The power of comments on a blog has been proven, and it doesn’t take much to realize that this blog does not have very many comments. This fact has caused me to decide that my first giveaway on this blog will be an effort to increase the number of comments I receive.

I have found that once I begin commenting on a blog, I continue commenting on that blog in the future and also become a much more loyal reader. Hopefully, I’m not the only one that this happens to and the effects of this giveaway will last for a long time after the prize has been shipped to the winner.

The Prize

Almost anything can be given away as a prize for a promotional effort such as this, and perhaps in the future I will have some more universally desirable items to give away, but for this first giveaway on my blog, I am going to try and increase the population of the ham radio community. The prize has three parts:

The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual

The first part of the prize is this book. This is “The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual” and is probably the most commonly used book for studying to get that first ham radio license. This book will be shipped to the winner. If you already have your ham radio license, don’t get discouraged you can still win something useful. This is only the first part; there are two more parts to the competition.

Twenty Dollar bill

That’s right. For the second part of the prize, the winner has the opportunity to receive $20.00 in cash. Keep in mind that the ulterior motive of this giveaway is to help someone receive their ham radio license. The way that the $20.00 portion of the giveaway will work is that once the winner receives the book and uses it and then passes the test to become a ham radio operator, I will send that person $20.00.

Part of the reason for this part of the promotion is because taking the test to get a ham radio license is not free. The price is usually between $10.00 and $15.00 used to offset administrative costs in administering the test and processing the license application. Even if the person pays $15.00 to take the test, they will still come out $5.00 ahead. Speaking of $5.00…

Five Dollar Bill

I will also be willing to give the winner an additional $5.00 if after passing the test, they decide to give the book away in a promotion of their own on their blog and give me the proper mention and link love in the promotion announcement.

Now that the prize structure has been established, it is time to explain what you have to do to enter the contest

How To Enter and Some Rules

The idea behind this contest is to increase comments on this blog. In order to enter, you need to comment. Each person will be allowed up to two entries into the contest although additional comments will always be encouraged. Ten comments or pingbacks will be required for one entry into the contest.

You can not count more than two responses (2 comments, 2 pingbacks, or 1 of each) to the same post. Also, because someone will definitely try to get real creative with the pingback approach, no more than 5 pingbacks from one post on your blog will be counted towards contest entries and pingbacks must be somewhat relevant.

With the pingback aspect out of the way, here are the rules for the comment approach. Commenting is the preferred way for you to enter the contest, but will be treated equally when selecting the winner. Comments must be relevant to be counted. By relevant, I mean that the comment must make some reference to the material in the post and also not be a generic “hey great post” type comment.

Once you have completed the requirements for an entry into the drawing, use the form at the end of this post and I will verify your entry or advise you as to any problems with it. If you do not want to be included in the drawing, just comment without filling out the form. If you complete the requirements for a second entry, please fill out the form a second time.

Additional Rules

If the winner is already a ham radio operator, they will receive their choice of the book or the $20.00 and will not be eligible for the $5.00 portion. Also, call signs will be used in the distribution of the cash prizes. The winner will need to email me with his or her call sign and I will then cross reference that with QRZ and the FCC before sending the cash prize. More information and details of this will be discussed with the winner.

The contest begins immediately and will end September 21. The winner will be announced shortly thereafter. The winner will be chosen through a random drawing. All entries will be placed in a hat, bowl, or other container and the winner will be drawn. If you have two entries your name will be in the container twice.

If due to oversight I left something out and want to add to or reword these rules, or if I later double check my schedule and realize that I need to choose a different ending date, I reserve the right to do so.

Already On Their Way

Since this is the first giveaway on this site and I currently do not have a large number of comments, I am going to include any past comments towards entries. Below are comments and pingbacks already counted:

Doyle KG6YUN – 1
Ms Danielle – 5
Spud Oregon – 1
Enkay – 2
Vlad – 2
Sue – 4
Jamaipanese – 1
Gaje Master – 1
Mahdi Yusuf – 1
Steven – 2
Derek – 1
Tyson – 1
Cash for Comments – 1
Michael Fultz – 1
Bryan – 2

The Entry Form

Name:
E-mail:

I feel that I now have completed the requirements for an entry into the contest.