SWAG BUCKS BLOG

100 Swagstakes Winner - 7/5

2009-07-05T16:22:00.000-07:00

What a fun weekend the 4th of July weekend is. Fireworks and too much food and fun with friends and family, it just doesn't get much better. Well, maybe for Swaggernaut Alex P. of Traverse City, MI it does. Because they're the winner of this week's 100 Swag Bucks Giveaway Swagstakes! Alex can now browse around The Swag Store with a little more giddy-up in their step.

If you want to know what this wonderful feeling of inflated Swag Bucks feels like, enter this Swagstakes and we announce the winner every Sunday. So, if you don't win, you only have to wait another 7 days for your chance to win again.

Entries are 1 Swag Buck each which is a pretty sweet deal considering you could win 100 times that. So, get your entries in for next week because you never know....

'Til I blog again...

TSG

Sharing is Caring

2009-07-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

What's better than winning Swag Bucks?

Winning MORE Swag Bucks!

We have a number of ways to refer friends to join Swagbucks and earn you bonus Swag from the Swidget to customizable referral links that you can put in blogs, social networking pages, YouTube videos to shirts and more.

Another way to show how much you're winning on Swagbucks is to....show....how much you're winning! When you win Swag Bucks through searches, there's a share button that allows you to share your success through Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Blogger, Wordpress, Delicious, and many other sites.

This will display text and a picture of the amount of Swag Bucks you won. You can maybe then add a caption like "I'm 10 Swag Bucks away from a PS3". Boom, referrals.

Find out more about sharing here.

Share your Swag with the world!

TSG

Shop&Earn & Be Rewarded.

2009-07-04T16:12:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you guys are aware but the online shopping you'd normally do, you can earn Swag Bucks from! For every $5 you spend at one of the online retailers in our Shop&Earn section, you'll receive 1 Swag Buck.

Furthermore, we have the Favorite Stores feature still going strong, so you'll be alerted of any coupons that your favorite stores have added by email. We're all about ease here, folks.

If you're traveling this summer, here are some rewarding coupons you can take advantage of:

Hotels.com - Great rates to Denver, San Antonio & Chicago; Denver & San Antonio coupons expire Monday July 6th, Chicago expires TODAY so see if you can get it in the knick of time!

We have a number of other great coupons, travel & non-travel related so get in the Shop&Earn section and see what you find!

TSG

New Blog Feature: Saturday Video of the Week!

2009-07-04T10:38:00.000-07:00

From here on out, every Saturday TSG will share an awesome video with all of Swag Nation in hopes that they will all find the same enjoyment & amusement that I did upon viewing for the first time.

Seeing as how today is the day of birth for the great nation where Swagbucks resides. I thought it only fitting to do a cool fireworks video, but...this is unlike any other fireworks video you've seen.

You have been warned...

Happy 4th of July!

TSG

Celebrate Independents Day (w/good music)

2009-07-04T09:31:00.000-07:00

Here is the United States, July 4th marks Independence Day. However, every day in the "Discover New Music" section of the Swag Store is Independents day. So celebrate this holiday but snagging an MP3 from one of the many indie labels that have provided tracks to the 'Discover New Music' section. We are working with some of the top indies in the world, and offering tracks from some of the hottest acts in music. For only 1 Swag Buck per track, you really have nothing to lose! Visit the section and start discovering new music right here.

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July from TSG & the rest of Team Swagbucks!

Have a fun & safe weekend!

TSG

Search for Relief (and some sweet Linkin Park swag!)

2009-07-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

In 2005, in response to the tsunami in Thailand, Linkin Park started their own foundation, Music for Relief, in order to aide in the disaster relief. Almost five years on the band still is furthering their efforts, and currently assisting in the recovery of New Orleans from Katrina. Swag Bucks is proud to partner with Music for Relief, to bring you their own branded Swag Bucks site - SearchMFR.com. Proceeds from this site benefit Music for Relief, so when you SearchMFR.com, you not only help yourself, you better the world. Both MTV and Linkin Park have donated some great swag, and if you are a collector of autographs, you must check out what we've got in the SearchMFR.com Swag Store!

Team Swag Bucks is currently out on the Warped Tour with Music for Relief. If you hit up an upcoming show, be sure to pop by the Music for Relief booth and say hello!

You can learn more about Music for Relief and their mission right here

Invading Your Cell Phone: First Twitter, Now Facebook!

2009-07-03T17:44:00.000-07:00

I gotta tell ya...missing a Swag Code is just getting harder and harder to do with all the automatic updates and things we have available to Swagbucks users. We flat out tell you when Swag Codes are happening on the widget! During the Daily Twitter Codes, SMS updates were, to be fair, hit or miss given Twitter's timeliness in sending out the updates.

But, Facebook now has SMS updates so you can make sure you don't miss an important (insert: Swag Hunt) status update again. Between RSS feeds, Twitter & Facebook SMS updates & the Swidget, you'll almost have to try NOT to know about a Swag Code.

Here's a few scenarios where you may no longer be able to be alerted when Swag Codes are out:
-If you shipwreck on a deserted island or you're on a boat that sinks to the bottom of the sea
-If you go on a work team building exercise or to sleep-away camp
-If you get cast on some reality show that requires you have no more electronics
-If monsters attack your town and eat all electronic and mobile devices
-If Twitter, Facebook, Blogger and Widgetbox all collaps on the same day, oh wait, there's still Flickr & YouTube.

See?! Please do keep in mind that standard text message rates apply so if you have an unlimited plan, you're all set. But if you get charged per incoming text we can't be held responsible for charges you incur.

That said, subscribe right under our main photo on the Swagbucks Facebook page (should be the third option down) and Swag your face off!

TSG

Crazy Dog T's Now Available in the Swag Store

2009-07-03T14:49:00.000-07:00

Sweet Swag Alert! We just got some awesome T-Shirts from CrazyDogTShirts.com that are now available in the Apparel & Accessories section of the Swag Store.

Go check out all the shirts and see which ones you'll spend your Swag Bucks on.

Leave a comment telling TSG which shirt is your favorite. I myself am a big fan of the "I'm On A Boat" shirt.

See them all here!

TSG

Ask The Swag Gal (July 3, 2009)

2009-07-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

The weekend is almost here and The Swag Gal is excited to kick off the 4th of July holiday! Since we didn't take questions on Tuesday, I'm gonna go ahead and jump right in to today's action.

Today we hear from Kimberly M. from Warner Robins, Georgia. She asks:

Hiya Swag Gal, what is this Summer's "New Black"?

Kimberly, it looks like you are thirsty for some style tips! And what an appropriate question now that we are full-fledged in the middle of Summer.

This year is all about ditching the flat, dark, dismal colors and sticking to the colors that pop. Think bright and vibrant. You will be seeing a sort of "80's flashback" with all the colors of this season. All of those neon yellows, blues, greens and pinks? Yes, those are making a comeback! I know what you're thinking...'Does not mean big 80s hair and leg warmers (which already experienced a come back in 2005) are in too?!' One trend at a time people!

If the thought of crop tops, big hair and leg warmers doesn't scare you enough, it looks as though Parachute Pants are a 2009 "hot commodity". Who thought we'd see the day where we'd be dressing again like McHammer and AC Slater. Surely, not I!

As far as the "New Black" of the season, blue is the way to go in Summer 2009 . Blue tones in every shade imaginable have been popping up in Summer runway collections. Whether cobalt, navy, turquoise or electric, blue is in for the young and the.. well.. not-so-young! With Fall clothes starting to occupy the shelves, now is the time to catch those last minute Summer items on sale. I suggest spending a few minutes doing some bargain hunting in the Shop&Earn Mall.

I hope this helps you get in tune with those Summer blues, Kimberly!

For all of you celebrating this weekend, be safe and have fun. I'll see you next week!

-TSGal

3rd of July Mega Swag Bucks Day!

2009-07-03T09:34:00.000-07:00

Every Friday we give away the farm in Mega Bills in Swag Bucks. Sometimes, we give as much as 10,000 Swag Bucks in Mega Bills. This means that your chances of winning $3, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 and even $500 Swag Buck bills increase dramatically. It's not something you want to miss.

We've also incorporated Twitter into the Mega Swag Bucks fun. If you win mega bills (3 Swag Bucks and up) on Friday through searches, take a screenshot of your win and put the photo on Twitter and if TSG happens to be around when you tweet it, I will re-tweet it. Also, make sure to tag a tweet like that with #MSBD (Mega Swag Bucks Day). You can also include the @Swagbucks mention in your tweet to up your chances of TSG seeing it.

This being the day before the 4th of July (The United States' Day of Independence), we might kick things off with a bang here and there throughout the day, so stay tuned for that.

Speaking of which, Happy Belated Canada Day Canadian Swaggers!

And of course, Happy 4th of July Weekend U.S. Swaggers and Happy Mega Swag Bucks Day!

TSG

The Newsletter is Coming, Don't Miss it!

2009-07-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

We'll have another Newsletter coming out very shortly so make sure you don't miss your opportunity to be in the loop about all the great things going on with Swagbucks before ANYONE ELSE! We send this out monthly (approximately) so it's just the right amount of information where we don't annoy you all the time but its also not like you'll NEVER hear from us. It's perfect. ;-)

If you're already a subscriber, great! If you're not, it's easy to sign up. Just find the link in the side menu on the Swagbucks homepage. It actually looks exactly like this:

After you click that, you'll be asked to enter your email address and that's it! You'll receive the Newsletter every time we send it out.

Which is great because, sometimes...we put Swag Codes in there....that are only available to subscribers....

Are you subscribing? Yep, that's what I thought.

TSG

Featured Swag Bucks Partner: The Spill Canvas

2009-07-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

The Spill Canvas is a 4-piece rock band from Sioux Falls, SD and they have been all over your TV, movie screens and the world even if you may not know it. They've toured with Motion City Soundtrack, Meg & Dia and fellow Swagbucks partners, Yellowcard and Plain White T's. They've also appeared on the Vans Warped Tour and will no doubt have runs on that tour in the future.

We have etched Spill Canvas iPods on the Spill Canvas site as well as an autographed Spill Canvas poster available. Get over to their Search&Win site now and see all the cool Spill Canvas merch available.

If you're already a fan of The Spill Canvas, you may enjoy these YouTube covers of a few of The Spill Canvas' biggest hits. TSG looked long and hard to find covers that would do these songs justice and I think I've done it...

You may remember this fella from my blog post about The Used a few months back. He is in Gaviota, the band that covered Let it Bleed. Here he is doing The Spill Canvas' Connect the Dots.

Here's a cover of a sad, but great song by the boys of The Spill Canvas; The Tide.

Last but not least, lead singer of The Spill Canvas, Nick Thomas doing an acoustic version of one of TSG's favorites, Polygraph Right Now.

TSG

Twitter Trivia Today

2009-07-02T14:45:00.000-07:00

Twitter Trivia is happening today over at the Swagbucks' Twitter page. Brush up on your pop culture skills because we'll be covering a wide range today. Make sure your Swagbucks search engine is open and rake in the Swag Bucks!

We'll be starting at 3:00PM PDT today so make sure you're around if you want to play. If this is your first time playing trivia on Twitter but have played on Facebook before, let us know which one you like better in the poll I posted yesterday.

See you at Twitter Trivia!

TSG

Facebook is Neither a Face or a Book, Discuss!

2009-07-02T11:04:00.001-07:00

TSG loves to talk. Sometimes too much. In fact, I might be one of those people that likes to hear himself talk but what I really love is having a conversation about pretty much anything with a bunch of people. There's nothing better than a lot of different perspectives on the same topic.

That's why every Monday through Friday, TSG is on Facebook, chattin' it up with you guys. We'll talk about anything from pop culture to fashion to food to current events and more. Recent topics have included plans for the weekend, favorite memory of the now late, great Michael Jackson, what do you like on your pizza and your dream vacation.

The Daily Facebook Discussions can be found in the 'Discussions' tab of the Facebook page. TSG will typically post a status update on Facebook and a tweet on Twitter letting you know that the facebook discussion is going on with a link to that day's discussion.

Now you know where to find TSG every day!

TSG

Exclusive Digital Desktop & iPhone Wallpapers

2009-07-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Swag Store is bursting at the seams! We just keep cramming awesome stuff in there and today is no different. We have the privilege of featuring digital wallpapers by acclaimed photographer, Josh McMurtrie. Each digital wallpaper is just 1 Swag Buck and they are each a sight to behold for sure. See the digital wallpapers here and see Josh's site here.

If you'd like to order off Josh's site, he's been so gracious to give us a coupon to pass along which gets you $3 off any purchase of online prints on his site. Enter 'SWAG300' to redeem this coupon when ordering.

We also have nifty iPhone Swagbucks Wallpapers. Those can be seen here and are also just 1 Swag Buck each. We have 3 different designs for these and this is just one more way that you can tell your friends about the rewards of Swagbucks!

Get both of them now in the Digital Wallpapers section of the Swag Store.

TSG

1,000 Swag Bucks and Staind Lithograph Winners

2009-07-02T01:07:00.000-07:00

I love giving away prizes to the good folks of Swag Nation and in this blog I get to do it twice! There are two Swagstakes winners to announce and the first is for the "Big One" - the 1,000 Swag Bucks Swagstakes. Conswagulations to Swaggernaut Kenneth T. of La Canada, CA. who just became the latest Swag Bucks Thousandairre(work with me on this one).

If rare, limited edition, autographed memorabilia of awesome bands is your thing then you should be very jealous of Joshua W. of Mesa, AZ. because he just won a signed Staind Lithograph that is hand numbered as 1 of only 500! Not bad for an entry of 1 Swag Buck I'd say.

There are always a plethora of great prizes up for grabs in the Swagstakes, including the 1,000 Swag Bucks which we give away every month. Check out the Swagstakes Section in the Swag Store to snag an entry(or ten) for your favorite prize, and you might just see yourself in the blog as the next big winner!

TSG

Get Warped in the Swag Store

2009-07-02T00:22:00.000-07:00

This is an Official Program from the Vans Warped Tour 2009 15th Anniversary! But this is not just any ordinary program, this one is filled with goodies, and if you don't get it at the Warped Tour, you can get it in the Swag Store!!

This full color Alternative Press official Warped Tour 2009 program includes an iTunes card that allows you to get 25 FREE TRACKS AND an Epitaph FREE MUSIC AND VIDEO DOWNLOAD CARD!!!

The iTunes card is a special collection of songs from bands on the 2009 warped tour including Underoath, Bad Religion, NOFX, Ice-T, Ozomatli, Pennywise, Rise Against, Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy & More!

With the Epitaph Download Card you get FREE music and video from Bring ME the Horizon, Every Time I Die, Parkway Drive, I Set My Friends on Fire, Escape the Fate, Thursday, Bad Religion, The Blackout, New Found Glory, Rancid, You Me at Six, Story of the Year, & More!

Pick up one of these books right here while supplies last, and if you are attending an upcoming Warped Tour date, be sure to look out for the Music for Relief booth, and tell them Swag Bucks sent you!!

The Swaggernauts

2009-07-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the latest photos of Swaggernauts and their prizes? Check them all out at the official Swagbucks Flickr page!

PayPal Gift Cards are here!

2009-07-01T18:44:00.000-07:00

You guys spent a good amount of the comments in the 'Got A Good Idea for Swagbucks?' blog post requesting PayPal gift cards. Well, you asked and now you will receive. We have $5 PayPal gift cards in the Gift Card section of the Swag Store.

A lot of Swaggernauts make use of Amazon Gift Cards which can only be used exclusively on Amazon. The benefit to these is that PayPal is the payment method on so many sites that your buying power is that much greater. You can even convert these to cash through PayPal and buy lunch one day (or even pay your phone bill), that's a lot of work but it is doable.

Check out the gift cards and every time you run across a site that uses PayPal as an option, try to keep the twinkle in your eye to a minimum. ;-)

TSG

Just A Reminder...

2009-07-01T17:06:00.000-07:00

Our Facebook Guestimation poll has 1 week left until we get to see if our users have guessed right about the approximate number of Facebook fans we'll have and if we'll run at MINIMUM, 3 Swag Codes next Wednesday, July 8th. Pretty exciting.

See the poll here, guess right, earn Swag Bucks!

TSG

Twitter Tuesday Phrase That Pays Winner- 7/1/09

2009-07-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

Man, you guys are LOVING this Summer of Swag. If all your searching and prize redemptions wasn't a big enough indication, one need look no further than Twitter. Tons of Summer of Swag tweets even between all the excitement with not one, but TWO final Daily Twitter Codes.

An important note before I announce the winners, some of you have been asking if this means we'll never be doing codes on Twitter again. Absolutely not, we will post clues to codes on Twitter, partial clues and letters and full on Swag Codes on Twitter. This particular campaign of one 5 minute Twitter code per day has ended. That in no way means we won't do codes on Twitter or even some of these 5 minute versions every once in a while, so I hope that assuages (good word, TSG) the fears of Swag Nation.

Now here are the winners of this week's Twitter Tuesday.

First here are some nice poetic honorable mentions & the winners of 1 Swag Buck:

"The Summer of Swag is in full swing @Swagbucks . There's plenty of room for everyone in the swagpool. Jump in, get wet, get your swag on." Cliff E.

"@SwagBucks The sun shone bright, her face was alight, the summer of love had begun. She's now 62, dreams anewed, livin the summer of swag" - Sarah F.

And the big winner of 50 Swag Bucks was...

"@Swagbucks I, George Castanza, declare this the Summer of Swag! #swagbucks" - Amy S.

Couldn't possibly deny a Seinfeld tweet...congratulations Amy!

Until we tweet again.

TSG

Our Coolest Swagstakes Yet! Signed KISS Drum Head!

2009-07-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

Swagbucks is very fortunate to have one of the most legendary rock bands of all time as one of our many outstanding partners. We're even more fortunate to get awesome pieces of memorabilia like this to give away as prizes.

KISS merchandise and memorabilia are all HUGE collector's item, so giving away a show used autographed drum head signed by the entire band is one of the coolest things Swagbucks has done to date. Eric Singer has beat his drumsticks on this drum head. Then, he and the other 3 members of the band signed it and now you can get a chance to win it for just 1 Swag Buck.

This Swagstakes ends on August 15th and remember the entry is 1 Swag Buck, but you can enter as many times as you'd like. And why wouldn't you?

TSG

Trivia Poll - Which Do YOU Prefer?

2009-07-01T11:14:00.000-07:00

TSG thought Twitter Trivia went swimmingly but thought he'd get your take on it. Cast your vote in this poll!

Which version of Trivia do you guys like better?(polls)

TSG

Ask The Swag Gal (July 1, 2009)

2009-07-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hello my Swaggerific friends! I hope you're all enjoying your Summer Of Swag. I see that there's a poll about me on the polls page. I hope you'll see fit to show your Swag Sister some love! :)

I'm going to shake things up a little today (what else is new?) and tell you all about an amazing new item we've recently added to the Swag Store. That means that I won't be taking any of your questions this time, but don't worry - Q&A will be back in full effect on Friday.

Today I want to talk to you about our new Celebrity Gift Bag Swagstakes! See it by clicking here. This is one awesome package of prizes that I know all the ladies are going to love. The collection includes the following goodies:

1 Dooney and Burke Wristlet:
Dooney and Burke describe their handbags as "a sophisticated way to accent your look" and I couldn't agree more! This is the perfect way to carry your cash, credit card this summer.

1 Swarovski Crystal iPod Nano Case:
Having a case for your iPod nano that's encrusted with Swarovski Crystal will NOT make your music sound any better. But it sure does look good!

1 Blouse from Ivy Blue:
Ivy Blue is one of my favorite online clothing boutiques. This aqua blouse has a retail value of 45 dollars.

1 Harmonizing Bath Milk from Banana Republic
Who wouldn't want "an indulgent formula that produces lavish bubbles for a relaxing and moisturizing soak"? I know I do!

1 Heart Shaped Wine Stopper
This tasteful and decorative wine stopper will keep even your finest wines tasting fresh for days!

This set is valued at $260 but can be yours with an entry of 1 Buck (and a little luck). And for all the fellas out there: this set makes the perfect gift for the special lady in your life, so I expect to see you entering this Swagstakes too! We'll be announcing the winner of this contest on July 30th.

On behalf of all of Team Swag Bucks, we'd like to thank Starfish Creative Events for providing us with this wonderful gift pack. Starfish is celebrating their birthday on July 7th and on that day they're going to be giving away gift bags all day long on their facebook and twitter pages. Learn more here.

That's all for today. I'll be back on Friday with more of your questions and answers. Remember to keep sending in your deepest thoughts and concerns to me at theswaggal@swagbucks.com. Good luck, and talk to you soon!

-TSGal