Last week I was chatting to a PR who was saying that some compers were being penalised by companies who do “random” draws & now this week it’s been brought to the forefront by the T&C’s of a company hosting a competition.

“How are they penalising people?” I can hear you thinking.

When we were chatting last week I was told that companies will check through people’s Twitter & Facebook timeline (if both are open accounts) & see what people are doing.

Do they interact with others or are they purely in it for the prize?

Does the company interest them?

They check online albums to see if prizes are being sold & they have “insiders” on Facebook groups who “exchange” prizes.

A lot are now including in their T&C’s that you cannot “sell on” the prize also 1 company recently has added that

“ The winner will be picked at random”  BUT then any “dedicated twitter/Facebook comping accounts will not be eligible” so they will ‘randomly’ pick a winner and then scrutinise it and if they don’t like that person, they will ‘randomly’ select another and another and another etc until they find what they believe to be a true friend/person interested in the products.

Did you know it’s easy to find out how much stuff people have won by googling their name & different words like “winner” “congratulations” ect

What can you do to help yourself?

Interact with people on both Twitter & Facebook, if all your doing is sharing comps they can see that & you could be “de-selected” for the prize.

On Twitter, if your account is protected then you stand very little chance of winning anything as only people on your timeline can see your tweets & they are not open to the world:-

• People will have to request to follow you; each follow request will need approval.

• Your Tweets will only be visible to users you’ve approved.

• Other users will not be able to retweet your Tweets. 
  

• Protected Tweets will not appear in Twitter search or Google search.

• @Replies you send to people who aren’t following you will not be seen by those users (because you have not given them permission to see your Tweets).

Some people even set up separate comping accounts on FB, this is actually against FB regulations. You can only have 1 FB account.

Using a different name can also result in a prize not being awarded. I know this did happen to someone who won a holiday & they company refused as their FB name was different to their passport name.

A few who have a certain set of initials have recently had their FB account’s removed.

From Facebooks T&C‘s

Registration and Account Security

Facebook users provide their real names and information, and we need your help to keep it that way. Here are some commitments you make to us relating to registering and maintaining the security of your account:

1. You will not provide any false personal information on Facebook, or create an account for anyone other than yourself without permission.
2. You will not create more than one personal account.
3. If we disable your account, you will not create another one without our permission.
4. You will not use your personal timeline for your own commercial gain (such as selling your status update to an advertiser).
5. You will not use Facebook if you are under 13.

Companies & pages are also flouting Facebook regulations with regards to running, promoting & announcing winners of competitions.

Promotions

If you use Facebook to communicate about or administer a promotion (such as a contest or sweepstakes), you are responsible for the lawful operation of that promotion, including the official rules, offer terms and eligibility requirements (e.g., age and residency restrictions), and compliance with regulations governing the promotion and all prizes offered in connection with the promotion (e.g., registration and obtaining necessary regulatory approvals). Please note that compliance with these guidelines does not constitute the lawfulness of a promotion. Promotions are subject to many regulations and if you are not certain that your promotion complies with applicable law, please consult with an expert.

i.    Promotions on Facebook must be administered within Apps on Facebook.com, either on a Canvas Page or a Page App.

ii.    Promotions on Facebook must include the following:

a.    A complete release of Facebook by each entrant or participant.

b.    Acknowledgement that the promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

c.    Disclosure that the participant is providing information to [disclose recipient(s) of information] and not to Facebook.

iii.    You must not condition registration or entry upon the user taking any action using any Facebook features or functionality other than liking a Page, checking in to a Place, or connecting to your app. For example, you must not condition registration or entry upon the user liking a Wall post, or commenting or uploading a photo on a Wall.

iv.    You must not use Facebook features or functionality as a promotion’s registration or entry mechanism. For example, the act of liking a Page or checking in to a Place cannot automatically register or enter a promotion participant.

v.    You must not use Facebook features or functionality, such as the Like button, as a voting mechanism for a promotion.

vi.    You must not notify winners through Facebook, such as through Facebook messages, chat, or posts on profiles (timelines) or Pages.

vii.    Definitions:

a.    By “administration” we mean the operation of any element of the promotion, such as collecting entries, conducting a drawing, judging entries, or notifying winners.

b.    By “communication” we mean promoting, advertising or referencing a promotion in any way on Facebook, e.g., in ads, on a Page, or in a Wall post.

Twitter does not really give any specific do’s & don’t regarding competitions but you can read some of the T&C’s here. But along with the Facebook multiple accounts violation Twitter do state:

Discourage the creation of multiple accounts

If users make lots of accounts in order to enter a contest more than once, they’re liable to get all of their accounts suspended. Please be sure to include a rule stating that anyone found to use multiple accounts to enter will be ineligible.

 

I never publish my winners on either Facebook or Twitter but will send out a message or tweet to say the winner/s have been announced & emailed. Within the email I do tell the person that due to Facebook regulations I am unable to announce their name but they can announce it themselves on the page as a winner. Some companies will ask for your permission to name you on their page, but again they can’t do this until you have replied to them & have given your permission. Most T&C’s will state they have the right to name the person once they have been contacted & accepted they are the winner of the competition.

Please have a good look at your Facebook & Twitter accounts & check you are doing things properly & not violating any T&C’s laid out by not only Facebook & Twitter but also check the company you are promoting & make sure you agree with the T&C’s they have set out. Also it’s easy to miss but check what country the promoter is in, most will NOT send prizes overseas & that includes Ireland.

These are just my personal thoughts. I am not telling you how to run your accounts but just wanted to let you know what the “word on the street” is.