@Grant I really like the domain registration change mentioned! Love it! Now I just need to get back to naming contests regularly. 
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Thanks for adding the flags on My Entries page! VERY helpful!!!
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Argh! I had a name that was registered. I used this name in 4 contests. The new change only allows you to report it in one contest. I HATE this! My name could have been reported in any of those. I’d like the opportunity to have SquadHelp look into/contact each of the contest holders. SquadHelp knows the contest holder’s information. I don’t. So how do I choose which one to report it in? I also didn’t know this and would have reported it under the contest that had the highest rating first. But what if the name is liked/loved in more than one contest.
Yuck yuck yuck. I hate this change! I’m tired of my names getting registered (hence the taking time off/not naming nearly as much as I used to)!
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Oh Boy, I feel for you there @VelocityGirl. I try not to enter names in more than one contest at a time. Always afraid it will be loved by more than one and make for conflict when the CH is deciding on their winner. What would happen if the same name won in both contests at the same time before the CH has registered the name? Kinda makes me wonder lol
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I’ve had that happen before. Once it one in one contest, I let the other contest holder know and withdrew my entry. The likelihood of me winning two contests at a time is pretty low these days (barely entering any), so it’s not something I worry about. I’d rather have two contest holders see my awesome name and increase my chances of winning a contest.
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As far as the name being registered, couldn’t you copy and paste all four contest urls into the comment box on the report domain tab an let SH know why? Maybe @Grant could answer that one better
VelocityGirl:
I have found that the SH team is very helpful on this issue. You can use the bubble to contact them. What they will do is look to see if the registration info matches any of the other CHs. They will check that. Give them the links to the other contests.
Hope this helps. I know how heartbreaking that is. I am working hard on moving forward on these kinds of issues.
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We have seen a few creatives who submit the same name across 20+ contests. Unfortunately, we do not believe it is appropriate to follow up with all CHs in that scenario.
In fact, we highly discourage you from submitting the same name across multiple open contests. What if you won two contests at simultaneously?
Still…even though you are not able to report the same name across multiple contests, you can always contact us if you want us to check the Who Is details with additional contest holders. If we find a match with any other contest holder, we will certainly follow up with them.
@Grant
I just found a domain that was registered that did not show up in My Entries under the 30 day filter (or at all) even though I do refresh the domain checker. I just wanted to report this as a problem with the domainchecker. When I went to the contest and did the domain checker refresh, it did show as registered but I would have missed this if I hadn’t simply tried to use the name again.
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I reported the same problem. I have been checking my entries daily to make sure nothing new popped up and nothing did. then went to a contest and found the name taken. The contest wasn’t even closed, yet it would not let me report.
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I also noticed that sometimes the button to check the domain is not there in some contests. Have you seen that, too?
Yep…the button is missing in several…really annoying, have to manually check them all
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@Commulinks @jackieheraty
I just sent this to our development team.
@Commulinks the best place to report site functionality issues is through the chat function on the website. It will get immediately seen there–jsyn.
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Where can I locate information on using this system? I joined last year and took a long break. Looking back at old entries, several show “report domain registration” written in red. Several more have an orange exclamation. Im using a mobile so I can’t see what the pop up says when I click on it.
I know there’s nothing I can do about these entries as they’re well past the 30 day mark but I’d like to understand it. Please advise.
There’s usually a “help” tab on most pages on the contest side, located at the top with the active contests, winners, social, etc tabs. You can find a ton of info there!
Red means the domain has been registered and can no longer be of use in contests. Orange is stating they’re not able to confirm if it’s available (not sure why that would be a blurry line ) but you can go to sites such as GoDaddy.com and check yourself, as the system still allows you to enter those to my knowledge.
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Hello,
I have a few suggestions regarding the domain registration reporting policy:
- Any time limit in the SH policy should start from the date of award of the contest (by CH or SH), not from the date of submission of the name. This is because sometimes the contests are extended, or the award is delayed, or it is split after several weeks.
- In any case, creatives should be able to report the domain registration even if private, or with details not matching the CH details. This is because the CH may be an agency, and his principal may register it, with / without privacy. Or, a CH may get it registered in his partner’s name, etc.
- There should not be a limit in the number of contests in which a creative can report a domain. This is because it is often not possible for the creative to be sure which of the CHs could have taken the domain.
- SH can create and automated system to send an email to the CHs as soon as a creative reports it through the entries tab.
- Another suggestion, that may work better in bundle packages, is to stop the CH from awarding the contest / or opening the next contest until he at least replies to a domain registration report (Yes, or No).
- SH should consider circumstantial evidence as well (e.g. if a website has started using the reported url), especially when the CH does not reply to a domain registration report.
- In contests where multiple domains are registered, the CH’s negative reply should be verified, if possible. This factor may be considered while splitting contest awards.
- SquadHelp may try to create some leverage over the CHs through incentives or reward points. It may even take some refundable deposit, though that may not be easy.
CHs should feel that they will not be able to get away easily if they take domains without paying. Have said all this, there cannot be a fool-proof system in this regard. Ultimately, it depends on CHs integrity. Thanks.
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Hi @nameprime,
Thank you for your thoughts on this matter. It is important to note that Squadhelp does not have any independent means to verify the ownership of any registered domain, and therefore we rely on the contest holder response to determine a resolution of these issues.
While at this point, we don’t plan on making any additional changes to this process, we continue to review our policies from time to time, and we will certainly take your feedback into consideration.
@commulinks, I had this same problem. The registered name was not picked up by the domain checker in My Entries even though I check regularly. When I entered this name in a contest (it was even in my instant recommendations) the domain was taken. This was the first time it had shown as registered. When I reported it (by Blue Button) I was told that registered domains do not appear in the Instant Recommendations. When I checked with Whois it had been registered for a while.
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Hi @Grant, Thanks for your response. I understand the limitations. I request you to specially reconsider the first and the second point. This is important because I believe the current cut off time (from the date of submission) leaves an easy way for the CH to take the name without compensating (e.g. register the name under privacy on the 31st day after submission). Thanks again.
This statement demonstrates the need for certain areas of the forums to be removed from the CH’s view.
Actually removing the entirety of the forums from CH access would be ideal. I’ve only seen a CH create a thread which asked a question in the forums once or twice and both times they were told to ask SH.
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