The bench exchange has been great! I’ve been lurking on this forum long enough to remember that when the Bench Exchange was first proposed, it was suggested not to clean up our benches before photographing them. Either way, it’s educational and inspiring to see where and how other people make their jewelry. Thanks to Seth for figuring out how to get people to participate, and to @RioGrande . The chance at $100 to spend on tools was a strong motivator.
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Thanks @womanwithatorch! These contests are a win-win-win. The sponsor/advertiser gets amazing exposure, in appropriate context.
We (Orchid) get amazing content that makes the community experience more rich and durable. The Orchid participants win prizes, and it gives me an excuse to reward paying Gold and Platinum members with augmented chances to win prizes, etc. as a thank you for supporting us and to encourage others to do likewise.
One thing I don’t want is advertisers crowding out the technical and business discussions that make Orchid so valuable, so I look for ways to have advertiser participation without disrupting the flow.
So… I definitely want to do more stuff like this. A few other contest ideas I have…
- Show us your jewelry sketch book (5 sketches of jewelry, something like that)
- Something related to the jewelry gallery - showing us stuff you’ve made
etc, etc etc. 
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