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Wednesday, 11/19/2008 Your Guide to Free
Products and Services Online
You've
heard it before - there's no free lunch, nothing in life is free. The
truth is there really are freebies on the Internet. There are also
many "free" offers that have strings attached. It depends on your
definition of what the word "free" really means.
The most
basic definition of a freebie is any product or service you can obtain
without spending your own money, now or in the future. Having said
that, there are some items that are listed as free, but are sent with
a shipping/handling fee. While technically free, the profit is in the
shipping charge. For example, if you see an ad for a free CD, and
shipping is $7, then the merchant will make a profit on the shipping.
It doesn't cost $7 to produce and mail a CD. Another type of free
offer is software. You can download a demo version for free, but have
to register and pay for the product to receive an unlock code to
continue use after a certain amount of time.
Many feel that making your email address available for possible
mailing lists is a cost. You need to determine if an offer is worth
your time. If you are concerned about being on mailing lists, try the
following ideas:
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Signup
for disposable email addresses - This is probably the most effective
method of warding off spammers. Don't give out your primary email
address except to trusted individuals and organizations. Instead, use
a disposable address when signing up for a free offer. Or take it a
step farther and use disposable addresses for everything. When you
start getting too much spam, just cancel the account and get another.
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Do not
provide too much information - If a site is asking for more
information than seems reasonable for the free offer, leave out the
excess. If it looks like they are trying to qualify you for a targeted
mailing list, they probably are. Also, never give out your phone
number unless there is a very good reason. Enter "UL" for unlisted or
provide a 555 number. If they can't send a free item without a phone
number, skip it.
-
Be sure
to uncheck the "send information" box - Many registration forms have a
check box that allows you to indicate if you want to receive future
offers. In most cases the default is "yes I want junk email". Just say
no.
So why
would someone give things away for free? In most cases the reason is
for marketing purposes. Free items and services are often provided to
build more traffic and hopefully more sales. They are often supported
by advertising. Just think about radio and television. These
industries have been providing free programming for many years and
make a profit by selling ad spots. The same thing applies to free
items on the Internet. You might have to wade through a bunch of ads
to get that freebie, so make sure it is worth your time and effort. |
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