Beginning in September of this year, to be eligible to win the monthly knife giveaway, you must be 18 years of age and either (a) have made at least 100 total forum posts at the time of entering the monthly giveaway or (b) have previously donated successfully to at least 1 prior monthly knife giveaway. The monthly postings will also have a bold red note to all participants to ensure that their Board Preferences Miscellaneous Notifications are properly set to notify them via email when someone sends them a Private Message (PM). Lastly, The first-place winner will have 3 days to respond to claim the knife, and the second-place winner and beyond (if ever needed) will have 1 day to respond to claim the knife.
If you notice carefully, I said eligible to win, not play. Rather than block someone from playing in the monthly knife giveaway (which we don’t do today), I will validate the winner’s eligibility as part of the monthly process to declare a winner.
It is the great hope of Bryan and those that support his mission here at AAPK that this rule change will minimize or eliminate anything other than first-place winners and stop the practice of becoming a member, signing up for the monthly knife giveaway, and then making small or no contributions to the health of our forums. Forum member participation (posting and not just reading) is the lifeblood of any online community, and the monthly knife giveaway is now a “perk” afforded to forum members who (by their total forum posts) participate in our little community of knife enthusiasts.
Thank you to everyone that provided me with feedback and a way forward. I look forward to continued success with the monthly knife giveaway and am proud to offer this "perk" to those that have earned it. Peace
