What's the point of scripts/bots automatically adding comments to giveaways?

Blacklisting someone just for NOT saying thanks seems a little bit TOO harsh. Unless the giver specifically requested something (puzzle, write about this or that, answer this, riddles, etc whatever) as a comment, or took their time to explain/talk about the game/etc.... unless its one of those, in which case I still think blacklisting is too much, but I'd understand it. However, when it comes to GAs where the giver didnt say anything, didnt request anything, copypasted the game's description from Steam and nothing else, or they post 10+ GAs and a link asking people to subscribe/endorse/vote their game or channel.... if its those cases, then I don't feel SO compelled to post anything unless I win (in which case I politely thank the giver). Why? Not because I'm rude, but because the giver himself didn't put a lot of effort into their own entry text, and entering the GA is already an implied "thank you for the chance". I don't like "thanking" someone who probably won't even read nor care whatever I say, and will likely mass-delete "thank" comments from their multiple GAs. However, I do comment and thank and even interact with the giver/others when the entry text is meaningful. Best example being a recent GA from which I not only enjoyed writing about what the giver requested (which was very interesting!) but I ended up friending this person and both realizing we share the love for certain books genres :) I've commented on a GA just to talk about how cool the game is, without participating in it because I already owned the game.

TL;DR= Blacklisting "for not commenting on entries" seems too much. You dont know if the person perhaps was simply scared that they'd be blacklisted for commenting (as shown by people here) or simply prefer to not spam the giver and only comment upon winning. Blacklisting for saying "thanks" is also kinda extreme; some people say a generic "thanks" but arent bots, and I'd only blacklist them if they spam that generic comment too much on lots of GAs (but then again, I rather blacklist regifters or people who troll/etc). OH, and if you're a giver and want commenters to actually put effort... then add some text to your GA (sometimes something as simple as "what would you do if.." may help!).

I usually don't comment on giveaways myself unless I have something interesting to contribute. Posting "thanks for the chance" or something similar on every single giveaway doesn't really provide any value to the creator or community. Perhaps a thanks button that you can click would be a better solution for those who feel compelled to show their appreciation, and it would satisfy the botters as well.

As far as blacklisting is concerned, I have yet to ban anyone and would only do it for someone blatantly breaking the rules. If you're that upset by scripts, botters, and copy-pasters you should just do invite only or whitelist giveaways. I really don't understand some of the self-righteous attitudes here, you're giving away games for petes sake!

I will blacklist everybody who posts a comment.....oh this blacklist drama...oh boy thats a lot of work, i better get into it:)

View attached image.

Because that's what the website suggests you to do? When I registered it said "We encourage users to write comments thanking the giveaway creator for their generosity, although this is not required." - so on every single entry I posted a comment. Though not simply thanks, as I enter the ones I want only, I watch gameplay video so I write a few short sentences about that and thank the OP. Or sometimes if the OP wrote something in giveaway I comment on that and say thanks. Very rarely I said a simple thanks. But I stopped now it's too much of a hassle doing it every time, I will thank if I win, or sometimes I thank if there are or just few comments, so the guy wouldn't feel like his giveaway is not appreciate.

But really, how dare you call people "thanks"? A lot of the comments are genuine.

Some people get up in arms if you don't thank them.
Others will blacklist you just as fast if you offer a token word of gratitude.
Some will grouch if you write more than a line.
Others will consider you insincere if you don't.

I totally get you on the scripting thing, which kind of goes against the word of gratitude when you take it to that extreme, in a way.
Yet what really gets me the most, is how over-eager people are to use the blacklist feature. Quite a few people have no reason to use it, and because of that they deliberately go out looking to fill the list in the same way people seem to arbitrarily put 'potato' into everything. It leaves the average well-meaning SG user in a situation where they're damned if they do and damned if they don't.

Why can't people just be cool to one another? :s

The experimentation continues here (public level 1 GA, booby-trapped)

I don't have a problem with the generic thanks, and I'm someone who reads every single comment that people post. I do, however, take issue with ungrateful winners. People probably enter a ton of giveaways every day, but no one wins so often that they can't thank the GA creator upon receipt of their gift. That said, I've never blacklisted for this, but I've been tempted. My blacklist is fairly small, because I don't add people lightly.

I've already stated my opinion. Having generic thanks isn't something I really like. However, I don't blacklist for that. Besides, bots or not, if the players want to thank me, I let them, even if it's annoying me.

It's different for my whitelist though. I appreciate these generic comments.

blacklisting is pathetic. do you want to feel like a god? i bet that's your purpose. or maybe wanna feel like someone important. let me tell you all something, blacklisting won't erase these guys from real life. they aren't depending on your giveaways to live. these are just god damn games. video games. people can live without them (mostly). so blacklist people or whitelist them, that's fine by me but what is the point of overrating it by creating such threads or etc.?

Since all that could have possibly been said has already been said, I'll leave you with a piece of history for your pleasure.

Potato video

What the first comment says:

The spelling of the word was "potatoe" on the flash card given to Quayle by the teacher. If this YouTube had started earlier, you can see the puzzled look on Quayle's face and the teacher nodding that it was OK. This truth has always been edited out of this story.

A whole page about it.

BUMP! :D

The admin just has to disable the notification of comments on a created giveaway for the host.

It's simple as that and probably can be done by just changing a variable.

I gave away some copies of a really bad game (Uncrowded) and specified in the description that I would feel pissed if people really say "thanks" for that stinky piece of garbage, only the winner may be allowed to say thanks.

Of course people still said thanks.

The auto-comment thing helps me know who to blacklist. I don't care if you use a script or bot or whatever to join a thousand giveaways at once. I'm just here to give shit away and hope maybe I get some in return. But it offends me when you express automated gratitude through a script. I'd MUCH rather you not show any gratitude at all than have a robot do it for you. If I make 5 giveaways and the same guy responds with the exact same phrase (say, not something as simple as "thanks" but like, "thank u 4 dis giveaway YOU ARE MY FREND" or whateverthefuck) for all five giveaways, I just throw him on my blacklist.

I don't care if you're greedy, or unappreciative, or selfish, or any many flaws you may have. But I will not abide an impersonal appreciation!