My freeiPods.com Experience

Yes, I took the bait and jumped in with both feet. Why, you ask? Well, I've shunned the iPod thing since Day One, but the prospect of a free iPod was compelling enough for me to give it a go. A buddy introduced me to freeiPods.com, and since I was already considering a membership with Blockbuster Online, the decision was a no brainer.

We can get into the philosophical reasons for doing this or not doing this, but I've already covered that ground in my other blog, Cliff Is Dead.

First things first -- if, after reading this, you have an interest in taking the freeiPods.com plunge, then get started by clicking here: http://www.freeiPods.com/?r=12565742

Not only will you be able to get the process rolling right away, but you'll be helping me with my referrals in the process. Yes, I'm shameless -- I know.

Now, if you're thinking to yourself, "Is this freeiPods.com thing for real, or is it just another one of those Interweb hoaxes?" Well, I thought the same thing. But then I consulted Google News and found these reliable sources to confirm that, no this is the real thing.

NYU News -- http://www.nyunews.com/features/campuslife/8427.html
(this one offers a bit of the pros and cons of the process ... good balanced view)

Mac Daily News -- http://www.macdailynews.com/comments.php?id=P3843_0_1_0

Wired News -- http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,65042,00.html
(this is the best of the bunch, as it's more scathing in its criticism)

What I found particularly interesting was a quote from the Wired News article. Someone who went for the freeiPods offer used a virgin email account when registering. He was shocked to see spam pouring in within hours. Shocked?!?! Why would he be shocked? How in the hell does he think freeiPods.com (or the Gratis Network behind it) makes its money? That's the whole point.

You see, freeiPods.com is based on the same "customer acquisition" business model that Columbia House has been using for years. Remember the days of taping a penny to a postcard with a list of your 10 free 8-tracks? No different here folks. So, with that in mind, here's a brief review of my experience.

Getting started was easy enough. I clicked on a link from my good buddy Jason Tietjen, which subsequently helped him toward his goal of getting five referrals. Speaking of, I suppose I should quickly give an overview of the whole deal and the requirements.

Basically, freeiPods.com is exactly what it sounds like. An online site giving away freeiPods. The user must complete three steps:

1. Sign up and complete a short survey -- the survey is actually a collection 15 or so questions that say things like "Would you be interested in receiving information on diet pills?" or "Are you interested in learning how you can get your degree in three weeks?". Stuff like that.
2. Complete an offer -- you are presented with a list of 13 different offers. The offers you are presented with depend on your answers to the survey questions. I'm told that there's an offer out there for TrimLife, which, provided you cancel the minute TrimLife says you can, will only set you back $5.95. That's nothing for a 20GB iPod.
3. Get five of your friends to also sign up and complete an offer -- this is the tricky bit. You don't want to sell out your friends Amway style, but you ain't gonna get no free iPod if you can't convince them to do as you have done.

Let me continue by saying that my primary reason for even giving this thing a try is because one of the offers happened to be something I was already interested in doing anyway. I'm speaking of Blockbuster Online. So, for me it was a no-brainer and no-lose situation. Yes, I would still have to "sell out" my friends. But in actuality, I didn't have to do that either. For starters, I don't have to tell freeiPods.com whom I'm approaching. I sent out the referral request email on my own. What's more, I was very clear with everyone from the get go -- no pressure, no BS.

I told everyone, quite simply, not to even bother with it if you didn't: a) want to jump through some hoops; and b) have any interest in any of the offers. Now, on the latter point, you could argue that even if you don't have an interest in any of the offers, you could let the trial period of an offer run its course, cancel it and only be out a few bucks. Well worth it for a free iPod, right? Sure, but that's not a decision I can make for others, nor was it a point I was going to push with everyone. I wanted to be as delicate as possible with it, because no way did I want to become the Amway guy, or the email-forward guy.

So, as things stand now, I'm on my way with Blockbuster Online, with a few movies coming in the mail (FYI, the cool thing with Blockbuster vs. Netflix, is Blockbuster is not only cheaper, but they also send you two in-store coupons for a free rental each month ... yes, I realize that Netflix is the punk rock underdog, and Blockbuster is the corporate devil. But it's hard to top Blockbuster's deal ... besides, I've already been a member of Netflix twice, so I've given them plenty of money already).

To date, my experience has been good. Although the freeipods.com doesn't show that I've completed my offer, its FAQ says it could take up to 15 days for the credit to appear. Personally, I think that's their way of saying they want a full two weeks of selling your name to various database marketing firms. Fair enough ... which again brings me to reminding you to use an email address reserved for spam. No way in hell should you give out an important email addy here, because it will be flooded in no time with all sorts of crap.

By my last count, I've received 2 of the 5 referrals from friends. Again, I'm not pressuring anyone. I'm simply sending out the info, and if they want to do it, then cool. If not, no biggie. I'm not losing anything by trying, so it made my decision simple.

I'll post an update once I know more. For now, I remain fairly confident in both the program and my chances of getting the prize. I already know of a number of people who have made it happen, so wish me luck. Or better yet, get started and help me in the process. :)

http://www.freeiPods.com/?r=12565742