Picking a winner from the comments

I had a small giveaway going on Instagram. It wasn't a huge thing, just a book I loved and wanted to pass on. The comments came in, a little pile of names and kind words.

The moment before the draw

I sat there with the list, just looking at it. All these people took a moment to join in. It felt important to get this right, you know? Not just for the prize, but for the feeling of it being fair.I almost asked for emails to make a proper list. It felt like the 'professional' thing to do. But it also felt like an extra step, a small barrier for a simple, friendly thing. I hesitated, my cursor hovering over the draft.

Keeping it simple and transparent

In the end, I just copied all the usernames from the comments. One per line in a text document. It was the most straightforward record I could have.There's a quiet trust in that, I think. People can see their comment is there. They can see the pool it's coming from. No hidden spreadsheets, no mysterious algorithms. Just the names that showed up.The wheel felt like the right tool for that. It's visual. It's a bit of a ceremony, even a small one. You see the options, you see the spin, you see where it lands.

The names on the wheel

@cozy.reader.nook@jess_finds_joy@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]