RTGJEG - the Great Giveaway is a once per day contest entry.  The Click and Win can be entered an unlimited number of times every day.

A bot is a program/device that will run continuously, and enter the name/adress, etc., throughout the entire day, week, as long as the contest is open for entries.

Think of it as an automatic redialer for those radio contests.  Call, get a busy signal, redial, etc., until a ring tone is received and alerts  the user.  Similar concept.

Thanks craig for clearing that up. I thought they were both once a day. The Handyman Club should have just limited the Click and Win to one entry per day. Then they could get rid of that annoying text box

I can read the code and on at least one contests per day it kicks it out and makes me do it at least 3 or 4 times before it lets me through.
This stupid freaking little code game is called a CAPTCHA, and has absolutely no use when you can only enter one time. They already had a safegaurd to keep you from entering multiple times. Therefore this stupid CAPTCHA should be removed immediately. It only serves to aggravate members entering the contests.

I was like you rtgjeg, I thought you could only enter each contests once per day. I would join you in calling for both contests to be entered only once per day and get rid of the stupid CAPTCHA.

FYI, a "smart" bot could potentially enter a 1000 times a day with out the "STUPID CAPTCHA", as you guys call it, in place. A once a day entry is only detected by your IP address and those naughty bots can use multiple hacked computers (multiple IP addresses) to attack and clog-up the contests with multiple non-human "entries" every minute, if given the chance to do so.

The Captcha is there to protect the NAMG servers from non-human server attacks, not to purposely "irritate" the members. Unfortunately, it's one of those necessary inconveniences on today's world wide web.

With that said, don't expect it go-away any time soon because removing it would open a big hole for hackers to exploit and potentially crash the site's servers. That would be a real inconvenience for everyone!

This is an easy fix.  To ensure that the less than honest members enter only once per day is to make a separate table in the system.  I have posted this on other threads, but so easy to do.  When the member enters the contest (without receiving bombardment from the sponsor), copy unique info from that members profile into the contest entry table.  Also, copy the date and time the contestant made his/her entry.  If the person tries to enter again, the information is checked against the table.  If found, the computer simply replies with a message box stating you have already entered this contest today.  Please try again tomorrow and good luck.  At the end of the day, clear out the table and allow new entries the next day.  Did it too many times and it works very well.  This would eliminate two complaints.  Just take the Nike approach and "Do It"!

Easy Going:
If they make it where you can only enter once per day, how is that going to screw up your chances of winning? It isn't. So lets get rid of that stupid useless CAPTCHA. I can read the letters and numbers too. I admit that out of all that are out there, it is pretty good. But since it's been up, there have already been a few times where I had to enter the code 3 times before it would take. And I know for fact that I entered the code correctly. So please give it up. The CAPTCHA is CRAP and needs to go.

CAPTCHAs are employed to prevent automated software from performing actions which degrade the quality of service of a given system, whether due to abuse or resource expenditure. CAPTCHAs are deployed to protect systems vulnerable to malicious software attacks.

The term "CAPTCHA" is an acronym for "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart."

Had I been a greedy bastard and employed a software program to continually make contest entries (Click and Win) for a few hours each day, my software program would have been communicating with the HCOA server quicker than you could. I was would have been accomplishing this by speed of light, whereas you were manually entering data (or clicking a button) and would be waiting for the server to respond you - whereas I was using more of the server's resources which needed to be processed before your manual entry.  In essence, I slowed you down.  Maybe caused you to time out.  Or, caused you to receive "server busy or unavailable at this time".  If 90% of the server.s available time to respond to your replies, questions, or contest entries were allocated to the membership, I may have been using 10% or more of that time.  Now, picture other members doing the same thing. 

This is nothing more than a counter-measure used by HANDYMAN.

I'm not happy with the added "security" for the contests. I've just been locked out because I didn't match. This is just stupid. I don't see why you should have to do this since the other sites do not. If you are having problems with someone, remove their membership and don't punish all of the rest of us. JMO

The codes don't even allow an entry today.

Got this when I tried to login today on contests!
I am shown logged in on header but can't enter.


Sorry, there seems to be an issue with your customer number (cntst-9002)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sorry, there seems to be an issue submitting your entry, please try again later. (cntst-9003)

I am a life member also since 1996 and I think the new login in numbers and letters for the contest really SUCK. And today, 5/24/10 for some reason it won't even let me register in the contest at all. Of course I'm not really sure why I waste my time. In all of the years that I've been a member i have not won anything. And I register all the time. It makes you wonder. And as the one member asked,"since each member is limited to just one entry per day, what good would a BOT be?" Sometimes I think it's there just to discourage us from entring. Oh well. Such is life.

I logged in about 7:30 p.m. on 24 May, and had no trouble entering the contests. Also, I see the "CAPTCHAs" have been removed. That should make lot of people happy! I sometimes had to try 2 or 3 times because I had trouble telling some upper- and lower- case letters apart, as well as the differences among 0, O and o. I thing the graphics had improved since I didn't have much trouble with this in the past week. Anyway they were gone when I entered the contests.

Posted By tkeener on 05-24-2010 07:16 PM
I logged in about 7:30 p.m. on 24 May, and had no trouble entering the contests. Also, I see the "CAPTCHAs" have been removed. That should make lot of people happy! I sometimes had to try 2 or 3 times because I had trouble telling some upper- and lower- case letters apart, as well as the differences among 0, O and o. I thing the graphics had improved since I didn't have much trouble with this in the past week. Anyway they were gone when I entered the contests.

Tom,
 if they are removed permanently, what are the natives, including me, going to complain about?

Yeeeaaaahhhh!  Did not have to key in letters and numbers and hope that I input the correct ones.  Hope this makes all happy.  I don't know what they did, but this should free up some time and make it easier for those of us who have coordination and vision impairments.  I did not try to enter successive times as I know the rules are that you can enter once daily.  And, I received a confirmation that I had entered the contests.  Hurrah for the IT team.

Posted By Gerry_D on 05-24-2010 07:24 PM

Tom,
 if they are removed permanently, what are the natives, including me, going to complain about?

Gerry,
There will always be something to complain about! That's the nature of life -- and of us humans

Thank you for removing the CAPCHAs (if I got that right). I appreciate you listening to us and responding in a positive way.