I didn't think it sounded like that, Diane.  But any time there is a prize, I think it is kind of natural to think of it as whether it was something you want *if* you win.

You already have an FM bow, so some of the "draw" would be less strong than for folks that don't, maybe.  That's pretty easy to understand.

I've had to give this some thought, since Halloween *is* one of my fave holidays, and I do play, so why didn't *I* enter?

Well, to cover the easy things first.. As has already been mentioned, deadline for it was kind of unclear, and I couldn't think offhand of any actual halloween songs I wanted to do.  The BattleToTheTop site is kind of unclear.  Even looking at it this morning, I couldn't see if there was a current contest going on, only that there had been a contest on Jul 12, 2013.  Not sure what's up with that.

But I've never yet actually entered one of the actual contests or drawings here on Fiddlerman.com

There's a few reasons, although I may just be weird and I don't assume they are anybody else's reasons.  To be honest, if it had just been a "party", I probably would have been more likely to jump in on it, based on looking at my own record for participation.

First, with gear giveaways, I *like* my current instruments and my bow is working for me.  At least at this time in my development, I am not perceiving a need for an upgrade. 

Second, I know that there are others here with gear they aren't as happy with, and so they need it more than I do. 

Not saying I am all that altruistic, but my need for the prize wasn't something I saw as a prio.

So that's a lot of why I haven't entered competitions or even giveaways. 

Competitions touch on another matter though.  It is definitely true that some parts of being a musician are competitive, if you want to do well.  Some venues and etc, to have a place in them, you have be out to *win* to get there.  Maybe even be a bit ruthless.

But this particular community I think tends to a more supportive rather than competitive focus.  Some group projects have gotten good participation.  Some of the "parties" have gotten good participation.  Even the newest of noobs sometimes come out of the woodwork and quit lurking to get in on those. 

Those aren't competitive, though. There is no "duel" or "battle" mentality running there.  In fact, if someone said "I can do better than that.." to someone who had just posted a song or piece in those projects/threads, even if they proceeded to kick that person's butt, I am not at all sure that would even go over well. LOL  I think at least some of us would tend to think they should have picked another piece to show off their skill with, or at least shouldn't have made it a "personal thing" that could discourage another.

I'm not saying that's a bad thing at all.  I think it is maybe one of the best things about this community.  But it doesn't naturally lead to "head cutting duel" type events.  (To use a tired old stereotype)

Anyway, I would suggest:

1.) Use the polls as a tool to identify what items would be most desirable as prizes.  Don't assume it would be the most expensive items either.  I've never seen a private lesson with Pierre or a set of strings up as a prize, but I'd bet they'd get some votes since they are something every player can use.  Get a brainstorming session going to get a big list of possibilities and then use a poll to see how they stack up.

2.) If you specifically want more participation, then try incentivizing participation itself.  One way that can be done is to have the prize proportionate to the number of participants.  For an example, let's assume strings ended up being something you decided to offer as a prize for some contest or giveaway.  Say, up to 3 contestants, the prize would be a set of Prelude strings.  But at 4 contestants, it becomes a set of Pro Artes.  Maybe at 8, the prize becomes a set of Zyex.  That way, if people want to see bigger prizes, they have to get involved or maybe even encourage other people to participate.  It could also keep the prize you are putting up proportionate to the traffic/interest it is generating for you.  That's just a rough idea, and not necessarily a great example.

Just another 2 cents worth of gasoline on the fire. LOL

@Robyn:  Well, as I said, I may just be weird on some things.  I'm glad you have never seen something set up as a friendly competition turn into something else.  I wish I could say the same.  Even here, I can recall at least a couple of competitions that didn't turn out with everyone all happy all around. 

So far as the deadline, well, I certainly know when Halloween is.  But it didn't make much sense to me for that to be the deadline.  Usually on at least some level, business sponsored events are a tool that is used to increase business or traffic.  If you want to increase those things for a particular holiday season, usually you have your events some days before the actual holiday. 

That's why places like department stores or malls that hire somebody dressed up like Santa Claus and make a big event about it usually do it at least a couple weeks before the holiday.  If they waited until Christmas eve or day, it doesn't do as much to boost the business. 

So I knew when Halloween was.  Just didn't assume it was a likely actual deadline for a Halloween promotional event. 

My logic would have been to have a deadline a couple of weeks before Halloween.  That way the results and the winning video could be put up on Fiddlerman.com and Fiddlershop.com to see if maybe they draw a bit of traffic, see how much youtube or social networking interest they get, etc.  Then it might be possible to actually get the bow to the winner by Halloween, and use that as a good excuse to try and get a party going on the forum to congratulate/celebrate.  Sort of a victory lap.  Get the winner to put up pics or a short vid of themselves playing with the new bow, and then encourage a bit of musical mayhem from all members.

That way if someone new found the community or the fiddlershop biz as a result, they'd see a lot of fun going on and might decide that they need a violin of their own or that they want to make an account and log in and say hello.  For established members, activities are something fun and interesting to do, to keep the community active.

I don't really come here for prizes or to see what I can get out of Pierre. LOL  Right up in the banner at the top of the page, it says "Learn to play violin for free."

For me, that's enough.  The lessons and tutorials here, and supportive members who will try to help if you have a question and encourage you when it's maybe being a frustrating day for learning, they add up to a lot for someone trying to learn to play this instrument.  I don't know if I would have made it through my first year without giving up, if it hadn't been for this place and the folks here.  That's worth more to me than any prize I can imagine.