Elisabeth Maurland on mon 29 aug 11
Hi everybody,
Some of you have participated on web contests, I think, so maybe I could =
=3D
get some input in my quandary.=3D20
I get to compete in a contest for small businesses in Northeast Iowa, =3D
and the goal is to garner as many votes as possible over 20 days. I can =3D
win $5000 to "grow" my business.=3D20
It's very hard for me to ask for help, but I guess I can't be shy, and I =
=3D
will be asking all my friends and family to vote every day, and to ask =3D
them to ask other people as well. Facebook etc. are of course a given.
What I am worrying about, is whether to ask my customer email list. I =3D
want to send email reminders every day, and I am planning on asking =3D
nicely. (Something along these lines: "If you vote every day, and even =3D
share with friends, it would be fantastic, if not, just delete or =3D
ignore, and if you don't want me to send you these email reminders, just =
=3D
hit "reply" and I will take you off this particular list, although you =3D
will remain on my regular list unless you click Unsubscribe. Mainly, I =3D
don't want to annoy anyone, but I could really use your help!" )
Even so, I am agonizing over this! Would you consider this abuse of an =3D
email list? Is it rude? I know some people will be enthusiastically =3D
helping, and I'm sure some will be annoyed, but in general, do you think =
=3D
it's reasonably appropriate?
Thank you for your opinions!
Elisabeth
www.elisabethmaurland.com=3D
Carl Cravens on tue 30 aug 11
Elisabeth,
I think this is something you ask of your true fans... the ones=3D
you know love your work and would be glad to support you. Can you filter o=
=3D
ut the fans from the customers on your list?
As for daily reminders, I'd m=3D
ake that opt-in... don't make people take action to avoid something they di=
=3D
dn't want to start with. They may just ask to be removed from your mailing =
=3D
list entirely.
And keep in mind (speaking as an email server administrator=3D
), some people who don't want to receive your mail will simply mark it as s=
=3D
pam. On systems like AT&T, this will get your server (not just you) blocked=
=3D
from sending mail to the entire ATT/SWBELL network pretty quickly, and the=
=3D
n you're ISP will boot you for causing them hassle.
It doesn't matter that=3D
it doesn't fir the legal definition of spam... you still get blocked. (At =
=3D
work, we have dealerships that are required under contract to receive email=
=3D
notifications of recalls, product bulletins, etc. They've gotten our mail =
=3D
server blocked three times in the past six months, and ATT is of no help in=
=3D
identifying the cause of the block.)
Elisabeth Maurland on tue 30 aug 11
Thanks, Carl,
I was just starting to think that myself (that I should only ask those =3D
who really care about me (or my work)). And thank you for the spam =3D
insight.=3D20
I have never done this before and have asked people how to go about it, =3D
and some have suggested using my customer email list. But I am really =3D
not comfortable with it, but then I'm not comfortable asking anyone =3D
except those closest to me. But that's not how you win a contest like =3D
this. I have to get less shy and figure out where to draw the line.
Elisabeth
On Aug 30, 2011, at 7:46 PM, Carl Cravens wrote:
> Elisabeth,
>=3D20
> I think this is something you ask of your true fans... the ones you =3D
know love your work and would be glad to support you. Can you filter out =
=3D
the fans from the customers on your list?
>=3D20
> As for daily reminders, I'd make that opt-in... don't make people take =
=3D
action to avoid something they didn't want to start with. They may just =3D
ask to be removed from your mailing list entirely.
>=3D20
> And keep in mind (speaking as an email server administrator), some =3D
people who don't want to receive your mail will simply mark it as spam. =3D
On systems like AT&T, this will get your server (not just you) blocked =3D
from sending mail to the entire ATT/SWBELL network pretty quickly, and =3D
then you're ISP will boot you for causing them hassle.
>=3D20
> It doesn't matter that it doesn't fir the legal definition of spam... =3D
you still get blocked. (At work, we have dealerships that are required =3D
under contract to receive email notifications of recalls, product =3D
bulletins, etc. They've gotten our mail server blocked three times in =3D
the past six months, and ATT is of no help in identifying the cause of =3D
the block.)
>=3D20
James Freeman on wed 31 aug 11
On Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 11:15 AM, Elisabeth Maurland <
elisabeth@elisabethmaurland.com> wrote:
Some of you have participated on web contests, I think, so maybe I could ge=
t
some input in my quandary.
I get to compete in a contest for small businesses in Northeast Iowa, and
the goal is to garner as many votes as possible over 20 days. I can win
$5000 to "grow" my business.
It's very hard for me to ask for help, but I guess I can't be shy, and I
will be asking all my friends and family to vote every day, and to ask them
to ask other people as well. Facebook etc. are of course a given.
What I am worrying about, is whether to ask my customer email list. I want
to send email reminders every day, and I am planning on asking nicely.
Elisabeth...
Just my own opinion here, so certainly not authoritative. My young son jus=
t
finished a several months long participation in such an event. His contest
was for a spot as a performer on the Warped Tour, a huge summer concert
series aimed at skinny kids with nose rings and blue hair. The way this
particular contest worked, the top 100 vote-getters for each venue would
then go on to a jury of the promoters for final selection for each venue.
He told my wife and I about the contest, but did not notify anyone else in
the family. He does not believe in what he calls "vote whoring", and wante=
d
his fate to rest solely on his music and the legitimate listeners (he is an
artistic idealist!). In any case, I did notify a handful of family members
who I thought would help his cause. The end result was that about half of
them took the time to vote on the day that they were notified, two or three
more voted every day for about a week, and only three of us voted every day
throughout the contest. Truth be told, even my wife and I were very glad
when the voting ended in order to finally shed our "obligation".
Having been through this, I would see little wrong with sending your mailin=
g
list a SINGLE notification. I would phrase it as a fun thing, and as news
about your business, with only an incidental request that they vote. After
all, they owe you nothing, and registering and voting is a big pain in the
tuchus. Though it seems like such a small thing, you are actually asking
for a lot. I certainly would NOT send out a daily reminder. This is the
very definition of spam, and you will very soon become a serious annoyance,
even to your friends and family. You need to estimate your odds of actuall=
y
winning, and multiply this figure by the $5000 potential prize. You then
have to ask yourself if it is worth possibly annoying your friends and
family and nuking your mailing list for this sum of money.
Again, just my own thoughts and experience. Oh, and yes, my son did make
the top 100 for his venue. He is not holding his breath about making the
final cut, especially since his entire "band" consists only of himself.
Also, if anyone wants to hear the music, there are a couple dozen songs tha=
t
can be downloaded from my website. Go to the "resources" page (link below,
in my signature), then I think the link is called "Eric's Music", or
something like that. Fair warning to the older set: Even his own
grandmother does not like his music!
All the best.
...James
James Freeman
"...outsider artists, caught in the bog of their own consciousness, too
preciously idiosyncratic to be taken seriously."
"All I say is by way of discourse, and nothing by way of advice. I should
not speak so boldly if it were my due to be believed."
-Michel de Montaigne
http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesfreemanstudio/
http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com/resources
Elisabeth Maurland on thu 1 sep 11
I like your son's music! I will vote for him.
I am not going to ask my customers more than once. There is a consensus! =
=3D
What I am doing is asking all my friends and relatives if I can annoy =3D
them every day with email reminders. Those that do not respond I will =3D
not send them to. Luckily, this goes on for 20 days, not several months.=3D=
20=3D
Right now, there are 16 contestants, so I think I have a fair chance. =3D
Enough to try hard!
Thank you for your input!
Elisabeth
On Aug 31, 2011, at 9:06 AM, James Freeman wrote:
> On Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 11:15 AM, Elisabeth Maurland <
> elisabeth@elisabethmaurland.com> wrote:
>=3D20
> Some of you have participated on web contests, I think, so maybe I =3D
could get
> some input in my quandary.
> I get to compete in a contest for small businesses in Northeast Iowa, =3D
and
> the goal is to garner as many votes as possible over 20 days. I can =3D
win
> $5000 to "grow" my business.
>=3D20
> It's very hard for me to ask for help, but I guess I can't be shy, and =
=3D
I
> will be asking all my friends and family to vote every day, and to ask =
=3D
them
> to ask other people as well. Facebook etc. are of course a given.
>=3D20
> What I am worrying about, is whether to ask my customer email list. I =3D
want
> to send email reminders every day, and I am planning on asking nicely.
>=3D20
>=3D20
>=3D20
>=3D20
> Elisabeth...
>=3D20
> Just my own opinion here, so certainly not authoritative. My young =3D
son just
> finished a several months long participation in such an event. His =3D
contest
> was for a spot as a performer on the Warped Tour, a huge summer =3D
concert
> series aimed at skinny kids with nose rings and blue hair. The way =3D
this
> particular contest worked, the top 100 vote-getters for each venue =3D
would
> then go on to a jury of the promoters for final selection for each =3D
venue.
>=3D20
> He told my wife and I about the contest, but did not notify anyone =3D
else in
> the family. He does not believe in what he calls "vote whoring", and =3D
wanted
> his fate to rest solely on his music and the legitimate listeners (he =3D
is an
> artistic idealist!). In any case, I did notify a handful of family =3D
members
> who I thought would help his cause. The end result was that about =3D
half of
> them took the time to vote on the day that they were notified, two or =3D
three
> more voted every day for about a week, and only three of us voted =3D
every day
> throughout the contest. Truth be told, even my wife and I were very =3D
glad
> when the voting ended in order to finally shed our "obligation".
>=3D20
> Having been through this, I would see little wrong with sending your =3D
mailing
> list a SINGLE notification. I would phrase it as a fun thing, and as =3D
news
> about your business, with only an incidental request that they vote. =3D
After
> all, they owe you nothing, and registering and voting is a big pain in =
=3D
the
> tuchus. Though it seems like such a small thing, you are actually =3D
asking
> for a lot. I certainly would NOT send out a daily reminder. This is =3D
the
> very definition of spam, and you will very soon become a serious =3D
annoyance,
> even to your friends and family. You need to estimate your odds of =3D
actually
> winning, and multiply this figure by the $5000 potential prize. You =3D
then
> have to ask yourself if it is worth possibly annoying your friends and
> family and nuking your mailing list for this sum of money.
>=3D20
> Again, just my own thoughts and experience. Oh, and yes, my son did =3D
make
> the top 100 for his venue. He is not holding his breath about making =3D
the
> final cut, especially since his entire "band" consists only of =3D
himself.
> Also, if anyone wants to hear the music, there are a couple dozen =3D
songs that
> can be downloaded from my website. Go to the "resources" page (link =3D
below,
> in my signature), then I think the link is called "Eric's Music", or
> something like that. Fair warning to the older set: Even his own
> grandmother does not like his music!
>=3D20
> All the best.
>=3D20
> ...James
>=3D20
> James Freeman
>=3D20
> "...outsider artists, caught in the bog of their own consciousness, =3D
too
> preciously idiosyncratic to be taken seriously."
>=3D20
> "All I say is by way of discourse, and nothing by way of advice. I =3D
should
> not speak so boldly if it were my due to be believed."
> -Michel de Montaigne
>=3D20
> http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesfreemanstudio/
> http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com/resources
Url Krueger on thu 1 sep 11
As a complete cynic I have to ask:
Where is the $5000 coming from?
What are your chances of your winning?
Do the voters have to enter an e-mail address or other personal
info to vote?
What happens with that e-mail address?
Is asking people to vote for you in their good interest?
Is it really in your best interest to ask people to vote for you?
This sure sounds to me like it might be just another scheme for
marketeers to gather info so they can sell mailing lists.
Earl krueger
Oregon, usa
Elisabeth Maurland on thu 1 sep 11
You probably asked rhetorically, but most of the answers are here:
Leveraging the intellectual capacity and practical experience of =3D
faculty, staff and students, the University of Northern Iowa=3D92s =3D
Business and Community Services (BCS) division is dedicated to meeting =3D
the needs of communities and entrepreneurs throughout Iowa. Within BCS, =3D
the Regional Business Center (RBC) focuses upon serving entrepreneurs in =
=3D
Iowa with a wide array of technology driven services, incubation and =3D
technical assistance. On campus, the RBC hosts the Innovation Incubator, =
=3D
a 13 suite technology transfer initiative providing linkages between =3D
campus innovators and the Iowa business community. In nearby Waterloo, =3D
RBC staff have managed a highly successful service technology incubator =3D
since 2001; the 4th Street Incubator has graduated more than 40 firms =3D
into the Iowa economy in the past decade. The UNI regional office of =3D
Iowa=3D92s Small Business Development Center system is also housed in =3D
Waterloo and serves several hundred small business owners annually with =3D
technical assistance and training.
=3D20
In 2003, the RBC piloted an innovative support system called =3D
MyEntre.Net, catering to the unique needs of Iowa=3D92s 100,000+ small =3D
business owners. MyEntre.Net is an entrepreneurship development system =3D
consisting of an online social network and free web-based =3D
entrepreneurial resources, coupled with collaboratively driven services =3D
and capital for entrepreneurs in Iowa.
=3D20
MyEntre.Net was implemented through an annual competitive selection =3D
process in 13 rural Iowa counties and one urban center between 2003 and =3D
2008. In May of 2009, the online resources of MyEntre.Net were =3D
re-launched as an interactive statewide online community serving all =3D
small business owners with live, interactive education, Webinars, peer =3D
learning and other business services. Today, the collective expertise of =
=3D
the MyEntre.Net team insures individually customized technical =3D
assistance, quality referrals and rapid access to capital for =3D
pre-venture and existing small firms statewide.
Initially funded by a USDA Rural Business Opportunity Grant, 2009 =3D
MyEntre.Net funding comes from the Iowa State Legislature, the U.S. =3D
Small Business Administration and the Northwest Area Foundation.
Basically, the contest is put on by the University of Northern Iowa to =3D
help small businesses in Iowa, along with many other programs for small =3D
businesses. I heard about this through a small business class I took, as =
=3D
well as through the local Chamber of Commerce. The funding comes from =3D
the Iowa State Legislature, the U S Small Business Administration, and =3D
the Northwest Area Foundation.=3D20
I doubt they will use email addresses for anything, if they are even =3D
needed for voting. I don't know that yet.
So far (voting starts on Saturday) I have 15 competitors. Last year a =3D
friend of mine won, she runs a clay studio in town. The contests run =3D
fairly often, several times a year, and it's only regional (Northeast =3D
Iowa in my case).
People are agreeing to vote for me because they are my friends and =3D
because they want to help me succeed and because they like my work. I'm =3D
asking them beforehand if it's OK that I send them annoying emails every =
=3D
day for 20 days. These online contests are getting pretty common, so =3D
most of them are not adverse to the idea.=3D20
I'm not asking my customers, as I have mentioned before.=3D20
The reason I am in this contest, is that it's a contest for small =3D
businesses, and the funds are supposed to go to something specific. I =3D
have been a full time potter for 17 years, and over that time I have =3D
developed a large amount of fairly distinct designs for my surface =3D
decoration on my pots. People love them, and soon after I became a =3D
mother six years ago I started trying to get these designs on other =3D
products, like textile and paper products. But it's been slow going - =3D
first I had to figure out a way to get the same effects I get on my =3D
pots, on a flat, scannable surface (I had eventually to learn =3D
Illustrator), after that, it's been lack of time and funding. So far I =3D
sell greeting cards, and I have a couple of rug samples coming my way. I =
=3D
would love to put more time into it, but I have to work 7 days a week =3D
just to make ends meet. It's getting harder and harder to make a living =3D
as a potter, and I just keep getting deeper into debt. I am also trying =3D
to be a mother to my daughter. The funds would go to getting prototypes =3D
made, to pay for a booth at a trade show, and just to be able to take a =3D
couple of days off from clay to research this without going into a =3D
financial tail spin.
So, most of my friends know how hard I work and how long I've been =3D
trying to get this going, and they are very happy to help. Actually, =3D
some of my customers would like to see me succeed too, and I know who =3D
they are (a couple), so I'll probably ask them too.
This is probably more info than you needed (if you needed any :)) but it =
=3D
explains my reasons a little better.
Thanks for asking cynical questions! I actually hadn't read what I =3D
posted above before - I just knew it was a legitimate contest.
Elisabeth
On Sep 1, 2011, at 1:58 PM, Url Krueger wrote:
> As a complete cynic I have to ask:
> Where is the $5000 coming from?
> What are your chances of your winning?
> Do the voters have to enter an e-mail address or other personal =3D
info to vote?
> What happens with that e-mail address?
> Is asking people to vote for you in their good interest?
> Is it really in your best interest to ask people to vote for =3D
you?
>=3D20
> This sure sounds to me like it might be just another scheme for =3D
marketeers to gather info so they can sell mailing lists.
>=3D20
> Earl krueger
> Oregon, usa
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