Social media research and analysis is an integral part of our business. In doing so, we have noticed that many, including relatively popular business pages and groups on Facebook, do not follow the basic rules. A large number of activities are not carried out in accordance with what is instructed, ie the legal frameworks are generally not respected.
Facebook can’t control all of your activities, and often these kinds of actions go by without any consequences. However, in cases where such activity is revealed, the punishment by Facebook is rigorous. As a rule, it means shutting down the official profile and loss of all fans and content that you may have been creating for many years. Therefore, it is advisable to be informed about Facebook rules and avoid consequences.
PRIZE GAMES
Prize games, for example, have pretty clear rules. Facebook stipulates that if you conduct a prize game for the purpose of promotion, you are responsible for lawfully conducting it. This means following Facebook rules, offer terms and conditions for participants (restrictions related to residency and age) and compliance with legal rules and regulations.
PRIZE GAME vs. CONTEST
Two terms whose meanings are often confused. While winning the prize game is based on the element of luck and the winner is determined by random selection, the prize contest is based on creativity or knowledge, and the winner should somehow deserve the prize.
PRIZE GAMES ORGANIZATION BOOK OF REGULATIONS
When conducting the prize game, it must be reported to the competent ministry, pay 5% of the prize value to the Red Cross and adhere to other rules set by the Republic of Croatia law. When organizing prize games, the organizer is obliged to draw up rules that must be approved by the Ministry of Finance. The prize may only be goods or services that cannot be exchanged for money.
The organizer is also obliged to write when and where the winner will be announced and to hand over the prize to the winner within 30 days. When organizing the prize contest, the difference is that the rules of the prize contest need to explain the scoring system and the process of selecting the winner.
In cases where the prize money is more than HRK 5,000, the organizers are obliged to submit information on the prize winners to the Ministry of Finance within 8 days after the deadline for withdrawing the prizes.
When conducting prize games, it is necessary to pay attention to all statutory regulations. For details, see the regulations in Narodne Novine.
It is advisable to upload a pdf document to the official landing page, which contains detailed information on the rules of the prize game that is being implemented on the Facebook page at the time. When drafting those rules, you must be note that Facebook is in no way affiliated with the prize game and that it has no responsibility for its implementation.
It is advisable to have a pdf document with detailed information on the prize game on the landing page. You can see an example of the FB Prize Game Rulebook here.
LIMITATIONS AND REGULATIONS
You are not allowed to tag Facebook friends or ask them to share a post about your prize game. In addition, personal profiles should not be used to collect applications for participation. Participation alone should not be made conditional with sharing a post on profiles – which is a practice often seen on Facebook. Of course, it is forbidden to pay people to write and leave reviews.
When creating a prize game, people may participate by commenting or liking a post, posting on a page, and sending a message. If the prize organizer is physically tied to one location, they are entitled to indicate the radius of the prize delivery.
Practice has shown that really only a few individuals and companies adhere to these rules. That is why when engaging in such and similar activities on Facebook, it is a good idea to have a professional beside you who will give you all the necessary guidelines to use social media to your advantage and not disadvantage.
| DOS 🙂 | DON’TS 🙁 |
| define the Prize Game / Contest Rules | using personal friend connections to share a post or tagging friends |
| report the prize game to the competent ministry | include cash prizes |
| give 5% of the profit to the Red Cross | use personal profiles for the purpose of collecting participation applications |
| deliver the prize within 30 days | ask users to share a post |
| enrollment – liking and commenting on a post, post on a page, sending a massage | paying people to write reviews |
| state the area of the award delivery | |
| put the prize game / contest PDF document to the official landing page |
CONCLUSION
If you take your business seriously, you have to weigh well whether you are going to follow the rules or try to profit while risking the loss of everything you have achieved up to that point.