Does it bug you too?
It is sometimes done to find those who enter with bots that have a generic comment with them.
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Yea but then again, nothing is stopping those bots from entering without leaving a comment. Sigh... Oh well
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Technically, a blacklist would stop them. If the GA creator is trying to catch and blacklist bots, this could be how they choose to do so.
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Not if the person running the bot had never commented in the first place
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you could do two giveaways, one asking for people to say something specific (like thank you) and then a giveaway forbidding it.
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I've seen people do stuff like this before.
I remember one guy say post "I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts".
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I added that kind of description once or twice. But then I realized that ask to post something in addition to "Thank you" is more interesting. And I build my whitelist from people, who add things I've asked to their comments.
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I kinda dont blame them, all the message spam they must receive.
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At that point, I just enter and move on without commenting
Well that's kinda what the GA creator want you to do... not commenting unless you have something more specific than "thanks" to say. So I don't really understand what the problem is.
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I mean saying thanks is just a natural reaction in my head, which sometimes translates to text lol. At that point i have to be like.. whoops this guy doesn't want to be thanked. Like imagine you get approached by someone in the street to enter a random giveaway during some event, you'll register and say thanks, i mean maybe it's an NYC thing.. idk it's a habit
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When you have a lot of GAs going it really floods your message feed when people write "thanks". Try having 20 GAs going at once and spotting the messages that have valid questions, or comments worth replying to, when you get a long list of "thanks".
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Oh, Jesus. I didn't knew that! Now i feel bad. ._.
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I do not find it that hard to merely glimpse through recent messages and spot actual question or such. Majority of thanks messages are quite similar so it is quite easy to find those that differ.
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I've in the past failed to spot shorter messages when I've skimmed through the long list of "thanks" Thank you" or similar. And even if it only takes a short while to skim through the list of "thanks" to check for messages that might be of interest, it's still time I would rather spend doing other things.
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I understand your point. Even if it is easy to skim through, people should have the option to have to not do that if they so desire.
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Are you comparing real life with giveaways in a page?
Kek
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You explained that well, so...
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Has to be a happy medium somewhere, I tend to add a little "post a silly video" or "whats your favourite ice cream" to my description. However if someone just says thank you, I won't blacklist them. It's hardly confirmation of a bot, might be confirmation of not reading descriptions.
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might be confirmation of not reading descriptions.
To me that sounds like a fair reason for blacklisting. Now if someone blacklist people saying thanks without stating it in the description that they don't want thanks messages, that's a different thing.
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I agree with you there.
I think its a very contentious issue, I personally would be slightly offended if someone blacklisted me for saying thanks to them. That being said I don't tend to just say thanks, I will add more to it than that. I personally hate getting gifs.
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sounds like a fair reason for blacklisting.
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If people interest in giveaways is anything to go by the ratio of people reading description might in some cases be around 10:1...
I do this blacklist stuff, just because I'm evil and I'm bored of generic spam comments...
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http://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/dPIa0/verdun
i hope you get frustrated by this game and hurt yourself you evil person!
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Yeah. I didn't realize we could be punished for trying to be polite these days.
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If someone specifically asks you not to thank them for the opportunity they offer you, isn't the polite thing not to thank them ?
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I don't do it though if they ask. I just get all disappointed that I'm being told I cannot be polite.
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But that's the thing; it isn't polite in that context. Quite the opposite.
I get that some people are hardwired to just blurt out thanks after clicking on "enter giveaway", but if this is specifically discouraged by the person giving the game away, then it's obvious he/she doesn't want to be thanked, but would rather have you spend that time reading the description. They probably have their reasons.
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Exactly, I am hardwired to think that saying thank you is polite. I have been for the past almost 19 years. You can't convince a christian that god is fake or that Zeus is real. You can't convince me that thanking someone for their gift is impolite. That is western culture, that is what thank you serves as every day. I do respect their wishes when they ask me not to, but that doesn't change my mind in thinking that.
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I wasn't saying that thanking people is impolite. I was only saying that if someone specifically requests not to get a "thank you" message, then in that context it is more polite to respect that (which you said you do).
Respecting other people's wishes and views even - or rather especially - when they differ from yours is polite. This applies to all situations. I'm sorry if my message came across as an attack on your personal values.
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On the other side, they may not be waiting for a few dozen notifications of new messages for each giveaway they hold. Especially if they are active in the discussions as well, it just overwhelms anything they might actually want to be notified of.
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It kinda bugs me because some people will call you leecher if you don't post anything
Some will think you're a bot if you post thanks
Really, should I just add loren ipsum every time I enter a GA? :p
When I first joined, I would say thanks in every GA
Then I stopped and only post when I REALLY WANT TO THANK WHOEVER POSTED THAT SUPER COOL GAME, or have some random thing to say.
But I still don't get why some people get SO annoyed either way. :p I WILL BLACKLIST YOU, YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR DOG IF YOU DON'T USE THIS SITE THE WAY I TELL YOU :p
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I merely post a different thank you message for each giveaway and solved it that way. No need to generate lorem ipsum litany.
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Read the description of the giveaways. If it doesn't say "OMG DON'T THANK ME OR I WILL BURN DOWN YOUR HOUSE" then it's probably OK to say thanks. The reason some people get annoyed might be because they feel people aren't paying attention to what they say in the description, it's not about telling you how to use this site.
Personally, I don't mind being thanked (and actually do appreciate it when it's genuine) so I definitely wouldn't blacklist anyone because of that, but I do mind people not taking the time to read what I have to say, so I have occasionally blacklisted people when it's 100% obvious they didn't read the description.
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Yeah I always read the description, if it asks for something I usually answer, but some just don't want thanks
So I don't give thanks very often
I also don't give thanks when there are already A LOT of comments, but I usually prefer smaller GAs, and I think it's so lonely if there aren't at least a few thanks comments :p
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Yeah, I think so too. Sometimes I see giveaways for great games that just aren't very well known for some reason, and since they don't have a lot of entries, they might have only one "thank you" message or none at all, and I always hope the giveaway creator doesn't feel like no-one appreciates the gesture.
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- Some people just don't want a message log of Thanks waiting for them in the morning (fair enough, waiting up to 99+ messages and it being a bunch of thanks was annoying)
- Bots don't read, so easier to find such users
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I agree, it's very annoying waking up to a bunch of generic "thanks" messages. However if someone wants to say thanks for doing something nice, surely we shouldn't punish said users with blacklisting. Like I said, generic thanks doesn't always mean a bot.
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I mean I definitely see where they're coming from, just that some people sound so aggressive
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Say something other than a generic thanks then. Talk to the person. Ask interesting questions. Give them a reason to want to read your comment.
I get tired of the thanks as well, and have done stuff like this in the past
http://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/VvYQ6/fortix (long closed giveaway, click only for comments)
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I do similar things! I tend to add a silly thing in my descriptions, however I just don't like blacklisting people who are saying thank you.
I agree with you in part!
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Sometimes when we want to say thanks is simple kindness and courtesy but if the creator don't want this...
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oh boy you must be on so many blacklists right now http://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/dPIa0/verdun
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That seem rather weird to me. A person is giving away games and is blacklisted because they don't care what people say?
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You don't read the descriptions or the endless thank you comments?
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I hadn't really thought about it that way. I make sure to thank everyone when they make a raffle, hadn't really considered how annoying it could be.
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lol and I mean it's not a big deal, but today I just found it a bit frustrating cuz I started typing thanks in 4 giveaways and had to delete it every time.. a bit frustrating
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Is it really too much to ask for? Someone is giving away a game for the price of... Well, it doesn't cost you anything, and yet it bugs you that they ask for more than a thank you or a funny picture or whatever.
For me a "Thank you" has lost its meaning considering all the auto-entering and -commenting bots. This shouldn't be this way. The most commonly way of showing gratitude shouldn't lose its meaning, but it did.
You say you want to thank someone when they give away a game that you really want? Why not tell them that you wanted it for a long time and why? I don't enter every giveaway but only the games I want and when I comment I at least want them to know that I took the time to read the description and think about something to say.
I do the same thing by the way. I don't want generic thank yous or a funny gif from time to time. I paid for the game that I'm giving away, how much do 15 seconds of your life cost? More than Bad Rats probably but way less than every decent giveaway you'd enter.
Take your time commenting on giveaways so that people know you mean it.
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If I hold the door open for someone, I don't get annoyed everytime they thank me.
If I offer someone advice on a forum, I don't say "don't thank me, post a gif of a cat"
I think its just as rude to not acknowledge a thank you. I sometimes just post a simple "thank you", I'm not a bot and it's a genuine thanks.
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Comparing the everyday life to Steamgifts doesn't really apply here or do you hold the door open for 500 people at the same time? It does get tiring.
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I mean it kinda is - there are plenty of people who give away things without said requirements (I don't really care if someone says thanks or not in my giveaways). At the end of the day it's up to the creator, but if there were a legitimate reason for that; I'm sure the website admins would have implemented an auto "thanks" filter. Oh and don't mean to come off as an arrogant jerk, but for me, 15 seconds of my time are worth my (hourly salary)/240, so yea if I end up wasting 15 seconds of my time deleting my thanks 4 times a day for about 2 months - well there goes a nice non bundled game price.
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My boss would've fired you if you would surf the web during work, that's what breaks and free time are for. Plus I don't believe that you actually get the 0,417% deducted from your hourly pay. :P
There is actually a script that filters "Thanks" comments so it is an issue to some people, but seriously, don't delete the comments, just do nice comments in the first place from now on and you don't have to delete anything.
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Lol I get paid as long as I deliver, and my work exhausts my creativity so I just put whatever comes into my head (which is usually a plain old thanks)
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It's understandable for smaller entries giveaways imo. You give them a better chance at winning, you can write a little more than "TY."
But for 1,000+ entries, I think it's kinda silly to request the person to write a paragraph or something.
But that's just my opinion. :p
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WHITELISTED!
(i'm not kidding, but unfortunately that probably won't get you anywhere since i barely ever hold whitelist giveaways). Actually don't think I've ever created one.
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I've given away nearly 40 games, and I happen to appreciate when people thank me. I know some of them are probably bots, but not all of them. Since I don't know who's who, I'd never even think of blacklisting people for being polite. Besides, it takes like 2 seconds to scan my messages, see a bunch of generic "thanks" that I don't need to reply to, then click the "mark all as read" button. It's not like it's a huge hassle.
But everybody's gotta be a damn drama queen these days...
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Sometimes I think people get excited about a giveaway and enter/comment without reading the description. I agree completetly that its unnecesarry for bots to need to leave a comment.
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Oh and because I wasted everyone's time:
http://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/dPIa0/verdun
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I also find it a bit much for people to seem so aggressive and blacklist happy over thanks. Are there bots? I guess, but I don't see a reason to assume every comment that isn't a unique snowflake is a bot or otherwise bad.
Used to be on here, that people made a big deal about having a good comment to entry ratio, and holding it against people who didn't show appreciation. Hence, the practice of thanking for everything, especially for those who actually mean it, generic seeming or not.
Now, with the message notification, people seem far too annoyed by a red number box at the top of the screen, or the two clicks to clear it. With all the random group and unknown users adding me on steam, plus threads I subscribe to, I've gotten used to the notification envelope on Steam being green essentially all the time. Don't see what the big deal is of leaving it that way if you keep getting notifications. If you make a lot of popular giveaways, may as well expect it.
meh ... /rant
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I totally agree. People here on SG really tend complain about insignificant things a lot :/
I'd understand it if they had to delete every single comment manually, one by one. Clicking the "Mark as Read" button makes getting rid of unwanted notifications extremely easy.
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"Now, with the message notification, people seem far too annoyed by a red number box at the top of the screen, or the two clicks to clear it." - I think they are more annoyed about those 100 "thanks" and one forum reply among them.
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Well, categories DO exist for message notifications so you can just go to "Discussions" to find the forum replies.
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It's not always the notifications, though. I'm repeating myself here (sorry), but sometimes it's just to see who actually reads the descriptions of the giveaways. For me (and many others, I assume) this is much more important than getting a copy-pasted "thank you" from all the people who enter.
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After the third or fourth giveaway I entered, I stopped saying thanks. Now I only comment when the person asks an interesting question or something.
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I usually do say thanks :> or something similar in every GA I enter and I prefer that folks do so as well when entering my GAs. BUT. I also do get why some pl don't want any comments on their GAs. I noticed that not only ppl who try to catch bots do this, but also pees who are heavilly into trading - and this case is totally understandable. If you're making a lot of trades usually each notification meqns new trade offer for you. Being showered with false-positive thanks may make it harder to spot new trade offers.
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Being showered with false-positive thanks may make it harder to spot new trade offers.
Well not exactly harder to spot since you can filter your inbox, but it is true that it can be an annoyance for traders to have to regurlarly check their inboxonly to find out that all the messages are from giveaways
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that's what I meant :> Prolly worded it wrong - was responding few minutes after I woke up ;p
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because I like :> smiley :< I use it in most of my comments ;p but ok - especially for you tagged you as "do not use :>" :D:
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you did post :< at the end of your comment indicating complaining ;) So now I'll use ;3 ^^ or :D: instead ;3
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The best solution would be to have a seperate "giveaway comments" section in your notifications which you could "silence" so you d not get a notification icon.
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We already have category filters in our inbox, it's just that we cannot choose to disable their notifications
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and it is a problem for traders I believe. getting let's say 100 "thanks" comments may basiclly mean that you check msg page pointlessly up to 100 times checking if it was not a trade offer.
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It's just that most people writing thanks do that in every single giveaway which makes them look like bots.
Better just thank the person if you win via steam, easy as that.
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Well it's just as easy to Ctrl+v whatever you want in the comments. Doesn't make you a bot just unoriginal.
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It annoys the hell out of me whenever I see a giveaway and the description says something like "post thanks and you go into my blacklist or something". I mean for the most part, I don't have time to sit around thinking oh I wonder what kind of non-generic thanks I should post. At that point, I just enter and move on without commenting. But like sometimes it's automatic - I mean whenever I see a giveaway, my first reaction is "Thanks" (if I think it's a cool game) or "THANKS SO MUCH!!!" (if it's some game I've been dying to win). I understand that they don't want auto entries, but what about normal folks?
Thoughts (don't think I'm in anyone's blacklist, just bugged out by this)?
http://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/dPIa0/verdun
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