Competitions hosted within a community usually aren’t so effective.
Competitions rewarding individuals for individual contributions go against the nature of what you’re trying to do.
The better option, by far, is to have a competition against another community for a prize. This subtly changes the dynamic of the competition from opt-in to opt out.
In practice, you have to make no effort to not be involved in a competition to win an iPhone. It’s different when you’re in a group that’s in a competition with another community. The group you have self-identified with is under threat. You’re in the competition by default now. If you don’t contribute, you’re helping the opposition.
It’s a subtle but effective difference. Try giving another community the opportunity to win the prize. It isn’t the winning that counts, it really is getting as many people as possible to take part.
Can you explain this idea a little more? Are you saying that one site's community should face off another site's community? Or should your Twitter face-off against your FB community?
Posted by: Lyz | Friday, 31 July 2009 at 16:45
another way to set up competition is against yourself. if you're in a manufacturing plant, try to beat your previous output, or reduce the number of sick days, etc.
That way regardless of what the other competition is doing, you're always trying to grow versus yourself.
Posted by: Office Humorist | Sunday, 02 August 2009 at 15:29