Why I don't enter your giveaways

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I know other bloggers have written about this subject and I don't want appear as if I'm stealing their ideas.

I have been spending some time lately participating in giveaway blog hops and entering the contests in them as well.  For the last several weekends, my life has been revolving around entering to win stuff!

While it is a blessing to be able to win things I couldn't otherwise have and be exposed to new products and services, it can be a headache!  I only get to sit down and do it a few minutes at a time and it's very frustrating when I spend those minutes dealing with annoying "stuff."  So, here is my list on why I don't enter your giveaways:

Thanks, Adeleuddo!

• I can't find GFC. 
• I know that we need good STAT's to get good stuff to giveaway.  However, we also need to realize that having "Follow Home Grown Families via GFC" as a mandatory entry means that we are responsible for making it easy to find.  
• MY SUGGESTIONS:
• check your side bars and see if it is buried in the middle of 1500 buttons, pictures, network tags, etc.  Move it to where it is easily found.
• keep it no lower then half way through your post

• I can't right click to copy and paste
• I know there are some issues with plagiarism and hot-linking but seriously, I am not copying a Tweet URL letter by letter, number by number.  {I actually commented just today "I can't right click to paste the URL.  E-mail me if you need the info."}
• MY SUGGESTIONS:
• understand that it's not fair to ask someone to copy "long" info and tell them "Just put the date and time of your tweet and I'll find it in my mentions"{or however it applies to your entry method.}

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•  You don't use Rafflecopter
• I am so sorry.  I never thought I would be this person but, alas, I am.  It's not that I WON'T~ it just has to be an absolutely amazing prize for me to go through the bull of commenting.  Don't lie~ you think the same thing.
• MY SUGGESTION:
• Get a Rafflecopter invite.  Beg or borrow.  Your entries will go up.
• True story: One of us here at HGF didn't like Rafflecopter when we first got it.  But, the other one kept saying "Look, this is going to be the new standard.  We either keep up or fall behind."  In a few weeks, the one that didn't like it saw that our giveaway entries had nearly tripled.  But, by that time, they had figured out the learning curve to using it and was already as a full fledged convert, anyway.  Lesson: Get it. Use it. You'll love it.

• You still use Word Verification

• Call me a snot, but most of us have no use for Word Verification.  Seriously!  We're just not that big.  Yes, we all get SPAM from time to time~ I sent some to the trash just today.
• I will not finish entering a contest if I have to do a Captcha. 
• MY SUGGESTIONS:
• Use comment moderation instead.  It seriously takes a second to scan through the comments waiting to be published.  Spammers are actually pretty easy to spot.  They usually comment on an old post and they always have a hyperlink attached. 

• You have 'make a purchase' as an extra entry option
• Not only is this annoying, it is ILLEGAL and dangerous!  It's illegal because it turns your giveaway into a raffle.  Raffles are heavily regulated in every state and even require a bond in some states.  It's dangerous because you are personally risking fines and you're also bringing unwanted attention on our industry. {This applies for Mandatory and Extra entry options.}
• MY SUGGESTIONS:
• Don't ever do it.  If you have that option on a current giveaway, take it off immediately.  Us Mommy Bloggers are getting bigger and bigger and we're going to be a HUGE force in advertising.  Let's not help it get to the point where we are so tightly regulated that we can't breathe.  What makes us so awesome is that we are free to be creative~ it won't be this way for very long if we don't do it right.

• Your entries are confusing



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• I was entering for a prize in a hop today that had me SO confused.  {I know that I'm not so smart but anyone can get confused with their kids in the background fighting, the baby pulling the dogs tail and the phone ringing.}  She had a main Rafflecopter that sent you to the 'Sponsors Spotlight' post to leave a comment.  When I got to that post, it had another Rafflecopter form  to comment on that had the same option to go to the 'Sponsor Spotlight' post to leave a comment~ I WAS ALREADY THERE!!  Which one was I supposed to enter?  Would she disqualify me if I entered from both pages?  Would she think I was a cheater and ban me from all her future giveaways?  
• MY SUGGESTIONS:
• You can never go wrong on giveaways with K.I.S.S.  Seriously.  I ended up closing all the pages and going on to the next giveaway.  It was just too confusing.
• Keep everyone on 1 page for all entries.

• I can't find where to comment on your post



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• This is just annoying for so many reasons.  You have NO IDEA how many times I have searched and searched but not seen a place to leave a comment!!  I'm on Blogger~ I don't get all the layouts of WP.  Those on WP don't get Blogger.  Some of the places to enter to comment are just a SMALL LITTLE SENTENCE that says "24 comments so far" or whatever.  Look, when I have 1 eye on the twins and the other on the baby, I can not spend time looking for stuff!!  Again, K.I.S.S.
• My SUGGESTIONS:
• commenting on a blog post for a giveaway with Rafflecopter is unnecessary.  Contrary to popular belief, blog comments do NOT increase your Google Page Rank.  In fact, if you were to get rid of all comments on giveaway, the only thing that would be affected is your page refresh STAT's.  When is the last time a potential sponsor asked you for those numbers? 

So, there you have it.  My never-so-humble reasons that I don't enter your giveaways.  In all honesty, I DO enter your giveaways~ I just complain about it!!

With much love and respect,