November's Group Custom Process

We have some changes to announce for this month!  

We always appreciate all the support and feedback you provide. Because of the incredible response to our Group Customs, we have been working hard at developing a process which rewards the teams who continue to show up each month along with keeping it fair for those entering for the first time. We think we have come up with a process which will be a great solution and the most fair for all!

For November only, there will be 3 Group Custom slots awarded. (I must reiterate, this is ONLY for November – we will not normally be able to take on 3 groups.)  Interested groups will enter using the same process used in September and October (please see here) with the addition of including the number of months your team has entered, including the current month.  Your entries should look like these, in which the flying whizbees are entering for the first time in November and the skullies have entered in two previous months as well as in the current month:

The flying whizbees: 1 month.  Kate, Megan B., Amanda, Karen, Jessica, Sarah, Melissa, Henrietta, Pamela, Megan Z. 

The skullies: 3 months.  Susan, Mike, Allegra, Sarah F., Sarah P., Bess

Once the entry time has expired, we will review all information and announce the eligible groups for November. We will then hold 3 drawings as follows:

Drawing 1: This drawing is a unique, one time offer for November only, and is meant to give special consideration to three teams that have tried repeatedly, more times than any other group, to secure a custom slot.  This drawing will only be open to teams Emma, Kodachrome, and Popeye.  (This assumes each of these teams have entered and have been confirmed eligible for the November contest. If only one of those teams is confirmed eligible, then that team will automatically win the first slot. If 2 or 3 are confirmed eligible, the winner will be selected by random.org)

All three of these teams have been with us for several months and we felt it absolutely necessary and appropriate to offer them this 1 in 3 chance at winning a group custom slot. This is not something we will do regularly, if ever again.

Drawing 2: Every team that has entered for at least 3 months, including November, will be entered in this drawing.  (The two teams who did not win the first drawing are of course entered in this drawing as well.)

 - Each team in this drawing will receive one entry slot for each month they've entered. That means if you've entered for 3 months including the current month, your team is given 3 entries. So for example if there are 5 eligible teams for this drawing and they all have entered for 3 months, with the exception of teams Abby and Darkside who have each entered 4 times, the entry list would look like this:

1 - team Abby

2 - team Abby

3 - team Abby

4 - team Abby

5 - team Boyish stripes

6 - team Boyish stripes

7 - team Boyish stripes

8 - team Cat Lovers

9 - team Cat Lovers

10 - team Cat Lovers

11 - team Darkside

12 - team Darkside

13 - team Darkside

14 - team Darkside

15 - team Elliot

16 - team Elliot

17 - team Elliot

We will again use random.org to draw the winning number.

Drawing 3: Every team who successfully submitted their information in full is entered in this drawing, with the winning team again being selected by random.org.

 - For this drawing, all teams receive 1 entry slot regardless of the number of months they've entered, giving an equal chance to all who are enter whether they are brand new or have been entering for several months.

The plan for December and all future months will be to offer 2 Group Custom slots whenever possible. Once all teams have entered and are confirmed eligible we will run 2 drawings using the process shown above in drawings two and three. Drawing one would be for every team that has entered for at least 3 consecutive months including the current month, with each team receiving an entry slot for every consecutive month entered. Drawing 2 would be for all eligible teams with each team receiving 1 entry slot regardless of the number of months they've entered. Should we not be able to offer 2 Group Custom slots for any given month, we would always defer to a contest in which every team has the same chance to win. And we do reserve the right to change or alter this process at any time.

We hope that this change helps to honor the teams that have been with us for a long while, while still keeping things exciting and fair for new groups. We would not be able to do what we do without you and we are always listening for ways to improve both our products and our processes!  Thank you for helping us make twinkie tush the best it can be!

The opportunity to enter for November’s Group Custom slots will be posted this Saturday, November 5th. Time is TBD and will be announced on our facebook page no later than Friday at noon eastern.  We will again give a time frame in which the slot will be posted, and this time the entry will be open for 5 minutes only.

I know this is a lot of new information to absorb, but it is also important to read over the standard group custom entry information here.  If your group is missing any of the required elements you will not be eligible for entry.

Thanks so much and have a great day!