Contest forums: solution or pointless?

First I have to admit, I love forums. Second, I have to say that I can't keep up with registering at every site that demands it. If I have to register to interact, you'd better be offering me something worthwhile. It is what I keep in mind for Five and Dae's Randomby, and it is what I keep in mind for The Manor. You do have to register to post and interact at the FnD Randomby forum. You do not have to register to see most of this site or read these little articles. It is a fine balance between interaction and accessibility.

Contests for Dollers

The idea of contest forums probably came about because those holding the contests were fed up with not getting enough entries. Or getting spam on their contest email address. Or because they simply wanted to start a forum of their own. And the idea of a central place for one or more people to hold contests is on the surface a great one. People can easily post their entries, the winner can be announced there and everything is neatly arranged and easily accesible. But there is a great drawback: you have to register at several forums to enter the few interesting contests.

Contest Forum or Contest Site?

A few years back it was pretty easy to enter a contest. Someone posted the information on a website, readable for all. Then they'd advertise on several dolling forums, and allow people to either mail the entries or to post the entries on the advertising thread. That worked fine. Nowadays if I see an interesting contest, I, as a contestant, have to jump through hoops to enter, and since chances of me winning are slim, I wonder: what for? Why ask people to join a forum that offers nothing but contests and let the contestants do all the work for you? It is not so hard to set up a proper website with a contest area, such as Zebra Inc. or The Casino. There are free polls, forms and whatnots you can use to allow people to enter, without having to register yet again.

Successful Contests

It is hard to hold a contest. About 50% of contests I entered ended before they came to a conclusion. Contest holders disappear, or run out of time or lose interest. But it is easy to simply not hold a contest if you are not sure you can pull it off. Or to at least notify people that have entered that the contest is off. The solution is not to open contest forum after contest forum, holding cookiecutter contests that don't attract diverse dollers. You may as well just put up blank awards and allow people who visit to take one and fill it in any way they like.

What is the solution to make sure a contest is a success? Allow people to enter through different ways. Accept email entries, or entries posted on established dolling forums, or on established sites such as deviantART. Don't try to reinvent the wheel again and again. It can't get any rounder. And put some effort into your contest. More effort, more fun, more contestants.