Should I do the 'Like & Share' Facebook Competitions?

(Please note this blog post is from 2013 - since then, Facebook has updated the Page Guidelines and therefore some points made are now not valid)

Firstly, when I Googled this to find out what is already written about it it was a suggestion from Google which suggests that it's a hot topic.  Does this indicate that people are aware of the Facebook guidelines and are simply ignoring them, or assuming that because everyone else seems to be doing it, then that simply makes it OK?


I was recently asked this question on Twitter by Gwawr of @Lolfa_Cynin

@nat_reynolds Hi Nat. I wondered what your opinion on the "like&share" competitions on Facebook was. - Gwawr :-)
— Lolfa Cynin (@Lolfa_Cynin) April 11, 2013

Where do I start?  

Why I'm having a rant...

So here it is!  My first entry on my 'Ranting Nat' blog.  Some of you may be wondering what this is all about so I'll take a short while to explain.

"In the world of Social Media there is no right or wrong, but there is good practice & bad practice" Nat Reynolds - Social Media Coach