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Contests & Sweepstakes Forum and blocked URLs

JD123 547 848 December 17, 2015 at 09:42 AM
I think the blocked URL list in the Contests & Sweepstakes forum might work against SDs best interests.

I would guess that we sweepers visit urlblocked sites that offer sweeps much more often than regular users, but we wouldn't have to if the sweeps could be listed here.

I'll admit to poking around a certain Ad site around Black Friday this year, probably giving them revenue instead of SD, but I wouldn't have been doing that if their sweeps was listed here. There are also sweeps like tcb where you have to click around the site to enter, but since SDers are awesome it usually doesn't take long for someone to post a direct link to entry. Third-parties also run sweeps, but even those can't get posted because of the sponsor.

C&S is full of some of the best, nicest, and most helpful people on the Internet and I'd like it to stay that way. I think it is time to unblock C&S.

7 Comments

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Joined Dec 2004
Community Relations Manager
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#2
Merchants are URL blocked on SD for important reasons. Often it's due to bad behavior on the merchant's part.
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Joined May 2006
Keeper of the Trophy
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#3
Is their a technical work around so visiting such sites don't hijack SD affiliate referrals? I sense that is the real issue at stake. NOT that SD is really concerned with people visiting other sites. I still feel VERY serious about rules associated with self promotion of websites, the can of worms their is entirely people who run likely run illegitimate sweeps. Clearly we want to protect users from any type of fraudulent behavior be it fake contests or spam/telemarketing feeders or virus/malware related attacks.
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Joined Oct 2010
L123: Pro
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#4
Quote from Schooby View Post :
Merchants are URL blocked on SD for important reasons. Often it's due to bad behavior on the merchant's part.
Understandable, there's a few sites that should be added to the blocklist for that reason like maxwellsattic.com and prizegrab.com

I think that to be the best you have to embrace some competition, and I think allowing some links here and there in C&S not only makes SD better, it helps crush them by keeping us off their sites.
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Joined Dec 2004
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#5
The typical reason that merchants get URL blocked on SD is shilling.
We do try and protect our members from merchants who shill...if they continue even after we tell them to stop we tell them they risk being URL blocked if it doesn't stop, if they continue... guess what? They get blocked.

Some are blocked because the site already has a bad rep as a scam website.
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Joined Oct 2010
L123: Pro
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#6
I'm not privy to data nor mod actions, etc. and C&S visitors might be very diverse so you could break them up a lot of different ways, but assuming there's just two types:

1) casual, stop by when there's an Xbox prize or they have a minute to try some instant wins
2) sweepers, C&S is their home

For casuals, you risk exposing them to another site, but you do so under your rules, linking to entry pages not deal pages, etc.

For sweepers, you stop them from visiting competitors regularly looking for new sweeps. By being more comprehensive, you stop them from stumbling across a new home as well.

My guess is the benefits to class 2 > class 1 downsides.
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Joined Jun 2007
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#7
Quote from Schooby View Post :
The typical reason that merchants get URL blocked on SD is shilling.
We do try and protect our members from merchants who shill...if they continue even after we tell them to stop we tell them they risk being URL blocked if it doesn't stop, if they continue... guess what? They get blocked.

Some are blocked because the site already has a bad rep as a scam website.
But what about posts in C&S that get deleted simply because they are sponsored by a company that competes with SD. THOSE are the posts people are referring to here

2 specific examples that had recent sweeps that get repeatedly deleted are:

B*F*A*d*s.n*e*t
R*e*t*a*i*l*m*e*n*o*t.c*o*m
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Joined May 2006
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#8
I actually won small Amazon GC from IWG you just mentioned...got lucky and bookmarked it before deletion. I'm still here, still loyal.
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