New Members, Look Here

Okay, there has been quite a few new members lately and many of them have been cluttering up the forums with completely redundant topics. I'm here to clarify a few things for you.

First of all, READ THE FAQ! This is such a simple thing that so few people seem to do. It covers a large number of questions that people frequently ask and many people seem to be unaware of the fact that this site has rules.

Next, read up on the SG Enhancement Addon before you start asking questions or making suggestions about how to find/filter giveaways better.

Third, there is a search bar for the forum. It is located at the top-right corner of the screen. Before you make a new thread, use it to find if there has already been another thread posted about the same thing.

Now for the most frustrating topic: probability of winning. There has been a huge number of people littering the forum with the exact same thread of "I entered X giveaways but still haven't won." Back before the site went public, the average number of entries before a person would win as roughly 300. The site's population has gone up since then, which means that the average number of entries in a giveaway, and therefore the average number of giveaways entered before a person wins, has increased. I'm not going to cover the exact math, for that I defer you to a previous thread on the matter. READ THIS THREAD FOR IT WILL ANSWER MANY OF YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ODDS OF WINNING.

Last but not least, many people have begun questioning why they should make giveaways. Making giveaways does not increase your odds of winning, nor does it increase any fictional statistic that shows how good or bad you are. You are not obligated to give something away of equal value if you win. People give games away because they are good people. If you can't muster up that kind of generosity then that's fine. However, at the very least you absolutely should thank the person making the giveaway. Do this even if you don't win. If you do win then it's common courtesy to send them an email or a message through Steam to thank them for the game. Do try to make this more than just "Thank you for X." I'm not saying you have to write an essay on why you are grateful, but show them how much you appreciate their generosity.

If you have any other "newbie" questions then ask them here rather than starting up a whole new thread. I can assure you that I, or another member who has been around for a while, will answer your question as soon as possible.