  Contests & Activities
This week: Edited by: Crys-not really here  
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| I'm Crys-not really here and today I'll be the guest editor for the Contest and Activities Newsletter! |
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Where Should I Promote My Contest?
If you’ve read my January 13th newsletter, you know that I created a simple survey concerning different aspects of contests on WDC. Thank you to all 45 people who took the time to fill it out! The responses were interesting and varied, and have given me some great ideas for future newsletters.
Today, I’d like to focus on the question “What methods do you use to find contests on the site?” I gave the following options, which I figured where the most common ways:
 Writing Contests@Writing.com page
WDC search engine under the "Contest" Genre
E-mails from friends and other members
The Contest and Activities Newsletter
Billboards, highlight items, e-mail signatures, etc
A combination of all of the above
Other (please explain below)
A whopping 24 members responded that they use a combination of all of these methods when looking for contests! 14 members stated that they use the Writing Contests@Writing.com Plug Page. 4 members replied with the “Other” option (we’ll discuss those later). Only 2 members stated that they use the WDC search engine to search the “Contest” genre, and only 1 said he uses the Contest and Activities Newsletter.
What does this all mean for you as a potential contest host? Well, if you know where members are looking for their contests, you can best decide where to promote. Obviously, if most members are using all of these methods, it’s worth your while to use them too. Let’s take a look at all of these methods in depth.
Writing Contests@Writing.com page- This is the plug page exclusively for Contests only. It is located under “Things to Do and Read” in your Site Navigation.
WDC search engine under the "Contest" Genre- When you set your contest to the genre “Contest” it will turn up anytime anyone does a search for that genre.
E-mails from friends and other members- Try asking your friends if they could check out your contest. Word of mouth can go a long way. Don’t e-mail everyone in your address book! You could be accused of spamming if you e-mail a bunch of people, especially those you barely know.
The Contest and Activities Newsletter- Mods almost always check their feedback for items that can be featured as editor’s picks in future newsletters. Look at the very bottom of this newsletter and you will see a form to fill out. If you contest is particularly good, it could be featured in the Contest and Activities Newsletter.
Billboards, highlight items, e-mail signatures, etc- If you have a billboard, use it! Feature your contest in your highlighted items, and include a link in the e-mail signature so that everyone you correspond with on the site will know that you have a contest going on.
Robert Waltz  adds: “While I've found contests using most the above methods, usually one of the Sponsored Items will catch my eye.” If you have the funds to sponsor your contest for awhile, doing so will help you set your contest apart from all the others.
The next time you run a contest, keep all of these methods in mind and maximize your exposure! |
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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I've given up on the contest I designed and ran a few times last year because of lack of participation. I tried to make the rules simple and the page appealing, but I think the choice of genre really limited who was interested in the contest. Since I have other goals this year, I'm not going to run it. I may revamp it at a later date, but I think it would take a lot of effort and I'm not sure it would be worth it.
sarahreed
Contests are hard to run. I've wanted to give up many times before, but then I get the inspiration for something new, and there I am running another one! Just don't allow yourself to give up forever. 
I totally agree with you about the "new material only" rule. The reason I'm participating in contests is to prompt myself to write more. They're a source of ideas that I sometimes lack on my own.
If I just submit something I've already written, I lose that benefit.
JarredH 
That's a great point! That's probably the theory behind most cases of the "new material only" rules.
Crys, your editorial about following rules is great and makes many excellent points. As a judge for "The Writer's Cramp" [13+] I see examples of non-rule-following almost every day, and unfortunately, many otherwise good entries have to be disqualified.
But I'd like to add another reason to follow the rules: It's practice.
I've made a goal for myself to step up my efforts to get published, and if there's anything I've learned about the process, it's: 1) I can take rejection from publishers a lot better than from women; and 2) more relevantly, there are a lot of rules to follow when submitting for publication - and editors tend to reject anything that doesn't follow the rules.
When it comes to the actual writing, of course, rules are made to be broken - if you know what you're doing. But when entering a contest, show us you can follow simple instructions. Or we'll talk about you behind your back.
Robert Waltz
Thanks for your support, Waltz! I totally agree with you. If someone can't follow some simple rules for a contest, how are they supposed to follow the complicated guidelines that publishers often have for submissions? Having a publisher talking about you behind your back is far worse than having a Cramp judge talking about you behind your back. 
I can tell you why I wouldn't enter such a contest, but I doubt it would fit into a survey form.
"...five writing prompts throughout the month of December, each based on a different winter holiday." Bingo! Five writing prompts about five holidays in the busiest time of year! With decorating, shopping, wrapping, visiting, taking time to enjoy the holiday decorations others have created, and regular, old-fashioned normal stuff to do, I simply don't have that much time to add a writing contest with five different prompts, too. (And I don't have a job or kids.) Or, maybe I could, but I'd lose a few more cards to my already NOT full deck in trying. lol
Ever just consider - it's already too busy a time to do something like that on top of everything else? Some times (probably usually) it really isn't personal. ;)
atwhatcost
Thank you for your thoughts atwhatcost. Of course, I considered the time of year when I made the contest. However, the unique subject matter and format were too good to pass up. Also, there was no requirement to enter all five weeks worth of prompts. Contestants who did enter one or more weeks of the contest found themselves writing fun and thoughtful stories that they may not have otherwise produced during the busy holiday season when our commitment to writing may slip, which should ultimately be the goal of a contest anyway.
While I agree with you on some points of contests and rules I disagree with not having some contests that allow older work. Many times I have items in my port that are either not finished, need much editing, or offer up a central idea for another story and fits the prompt that is not completely written just for that contest. I do not agree that it should not be allowed to compete if it meets all other requirements. There are also times that I have work that I feel is noteworthy enough to enter a contest that has failed to win in an earlier one.
I feel contests can be used to hone and polish already written work as well as be used to inspire one to write new pieces. Both are beneficial to a writer.
Sandy~HopeWhisperer
Of course honing and polishing already written work is beneficial to a writer. For those kinds of pieces, I recommend joining a publishing, reviewing or editing group on the site. I'm sure there are many people on the site who disagree with me, and you'll probably find a ton of contests without a "newly created item" rule. The subject of my newsletter was following the rules, and so I only suggest that members read the rules carefully and follow them to a "T." |
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Contests & Activities: February 10, 2010 Issue [#3545]
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