It’s rare that I chat about social media on my blog – after all, there are several credible sites that focus on best practices, and while I’m immersed in social from morning to night, I would hardly call myself an “expert”. (I prefer the term “enthusiast”… but trust me, I’m not enthusiastic about everything. However, that’s like any job, no?)
Hence, I seldom break out of family/ food/ fashion/ beauty/ musings/ contest mode, but once in a while, I like to jump in on a hot topic or give my two cents’ worth.
(Although we technically don’t have cents in Canada anymore, so let’s call it my nickels’ worth.)
Today, it’s all about Twitter Parties – particularly, the etiquette of scheduling, RSVP’ing and winning prizes at a Twitter Party.
1. Scheduling
First, let’s chat about scheduling. When Canadian twitter parties are scheduled, every effort is made to ensure that another Twitter Party is not being held at the same time. E-mails are sent; I give the heads up to brands who often throw Twitter Parties, and as a courtesy, I search Twitter for the terms ” Twitter Party” and the exact date I am looking to host one. If everything is clear, I then instruct our moderators to send out “Save the Date” tweets (I’m sure you’ve come across these if you’re active on Twitter). This is to further give others the heads up about our party while we are in the planning stage.
Translation: If two Twitter Parties end up on the same day at the same time, it wasn’t me.
Unfortunately, the courtesy my team extends to others is not always reciprocated, and once in a while, we’ll have more than one Twitter Party happening at the same time.
Do I take it personally? Nope. The double booking is rarely malicious. Often, the other person simply didn’t realize that there was another party going on, and sometimes, even if they do their homework, they can miss the announcement. In which case, there’s nothing to do but change the party time or plow ahead. And plowing ahead is usually the preferred option.
2. RSVPing for Twitter Parties
Okay, let’s chat about RSVPs next. The purpose of the RSVP is to indicate your interest in attending the party, and it also serves as our list for drawing prizes. So, if your name is on the list, and you have attended the party (which is always double checked), consider that your entry into the draw. We randomly select names, check for participation, and then announce our winner.
However, here’s the second time etiquette comes into play. I do realize with Twitter Parties – and any “virtual party” for that matter – the beauty is that you DON’T have to physically be in one location at a time, and that’s why it’s easy to party hop. And that’s completely okay, and up to you! However, I always encourage my party attendees to choose a party and stick with it. In everyday life, you would never attend one party, while checking your phone all night to see what’s happening at the other one, right? If you have indicated your interest in attending a party via RSVP, then it’s not unreasonable to expect that you should simply stick with the party you originally committed to attending. Again, it’s up to you – and if you have a valid interest in both parties, then party on!
(Of course, not every in-real-life party gives away amazing prizes; hence, I do understand the fascination with party-hopping.)
3. Winning Prizes
One of my favourite parts about the Twitter Party is the ability to give out prizes. It’s such a joy to see the community rally together and congratulate the winners! The excitement is contagious and I love rewarding party goers for taking the time to participate and share our discussion. And I do have a tip – a very valuable tip…
If you are a Canadian participating in Twitter Parties, please ensure that your Twitter profile indicates that you are located in Canada. The truth is, if I pull a winner’s name from the RSVP list and his/her Twitter profile does not display their location, I often must re-draw. Why? Because Twitter Parties are fast-paced, and people from all over the world jump in to participate. If I draw a non-Canadian resident, it wastes time and the efforts of all the partiers who are kind enough to congratulate the winners. (Even if you’ve partied with me before, unfortunately, I can’t assume you’re Canadian by association.) So, take a quick look at your Twitter profile and make sure you’ve listed your city and/or country of residence.
Finally, I’m so sad to report that there has been a growing trend of dishonesty when it comes to claiming prizes. Although for the most part, Twitter Partiers are gracious and truthful, there is a small percentage of people who try to claim prizes that have been awarded to others. See below.
Is your name Paula McNutt, Crystal McNutt or Janice Rogers? You’re doing a disservice to everyone by trying to claim that you own a Twitter handle that just happened to win on my last party. I’ve deleted the correct owner’s information, but you can clearly see how awkward it is to have two people trying to claim one prize. It means that I have to contact the Twitter owner and ask them for their name and location, so we can determine who is the Real Slim Shady, so to speak. Yes, it’s extra work for me, but it affects all of you – if brands continue to see corrupt activity surrounding prizing, it impacts the frequency and value of prizes that are given out.
(The impostor(s) did fill out their mailing address and contact phone number – perhaps a personal reprimand is in order? Sigh.)
Anyhoo, that’s all I’ve got for today. With the absence of Tweetgrid, Diana from Toronto Teacher Mom put together this fab tutorial on How to Use Tweetdeck for Twitter Parties. Take a peek! And, hope to see you at our next Twitter Party!
oh they better not have been trying to scam my maple leaf prize pack I won during that twitter party. they messing with the wrong tweeter lol. but really shocked people try to do that.
Hahaha well it WAS the very same Twitter Party, but rest assured, your prize is safely on its way to you :)
Wow – great read from an “Insider”. You answered many questions that I have often wondered about and I will correct a few things I have been missing; like adding my locale. And many of us wondered why Twit Parties were on top of each other as it is something we look forward to and we feel like we have to choose and don’t really want to…That being said, these chats are a great way to have fun, read witty remarks and meet new folks, (especially if you live in an isolated place and don’t have the opp to socialize very much). So thanks again Lena and let’s hope this doesn’t turn into an East Coast-West Coast feud (poor, poor Biggie Smalls).
Poor Biggie Smalls! My husband, who was a huge fan, is very proud that Reid shares a birthday with him, ha! Thanks Suzanne!
Wow – that musta been a crazy delivery room experience for YOU.
Reid was a scheduled c-section, so we knew ahead of time that they would share a birthday, LOL.
Great points, I especially agree with #3 because I’ve run into this as well – someone potentially wins and I can’t tell quickly if they are even IN Canada. All it takes is a simple mention of your location: Canada, Saskatchewan, Vancouver – whatever – to give us some sort of an idea that you’re indeed Canadian, eh!
Stumbling this….
Indeed. I understand that some people are delicate about their privacy online, but even just noting “Canada” is so helpful.
Great article! I will share it with all my twitter newbies, I’m sure they’ll find it very useful!
Thank you Paula!
I can’t believe people are scamming that they have won? Oh my.. that is pretty low. :( 2 parties at once is tough to follow, and ensures a headache from staring at the hashtag feeds, lol. I like to stick with one party at a time, usually determined by who is Hosting, and where I will have the most fun! Just like a real party :) Great read Lena, thanks for the inside view. I am sharing for all my friends to see, and see ya at the next party!
Deb, I think you’re on the money when you decide who is hosting, and where you’ll have the most fun. That’s what attending a party is all about! Thanks for sharing!
You make some great points. I must admit I was taken aback though when I got to the part about other trying to claim other goers wins… that is just wrong on so many levels and whoever has done this or doin this really isn’t an adult at all, adults don’t behave that way. at least they shouldn’t.
I will be sharing your article as well and I want to thank you so much for writing it!
Thank YOU Darlene for your kind feedback!
I love twitter parties! I was so surprised to hear people are trying to steal prizes from others. That is sad that people are so dishonest.
It appears to be a *very* small proportion, but sadly, it’s been happening a lot.
I suck at twitter parties, my computer is slow and I usually end up with twitch eye….and there are always cheaters..people who have numerous twitter accounts, but this is the first I have heard of them trying to claim someone’s prize! Holy crap!!!
HAHAHA twitch eye! That happened to me for 3 months while I played Candy Crush :)
lol so thats why my eye twitches that dang candy crush
I can’t believe, wait I can believe, but never thought some people would be so callous as to try and claim other peoples prizes. It shocked me to to read that. I admit to party jumping sometimes if I am not working a party, mostly to support friends parties, but I much prefer it when there is just one at any given time. Thanks for the great post I’ll share it around.
Thanks Julia :) I completely understand what you mean by supporting friends. And yeah, I can believe it too.
Thanks for the great advice !! I never had my location on my twitter…. and I have never won a thing from a twitter party… maybe now I know why lol. thank you for the tips, I had totally given up on twitter parties, generally felt like I was talking to myself and being totally ignored lol
Oh no! Well, rest assured that every time you participate on a Twitter Party, your tweets are very much appreciated by the brand and moderators (and dissected later, I promise). But yes, please do add in your location!
Oh wow! Why would someone do that? That takes the fun out of these parties. Thanks for pointing this out Lena. I find it difficult sometimes to keep up with one Twitter party, I can’t imagine party hopping.
No worries! And I appreciate you partying with us :)
So true about Rule 1..even when checking to see if there are conflicting parties sometimes 2 beloved brands go head to head as things like creative have already been put in place. Some nights it is frustrating. Trust me I know, and I have moved more then one party, as I like to play as nice as I can but sometimes things can’t be, could be the brand is launching certain events etc and parties need to be on a certain date. It happens
It really does. And I wanted to let readers know that we do everything in our power to prevent it, but sometimes, it just happens. And we plow ahead!
As for the prizing it happens, and that is a double ugh.
Uh huh. Double ugh.
I am flabbergasted that Twitter allows multiple people to use the same @ handle ! Most sites I know tell you if the username you want is in use and then tell you to choose another one. Wow !
It’s not two people using the same handle, but someone pretending to own a handle when they don’t. Am I right Lena?
Yes, Jenny, that is correct. It’s not possible to make multiples of the same handle on Twitter.
Yes, Jenny and Sarah are correct. It’s simply a matter of someone claiming to own a Twitter handle and then submitting their own mailing information to receive the prize.
ok, I have never signed up for a twitter account so wasn’t sure. It’s so sad that people will try to lie or scam their way into claiming a prize belonging to someone else because of the feeling of anonymity the internet gives them.
Thank you, great post and great points! Twitter parties are supposed to be fun, however, trying to claim other people’s prizes is in really poor taste.
I am guilty of party jumping when there are two scheduled at the same time by people/brands that I like to support , that is why it is better all around not have them double booked if possible! :)
If possible – yes, that is the ideal situation!
I imagine this is why some RSVP sign up forms have the option of including a name and an email. I usually enter my handle and the URL to my twitter page because those other two are normally left optional. But I wonder if its time to stick to making it mandatory. At least then you can compare username, real name (I think that’s the third line), and e-mail to whatever is on the prize fulfilment form.
But yeah…there is something disheartening about people who attempt to claim a prize that is not theirs. Twitter parties are as fun as they are informative and we really don’t need the thievish sort ruining things like that.
That’s a great point, J – while it won’t stop the “thieves” from trying to collect prizes, it will eliminate the step of trying to uncover the real identity. I think I’ll add in a mandatory e-mail address from here on in!
Im curious as to what a “Twitter Party” actually is?
I’m not familiar with the term. I’m assuming it’s virtual and not like a “tweet-up” where people are meeting in real life. Or is it?
Perhaps I’m just not popular which is why I’ve never been invited to a “Twitter Party”.
Anyways, just curious. Would love to know the answer.
Cheers,
Sheldon
Hi Sheldon,
It’s an online party – kind of like a tweet-up – but on Twitter only, and generally it is sponsored by a brand with prizes available. And, as I mentioned in my tweet to you – you are always invited to our parties :)
You are bossy. Wink. :)
You are too :)
Wow, it never even occurred to me that someone would try to claim the prize of someone else – I guess call me naive but that is NOT cool!
This is a great post. Twitter parties and new and not everyone knows what they are. Mostly it’s all common sense but it’s nice to see some “rules” for etiquette laid out.
Thanks Elaine! This is a very topical post that only touches on a few points, but I’ve wanted to say them for some time :)
I don’t understand why winners need to claim their prizes via an external form? That leaves room for so much abuse! Here are some ways to counteract prize thievery:
1) Winner can claim prize via DM. Simplest and easiest way!
or
2) If you MUST use an external form, then DM the winner a claim code that’s not easily guessable (ie. BZDH423812) that they can enter on the form so you know they’re the genuine winner.
Having said that, looks to me like there’s one person in NS who is claiming prizes for all winners and just having them shipped out to different mailing address of family and/or friends. What a nasty thing to do!
Thanks so much for the feedback, Sarah!
We used to DM winners, but found there was so much back-and-forth; the winners would perhaps forget to include their phone number, or e-mail address, and sometimes Twitter loses our DMs. So, we transitioned to claim form last year. It was highly successful until a small handful of partiers decided to cheat (in this case, one rascal from NS).
great article i have learned alot like adding my location to my profile. no wonder i never won anything!!
anyhow can anyone guide me where to find the schedule twitter parties on web?
I WISH there was a schedule for Canadian Twitter parties – it’s definitely something I want to create!
Thanks for the insight, cheaters just have to ruin it for everyone. Thanks for the tips , I thought my profile said Canada, but it didn’t, and I don’t know where the stuff in my profile came from, I didn’t write that.
Love twitter parties, even though I miss most of the tweets they go by so fast!
They DO go by pretty quickly, but we appreciate each and every tweet :) Thanks Marlene!
As someone who attends and enters a lot of contests, there are additional points to consider:
1. Clarity of rules. I find *some* Twitter parties sometimes play fast and loose with the rules and it’s never entirely clear how a winner is chosen. Is it a random tweet? Is it answering a Q? Random pick from the RSVP list? Similarly a detailed prize list with expected values is often missing. A proper contest has rules explicitly detailed down to how prizes are drawn, who’s excluded, how to claim, etc. I’m somewhat mystified why Brands do not insist the same type of vigor is applied.
2. I’m a little dismayed to only now find out that the Twitter profile is being used as a means of verification. I personally don’t believe in sharing information over social platforms and prefer to limit this as greatly as possible. Shouldn’t RSVP forms have a check box to indicate if you’re CDN instead? Or why not just ask the potential winner through a DM?
3. In the RSVP form it should have a mandatory field to include your proper name and/or your email address. If someone attempts to claim a prize you’ll easily be able to verify the info.
This is excellent feedback, mrdisco – and I think the checkbox for Canadian on the RSVP list is a brilliant suggestion. I will definitely look into this!
As for prizing, I can’t speak for all Twitter Party hosts, but generally do the following:
1. Randomly select a name from the RSVP list using random.org
2. Check to ensure that they are currently on the party and tweeting on the hashtag
3. Award the prize
Again, I think if we had some way of clarifying that all the RSVP names are Canadians, it would greatly help. Hence, I will look into the check box idea. Thanks again!
Awesome :)
and my comments were not directed at any one specific host. just something in general i’ve seen in the last year or so.
I was just thinking the same thing as I read the article and the comments. I only set up the tweeter account to use it for giveaways and contests and as such it contains no personal information whatsoever. I guess, I’ll put Canada there though since it’s pretty much obvious from my tweets anyway.
I don’t think having “mandatory field to include your proper name and/or your email address” is a good idea… the personal information would be given away and fly around unnecessary then. I’d personally prefer to be verified after I won something and stay anonymous otherwise.
I think this is one of the most useful blog posts I’ve ever seen :) Thanks for clarification! Though, with my computer, I probably won’t party on tweeter more often, it’s still good to have some order to that chaos called tweeter party :)
Great post.
I’m totally guilty of party hopping. I do that in real life too. I dance in and out of the living room to the kitchen to the porch to see what’s going on there.. Oh wait that’s called being the hostess.
I do have a question though. Is it better to RSVP and potentially not be there, or to RSVP 10 minutes before the party. I always wonder.
I don’t do twitter parties unless my Dh isn’t home so actually being 100% sure that I can be there is a bit tricky.
I think it’s better to simply RSVP and potentially not be there. We’ll check to see if you’re on the party, but often, people join a party and forget to RSVP, which is tragic! We give away some awesome prizes!
Thanks so much for posting this! Love reading the ‘insider’ on twitter chats, always wondered how it works, and honestly didn’t realize about the location on twitter, made my changes already ;) Thanks for posting the link on the tweetdeck tutorial, I’ve been floating along with tweetdeck since tweetgrid disappeared & greatly appreciate the ‘life jacket’ it might keep me from sinking during the parties, lol, ;)
Thanks so much for being an avid attendee and awesome tweeter, Steph!
Crap! I never had my location and had never thought I’d be DQ’ed because I didn’t say I was in Canada. I’ll have to sort that out and it might explain why I never win anything!
It’s not that you’d be DQ’ed, per se – if I recognize you as an avid tweeter/ contester I usually make a judgement call. However, not everyone can do that – and I wouldn’t want you to miss out!
Holy! I can’t believe people but I have seen those three names on other twitter parties and blog giveaways! Is it one person entering 3 times or someone claiming a prize? I am positive about it 100% because it made me mad when I seen it a few times! Either way don’t people have morales anymore? What some people will do for a free item, we were just discussing that today that if they were your friend would they betray you for $50? How do they sleep at night? So sad.
Doris, it’s someone trying to claim a prize that isn’t theirs. Cheating, plain and simple,
I love knowing how the winners are picked. Thanks for that!
I am flabbergasted that people try to claim a prize that’s not theirs…and I love that you’ve called them out by name…haha!!
Oh, one more thing – thanks a lot for getting “It Wasn’t Me” stuck in my head. I’ll be singing that for days!
Hi Jonnie! They’re picked by random.org against the RSVP list :) And I’ve been singing that song in my head since I posted it yesterday, hahaha!
I’ll never understand cheating in any way shape or form. It just is something that doesn’t make sense to me. I’m still trying to master the art of attending a twitter party lol Thanks for the tutorial, I’m going to check it out for sure!
You’re welcome Anne! And I agree, cheaters never win!
That is not nice. I must read on how to join in on the twitter parties. I tried last night but got all flustered. lol
LOL there IS a learning curve involved!
Thanks for sharing these tips. I didn’t have my location listed so might of lost out. I added it last night and won at the Canadian Chicken Twitter party!
Awesome!! So happy to hear that!
I love mrdisco’s idea – I don’t have my location on my Twitter account either. Thanks for sharing these tips, I didn’t know most of that info!
You’re welcome Lisa!
These are some awesome tips Lena! I had no idea about other people trying to claim the prizes of others. :) ps. You do a super awesome job hosting parties and they are always fun and full of fun conversations :)
Thank you so much for saying so Marla, that really means a lot!
Thank you so much Suzanne, and yes, it was an amazing prize!
J’s suggestion of a mandatory email field when attendees RSVP sounds great, if feasible. I can’t believe people steal others’ prizes!
I don’t think I have ever attended a twitter party (although I’ve RSVP’ed once), but maybe with Diana’s tips that will change! I get overwhelmed even when I see the tweets coming in as an observer! Which makes me think, kudos to twitter party hosts for all their hard work, including you, Lena!
Thank you Victoria :) Diana created a great tutorial and I hope to see you at a future party!
I shared this post on FB and twitter and everywhere I could lately. I love that is very clearly explains the blogger/host and sponsors and the twitter participants roll and obligations in a twitter party. Basic rules in black & white – easy peasy I will continure to share this since I think it is well worth a read for both new and more seasoned tweeters and twitter party attendees! Thanks again Lena!
Thank you Cathy, I really do appreciate it! And it’s always such a pleasure to tweet with you!
Lena, this is a FABULOUS post. I am bookmarking this! Great tip about including Canada in the location part of one’s profile. That helps so much. It can sometimes be frustrating to try to find out where a twitter party participant is from when doing prizing.
You are so right about most of the time double booking being without malice. At least, I HOPE it’s done without malice :) I wouldn’t think that anyone would intentionally book a party at the same time as someone else’s party. I know it happens sometimes that there are 2 or 3 parties on at the same time. It’s hard if you’re a participant and want to attend all of them and it’s hard if you’re hosting, because your party participants have to choose which party to attend, or try to attend all.
I usually do a Google search like you said. I Google Twitter Parties and the date. Often, it works that I can get a date where no other parties are being held. Sometimes, however, other parties don’t show up in my search.
I want to say thank you for having such great etiquette. When a client had selected a time and date that coincided with your client’s party, you messaged me. I am so impressed with your professionalism and courtesy. Thank you.
Thanks for the post,i just last week attended my first twitter party and you have answered some of my ?’s in this post!