WoW Insider's Guild of the Month contest returns
by Robin Torres 
Feb 1st 2011 at 2:00PM
- Email 200 words or less describing why your guild deserves to win Guild of the Month to contests@wowinsider.com.
- Send it from an email you check often.
- Include your guild's name and server.
- Enter by 11:59 p.m. ET Feb. 8, 2011.
- be 18 years or older
- live in the United States or non-Québécois Canada
How is your guild different from other guilds? What do you think your guild's greatest accomplishments are? What kind of things does your guild do together? For hints as to what we are looking for, browse through our previous winners. If you've entered before, you can enter again, as long as you didn't win.
So email your entry telling us why your guild is the best for a chance to win some cool stuff from SwagDog.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Events, Guilds, Contests
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
wutsconflag Feb 1st 2011 2:15PM
Silly Quebeçois, contests are for Canadians!
WaterRouge Feb 1st 2011 2:31PM
Dangit! You beat me to it. I had to double check who the author of this post was because I figured only a Canadian (M. Rossi) would call Quebec as such. Robin has surprised me.
Craig Knighton Feb 1st 2011 2:55PM
I'd be interested to read the UK law which restricts US companies from allowing UK citizens to enter.
Our Gambling act states - "The new Gambling Act defines and differentiates lotteries, betting (which can include certain prize competitions) and gaming (that is playing a game of chance for a prize). Skill competitions and free prize draws remain outside the Gambling Act – but it is important to structure such competitions and draws so that they do not inadvertently fall within the definition of a lottery, betting or gaming."
Kerevin Feb 1st 2011 3:08PM
To be fair, it took us here in Canada about 20 years of whining and complaining to be included in all the previous 'US only' deals of this nature pretty much across the entire country, and we're right smack next to them and all sharing a big border and stuff... just keep at it and maybe you can get to where we are before the end of the decade!
Craig Knighton Feb 1st 2011 3:17PM
I don't actually care, but the inference that the reason for the restriction is down to other countries, rather than the site/company being bothered to find out the law, is what's annoyed me.
I know that this site likes the overseas visitors as it increases their visitor statistics (and perceived value), and probably loves the ones who click through on the adverts, it's just a pity that the same site can't be bothered to reward those international visitors by doing a little legal research.
Oh well, this site has now had it's exemption from Adblock removed, and maybe international visitors should all block adverts on this site and it's brethren, until we start being treated like valuable visitors?
Robin Torres Feb 1st 2011 3:28PM
Hi Craig!
I am sorry that I don't actually know the restrictions that prevent the legal department from letting us make this giveaway available to the UK.
However, we are allowed to giveaway our virtual goodies like lootcodes to anyone in the world, and we do that quite often. That and the fact that I have personally scheduled my streams to accommodate our UK readers, does make your "until we start being treated like valuable visitors" seem a bit unfair.
Ah well, thanks for reading. :)
artifex Feb 1st 2011 4:43PM
Kind of a dick move, Craig, saying that because you can't get a chance at goodies you are unlikely to win anyway, you're going to still use the site but deprive them of revenue they use to keep the site running.
Henrah Feb 1st 2011 5:36PM
@Robin
The problem with your article is the fact that you're making it out like every country in the world other than the US and Canada are dark holes of doom where competitions aren't allowed and the governments are evil.
If you don't know why the legal department won't allow you to send them to other countries - how can you assume that it's because of the governments?
You seem to have completely contradicted yourself.
You have also heavily offended my sense of pride - I love my country, and to see what you have written in this article accusing my government of being the reason we can't have a chance at the goodies - when the reality is you don't have a clue what the reason is - has deeply upset and offended me.
Craig Knighton Feb 1st 2011 6:20PM
A dick move?
Maybe so, but then the reply from Robin actually illustrated what annoyed me from the start.
Quoted from article - "It's not you. It's not us. It's your government."
Quoted from reply - "I am sorry that I don't actually know the restrictions that prevent the legal department from letting us make this giveaway available to the UK"
Had the article stated the truth - "It's not you. It's us. We can't be bothered to research the law of every country from which we get visitors, so we are sticking to the safe path." - then I would have ignored the competition article, as I do every other.
And I mean the site 'we' rather than singling out Robin.
Should I support the site by allowing adverts when they quite clearly don't value my visit enough to do a little research or be honest with me?
Donald Raeside Feb 1st 2011 3:18PM
It's Québécois, not Quebeçois. Two accents aigu, no cedilla.
SIncerely,
Grammar Police
Robin Torres Feb 1st 2011 3:35PM
Fixed! And thanks :)
Xhris Feb 1st 2011 4:37PM
"However, we are allowed to giveaway our virtual goodies like lootcodes to anyone in the world, and we do that quite often."
I appreciate what you're trying to do here, but that plain and simply isn't true. I've seen 'must be a citizen of the US or Canada (w/o Quebec' on almost every single loot code giveaway post: http://wow.joystiq.com/tag/giveaway/
I don't post about this usually, but being neither American nor Canadian, it's getting tiresome to be treated like a second-class citizen, especially when I clearly know that there are no laws in my country (and I'm a law major!) that pair up gambling and online giveaways. If this website truly is addressed to a global audience, then show it.
Robin Torres Feb 1st 2011 4:45PM
That tag is not used on every giveaway, unfortunately. Here are THE LAST THREE loot code giveaways we've had, that were all last month:
http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/01/01/12-days-of-winter-veil-giveaway-day-11-d-i-s-c-o-loot-code/
http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/30/12-days-of-winter-veil-giveaway-day-9-fishing-chair-loot-code/
http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/28/12-days-of-winter-veil-giveaway-day-7-goblin-weather-machine-lo/
When we have loot codes from wowtcgloot.com to giveaway, (which is often) no restrictions apply.
Not that I think this is going to convince you. I just wanted to post the actual data for my own sense of justice.
Iirdan Feb 1st 2011 4:54PM
The TCG loot codes have no set cash value. The WoW pet codes and such do. I suspect that is the restriction here, and the TCG loot code giveaways do NOT have the US/non-Quebec Canada distinction.
Henrah Feb 1st 2011 5:22PM
"It's not you. It's not us. It's your government."
This isn't correct. It's just the fact that you, or your superiors, cannot be bothered to check the laws in the other countries, so you exclude countries which you haven't checked the laws in and say it's the laws of one's country to blame. - Please don't deny it, I've run cross-country competitions in the past, but at least had the decency to tell the truth.
But it is understandable due to the vast number of countries people visit your site are from.
Look at the countries of the people most visiting your site - I'm sure there's plenty from the UK and other European countries and a fair few from Oceania- adding these 'most popular' countries might make many people happy.
Rendelsiand Feb 1st 2011 7:25PM
You all are right. I demand that this site research the laws of the 150+ countries that are out there in regards to legal age, taxes, monetary value conversion rates, and any other restrictions that may exist just so that everyone can participate. It is not fair that someone get's excluded because of legaleese that states that they would have to pay excise tax, income tax, and possible other things to the government.
Be a little reasonable people. I seriously doubt that this one site has the legal department to keep up with the changes world wide.
tatevek Feb 2nd 2011 7:08AM
As a guild doing progression,, tempers can sometimes prevail, but not so for "The dojo" of vek,nilash. Our raid enviroment is contructive, cool, while still pushing forward with raid content, and getting bosses down. It probably is closer to what is known as the social guilds than most would think, but not only do we spoends several hours a week raiding we'll plow through heroics, joke on G chat and laugh through vent as happy as can be. We have a solid community here of players who enjoy the game, enjot eachother, and blow up stuff in pvp, and in game content. Our guild website says we are a place of peace, respect and serenity. A hall to hone skills above and beyond current levels of mastery. We are a progression guild that values fun, respect and fairness is key. In my opinion when u couple all that togather it makes us the best on vek'nilash, and certainly one of the best on all realms
Kevin Feb 7th 2011 8:49PM
First, thanks WoWinsider for presenting this option to guilds and players all over North America.
Second, if this isn't good enough for some of you then DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. I can't stress that enough (the letters don't get bigger). Even if there is something against this company from sending you something awesome and WoW related, there isn't likely a law that can't be worked out stopping a gaming company in YOUR COUNTRY from giving you things.
Perhaps you can contact gaming companies where you live and show them this article, or others like it. It's a great way for them to advertise to an international, focused, and wanting customer base.
All in all, why poop on this parade? I don't see you making it better, just telling someone else that they aren't doing it good enough for you.
Cheers,
Kevin
calaf Feb 8th 2011 2:31PM
Just checking.. being as I have a member of the wowinsider staff in my guild. Should i not even bother to enter?