Likes via wrong means?
What if someone is using some wrong means for increasing the facebook likes in the contest to win the people's choice award? Is there anyway that this practice can be identified?
+1
Well I agree... there should be some other criteria as well... Facebook likes should be taken into consideration but only to a certain extent-say 30%... rest i think should be decided by the jury/editorial board. It is also not encouraging for people with no facebook accounts... One of our most loved and appreciated blogger for example-Arti is not a member of facebook n she has therefore not got enough likes whereas others whose writing isn't as good as hers have got a lot more FB likes... the criteria must be judged by the Editorial team so that the judgement is fair n i m sure they will do a commendable job :)
Well a lot cannot be changed now..But I hope if somebody is doing a wrong thing for the same..it is noticed in a proper manner! Yeah I really agree with the fact about it's not encouraging for people with no facebook accounts!
By 30% i meant
30% based on FB Likes/indivine promotions etc
70% based on content and choice of fellow bloggers (genuine choice that is)
I strongly support this, primary reason being the Likes have no connection with your posts. People wont even read them before Liking. Reading and then Liking is another thing. But I think the editorial team will take care about this, is this the only criteria for People's award? It makes sense when your Likes and your Indivines votes are atleast closely related but its a starking shock when you see 2000 Likes and less than 20 votes or something .. not sure but this is how I feel ..
I agree! People won't even read! But yes I would still give it a pass if I know the likes are not by any wrong means! This came into my mind after I thought about the same thing you've written later! Likes unrealistically higher as compared to Indivine votes! But then again sometimes I feel the way you do! Not sure bout the way I feel! 
you should rejoice poorvi ji, its the toughest thing to get fb likes. I had to explain to my sons to get their likes, and grudgingly they liked it. right now I see you are heading a straight people's choice win,
Hehe no Pramod Ji I work in a big corporate where many people do help each other with these things + I have a huge social network , but no I am not the one for awards there are some who have got more than 1000 Likes , I cant even try that much , not a huge fan following for me 
@ Poorvi I wish to mention something about those figures 20 and 2000. A few IndiBloggers too resort to those acts.
@Ranjit : Didnt get it , do you know someone ?
@ Poorvi I don't know anyone on IndiBlogger who resorts to such acts on IndiBlogger. But I once read on the forum that one particular memmber had seen that teh likes were much greater in number than the visits recorded on his blog. That naturally menas that there are a few people like that too.
Mentioned already yaar , I work for a huge company and we have reading clubs so it made things easy for me. However beyond a limit I cant try and force anyone :)
I asked my Boss to read and if he Likes it to go ahead and he gave me two extra modules to code and i did not even realize it, funny part : I am still waiting for his Like 
.. 
@ poorvi All the best for the 'like' from your boss. And all the best for the contest too.
Pramod Ji, 1000 NOoo.. I saw 2000. It really needs effort and time to have 2000 Likes. Kudos.
It is shocking!
More than somebody can imagine!
Seems that you haven't seen the darker side of web promotion. Things move on in this way.
well now I know and understand what it is all about!
Good call, Amar.
Of all the entries I read so far and promoted that had the greatest impact on me is Farida Rizwan's and her's, though it has reasonable Indi promotes, has the least number of FB likes.
The beauty of Arti's post is it's simplistic yet impactful and it's got few likes for reasons, like Anukriti rightly points out and as I'd like to believe, she would rather spend time on IB than FB.
The bright side of this contest is that it awards so many prizes of editor's choice. Yet, one hopes for people's choice, there's a tool to evaulate beyond what meets the eye. Editors, may you walk right in and consider.
Its weird...actually...
N yes Farida ji n Arti's post are truly inspiring and beautiful and deserve an applaud! :)
One thing that I saw this time is that money is working its ways , we had Indi contests before and people won them in spirits. But this is a whole new level of self promotion .. but then again I still have faith in Indiblogger :)
yes n i hope that a genuinely good blogpost with no other consideration should win the contest! that would be the true appreciation of one's efforts! votes mite be important bt u cant actually rule out those with less votes/likes... everyone has their own sense/essence of writing n that shud be considered
@Ahimaaz..Well said bro! Those posts you're talking about are really outstanding! and deserves something really better than these fb likes! What i expect is..If facebook likes have to play a major criteria in deciding the people's choice award..I hope the Indipolice will have measures to deal with peple using fake accounts or some other means to do so!
@Poorvi..Money is really talking here man! Even i've my faith in Indiblogger..Hope the best man wins!:)
@Anukriti..I second that! I would really love it if the best one wins even if with no like and no votes! :)
Money is one factor. True. There was a contestant in the last (chlorine) competetion who entered a post one late day and skyrocketed in terms of votes to the top in mere few days. Now that blogger in question is gone from IB with his blog. Blocked due to plagiarism? Perhaps.
For once, I'm glad IB is taking action silently, too.
When competing, let's not enter with hopes to win rather enter because we are compelled to say something, and hope those who truly deserve are judged winners.
@Ahimaaz Rajesh..I think you're mistaken here bro..Sorry but I think 'Crusade against chlorine contest' is open till 30th May! I thin you're talking about some other contest,but i got your point! If IB is taking action against such a stuff..Nothing can be good than that! I would love it if the best one wins but i would equally not like it if someone cheats and win!
Amar - I was talking about Crusade against Chlorine contest. I thought it was closed. It's kept postponing.
Well, I second you. Let the best, authentic bloggers win.
Amen!
Arti - I'm glad. I just said what I felt. Regards.
my point is that the management and the company, which is showering prizes , also desires some publicity, which is rightfully acceptable and there is no point to deprive them of that. there are ample prizes on written excellence. now let the persons who have communication skills spread the word to all corners of the world. and be rewarded thus. community too grows with more people coming to know of it.
the more the community grows ,prize amount too will be getting bigger and bigger, say 1 cr.
we should learn from them and try initiatives to match them. one facebook like gives publicity to all his connected friends and this is one of the best medium of publicity. people are giving h.d.camcorders etc. to 200th liker of their page, etc.etc.
cheers!
Sir..Their's no publicity if these likes are not by genuine accounts! I agree that one facebook likes makes people connected to the person who liked the link know about Indiblogger but if you're telling me that if someone is giving Camcorders or something to the 200th person who liked it, I think the whole purpose is lost! That's not a good thing anyway. Publicity can surely be one of the motives , but the basic motive remains the same - To bring out the best in people!
Accept with you. The contest aims to reward too different types of people: the ones talented in writing and the ones talented in influencing people. In fact promotion is an integral part of blogging.
I dont really think a person cn get so many fb likes without coaxing... n I kinda agree wid u tht it aint the rite way out but thts whn u (n me) look frm purely an awards perspective..
Think of it frm a Dove-Yahoo perspective - so many ppl across India r popularisin the real beauty concept on fb simultaneously n the buzz n awareness it generates is amazing...I hd sum of my fb friends quite curious bout the number of likes fr these posts on my wall (my max 'likes' I get otherwise is bout 6-7 :)) n they went thru it n nw they're aware of the contest, brands n the theme.
So as much as I agree with u tht this award is purely a function of ur network push, guess we shud b happy tht thr r so many other prizes which r nt so :)
What say? :)
I agree it's giving Dove-Yahoo a kind of publicity which is wild-fire, via the internet! This system also introduced me as a blogger to many of my friends who never knew that i blog when i told them to read and like it! Guess however wrong it may be, I guess we've no choice but accept somebody as a winner if somebody does that by cheating!
Yes! We should be really happy with the fact that there are other prizes too that too the editorial ones! Thank Indiblogger for that! :)
Hahaha..LOL!
Raj your enthusiam has inspired me to write one more post for the contest! :)
Let me tell you guys something, there are eyes watching everywhere. From the Chlorine contest, a leading Contestant had been removed from IndiBlogger altogether for using fake accounts to vote up!
This worry though, every much genunie, we have all our evil eyes out there to check for evil bloggers! I hope we dont have any more morons like that here, and should never knock our doors...
Cheers everyone, we all marching towards an clean contest this time around, the best that is possible is being done by IndiBlogger, and with FULL efforts...
Thank you IndiTeam
Cheers for that! 
This is one job neatly, quietly, WELL done. My applause to IB.
appreciated :)
I went through all comments on this thread and have two questions: -
- What is meant by wrong means?
- More important, why are we worried about Facebook likes? Are we competing for people'ss choice award or are we competing for editor's choice award?
How many fake ID's can a person create? Moreover the detective eyes can easily spot an vote from a facebook account with zero activity.
There is a limitation to fake IDs also. Its practically impossible to create hundreds of fake IDs on FB and hence, these likes are genuine. Now to market oneself and to be able to get likes on FB from others is I don't think is wrong.
And most important as I tried to point earlier too, why to care about people's choice award? Why not target for better categories? Aren't we all contesting for first position? Do you participate in a race for first position or runners up?
@ Pramod Help a fellow IndiBlogger named Ranjith by spending 10 hours of your time, please.
I can spare the time but will it be worth while. It would be unfair means and any time domocle's sword may fall.
my neck would never permit dude,
hmmm... let's just stop thinking about the rights and wrongs and just concentrate on this wonderful contest:)...It has opened the avenue of interacting with so many like minded people...helped form bonds b/w new and old bloggers... n given all of us the pleasure of reading awesome posts of Indians in India and abroad...I trust the team of Indibloggers and Yahoo/Dove n i know that only the people with the best work will win irrespective of the facebook likes/indivine promotions... :)
May the best win!
All the best to the bloggers...you have added happiness in my life through what you write :)
the formation of new bonds as stated by you is a victory for every participant. I got to know about many bloggers only after the start of teh contest.
@Ranjith... same here my friend...
Before taking part in this contest I barely had 3 friends on Indiblogger whom I knew personally... n now my network has increased and so has the quality of readers... It feels good to see comments/suggestions on ur blog by fellow bloggers/experts in the field of blogging... it gives you a high to know people who appreciate you as well as r critical of you, are people who have intellectual sensibility and know how to judge a person. :)
Happy Blogging and happy making friends n knowing other people Ranjith! :)
I think that that is already in full swing. There is no way to control it. Moreoevr, one cannot draw a line of distinction between fair and unfair menas. Suppose a blogger send an e mail to all his friends on facebook (500+) telling them to vote, it might be regarded as unfair as it accounts to spamming. At the same time some might regard it to be fair. He is after all asking his friends and not any unknown people.
Hey guys, I had been to this post an hour earlier and have been wondering about it. So, I started with a comment but then I thought of expanding it to a post to express my views on the matter. Here is the link for the post I published, http://alivealways.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/facebook-likes-traffic-spikes/Read it, if you find it helpful and interesting!
Glad to see that a discussion on IndiBlogger has become an inspiration for a new post.
@Harish
Kudos!
@Ranjith: It was an enthusiastic discussion, glad I could be a part
@Anukriti: Thanks!
I also gave a serious shot on the People's choice, and got 100+ likes the first day. But then I came across those 1500+ Like profiles. It makes us feel kinda dumb even trying to participate. I have participated before in many Facebook contests, and its a fact that when it comes to Like Contests, there ought to be Fake accounts involved.
Let me point out another thing, just check this site - http://www.buyrealfacebookfans.com/ You can buy a 1000 Likes for $57, and if you are a serious competitor, $57 for 1000$ is a great bid. Its a profit even if he/she spends 200-300$. And this is just one site, you can find out tons of them around Internet.
The contest is going well, and Likes is the best way to promote it. Many of my friends came to know about this contest because of Facebook Likes. But when this contest is not at all moderated, it becomes a mere policy of Promotion. Serious Bloggers Lose, Rich Competitors Win.
The prize money is an indication that Yahoo-Dove see Content as most important. Serious bloggers do win, because there are 15 prizes they are competing for and not One prize. The website you mentioned talks about Fans, and not likes for a content shared on the internet.
@Vineet, Yes I admit the contest based on Content is Good. I was talking about the People's choice contest and how easy it is to be faked. And the link I provided above is just an example, there are tons of other sites where you can buy "likes". I've seen that happening before, Ive seen other snatching away a win from me by unfair means, and it never feels good.
@Vinesh..+1.. it makes you feel dumb. Even i stopped trying after i came across the 1000+ likes thing and specially when i observed that the 1000 likes increased in less than 12 hours and that was the basic reason why i started this topic! But as you said the good part is that it's a good way to promote! Many of my friends too came to know about the contest and also about my blog!
