This week, I’ve been sharing a series of articles about Getting Started with Sweepstakes as part of About.com Hobbies’ Start a New Hobby Week.

I hope that these articles have shown that sweepstakes are fun and profitable, and helped answer any questions you might have about getting started.

On our final day of Start a New Hobby Week, I'm inviting all of you to share your best sweepstakes advice. If you had a close friend or family member who wanted to start entering sweepstakes, what's the most important piece of advice you'd give them? Share your response and read the great tips that other sweepers have shared.

If you haven't been keeping up with the Getting Started with Sweepstakes posts over the past week, you can go back read them here:

• Getting Started with Sweepstakes Part 1: Entering Online Sweepstakes

• Getting Started with Sweepstakes Part 2: Beyond the Basics
• Getting Started with Sweepstakes Part 3: Understanding Social Sweepstakes
• Getting Started with Sweepstakes Part 4: Avoiding Scams and Sweepstakes Fraud
• "Start a New Hobby Week" Posts from Other About.com Guides

If you have any questions about sweepstakes that haven't been answered, or any ideas for sweepstakes-related topics that you'd like to see covered in the future, please click the "comments" link below to share them. And don't forget to leave your best tip for new sweepers!

Have you ever thought about learning to knit, picking up a paint brush, or starting a collection, or taking up model trains, but didn’t know where to start?

© Kate Pullen

The About.com Hobbies Channel has gotten together this week to encourage readers to try a new hobby. Many of our Guides are offering beginner information that can help anyone become familiar with the hobbies they write about.

Here are all of the Start a New Hobby Week posts so far. I hope you’ll find something fun to try!

Start a New Hobby Week Posts from July 29th:

• Beadwork: Free Beading Patterns
• Collectibles: Start Collecting Movie Memorabilia
• Contests and Sweepstakes: Getting Started with Sweepstakes Part 5: Share Your Best Sweepstakes Tip
• Crochet: Resources for Learning the Double Crochet Stitch Crochet


• Cross Stitch: Candlewicking Basics


• Dance: Before You Buy Dance Wear


• DIY Fashion: Junk Jewelry for Beginners


• Miniatures: Begin Woodworking in Miniature
• Model Trains: Where Do I Go From Here?
• Painting: Start a Hobby Week: Understanding Color Theory
• Pottery: Beginning Hand Building Techniques and Projects
• Rubber Stamping: Start Digital Stamping

Start a New Hobby Week Posts from July 28th:

• Beadwork: Basic Beading Stitch Tutorials
• Collectibles: Buying New Collectibles


• Contests and Sweepstakes: Getting Started with Sweepstakes Part 4: Avoiding Scams and Sweepstakes Fraud


• Crochet: Resources for Learning the Single Crochet Stitch
• Cross Stitch: Kid’s Cross Stitch Projects


• Dance: How to Find a Dance Studio


• DIY Fashion: Learn to Make Headbands
• Jewelry Making: Jewelry as a Job?


• Knitting: Great Knitting Books for Beginners


• Miniatures: Begin Collecting and Showing Model Horses


• Model Trains: Getting Started: Beyond the Oval


• Pottery: Can Pottery Be Made Without a Wheel?

Start a New Hobby Week Posts from July 27th:

• Beadwork: Needles and Thread for Beadwork
• Collectibles: Collecting Concert T-Shirts — Did You Save Them?
• Contests and Sweepstakes: Getting Started with Sweepstakes Part 3: Making Sense of Social Sweepstakes
• Crochet: Resources for Learning the Chain Stitch in Crochet


• Cross Stitch: Learn to Back Stitch – Lessons for Beginners


• Dance: Ballet for Absolute Beginners


• DIY Fashion: Start to Sew: Stitches for Hand Sewing


• Jewelry Making: Super Simple Jewelry Projects


• Knitting: Learning to Purl


• Miniatures: Beginners Guide to Working With Printable Miniatures


• Model Trains: Assembling Your First Train Set


• Painting: Start a Hobby Week: What Art Supplies To Buy
• Pottery: Tools for New Potters
• Rubber Stamping: Getting Started with Color

Start a New Hobby Week Posts from July 26th:

• Beadwork: Getting Started with Seed Beads
• Collectibles: Start Collecting Holiday Ornaments


• Contests and Sweepstakes: Getting Started with Sweepstakes Part 2: Beyond the Basics – How to Win More Sweepstakes


• Crochet: Crochet Supplies 101
• Cross Stitch: Stitch Your First Cross Stitch


• Dance: Choosing a Dance Style


• DIY Fashion: Learn to Perform T-Shirt Surgery


• Jewelry Making: Free Jewelry E-Courses


• Knitting: Knitting Tools for Beginners and Beyond


• Miniatures: Start Making Miniatures From Polymer and Air Dry Clays


• Model Trains: Get Started with Model Trains


• Pottery: Which Clay to Use
• Rubber Stamping: Great Rubber Stamping Projects for Beginners

Start a New Hobby Week Posts from July 25th:

• Collectibles: Ten Tips to Start Collecting


• Contests and Sweepstakes: Getting Started with Sweepstakes Part 1: Entering Online Sweepstakes


• Crochet: Is Crochet the Right Hobby for You?


• Dance: Learn How to Dance


• Drawing and Sketching: Learn to Draw
  
• Jewelry Making: Getting Started with Jewelry Making


• Knitting: Getting Started Knitting


• Miniatures: Working with Miniatures


• Model Trains: Get Started With Model Trains


• Painting: Why Not Paint?


• Pottery: The Clay Is the Thing
• Rubber Stamping: Start Rubber Stamping

If you’re thinking about going back to school but are shuddering at the cost, or if you have a family member or loved one who’s about to start the expensive process of higher education, Levi’s has a great sweepstakes for you. Enter the Levi Strauss and Co.’s Levi’s Tuition Sweepstakes for two chances to win $70,000 in cash and scholarships.

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Levi’s Sweepstakes Gives Away $70,000 in Cash and Scholarships to 2 Lucky Winners originally appeared on About.com Contests & Sweepstakes on Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 at 19:50:20.

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AMC’s zombie-filled television series, The Walking Dead is coming back for a second season. And if you enter the AMC The Walking Dead – Win a Walk-On Role Sweepstakes, you’ll have the chance to win your own 15 minutes of fame, with a bit part on the show.

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AMC’s Sweepstakes Gives You the Chance to Win a Walk-On Role in a TV Series originally appeared on About.com Contests & Sweepstakes on Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 at 18:04:32.

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How would you like the chance to win a huge selection of Samsung’s most popular gadgets and electronics? Just enter their Most Wanted Sweepstakes and you could be the proud owner of $5,000 worth of Samsung products.

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Sweepstakes Gives Away $5,000 Worth of Samsung’s Most Popular Products originally appeared on About.com Contests & Sweepstakes on Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 at 15:08:47.

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Porsche is giving you the chance to experience the excitement of the big city with a trip to New York. Just enter the Porsche Cayenne – Thrilling NYC Getaway Sweepstakes for your chance to win a $16,000 getaway.

The grand-prize winner will receive a weekend trip for 4 to New York City including Business Class airfare, a stay at a historic Manhattan hotel, lunch with Steve Forbes followed by a tour of the Forbes Galleries, a private boat tour around Manhattan, meals, tickets to a Broadway show, and more. The prize is worth $16,000.

Entry into Porsche Cayenne’s Thrilling NYC Getaway Sweepstakes is open to US residents above the age of 21. Enter once before August 20, 2010.

More Sweepstakes Like This:

• Vacation Sweepstakes
• Sweepstakes with Big Prizes
• One Entry Sweepstakes

Welcome to Part 4 of a special four-part series about getting started with sweepstakes, which is part of the About.com Hobbies Channel’s “Start a New Hobby” initiative. In today’s post, I’m going to be talking about one thing that every sweepstakes fan should know: how to recognize and avoid sweepstakes scams. There are many legitimate sweepstakes sites out there, but sadly, there are some bad apples out there as well. If you don’t want to fall prey to identity theft, lost money, and even jail time, it’s a good idea to learn some tips to recognize scams. Start out with an overview of how sweepstakes scams work.

Before You Enter: How to Tell if Sweepstakes Sites are Legitimate

One way that scammers can trick you is by convincing you to enter fake sweepstakes. Before you enter any sweepstakes, ask yourself these simple questions to decide, is that sweepstakes a scam?

Untrustworthy sweepstakes sites can also infect your computer with spyware. Learn how to avoid spyware while entering sweepstakes to protect yourself.

Sweepstakes Scams Involving Fake “Wins”

Telling you that you’ve won when you haven’t is a common way to trick you into giving up money, personal information, and more. Scammers bet that the excitement of thinking that you’ve won will override your better judgment and common sense. Prove those scammers wrong by familiarizing yourself with top warning signs of sweepstakes scams, which will help you tell if you are being scammed with a fake win. Remember that you never have to pay to win.

If you’re still not sure whether the win you’ve received is real or not, read about how to investigate your wins before responding. Don’t overlook things that raise a lot of questions, but aren’t signs of scams.

Examples of Common Scams

To get a feeling for the types of sweepstakes scams you might see, check out these scam examples:

• Sweepstakes Check Scam Example

• The Fictitious Heineken Lottery Scam
• Sweepers Share Examples of Scams
• “Grand Sweepstakes” Scam
• PCHOnline.com Scam

Sweepstakes Scams vs. Long Odds

Sometimes, people confuse sweepstakes scams with sweepstakes with long odds. For example, I’m often asked if is PCH a scam or are magazine sweepstakes scams. The answer in each case is no, though the odds of winning these sweepstakes can be long (even astronomical).

Reporting Sweepstakes Scams:

If someone has tried to scam you, don’t remain silent. Report the scam and you could help other people avoid being fooled by con artists.

Conclusion:

I hope that these tips have made you feel more confident about avoiding sweepstakes scams. For even more information, see the articles listed here: How to Protect Yourself from Sweepstakes Scams. If you have any questions, click the “comments” link below.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this four-part series, “Getting Started with Sweepstakes.” If you missed any section, you can read them all here:

• Getting Started with Sweepstakes Part 1: Entering Online Sweepstakes

• Getting Started with Sweepstakes Part 2: Beyond the Basics – How to Win More Sweepstakes
• Getting Started with Sweepstakes Part 3: Making Sense of Social Sweepstakes
• Getting Started with Sweepstakes Part 4: Avoiding Scams and Sweepstakes Fraud

© Kate Pullen

Have you ever thought about learning to knit, picking up a paint brush, or starting a collection, or taking up model trains? The About.com Hobbies Channel has gotten together this week to encourage readers to try a new hobby. Many of our Guides are offering beginner information that can help anyone become familiar with the hobbies they write about.

Here are all of the Start a New Hobby Week posts so far. I hope you’ll find something fun to try!

Start a New Hobby Week Posts from July 25th:

• Collectibles: Ten Tips to Start Collecting


• Contests and Sweepstakes: Getting Started with Sweepstakes Part 1: Entering Online Sweepstakes


• Crochet: Is Crochet the Right Hobby for You?


• Dance: Learn How to Dance


• Drawing and Sketching: Learn to Draw
  
• Jewelry Making: Getting Started with Jewelry Making


• Knitting: Getting Started Knitting


• Miniatures: Working with Miniatures


• Model Trains: Get Started With Model Trains


• Painting: Why Not Paint?


• Pottery: The Clay Is the Thing
• Rubber Stamping: Start Rubber Stamping

Start a New Hobby Week Posts from July 26th:

• Beadwork: Getting Started with Seed Beads
• Collectibles: Start Collecting Holiday Ornaments


• Contests and Sweepstakes: Getting Started with Sweepstakes Part 2: Beyond the Basics – How to Win More Sweepstakes


• Crochet: Crochet Supplies 101
• Cross Stitch: Stitch Your First Cross Stitch


• Dance: Choosing a Dance Style


• DIY Fashion: Learn to Perform T-Shirt Surgery


• Jewelry Making: Free Jewelry E-Courses


• Knitting: Knitting Tools for Beginners and Beyond


• Miniatures: Start Making Miniatures From Polymer and Air Dry Clays


• Model Trains: Get Started with Model Trains


• Pottery: Which Clay to Use
• Rubber Stamping: Great Rubber Stamping Projects for Beginners

Start a New Hobby Week Posts from July 27th:

• Beadwork: Needles and Thread for Beadwork
• Collectibles: Collecting Concert T-Shirts — Did You Save Them?
• Contests and Sweepstakes: Getting Started with Sweepstakes Part 3: Making Sense of Social Sweepstakes
• Crochet: Resources for Learning the Chain Stitch in Crochet


• Cross Stitch: Learn to Back Stitch – Lessons for Beginners


• Dance: Ballet for Absolute Beginners


• DIY Fashion: Start to Sew: Stitches for Hand Sewing


• Jewelry Making: Super Simple Jewelry Projects


• Knitting: Learning to Purl


• Miniatures: Beginners Guide to Working With Printable Miniatures


• Model Trains: Assembling Your First Train Set


• Painting: Start a Hobby Week: What Art Supplies To Buy
• Pottery: Tools for New Potters
• Rubber Stamping: Getting Started with Color

Start a New Hobby Week Posts from July 28th:

• Beadwork: Basic Beading Stitch Tutorials
• Collectibles: Buying New Collectibles


• Contests and Sweepstakes: Getting Started with Sweepstakes Part 4: Avoiding Scams and Sweepstakes Fraud


• Crochet: Resources for Learning the Single Crochet Stitch
• Cross Stitch: Kid’s Cross Stitch Projects


• Dance: How to Find a Dance Studio


• DIY Fashion: Learn to Make Headbands
• Jewelry Making: Jewelry as a Job?


• Knitting: Great Knitting Books for Beginners


• Miniatures: Begin Collecting and Showing Model Horses


• Model Trains: Getting Started: Beyond the Oval


• Pottery: Can Pottery Be Made Without a Wheel?

It seems to me like we’re in the height of summer, but HGTV is already looking forward to fall. HGTV has brought back their big Fall Fix Up Sweepstakes for 2010, giving away a pile of cash that you can use to fix up your house, fly south for the winter, or however else you want.

The lucky grand-prize winner will take home a huge cash prize of $75,000.

Entry into HGTV’s 2010 Fall Fix-Up Sweepstakes is open to US residents aged 21 and above. Enter daily through August 23, 2010.

Related Articles:

• Cash Sweepstakes
• Mega Sweepstakes
• Sweepstakes from HGTV and the Scripps Network

The Martinsville Virginia Tourism Office is giving you a chance to experience one of the many things that the state of Virginia has to offer tourists – the thrill of a NASCAR race. Just enter their ace Fan Sweepstakes and you could be on your way.

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Win a Trip to a NASCAR Race in Virginia with Martinsville Speedway’s Sweepstakes originally appeared on About.com Contests & Sweepstakes on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 at 18:39:53.

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