I am looking for summer project. No, no! Don’t give me any! Heavens! No, what I mean is that I’m looking at my existing project list and assigning a few of the projects to this summer: I need things to do when the children are doing THEIR summer projects, to give a feeling of solidarity.
Anyway, my summer projects so far are pretty grim and involve things like “clutter removal” and “labeling photos,” and I need something more fun to do. First MzEll and I were fondly remembering the Pay It Forward contest, and then I read something on the same topic over at Alice’s, and so I thought maybe we could do more of that.
In fact, when I say “we” I mean WE. As in, WE. Wouldn’t it be fun to start a WHOLE BUNCH of Pay It Forward threads all at the same time? Like a Pay It Forward BOMB! It’s hard to get involved in one, normally, because you have to WIN one. But not if you START one.
So anyway! I’m going to do one. And if you want to do one, too, I’ll link to yours over here. We’ll have a whole LIST of Pay It Forward Contests going on at the same time for people to enter! They can just click down the list, entering one after another! And we’ll just go ahead and make it totally allowed for all the contest-givers to blatantly enter each other’s contests, so maybe we’ll get a neat looping effects going! And meanwhile there will be the fun of shopping for the Pay It Forward packages, and the fun of gifts arriving in the mail! I think this could be just the thing!
Summer is not the BEST time to do this, since it rules out mailing melty things like chocolate—but I think this problem is MORE than compensated for by the benefits of presents arriving when it is about as far away from the Winter Gifty Holidays as it is possible to get.
Do you have to have a blog to win, or to throw a contest? No sirree! I have workarounds for both of those issues, so worry not! If you want to throw a contest but don’t have a blog, I can pick an additional random number when I’m doing the drawing for my contest, and that can be your winner. If you win a contest and don’t have a blog, the contest-running person can choose a second number from their contest to be the person you send a gift to, and then that second person would carry it from there. Well, my explanation does not please me with its clarity, but trust me that it would work!
Let me know if you want to participate, and we’ll coordinate contest timetables! I’m thinking…next week? We could post all the contests early in the week to give plenty of time for everyone to find them and enter them, and have all the winners later in the week. You can leave a comment saying you want in on it, or you can email me (swistle at gmail dot com).
I’m in!
Me too…I can’t wait to see how many people get involved!
I’m in (as a n00b, no less)!
The explanation makes sense! But I am not getting involved. I’m still exhausted from my LAST bout with PIF contests. I won THREE. How is that even POSSIBLE?
I only have like a zillion OTHER things I should be doing (and am NOT), so YES PLEASE, count me in!
Because I don’t have enough projects (insert eye roll)…I’m totally in.
Me too, yes, yes!! Woohoo!
Such a great idea! I’ll start one too.
I’ll do it!
Questions:
So, by next week, when this starts, we have to have already purchased/assembled these items, right? You post the prize in the PIF post, yes?
Swistle: I would love to do it, but I’m afraid that I don’t know what to purchase for said gift packages. Is there a price range? Do you just get a few cute things and call it a day? Or get a few around a theme?
Halp.
ZestyJ- I think some people put the prize up when they start the contest, and some people assemble the prize once they know who won. That way you can include things like initial notecards or kid-stuff if it’s someone with a kid or pet-stuff if it’s someone with a pet.
The New Girl- I think everyone does it differently. I do a theme, which is What I Found At Target With That Person In Mind. So, like, once the contest has been won, I go to Target and I just see what strikes my fancy. If the person who won has a blog, I scan it for ideas. I don’t think there’s a price range; I think of the price range as “As Long As It’s Still Fun.” So, like, as soon as I start feeling tense about the money, it’s too much.
Wait a minute! I want to play, but we’re leaving town midweek to go away for the Fourth, and we won’t be back till the night of Monday the seventh. Am I the only one who will be away over the long weekend? If so, then I’ll catch you next time. If not, could there be a second round or something?
Sounds fun. I would participate.
This sounds super-duper fun. My four regular blog readers (you know who you are!) would love it :D.
Count me in! You are going to like, schedule it for us or something, right?
Nowheymama- That should work out fine. You’d post your contest early in the week, and choose the winner when you returned home. The contest would end while you were out of town, but there’s no rush to choose a winner.
Misty- I think we’ll do a loose-ish schedule for the start-date, with maybe a stricter end-date. Something like, post the contest Monday or Tuesday, but all contests end Friday. Er, actually that’s not all that strict, is it?
LOVE IT! and i’m obviously in :-)
Oooh, I want to be in! I am not so good at these sort of things, but there’s a big group and you shall keep me accountable. Even though we’re beginning to MOVE next week, I think I can handle it. I think. There’s an oh-so lovely Target very close to our new place and I need to break it in properly!
oooh I like! I can be involved even though my blog is currently down…cool!
Ok, sure, I’m in. I was planning on doing something closer to baby time, such as guess the size, but I can think of something else.
Sounds like fun, I’ll need a way to pass the time while not working.
Hmmmm.. I’m in too, Not sure what I’m getting myself into, but, what the heck. I’m out of town this weekend, so posting the contest for me won’t be until Tuesday at the earliest.
I have the PERFECT gift!! I’m so in. It will also make me….um…write in my blog.
Ok, then! Count me in!
Ok, so I totally had to look up how to do this and where the heck I could find a random number generator, but I’m totally in.
Totally fun! The Matron is a happy participant.
I’m in… But I don’t think anyone reads my blog. (Whenever I actually post in it! Ha!) :-)
Sounds like fun! I’m in.
Yes, I’m in. I may be a total dummy, but I don’t really know what a Pay it Forward contest would entail. Just a drawing for something? Need more deets, but I’m in.
How did I miss this yesterday?! I am totally in – although now I am starting to get stressed about what to include…
Yes, I’d like to be included too, but I have to warn you, I have a “problem” re: getting things in the mail. Maybe this can be a sort of THERAPY for me???
Alright, I’m in. Eep.
Me too! I wanna play!
Ditto :)
Don’t know how you’re tracking them, but I’m showing my gift and starting a new contest…