Recently I competed in a contest to win hotel and entry fees for a workshop in Las Vegas. I participated for a couple of reasons,
- it would be nice to be able to attend with minimal fees
- I wanted to know what it was like to be involved in an online contest.
I expected to easily win because I have a strong online presence and I have significantly supported a number of other people when they ran contests.
It was not as easy as I thought it would be. With 6500+ followers on twitter, several hundred on facebook, an extensive email list, and a couple of networking groups, I managed to collect a couple of hundred votes. In several cases, friends of friends also helped me. It was an enlightening experience because it was numerical confirmation of:
- exactly how many people are paying attention to my stream/feed at any given time and
- of those people that are paying attention, how many are motivated enough to help
There are some people who don’t hesitate to request assistance and then there are those of us who actively support others, but have difficulty asking for help for ourselves. I am forever grateful to the following people for responding with exuberance, you made the experience wonderful! Along with my competitors, there were many people who made the contest fun and exciting. My only regret is that in light of all your help, I didn’t bring the win home. I was 7 votes short. You know that I will happily return assistance if you ask in the future.
Here is my list of thanks:
@islandBOOKstore your last minute count down reminders were so appreciated that I promise to purchase my next book from you. Next time I am on Mackinac Island you can guarantee I will be stopping by to give thanks in person!
@Refined_Images This one is special because her first EVER retweet was for me. Patty Buccelato also kindly promoted me through her facebook contacts as well. You want to look good for a new job or speaking engagement? Patty is your woman.
@TerryBean posted the contest on the MotorCityConnect facebook wall. If you want to know what fruitful networking looks like, Terry is the expert!
@EmpowerMindNow is Kim Kassner – if you know of anyone who could use help with learning techniques and motivation, Kim is the one to call!
@ExtremelyAvg I’ve recently been introduced to Brian online. Take a moment to read his blog. I love his writing style – just go read his bio.
There are so many people to thank… I think I’ll have to shorten the thanks if I want to mention every one before next year!
I know many people voted without tweeting about it, many thanks to you as well! There were several people who helped me via facebook (such as my INSB Networking group) but they don’t have twitter accounts, so I’ll find another way to thank them.
The bottom line is, if you’re looking for excellent twitter connections with people who understand the meaning of community…. look no further, they are all listed above!
