Why don't you join contests?

[Katrina]

I've seen a LOT of contests promoted here on FP by other sites and I wonder this question...

Why don't you join those contests? What's holding you back? Is it time? Is it that you don't think you'll win? Is it that you don't want that owner to do well? I'm really curious because when I go to check out the contest page for sign ups, I see only a few names entered.

One reason I'm asking is because with my new project, I don't want to start any contests if there is a valid reason why people aren't entering. So help me out here, give me your input on this.

 

[Deleted member 49125]

I believe it's lack of time. For me, I do a lot of Post Exchanges & I don't have the extra time to do contests. Unless it's an easy one where I just put in a Raffle ticket.
I think the contests which are easy i.e. buying Raffles would go over more. I think of it like Scratch off lottery tickets. Bear with me lol Some people like playing the ones where you have to play the game, others just want to know if they won or not. I think more people lean towards the latter. 🙂

 

[Katrina]

I believe it's lack of time. For me, I do a lot of Post Exchanges & I don't have the extra time to do contests. Unless it's an easy one where I just put in a Raffle ticket.
I think the contests which are easy i.e. buying Raffles would go over more. I think of it like Scratch off lottery tickets. Bear with me lol Some people like playing the ones where you have to play the game, others just want to know if they won or not. I think more people lean towards the latter. 🙂

When I was on staff, that's how it was for me too. I was excited to see contests happening, but didn't have the time to do a lot of posting if they were the posting style ones, even though it's simple to make those posts!

Also, for some contests for me, it was pure laziness in opening my Excel spreadsheet to register and put the information in there to keep for later. I admit that I get lazy when it came to signing up this past year on forums. I think part of that reason is because too many forums came and went too soon.

 

[Nebulous]

Don't have time and the prizes usually aren't worthwhile.

 

[Gizmo]

I've entered some in the past and never won the prizes even though I was in first place. It now takes me a bit to trust a forum owner.

 

[PGen98]

I never want to get in the way of someone else winning, so I don't enter 🙂

 

[Nebulous]

If the prize is the forum-cash from their shop add-on then I probably wont bother. If the prize is a $50 amazon gift card that can be sent to me digitally via email then I might be more inclined to participate. Can't really do anything with forum-cash but $50 on amazon could buy me some a new pair shoes or something else that is actually useful. 😛

 

[Katrina]

How long should contests last?

 

[PGen98]

How long should contests last?

I think monthly contests are great, the usual length.

 

[Deleted member 49125]

How long should contests last?

I agree with @PGen98 for a month long. Gives all members equal time to be online for a chance.

 

[Kale]

I've entered some in the past and never won the prizes even though I was in first place. It now takes me a bit to trust a forum owner.

Yep, this too with me.

If the prize is the forum-cash from their shop add-on then I probably wont bother. If the prize is a $50 amazon gift card that can be sent to me digitally via email then I might be more inclined to participate. Can't really do anything with forum-cash but $50 on amazon could buy me some a new pair shoes or something else that is actually useful. 😛

Yeah, exactly. If I were to win an Amazon gift card or something I'd likely enter more than if it were just forum shop currency.

I don't enter contests because I usually never win them, and because of being screwed over before.

 

[Carlos X]

I think its motivation to join the contests. Most of the time, its because you have a low chance of winning. Like yesterday, I was low energy, lathergic.

I was supposed to go forward with recording Diablo 4 beta gameplay, but I was tired. I was tired going into John Wick 4, but I mustered and paid attention, because I wanted to see it. That's my brain say "watch it!"

Other times, I'm busy. But the real answer is motivation.

 

[Ashley]

Don't have time and the prizes usually aren't worthwhile.

Same here, nine times out of ten the prizes are always something I'm not interested in or can't use or don't need or want. PayPal, gift cards etc. It doesn't help that not everyone is who they say they are online either. These and other reasons are why I choose not to host contests on my forum: too time consuming, not enough public interest, privacy reasons etc. I don't think it would be a great idea to have a contest on a general chat forum. Now, places like here, and business forums in general, that actually have a specific topic or niche, that I can see having contests.

 

[Page]

Can be hard both ways in terms of giveaways and whatnot. I entered many and also I created my own and both failed to the point that I was never able to win anything 🙁 or never get other people to join the giveaway and end up pooped. I never really enter partly because I might not be interested and many people are like that or can't able to do the event since the time or just too much work to even get involved, end of the day I can spend a full week working my butt off to win something that I end up not winning anyway and wasted my time XD

I got to admit that most people join the easy contests that are no work in it, just enter and wait 🙂

 

[Reverie]

The only time I don't join them, or feel like I don't want to join is if: 1. I am not knowledgeable enough about the content of the contest. 2. I may lack in time for the period of the contest. 3. I might feel like there is an obvious winner and I might not want to compete (This is rare, but it has happened)