A pre-apology to my friends

<p>Throughout my life, there’s one thing I’ve been unable to do: Get a group of people to do what I ask of them.</p> <p><lj-cut text=”Read the rest of this entry »”></p> <p>This has most often shown up in my attempts to manage other people. Since elementary school, when I’ve been put in charge of a group of people, I can’t seem to get them to cooperate or coordinate. It didn’t matter whether it was the one time the teacher appointed me to manage the schoolyard softball team, or organizing a team to produce a skit for the A/V club. Everyone just went in their own direction. </p> <p>This problem reached its high point when I managed the <a href=”http://www.mysticrealms.com/events/faire.phtml”>Mystic Realms Fantasy Faire</a> in 2006. I experienced massive labor-relations problems from fellow managers and my pool of workers (folks who played in Mystic Realms). 2006 was the last year that Mystic Realms held a Fantasy Faire as an independent entity, and I feel my performance as a manager was the main reason why. (MR still does a Fantasy Faire, but under the umbrella of the Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center.)</p> <p>My inability to influence groups of people also shows up when I try to spread the word about something I’m doing. Somehow my efforts, though sincere, are misdirected. (Anyone want another Acorn Garden pen?) Fortunately, as my friends, you’ve been pretty accepting of my efforts so far. </p> <p>Over the next two weeks, I’m going to be posting a lot about my <a href=”http://www.shapeways.com/shops/acorn-garden”>Kickin&#8217; Wiccan</a> jewelry shop on Shapeways. I’ve planned a giveaway to try to spread the word that the shop exists and get people to look at what I’ve designed. I’ve written about <a href=”https://argothald.wordpress.com/84097/”>overcoming my reluctance</a> to mention the shop to my friends, <a href=”https://argothald.wordpress.com/85238/”>improving the appearance</a> of the on-line shop, and <a href=”https://argothald.wordpress.com/88291/”>marketing strategies</a>. </p> <p>The reason why I’m going to post so often is that I’m running a <a href=”https://argothald.wordpress.com/88771/”>giveaway</a&gt; of jewelry from the shop. I’m using you, my friends, for your social-media connections on Facebook. When you enter the contest, and get a chance to win some jewelry, everyone who reads your news feed will see it. Since most of you have more Facebook friends than I do, the contest has the potential to spread beyond just those folks I know. </p> <p>What I’m looking for is Google Analytics page views. If the shop is visited by a couple of thousand people, then I know the word has been spread. If that many people see the shop and none place an order, then I’ll know that what I’ve designed doesn’t have the “oomph” that attracts people to buy it. That’s fine. At least I’ll have tried. But until I get those views, I haven’t really tried yet. </p> <p>According to the experts on web marketing, I have to post about this and keep posting: Facebook doesn’t always place what I post in my friends’ news feeds. Some people live in different time zones and may not see posts at certain times. Some folks need reminders in the evening because they can’t browse a shop at work or on their phones. </p> <p>Up until now, I’ve restricted my posts about Kickin’ Wiccan to one or two posts on Tuesdays. During the next two weeks, and for two weeks in November, I’ll have to post much more often than that. You’re going to be seeing lots of pentacle rings in your news feed. </p> <p>I’m not apologizing for the giveaway. It’s an idea that others suggested. This apology is for another potentially mis-directing marketing/managing effort. I hope you’ll excuse and understand what I’m trying to do. </p> <p>What can you do? Why, enter the contest of course! You tell your friends, and they tell their friends, and so on, and so on, and so on. That’s marketing. </p> <p>Let’s hope it works this time!</p> </lj-cut><p><small>Originally published at <a href=”https://www.argothald.net/blog/?p=560″>Argothald</a&gt;. You can comment here or <a href=”https://www.argothald.net/blog/?p=560#comments”>there</a&gt;.</small></p>

Kickin’ Wiccan Giveaway Rules

The giveaway rules were edited in Nov 2014. The biggest change is the addition of “Beta” items.

Welcome to the Kickin’ Wiccan jewelry giveaway contest! Here are the rules.

 

To enter, do the following:

– Like the “Contest” post on the Kickin’ Wiccan Facebook page. Make sure it’s the most recent one, which will be easy since it will be the “Contest” post nearest the top of the page.

– Comment on the post, perhaps with your choice of jewelry, material, and size from the Kickin’ Wiccan shop.

– Please “Share” the Kickin’ Wiccan Facebook page if you like what you see. Tell your friends!

– Please “Like” the Kickin’ Wiccan Facebook page, or click the “Like” or “Tweet” buttons on the Kickin’ Wiccan shop, or follow @KickinWiccan on Twitter, or follow Kickin’ Wiccan on Instagram, or click any of the “Favorite” or “Pinterest” buttons in the Shapeways or Etsy shops. If you’ve done all these things (or as many as you can), you’re golden and I appreciate it.

That’s all you have to do enter!

There are a few limits:

– To enter, you have to “Like”, “Share”, and comment on the post in the Kickin’ Wiccan Facebook page, not in someone else’s Facebook feed. I can only see the names of the folks who interact with my page, not those who respond to yours.

– You can tag your friends in your comment to draw their attention to the contest (thanks!), but that doesn’t count as an entry for them. They have to “Like”, comment, and “Share” for themselves.

– The range of materials you can choose for the giveaway are limited to what Shapeways terms their “Stainless Steel” family and “Semi-Precious Metal” family. This includes:

Stainless Steel: matte gold steel, polished gold steel, matte bronze steel, polished bronze steel, and matte black steel.

Semi-Precious Metal: raw bronze, polished bronze, raw brass, polished brass, gold-plated brass.

I can’t offer silver in this giveaway; maybe in a future giveaway if this one is wildly successful. Sorry, no gold or platinum! Depending on the item, I may not be able to offer gold-plated brass on some of my larger items (like the cuffs).

– There’s also a design limitation: Not all the jewelry is available for all materials. I’d love to be able to offer the Heptagram ring in polished metal, but the sharp metal points can’t be polished.

– I will pay the cost of the item and Shapeways’ shipping fee. I will also pay the sales tax up to 10%. Sorry, but I have to ask that you pay any fees beyond that. For example, if you live in a country whose custom inspectors might impose large fines for a pentacle ring, you’ll have to handle the legal issues and fees.

How the contest works:

– I will post about the contest on the Kickin’ Wiccan Facebook page and in the Kickin’ Wiccan Twitter account. I’ll post more than once, to give my Kickin’ Wiccan friends a chance to see the post.

– The contest will run for two weeks. The end date will be in the “Contest” post. I’ll time the start of the contest so that the time for the giveaway (two weeks) plus the time for Shapeways to ship an order (three weeks) is enough to allow the winner to get their item by a Neopagan holiday (Samhain, Yule, etc.).

– Once the contest is over, I’ll collect all the names, count them, and generate a random number using a scientific calculator.

– I will notify the winner via Facebook’s Message service. The winner has no time limit to respond. I will ask for the information that Shapeways requires for shipping an order (name and postal address; they also want a phone number, but I’m willing to give them mine if you don’t want to give yours out). I’ll also confirm the material and custom options (e.g., ring size) you want.

– I will place the Shapeways order, which may require me to create a custom 3D model for you. The total time from the order to Shapeways printing your item will typically be about three weeks. Shapeways ships via USPS; in the US, it will take 1-3 business days to arrive.

– I will do my best to design a 3D model that will print successfully; Shapeways does its best to make sure your model prints. However, 3D printing is a relatively new technology and problems can occur. If there’s anything wrong with your item when you get it, tell Shapeways (there’ll be contact information on the packing slip) and let me know via Facebook or via kickin.wiccan.jewelry of gmail.com. If the problem is due to a Shapeways printing or shipping error, they’ll fix it; if the problem is due to a model error on my part, I’ll fix it, with two exceptions:

– If you order a ring, measure your ring size carefully. I can’t be responsible if you guess at your ring size! In particular, the thick pentacle rings are very unforgiving, especially if you only measure the base of your finger and don’t think about getting the ring over your knuckles. I strongly recommend that you determine your ring size using a professional jeweler’s measuring kit.

– There are “Beta” designs in the Kickin’ Wiccan shop. This means that they’ve never been 3D printed. All of these items are suggestions that came from entrants in previous giveaways. If you order a Beta design, neither Shapeways nor I can promise it will print successfully. Feel free to be bold! It’s your prize, after all. But there’s a risk that you might not get what you expect.

These are digital images of designs suggested by contestants. They’v
e never been printed, so they’re in “Beta.”

Legal stuff

I will not use your shipping information for the purpose of sending you advertising, nor will I share it with anyone except Shapeways, ever!

I will ask you for permission to report you as the winner of the giveaway using your Facebook account name, which will already appear on the Kickin’ Wiccan Facebook page because of your comment on the contest post. I will respect your privacy if you choose not to be announced.

I will ask you to take a picture of the item you’ve won (so I can see how it came out) and for permission to use it for promotional purposes (on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Etsy). You don’t have to take the picture; if you do, you don’t have to show yourself wearing it nor any other identifiable details. You can also send me a picture and say you don’t want it to be made public. I’ll ask you if you want to be credited if I publish your photo.

One of the entrants in a previous giveaway suggested this pendant. I put it up as a “Beta” design, he ordered it and sent me a photograph. Now it’s not a “Beta” design anymore!

This contest is void where prohibited by law.

Finally: This promotion is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by, nor associated with Facebook. All the participants in this giveaway hereby release Facebook of any liability.