You guys, my brother WROTE ME A COMPUTER PROGRAM to choose winners for giveaways! It is so awesome: I type in some code and then I put in the url of the blog post, and the program bustles into the comment section, chooses a random winner, and tells me who it is and what their comment was. It also adjusts for multiple comments from the same person: like, if you comment and then have to leave a second comment to correct something or add something, it counts those two comments as one entry rather than as two. SMART MUCH?
I used it for the first time on the Whimsical Walney t-shirt giveaway. And the program chose Fine for Now! Yay! I’ll email you right now to put you in touch with Dana at Whimsical Walney, and she’ll get your shirt out to you!
And speaking of Dana, she wrote me to say that she felt sorry for all the losers the commenters who didn’t win:
Your readers have been so great I want to offer them a 15% discount on the Use Your Words shirt(s) of their choice. If they email me between now and June 25th at wewantwalney AT whimsicalwalney DOT com, mention you, and tell me which shirt(s) they want, I will send them an invoice through PayPal (they don’t have to have an account to use their credit card) that reflects the 15% discount. (I will be shipping everything first class.)
So you get all that? EMAIL her (instead of using the cart on the website) with your order between now and June 25th. MENTION Swistle in the email. And she’ll take 15% off, because you are so great. It’s the Greatness Discount.
This was so fun, as usual. I love giveaways. I hope I don’t overdo giveaways so that you start thinking, “Meh, another giveaway, is that ALL she does now? Where is the COMPLAINING? And what about the WHINING? Oh, for the days of whining! What I wouldn’t give for a good WHINE!”
How about if I just whine and complain in your comments about not winning anything EVER?? Can your brother PLEASE write a program that will choose MY name? Please, Swistle’s Brother? With sugar on top?
I know you didn’t have RULES about previous winners (Did your brother program THAT into his smarty-pants-smart-code??), but I purposefully didn’t comment on that last giveaway one, since I am STILL enjoying SO MUCH, my Amy Quarry bag. Didn’t want to win twice in a row and be greedy. So this Greatness Discount from the t-shirt lady is super-sweet. Yay!
This WAS fun.
Thanks so much Swistle, my friends are going to love the shirt!! :o)
And of course, thank you Dana for the give-away!
Scott thinks writing programs like that is *fun*. I bet your brother is the same way.
Unlike El-e-e, I will happily (and rudely) enter every contest that comes down the pike. I’d never be tired of them!
*taking notes*: Ask… Erik… to let… Erica… win… sometime… in exchange…. for… sugar…
El-e-e- I think it’s fine for previous winners to enter again. Oh, sure, NOW I tell you.
You hope you don’t overdo giveaways??? Are you mad, woman?
MORE GIVEAWAYS so I can finally win one!
You hope you don’t overdo giveaways??? Are you mad, woman?
MORE GIVEAWAYS so I can finally win one!
You hope you don’t overdo giveaways??? Are you mad, woman?
MORE GIVEAWAYS so I can finally win one!
I am wowed by computer program being able to account for multiple comments from the same person. Boggles my mind. Probably best for everyone, then, that I did not end up a computer programmer.
Too may giveaways???
Whatever! I love them even if I ahven’t won, it gives me new websites to explore!!!
More giveaways! More giveaways!
Crap, Swistle, we ARE related. I think my husband is your brother.
Contests are fun. FUN!
As long as there are pictures of Henry and funny commentary attached, you will never hear complaining from me about giveaways. (Plus, I haven’t won one yet, so keep ’em coming, sister!)
Hey! I posted a picture that would infuriate your mother-in-law! Come see!
I so need someone cool to write programs like that for me. Actually, I just need someone capable of it to help me with other things I come up with (like my Tivo going out…).
Congrats to the winner!
I found your post while searching for The T-Shirt Lady. LOL – that’s the name of my blog!
Oh.. I just love giveaways – I’m sorry I missed yours. Will have to bookmark your blog – it’s so neat.