*EDIT: This post was not created to attack anyone in specific. This is in response to EVERYONE who thinks that those who enter a lot of giveaways are out to profit or snatch up everything for themselves. This is apparently a hot topic among bloggers that I was not aware of. Being a chronic giveaway tweeter, I thought I'd share my side*
So I've been blacklisted...
I came across a post today about people who enter too many giveaways, sell their winnings,win multiple copies of books, or only use their Twitter accounts for giveaway entries. After commenting, I saw in this person's Twitter feed that they were talking about me specifically as an offender. Apparently there is a Twitter code that I was not aware of. It is NOT ok to tweet about too many giveaways. If you do this, your name is thrown into the "never gonna happen" pile and even if your name does come up as a winner, a new one will be chosen.
I sent this person an email and I thought I would share those thoughts with you too. This is the email I sent to this person (minus the last few sentences in which their blogs are mentioned out of respect for their privacy) and I'm only sharing it here so that you can understand my side, NOT to attack the recipient:
"So I just came across your Twitter remarks about me and I figured I'd just
email you to air this all out and clear up a few things. I never sell books that
I win. Ever. If I don't like a book or don't want to keep it, I pass it along
through my own giveaways or on Freecycle. Second, I never accept second copies
of books that I win unless they come in a multiple book giveaway. In that case,
I again use them for my own giveaways or pass them along to other people I know
who want to read them. Yes, I tweet a crap ton of giveaways, usually at night
while I am sitting with the husband watching who knows what I will go through my
daily tweets. Do I win a lot? Yes, I do. Why do I win? Because I do these tweets
almost daily. Does it look badly on me? Sure. Is Twitter an effective way to win
giveaways? Of course. But if someone has a problem with people using Twitter to
enter giveaways then they shouldn't have that as an option.
Why do I enter so many giveaways? Simple: if I don't win it, I probably
won't be able to read it. I am a stay at home mother of two kids. My son has
special needs and I have a TON of meetings for him that I need to be able to go
to at short notice. Hence my lack of a job. Reading is my sanity. I spend most
of my free time reading, which is everyday that my kids are in school. Winning
gift cards is how I contribute to my household. If I can win a gift card to
Amazon or Walmart, that's less money that is taken out of our already tight
budget to buy stuff for my kids. The more books I can win to read, the less I
have to buy.
I'm sorry if this puts me on the blacklist. I'm not out to win the
world. I don't have a ton of different accounts to enter giveaways a bunch of
times and I don't cheat. I just do a crap ton of daily tweets. That's what that
option is there for, to do it daily."
Now I may be in the wrong here and shouldn't have emailed them, but I don't like being accused of things and I simply wanted to let them know why I enter a ton of giveaways. Will this change their opinion of me? Probably not, and that's too bad. In fact, I probably won't even get a response, but that's ok.
I'm writing this post for several reasons. One, I know that there are a lot of other people who use Twitter for giveaways. I would hate to see these people end up with the same fate as me. But who is to say how you use your own account? If it were against Twitter rules to use tweets as giveaway entries, this wouldn't be an option.
Do I use my Twitter for giveaways? Heck yes. Those daily tweet options add up. More often than not, winners of my own giveaways are those that have done a lot of the daily tweets. Do I care? No, because they are just doing what the rules allow and they are also promoting my blog. How is that bad? But something else I want to mention is this: For people like me, shy and not sure how to go about creating new friendships, you aren't going to make much progress in the blogging community. I've tried many times to start discussions on Twitter and no one responds. I've responded to other people and have been ignored. It's upsetting and it's frustrating. Honestly, it just feels like I'm sitting there talking to myself and that's not fun. I keep trying though and hopefully my Twitter will be deemed more than just a giveaway account. I'd love to sit and talk with people, I just don't know how to go about starting those conversations.
Secondly, just because someone enters a lot of giveaways it doesn't mean that they are selling their winnings, cheating, or hoarding dozens of copies of books. Just because you can cruise through their mailbox posts and see what is coming in, you have no way of knowing what is going out. Who is to say what you do with your books anyway? Why can't you keep them? If you are hosting a giveaway and have a specific idea of what you want your giveaway book to be used for, specify that. If you don't want certain people entering your giveaway because you want to send that book to someone you know, why have the giveaway in the first place? Just send that person the book and live stress free.
If you have an issue with someone who is entering your giveaways, tell them. Email them. If you are using Rafflecopter, their emails are readily available to you. Or you can DM them on Twitter. It will save you a lot of time and anger.
Lastly, if I have been blacklisted on your blog as well, please send me an email at bookcoverjustice (at) comcast (dot) net and let me know. I don't want to waste your time or mine.
