Whether you’re exhausted from running a time-consuming manual contest or would like to move from a different online platform, switching to BetterBNC is fast and easy. Your first step is scheduling a complimentary demo so you can see the platform and learn how it works for your contest admin, contestants and judges.
BetterBNC has been designed specifically for journalism and creative media awards programs and all of your training and support for the year is built into the base system – there’s never an additional charge for support. Today, there are hundreds of organizations using BetterBNC’s powerful platform for their contests including a growing number of scholastic/collegiate awards programs. Contact us today to learn more about how BetterBNC can improve your contest experience. Email karen@smalltownpapers.com.
Working with an online contest platform, you will inevitably discover different things you want and need as contest seasons go by. Perhaps after a year or two, you realize that having integration with PayPal would be great or your organization may change the contest’s judging structure. With BetterBNC, you’re able to make changes – just let us know what new functionality you need and we’ll work with you to make it happen.
If you have questions about what is involved in implementing changes, simply call us or complete a trouble ticket and we’ll follow up with you. Remember, there is no additional charge for your support or training. We want to ensure your contest experience is the best it can be.
We work hard to continuously improve the BetterBNC contest platform now being used by hundreds of organizations across North America. Now, we’re pleased to share details on two important updates.
Captcha: Thanks to user feedback, we’ve made two significant changes to the contestant entry form.
The entry form has been redesigned and simplified.
We have replaced the “Google Captcha” with a more widely known system which saves time by asking fewer and easier questions.
Why do we need Captcha?The “Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart” program helps ensure your contestant entries are legitimately made by a real person — computers cannot successfully read the distorted text, which greatly reduces the chances of a “hacker bot” gaining access to your contest.
PayPal Integration: For users of the Revenue Manager module — a software update from PayPal we deployed closes a rare occurrence related to timely reporting of payments to your PayPal Advanced account from certain bank cards. Note that some cards, such as American Express, may require additional setup within your PayPal Advanced account (contact PayPal for information).
BetterBNC provides timely and thorough support for everyone involved in your contest. Questions about rules, eligibility and payments should be directed to the contest admin but you can send your judges and contestants to BetterBNC for any other needed support. They just complete a trouble ticket and we’ll take it from there. All support is included — there is no additional charge. We’re here to ensure your contest is a success.
What happens when the Contestant Manager account belonged to a former employee? Typically, this situation is revealed when the new employee uses the “lost password” feature, only to discover the link is being sent to a dead email address. When contacted, we will use predetermined security screening steps to verify their authority to become the new Contestant Manager. If we are unable to make a determination, we refer the new employee back to the contest admin who can then update the Contestant Manager information.
For very large PDF file entries (such as for PR/ad campaigns or General Excellence categories), some contestants choose to first e-publish these entries on their Issu, VuDu, or RealView platform. These are third party vendors with their own offerings and plans, so contestants should be mindful of what their plan offers. When addressing the file size issue with your contestants, remember:
BetterBNC recommends individual files be under 5 mb but the platform will allow up to 20 mb per entry attachment.
Judges’ time is important, so file size is critical to ensuring their total time commitment to your contest does not become burdensome waiting for unnecessarily large files to download.
Encourage contestants to use Acrobat or other available programs to reduce the size of the PDF file before uploading. Select the resolution for “web viewing” – 72-99 dpi is sufficient.
Contestants who might be struggling with extra large file sizes are encouraged to seek our assistance by submitting a trouble ticket — we can help.
BetterBNC leads the way in comprehensive and unlimited training and support for all client contest administrators. Running an awards competition can be challenging but you can count on us to provide guidance every step of the way. If you need help, let us know.
Please remember that BetterBNC requires that all contest administrators receive training from us directly. That includes any helper admins you may have working on your contest within our platform. Each admin must also have their own login credentials — do not share your credentials with anyone. Please contact us to establish additional admin accounts. These accounts will remain active until you tell us to cancel, so it’s important to manage these carefully.
As a contest admin, you can always complete a trouble ticket if you have questions and a member of our tech team will get right back to you.
We hear it frequently – contest organizers simply want to make their contest easier and less time-consuming for everyone involved and they turn to BetterBNC to help them achieve that.
Putting your contest online makes it more accessible for everyone and reduces the amount of time involved, particularly for contestants and judges. BetterBNC works with contests of all shapes and sizes but what our contests all have in common is that they serve the news media, PR and creative organizations. The platform has been specifically designed for journalism, creative and PR programs. The platform is intuitive and easy to use… and ALL training and support is included in the base price.
Contact us today to learn more about BetterBNC. Getting started is easy. Email karen@smalltownpapers.com if you have questions or to set up your complimentary demo.
Getting tech support for BetterBNC is easy. If you have a question or need assistance, simply complete a Trouble Ticket which is available by clicking on this link. Our support team will be immediately notified and follow up with you.
There are also resources which may be helpful available on our support webpage which is available here. You can find answers to some of our most commonly asked questions.
Contest administrators, remember that all of your training and support for the year is included so reach out and contact us if you have any questions.
We hope you’ve had a wonderful 2016 – we appreciate our valued BetterBNC customers. We have a record number of organizations using BetterBNC this year and look forward to even more switching to the platform in 2017.
If you’re a current customer, remember to contact us for your renewal information – just email or call the office and we’ll get started for you. If you are interested in switching your contest to BetterBNC, simply contact us to schedule a demo at your convenience and we’ll go from there. All you have to do is email karen@smalltownpapers.com.
We look forward to more great contests in the coming year! Happy Holidays from all of us at BetterBNC.
It’s the time of year many organizations are ready to send in their BetterBNC renewal. If you haven’t received it and are ready, simply contact us in our office and the business office will get that to you. Please allow extra time if you have any changes to your contest for the upcoming year such as adding modules or customization. Call us at (360) 427-6300 or email karen@smalltownpapers.com.
Remember that all of your training and support for the year is included in your renewal so if your contest admin has changed or you need a refresher, just schedule a training update – there’s no charge.
The leading contest platform for organizations sanctioning awards competitions and contests for print and broadcast journalists and other creatives in the media industry. Contact us at 360.427.6300.
