Freebie Etiquette

Although I thoroughly understand the "greed for freebies", once being new to this obsession myself, I think we all have to use discretion and common sense. Although it seems great that we can use many addresses thus signing up for the same freebie numerous times, it really diminshes the cause. The company will run out of that sample or freebie very quickly and all of us may not be able to sign up for it and enjoy the benefits from sampling that particular product. Just please sign up for things once, thus sharing the wealth with all of your fellow bowl members.
I came across an article I read while I was a few months into it and it really made me think. I have since implemented it into my own freebie endevours and wanted to pass it along to you guys. Thanks, SBS

Please make sure that you have the need for the samples. Companies may stop sending out samples if they find out that their marketing effort of sending samples does not pay off. Furthermore, it will help if you actually buy the products after using the samples. Even if you know that you will not going to buy, please consider sending thank you notes to the companies. Lastly, by using the samples given, you are saving the resources of the environment (e.g., less paper), companies, and post offices.

© 1999 by Jennifer Smith and Brian Chow.

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The Bowl community is growing and so are the number of posts -- and it’s getting messy! Juju doesn’t like the “Bowl Clutter” and he’s getting antsy, so…

Here’s what you can do to help the poor, overworked Slaves and make the board more efficient for everyone:

• Use A Single Post For Multiple Offers
  If you have multiple offerings that deal with the same subject matter, post these in ONE single thread and in ONE single post. Do not post 10 separate contests or 10 separate jokes, for example. Group them all into the same post.
  
  If you find more later, then reply to that thread and add your new ones (i.e. don't edit your previous post to add the new ones).
  
  Example: Do not post Contests, and then More Contests, and then Even More Contests, etc. Instead use: Contests For Jan.18.
  
  
  
  
  
• Make your Titles Descriptive
  Readers should know exactly what your message is about by just reading the title. This eliminates the need to click into posts to figure out what it’s about or even worse, to click into it thinking it’s something else.
  
  Example: Do not title your message Staples. Is it a deal from Staples? Do you want advice or are providing a comment about Staples? Instead use: Staples is Having an Inventory Sale: One Day Only, Jan 18. or Staples Return Policy is Giving Me Nightmares: Any Suggestions?.
  
  
  
  

• Don't Complain About Duplicates
  Posters should scan the list of messages or search before posting, but that may not always find the freebie/contest in question. So if a post is a duplicate, don't worry about it too much. There are so many posts that not everyone will see them all and that duplicate will be their first -- it's no big deal. This is especially applicable to freebies/contests that were posted a long while ago.
  
  The moderators will either merge or delete recent duplicates & duplicates of older stuff will be left be. You as a reader don't need to notify anyone -- just skip it.
  
  
• No Thread Ownership
  Threads don't belong to anyone. Just because a person started a thread does not mean you should be apprehensive about posting in that thread.
  
  You're not stepping on anyones toes! If someone ever makes you feel like you are, please email me. We want to keep it friendly in here and there is no room for exclusive cliques.
  
  
  
• Weekly Freebies & Contests Threads
  New Freebies and Contests should be posted as replies to the "Weekly" threads.
  
  ex:
  Freebies for May 13-19
  Contests for May 13-19
  
  The exception to this rule is if the contest would fit into one of the category threads.
  
  ex:
  Ongoing Canadian Tire Contests
  Ongoing Flare Contests
  

• FREEBIE POSTING GUIDELINES
  
  Exercise caution to ensure that freebies which require credit card numbers are not posted.
  
  If possible, check the freebie link to ensure the freebie hasn't expired and that the link is still valid.
  
  Some websites just collect email addresses and do not send out their promised Freebie. What you'll receive instead is your Email Inbox/Trashbin full of SPAM. One way to detect a possible spamming website is if the the website has the word free in it. For example, www.freemakeup.com. Another indication is many pop-ups on a website. As a courtesy, members often reply to a post and let you know that it is a possible SPAM Website, so please do not get offended by this as they are only trying to help.
  
  
• REPOSTS
  To try to keep threads manageable, to reduce frustration, and to prevent disqualifying re-entries, we must delete reposts.
  Please search to check if a contest/freebie has already been posted before you post it. Sometimes the search function doesn't find them because of the search terms used, so also read over the most recent thread and use common sense. If a contest started a long time ago from a major company (Kraft, P&G etc) you can be sure it has already been posted.
  We realize that sometimes you can't tell because of the posting delay. To be fair we will check the times and leave the first posting.
  Please do not take any deletions personally. We want to make using this forum more pleasant for everyone and really appreciate your contributions.
  
  
  
  
  
  NON-CANADIAN FREEBIES
  Juju doesn't want to waste anyone's time with freebies that don't arrive. Most non-Canadian freebies will not arrive so please make your best effort to post only Canadian Freebies.
  
  Occasionally freebies are recieved from the US; if this is the case and you have actually received Freebies from a particular US website, you may include that site in your post, but you MUST include a note that states "I have received this US freebie" (or similar).
  

• Do not post freebies that are intended for businesses
  Unfortunately many people will be dishonest to obtain business freebies or will not read the qualifications before asking for a business freebie.
  
  We've received many complaints from businesses about this, so only post the freebie if it is available/intended for an individual consumer. Do not post if it is intended to be used by a business.

• HOW TO SUBMIT A NEW THREAD AND REPLY TO THREAD
  
  In order to post a new thread and reply to a thread, you must be logged in.
  
  
  
  To start a new thread, click on the green button at the bottom of the page that says START NEW TOPIC.
  
  Fill in the title and type your comments in the big white box. Click on PREVIEW FIRST to view what you are submitting and then click on GO to submit it.
  
  
  
  To add a post to an existing thread just click on the orange REPLY button.
  
  Type your comments into the white box that appears and click GO to submit it.
  
  If you want to reply to someone's particular comments, click on the REPLY WITH QUOTE button in their post.
  
  A white box will appear with their quote and some vbCode. Type in your remarks after the quote and vbCode. Again, check how your post will look before you submit by clicking PREVIEW FIRST. By clicking PREVIEW FIRST, you will be able to preview your post before actually submitting it and check for spelling or any other errors. Then click GO to submit.
  
  
  
  To edit or delete your post that was submitted, you will see an Edit/Del at the bottom of the green box that was just submitted, click on it and you will be given an option to edit or delete your post. Only posts submitted by you can be edited or deleted.
  
  
  
  To include a link in your post, copy and paste the link into your post, you don't have to type it out.
  
  
  
  Juju's Link that explains vbCode:
  http://www.goldfishlegs.net/bowl/mi...=bbcode#buttons
  
  
  Don't be afraid to ask questions either on the board or by PM'ing one of the moderators. Enjoy your swim!

Be Patient-Your Post will Show Up

We have a posting delay in the “Free” and “Melting Pot” sections of juju's bowl to help deal with server issues. What that means is your post doesn't show up right away but it will in a few minutes or a few hours, depending on how busy the server is. Don’t resend your post. Just be patient and it will show up.

If a post has been deleted it is because a mod did a search and found the same contest or freebie in previous posts. To avoid this use the green search button at the top of the thread to see if your contest or freebie has already been put up by someone else.

Tips for using the search function

-Try a couple of times to search using different terms if you don't find anything the first time.

- Don't search for the contest website or company name. The search function does not search URL's

-Often it is easier to find by searching for the contest prize or catch-phrase rather than the name of the contest.

-Search using only one or two key words. Too many words will just turn up more posts than you can look through.

-Check off the box for message excerpts in the search function. Then you can just glance for it

-A REALLY good suggestion is to look in the rules for the start contest date and check back to the thread for that date (or 1-2 days before and after) It is really RARE that a contest from any well-known company is not posted right away. If you find a contest from Kraft, Rona, Flare, Sears etc. that started 2 weeks ago I can pretty much guarantee that it has already been posted!

-Make sure you are looking in the right place. Quite often someone will post a contest in the general thread for a contest that has already been posted in the DVD thread or magazine thread.

-Keep current with threads! Almost half of the reposts I see were posted earlier in the same thread (only one or two days before for the most part)

The most common post that causes arguments in this section is about the answer to skill-testing math questions.

The correct way to do mathematical equations is by following what many call the BEDMAS rule.
-You always do brackets first
-Then, going from left to right you do all division and multiplication
-Then, going from left to right you do all addition and subtraction.

For example:
12 - 8 + 6 x 3
= 12-8+18
= 4+18
= 22 The correct answer.

HOWEVER: Contest questions are usually written in a sloppy manner by a secretary/clerk/publicity person who does not know anything about math and so the WRONG answer (solved from left to right without doing the multiplication and division first) is very often accepted as correct by the contest organizers.
If they tell you the answer is wrong and you have not solved it using BEDMAS rules then you lose the prize. If you have used the BEDMAS rules and someone who does not know math says this is wrong then you can appeal, or even sue them, and you will win, because you will have the right answer, which can be verified by any math expert.