Using cash draws to get inbound social network links?

[bmnobbs]

Hi.
Has anyone any feedback on using free draws or cash prize competitions to get links from social network sites ? [ like personal Bebo, Facebook, MySpace etc. ]
I'm considering trying it on a couple of my sites along the lines of "Give a link and you are in the draw", with a $2000 / £1000 prizefund, but would like to hear of anyone who has done/tried similar, and their results from an increased traffic point of view.

[kgun]

Isn't that hidden link buying / selling that may have the opposite effect of what you expected?

Advice: If you use social networks, concentrate on widening the network and IBL's may come natuarlly.

You may know Google's

• inurl
• allinurl

operators. Then as an example, if you have a Linked In profile, customize your public profile from a meningless random number to a semantic link.

[ctabuk]

I totally agree with KGun - how do you you expect to pick up 'related site links?' - I would strongly urge you to forget the concept.

[srblogger]

Bmnobbs,

This sounds like a "black hat" tactic and I recommend you abandon the idea.

-Stephanie
Internet Consulting from Austin, Texas

[bmnobbs]

So if you *were* going to try something like a cash draw, it would have to be very specific about the subject matter of the Blog, Website etc. so that links wouldn't be seen as unrelated ?

This begs another question that is probably answered elsewhere - but what protection has ANY webmaster from his or her site being linked to by a "completely unrelated subject" blog/facebook/myspace/bebo ?
Or worse, a 'black-listed' site ?