Entering and winning competitions on the Web
The Internet has revolutionised the way people participate in competitions. If you fancy your chances at winning a prize, you needn't spend time dialling a premium rate number anymore. Just log on to the Internet you'll have access to hundreds of free competitions!
The rise in popularity of online competitions is largely due to the simplicity of the Internet. How would you like to win that luxury holiday you've been dreaming about? You can do this, right now in fact, and it will take you a matter of minutes.
This is because entering competitions is now simply a case of "completing the online form", something you will have read time and time again if you're a regular visitor to freebielist.com. If you're a lucky winner, you will be notified via e-mail or in some instances, via telephone. And with hundreds of competitions available on the Internet, there has never been a better time to go "comping".
So what things can you win on the Net? Aside from the classic prizes of old (cars, holidays and cash), you'll find competitions to win shopping sprees, music gig tickets, laptops, computer games, consumer products, electrical goods and more. If you can purchase it, it's a fair bet that somebody, somewhere, is offering the item as a prize.
The Internet has also revolutionised the way lotteries are played. If you've never had much luck with your local lottery game, check out the free lotteries online. Many allow you to play daily for increased chances of winning!
Do people actually win competitions?
One thing that we are frequently asked is: "do people really win online competitions?" To keep it short, the answer is: "yes". People win all the time, and some more often than once. However, if you are to be successful with competitions, we recommend entering as many as you can that interest you.
You could even make comping a hobby. The truth is: there are many professional compers on the Internet who make a tidy living entering competitions. To be sure, it is hard work, but it will increase your chances of winning. Of course, for the less enthusiastic, there's always beginners luck!
A few things to note
All this sounds rather nice, and it is. Still, there are a number of things to be aware of when entering competitions, especially online. The Internet has its fair share of scams and catches, just like the brick and mortar world. If you're not prepared, you may find yourself sailing close to dodgy deal territory, so use common-sense and follow the advice below:
"We recommend setting up a secondary e-mail account for the sole purpose of entering competitions (or requesting freebies, if you're also a freebie hunter)."
Visit our Free Web-based E-mail Accounts section for reviews of free e-mail accounts we recommend.
If you enter a competition on the Web, a requirement may be to subscribe to an e-mail newsletter. Since you're not being charged to enter the competition, operators frequently want something in return, be that an e-mail address, your opinion, or perhaps home address. Many competition operators also ask if you'd like to participate in offers, or complete an online questionnaire. It is sometimes possible to bypass these stages (or opt-out from the mailings). You may be able to survive with just providing your e-mail address, and if it's a secondary account you've already set up for the purpose of entering competitions, it shouldn't have much effect on you.
Read the competition operator's terms and conditions.
It goes without saying, but if you're participating in anything that comes with rules or regulations, it's a wise decision run your eyes over the small print. For competitions, the rules are usually straight-forward and may stipulate a minimum age (i.e. 18 years), number(s) of entries permitted, and the country you must reside in to participate.
What's the purpose behind online competitions?
Competitions are great fun, and like most things, they also have a purpose. There are numerous reasons why companies run competitions, and some of them are below:
To promote a Web site, product or service - Many competitions are used to help promote a product or service. For instance, if you're a fan of the big screen, you'll already be aware that competitions are used to promote the latest films. Few things whip-up interest like a free competition and wherever there's a large promotion, we'd wager a bet that a competition is available.
To act as an incentive for something else - "Subscribe to our newsletter and we'll enter you into a free prize draw". Have you seen this before? Competitions may be used to tempt you to take some form action, obviously with varying degrees of success. Being entered into a free prize draw to win a Caribbean holiday is far more tempting than shopping vouchers!
To get your opinion - It is also common to see competitions that you must complete a survey to enter. In exchange for providing your opinions on a topic, you'll be entered into a prize draw!
Locating "offline" competitions
Despite online competitions becoming increasingly popular, there are still many offline competitions to enter. Magazines, television, radio programmes - even large stores, are well-known to feature competitions. Remember the golden rule: you've got to be "in it to win it"!
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