OurSpeeches: Share with the World

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FAQ

1. 2010 Speech Sharing Contest

1.1 Who is eligible to participate in the 2010 Speech Sharing Contest?

For the Raffle Draw: All students who are currently in a school which belongs to the Halton region including Oakville, Burlington, Milton, and Halton Hills. (For those who are in other regions, please contact mwang@ourspeeches.com to ask for a special permission.)

For the Contest: Grade 4-8 class in the Halton Catholic District School Board that has the most participation and whose homeroom teacher opts to participate, will win the Pizza Party.

1.2 How can I participate in the 2010 Speech Sharing Contest?

There are 3 options:

1) Submit your speech online (see "3.4 How do I submit my speech(es)?")

2) Email your electronic copy to mwang@ourspeeches.com with the subject of "2010 Speech"

3) Mail your good copy of your speech(es) to:

Melissa Wang

c/o St. Michael School

165 Sewell Drive,

Oakville, ON L6H 1E3

Include the following information in your submission:

Full Name, School Name, City

Year you delivered your speech

Grade you were in when you delivered your speech

If you were a winner, your Winner Status ("Class" - Top 2 in your class; "School" - Represented your school at the finals; "Board" - Represented your School Board)

For first time participants under 18 years old, you must include the signed Parent/Guardian Permission Form.

1.3 What kind of prizes can I get by participating?

Prizes for the Raffle Draw will vary depending on the sponsors we have. Here is a glimpse of some prizes from 2009 Sharing Spirit Contest:

Ski Lift/tube Tickets

Pizza party coupon

$200 Gift Certificate for glasses

One-week Basketball Camp (approx. retail value $190)

Ontario Science Centre Pass

One-week Soccer Camp (approx. retail value $130)

Nail SPA certificates

3-month Swimming/Skating Pass in Oakville

Computer Mouse

Bowling Certificate

Movie/Game Rental Coupon

Golf Family Pass

And More...

1.4 How many speeches may I submit?

There is no limit to the number of speeches you may submit for the contest as long as the speeches are originally written by you (or your children if you are a Parent/Guardian submitting speeches for your children).

2. Registration

2.1 I cannot login to my account. What's wrong?

There are 3 possibilities:

1) You have not activated your account yet.

Go to your e-mail inbox and find the e-mail sent from OurSpeeches.com and click on the link. If this is a working e-mail, you are ready to login.

2) The username/password was not right.

Click on the "Forgot your username and/or password?" link on the top right corner. An e-mail with your account information will be sent to the e-mail address that we have on file.

3) There is a problem with the internet or our website.

If you've activated your account and made sure that your username and password is correct, then there might be a problem with our site. Report it and we'll fix it as soon as possible.

2.2 What can I do if I forget my password?

Click on the "Forgot your username and/or password?" link on the top right corner. An e-mail with your account information will be sent to the e-mail address that we have on file. If you don't receive an e-mail, please "Contact Us" through the link at the bottom of the page.

2.3 What can I do if I did not receive an e-mail from you after I signed up?

Send us a message by going to "Contact Us" at the bottom of the page. Indicate your username and we will resend you the e-mail.

2.4 What can I do if my Parent/Guardian did not receive an e-mail from you after I signed up?

Send us a message by going to "Contact Us" at the bottom of the page. Indicate your username and we will resend your Parent/Guardian the e-mail.

2.5 How do I register for an account if I am younger than 13 years of age?

To comply with the privacy laws that protect young children, we need your Parent/Guardian to send his/her consent to us before you register. When we receive his/her consent, we will create an account for you. A printable version of the Registration Form is on the right side of the "News and Events" section. S/he may email the signed form (a picture smaller than 2MB) to admin@ourspeeches.com or mail it to:

Registration Administrator

OurSpeeches.com

1294 Napier Cres.,

Oakville, Ontario L6H 1E3

2.6 What do I need to register for an account?

A working e-mail address is necessary for those who are 13 years or older.

If you are under 18 years old but older than 13 years old, you also need to submit a working e-mail address of your Parent/Guardian.

For those who are under 13 years of age, see details at "2.5 What do I need to register for an account?"

2.7 How do I sign up?

For those who are 13 years or older,

Click on the sign-up link on the top right corner of the home page and enter your first name and last name. Choose a username you like (For your protection, please do not use your real name or e-mail address as your username.) and a password that you can easily remember and is at least 4 digits long. Enter your birth date and e-mail address, after making sure it's valid. If you are under 18 years of age but older than 13 years old, you will also need to input your parent/guardian's e-mail address as well. Read the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy before you check the box beside "I Agree." Then click the Submit button.

Login to your e-mail account, go to your inbox and locate an e-mail sent from OurSpeeches.com. Click the link in the e-mail and you will see "Your account has been activated."

For anyone under 13 years of age, see details at "2.5 What do I need to register for an account?"

3. Speech Submission

3.1 I handed in my speech. Where can I see my speech?

Click on "Search Speeches" in the main menu. Enter a few words from your speech topic and go to it. You will see what your speech looks like. We hope you like the look.

We recognize winners in our Winners section. If you submitted a winning speech, you may also find it by clicking on "Winners" in the main menu. You will see how the winning speeches are displayed. Let us know what you think by going to "Contact Us."

3.2 What can I do if I find mistakes in my published speech?

Send us a message by going to "Contact Us" at the bottom of the page. Indicate the topic, your name or username and what the mistakes are. We will make the corrections.

3.3 What can I do if I find that someone copied my speech?

Send us a message by going to "Contact Us" at the bottom of the page. Indicate the topic, year, grade and ID number of the speech. We will investigate the situation. If the person who copied your speech is a member, his/her account may be suspended or terminated.

3.3 What kind of speeches can I submit?

All speeches you created and delivered during a public speaking competition or other occasion such as a graduation etc. which are suitable for people of all ages to view.

3.4 How do I submit my speech(es)?

For members you need to login to "My Account". Click on "Upload" in the top menu and enter the topic of your speech, the grade and year when you wrote the speech and type in or copy and paste your speech in the text box. Then click on "Submit."

The speech needs to be approved before it can be published. You can view the status of your speech by clicking "Speeches" on the top menu.

For non-members, you or your Parent/Guardian may email an electronic copy of your speech(es) to mwang@ourspeeches.com with a subject of "Speech" or you can mail your good copy to: