MAKE A WISH!

First and foremost, you have to understand that there are two categories: Greedy, and Needy. Each month, this site's parent company, MakeGood Technologies, provides a $10,000 prize for the top ranked Greedy wish, and a $10,000 prize for the top ranked Needy wish. In no way do the greedy wishes interfere with the needy wishes. Please, only one identification/account per person. More than one account is considered cheating by the community.

Needy: If your wish is for a need, or could be considered a good deed this is the place to put it. You need money to be able to afford necessary medical treatment? You wish you could donate to a specific charity? Your child needs new boots before winter? You want to help a poor child have a great birthday or a merry Christmas? This is the place to put it. Other "Needy" wishes are things like a headstone, education, car repairs, gas money for getting to and from medical appointments etc. Remember, Needs don't have to be life or death matters. Sometimes there are things that you just have to do, for the sake of your own mental health, like if you had an extreme need for a beer or a hooker, or more likely, to spend time with a sick relative. Just please keep in mind that this is not a needs site.

Greedy: This is the place to be a bit selfish. Everyone wants something nice (or a little bit naughty), let loose and go for it! Like the name says, this is where you get to forget all your needs and troubles, and just indulge your greedy side. Come on, we all have one! Been wanting that candle lit dinner away from the kids? Those DVDs you just have to have, but can't bring yourself to spend the money? Maybe a bigger toy for the bedroom? This is the place to be!

Grey Area: It is important to remember that everyone has a different idea of what goes where, and will vote accordingly. Try not to take it personally. Listen to the input of others, but in the end, go with what you feel is proper.

Voting: Each round, you have the opportunity to vote once on each wish. Voting is done on a scale of 1 * to 5*s. 1 or 2 stars remove points from the wish, and generally are used to indicate disapproval in either the wish, or the wisher. There are of course other reasons why people down vote and it is considered polite to give a reason for doing so. Though this is certainly not a requirement. 3*s to 5*s give positive points. The higher (or lower) the stars you give, the more impact your vote will have on the wish.
A lot of people have their own personal voting codes, but remember; only you can say what is right for you!

How to make a better wish

Try to use good grammar and spelling in your wish.
If everything is run together like this and there are no periods or capitalization its gets very confusing and hard to read don't you think?

DO NOT USE ALL CAPS OR EXCESSIVE!!!!!!! IT INFURIATES THE COMMUNITY IN GENERAL. ALL CAPS INFURIATES BLUE AND WE TRY TO PLEASE HER AND KEEP HER HAPPY SO WE STILL HAVE A PLACE TO WISH AT. SO PLEASE DONT ABUSE THE CAPS LOCK KEY. THANK YOU

The easy fix for these problems is to write your wish in Microsoft Word or another word processing program that has a spell check feature. Then you simply copy and paste the corrected text into the wish.

Look at the spacing on the wish.
Is the text all crammed together in one huge block? Some people with vision problems have a hard time reading it. So try to break it up into smaller paragraphs.

You need a good catchy creative title.
You need to grab the reader's attention. You want them to click that button and open your wish up and read all of it.
For Example: I need a crock pot vs. Wanted: Slow Cook to Light My Fire

Be creative with your wish it will be remembered if you do.
So many people have wishes for the same thing up. You want yours to stand out and apart from them. Being creative is a great tool to do that with.

For example the wish is about the need for a crock pot.
I need a crock pot because I live in a dorm room and have no kitchen to cook in.

Versus

That's right I am in search of a hot cook. I need something that will fit in my tiny room and perform like a master. I am looking for a hard exterior with heat just sizzling under the surface. Yes I am in search of a crock pot that fit will on my dorm room bookcase. Can you help a college student out with a vote?

Make sure it is in right category.
If you are wishing for money for medical needs, money to help out a home business, food, utilities, rent help that is all Needy.
If you are wishing for sex toys, vacation money, a special toy for the kiddo, a luxury item to you such as cheesecake, it is a Greedy.
There are some situations that will fall into a grey area and it could go either way. Put it in the category you feel it should be in and then put a tag at the end of your wish explaining your reasoning for the category. You will get fewer questions about it then and people will not pass it over thinking it is mis-categorized if they disagree with you. Sometimes your reasoning will sway them to vote for you where if it was not there, you just lost a vote.

Find a great picture to go with your wish.
Sometimes that will be the first thing to grab a voter's attention. Go to Google or Photobucket and search till you find a good one.

Sometimes a video is better.
Obviously you can only link a YouTube video. So if a funny video is called for, search it and then add it to your wish. Sometimes a video you have made and then uploaded to YouTube will be more effective. However I stink at this application so ask others who have made them for advice on how to make your own video.

Set the right amount. The amount that can be won is found on the Home page, please stay within the amount that can be won. Some members consider it somewhat rude to ask for more than this amount and will give you a low amount of stars for this reason. Think of it this way, if you offer someone $100, no strings attached, and they ask you for $200. You would probably see this as rude and ungrateful behavior; after all you just offered them $100! If you would like to edit the amount you have asked for you can do so by clicking My Account at the top of the page, scroll down until you see your wish, and click edit. Also, make sure your wish and amount match. If you are asking for something that retails for $20, do not ask for $50.

The best piece of advice I can give you about how to get more attention with your wish is this:
First impressions are important! Usually the wishes that are on top after the first day of voting will remain there so promote often and promote early. THE most crucial time for promotion and getting votes in is the first day. If you can get your wish to the first or second page by the end of the first day you still have a chance. If you cannot be here to promote it then ask your friends to help you out. And you wondered why friends were so important on GoN.

Things to avoid when making a wish.

Sob stories-
Most people do want to hear all the details but keep it simple and vague, instead of going on and on about a medical problem at the basis of a need. Pregnancy is almost always a sure WINNER so no need to make a Sob Story about it.
For example simply state that the swing set is good physical or mental therapy for your child etc. The voter does not need to hear about how hard you have struggle to help your child for the last ten years and every milestone they have hit. The reader will get uncomfortable and likely move on. Some will feel you are out for a guilt vote and move on. So keep it simple. You can always tag it that if someone has questions to pm you. There are obviously some things better talked about in pm anyway.

DO NOT USE the word DESERVE.
It will turn your voters off faster than a naked man in an ice bath.

Try to avoid language that will give the reader a sense of entitlement from you.
Such as... I have been wishing for a very long time and it should be my turn to win. The community owes this to me. Etc. You get the idea.

Avoid guilt trips-
I have been thru so much and NO one ever helps me. I never win anyway.

Make sure if you invite others to vote on your wish, make sure you tell all of the community so the mob does not burn you at the stake!!

Be Honest -

If you've posted the same wish on a similar site and it's been granted, come back and remove or edit your wish so that the community can direct their votes to another wish.  Don't waste your community members' time and establish a bad reputation for yourself.

These are the basics of making a great wish.

Promote your wish!

Get out there and advertise! Bring in your friends and neighbors! Post your wish in your blog. Pop into the forums, and make a thread to show us that you are trying for something. Remember, creativity goes a long way towards getting the attention you'll need.

When inviting people to join the site to vote for your wish please also ask that they fill in their bio and ask that they please read the how it works section to become more familiar with the site and how it works. It helps for a smoother welcome and maybe they will stick around and make wishes too and become part of the GON community which can only get better as it grows.

Always remember first impressions not only that you make, but that friends you invite to join the site make can make or break your wish.

Each new round of voting begins at 1300 Eastern Standard Time, on the 7th day of the month. Remember, getting your wish to the front at the beginning can go a long way to high standing throughout the round!

Happy Wishing!