How We're Planning to Fix Bundle Keys and Contributor Values (Option #2)

Thanks for leaving feedback on the previous thread. As we said, everything is still up in the air, and we're trying to decide on the best way to move forward. For that reason, here's another option, although quite different.

Proposed changes to the contributor system

The contributor system is removed entirely, meaning contributor giveaways are no longer an option. In return, we setup a system based around friends.

1. When viewing a profile, you have the option to add the user to your friend list, by simply clicking Add Friend.
2. While creating a giveaway, you have the option to limit the giveaway to your friends.
3. A friends list would work one way, meaning there are no requests. For example, say I add lokonopa as a friend. He would now have the ability to instantly enter any of my friend giveaways. However, this doesn't mean I'm suddenly able to enter his friend giveaways. There would be no limit on the number of friends you add, it could be 10 or 10,000.
4. The system helps to reward people for a wide variety of actions. For example, someone might not be able to create giveaways because they're on a limited budget. Previously, they could never enter contributor giveaways. If we go with this approach, they could actively participate on the forum by creating interesting discussions and by leaving entertaining comments, and they'll begin to see others adding them as a friend. As a result, they'll find themselves with access to additional giveaways.
5. You'll know everyone entering your friend giveaway, since you personally selected them. You might choose to only add users that have contributed 50 copies of Shadowgrounds, users that have a monkey in their avatar, or users you know in real-life. It's up to you.
6. Why remove the contributor system? Doing so would mean values can no longer be abused or exploited for ones benefit, we don't need to make assumptions on where a game was purchased, and we can return to gifting for the purpose of gifting. We might see a few less users and giveaways on the site, since we'd no longer be providing anything in return, but maybe those are the users we shouldn't be fighting to keep.

Feedback

Similar to before, nothing is set in stone, we're only looking for feedback at this time.

Edit

Ok, lots of people are saying this is similar to group and private giveaways, so I'll note some differences. For example, there are a few dozen people on the site you've come across, that you would like to share giveaways with. The following options are below.

1. You create a friend list, by visiting their profiles and clicking Add Friend. After that, you can create a giveaway for those users anytime and it appears in their giveaway list. If you remove a user from your friend list, their entry is automatically removed from open friend giveaways and points returned.

2. You create a private giveaway. You manually track down those few dozen people every time you create a giveaway and send them the link. There's a security risk of people sharing the link, and people you never intended entering.

3. You create a Steam group for yourself. You can't instantly add users, you need to send invites to each of them. There's a good chance they'll decline because they're apart of countless other groups they're trying to manage.

Groups work well for communities. Reddit, GOG, CheapAssGamer, etc. Users all part of a trusted community gifting within the group. It's far from ideal for a personal list of friends.

Private giveaways work well if you don't know the audience. You have a website, you want to limit a giveaway to your visitors, but you don't know who's entering exactly. At the same time, it works well puzzles, chat rooms, or a spontaneous giveaway between two or three friends.