Member since:
August 8, 2006

Cool, I'm a finalist!

October 05, 2009 08:24 PM EDT (Updated: October 08, 2009 05:33 AM EDT)

views: 49 | comments: 30

I seem to be on a winning streak lately and boy, is it cool!

Let's see -- a few weeks ago a photo I took won a Grand prize from a website and the prize was a gift basket full of personalized stationary with my photo on it. I haven't gotten the prize yet but I know it will be really neat. I can't wait to show it off to you guys when it comes.

Last week I won a Handy Manny prize pack here on Gather and got a bunch of yummy goodies in the mail this weekend.

Now today I got this email:

You're a finalist for Organic Comfort Zone Contest‏!

Congratulations!

Your entry to our contest "Why a good night's sleep is important to me..." was selected as one of the TOP FIVE finalists!

FANS of Organic Comfort Zone are voting for the winner who will receive a CozyPure® Cuddle Sack La'Noodle Natural Latex Mattress Topper and Two La'Noodle Pillows.

Voting ends October 12, 2009 5:00pm EST.

Read the entries and cast your vote here:

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=297014480202&id=59056567610

Good luck to you!

Now I know I haven't actually WON this time, but this is still pretty cool. There were about 200 entries and mine was chosen along with 5 others as finalists. The prize looks awesome and that's why I entered. The winner of this contest gets a CozyPure® La'Noodle Natural Latex Mattress Topper and Two La'Noodle Pillows.

The sponsor asked people to tell them why a good night's sleep is important and you had to be 'on-target with the theme'. Since I suffer from Fibro I knew I'd be able to easily talk about the topic of wanting to get a good night's sleep.

I more than likely won't win this one though and one of the reasons why is because I think there's something fishy going on. Now I know what you're thinking "A conspiracy theory over someone wanting to win some pillows???"

Yeah yeah, so basically you go to that link on facebook, then click on another link to get to a poll, select the entry you like the most & hit a button. (Mine is entry #5) Well... earlier today I clicked on the results page to see how my entry was doing and there were only 4 votes there. I left the computer for a couple minutes and hit 'refresh' and all of a sudden there were about 20 votes! 'That was speedy', I thought. I decided I'd kinda keep tabs on the voting and I started seeing a trend, a bad one. Suddenly a TON of votes came in and they were ALL for entry #1. What the heck? It's a good entry, but come on now... that's a little weird if you ask me... how can it be SO far ahead of everyone else?

I always hate it when people win prizes by doing things that aren't fair.. and I really think that's going to happen this time. We've all seen it happen here on Gather, then there's hurt feelings and all that jazz & people end up being turned off from contests.

Now I totally get people asking their friends & family to vote for them and I don't see anything wrong with that. People do it all the time and it's pretty much expected in a situation where voting is open to the public. I have a funny feeling that with this particular contest, people are able to vote more than once and if that's the case... there's no way I'm going to win this. Even though that prize would be really, really cool to have... I'm not going to stoop to that level.

I'd like to win because people actually thought my entry was worthy of the win and seriously, if I won something knowing that I only won because I cheated... I'd feel so stupid.

I'm seriously not being a poor sport at all because entry#1 IS good!

I just think it's a little fishy that it's SO far ahead of everyone else.

Don't you?

~ Faith

Tags: facebook, organic comfort zone, prize, prizes, voting, fibro, fibromyalgia, sleeping, sleep, rant, contests, contest

To Groups: Random Musings, Fibromyalgia: When you just need to talk about it, Invisible Illnesses, PEOPLE WATCHERS - people pictures, stories & videos, Your Group, The Sharing Place, Invisible Disabilities, YaDaYadaYada, Fibro Support, THE WORKS: every article, image & video

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Comments: 30

Larry H. Oct 5, 2009, 8:28pm EDT

congradulations on winning

reply to this comment

Bridget ♥ Oct 5, 2009, 8:29pm EDT

Don't forget that you also won the Handy Manny prize pack here on Gather!

I really do think something fishy is going on here, how can that entry have gooten so far ahead in a matter of minutes? It really makes you wonder!

I don't mind the same people winning over and over as long as it's done fairly and without cheating. Afterall, if you cheat, how is that considered winning? you're only cheating yourself and everyone else that played fair!

GOOD LUCK! You know that I'm one of your biggest fans! :)

☆ ƒåitĥ ☆ Oct 5, 2009, 8:53pm EDT

I love how you just skim over stuff, Bridget! I guess you missed the part where I talked about winning the Handy Manny prize pack? LOL

☆ ƒåitĥ ☆ Oct 5, 2009, 8:54pm EDT

I see though that the article is all jacked up with no spaces where there were supposed to be spaces so maybe that's how come ya missed it.

Bridget ♥ Oct 5, 2009, 10:06pm EDT

LOL, I guess you did include it, I totally missed it the first time! I think it's the paragraph thing! :)

☆ ƒåitĥ ☆ Oct 6, 2009, 6:46pm EDT

It's ok, no worries. I will edit the post so the paragraphs will look better. I don't know why that's been happening to me lately on Gather.

☆ ƒåitĥ ☆ Oct 6, 2009, 6:51pm EDT

OK, I edited it... the paragraphs are still funky at the bottom (don't know why!!!) but the rest of it looks better.

reply to this comment

Alex In Wonderland Oct 5, 2009, 8:32pm EDT

Holy cow...you are right! That looks totally shady. I'm sorry but someone getting 79% of the total votes when there are 5 choices- there is something wrong with that. Her submission is good but not 79% of the vote good.

Alex In Wonderland Oct 5, 2009, 8:33pm EDT

Oh and I voted for yours because I liked it :D
And way to go on all the great wins lately.

☆ ƒåitĥ ☆ Oct 6, 2009, 6:45pm EDT

It DOES look shady, huh? I feel bad even bringing it up but it's way obvious.

It's really suspicious for one entry to get 79% of votes out of 5 entries.... I could see that happening if there were only 2 entries, but 5???

Come on now... that's just crazy talk.

reply to this comment

Marsha S. Oct 5, 2009, 9:22pm EDT

way to go!!

reply to this comment

heather "chickenlips" g. Oct 5, 2009, 10:17pm EDT

WooHoo! I voted for you :~)

reply to this comment

Dagmara H. Oct 5, 2009, 10:34pm EDT

Hmm, what a shame you didn't get it. But I think you should let us know next time, we would help you and not because it's your but because we love your work ( posts, or pictures)

☆ ƒåitĥ ☆ Oct 6, 2009, 6:43pm EDT

Aww thanks Dagmara -- the contest isn't over... voting is still allowed, it ends on the 12th. My article was talking about how I probably won't win though because one entry was receiving all the votes and it looked really fishy, like the votes were probably from the same person -- know what I mean? I think they've changed the way people can vote though, so that's great. Another entry is WAY WAY ahead of me but heck, I might still have a chance. :o)

reply to this comment

Ms. Meacham: Money Maven Oct 5, 2009, 11:42pm EDT

Yours had the real personal touch to it that showed how your life would be improved by the products. I gave it a vote. Wish I could have done more... Have you FBed this yet?

☆ ƒåitĥ ☆ Oct 6, 2009, 6:54pm EDT

Thanks! The only thing I've posted on FB about the contest was a status change that said I was a finalist... then when someone asked, I added the link to the voting spot. I might post a note over there or something but I'm so far behind at this point I don't really think I can gain ground. I did see though that the voting section looks different now so I'm hoping that the sponsor noticed how weird the voting looked and have been able to prevent people from voting multiple times. I just wish that they had been able to void all those non-votes, know what I mean? Oh well... if I don't win this time I'll just try again. :o)

☆ ƒåitĥ ☆ Oct 6, 2009, 7:24pm EDT

Okee dokee - I just got back from posting a note on my FB wall so we'll see what happens! :o)

Ms. Meacham: Money Maven Oct 7, 2009, 2:48am EDT

I see you're at 18.5 percent now. Right on!

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Ashley M. Oct 6, 2009, 1:06am EDT

If number one is a member of a sorority house like her post says....she could have a large facebook following - one wall post could have caused the swell.

Hopefully you will get lots of friends from here at Gather over there to support you. I voted for you. :)

☆ ƒåitĥ ☆ Oct 6, 2009, 6:56pm EDT

I was also thinking sorority house when I saw in the entry that the person was a college student and yes, you're right -- one wall post could definitely have caused that swell.

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♥Tabitha Cowan♥ Oct 6, 2009, 2:47am EDT

I voted for ya! I can identify with your article so well. I am a mother of 5, and can never seem to get enough sleep.

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Deb J. Oct 6, 2009, 8:28am EDT

That's super faith!!! How do you find out about all this stuff???

☆ ƒåitĥ ☆ Oct 6, 2009, 6:57pm EDT

I signed up for a newsletter that focuses on green living and I got a notice in the newsletter about the contest, so I entered! I hope to be able to enter a lot more contests soon though...

reply to this comment

Priscilla (wishing I was in Costa Rica) ~. Oct 6, 2009, 8:48am EDT

I hope you win!

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Priscilla (wishing I was in Costa Rica) ~. Oct 6, 2009, 8:50am EDT

I voted for you! That blue balloon over Minnesota - that's me!

☆ ƒåitĥ ☆ Oct 6, 2009, 6:57pm EDT

THANKS so much! It looks like they changed the poll company so now you can't see where the votes are coming from but before they changed it I saw your balloon! :o)

reply to this comment

☆ ƒåitĥ ☆ Oct 6, 2009, 6:42pm EDT

Hi all -- I went over to the voting site again and it looks different now... so I HOPE that the sponsor figured out what was going on and now it won't allow the same person to vote multiple times. I just wish that they were able to void all those votes that were obviously fake or multiples. Thanks for the support everyone!