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It's your web site, do it
however you want. Just try to serve your entrants well.
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Your entrants want to know
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how to enter
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how much it will cost
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how to pay
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who to make checks out to
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how many bottles to send
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where to send or deliver them
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when to send or deliver them
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what categories you're
accepting
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any special categories
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how to make
contact for problems and questions
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when and
where the results will be posted
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That
information should be stated up front, simply and accessibly
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That
information should be stated once and only once; duplication
leads to contradictions and errors
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You should
try to have only one entry portal (page) for the
competition site - otherwise, people might go to the wrong page
and miss critical information, such as where the results are
posted.
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The location of results and
when they will be posted should be specifically stated,
including a link to that location. "Results will be posted on
this web site" is not specific. "Results will be
posted on the home page" is not specific. Results will be posted
here within 48 hours of the
end of the competition" is. The results page should state
when the results will be available, as in the linked example
here.
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"Text-splanations"
are a good thing, but they can be overdone. Buttons, terse
headlines and simple bold links to key points usually are easier
on entrants than lots of text.
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You know
your product, so you tend not to see the things that the uninitiated
might have trouble with. Try to navigate your web site
from the point of view of an entrant who's never entered your
competition before (or have a third party do it). Do you use an acronym,
and if so, will entrants know what it means? Do you
identify your QE as your annual competition? Do you
connect a year with it, rather than just referring to it as the umpty-umpth annual (is the umpty-umpth annual this year's or
last year's?) Do you identify it as an MCAB QE?
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And again,
bare bones information for the current year's event should be up
at least two months before the entry due date, complete
information should be up at least one month before the due date
and the current year's information should not be comingled with
any of last year's information ( past winners, historical
information, etc. are always appreciated, but they should be
available through specific links).
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