Dear Linux Community members,
To maintain a fair and trustworthy environment, we are implementing a new verification step for winners of the monthly rewards contest. Effective immediately, prize eligibility will require one of the following for verification:
- Active LinkedIn Profile: The LinkedIn account must be older than November 1st, 2024.
- Government-Issued Photo ID: A valid ID scan can be submitted privately to confirm your identity.
Why This Change?
Recently, during the process of investigating potential contest winners, we encountered issues that raised serious concerns about account authenticity:
- Several pages on dev.to and medium.com were purged for a user who claimed to have written articles on those platforms.
- Our attempt to contact this individual via email resulted in a failed delivery, with the message: “This email account is no longer monitored.”
These incidents underline the need for stronger measures to verify that contest participants are real contributors.
Ensuring Fairness and Transparency
By introducing these verification steps, we aim to:
- Protect the fairness of the contest.
- Ensure prizes are awarded to genuine, active community members.
- Strengthen trust and transparency within the community.
Your privacy is important to us, and any information provided for verification will be handled securely and confidentially.
How It Works
If you are selected as a winner, you will be required to provide either:
- A link to your active LinkedIn profile that’s older than November 1st, 2024.
- Or, a copy of a government-issued photo ID for verification.
These steps help us ensure the integrity of the contest and maintain a high standard of engagement within the community.
Guaranteed Winners Every Month
No matter what, we will ensure that three winners are awarded at the end of each month. After verifying the users on the leaderboard, we will continue down the rankings until we find valid participants who meet the eligibility and verification requirements. Once verified, the prizes will be awarded to those individuals.
We plan to reevaluate the value and impact of this contest after three months to ensure it continues to meet the needs of the community and encourages meaningful engagement.
Questions or Concerns?
If you have any questions about this process, feel free to contact the Admin via private message.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we continue to build a trusted and vibrant community. Together, we can make this space rewarding and enjoyable for everyone who participates authentically.