I have been blogging a little over three years now {yikes! time flies!} and my views, attitudes, and opinions on all things blogging has evolved as I have learned and experienced more. Something on my mind lately has been giveaways thanks to a recent #crafterminds twitter chat.
A newer to me blog that I really like has some great giveaways and she always makes following her blog a requirement to enter. Followed by liking her and the sponsor on Facebook, following on Twitter, tweeting about it, Facebook statusing the update...you get the picture. I am not one to ask for what I want {people pleaser, passive aggressive} but when I see other people asking for things I think to myself, "hey, I can do that too!" Plus in the internet world I can be as pushy as I want because I do not have to live up to it in real life {ok, not really}.
So the next giveaway I hosted, I required the same thing...and suddenly I heard the crickets. It made me realize that when you ask for too much in a giveaway, it turns people off from entering. Then a few days later, I stumbled upon a blogger who has AMAZING giveaways {we are talking big $$$ items} and she asks you to tweet every day, like her status updates, and comment on her posts at another blog she writes for to get additional entries. Now this thing she was giving away, I really wanted...so I followed for a couple days. And then this happened...
I had heard a few weeks back that according to Facebook's terms of service, you are not allowed to include "liking" a Facebook page as a required entry to your giveaway {which also includes additional entries to the giveaway}. Hearing this for the first time, I thought I would slide on this gray area. And then I heard it again. And again. And suddenly this was not a gray area any more but a well known fact amongst many bloggers...and I needed to be doing the right thing.
So between feeling convicted about blogging ethics and being irritated that these "huge" bloggers are not following some well known Facebook TOS...I decided things would change. I stopped entering that big giveaway that I really, really, really want to win. I figure if I really want it I should just buy it! And that giveaways need to be less about self promotion. I understand that in order for online businesses to get their name out there, they pay to sponsor themselves on blogs. But I kind of feel like, at least for me, that I am going to "like" and follow their shop but have no intentions on ever buying. If I see something I really like and haven't won the giveaway, I will eventually buy it. But I will probably also "unlike" and stop following a whole lot of other people after the giveaway is over.
All this to say, it got me thinking about how I promote here at Domestic Fashionista. I love to be able to promote businesses I like. But I am picky and hope you know that I don't say yes to everyone. I only share with you things I personally love and think you might love as well. And while we are at it, I am going to promote my sponsor and not myself. If you like me and my blog you will follow on your own. Asking this of people didn't get me anywhere...except maybe make me feel a little foolish about asking in the first place.
So this is where you all get to chime in...as readers, what do you like to see in a giveaway? How do you feel about the overwhelming amounts of giveaways you see on blogs these days? What turns you off from a blog as it pertains to giveaways? What are your own personal ethics for your blog?
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