The lovely rafflecopter (the giveaway entry system) has made an appearance a couple times on our blog now, and will continue to do so with every giveaway we have. I thought that perhaps I would give you a little lesson on how to use the rafflecopter.

After the rafflecopter loads (which may take several minutes) it will ask you to sign in. You can sign in using your facebook account or using an email address. The rafflecopter WILL NOT post on your facebook wall if you sign in that way. It WILL NOT email you if you sign in that way. The purpose of signing in is so that we know who entered the giveaway and give us their email address so we can email the winner.

Where does your information go?

The information goes into a graph that only Johanna and I can see. All we can see is your name that you used to sign in with (or your facebook name) and which entries you claimed. The information is kept private and when the giveaway is over, it’s gone.

How do I enter the giveaway?

There are several ways to enter the giveaways. The different entries are listed on the rafflecopter. For example, if it say “Like” Making of a Mom on Facebook, when you click on that entry it will open up to reveal a facebook “like” button. If you already like us you only need to click “enter” to claim that entry. If you haven’t “liked” us yet, then click the “like” button and then click “enter” to claim that entry.

Some of the entries will require proof of doing the requirement. For example, if you choose to follow us on twitter, you will be asked to provide your name on twitter. If you choose to blog about the giveaway, you will be asked to provide the URL to that blog post, and so on. The rafflecopter will have a space provided for you to enter the necessary information. If you forgot to enter the required information you can always go back and edit your entries.

Are  there Mandatory entries?

On some of the giveaways there will be mandatory entries. These are entries you MUST complete in order to “unlock” all of the other entries. Some times the company we are representing with the giveaway requires that you visit some of their sites before you can go on and enter any other way. We love helping all the companies we represent reach a wider audience!

Some giveaways will not have mandatory entries and you can pick and choose which methods of entering you want to participate in.

Can I just click enter on all the entry options?

Rafflecopter will allow you to click “enter” on all of the entry options, whether you need to add additional information or not. If you do NOT enter the required information we will delete those entries. We do monitor our giveaways to make sure the required information is being provided. If you simply forgot to enter the required information you can always go back and edit your entry to include the information.  Often our giveaways are trying to promote a hard working small business owner, and we want them to only reward those with valid entries. Please be honest and respectful of these business owners by honestly using the entries you intend to follow through with. If you don’t want to take extra steps to enter the giveaway, then only enter the options where you just have to click a button and then you’re done.

Who can enter the giveaways?

Each giveaway has different requirements. Some giveaways allow for winners in the USA and Canada, while others only are for USA entrants. Read the details before you enter to make sure you will qualify to win!

Now that you know how to use a rafflecopter and what is done with the information you provide, you will be able to put this knowledge to use in our upcoming giveaways!! Good luck!

If you still have questions or concerns please leave them in the comment section or email me at makingofamom@gmail.com and I will address them as quick as I can! Thanks!