Facebook doesn’t make it easy to run a Fan Page contest or giveaway. So it’s no wonder I see stations inadvertantly break the rules all the time. If Facebook catches you ( and that’s a big if ) they have the right to shut down your page and cut off your access to the thousands of Fans you’ve worked so hard to build. I simply don’t think it’s a risk worth taking…especially when there are ways to run contests legally.
This particular contest showed up in my News Feed today. It’s a fun prize (VIP Tickets to the Thanksgiving Day Parade) and has some potential to increase Fans of the page. But unfortunately, WPVI is breaking 3 of Facebook’s promotions guidelines with this contest and putting themselves at risk. Here’s a breakdown so you can tell if your station’s contests are breaking any of these same rules:
1. Facebook Contests Must Contain Legal Disclaimers
Here’s the rule:
Promotions on Facebook must include the following:
a. A complete release of Facebook by each entrant or participant.
b. Acknowledgment that the promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.
c. Disclosure that the participant is providing information to [disclose recipient(s) of information] and not to Facebook.
This language must be contained within the App itself. In this case, the only page of the app is this welcome image and the legal language is not found here:
2. Facebook Contests Must Have an Entry Mechanism Other Than Liking a Page
Here’s the rule:
You must not use Facebook features or functionality as a promotion’s registration or entry mechanism. For example, the act of liking a Page or checking in to a Place cannot automatically register or enter a promotion participant.
WPVI is giving away the prize by randomly selecting the winner from its pool of Fans. Facebook prohibits this. In order to be in compliance with Facebook’s rules, WPVI would need to use an application that includes some other entry mechanism such as providing a name or email address which is then collected into a database:
3. Winners Cannot Be Notified Via Posts on a Fan Page
Here’s the rule:
You must not notify winners through Facebook, such as through Facebook messages, chat, or posts on profiles (timelines) or Pages
It appears that WPVI is planning to use its Fan Page to notify the winners by posting the winner’s name on their wall. Facebook requires that all winners be notified via some other form of communication such as email or phone. Obviously, the station would need to collect this information in order to comply with this rule. In this case, they are not collecting any information whatsoever.
If you’d like more information about how to be sure your contests comply with Facebook’s rules, please feel free to reach out to me at kwilson [at] socialnewsdesk.com.