myTobago COMPETITION

[Steve Wooler]

I’m delighted to announce the introduction of the long-awaited and discussed myTobago Fund Raising Competition. I apologise that it has taken so long, but it turned out to be more complicated than I thought. Anyway, the legal aspects are covered and so we can now get on with things and offer all our lovely readers a really great opportunity to win fantastic prizes for their next holiday on Tobago.

We have managed to assemble over three dozen prizes worth some US$10,000. Without doubt there has GOT to be something to interest every visitor to the island. There’s NO dross to pad out the prizes – we only approached the very best businesses on Tobago, so these prizes represent the cream of the island’s tourism industry. My thanks to all of those involved in organising and arranging the competition.

To enter the Competition ( http://www.mytobago.info/competition.php ) all you have to do is to make a donation to myTobago.info and answer a question about Tobago. Don’t worry; the answer is on this website. The Tobago competition organisers will issue one ticket for every £5 donated, so a donation of £25 will give you FIVE whole chances of taking your pick from all those lovely and worthwhile prizes.

Every reader making a donation and entering the competition will automatically become a Friend Of myTobago. You may have noticed the new log-in area at the top of the left sidebar on all main pages. Logging in as a Friend Of myTobago will avoid you being hassled by my other latest introduction – intrusive banner messages suggesting that you make a donation to this non-commercial website. Sorry, but I’ve got to be a lot more proactive on the financial side and get the site on a firmer financial footing. If I can’t get the financial support of our readers then I shall be forced to either withdraw the site or spend my time selling advertising rather than working on content and usability. If you want the site to continue offering frank, honest and unbiased information about Tobago, there’s only one choice really.

Readers who are not likely to be visiting Tobago before the end of next year (the redemption limit on most prizes) need have no fear. You can still make a donation to the site through the Support pages at http://www.mytobago.info/support.php (menus: Welcome/Please Support Us). Incidentally, the funding banners are set to display with increasing frequency, so the more you use the site, the more frequently the banners will display - increasing to every page eventually. The system only works on the main site at present, but will be introduced on the forum during coming weeks. A donation to myTobago.info will give you a year’s banner-free viewing.

So, show you support, make a donation and don’t miss the opportunity to take your pick from all those great prizes. There will be FIVE prize winners for the August competition, and then THREE a month for the rest of the year. Each month is a separate competition and you can enter as many times as you like.

Good luck!

[Rachel Harries]

Steve - and everyone involved in the organisation of this fantastic competition - well done!

I am so proud to see Andrew's name on each page and I know he would have been thrilled, too.

Thank you.

[Annabelle Oconnell]

Well done indeed to Steve, it's only fair that we all stick our hands in our pockets so we can keep this great site going.

I also would like to express my admiration for the Harries family and how courageously they have dealt with the terrible times that have been put their way.
I know you don't know me from Adam, but I wanted to say it anyway...
I feel Andrew must be smiling.

[Rachel Harries]

Gosh Annabelle, thank you so much. Despite everything, I feel very blessed to have been married to Andrew who remained dignified to the last and fought his disease until his very last breath. One of the best things about it all is that I have met some amazing people because of it - in Tobago, in the UK (I am the only person who doesn't agree with the 'what's the world coming to?' type statements I hear all the time lately) and online (like you ). I see the best of everyone - strangers and family and friends alike. And I have been the recipient of so much - not least the generosity and kindness of people like Steve Wooler and Patrick Dankou.

Andrew WILL be smiling. He always did I think he may have been part Tobagonian...

Rachel

[Annabelle Oconnell]

You are right. We should focus on the infinite supply of good in the world! it really is out there.

I work in a Hospice as a volunteer on sundays, and have met some truly amazing people there. I could rattle on for hours as I feel privileged to have this opportunity, but i will just say that we should all enjoy every moment as much as we possibly can. Whether in Tobago or not... although Tobago does make it incredibly easy

Lovely to meet you Rachel

[Steve Wooler]

I am delighted to announce a late arrival to our list of prizes. Due to the vagaries of TSTT (the Trinidad & Tobago telephone/Internet providers), we didn't receive the original offer.

Anyway, KCNN Tobago Car Rentals have offered a seven-day hire of a car to one lucky prize winner. Full details have been added to the list at http://www.myTobago.info/competition01.php

There may well be other prize additions over the course of the competition, but this obviously creates even more choice for all winners.

Thanks KCNN.

[Steve Wooler]

Another late arrival - La Terrazza restaurant. Interestingly, our last emails to both KCNN and La Terrazza were within minutes of each other on the same day. The local telephone/ISP TSTT strikes again!

Anyway, I'm delighted to announce that La Terrazza, one of Tobago's two excellent Italian restaurants, has offered a great prize of dinner for two with a bottle of house wine. They recently won a Wine Spectator award for their excellent wine list and so you are in for a treat.

Thanks for your support, Sefano and Kisha.

[Kevin Hampson]

Hi Steve,
are you planning to post a running total of the donaions now and again?

Great prizes by the way.

Regards
Kevin

[Steve Wooler]

Hi Kevin

Yes, I'm really chuffed with the support we got. As regards your question, it had been my intention to include a sort of thermometer-type sliding scale but somehow it got overlooked in the rush to get everything done. I'll add it to the list. However, in the first five days we've issued 110 tickets (£550) after mailing every registered user of the forum. It will be interesting to see how it develops.

Quite frankly we've come to a crossroads. The site is now so big and costs so much to run that I've either got to make it commercially worthwhile, or dump it. The lack of support and grief I get in various ways is sadly leading me increasingly to the latter. Anyway, I've no intention of spending my time selling advertising, so its up to the readers. If they enter into the spirit of the competition and make it worthwhile keeping the site going, I'll run the competition on an annual basis. I could easily double the prizes on offer - we've even got an outline offer of a week in a three-bedroom luxury villa - but I'm bxxxxxxd if I'll do it for twopence, on principle.

[David Watkins]

Steve,it will be a sad day if you have to dump the site.So come on everybody open your wallets!
David(127 days to go )

[Kevin Hampson]

Hi Steve,
closing the best Tobago on the planet how could you. How would I survive between holidays without my daily Tobago fix.

Keep up the good work Steve the Island need you.

Regards
Kevin

[Paul Tallet]

I guess that hits the nail on the head Kevin ... the daily Tobago Fix.

If my fix was a packet of cigarettes each day then that's a fiver (US$8 approx).

A bottle of wine ... a good one ... at least a fiver.

But, to be fair to most ... I guess that many just come here to check out the latest news before their visits to Tobago and some kindly post information back to make this one of the most informed sites on any holiday destination in the world.

There are currently 1,596 registered users on myTobago and, I guess, plenty more that just come and visit, take notes and have a great holiday thanks to the information available on this site.

So ... 1,596 users ... lets say they need just one 'fix' each year?

Or am I too generous?

Based on £5 per fix per registered user per year ... that's £7,980 per annum ...

... may seem alot, but it soon goes when you consider how much money is required to do aerial photographs of Tobago and undertake impartial reviews of guest houses, hotels, rainforest tours, boat trips, flights, restaurants, beaches, diving ...

... when that is done you have to fund the site to post it, manage it, update it, improve it, you name it ... and then you have a forum that has to be constantly watched, responded to ... and then I suppose you may receive a barrage of emails from people that 'wish to express themselves privately'.

This is a full time job ... not my job (I just do the weather !!) ... but if every registered user paid just £5 per annum then that equates to just 10 pence per week.

That is what I call a very cheap daily fix.

Look at this as a commercial proposition ...

So ... as David says ... get your wallets out !!!

Regards

[Roger D.]

Here, Here Paul.
Just got back from Tobago - This site is the best ever, it is creativity in the highest. I would surely hate the plug to be pulled and we should all do what ever it takes to keep mytobago running, so come on let's chip in.
I'm in the information technology field and I have a pretty good idea of what it must cost to keep a site such as this going, the software costs alone will make you balk, not to mention the hardware, communication costs, the hosting costs, constant tweaking, upgrading etc..
Steve has done a remarkable job and this site is probably the best ever in it's class and it must not die

[Roger D.]

I just had an Idea
mytobago not only gives freely information about Tobago, but it's a vechicle whereby alot of Tobago businesses benefit from the forum, essentially free advertising for them.
What if every user on this site, when they visit Tobago can say to the various establishments "if it were not for mytobago.info, I would not be staying or renting a car or eating here etc.." Maybe, we, the users, the vacationers who use this site to enjoy the very best that Tobago has to offer can in turn drum up some support for mytobago.info. Maybe, hopefully the businesses on Tobago can really appreciate what this site has to offer and can see the benefits and efforts of the mytobago team I'm sure that there are some establishments that recognise this, but lets spread the word.
Roger de Matas.

[James Blackshaw]

Well done Steve,

Great idea, hope you get tons of support.

Rachel hope you are well and very pleased to see Andrew remembered as well, this way

regards to all
James

[Christopher Bois]

I want to contribute and help the cause, but when I get to the donation page it only allows you to contribute in pounds. Should I just figure out the currency conversion and insert the equivalent to what I would like to pay? I just dont want to put in say 100 pounds thinking its 50 US dollars and its really 200! I want to help as much as anyone, but we got our honeymoon in Tobago in a few weeks to save for!

thanks for the great site and any direction..

chris

[Steve Wooler]

Hi Christopher

I'm delighted you want to donate and/or enter the competition.

Although multi-currency credit card accounts are available, they are expensive and largely the preserve of very, very large retail businesses. 99% of us mere mortals are confined to accounts in our local currency. We can make a charge based on current conversion rates, but there will always be some minor variation, either way.

Anway, currently the US$ is running at $1.80=£1, so US$50 = £28, for example. For simplicity, just halve the dollar amount you were thinking of.

Have a wonderful wedding. You couldn't have picked a more romantic place for your honeymoon.

[Steve Wooler]

Come on folks! There's only four days left until the end of August and the end of the first competition. If you've taken the trouble to view the prize pages (available through the Welcome/Competition menu above) you'll know that most of them are going to be of huge interest to every visitor, but obviously this month's five lucky winners are going to have their pick of the lot.

[Steve Wooler]

Well, my deepest thanks to Rachel Harries-Darke who has just initiated the program that selected the five winners in our August competition.

How fitting and appropriate that our first place winner is James Blackshaw. As long-time readers will know, James gave tremendous help while we were arranging Andrew Harries' final trip to Tobago, so it particularly fitting that Andrew has, in a sense, been able to thank James for his efforts.

I should just mention that the selection process is based on ticket numbers. Only after the winners have been selected are the names of the winners established from the ticket numbers. The entire system is automated and prize winners are automatically notified by email. As I am notified the same way, there's every chance that the winners will know before me.

Readers can see the full list of winners via the Tobago/Competition menu or at http://www.myTobago.info/competition07.php

The winner list and prizes will be updated as soon as each prize winner selects their prize. James will have first choice and no other prizes can be confirmed until he has selected his, and so on down the list. However, all winners must have made their choice by the 21st September so that readers have a clear week plus to see exactly what is still available before the close of the current month's competition.

We raised exactly £1000 (200 tickets) from the August competition. In fairness, this included exactly 50 tickets for donations made since we announced that the competition was coming, but before the August launch. That's one reason for the two extra prizes for August. What amazes me in the coincidence of the 'round' figures - exactly 200 and exactly 50. I kid you not - that's EXACTLY what they were. Creepy, or what?

Anyway, folks. Each monthly competition until the end of the year will now have 3 prizes. As lovely as it would be to raise 200 tickets every month, I think we all realise that the truth will be a fraction of that. Your chances of winning will therefore be very much higher than they were in the August competiton. There is no restriction or limit on the number of times anyone can enter (or WIN), so come on folks. Support this site and grab the chance to sample Tobago's best providers.

[Steve Pitts]

Warmest congratulations to James for winning the first prize, awarded in the myTobago competition.

I wonder which prize he'll choose?????

Well done to Steve too, for all the hard work he's put in to making the competition such a success.

It's up to all the readers now, to ensure that the businesses who have also supported this fund-raising event are rewarded by our continued participation month on month.

Cheers
Steve