosses the line morally.
DeleteIn addition, I do NOT feel it's not the same as a Picket Fence vote. Why? Because the reward for you cannot even compare to a $100 gift card.
And think of this - what if a lot of the mothers entering your giveaway were interested in entering the Thanks Mama contest, or some other photo contest? Just knowing that you are going to get HUNDREDS more votes than anyone else will surely scare them away from entering.
I think that you have an awesome juggling technique, I thought about doing a blog and just decided against it because i don't have the penitents for it, and in return when you have things up for a giveaway we as people who want to have a chance at so said giveaway, should do something for you in return.... like voting for you etc etc.
ReplyDeleteI was going to write more however my clone is awake finally and Im hoping her diaper held up for the night..... fingers crossed lol
Ehh I'm not a big fan of it. For many of the reasons already stated. But I guess if you only give 1 extra entry per day per vote than that's better than 4. That kind of makes it easier for those who aren't comfortable participating letting it go by without feeling like they're losing a huge chance in the giveaway contest.
ReplyDeleteI mean I still don't personally like it, but I'll just choose not to participate. Those who find it unethical are still going to be missing out on an extra entry every day, but it's not as bad as 4.
I think it is pretty awesome of you to ask for people's opinions. Personally, I don't like when its done because I do think it is unfair to the other individuals that have entered a contest, but will stand no chance against a big blog using their giveaways to get votes.
ReplyDeleteI think that if you did a self-funded giveaway, in exchange for votes, that eliminates the ethical issue of using a company's promotional giveaway for personal gain. (But again - still think its unfair to all the others that are entering the same contest, but don't have blogs)
Some people argued it is the same thing as using picket fence or boosts, in exchange for extra entries. But in my opionion, that is different because you are going up against other blogs, and not against individuals. And unless I'm mistaken, with picket fence, you don't get prizes or anything in exchange for votes? Its just exposure for your blog?
You're right about Picket Fence. It's just exposure and is extremely difficult to "quantify." You don't get anything even close to a $100 prize.
DeleteI have to say that I agree... I'm not a fan of asking for votes for something personal, rather than blog-related. I don't think it's very fair to other participants. I tend to stay away from those kind of entries because they leave a bad taste in my mouth, so my vote is to stay away from that kind of thing as an option.
ReplyDeleteI do agree picket fence and the like is a different animal. I have no problem with that at all...
I think it's great that you want to hear everyone's thoughts! keep up the great work! =)
I agree with Zephry Hill that it is unethical to ask for a vote in a free contest so that you can win something for free. Also I have never and probably will never enter any of your giveaways because you are not allowed to have follow me on GFC as a MANDATORY entry. Your only mandatory entry should be enter here. Especially if it is a company sponsored giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI think it is unethical, probably illegal per the FTC, unfair to others in the contest who don't have a blog to ask for votes on, and not right in a company sponsored giveaway. In that case, you aren't bringing a giveaway to us, the sponsor is through you. I don't do the contest entries because it's just not fair to the other people. I think that you should win contests on your own merit. Now if you want to self sponsor a giveaway as a thank you for voting for you then that's different. It still may not be legal and you might want to research that for your own protection, but I don't personally think it's as unethical.
ReplyDeleteI should clarify that I still think that using your blog to win contests is unethical with a self sponsored giveaway but not AS unethical as using a company sponsored giveaway. I think that if you want to win a photo contest then you should concentrate more on taking a kick butt photo. I bet you'll feel better knowing that you won because of a great photo and not because people wanted something from you. Just a thought :)
DeleteThis
ReplyDelete"JKMommyMay 3, 2012 05:33 AM
I think it is not right to use the giveaway, which is supposed to be about promoting a brand and your blog, to generate entries for another contest. Not only does not every person have the time to enter, but what about contestants who don't have blogs to promote entries for themselves. I am very tired of all these popularity contests online, bc the biggest blogs always win, not necessarily the cutest photo or the best idea. Of course, everyone can do what they want with their giveaway entries, but I don't ask for votes, and I will not do a voting entry. Now if someone just asks for a favor vote in a group or on Facebook, that is okay bc it's not tied to winning something... Just my thoughts. :)"
I don't agree with asking for votes as a giveaway entry 1) because it should be about the brand you are promoting, not about you winning a giveaway for yourself and 2) wouldn't you want to win because people actually liked your photo and not because you bribed them? But that's not to say that if you don't do it then someone else will and will probably win that way. I also got kinda annoyed with the multiple reminders on facebook since it took up a good bit of my feed. That said, it's your blog and you do what you want, but maybe ask the sponsor what they think about that as a contest entry.
I think it is fine to ask infact i voted for you.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought too much about it before you asked. But as I think about it, I don't think it's ideal or of the utmost fairness. It doesn't bother me too much, but I echo the others who said that we'd be happy to vote for you if you just asked with no strings attached, or asked in a giveaway post for us to vote, but just as a way to say thanks instead of as a requirement to enter the giveaway. I can't guarantee you'd get quite as many votes, but you'd still get a lot (and more than people who don't have popular blogs where they can ask for votes). It's ultimately your decision though, and it's also the decision of your readers whether or not to enter by voting if they have a problem with it. But I suppose if that many people feel it's unethical, it is asking them to choose between their convictions and an opportunity to win.
ReplyDeleteThank you guys for all your honest opinions.
ReplyDeleteI will be changing things in the future... maybe by purchasing a diaper or something to offer (from me to those who would like to vote)! What do you think of that? Would that be fair?
It sounds like the main issue for most people is not who pays for the diaper but the fact that using a prize to get votes can be seen as unfair to the other people entering the contest you are asking us to vote for you in. Purchasing a prize might make it seem even more like a bribe to those who view it that way.
ReplyDeleteconvincing people to vote for you, your picture, your child, statement, whatever it may be, is morally wrong. It says a lot about ones personality and desires. It is also unfair to other participants of the said contest.
ReplyDeleteI would like to add that you must be very insecure & have no self worth to think that in order to stand any chance at winning you need to "stack the deck" in your favor. You arent winning by buying or bribing or begging or even asking for a vote, you are in fact CHEATING.
ReplyDeleteI think it is fine to voice your opinion in a respectful way even if you disagree with the blog owners opinion but to publicly insult someone and to do it anonymously is rude. Why can't we all be adults here?
DeleteI agree with you! The person commenting above as "anonymous" needs to just come right out with their name and let's be honest adults here.
DeleteIf you don't like my blog, then PLEASE do us all a favor, and leave!
So I've thought about this some more, having read all the comments (the anonymous one was just uncalled for), and I do see your point that these contests really are about gaining fans for the company sponsoring it. I think that offering a separate giveaway, with a prize you provide, as a thanks for those who are willing to vote for you, is okay. I, personally, don't think I'll enter that giveaway (like I said, I'm kind of overly sensitive/empathetic with those who only get a few votes in these kinds of photo contests), but I don't think it's unethical to self-sponsor a prize in exchange for votes. :)
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feelings, so sometimes I do it and sometimes I don't -- it all depends on the situation. I will usually do it if it is something I would do otherwise, simple, and I already follow the site :) I do feel that it puts the entrant at an unfair advantage, but I recognize that this is usually more of a means of advertising for these companies then anything else.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's fair to the other people entering the contests since you have so much pull
ReplyDelete