SweepsGoat Blog

Friday Featured Sweeps: July 3, 2009

2009-07-04T02:30:15Z

According to SweepsGoat users, these 5 sweeps were among the top sweepstakes for June 27-July 3. Be sure to check ‘em out! (Thanks to user billygoat for submitting this week's top sweeps!)

AdvanTech Flat Out Best Cash Give Away. Win $5,000 or 1 of 5 $1,000 prizes in this single-entry sweepstakes.
Grill It Up! Sweepstakes. Win $1,000 or 1 of 5 grilling packages in this single-entry sweepstakes.
The $20,000 Spread the Bread Sweepstakes. This daily-entry sweepstakes offers a $10,000 cash to the winner plus $1,000 to give to each of 10 friends. You could also instantly win gift cards, panini presses, baking supplies, or product coupons.
The Spray 'N Wash Bright & White Listen to Your Clothes Sweepstakes. Enter daily for your chance to win a washer and dryer, plus $8,000 cash. There are an additional 81 cash prizes, ranging from $100 to $2,500.
Hershey's Unleash the Loot Sweepstakes. Win $50,000 cash, or 1 of 10 $1,000 Visa gift cards in this daily-entry sweepstakes.

Lucky Quote of the Week: June 29, 2009

2009-06-29T13:44:00Z

"If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't, you're right."

- Henry Ford

Friday Featured Sweeps: June 26, 2009

2009-06-27T03:50:00Z

According to SweepsGoat users, these 5 sweeps were among the top sweepstakes for June 20-26. Be sure to check ‘em out! (Thanks to user billygoat for submitting this week's top sweeps!)

Castrol SYNTEC Top Car Challenge Sweepstakes. Win $10,000 in this daily-entry sweepstakes.
SUMMER CRUISIN' SWEEPSTAKES. Win your choice of 3 vehicles: a 2009 Mazda RX-8 Touring Coupe, a 2009 BMW 1 Series 128i Coupe, or a 2009 Volkswagen GTI 2.0T Coupe. Weekly winners will receive TVs, digital cameras, and other electronics prizes.
Woman's World $1000 "Win Car Care" Sweepstakes. Win $1,000 worth of gift cards good for gas and car care in this daily-entry sweepstakes.
DOLLAR GENERAL GET READY TO GAME SWEEPSTAKES. Enter this single-entry sweepstakes for a chance to win a gaming prize pack with TV, home theater system, Xbox 360, games, gaming chairs, and $3,500. 35 additional winners will receive Xbox 360s and/or games. An additional 1,000 winners will receive $10 gift cards.
Universal Orlando Vacation & Instant Win. Win 1 of 8 trips to Orlando, Florida in this daily-entry sweepstakes. You could also win 1 of 256 theme park ticket prizes.

Lucky Quote of the Week: June 22, 2009

2009-06-22T13:43:00Z

"The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Friday Featured Sweeps: June 19, 2009

2009-06-20T04:25:00Z

According to SweepsGoat users, these 5 sweeps were among the top sweepstakes for June 13-19. Be sure to check ‘em out! (Thanks to user billygoat for submitting this week's top sweeps!)

Fine Living's Summer on the Rocks Sweepstakes. Win 1 of 30 instant win prizes in this daily-entry sweepstakes from Fine Living. Prizes include various houseware, barware, kitchen and outdoor summer supplies.
THERE'S NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO DREAM... LIKE A VIP " SWEEPSTAKES. If you've ever wanted to be treated like a VIP, this trip's for you. The single-entry sweepstakes offers a trip to Vegas, complete with VIP tickets to receive celebrity treatment (including limo transport, VIP escorts, photos, and more) to all 7 Cirque du Soleil shows, spa treatments, dinners and more. Truly a once-in-a-lifetime trip!
WIX Filters 70th Anniversary Celebration Sweepstakes. Win a 2009 HEMI Dodge Challenger RT Classic in this daily-entry sweepstakes.
VIV it up in Fiji! Personality Quiz & Sweepstakes. Enter this sweepstakes daily for a chance to win a trip to Fiji or 1 of 500 instant win prizes.
Win a Trip to China With Viking River Cruises Sweepstakes. Win a trip for 2 to China in this single-entry sweepstakes.

Lucky Quote of the Week: June 15, 2009

2009-06-15T13:40:00Z

"I am realistic - I expect miracles."

- Wayne Dyer

Friday Featured Sweeps: June 12, 2009

2009-06-13T04:46:00Z

According to SweepsGoat users, these 5 sweeps were among the top sweepstakes for June 6-12. Be sure to check ‘em out! (Thanks to users billygoat & spinsweeps for submitting this week's top sweeps!)

Cisco Network Magic $10,000 Sweepstakes. Enter daily for your chance to win $10,000, or instantly win 1 of 159 cash and electronics prizes.
SCOTCH BRAND SIMPLIFY MY LIFE SWEEPSTAKES. Win a $4,000 gift certificate for California Closets storage products in this daily-entry sweepstakes.
Amazon Dream Registry Sweepstakes. Create a baby registry on Amazon for your chance to win $2,500 worth of baby-related products.
National Hunting and Fishing Day Sweepstakes. Win a 2009 Yamaha Grizzly in this single-entry sweepstakes.
Rock Your Own Cocktail and Win a Trip to a Music Festival in Austin! | Spin Magazine Online. Create an original cocktail recipe using UV Vodka, and you could win a trip to an Austin music festival.

How to Get Rid of Sweepstakes Prizes

2009-06-11T17:34:31Z

It happened — you won! But instead of that spa trip grand prize you were actually entering for, you won an exercise DVD. Or a diet book. Maybe even one you already have!

All of the smaller sweepstakes prizes can be fun — they're great for keeping you encouraged between larger wins. But sometimes you end up with a prize you're just not that interested in. Here are some ideas for getting rid of unwanted prizes:

Swap It: PaperBack Swap and SwapaDVD are great sites if your unwanted prize is a book or DVD. You earn credits for offering your own items, then you can spend those credits to get books or DVDs offered by the site's other users.There are no fees except the postage you spend to mail your items.
Sell It: Try listing the prize on your local CraigsList page (it's free). For more expensive items or collectibles, eBay or newspaper classifieds may get you a better offer.
Give It Away: You may have a family or friend who would really enjoy your prize — set aside wins year-round for Christmas-time to save yourself some serious holiday dollars. If it's something small that wouldn't work as a gift (for example, some of the inexpensive promotional items companies give away thousands of), consider Freecycling it.

Here's wishing you lots of wins, "keepers" or otherwise!

Lucky Quote of the Week: June 8, 2009

2009-06-08T13:38:00Z

"Men of action are favored by the Goddess of luck."

- George S. Clason

Friday Featured Sweeps: June 5, 2009

2009-06-06T00:39:19Z

According to SweepsGoat users, these 5 sweeps were among the top sweepstakes for May 30 - June 5. Be sure to check ‘em out! (Thanks to users billygoat, clevine, Jas0n, & ldc3995 for submitting this week's top sweeps!)

The $25,000.00 Grocery Giveaway. Win 1 of 5 $5,000 prizes in Rachel Ray's daily-entry sweepstakes.
Old Navy's Fashion Cash-In Sweepstakes. Win a $5,000 grand prize in Old Navy's daily-entry sweepstakes.
One Haute NYC Weekend!. Win a trip to New York, including a $500 shopping spree and an LG Rumor 2, in this daily-entry sweepstakes. 5 additional winners will receive the LG Rumor 2.
Win an Xbox Ultimate Entertainment Experience. Win an Xbox 360 Arcade console, plus a 1-year XBox LIVE subscription, in this daily-entry sweepstakes.
Money to Burn Giveaway. Enter daily for your chance to win a grill and $5,000 cash. You could also win 1 of 63 t-shirt and cookbook prizes.

3 More Ways to Run a Blog Contest

2009-06-04T03:45:01Z

Last week, we talked about using ContestMachine to run a blog contest. While that's one good option, it may not work for everyone, especially folks using Blogger. So we thought we'd suggest 3 other ways to run a contest on your blog:

Comments: Comment functionality is built into pretty much every kind of blogging software, making it an easy way to collect entries for your giveaway. If your blog software allows you to collect the commenter's email address without making them include it publicly in their comment, so much the better. (Many folks are rightfully wary of putting their email addresses on display.) Once you've gathered the entries, figure out how many there are, then use Random.org to generate a random winning number.
Email: Instead of asking all of your readers to publicly list their email addresses, why not just list yours? Ask winners to send you an email with a specific subject line to enter the giveaway. (Having a specific subject line will help you catch any entries that accidentally get filtered into your spam box.) This method is ideal if you're asking for the answer to a trivia question, or gathering entries for a contest, so folks can't see the previous comments.
Google Spreadsheet Form: If you're a bit more technically savvy and want to collect your entrants' information in an easy-to-use format, try embedding a Google spreadsheet form in your blog post. This article and this one explain how it works. The advantage is that all your entrants' information is saved straight to the spreadsheet, meaning you don't have to copy and paste that info from the blog comments if you want to use it later.

Do you have any other favorite ways to run a blog contest? Do you find yourself entering one type of blog contest, but not others? We'd love to hear from you in the comments!

Lucky Quote of the Week: June 1, 2009

2009-06-01T16:25:10Z

"Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish."

- John Quincy Adams

Friday Featured Sweeps: May 29, 2009

2009-05-30T03:15:00Z

According to SweepsGoat users, these 5 sweeps were among the top sweepstakes for May 23-29. Be sure to check ‘em out! (Thanks to user billygoat for submitting this week's top sweeps!)

BIGresearch Spring Fling Sweepstakes. Answer a survey for your chance to win 1 of 175 prizes, including a TV, electronics, jewelry, gift cards and more.
American Airlines Capture the Flagship Experience Sweepstakes. Win a trip for 2 to Europe, Asia or Latin America, or 1 of 21 other travel-related prizes. Limit 10 entries per person.
The Million Dollar Event. Win 1 of 500 55" HD TVs in this single-entry sweepstakes.
Win a $20,000 bedroom makeover. Enter daily for your chance to win a $20,000 bedroom makeover, including consultation, furniture, bedding, flooring, and mattress.
LIFETIME'S RULES FOR SKIN SEASON SWEEPSTAKES. Win a trip for 4 to beach house in Florida in this daily-entry sweepstakes. Weekly winners will receive a beach bag filled with summer essentials.

How to Run a Blog Contest: ContestMachine

2009-05-29T04:29:00Z

Lots of bloggers list their contests on SweepsGoat.com. And while we're always happy to promote them, it seems that blog contests that require folks to leave their email addresses in public comments just don't get many votes. And for good reason: sweepers get enough email without opening themselves up to all the spam a publicly-listed email address can bring. ContestMachine is a good alternative for bloggers who want to run a contest without sacrificing entrants' privacy.

The ContestMachine website allows you to easily create contests for your website. It has a preview-as-you-build page where you enter the sweepstakes name, prizes, and rules. Once you're happy with the way it looks (there's even an option to customize colors), you just cut and paste a single line of code to embed that contest into your blog post. All of the administrative stuff is handled by ContestMachine: they collect entries for your review, they shut down the contest at your specified end time, they generate the random numbers to select the winners, and they help you send out the winner announcements. All of the things that normally make blog contests time-consuming to run, ContestMachine does well.

I tried ContestMachine for SweepsGoat's recent blog contest, and I was very impressed. Sign-up was easy, as was the contest creation. They claim it takes 5 minutes to create a contest — and while that may be a bit of an exaggeration (mine was more like 15 minutes), it's not far off.

I did run into a few snags. The preview function didn't work properly for me. I initially thought it was a problem with the Firefox browser, but later found out it was a conflict with RoboForm's autofill (just temporarily disable your autofill function if you have this problem too). There were a few options I would have liked to have had available: things like selecting an ending time of 11:59, specifying time zone, and customizing the rules on the main page a bit more. The good news is that the developers have a good feedback system and are very responsive to any questions or problems. They mentioned adding features in future versions, which is a good sign. It's always a positive when developers are actively working on improving their software.

Where the software really shines is after the contest ends. I liked the dashboard they had for viewing all the entries. One of the nice things it does is show you the entrants' IP address, which makes it easy to see if there are lots of entries in a row from the same computer. You can easily disqualify entries from this screen. Once you've rejected any invalid entries, you press a button to have it select the random winners. You customize the notification emails, and they handle getting winners' addresses for you. Should a potential winner not respond (which happens all too often!), you can easily disqualify that entry and choose another winner.

There's a free option for folks who run the occasional contest, allowing you to run 2 contests per month. It's a great way to try out the software and see how it works for you. Paid accounts start at $19/month and give you additional features, like allowing entrants to opt-in to email newsletters.

I really like the software. Unfortunately, it doesn't work with blogger (aka blogspot), so it's not the solution for everyone. But for anyone else wondering how to run a better blog contest, I highly recommend it.

Do you have a favorite way to run a blog contest? Leave a comment!

Lucky Quote of the Week: May 25, 2009

2009-05-25T20:37:18Z

"Luck marches with those who give their very best."

- H. Jackson Brown Jr.