What's The Difference?

I've had a few phone calls this past week asking me, "Why am I finding some photographers in Galesburg who charge $75-$100 for a package that you are charging $200 for."  Frankly, I am happy when someone asks me that question! There really is a difference! And it is a big one. Actually, several differences. It's kind of like standing in the road between car dealerships. On one side of the road, there is a Mercedes dealership and on the other side of the road there is a Kia dealership. Standing there looking at the cars from the road, you see bright shining cars in both lots and you might ask, "what's the difference?" If you knew nothing about cars, you might be tempting to think that the Mercedes dealership was trying to rip someone off. But if you actually left the road and went in and looked close at these cars, you would see the differences very quickly. One has vinyl or cloth seats, where the other has beautiful leather upholstery. One has cheaper components and parts that will breakdown soon, where the Mercedes is made of finely crafted parts and will still be on the road years from now, and still running at peak performance long after the Kia is scrap metal.

Yes, the difference is that drastic.

I read someone's advertising for their photography yesterday and it said describing theirself (and I quote) (I am a) "amateur photographer"  "college student"  "My prices are much lower than that of full-time professionals since this is just my part-time job."  In other words,  they are readily admitting that they are simply out to make a quick buck and do not care about their customers, nor the quality of product they are giving them, because when they are out of college, they will be off doing something else.  So let's compare... photographers like this one (and there are many like this in our area) will take your picture and have them printed at Walmart for a couple of bucks or give you a CD and tell you to go print your own. If that is what you want, that's fine. Some people want a Kia, right? That's fine if that is what you are expecting, but if they are trying to give you a Kia and tell you it's a Mercedes, then you are being ripped off!  You see, the professional photographer would NEVER think of having his or her work printed off at a department store. Their work is sent off to a professional color lab. There, you will not find anything like "one hour printing" because they individually color check each photo and make adjustments where necessary. They use quality professional ink that is not going to fade in a few months or a year, but will still look like new 5 years from now. They are printed on a heavier, professional grade paper that will not roll or tear easily. It's like the clothe seat vs fine leather.  And another key component in the professional photographer is that they will be there when you need them down the road. No one wants to think of tragedy, but WHAT IF?  Say a loved one dies and you'd like to have copies of those photos from 4 years ago. That amateur that was looking for a quick buck is going to be long gone, where as the pro will still be there and should have an archive. I back up all my photos and store them "just in case."  Back in 1999, we had a house fire and lost almost everything. If I had done your photos and this happened to you, I could reprint them for you. What about that high school or college kid?  And a pro is always looking out for their customers. Just recently my color lab offered me a great deal on extra large prints which was more than half off the normal price. I contacted all of my customers from the past year and made the offer to them to purchase 16x20's or larger and save big. A couple of my customers did in fact order, but the interesting thing is, some of those who did not order called to thank me for letting them know.  That's a difference between a pro and an amateur.

I watch the competition in town closely. In the past three years, there have literally been a couple of dozen new photographers spring up in our area. In the past year, almost half of those have closed up and moved on. They made a buck or two and closed up shop. But the professionals in town? We've been here... and we will be.

So ask yourself; "Do I want a Kia or a Mercedes?"  If you want a Kia, that is fine. But make an informed choice. They are not the same.

Is That So?

"The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a
sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the US Government can not pay
its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial
assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless
fiscal policies. Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and
internationally. Leadership means that, "the buck stops here.' Instead,
Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our
children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of
leadership. Americans deserve better." 

 

Senator Barack Obama, March 2006

Asleep in the Light

I am absolutely convinced we are living in the last days. No, I'm not trying to set a date for the Lord's return; however, if you have read your Bible and are watching the news from around the world, it is pretty clear, things are speeding toward the end time events recorded in the Word of God. This is not a time for fear and panic, rather, this is a time for the church to arise to it's finest hour!


In Ephesians 5:14, Paul writes: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light."  With a casual reading, this may appear that Paul is addressing one person, or group of persons. But if we look more closely, we see that this in actuality two separate calls that are going out, or one call, but to two different people groups.  First, there is a call to those who are asleep.  There is a vast difference between a person who is asleep and one who is dead. A sleeping person may appear dead if observed from a distance, but there is still occasional movement, breathing and activity going on within that person.  A dead person might be laying in the same position as a person who is asleep, but that dead body will show no signs of life at all. We must apply scriptural reasoning to this passage to understand that the "sleeper" mentioned here represents on who has been saved, brought to life by the spirit of God... but they have fallen asleep and now are in desperate need for someone or something to wake them up.  The Father's first call in this passage is to this group of people... the saints, the body of Christ that has drifted into a deep sleep. The Father says, "Awake, those of you are asleep... and Christ shall give you light!"  Understand, the believer... even one who is asleep, dwells in the kingdom of light. (see 1 Peter 2:9 & Colossians 1:12-13)  OK... so you might be wondering, "how can a person that is already in the light have a need for Christ to give them light."  Picture it this way...  if you are sitting in the middle of a well lit room and closed your eyes; you would be in darkness.  So, what happens when you go to sleep? You close your eyes! Thus, you are in the midst of the light, but still in darkness. This is why so many Christians are in darkness! They are asleep!  So, when a believer awakens... opens his eyes, the light that is surrounding him enters into his spirit fresh and anew! Christ gives the "awakened sleeper" the light of revelation.  The Psalmist wrote: "Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law... The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple." (Ps. 119:19 & 130)  


The second part of this call of God goes out to those who are dead. "Arise from the dead." The unbeliever is frequently described in scripture as being in darkness.  Darkness is defined as being outside the kingdom of God. Just to be clear, we are not talking physically dead here... but spiritually. In Ephesians 2:1 the Word says that an unbeliever is "dead in trespasses and sins." When an unbeliever calls upon the Lord he is brought "out of darkness into His marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9)  A spiritual resurrection takes plays in the greatest miracle of all... in a moment, souls are brought from death to life: from darkness into the light.  Compare this to Lazarus as he rose from the dead.  When Jesus called him to come forth, and he arose and walked out of that tomb... imagine how he must have felt walking from the cold darkness of that tomb and into the bright, warm shining sun. Can you  see him blinking his eyes as he adjusts to the sunshine?  In the same way, Christ gives the newborn Christian the light of salvation! The divine call that Paul records in this passage is for the world to arise out of death! 
You sleepers... it's time to awaken!
You dead... it's time to to come to life!


Those that are alive... believers in Christ are alive unto God through Christ, but they may be lulled to sleep by weariness, inaction or carnality.  In this inactive state of being, he is no more useful to the Lord than a dead sinner, for both lie in an inactive state of being. It is only when the believer awakens and becomes busy with the Father's business that he will ever find purpose and meaning in serving God. I will say it again...  A SLEEPING CHRISTIAN IS IS USELESS TO GOD! He or she is not advancing the kingdom of God any more than a dead person. It's time to awaken!


I believe it is at the forefront in the Father's heart that the church become awakened.  The call to the sleeping church precedes the call to the world which is in darkness. That may seem, at first glance, to be an erroneous thought. After all, isn't the salvation of the world God's highest objective? Without a doubt, it is so clear that purpose for the Father sending His son into the world was to reconcile fallen man to Himself.  But I argue that if if the world is to be reconciled, there must be an instrument... a means, through which the world will hear the Gospel. That instrument is the Body of Christ. The only time the world hears the Word is when the church speaks. Well, a sleeping church is a SILENT church. It is only when it's members awaken and begin to speak that the lost will hear the Word of God. I believe this is why the call goes out first to the sleeper, then to the dead. When the church arrives t the place God would have us to be, we will win the lost!

Still not sure that I am right in what I am saying? Consider this: In John 17:9, Jesus did not pray directly for the world. Rather, he expressly directed his intercession for those who follow him.  "... I pray not for the world, but for them which you have given me..."   This pattern for prayer has not changed. Christ "made intercession for the transgressors" on the cross (see Isaiah 53:12). Since He arose from the dead and seated himself at the right hand of the Father, Jesus has been interceding for the church! Christ realized that as the chruch opens her eyes (awakens) she will then proclaim the Gospel and shed for the light of Jesus to a world that is in darkness.  I believe this is why there is a call to "awaken" before there is a call to "arise."  
The call goes out today to the church which is by and large asleep in the light.... "Awaken you who sleep!"  The Father has much work for the church to do... but we must open our eyes!

Just Breaks My Heart

Most of you have heard by now the sad news of the death of Amy Winehouse. I realize that many of you have never even heard of her, so I'm posting a video clip of her singing. Amy was such a talented... gifted young woman who just trashed her life with alcohole and drugs. Just a few weeks ago she was literally booed off the stage in Belgrade because she was so wasted that she could not even perform. Just a few years ago when she burst onto the music scene, she was so fresh, so unique seemed to have the world as her oyster. But is soon became apparent that drug use was at some point going to cause her a devastating crash. I remember talking with my niece about her several years ago, and saying that my fear was that she was going to die young.... another Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and so many others. Ironically, there is a group, called "the 27 Club"; all stars who died at age 27. After her concert failure in Begrade, her manager had announced that she would not perform on stage "for quite some time."  I really hoped that meant she was going to rehab. Amy had mocked the notion of rehab and stopping her drug use. She even had a song entitled "Rehab" where she rejected the idea of rehab. And so, at the tender age of 27, when her life and career should be soaring... she is dead. I never knew that the death of someone I had never met could hit me so hard. It pains me to see a life with so much promise and hope twisted and torn and ending in a wreckage of death. Such a terrible shame that her life was stolen from her by drug use. Just a pity.

Bubba and Comany

I forgot to blog about this last week by the time we got home, and my wife reminded me of it last night. Our last night in Myrtle Beach, we ran out to the store for something and was planning on getting the car washed and filling up the gas tank. The van was absolutely covered with salt residue from the ocean and I wanted it washed before I put the luggage carrier back on the van, so that it would not grind the salt into the paint. So, we run to the store and then come out to go to the car wash which was just around the corner from Walmart. This was one of these semi-automated car washes where there are still guys working that do some of the cleaning. We noticed that they had apparently closed while we were in Walmart, but were not certain, some of the lights were still on and the 3 workers were standing next to the building talking. Now, I have to tell you, these 3 guys looked like they had just walked off the movie set of Deliverance, and one of them looked strikingly like Clint Howard from one of his "bubba" rolls in the movies, such as in The Waterboy.  I'm serious, I'm thinking, "Woah, we have found "redneck central" here!


So, I pull up next to them, roll down the window and asked if they were closed. The Clint Howard look alike says in the deepest southern-redneck drawl you can imagine, "Yelp, close 8:00."  Up north, that's "Yes, we close at 8:00." (It was just past 8:00 at the time." So we asked if there was any other car washes in the area. The same guy says, "Not like this'en thayer ain't."  It was all I can do to keep from laughing. I said, "that's ok, are there any other car washes in the area?"  He says "Yep."  So I asked, "Can you tell me where?"  He says, "They're all over the place." (You have to imagine the extreme southern slur... kind of like the Earnest T. Bass on Andy Griffith.)  I said, "I'm not from around here, can you help me out by telling me where one might be?  He responds, "Ah don't know whay're yer a headin so ah cain't tell ya."   I'd had enough. I said, "Never mind, and drove off." My wife and I were just cracking up. These guys were the only stereo-type red-necks we had run into on this trip, but man, did they ever take the cake!


The really stupid part is, that when we found out where a car wash was at, turns out that from where we were sitting in the parking lot talking to Bubba and company, if we had done a zig-zag out of the parking lot, turning left and then right, and driven half a mile, that road would have dropped us right in front of a nice automated car wash. But these yokels could not tell us that, and we drove miles out of our way to get gas and then back track right back there.  I swear I heard banjos playing! lol

The River

My church and those around me will recognize exactly what I mean when I say "The River" almost immediately. Back in April 2006 the Lord gave me a vision about The River. It has been a driving force in my life and ministry for 5 years now, but I must confess, I have often become frustrated with what I have seen and not understood how things are developing in the church where I pastor. Recently I became acquainted with a man on Facebook who felt led to send me a book. I have started reading it, and I have to tell you, it is as if God Himself penned the words as they are speaking directly to me, the vision that God has given me and what has been happening. As it usually is, I've come to see that it is not that "God is messing up" but rather, He was not doing things in a way that fit MY PLANS and expectations. I'm beginning to get it through my thick skull what it means to be a "River" Church. I'm more excited now than ever... as I'm beginning to see what it is that God has been trying to do, if I will just stop getting in the way! 

I don't know about you... but some times I think God must look at me and say, "Are you just about ready to do it my way?"  Sure am glad He is patient!

Are All Religions the Same?

Suppose you were sitting in Innkeepers (or Starbucks) and you meet someone new and in the course of your discussion, this new friend says to you,"Why do I need to be a Christian? Religion is religion; right? As long as I acknowledge God, what difference does it make?" How would you respond? Do you know how you would defend your faith in Christ? How would you approach telling this person that they were wrong and that there is a difference, and that difference determines our eternity? You don't want to be offensive... yet you don't want to miss the opportunity to give this person the key to life that is found in Christ.

OK... let's get honest. Most people.... Christian people would not know how to answer... not only that, they would do everything in their power to avoid confrontation in this situation. Think about this. If you had the knowledge and power to save a man's life who was suffering a heart attack, would you withhold that power and ability and stand there and watch them die? Of course not. Yet we (Christians) have the power and the ability to save people from a literal Hell, and we stand by twiddling our thumbs because we are too afraid to tell people the truth. Or maybe it is because we don't know enough about the truth!

THIS is why we are beginning the study on Religions of the World at Harvest Church. We are going to look at 9 of the most prevalent religions of the world, what they believe and then compare it to what the Bible says. It is my hope that when we are finished with this study, you will be knowledgeable enough to give an answer to anyone who asks you, "why is Christianity the only way?"

If you have not signed up, tonight (Tuesday, August 19) is the first class. Will start promptly at 6:30 and end at 7:30 (or earlier) each class. We will be meeting the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month. If you are in the area and would like to come, please come on and join us. This is open to anyone and everyone. 

It's Good to Be Home

Our family returned home tonight after being gone for 9 days. We drove down to Myrtle Beach for a week and then back. It was a great trip, but I'm really glad to be home. I seldom miss 2 Sundays in a row from the church, and it just eats at me to do so. I know that Brother Grooms did a fine job filling the pulpit, so I don't worry about that at all. I just don't like being gone like that. I really appreciate a church that allows me and my family such an opportunity. This trip was especially appreciated, because by allowing me to miss 2 Sundays, it allowed us to stretch out the time driving which made it possible to take my sister and brother in-law (who raised me from the time I was 11) with us. With their health issues they simply would not have been able to drive straight through in one day. Thanks for your patience and understanding Harvest Church.

I'm really tired tonight (I blog about the reason why later) but I am anxious to get back in the swing of things. Tuesday night will be our first night of the study on Religions of the World. I am hoping that some others will take advantage of this study. I promise you, you will learn some things in this study that will give you a better understanding of other religions and how to effectively witness to people from these religions. I'm also anxious to meet with the Church and Pastor's Council in the next couple of weeks. This month marks the beginning our 8th year as Pastor's here and I am more excited now than I have ever been. I believe we are making a turn into new territory and we are going to see exciting things happening in and through Harvest Church.  I will not go into it now, but this past week God began to bring some real definition and clarity... filling in gaps to the vision of the River that the Lord gave me for this church several years ago. I have a better understanding now than I have ever had since that night I received it. Funny how God works. Through Facebook I came in contact with a Pastor from another denomination who felt led to purchase a book and send it to me. It arrived just before we left on vacation, and from the second I began reading it, I sensed the Holy Spirit speaking into my spirit and bringing some much needed clarity. I just believe it is God's timing. Hold on church... it's going to get better, richer and more meaningful than ever!

The Harvest Is Yours!

Had the following in an email from a friend when I came home and wanted to share it here. It comes to mind that this is not only dealing with finances and wealth, but with the harvest of souls! 
The harvest does not come out of the fields and into the storehouse on it's own! Are you ready to reap the harvest? Then it is time for work!


When we are a sower, we qualify as a reaper. It is time for the reapers to cry out to receive what belongs to them. It is time for us to receive what belongs to us.
James 5:3 says that the rich "...have heaped together treasure for the last days" (AMP). 
Proverbs 13:22 says, "But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous." 
Wealth is made to be handled by the righteous. We can begin to apply this to the sowing we have done over the years.
Harvest does not come out of the field on its own. We must bring the harvest into the barns. When the reapers cry out, something different begins to happen. The seed sown, the wages withheld, and the increase that is due begins to witness to the Father God that harvest must come into the reapers' hands.


Our enemy will steal from us and hold our goods as long as we allow. We are the ones who can cry out to the Lord of the harvest and begin to reap where we have sown.
Galatians 6:7 tells us how far-reaching this sowing and reaping can go: "A man's harvest in life will depend entirely on what he sows" (Phillips). Every aspect of life is affected by the seed we sow.
We can begin to harvest in every possible area if we will sow, determine to reap, and not tolerate our enemy stealing our harvest.


Some do not receive their harvest because they do not sow. We must be sowers to be reapers. Some do not receive because they leave their increase in the field. We must put in the sickle and reap. There is power in a decision. When we decide to press in and receive our harvest, there is power released to receive. Reaping is not automatic. Mark 4:27-29 tells how the sower sows:

"...and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come" (NKJV).

We may not know how God will cause our harvest to come, but He makes our seed grow, and we put in the sickle to reap. We must lay claim to our harvest with the words of our mouth. Declare that harvest is ours. We have sown the seed and the harvest is ours for the reaping. 
We must stir ourselves up to receive it.

Happy Birthday Son

I am actually writing this the night before my son turns 21 because we are leaving early in the morning and I will not have time to do it then. It is killing me that on Daniel's birthday, my wife, Ashley and I will be leaving on vacation without him. He has to work. I guess that is a part of growing up, but it pains me that we are not only not taking him with us on vacation, but I am missing his 21st birthday. I guess this is yet another stage of transitioning in our lives... pointing to a time in the not too distant future where he will have his own life, apart from ours. I struggle with that. I still see my little boy... but I know he is now grown up... a man. And son, I want to take a second to tell you before everyone else, that I am so proud of you. You have grown up to be a man that any father would be proud of. And you are still only beginning. We may not be with you today in body, but we are in spirit. No matter where the road of life takes you, you will always be with us. 
I'll miss you this week son, but I am proud of you for doing what a mature man does in taking care of his responsibilities. Today, and every day, your dad loves you far more than you could ever imagine. Happy Birthday son.

New Adventure

The last week I have been involved in a contest with a photo that I took in Florida on our last vacation. The outcome of that contest is totally up in the air and we will just have to wait until July 29th to find out who the winner is. However, I have already reaped tremendous blessings from this. I cannot tell you the number of requests I have had to purchase copies of my photo. I printed a couple of them out as gifts, and then the requests kept pouring in and I simply could not keep paying for them. I began looking for a way to set something up on my website to sell them, and I discovered a place that allows me a place to not only sell prints, but to turn them into greeting cards as well. It also licenses my pictures so that they could possibly used in professional formats such as television, movies and magazines. Who knows? My new site is up and running with the first photos published, and I will be adding many more in the coming days. Check it out at http://darrell-garrett.artistwebsites.com/

To help launch my new site, I am offering a 20% discount to the first 10 customers who make any purchase on my site. Just enter the discount code:  XRJUUK

Pray with me that this might become another source of income and opportunity for my family and I.  And thanks again to everyone who has supported me in this contest and helped to give birth to a new dream!  Words cannot express my gratitude!

The Dirty World Of Contesting...You Think You Can Win? Yes, But For A Price!

Most of you know all about the contest I was just in and again I thank you for your kind support in this. Through this competition, it became painfully obvious that some where cheating and all we can do is see who the judges declare the final winner.  But through this competition, I watched a woman fighting hard to win. Long story short, we became Facebook friends. Tonight she wrote a note on her page that I asked for permission to share. I must really be naive because I had no clue about the things that Edie Cato uncovered. Take a few minutes to read and become educated, as I have been.

All I can say is "Wow!"  Thanks for the info Edie, and thanks for allowing me to share your note.

Before I begin this much anticipated essay on the dirty underworld of contesting, allow me to explain a few things. First, I am not writing this because I am a "sore loser". I knew I had lost this contest well before it ended. Secondly, any reference to voting pages are not directed at any page in particular. There are some FANTASTIC vote trading pages out there and here on Facebook. And finally, I am writing this essay to expose what really goes on in "voting contests" so my friends and fellow contesters are informed and the companies and administrators who run these contests stop running these three ring circuses and go back to old fashioned judging. I also want to mention that all links posted here are easily found on Google, so this is public knowledge.

I have been a sweepstaker for 7 years. During those 7 years, I have won some amazing things including trips, cash, gift cards, electronics, toys and more. It wasn't until 2 years ago that I got a taste for voting contests. My daughter had an entry in the "Cheese Doodle" contest to win a Wii for my son, her older brother, who happens to be disabled. The company gave several Wiis away and my daughter won. However, it wasn't without alot of work "campaigning" for votes, emailing friends and family as well as returning votes for those who had voted for us. My next voting contest was for a trampoline and the next for a Tempur-pedic bed. I was blessed to have won both of those with the help of family, friends and the Facebook and sweepstaking communities. I have always chosen my voting contests by need, rather than want...after all, they take a great deal of work and countless hours on the computer.

Most recently, I saw an opportunity to try and win a family trip to Florida as well as a brand new car in the Visit Florida Sunshine Moments sweepstakes (which it was technically a contest since it is not the luck of the draw) I entered a beautiful photograph I had taken on a trip I won (through a luck of the draw sweepstakes) 4 years ago, to Florida. I thought I had a good chance at winning, although I knew it would be tough....alot more people want to win a car than a trampoline or a bed! I was psyched and ready to FIGHT to win this contest. We were in desperate need of a new vehicle due to my health and my son's. And the trip to Florida, I wanted that desperately as well since we have never had a family vacation.

Not even one week into the contest, I was in the lead but I noticed an entry screaming up on my heels quickly. The photograph was absolutely gorgeous.....so gorgeous in fact, that I felt it looked professional. I Googled the title of the photograph and it popped up in HUNDREDS of links.....on blogs....on a Canadian tourism site...and in Flick'r under the TRUE OWNERS NAME. The photograph was immediately removed from the contest. I was happy. It was unfair to me and the other participants to have a stolen photograph in the running. (I was not the one who turned the photo in)

I was still in first a week into the contest, then things started to change dramatically. Suddnely, in the blink of an eye, I was in third. I was still getting a steady influx of votes, I was still campaigning and working day and night but a few entries started moving up at the speed of light! One went from 8th to 2nd in a matter of hours.....another from 17th to 2nd in just hours.....and still another that was well on the 20-somethings that flew to 2nd in a matter of a few hours. How was this happening? How could they possibly be getting that many votes that quickly. And how was the 1st place person staying in first, set in concrete?  My mind churned and I didn't want to think it.....I didn't want to say it.......but I couldn't help but be suspicious......were they cheating? Before the contest ended, I started doing some investigating and what I learned not only disappointed me but it absolutely SHOCKED ME!

How naive was I? How long had this been going on? Why aren't companies doing something about this? How could contestants actually cheat like this and then sleep at night? 

I didn't drop out of the contest, no way, I stayed in....kicking, screaming and holding on for dear life for, at least, a top 10 finish. I wanted to prove to myself that cheaters never win. But ahhhh, they do. They get the car and the trip and I get a camera.......no sour grapes, I needed a new camera ever since I allowed the husband to take mine on a ghost hunt and it was returned to me with a sticky shutter. Nothing worse that a sticky shutter. So now I am sure you are curious as to what my little investigation turned up, right? Ahhhh, soon.......

But first, allow me to explain the general rules of voting contests, just in case you don't know. You might think you enter your essay or photograph and people browse the entires and say, "Oh this is nice, I'll give it my vote." or "Well written! He's got my votes!" No, no, no.....not even close. You can write a single run-on sentence with poor spelling and still win. You can enter a beach photo that isn't even the state asked for...but you can still win. It's all about the votes.....how many friends you have...how much time you're willing to spend.....how popular you are...what church you belong to......where you work etc. It's a numbers game.

You can trade votes on voting pages.....which is perfectly alright (as long as the rules do not state otherwise). You simply post your contest link and ask for votes. People vote for you and in return, you vote back for them. One vote for one vote....even Steven. OH! But I just learned, things aren't as cut and dry as they seem! I noticed several vote requests posted by, let's say "Jon Smith". Jon Smith posts 3 vote requests, none of them seem to be his, names don't match, nationalities don't match and Jon is obviously NOT from the US, and if he is, he's yet to learn to read or write English. So people vote down the wall for everyone, including Jon Smith and his 3 entries. Jon Smith then returns one vote per person. Now first, it's a little unfair, but secondly, Jon Smith actually is a "vote exchanger". (Can you hear the music...dun, dun dunnnnnnnnnnn)

A person who "exchanges votes" offers to give you 50 votes for your one vote. Sounds short sided on Jon's side....but no.....Jon had his own network voting for him....his own vote exchange page. So Jon gets his votes by everyone who posts on his page or through his network and he's easily returning his promise of 20-30-50 votes per person by posting them on other walls to be voted on by up to 100 or more people per day. Vote exchanging is frowned upon and is usually grounds for disqualification IF the contest administrator finds out. And you, the contester voting for Jon's many contests, is getting the short end of the stick.

Now on to the fun part of the story!! Now who wouldn't want to vote for an adorable photograph of two little girls and Cinderella at Disney World, right? It seems EVERYONE wanted to vote for that photograph.....for a little incentive. During my investigation (where I was merely trying to see what voting forums they were posting in) I found a mom blog. On this mom blog they were giving away FREE DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING KITS! Woohoooooo! Was I excited about the freebie? No, I'm not a scrapbooker. I was, however, intrigued by the fact that these kits were being given away FOR A VOTE in a particular Florida contest. And not only that, you got one EACH TIME YOU VOTED! I retained the link and it was subsaquently turned over to the contest administrator. (Again, not by me since it was against the rules of the contest to harrass or demean any other contestant)  http://moneysavingmom.com/2011/06/free-digital-scrapbook-kit-of-your-choice.html 

 Obviously, they didn't disqualify the entry, it won first place. But the question remains, was that cheating? Is it OK to "buy" votes? Personally, I feel it is cheating, otherwise Ms. E (my alter ego and adult product blogger) would have given away much more "interesting" prizes in order to scoop up the motherload of votes. But some might jump to her defense and say, "The rules didn't state you couldn't give away an item for each vote." TRUE. The rules stated "cheating" was grounds for disqualification.....they didn't go into details..."cheating is defined by paying cash or trading merchandise, sexual favors, dog walking service, your third cousins' baby or an internal bodily organ for a vote. You cannot use proxy computers, pay a company for votes or".......let me stop right there. PAY A COMPANY FOR VOTES. 

YES....you can actually pay someone for votes! Need 500? Gotcha! Need 1,000 by a certain date? No problem! Need 5,000 votes or facebook photo "likes" in 3 weeks, spread out and from different ISP addresses? They can do that! I even found one heck of a bargain.....1,000 Facebook "likes" or votes for a mere $5!!!!! https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=115732821845938&comments 

I found a company, during the investigation, where people freelance their services for everything from SEO and website building to giving hundreds and even thousands of Facebook likes, contest votes or anything of that nature for a price. You post what you need, you set the particulars, the freelancers bid. http://www.freelancer.com

I looked around the site and searched terms like "Facebook votes" and "Facebook contest" and surely enough, there was one of my competitors, asking for bids on 1,000 votes. I looked at her profile (and she included a photo) came to the Florida photo contest and matched her Freelancer account name to her entry AND her Facebook account. Obviously her measly purchase of 1,000 votes weren't enough to contend with free scrapbooking kits.....or the other "questionable" entries that would move 3, 4 or as many as 20 places in a matter of hours. By this time, I KNEW there was no way I could win this contest, so I just dug deeper....I wanted the truth out there for all contesters to see. 

Now if you are one that wants to run right out to the site and post for a freelancer to vote for you 5,000 times.....be my guest. However, I fully intend on taking this to every company, sponsor, sweepstakes administrator and marketing company out there. I want to see voting contests ABOLISHED. Hell, if they claim they don't have the time or manpower to go through hundreds of photographs and pick a winner, heck send them to me, I'd be happy to JUDGE the contest fairly! Voting contests are no longer fair.....they are an abomination and reflect poorly on any company who chooses to run one then turn a blind eye to blatant cheating.

As a special treat to my contesting friends, I'd like to share some interesting links with you! Are you currently in a certain baby contest here on Facebook?.......look out, somebody is buying votes: http://www.freelancer.com/projects/Internet-Marketing-Anything-Goes/Baby-Photo-Contest.html  Oh and don't think just because the person on this account isn't from the USA, I learned through another contester that people from other countries frequently enter US based contests and they have "friends" here in the US to collect their prizes for them.


Sorry, I can't get the links to work after publishing....go figure! But if you take the time to copy and paste, I swear it is well worth it!

And for the rest of you contesters, I thought these links might be of interest:

http://www.freelancer.com/projects/Website-Design-Internet-Marketing/Votes-contest-Facebook-quot-like.html

http://www.freelancer.com/projects/Internet-Marketing-Link-Building/Need-Votes-For-Facebook-Video.1028475.html

http://www.freelancer.com/projects/Internet-Marketing-Social-Networking/Facebook-Votes-Like-fan-page.html

http://www.freelancer.com/projects/Internet-Marketing/Facebook-Recommends-same-likes-Need.html

Here's a good one! http://www.freelancer.com/projects/1101491.html

And another! http://www.freelancer.com/projects/1105374.html 

And here is a list I pulled off of Google with VARIOUS Facebook contests listed from various months throught the year. Maybe you'll see the person who beat YOU out of a certain contest. Take a peek!

http://www.freelancer.com/projects/arc-tag/need-facebook-votes.html

And please don't think this is the ONLY place out there. This type of "freelancing" is popping up everywhere! I am a fool not to have realized this earlier!

http://www.careerfreelance.com/freelance-jobs/need-1000-votes-for-facebook-video-contest-by-freshcoast247/ 

In closing, I would like to add this. I do not like cheaters. Those of us who enter sweepstakes and contests do it for the thrill and the challenge and excitement of winning. Most contesters are honest.....but I am noticing an increasing amount of people who are saying "To hell with morals and rules. I want to win and that's all that matters!" Yes, the society of instant gratification, the country of entitlement. Well this woman isn't into it. I find it morally wrong to cheat and you will never find me doing it.....EVER. And for that matter, you will never find me entering another voting contest again.

I would much rather lose, playing by the rules than win by cheating.

ABOLISH VOTING CONTESTS!!!!!!!

Going for the SUV!

Most of you are well aware I have been promoting my photo in the contest all week, but in case you have been in a cave, let me tell you... I am trying to win this SUV.

 My photo below is in the contest. If you like it, I'm asking you to click on the link and cast your vote. There is no spam. They will not ask for your email address or anything else. Just click on "vote" and then do the verification thing where you type the letters in a box and prove you are not a robot cheating. That's it.  I'm in 9th place and think I can win it if folks can get me in the top 5 in the next day.  
Thanks!

http://wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/117795/voteable_entries/23503678