A Twitter Party is a Twitter-based conversation that takes place at a certain date and time. By using a pre-determined hashtag, Twitter Party participants can both read what others are saying during the party and send their own tweets to everyone else (for more information on how hashtags work, see Twitter’s “Help” section) 

With House Party, a Twitter Party is a chance to meet some new friends (and House Party staff!), and win some awesome prizes while doing so. It’s also your opportunity to share your unique party tips with the House Party community and find out ways to make your next get-together awesome - all from the comfort of your own home!

You don’t need any special equipment or programs to participate in a Twitter Party. You simply need to have a Twitter account and  follow the hashtag that is used for that particular party. For the Chef Boyardee Twitter Party, the hashtag to follow is #ChefBoyardeeParty.

When the party starts, keep an eye on the @housepartyfun Twitter account. We’ll be posting conversation topics and opportunities to win prizes. More importantly, though, remember to talk to your fellow tweeters! There’ll be dozens or even hundreds of other House Party fans just like you ready to chat, so don’t be shy.

To participate in the Chef Boyardee Twitter Party, you need to:

1.    Have a Twitter account (Don’t have one? Not a problem, simply create one now at Twitter.com)

2.    Follow @housepartyfun, and our special guests @ReadySetEat and @GeorgeDuranEats

3.    Keep an eye on the #ChefBoyardeeParty hashtag and be sure to use it in all your tweets for the Twitter Party – (see below for the easiest ways to do this)

4.    Make sure you’re familiar with the tool you’re using, whether it’s www.twitter.com or a third-party platform like TweetGrid or HootSuite (see below).

5.    Figure out how you’re going to pack all of your favorite family recipes, cooking tips, photos, and holiday traditions into 140 characters or less!

6.    Keep a special eye out for trivia and scavenger hunt opportunities to win awesome prizes from Chef Boyardee.

Nope! There is no need to RSVP – just show up at the set date and time.

The Chef Boyardee Twitter Party is open to everyone, regardless of whether or not you’re part of the Be the Chef with Chef Boyardee House Party community! Complete rules and regulations will be posted in an Announcement on the Chef Boyardee Party Page.

The Chef Boyardee Twitter Party starts at 8pm EST on Thursday, November 17th. It will be about an hour long, and it’ll be packed with recipes, cooking tips, prizes, and even some great entertaining ideas from our friends at @ReadySetEat and celebrity chef @GeorgeDuranEats.

We’ve got lots of prizes up for grabs:

•    Signed copies of George Duran’s book, “Take this Dish, and Twist It”
•    Chef Boyardee swag
•    House Party t-shirts
•    Grand Prize: Chef Boyardee Dinner Prep Set

If you win a prize at any time during the Chef Boyardee Twitter Party, @housepartyfun will “@ mention” you to let you know. Keep an eye on your @ mentions! Also, be sure to follow @housepartyfun so we can Direct Message (DM) you with any additional instructions.

If you’re new to Twitter, don’t worry! There’s no better way to learn about using Twitter than by participating in a Twitter Party. And for some quick Twitter 101, you can check out Twitter’s help page.

There are a few different ways to follow along with a Twitter party – no one method is right for everyone. Options include:

•    Twitter.com. By searching for #ChefBoyardeeParty in the Twitter search bar, you can see the most recent tweets that have included the hashtag. Twitter gives you two options for filtering search results – “All” or “Top” tweets. We recommend using the “All” option if you want to see what everyone is talking about. The downside of using twitter.com is that it often proves difficult, during a busy Twitter Party, to keep up in real time with all of the tweets being posted.

•    Third-party platforms, like HootSuite or TweetDeck. Many users like these programs because they allow you to see multiple “columns” at the same time. For instance, you can have a column showing #ChefBoyardeeParty tweets, a column showing all tweets from @housepartyfun, and a column showing all tweets in which you were mentioned by another user. The downside to these programs is that they require registering (for free), and if a Twitter Party is experiencing a heavy amount of traffic, they may not show all possible tweets.

•    TweetGrid: TweetGrid is perhaps the preferred way to follow along with a Twitter Party. It allows for multiple columns, just like HootSuite and TweetDeck, but it provides faster and more complete real-time results. We’ve already set up a TweetGrid page for you to use if you wish. You’ll notice five columns on the dashboard:

     o    @housepartyfun tweets
     o    @ReadySetEat tweets
     o    @GeorgeDuranEats tweets
     o    #ChefBoyardeeParty tweets
     o    Your own @ mentions (be sure to type your Twitter handle into the bar at the top of this column to see your @ mentions)

You’re not required to use TweetGrid, but we think it’s the easiest way to make sure you don’t miss out on all of the fun.  Note that you must click “login” when you get to TweetGrid in order to send tweets directly from the TweetGrid dashboard.

The easiest way to follow along with a Twitter Party is from your computer, but if you’re on the go and don’t want to miss out, there are handy tools you can use right from your phone. Twitter, TweetDeck and HootSuite all offer mobile apps that will allow you to search for and follow a hashtag (in this instance, #ChefBoyardeeParty). Be sure to check out these tools before the Twitter Party starts so you can decide which one works best for you.

We’ve got lots of prizes up for grabs:
•    Signed copies of George Duran’s book, “Take this Dish, and Twist It”
•    Chef Boyardee swag
•    House Party t-shirts
•    Grand Prize: Chef Boyardee Dinner Prep Set (awarded during the trivia period at the end of the Twitter Party)
•    Door Prize: iPod nano (awarded to one random participant at the end of the Twitter Party)

HOUSE PARTY, INC.
“Chef Boyardee House Party® Twitter Sweepstakes”
Official Rules

Important: Please read these rules before entering this Sweepstakes. By participating, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules and represent that you satisfy all of the eligibility requirements below.

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS SWEEPSTAKES.   A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT WILL NOT INCREASE OR IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

1.    GENERAL.  The House Party, Inc. “Chef Boyardee House Party® Twitter Sweepstakes” (the “Sweepstakes”) is a sweepstakes where participants will have a chance to win House Party t-shirts, Chef hats, Chef notebooks, copies of George Duran’s book, a casserole dish, a set of four dinner plates, a set of wooden spoons and an iPod Nano.  Fifteen (15) eligible entrants will be selected to win a House Party t-shirt, book, four (4) eligible entrants will be selected to win a Chef hat, three (3) eligible entrants will be selected to win a Chef notebook, three (3) eligible entrants will be selected to win a copy of George Duran’s book, one (1) eligible entrant will be selected to win a casserole dish, one (1) eligible entrant will be selected to win a set of four (4) dinner plates, one (1) eligible entrant will be selected to win a set of wooden spoons.. One (1) eligible entrant will be selected to win an iPad Nano. To be entered into the Sweepstakes, online entrants must respond to the directions posted during the Twitter event.  The foregoing is a general description only of the Sweepstakes and is qualified in its entirety by these Official Rules.

2.    ELIGIBILITY.  The Sweepstakes  is only open to entrants who, at the time of entry, (a) follow the Twitter event posted  by House Party, Inc. (“Sponsor”), (b) follow the instructions during the Twitter event, (c) are legal residents of the United States, (collectively, the “Sweepstakes Territory”), and (d) are at least eighteen (18) years old.  The Sweepstakes is void outside the Sweepstakes Territory; and where prohibited or restricted by law.  Employees, officers and directors of Sponsor and their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, divisions, advertising and promotion agencies, and the immediate families (defined as parents, spouses, children, siblings, grandparents, and their respective spouses) or members of the same household (whether related or not) of each such employee, officer and director, are not eligible to participate.  The Sweepstakes, and any website pages and advertisements relating thereto, is intended for viewing only within the Sweepstakes Territory, and contestants must be present in Sweepstakes Territory at the time they enter.

3.    TIMING.  The Sweepstakes entry period begins at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on November 17, 2011 and ends at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time on November 17, 2011 (the “Entry Period”).  Sponsor’s computer is the official timekeeping device for the Sweepstakes.

4.    HOW TO ENTER.  There is (1) way to enter this Sweepstakes: (1) online.

    a.    TO ENTER ONLINE. TO BE ENTERED INTO THE SWEEPSTAKES USING THE ONLINE METHOD OF ENTRY, YOU MUST SUCCESSFULLY FOLLOW THE HOUSE PARTY TWITTER EVENT AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS.  THE SUBMISSION PERIOD WILL BE FROM NOVEMBER 17, 2011 AT 8:00 P.M. EASTERN TIME UNTIL NOVEMBER 17, 2011 AT 10:00 P.M. EASTERN TIME. All online entries must be received by Sponsor during the Entry Period.  In the event of a dispute as to the identity of an online entrant, the authorized account holder of the email address used to enter will be deemed to be the entrant.  Potential winners may be required to show proof of being the authorized account holder.  The “authorized account holder” is the natural person assigned to an email address by an Internet service provider, online service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address.  All entries will be deemed to have been made by the authorized account holder of the submitted email address.   Submitting mass entries or entries generated by a script, macro or use of automated devices is prohibited and will result in disqualification. 

    B.    FOR ALL ENTRIES.  LIMIT:  One (1) entry per person in this Sweepstakes, regardless of method of entry.  All entries, regardless of method of entry, must be received by Sponsor during the Entry Period.  All entries, including photos, along with all copyright, trademark and other proprietary rights associated therewith, become the exclusive property of Sponsor upon submission, and none will be acknowledged or returned.  Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, you acknowledge that Sponsor will own all rights to use, modify, reproduce, publish, perform, display, distribute, make derivative works of and otherwise commercially and noncommercially exploit the entry materials, in any manner or medium existing or hereafter developed, including the passing of all rights to its client without separate compensation to you or any other person or entity.  You agree to take, at Sponsor's request, any further action (including, without limitation, execution of affidavits and other documents) reasonably requested by Sponsor to effect, perfect or confirm Sponsor's ownership rights as set forth above in this paragraph.  Proof of online submission or mailing will not be deemed to be proof of receipt of entry by Sponsor.  All entrants and entries subject to verification prior to the awarding of a prize, as are the eligibility, age and other claims of/information provided by a potential prize winner.

5.    AGREEMENT TO OFFICIAL RULES AND DECISIONS.  By participating in the Sweepstakes, each entrant fully and unconditionally agrees to be bound by and accepts these Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor or its designee (including, without limitation, decisions regarding eligibility of entrants, verifications of entries, the selection of entrants and winners, and the awarding of prizes), which are final and binding in all respects.  By accepting a prize in this Sweepstakes, a winning host fully and unconditionally agrees to be bound by and accepts these Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor or its designee (including, without limitation, decisions regarding eligibility of entrants, verification of entries, the selection of entrants and winners, and the awarding of prizes), which are final and binding in all respects.

6.    DRAWING; ODDS; NOTIFICATION.   On or about November 18, 2011, Sponsor will randomly select the twenty-nine (29) potential prize winners from among all eligible entries received by Sponsor in the Sweepstakes during the Entry Period.  Odds of winning a prize depend on the number of eligible entries received by Sponsor in the Sweepstakes.  The entrants selected must comply with all terms and conditions of these Official Rules, and winning is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements.   Potential winners will be notified by phone, letter (by postal or overnight delivery) and/or email.  As a condition of winning any prize, a potential winner may be required to execute and return to Sponsor or its designee a notarized Affidavit of Eligibility, a Liability Release and, except where prohibited by law, a Publicity Release (an “Affidavit/Release”) in the form(s) provided by Sponsor or its designee in order to claim his/her prize.  Such Affidavit/Release must be returned to Sponsor or its designee by the date and/or time indicated within such documents.  If a potential winner cannot be contacted within five (5) days of the first attempt to contact him/her, or if a potential winner fails to return the Affidavit/Release within the specified time, or if any prize or prize notification is returned as undeliverable, or if a potential winner is found to be ineligible, or if a potential winner does not comply with the Official Rules, then the potential winner may be disqualified and an alternate winner selected by Sponsor or its designee in his/her place at random from among all eligible non-winning entries received by Sponsor for the Sweepstakes.  In such event, an alternate potential prize winner will be notified as described above and, as a condition to winning any prize, will be required to return the required documents to Sponsor or its designee as described above.  Sponsor is not responsible for fraudulent calls, emails or other correspondence made to entrants by third parties.

7.    PRIZES.  

    a.    Subject to the terms and conditions of these Official Rules, twenty-nine (29) prizes will be awarded in this Sweepstakes.  The aggregate approximate retail value (“ARV”) of all prizes to be awarded in this Sweepstakes is under $1,000.00.

    b.    Twenty-eight (28) First Place Prizes will be awarded in this Sweepstakes. The First Place Prize is a House Party t-shirt, chef hat, chef notebook, copy of George Duran’s book, casserole dish, set of four dinner plates, or a set of wooden spoons. One Grand Prize will be awarded in the Sweepstakes. The Grand Prize is an iPad Nano.
     
    c.    Prizes are nontransferable and nonassignable, and are not refundable, and must be accepted as awarded.  Prizes are awarded “AS IS” with no warranty, representation or guarantee, express or implied, in fact or in law, made by Sponsor for which Sponsor shall be liable, including, without limitation, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, NONINFRINGEMENT OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  Unused components of a prize shall be forfeited and have no redeemable cash value.  No cash redemption or other substitution may be made, except by Sponsor, who reserves the right (but has no obligation) to substitute a prize (or a component thereof) with another prize (or component thereof, including cash) of equal or greater value if a prize (or component thereof) is not available for any reason as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion.  Winner is solely and fully responsible for any and all costs, fees, taxes, assessments and expenses associated with prize award, receipt and use, including, without limitation, all foreign, federal, state and local taxes and assessments on the prize (including, without limitation income taxes).  If applicable, winner will be issued an IRS Form 1099 for the actual value of the prize won.  Entrants waive the right to assert as a cost of winning a prize any and all costs of verification and redemption or travel to redeem a prize.  LIMIT:  One (1) prize in this Sweepstakes per person and household.

8.    PUBLICITY.  Except where prohibited by law, participation in the Sweepstakes constitutes each winner’s consent to Sponsor’s (and its designees’, successors’ and assigns’) use of winner’s name, biography, likeness, voice, photographs, video, opinions, statements, hometown, state and country for promotional purposes in any manner or media (including, without limitation, online), worldwide, in perpetuity, and without further payment, consideration, notice, review or consent.

9.    GENERAL CONDITIONS.   Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to terminate, modify or suspend the Sweepstakes if, in Sponsor’s opinion, there is any suspected or actual evidence of electronic or non-electronic tampering with any portion of the Sweepstakes, or if viruses, bugs, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical difficulties or failures or any other factor beyond Sponsor’s reasonable control corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Sweepstakes.  In such event, Sponsor reserves the right (but does not have the obligation) in its sole discretion to award prizes at random from among eligible, non-suspect entries received up to the time of suspected impairment.  Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Sweepstakes or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner.  Any attempt by any person to deliberately damage any website or undermine the legitimate operation of the Sweepstakes is a violation of criminal and civil laws, and, should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages and other remedies from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law.  Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision or any other provision of these Official Rules.

10.    RELEASE.  By entering, each entrant forever and irrevocably releases and holds harmless Sponsor, its parents, subsidiaries, divisions and affiliates, and their respective agents, advertising and promotion agencies, affiliates, Sweepstakes partners and prize suppliers from and against all claims, damages or liabilities arising in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from entrant’s participation and/or entry in the Sweepstakes and/or such entrant’s award, receipt or use of any prize awarded in the Sweepstakes.

11.     LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY.  Sponsor is not responsible for: (a) incorrect or inaccurate transcription of entry information or late, lost, stolen, unintelligible, illegible, damaged, mutilated, altered, incomplete, misdirected or postage due entries or entries received through impermissible or illegitimate channels, all of which will be disqualified; (b) technical failures of any kind, including but not limited to the malfunctioning of any telephone, computer online systems, computer equipment, website, server provider, network, hardware or software; (c) the unavailability or inaccessibility of any website or service; (d) unauthorized intervention in any part of the entry process or the Sweepstakes; (e) printing, typographical, electronic or human errors which may occur in the offer or administration of the Sweepstakes or the processing of entries; or (f) any injury or damage to persons or property, including but not limited to entrant’s computer, which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the Sweepstakes, or from viewing, playing or downloading any material from Sponsor’s website, regardless of whether the material was prepared by Sponsor or a third party, and regardless of whether the material is connected to Sponsor’s website by a hypertext link.

12.     DISPUTES.  Entrant agrees that: (a) any and all disputes, claims, and causes of action arising out of or connected with the Sweepstakes, or any prizes awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and solely and exclusively in a federal or state court located in New York, New York; entrant submits to sole and exclusive personal jurisdiction to said courts in the State of New York  for any such dispute and irrevocably waives any and all rights to object to such jurisdiction; (b) any and all claims, judgments, and awards shall be limited to actual out of pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering the Sweepstakes but in no event attorneys’ fees; and (c) under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased.  SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.  All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of entrant or Sponsor in connection with the Sweepstakes shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules of provisions (whether of the State of New York the United States, or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of New York.

13.    DATA COLLECTION.  Personal information collected through Sponsor’s website and used in connection with this Sweepstakes is covered by Sponsor’s online Privacy Policy located at http://houseparty.com/privacy.

14.     OFFICIAL RULES.  These Official Rules are available at www.houseparty.com/event/chefboyardee, or by sending a self-addressed postage-stamped envelope to “Chef Boyardee House Party Twitter Sweepstakes – Rules Request”, c/o House Party, Inc., One Bridge Street, Suite 3, Irvington, NY 10533. 

15.    WINNER’S LIST.  To request a list of winners, send a self-addressed postage-stamped envelope to “Chef Boyardee House Party Twitter Sweepstakes– Winner’s List Request”, c/o House Party, Inc., One Bridge Street, Suite 3, Irvington, NY 10533.  Requests must be received by November 30, 2011.

16.    SPONSOR.  The sponsor of the Sweepstakes and the address at which the Sponsor may be contacted is House Party, Inc., One Bridge Street, Suite 3, Irvington, NY 10533.

Your exclusive Party Pack will contain:

For you, the host:

• 6 Coupons for one FREE can (15 oz. or smaller) of Chef Boyardee
• 1 Chef Boyardee tote bag
• 1 Chef hat
• 5 Chef Boyardee recipes

For partygoers:

• 13 Coupons to save $0.50 on Chef Boyardee
• 13 Chef Boyardee notepads
• 13 Chef Boyardee recipe info cards

You should receive your Party Pack by end of day on Tuesday, September 20, 2011. It will be shipped via FedEx. You’ll receive a tracking number by email from FedEx once it ships. Please check your junk mail or spam folder for this tracking email. 

This doesn’t happen often, but if you don’t receive your Party Pack by end of day on Tuesday, September 20, 2011, please email help@houseparty.com. Please note that we cannot send any replacement Party Packs or Party Pack items after September 24, 2011.