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Suggestion for a blog post: The Art of losing gracefully
IT Unleashed announced on Facebook that they were cancelling their August giveaway due to the actions of a person who did not win one of the giveaways. I have seen this happen for other businesses who become disillusioned after being the subject of attack and it seems to be getting more frequent.
Businesses don't have to give anything away. They do it to raise their profile and, frankly, there are other ways to do this with fewer headaches.
Perhaps there should be an new etiquette - one where we remember to thank the business, particularly on facebook, for the opportunity even if we don't win. Where we congratulate the winner. Perhaps a "like" on the announcement post.
I know everyone here is likely to be someone that already do these sorts of things and understand that the relationship with these businesses needs to remain positive, so everyone enjoys it, but perhaps we need to lead by example.
Di_D
04 Aug 17 7:41 AM
Yes, Di_D, that was quite a rant from the sound of it. Shame on that individual, whose post has now been removed. I did send my words of support to the promoter. I'm not sure naming the individual was that helpful. A private message to them reminding them of social (media) etiquette may have fallen on deaf ears but was probably more prudent than tagging the individual. It's regretful that an August promotion is not running but hopefully they'll be back bigger, stronger and more resilient in September. They're a good mob, and as they've explained, they do this gratis, all whilst lifting their online profile and increasing their search engine ranking too. It's a 'I'll scratch your back if you'll scratch mine." Works for me. Hey, I'm itchy!
toxicgherkin
05 Aug 17 11:26 AMMy wins are few and far between, but I ALWAYS ring the promoter and thank them very much for the prize, and follow up with an email after the prize is taken to tell them how it all went, it is more personal making that connection and I really do appreciate the win. It has never occurred to to me to abuse the poor promoter (even if the answer chosen was very similar). ps hate FB comps for that reason
I have fallen victim to this person. She is nasty and has bullied me several times. She seems to think all the comps belong to her and if she doesn't win she tends to write negative stuff about the business. She did this on a competition on 'Oliver Brown Instagram Page' and since then Oliver Brown hasn't run another competition. She has a tight knit group of friends / compers who stick by her though so she is a 'protected species'.
In_it_to_win
07 Aug 17 12:09 AM
@Comp_chick Sounds like a Game of Thrones or Survivor episode. @toxicGherkin when's that next movie coming out . :)
The best solution if they're causing you persistent issues is just block them and their minions while at it. Sadly that "vibe" I've come across and the best resolution was to just block. It's not worth the headache.
The first rule of comping that most forget it's all about the promoter. Occassional will come across a poorly run competition, regardless it's always best to treat things dipolatically, take a step back and tthink first. Most times obvious issues are rectified ASAP.
If you block her she will just use fake accounts to harass you. Who wouldn't be afraid of this.
In_it_to_win
07 Aug 17 12:04 PM
I am not a fan of facebook competitions, they are too public. I always email a thanks and if I get a phone call almost cry with thanks and appreciation :)
KittyKat65
08 Aug 17 10:02 AM
@KittyKat65 I agree with Facebook competitons are too public with one issue when you win may get"fan" messages. I recall my first Facebook win too well. Something that should be a celebration can get distressing when participants get nasty they didn't win. That was for a random draw. It's increasingly hard to limit yourself to non social media competitons as promoters tend to push various social media to increase exposer.
Overall thou if trying to avoid the limelight once you win most times your anonymity is gone. I recall one facebook post for a comp which had the winners name on a big check. Hmm I noticed the name didn't match their Facebook profile. When you win enough and put yourself out there its hard to remain anonymous even with "fake" profiles etc.
The competition wasn't run on Facebook it was a in person type comp however they published the winner on Facebook.
@Comp_chick Still think if it's a big enough issue to warrent blocking do that. Will save all the dramas. Also avoids any temptation getting drawn into it. If they are that persistent enough to create fake profiles to continue harassment the best advice is not respond back and just meticalliously log all correspondence. Then if left with no option there are legal options.
It's not something you really want and to resort to. Trust me it can be quite stressful.
For those thinking that a fake profile will make them anoymous thereare various methods for unmasking the individual. Yeah you try hiding your IP and chuck it through a onion router (TOR) etc however with some clever staticial analysis of Facebook may uncover the indivual. The best advice "own" your comments on social media and think first.