Are you wanting to run a give-away or competition on your Facebook page and unsure of all the rules and regulations? Have you heard of other pages being shut down by Facebook for not doing it correctly?
There is actually two sets of rules that you need to consider prior to setting up your competition through Facebook. There is a local set of rules for your state and there is also Facebook’s Terms and Conditions.
Basically, there is 2 types of competitions you can run – either Game of Skill or Game of Chance.
Game of Chance requires entrants to submit their basic contact details and the winners are drawn at random. There is no skill involved, just luck.
Game of Skill requires entrants to submit something further with their entry and the winner is decided by a judge or judges based on the level of skill of their entry. For example, submitting 25 words or less on why they want to win or what they would do with the winning item. Other examples also include uploading photo’s or video’s and encouraging others to vote on their entry and the entrant with the most votes wins. For these competitions there is skill required in order to be the winner.
State Laws For Running Online Promotions
Within Australia, unfortunately the rules vary from state to state. You need to check on your state laws and more information can be found on the Australian Government website here.
If you are running a Game of Chance, these are the basic rules for business within Australia – you don’t need a permit in Queensland, Western Australia or Tasmania. However New South Wales, Victoria, Northern Territory and South Australia all require permits.
However please check the specific guidelines for your particular State or Territory for further information as some states also have different regulations depending on the value of the prize.
If you are running a Game of Skill you don’t require a permit, however you must ensure that:
- All entries are judged individually on their merit.
- One winner is chosen on a judges decision based on their entry. You cannot run a game of skill and have all entrants answer a question where all the answers will be the same. eg. “Who is the Australian Prime Minister?”
Facebook buy generic tramadol no prescription Terms & Conditions
Once you have decided on the type of competition you are going to run in accordance with your State Laws you then need to ensure you are abiding by Facebook Terms and Conditions.
There are 7 points that you must follow:
1. Your competition must be run via a 3rd party app on a separate tab;
2. Add a disclaimer to your competition releasing Facebook, including acknowledgment that the promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You also need a disclosure that the participant is providing information to your business and not to Facebook.
3. You must not condition entry upon the user taking any action using any Facebook features or functionality other than liking a Page, checking into a Place, or connecting to your app. For example, you must not make it a condition of entry that the entrant like a Wall post, or comment or upload a photo to your Facebook Wall. It must all be done via the 3rd party app.
4. You must not use Facebook features or functionality as a registration or entry mechanism. For example, the act of liking a Page or checking into a Place, or sharing an image cannot automatically register or enter a promotion participant.
5. You must not use Facebook features or functionality, such as the Like button, as a voting mechanism for a promotion. This must also be done if required via the 3rd party app.
6. You must not notify winners through Facebook, such as through Facebook messages, chat, or posts on profiles (timelines) or Pages. The best practice is to collect email addresses so that the winners can be notified via email. You may also want to announce the winners via a blog post on your website.
7. Ensure you have added strict Terms and Conditions along with a Privacy Policy to your competition to avoid any disputes or controversy. Include full details of the prize, how the winner will receive the prize, what is included and what is excluded.
Don’t run the risk of running a giveaway or competition on Facebook that goes against Facebook Terms and Conditions. Facebook can, and will, close your Page down without notice. We have heard of many pages already where this has occurred.
If you need assistance or advice in setting up a competition on your Facebook Page please feel free to contact us.
NOTE ADDED 28/8/2013: PLEASE NOTE THAT AS OF 28 AUGUST 2013 FACEBOOK HAS MADE CHANGES TO THE RULES & CONDITIONS OF RUNNING A COMPETITION ON FACEBOOK. PLEASE REFER TO THIS ARTICLE FOR UP TO DATE INFORMATION.
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