Here are official rules for the Online Contest Contest.
1. ELIGIBILITY
The Online Contest Contest is offered to residents of countries where such contests are allowed by the laws of those countries (excluding residents of the Province of Quebec, Canada; Cuba; Iran; Iraq; Libya; North Korea; Spain; Sudan; and Syria). By entering the Contest, you accept sole responsibility for determining whether your participation is legal in any jurisdiction that applies to you. Participants must be of the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence and have an active email account and Internet access at the time of entry. By adding your comments or reactions to the contest you agree to these Official Rules and that the decisions of Mark Aaron Murnahan, Web Guy (aWebGuy.com) are final and binding in all respects.
Void where prohibited or restricted by law.
2. CONTEST PERIOD
The contest begins on 5 April 2010 and ends at 5:00 p.m. USA Central time on 20 April 2010.
3. ENTRY
There is no registration or purchase required to participate, and all “Comments and Reactions” displayed on the contest’s blog post as aggregated by the Disqus commenting system, BackType, and UberVu at http://www.awebguy.com/2010/04/online-contest-contest (short URL http://wb.gy/occ) along with client referrals, Digg additions and comments, TweetMeme tweet aggregation, and referring website links will be used to determine the winners.
Each time you access the Website you may view the list of “Comments and Reactions” that are available for participation in the Online Contest Contest. You may submit multiple entries during the contest period, but the only the one with the most “likes” will count toward the winning. Each “Contest Idea” submission is considered an entry in the contest, and should include the words “Contest Idea” on the first line of the entry so that readers will recognize it as such.
Submissions must not be offensive, illegal, or infringe on the rights of others, and such submissions are subject to disqualification and deletion.
Entrants may not enter with multiple emails and/or multiple identities nor may entrants use any automated means to artificially inflate entries or “likes”. Any entrant who attempts to participate with multiple emails and/or multiple identities or uses any device or artificial means to achieve more entries or “likes” will be disqualified, and I will be watching carefully for this by both automated and manual means.
4. WINNER SELECTION
Winners will be given a score based upon participation during the Contest Period for eligible Comments and Reactions; Digg additions and comments; unique incoming visitors referred by blog post(s) or articles produced on other networks and calculated according to a Clicky Analytics report during the contest period; any new contract accepted in which the client expresses that they learned of my services from the Online Contest Contest; and all other point-qualifying actions. The total score from each point-qualifying action during the Contest Period will be combined to provide each participant with a total score. The winners will be the entrants with the highest total scores from all points-eligible actions during the Contest Period. In the event of a tie between earning positions, the winnings will be combined then divided equally among tied participants. Example: A two-way tie for first place will result in the earnings for first and second places combined and divided equally among the tied participants. When there is a tie in the last prize-winning position, prizes will be awarded to the participants with the earliest point-qualifying actions.
Contest Points Explained: Points will be awarded based on “Comments and Reactions” that appear on the contest page at aWebGuy.com. The Comment or Contest Idea receiving the most “likes” from any individual will be the one which is counted for points. Points will not be totaled from “likes” for all of a given user’s comments, but rather the comment with the most overall “likes”. Thus, if you have one Comment with fifteen “likes” and another with three “likes”, only the one with fifteen likes will be counted toward total points.
Points awarded for “Reactions” will be added to the total points for the individual user. Because some users will use different usernames on various services, each profile must provide a means to identify that the actions on each network belongs to the same person. Participants using multiple services are also encouraged to add a comment to the blog which lists their username on each network used for points, and to be certain that each of the networks includes their name. Winners will be checked by contacting them on each network they used with a secret identifier unique to them, and it will be the users responsibility to respond from that account with the unique identifier. I will be sure to make it a simple process.
5. PRIZES
Winners will be announced in an upcoming blog post at aWebGuy.com following the Online Contest Contest completion date of April 20th, 2010 and I anticipate the announcement by the last day of April 2010. It is a winner’s responsibility to claim prizes and provide delivery information, so I suggest that you subscribe to receive updatesso you do not miss the announcement.
Cash prize will be based on ten percent of any qualified signed and paid contract, and qualifying residuals will be paid monthly and based on details of the qualified contract(s). Payment of initial cash prize shall be made in the form of cashiers check delivered using Federal Express or comparable expedient delivery method, sent promptly following announcement of winner(s).
No assignment, transfer or substitution of any prize is permitted. All prizes are expressed in U.S. Dollars. By accepting a prize, Contest winners agree that their name and likeness may be used for advertising and promotional purposes in any and all media now known or hereinafter developed without territorial or time limitations.
Taxes on prizes are the sole responsibility of winner.
6. GENERAL CONDITIONS
Mark Aaron Murnahan, Web Guy (aWebGuy.com) reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual it finds, in its sole discretion, to be tampering with the Online Contest Contest process or the operation of the Contest or the Website; acting in violation of these Official Rules; to be acting in an unethical, illegal, or disruptive manner, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person.
Any use of automated process will void all such entries by such methods and persons using such method will be disqualified. If for any reason this Contest is not capable of being conducted as planned due to infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes which, in the sole opinion of Mark Aaron Murnahan, Web Guy (aWebGuy.com), corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, Mark Aaron Murnahan, Web Guy (aWebGuy.com) reserves the right to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest. If the Contest is terminated due to tampering or technical difficulties prior to its expiration date, notice will be posted on the website at http://www.awebguy.com.
ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE AWEBGUY.COM WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS, AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, MARK AARON MURNAHAN, WEB GUY (AWEBGUY.COM) RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES OR OTHER REMEDIES FROM THOSE RESPONSIBLE TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
7. LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY
MARK AARON MURNAHAN, WEB GUY (AWEBGUY.COM) IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR LATE, LOST, OR MISDIRECTED ENTRIES, AND DOES NOT ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY ERROR, OMISSION, INTERRUPTION, DELETION, DEFECT, DELAY IN OPERATION OR TRANSMISSION, COMMUNICATIONS LINE FAILURE, THEFT OR DESTRUCTION OR UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO AWEBGUY.COM WEBSITE. MARK AARON MURNAHAN, WEB GUY (AWEBGUY.COM) IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY PROBLEMS OR TECHNICAL MALFUNCTION OF ANY TELEPHONE NETWORK OR TELEPHONE LINES, COMPUTER ONLINE SYSTEMS, SERVERS, COMPUTER EQUIPMENT, SOFTWARE, FAILURE OF ANY ENTRY TO BE RECEIVED DUE TO TECHNICAL PROBLEMS, HUMAN ERROR OR TRAFFIC CONGESTION ON THE INTERNET, AT AWEBGUY.COM WEBSITE, OR ANY COMBINATION THEREOF.
MARK AARON MURNAHAN, WEB GUY (AWEBGUY.COM) IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR INCORRECT OR INACCURATE CAPTURE OF INFORMATION OR THE FAILURE TO CAPTURE SUCH INFORMATION, WHETHER CAUSED BY WEBSITE USERS, TAMPERING OR HACKING, OR BY ANY OF THE EQUIPMENT OR PROGRAMMING ASSOCIATED WITH OR UTILIZED IN THE CONTEST. MARK AARON MURNAHAN, WEB GUY (AWEBGUY.COM) IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR INJURY OR DAMAGE TO PARTICIPANTS’ OR TO ANY OTHER PERSON’S COMPUTER RELATED TO OR RESULTING FROM PARTICIPATING IN THIS CONTEST OR DOWNLOADING MATERIALS FROM OR USE OF THE WEBSITE.
IN NO EVENT WILL MARK AARON MURNAHAN, WEB GUY (AWEBGUY.COM), BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOSSES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THIS CONTEST, ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE WEBSITE OR DOWNLOADING FROM AWEBGUY.COM WEBSITE. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, EVERYTHING ON THE WEBSITE AND IN THIS CONTEST IS PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. CHECK YOUR LOCAL LAWS FOR ANY RESTRICTIONS OR LIMITATIONS REGARDING THESE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS.
8. ARBITRATION AND DISPUTES
As a condition of participating in the Online Contest Contest, you agree that any and all disputes which cannot be resolved between the parties, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest, or any prizes awarded, or the determination of the Winner shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action exclusively by arbitration pursuant to the commercial arbitration rules of the American Arbitration Association, then effective. Further, in any such dispute, under no circumstances will you be permitted to obtain awards for, and you hereby waive all rights to claim punitive, incidental or consequential damages, or any other damages, including attorneys’ fees, other than your actual out-of-pocket expenses (i.e., costs associated with entering the Online Contest Contest), and you further waive all rights to have damages multiplied or increased.
All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or your rights and obligations and Mark Aaron Murnahan, Web Guy (aWebGuy.com)’s rights and obligations in connection with this Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Kansas, U.S.A., without giving effect to the conflict of laws rules thereof, and you agree to the jurisdiction and venue of the federal, state and local courts for Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas for any disputes relating to the Contest or these Official Rules.
In the event of a dispute as to the identity of any winner based on an email address or domain name, the winning entry will be declared made by the authorized account holder of the email address or domain name submitted at time of entry. “Authorized account holder” is defined as the person who is assigned the email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization that is responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address, or in the event of domain name, the administrative Contact listed in the public WHOIS at the time the Online Contest Contest commences.