Randy Norton asked:


Have you ever wondered why companies hold sweepstakes? What legislation governs sweepstakes? With no real information easily attainable to the average sweepstake hobbiest we thought we would put together a 10-15 week set of articles to help you walk through the “sweepstakes jungle”. Its our hope through this article series that you will be much better armed to enter in sweepstakes of all kinds whether they be strictly online, mail-in or a mixture of both.

With all of that in mind lets go to the first question in our series:

Definition: What is a sweepstake?

Sweepstakes (also called prize promotions or games of chance) are popular tools for businesses, marketers, and agencies to build customer loyalty and collect valuable demographic information about potential consumers.

A Sweepstakes Overview

A sweepstakes is a promotion in which a prize is awarded to a participant on the basis of chance, not skill. That prize can be monetary or non-monetary, such as a free product or trip. The sweepstakes sponsor cannot require people to purchase a product or to invest “considerable” time or effort in order to enter the sweepstakes.

Here are some basic rules that all sweepstake sponsors must comply with:

All sweepstakes must have official rules and those rules CANNOT change once the sweepstakes has begun. Official rules must contain the following kinds of information:

1) A “No purchase is necessary” statement

2) Start and end dates

3) Eligibility requirements (age, residency, and a list of those excluded from participating)

4) Methods by which people can enter the sweepstakes, including a “no purchase” method, such as a 3″ x 5″ postcard

5) Any limitations on the number of entries per person or household

6) The odds of winning

7) A description of the prize(s) and the monetary value

How the winner(s) will be selected and notified

9) Restrictions on receiving the prize(s)

10) The sponsor’s name and address

These are only the most basic considerations. Sweepstakes are also be subject to federal and state laws, which can vary greatly.

If you don’t have time to follow the series go to SweepstakeSecretsRevealed.com and see the full report today.

Best of luck with all your future sweepstake entries,

Alan Jones asked:

When we really want to do something new it is easy to get pumped up and excited, the reality then kicks in on the challenges of getting started with our newly found subject. To get started with Gold Detecting the first move is to research what tools and equipment are needed, this is where it starts to get very confusing. There are so many different types of Gold Metal Detectors on the market from various manufacturers and suppliers at a wide range of prices, we can easily put off doing anything at all.

So where do we start, well sometimes it’s a question of ‘just doing it’. A good way to get up and running is to buy a very basic Gold Detector and learn by practicing your new found venture. The quality of the Metal Detectors supplied by our leading manufacturers is generally excellent, the difference between one product and another is mainly in the specification and of course the price. Compare two leading brands with similar specifications and the price and quality will usually be similar. Also look out for discounts on many models especially the lower priced ones which are attractive to people getting started.

Basically the same technology is used for most gold detectors. There many different types and models but they are all based on the same electromagnetic technology. When a magnetic field inside the gold detector is created it reacts with the magnetic field within metal on the ground. The metal detector can analyze this reaction and convert it into a signal that shows that metal has been located nearby.

Tuning is a very important factor of gold detectors  The gold detector has to be calibrated correctly to properly receive the signals from the ground, this can vary depending on what you are prospecting for. This process may need to be monitored every few minutes depending on the type of gold detector.

How you use your gold detector has a great bearing on your success rate. With some gold detectors a slow rotating action is required and others may prefer a faster action. For best results you should read the guidelines in the manufacture’s manual and follow their recommendations. Detection depth is not easy to specify by the manufactures due to various factors including ground type and moisture. It is usually not that important as you are just as likely to find your treasure close to the surface, it can also save a lot of digging!

The other key difference in the specification is the frequency. Low signal frequencies between 5-10kHz and 15-20kHz are used for most gold detectors. The reason for that is that if you are looking for objects like coins and items of jewelry then low frequencies between 5-20KHz can be used as low frequencies tend to go deeper into the ground. The multi frequency gold detectors tend to be more expensive and are therefore used by the more established gold prospectors.

So back to our original discussion, look around for a basic low cost Gold Metal Detector from one of the leading brands and just get out there and enjoy learning about Gold

Detecting, you never know what treasures you might find.

Gold Mining Equipment

Emily S. Johnson asked:


Sweepstakes is a very popular competition today. With the internet being an integral part of our everyday lives, getting regular information on sweepstakes and participating in them, have become much easier. So, online sweepstakes is a craze today, with both young and old alike.

Online sweepstakes are contests or promotions that anyone can take part for free. Apart from various kinds of prizes to be won it has something to offer for almost everyone. Moreover, entrants do not have to spend money for postage costs. They can take part in as many competitions as they wish and enhance their chances of winning. This explains for its huge popularity. Prizes which can be won with ease include cars, money, cruises, home appliances etc.

There are many websites which offer lists of all the available sweepstakes on internet. Some of these websites are open only to members. So once you become members of the site by paying a token membership fee you no longer need to search for sweepstakes or wait for ones they receive via e-mail. Instead, you can enter various sweepstakes and contests on a daily basis and keep track of all the competitions they have partaken in. Moreover, you can even receive an alert when new competitions are launched.

Today, one can partake in different kinds of sweepstakes. Most popular among them is instant win sweepstakes. Here the entrants get to know soon after they enter as to whether they have won or not. To participate in most instant sweepstakes you have to answer a simple question or even play a game. Other kinds of online sweepstakes are daily, weekly and monthly draws.



Daily Sweepstakes – These are played everyday. Your chances of winning over other participants who do not enter regularly are high.





Weekly Sweepstakes – These are held on a weekly basis and are easy to win. They offer better prizes.





Monthly Sweepstakes – Monthly contests and sweepstakes offer prizes every month. Chances of hitting the jackpot in these sweepstakes are always high. Because of its duration, such sweepstakes are ignored by many sweepers.



Entrants should be careful about the sweepstakes they wish to enter. It is important to make sure that the conditions of the competition should assure that all your personal details will be secure and safe.

Trying your luck with internet sweepstakes can be great fun. It is the easiest and most effortless way to make money or win a vacation trip or car.

Peter Bankss asked:

Treasure hunting is a rather contagious pastime. For some, it can become an obsession (in the best sense of the word!). People worldwide are fascinated with the hobby of treasure hunting.

Coming across a valuable item in your treasure hunt can be a real thrill. Even an item that may not have monetary value could be personally attractive to the right hunter.Part of the thrill is in the chase; not knowing what you may find lends a sense of mystery and intrigue to the treasure hunt.

In years past, a treasure hunt could have been a very dangerous quest. Pirating was rampant, with several competitive and devious hunters often after the same prize. Quite often, the myth or rumor of a valuable buried or sunken treasure led to bloodshed and fighting between hunters.

Before airplanes became the preferred method of worldwide travel, those in search of life in a new land would travel by ship to their new destination. As it could take months to sail from one continent to another, passengers were unsure if they would even return to their home land. They would pack up all of their worldly possessions to take with them to the ‘new world’. One might pack several trunks of furs, coins, jewelry, dishware, and other valuable goods to take with them to their new life.

These ships laden with valuable items were prime targets for pirates.Ships were always on the look out for pirates that may try to board and rob, or  even kill, the passengers onboard. While this high seas robbery is certainly not called treasure hunting, it demonstrates just how vulnerable these ‘treasures’ were. People traveling away from home were not only vulnerable to theft while sailing; these pirates had no qualms about robbing a ship after a natural disaster struck.

Ships sailing far from home had to endure terrible storms, barrier reefs,extremely high waves and more as they slowly made their way from one point to the next. Unfortunately, many ships succumbed to the dangers they faced, and sank.

Before GPS and radio, it was really anyone’s guess where they ship may have gone down. Tales and fables would develop about the location of the sunken ship and its possible contents. For example, if a royal family member or businessman was on board, one might assume that quite a bit of valuable merchandise sank with the ship.

If the ship was not immediately located, an air of mystery would develop around the tale as it was passed down through generations of curious people. Those will the resources and desire would undoubtedly go in search of the ship in an effort to recover some of the ‘treasures’ on board. These expeditions were treasure hunts in the truest sense of the word!

A treasure may also be something that a person unfortunately lost. Of course, if you find a valuable item, you should make every attempt to return it to its rightful owner. But in most cases, the owner is never found, leaving the treasure hunter as the new owner. We’ll discuss great places to find this kind of treasure a little later on, but some items that you could expect to come across include watches, rings, coins, or necklaces.

Other treasures may have been worthless when they were disposed of, but have now become so rare or desirable that they have increased in value. Arrowheads from battles past; carvings; certain stones, etc can all prove to be valuable finds.

Before there were designated garbage dumps, unwanted items were often buried or simply thrown into the bush. Over time, these items were long forgotten. However, finding a rare dish, for example, that can be traced to a certain crafter or era could be a real treasure.

Some treasures may have absolutely no monetary value at all, but could be very sentimentally valuable to the right person. Old family photos, a favorite teddy bear, or a letter from your first love would all be great treasures to find. It would rare to stumble across a sentimental treasure unless you were specifically looking for it, but it can happen!

Whatever your reason for treasure hunting; whatever you are searching for, you are sure to find a few surprises along the way! Treasure hunting is truly a hobby for anyone to enjoy.

prospecting supplies

Peter Bankss asked:

Hobbies are supposed to be fun! And treasure hunting is no exception. There are plenty of fun games and activities you can use to make treasure hunting a fun outing for the whole family.

If you decide to take others treasure hunting with you, whether it is your children or older relatives, it won’t be much fun for them if they’re just watching you all day. Let’s face it, sitting around and watching someone run a metal detector over the ground is hardly a thrilling experience. The key is to get everyone involved. Not only does this make it more fun for them, but you will have extra hands working away at finding the treasure you are after!

Some companies even organize treasure hunts as corporate activities. It’s a really great way to get coworkers working together on a common goal: finding the treasure! People learn to be innovative, creative and persistent during treasure hunts.

Some treasure hunting companies even offer corporate discounts. Each person on the hunt should have a job or task to do. Put one person in charge of navigating or leading the group to the treasure. Another could be

responsible for protecting found treasures from damage. Giving people a sense of purpose will help them to become involved and they will enjoy the treasure hunt that much more.

When planning a group treasure hunting outing, consider using a treasure hunting company as your guide. These people are experienced; they know which equipment you need; where you are likely to find your treasure; and all of the rules surrounding treasure hunting in the area.

Some treasure hunting companies will provide all of the equipment necessary for the hunt. So while it may cost money to book the hunt, you will be saving money by not having to buy equipment for several people. One example of this would be an underwater hunt. If you are taking a group of friends to the beach for a ring and jewelry hunt, it could be quite costly to provide snorkeling equipment for everyone.

A treasure hunting company would supply them for a rental fee. You wouldn’t be stuck with a dozen snorkel masks to store after the trip!

When taking children treasure hunting, it is important that each child has their own tools and equipment. To stay organized, use the grid method that we discussed earlier. Map out your treasure hunting area, and assign each child a square. Assigning a separate area to each child should limit the amount of bickering that goes on. Congratulate each child on their finds, even if it’s a worthless pop can. You could even plant treasures the day before, to ensure that each child uncovers something different.

If you are planning a treasure hunt for children, always consider their safety first.

They will need to be closely supervised during the hunt. One adult per three children is a good ratio. Try to limit treasure hunting with children to areas where you are sure there will be very few threats or dangers. In could be disastrous for a child to dig up a sharp, rusted object, or to stumble across a weapon or drug paraphernalia. Children typically have a short attention span, so keep the treasure hunt brief or have other activities throughout the day. Prizes and a meal at the end of the hunt would make for a perfect day.

Anytime you get a group of people together for a treasure hunt, remember to act as host and to provide a few necessities. If you are treasure hunting in the sun or in a hot climate, you will need to have plenty of drinks on hand to keep everyone hydrated throughout the day.