YOUR INTERNET CONNECTION AND COMPUTER SETTINGS

You may think it goes without saying, but if you are spending a lot of time entering competitions online, you need to get the right tools to be as efficient as possible. The first things to think about are your computer and your internet connection; after all we’ve all waited seconds for a web page to load, wasting valuable time doing so. If you spend a few hours on the net every day, that can quickly add up! In terms of connection, broadband can help increase your speed by 15-20 times. These days prices have fallen a lot so we think it’s a worthwhile investment if you’re thinking of spending a lot of time online. Just think about it this way: once you’ve won a few prizes, you won’t be thinking about that anymore! Focusing on your computer, try to avoid running loads of programs at the same time, and make sure you empty your temporary Internet files regularly. We don’t necessarily recommend that you delete cookies as well as these can help you save valuable time when returning to your favourite sites and filling in passwords and forms (see below).

FILLING IN FORMS ONLINE

Times have changed and these days, companies really value the information you register online – many actually pay for the prizes that way. The flipside is that filling in forms online is one of the most time consuming things you have to deal with if you participate in a lot of competitions. If you use Internet Explorer, one easy trick is to set it to Auto-complete (go to Tools – Internet Options – Content and check Auto-complete). If you use other internet browsers, this is a common feature. Once you have done this, when you type the first character into a field, the application will list all the words and phrases you typed previously that begin with that letter. Just pick the right one, click on it, and automatically fill in forms rather than having to type it all out every time! Using your mouse tends to be a bit slow and every form is different – some of you even use laptops most of the time -, so just use the Tab button to jump from one cell to another in the right order. You can go even faster by using a professional application to turbo-charge your form filling! This is where technology can really help: you can buy an application that will automatically fill in forms for you just by clicking your mouse. There are a few around, but our favourite is Roboform, which you can download for free on the site. Once you have saved all your personal details (together with passwords for sites you return to regularly, for example those offering daily competitions). We suggest you get used to the free version before considering the paid one, which gives you more functionality and can potentially save you even more time.

INPUTTING THE RIGHT CONTACT INFORMATION

Most of us are a bit worried about the type of information we disclose on the Internet, rightly so. However, it is important to consider that prize competition promoters need to be sure you are a real person, that you are eligible to win, and that you are not the same person posting bogus usernames to increase your chance of winning (this is particularly true for free draws). Make sure you type your name and details correctly, including your date of birth – you don’t want to be disqualified because your age is wrong and you aren’t eligible! If your email address is wrong, don’t be surprised if you never hear back from that competition again, that is often the only way for online promoters to keep in touch with you. Using robot form fillers can help reduce the chance of a typo. We recommend that you check your email account for spam settings to make sure that the system you use isn’t diverting the promoters’ emails to spam. If promoters do not hear back from you when sending you an important email, they may assume you are not an active player anymore! Unless you are asked for one, don’t use a username or nickname and provide your real name so that promoters know that they are dealing with a real person. Remember, if they are proper online promoters, they will provide you with data protection information and assurances that your information will not be misused.

MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY

This may seem obvious, but because many compers submit entries to numerous competitions, the temptation is to read instructions quickly to save time and enter another contest quickly. This can end up being a waste of time if you don’t end up providing the right answer or type of answer to the question being asked. Make sure you follow all the instructions as promoters may disqualify you if you answer in the wrong format or don’t fill in all the details required: your entry can simply be ignored otherwise. Although it is tempting, if there is a limit on the number of entries per person or household, don’t re-enter numerous times. These days, promoters use a database to store contact details and it is very straightforward to check for your name, email or telephone number across more than one entry. For the same reason, if you are filling a single form for multiple competitions, check whether you need to send it once for each one, or if it will automatically be submitted for all by the website – otherwise you can be disqualified. Finally, many online competition sites use advertising revenues or profit-sharing agreements to pay for the prizes they give away in their competitions. If you are asked to click on a link to another website before submitting your entry, we suggest that you do so to make sure that the website can continue running its competitions!

Follow these simple guidelines and you will quickly see an improvement in your results in online competitions. The key is to put yourself in the promoters’ shoes to understand what they need from you to run their business and to pick the eligible winner(s). After all, you have to remember that they receive so many entries (particularly for the free prize draws) that they will always choose to filter entries in the most straightforward way, so if you stand out because you are missing key info your entry risks being discarded. Use as many tricks as you can to save time and become more efficient, but not at the expense of following the specific instructions of the individual competitions. The more you enter, the higher your chances of winning, it’s as simple as that!