Prize Draw

If you wish to enter the Prize Draw, you need to enter a three word Entry Code in the box at the end of the survey.

You make up the Entry Code. Use a name of a colour an animal and a flower e.g. ‘Purple Zebra Pansy’ (don’t use this example - think of your own).

This Entry Code then needs to be emailed to me at  - SouthpawPunch at  gmail. com.

If you enter the Prize Draw, you need to give an email address (no name is necessary to enter but I will request a first name from the winner).

I will check the Entry Code against completed surveys and hold the email addresses of valid survey responses for entry into the Prize Draw.

This method means that only I will have your email address, not the company hosting the survey, and that I can contact you if you win.

This email address will only be used to 1) confirm your entry, 2) notify you a week or two before the Prize Draw is made (so you can look at how it will be publically carried out) and 3) maybe to tell you that you have won. 

All email addresses will be deleted after the end of the competition.

So note that I am unable to respond directly to any queries or suggestions about the site that you make in the survey. But I’d be happy to get back to you, if you specifically request this in an email

Of course I will be responding generally to points and making changes to this site in response to your responses.

The draw will be held publically and iwill be in early January 2008.

A list of all these codes will be published, before the draw, in a particular order and a number will be assigned to each. This will be posted online.

On the designated day, a number will be used from a previously announced source - possibly the end digits of the closing price of the New York Stock Exchange on the day of the draw

(Like the Numbers game. See The Autobiography of Malcolm X for more - and also against the ludicrous Britcentric commentators who think the London financial markets have overtaken New York’s.)

Entry to the Prize Draw is confidential - see Privacy below.

Also see below for ‘Prize Draw rules.’

Privacy

Naturally any email address given will never be passed on to anyone else or be used by me other than for the purposes listed here. All email addresses will also be deleted after the Prize Draw is held. 

All survey results can only be accessed by me.

I would like to occasionally comment on trends I have identified from responses but no comments or responses made by you will be published on the site in anyway that links the comment to the author. And no comments or responses at all will appear in the ‘What others write’ section on the site.

Prize Draw Rules

There will only be a draw if at least 30 people submit an eligible survey. I will update on my website about progress towards this number. I will also post as soon as the threshold has been passed.

Only one entry per person. I reserve the right to investgate possible multiple entries and disqualify those who breach this condition.

The survey and Prize Draw will run to at least 31 December 2007. If the eligible number of entries have been submitted by that date, the Prize Draw will be made, publically, in early January 2008.

I reserve the right to add a further prize (or prizes) to the Prize Draw but all entrants, whenever  entry is made will be eligible to win any one prize and no prizes will be removed from the Prize Draw.

If the eligible number of entries hasn’t been made by then, I reserve the right either to:

-          discontinue the survey anytime after 31 December 2007 and not make a Prize Draw.

-          or continue with the survey and hold the Prize Draw as soon as the eligible number of entries has been received.

If the survey is abandoned, by me, before 31 December 2007 than I shall hold the Prize Draw for all eligible entries by that date.

If the survey is forced to close by others before 31 December 2007 (e.g. by the survey hosting company, if the survey no longer works, if the survey website is significantly degraded by the survey hosting company, if my website is closed by others, etc.) or, if unavoidable circumstances curtail my use of the survey (e.g. if I am seriously ill) no Prize Draw will be held.

I reserve the right to discount any clearly bogus responses.

Survey for your site? 

Feel free to copy and customise (and improve?) this survey, rules, etc for your site. I can send a Word document to any Lefts with the questions I have used, rather than you having to copy each one as you go through.

If you do use it or adapt it, I would expect a credit with a link through to my website.

The survey company

I did some research on free web survey sites before I decide to use this company OpenSurveys.org.

Many other sites will only host your survey, for free, for a limited number of days or for a maximum number of responses.

This survey didn’t cost me anything, allows an unlimited number of replies and for an unlimited number of days. There also aren’t any ads.

Their surveys are a little clunky to set up and the results will only be easily readable if you chose no more than about seven answers in multiple choice answers and these answers are also short. Additionally you cannot edit your survey - you need to get the text right first time or start all over again. I also cannot be sure that the site will remain or that the service will not change - for better or worse.

This company appear to allow your survey to run for an unlimited amount of time and with an unlimited (?) number of questions and responses.

They state:

“OpenSurveys.org is also Free Software, which means that we've made the source code for everyone to download, read, modify, use and even sell if they so wish… We've made it free to benefit the wider community, and also hope that some people will take the time to contribute some improvements back to the site for everyone's benefit.

“A quick search on the internet revealed that several "free" survey sites online limited people to a certain number of questions or features, but offered "premium" accounts to get the extra functionality. So, we decided we ought to produce something that provides all the features people want - programmers or otherwise - free of charge.”

SouthpawPunch 

(revised) 19 March 2007