While I blog in English, it is obviously not my mother tongue. I have a question for native English speakers reading my blog today.
Some time ago I took part in a competition arranged by the Scandinavian office of the national tourist board of a country in Northern Europe . The invitation ran like this:
Are you a Norwegian blogger with dreams of becoming the next big travel writer? Do you have a sense of adventure, like to travel and then tell all of your friends and family about your experiences once you’re back home? If so, then what are you waiting for? Get blogging!
Visitxxxxis calling all Norwegian bloggers to put their skills to use to win a 3 night trip to yyyy and surrounds to become the national tourist board’s ‘yyyy blogger’.
They have picked the winner now, a person who does not have a blog of his own.
Does that make sense?
Another stunning own goal by VisitDenmark I presume?
How do you define a blogger?
Chalk outline.
“calling all Norwegian bloggers to put their skills to use” and they chose a non-blogger? Eh, no, that does not make sense.
Sounds like an inside job to me, as though they had already decided who it would be but needed a “competition” to make it look good.
It’s VisitScotland.
http://visitbritainnordic.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/norwegian-bloggers-win-a-trip-to-aberdeen/
They did not announce the winner on the blog itself, but on their other web site:
http://www.visitbritain.no/competitions/Vinnere.aspx
Vinneren av Aberdeen konkurransen ble Asbjørn Wille for hans motivasjon: “I love Britain and I would like to feel, taste and see the exciting city of Aberdeen. Meet the people and blogg about a city which has so many connections to Norway. And of course see the boys in red.” Gratulerer!
Hi Knut Albert,
Firstly I want to say that we like your blog, and have been reading it before. Unfortunately, this time we chose to pick another winner.
I am sorry that you feel ruled out. What we were looking for was a keen social media fan with an eye for prose and, as it is stated in the terms and conditions for the competition “The best comment will be selected to win the trip to Aberdeen”. We picked a person who expressed a desire to visit Aberdeen and tell his story in an exciting way when he comes home. Both we and VisitScotland felt that the winner expressed a motivation that fitted with that description.
Good luck with your blog and I hope I’ll see you out there in the social media world.
Kind regards,
Towe Ejsing
VisitBritain
Hi Knut Albert,
I saw your comment on Visit Britain’s Aberdeen competition. What you didn’t comment on, but what I couldn’t help noticing, is that the winner used as many as 40 words. One of the rules for the competition was to “say in no more than 30 words, why you should win a trip to become our Aberdeen City and Shire blogger”. How fair is that?
Have a nice weekend.
Turid
Hi Turid. Thanks for telling me!
Visit Britain chose a non-blogger who didn`t follow the rules of the competition by using too many words. And they didn`t seem to take their own deadline for announcing the result too seriosly.
I smell a rat.