Expose Yourself! Contest Rules and Regulations

Official Rules:
HowToDoThings.com January Expose Yourself Contest

NO PURCHASE NECESSSARY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A PURCHASE DOES NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

SUBJECT TO ALL APPLICABLE FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS.

IN ORDER TO BE ELIGIBLE TO ENTER, YOU MUST BE A REGISTERED CONTRIBUTOR TO HOWTODOTHINGS.COM (THE "HTDT WEBSITE"). NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY TO BECOME A CONTRIBUTOR (AS DEFINED HEREIN), AND YOU MAY TERMINATE YOUR ACCOUNT ON THE HTDT WEBSITE AT ANY TIME AND WITHOUT FURTHER OBLIGATION. ALL INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY CONTRIBUTORS IN CONNECTION WITH REGISTRATION AS A CONTRIBUTOR WILL BE PROTECTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE HTDT PRIVACY POLICY.

1. Eligibility: You must be a registered Contributor to HTDT (a "Contributor"), a legal resident of the United States, and 18 years or older at the time of entry to be eligible for the HTDT January Expose Yourself Contest (the "Contest"). This Contest is valid in the United States of America only. The Contest is void in all overseas U.S. territories, possessions, commonwealths and military installations, and where prohibited by law. Employees and agents of Trouvé Publishing, Inc., owner and operator of HowToDoThings.com ("Sponsor" or "HTDT"), its affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotional agencies, any other prize sponsor, and any entity involved in the development, production, implementation, administration or fulfillment of the Contest (all of the foregoing, together with HTDT, collectively referred to as the "Promotion Entities"), and the immediate family members and persons living in the same household as such individuals, are not eligible to participate or win. Entry in this Contest constitutes your acceptance of these Official Rules.

2. How To Enter: The Contest begins at 12:01 AM PT on January 2, 2007 and ends at 11:59 PM PT on January 31, 2007 (the "Entry Period"). Contributors can enter by submitting one or more articles that meet all of the criteria listed below ("Eligible Articles") for publication on the HTDT Website during the Entry Period (Click here for information on how to register as a Contributor and submit articles to HTDT). Each Contributor must then publish one or more links that meet the criteria set forth in Section 3 below ("Valid Links") to his or her Eligible Article(s) on other third party websites which direct readers back to those Eligible Articles. In order to qualify as an "Eligible Article," each article submitted by a Contributor must meet all of the following criteria:
   • The article must be submitted by the Contributor, accepted by HTDT, and published on the HTDT Website during the Entry Period. Articles that are submitted, accepted or published before or after the Entry Period are not eligible. Decisions as to whether and when an article is accepted and/or published will be made by HTDT in its sole and absolute discretion.

   • Each article must be published online for the first time in order to be eligible. Articles published on HTDT prior to the Entry Period and articles published on other websites or in other publications prior to publication on the HTDT Website will not be considered Eligible Articles.
3. Valid Links: The Contributor who submits the most Valid Links from third party websites (i.e., websites other than those owned or operated by HTDT) to Eligible Articles on the HTDT Website written by that Contributor during the Entry Period will be the winner of the Contest. Valid Links may ONLY be submitted by sending an e-mail to lsmith@howtodothings.com with the words "January Expose Yourself Contest" in the subject line and the text of the submitted link in the body of the e-mail. EACH E-MAIL MUST ORIGINATE FROM THE PRIMARY E-MAIL ADDRESS ON RECORD AT HTDT FOR THE APPLICABLE CONTRIBUTOR, AND MAY ONLY CONTAIN ONE (1) LINK TO AN ELIGIBLE ARTICLE. In the event that an e-mail is received by HTDT containing more than one submitted link, only the first link in the e-mail will be considered for entry in the Contest (whether or not the link is accepted as a Valid Link), and all other links contained in such e-mail will be disregarded.

   In order for a link to be counted as a "Valid Link" and credited to a Contributor for purposes of the Contest, it must meet all of the following criteria:

   • The link must be placed on a third party website (i.e., a website other than those owned or operated by HTDT), and must be in the form of a single, clickable HTML link, whether represented on the page by text or a graphic, which refers a user directly to an Eligible Article on the HTDT Website.

   • The link must be placed on either:

     -a website that is owned and operated primarily by the Contributor (e.g., the Contributor's personal website), or

     -a webpage primarily containing content provided by the Contributor, but on a website owned and operated by a third party (e.g., posted in an article on a third party website written by the Contributor, in an article on the Contributor's own blog, or on Contributor's profile or home page on a community website or other similar service).

   • The link may not be placed on any webpage, the content of which is controlled primarily by someone other than the Contributor. For example the following will NOT be considered Valid Links:

     -a link contained in a "comment" to an article posted on any person's blog; or

     -a link contained in an article posted on a community discussion board, guest book, or other similar public forum.

   • The content on the page containing the link must have been provided primarily by the Contributor and must relate to the subject matter of the Eligible Article.
   • The text or graphic containing the link (together with any surrounding text) must sufficiently describe the nature of the Eligible Article and indicate that the Eligible Article may be found by clicking on the link.
   • The link must be in standard HTML form on the page and may not be embedded in any other object or code (e.g., JavaScript, Flash, VBScript, etc.).
4. Prizes and Determination of Winners: The three (3) Contributors who submit the most Valid Links to Eligible Articles during the Entry Period will win the prizes set forth herein, including the first place prize of a Canon PowerShot SD630 Digital ELPH Camera (approximate retail value: $259.99). Subject to the criteria in Sections 2 and 3 above, there is no limit to the number of Eligible Articles or Valid Links a Contributor may submit.

   HTDT will validate all entries and will determine, in its sole discretion, whether a submitted article will be an Eligible Article for purposes of the Contest, and whether a link meets the criteria above for acceptance as a Valid Link. The receipt of an Eligible Article occurs only when it is published on the HTDT Website during the Entry Period, and the submission of a Valid Link occurs only when a Contributor submits a link pursuant to the method described in Section 3 above during the Entry Period, and that link is accepted as a Valid Link by HTDT. All Valid Links must be received by 11:59 PM Pacific Standard Time on the last day of the Entry Period.

   There are no alternate means of entry.

   The submission of articles and links for entry into the Contest is solely the responsibility of the Contributor. Submission of Eligible Articles and Valid Links may only be made according to the method described above. Only publication of an Eligible Article on the HTDT Website, and submission of a link by a Contributor prior to the end of the Entry Period will constitute proof of entry into the Contest. No other proof of entry or attempted entry (such as an automated computer receipt evidencing the submission of an article or link) will constitute proof of an entry for purposes of these Official Rules. Automated entries (including but not limited to entries submitted using any bot, script, macro, or contest service), and third party entries are not permitted and will be disqualified.

   ALL ELIGIBLE ARTICLES MUST COMPLY WITH THE HTDT CONTRIBUTING WRITER'S AGREEMENT. HTDT reserves the right to deny any Contributor's entry of an article or link in the Contest, and to terminate the registration of any Contributor at any time and for any reason, subject to the terms of the Contributing Writer's Agreement.

5. Criteria for Selecting Winners: The winners of the Contest will be determined by tabulating the number of Valid Links submitted by each Contributor during the Entry Period. Prizes will be awarded to the three (3) Contributors who submitted the most Valid Links during the Entry Period as provided in Section 6 below.
6. Conduct in the Submission of Articles and Links: No person, whether or not a Contributor, may submit links to Eligible Articles not written by such person. No Contributor may attempt to increase the number of Valid Links submitted through the use of any automated, deceptive, fraudulent, or other invalid means (including, but not limited to automated click-generating or e-mailing software, macro programs, or internet agents). Except as otherwise prohibited by these Official Rules, there is no limit to the number of Eligible Articles or Valid Links a Contributor may submit during the Entry Period.
7. Compliance with Applicable Rules and Agreements: By entering the Contest, Contributors agree to comply with and be bound by these Official Rules. The Official Rules will be posted on the HTDT Website and on the January Expose Yourself Contest page throughout the Entry Period. Failure to comply with these Official Rules may result in disqualification from the Contest. Contributors further agree to comply with and be bound by the decisions of HTDT, including the decision as to whether or not a submitted article or link meets the criteria set forth in Section 2 or 3 (as applicable) above, which will be final and binding in all respects. HTDT reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be: (a) tampering or attempting to tamper with the submission process, the tabulation process, or any other aspect of the operation of the Contest; (b) violating these Official Rules; (c) violating the Contributing Writer's Agreement and/or any other general rules or guidelines of any HTDT property or service; or (d) acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY A CONTRIBUTOR OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, HTDT RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
8. Prizes: The Contributor who submits the most Valid Links during the Entry Period will receive the first place prize of Canon PowerShot SD630 Digital ELPH Camera (approximate retail value: $259.99), the Contributor who submits the second (2nd) most Valid Links during the Entry Period will receive the second place prize of Amazon.com Gift Certificate (approximate retail value: $50.00), and the Contributor who submits the third (3rd) most Valid Links during the Entry Period will receive the third place prize of Amazon.com Gift Certificate (approximate retail value: $25.00). Names of manufacturers are used for purpose of prize description only and such use is not intended to suggest or imply the manufacturers' sponsorship, endorsement, or approval of Sponsor, or this Contest. Approximate total retail prize value: $335.00. HTDT will pay all shipping and handling (if any) required for delivery of prizes in the United States. All other shipping, handling or other costs associated with the delivery of the prizes in this Contest will be the responsibility of the respective winners.

   Prizes cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion or offer. Prizes may not be transferred or assigned except by Sponsor. Some prizes may not be awarded, if HTDT does not receive a sufficient number of Valid Links meeting the entry criteria in Section 3 above. A Contributor may not win more than one prize. Only listed prizes will be awarded and no substitutions or redemptions will be made, except by Sponsor in its sole discretion due to prize unavailability for any reason and only then for a prize of equal or greater value. Expenses not specifically stated above, together with the reporting and payment of all applicable taxes, fees, and/or surcharges, if any, arising out of, or resulting from, acceptance or use of a prize, are the sole responsibility of the winner of that prize. HTDT expressly disclaims any responsibility or liability for injury or loss to any person or property relating to the delivery and/or subsequent use of the prizes awarded. Restrictions, conditions, and limitations apply. The Promotion Entities will not replace any lost or stolen prize items.

9. Winner Selection and Notification: Winners will be the three (3) Contributors who submit the most Eligible Links during the Entry Period. Odds of winning depend on the number of Contributors submitting Valid Links. The Valid Link totals will be tabulated and determined by a member of the HTDT IT staff as of the end of the Entry Period.

   Winners will be notified within approximately fifteen (15) days after the end of the Entry Period via e-mail, U.S. mail, telephone and/or by overnight courier. Return of any prize/prize notification as undeliverable, or inability of the Promotion Entities to contact a potential winner may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner.

10. General Conditions: This Contest is governed by the laws of California, USA, and is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations.

    By entering the Contest, participants release and agree to hold harmless the Promotion Entities, and their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, and agents from any and all liability for any injuries, loss or damage of any kind to persons, including death, or property damage resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, misuse or use of any prize, participation in this promotion, or while traveling to, preparing for, or participating in any prize or Contest-related activity.

    Except where prohibited by law, a winner's acceptance of a prize constitutes permission for the Promotion Entities to use such winner's name, address (city and state only), statements, photograph, voice and/or likeness for any advertising, trade and promotional purposes relating to the Contest, future versions of the Contest or other HTDT contests without further compensation, consideration, review or consent.

11. Limitations of Liability: The Promotion Entities assume no responsibility for defective entries, or for unauthorized access to, or alteration of entries. The Promotion Entities are not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by website users, any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest, or any technical or human error which may occur in the processing of submissions of articles or links to the Contest. The Promotion Entities assume no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, failures or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers, providers, computer equipment, software, e-mail, players or browsers, whether on account of technical problems, traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website, or on account of any combination of the foregoing. The Promotion Entities are not responsible for any injury or damage to participants or to any computer related to or resulting from participating or downloading materials in this Contest. If, for any reason, the Contest is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of the Promotion Entities which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Contest, HTDT reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest and select winners from among all eligible entries received prior to and/or after the action taken by Sponsor (as appropriate). Notice of any such action by Sponsor will be posted on the HTDT Website.
12. Indemnification by Contributors: Without limiting the provisions of Section 6 of the Contributing Writer's Agreement, Contributors submitting articles and links agree to indemnify and hold the Promotion Entities harmless from and against all damages, liabilities, losses, and all other expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) incurred by the Promotion Entities in connection with any claim or other proceeding brought against any Promotion Entity arising out of or relating to the violation by such Contributor to any provision of these Official Rules (including the infringement of any intellectual property right of any third party by any article or link submitted by such Contributor), or otherwise arising out of or relating to such Contributor's participation in the Contest.
13. Privacy: By becoming a Contributor and entering the Contest, you agree to HTDT's use of your personal information as described in HTDT's Privacy Policy.
14. Winners List: The names of the prize winners may be obtained after February 15, 2007, and will be posted on the HTDT Website. A list of winners also may be obtained by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to HTDT January Expose Yourself Contest, 433 Airport Blvd., Suite 550, Burlingame, CA 94010. All such requests must be received before February 15, 2007.
15. Official Rules: For a copy of the Official Rules, print this web page or send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: HTDT January Expose Yourself Contest, 433 Airport Blvd., Suite 550, Burlingame, CA 94010. Requests must be received by January 31, 2007.
16. Sponsor's Address: 433 Airport Blvd., Suite 550, Burlingame, CA 94010.