*2* Week Giveaway
In a rather blatant attempt to generate some traffic to the site, I’m running a contest on the site. To the person who sends me the most traffic from their website, I will post, free of charge, 1x Derwent Graphic fine art pencil set, worth £10.99 (about $20 USD). It’s very similar to these. It contains 6x graphic pencils, 3x sketching pencils, 2x solid graphite sticks & 1x eraser, enclosed in a plastic “pod” case & 1x 2008 diary and phone book with a blue plastic cover.
The rules of the contest are as follows:
- The contest opens on Tuesday 29th January at 00:00 GMT and closes on
Monday 4th February at 23:59 GMTMonday 11th February at 23:59 GMT. - I’ll be using my Statcounter account to track where the clicks are coming from.
- I’ll make a list at the end of the contest of how many clicks came from each blog.
- I’ll be tracking the amount of unique visitors, not how many times the same visitor visits the blog from your site. For example, John visits the blog 3 times during the week = 1 visitor. Jane visits 1 time during the week, as does Jack = 2 visitors. Judy visits from Blog A and Blog B = 1 visit from each blog. Someone clicks on a comment I’ve made on your blog = 1 visitor from your blog.
- If the winner doesn’t want the set, it will go to the first runner up, and so on. If nobody at all wants it, I’ll send it to charity.
- You are welcome to use any kind of encouragement on your blog to get people to visit. Go nuts.
A 20% bonus is awarded if one of your visitors accepts the Kiva certificate I’ve been offering way back when. To get this, the person must mention that they came from your blog. The 20% is awarded thus: someone visits from your blog 10 times, and claims the certificate. You get an extra 2 “visits”. This has now been claimed.- In the occasion of a tie, I will post that this is the case, and flip a coin. The set goes to the first person who guesses heads or tails correctly, who is also one of the tied contestants.
- The results will be posted some time on Tuesday evening, GMT.
- My decision is final.
- The rules are subject to change at any time.
If you have any questions, please ask.
Update 28/1/07 - Apparently, I can make the stats from my Statcounter account public, so you guys can verify I’m telling the truth.
Update 29/1/07 - I’ve added a 2008 diary to the list of prizes.
Update 31/1/07 - The public site stats are located here. The important bit is “Recent Visitor Activity” on the left. Click on that, and it will give you the lowdown on everyone who has visited, including where they came from. Remember, you only have until midnight GMT on Monday to drive the traffic. 
Update 3/2/08 @ 4:20 GMT - Amanda of ShamelesslySassy is in the lead right now with 12 visitors. You still have a day and a bit to drive the traffic if you want the prize.
Update 4/2/08 - I’ve decided to keep this going for another week to give people more of a chance to participate. You don’t need to do anything to win, but if you’re going to post about this, do it sooner rather than later to increase your chances of winning.
Ree
I’m in. I love pencils.
Ree’s last blog post..I’m Back.
jessie
You’re in my sidebar, but I think youll get a mention here and there
lceel
I don’t think I get enough traffic to make any impact on yours, but I’ll try. Besides, I can use the pencils.
lceel’s last blog post..No Friday Haiku Today
Solomon
Excellent. The more the merrier!
Sandy (Momisodes)
Woohoo! I’ve added you to my blogroll!
Sandy (Momisodes)’s last blog post..So What If I’m Late?
Nissa
Who couldn’t use a little more traffic?
I’ll stick ya in my blogroll!
Nissa’s last blog post..Drugs, Tiaras, and Harry Connick, Jr.
Solomon
On February 7 at 9:34 AM, Mariposa said:
On February 6 at 2:04 PM, l’empress said:
Thanks very much guys. I’ve added you both to mine.
gafarmwoman
That is such a good idea Solomon. It looks as if you are getting good traffic now. Good luck with the contest.
gafarmwoman’s last blog post..Happy Man-Happy Dog
gafarmwoman
Hi Solomon, just letting you know you are tagged. Rules on my site. Have fun with it and have a great day!
gafarmwoman’s last blog post..7 Things You Didn’t Know about Me
Solomon
On February 12 at 4:24 PM, IAAdmin said:
Thank you. And thanks for tagging me for a Meme.
Kelley
Aahhhh! So that is what I need to do then? Instead of bitching and moaning all the time offer the peeps some cash!!!
Fantastic idea there babe! Will be checking what happens!
Kelley’s last blog post..At school 2 hours and a trip to the hospital.
IAAdmin
You’re already in our blogroll, but gratefulness is an extremely health emotion, so you’ll get a mention in a blog post………….:)
Plus, I love pencils.
cardiogirl
Hi,
You may want to join Entrecard to boost traffic. It’s a free social site all that’s required is a username and password. Then you post the card on your site and people will blow through to “drop” a card.
When you earn enough “points” you can advertise your blog for 24 hours on someone else’s blog. I’ve seen a pretty good increase in traffic due to this. Some of the sites I have advertised on have provided at least 60 hits in one 24 hour period.
Just something to consider. My card, where people advertise, on on the lower left hand side under the heading “Featured Blog.”
cardiogirl’s last blog post..It all went my way yesterday
Christine
Thing that I am grateful for: I have not have any trouble with any pesky slugs around here. They are bad on Vancouver Island. They have monster slugs there.
Christine’s last blog post..Homecoming
Solomon
On February 17 at 12:53 AM, Solomon said:
I wish I could say that. Well, I suppose I can, but only because it’s January and nothing is growing yet.
thebluestbutterfly@yahoo.com
I have visited your Dec. 6 post and requested the gift certificate. I am a frequent visitor as I find you very interesting. You are in my list of sites worth a look over on my blog.
thebluestbutterfly@yahoo.com’s last blog post..Vigil at the Top
AtomiK Kitten
Yeah, personal touch…that’s it. I call it defective tacky glue that should have dried clear. Oh well…Boomer will love him (that’s the dog that ruptured my Achilles Tendon by knocking me down some steps before Thanksgiving).
I’ll give your contest a shot…because my kid loves to draw.
AtomiK Kitten’s last blog post..See? I told you?
Calfkeeper
Hey,
I added you to my blogroll my friend, but don’t expect much traffic from it…I dunno how much I get even. But not enough to make much difference I suspect.
Good luck
Calfkeeper
Calfkeeper’s last blog post..Random photo entry…
Solomon
On March 1 at 10:09 PM, Solomon said:
Cool. The more the merrier.
On March 3 at 9:26 PM, Solomon said:
Any little bit is welcome.
Don’t you have a stats account with Sitemeter or Statcounter?
ALF
Found your site from Shamelessly Sassy’s - just wanted to say hi!
I’d love to help but I’d probably have to get some traffic at my site first…
ALF’s last blog post..Seriously, ESPN, Just Have It On In The Background
thebluestbutterfly
I put “Shamelessly Sassy” in my blogroll. What a candid blogger.
thebluestbutterfly’s last blog post..Vigil at the Top
Solomon
On March 4 at 7:26 PM, Mariposa said:
Thanks for stopping by. Sassy’s is a great blog.
On March 4 at 7:54 PM, Solomon said:
She’s great, isn’t she?
l'empress
I don’t enter contests, but I always check what Golf Widow recommends. Wishing you lots of hits.
l’empress’s last blog post..I Gotta Share This!
Simone's Butterfly
AH Thing I am a bit late to join up but I will give it a go.
I have 4 blogs would they all count as one??
or would that be cheating?
Simone’s Butterfly’s last blog post..WW
Solomon
On March 9 at 11:23 AM, Solomon said:
Thank you very much.
On March 10 at 12:47 PM, Mariposa said:
Hmm. I think to make it fair to everyone, each blog should count towards itself only.
Mariposa
With or without that price thought they’re lovely…I would gladly promote this site.
I got busy lately…but I should come up with some good ways to point people to this wonderful site.
Mariposa’s last blog post..Kong Hei Fat Choi 2008!
constant drama
Hey got here through GolfWidow’s. I have to say that your blog is absolutely refreshing./It makes me thankful for the things in my life too.
Thank you for letting me see things in a different perspective.
constant drama’s last blog post..Cheesecakeerian is evil
Solomon
On March 12 at 5:28 PM, Solomon said:
Thank you for the comment.
And thanks for visiting.
Rebecca
I’m a bit late visiting you back (you commented on my Superbowl and cheesecake, et al post)(and thank you for visiting!) but I’m so glad I did eventually stop in! I was going to just give you the link to the recipe, but it looks like I may have to do some measurement conversions for you. QED! Either way, you’d be welcome if you ever did show up at our door! I’m adding you to my blogroll (not to win, I’m too late for that, plus I have lots of pencil sets, all in regular use. I hope the person who wins really needs/appreciates them!). Not only that, but I’d been toying with the idea of doing “Thankful Thursdays” on my blog, and now I simply must commit to it. I love that you show thankfulness everyday. As someone else said, it’s refreshing. That’s a good word.
Rebecca’s last blog post..The Vultures Have Been Circling…
Solomon
Thanks for stopping by, and for adding me to your blogroll. I’ve added you to mine in return.