Quote:
Originally Posted by
Darkestred 
Haha. Yea, that would be a bit out of the scope. The main reason why i asked this is because there is a forum that does do what I mentioned I've been on it for 5 years and started to think what if i had logged in and made a post every day. I would have been able to get something really nice After thought and not a big deal. The main difference with this site is it deals with sports betting/poker realm. So, you could imagine with affiliates and signing up for other books they are bringing in a lot of money. They have 55" TVs. Name brands going for 55k points. They also do have a canon 15.1 megapixel for 14k. Which with my scenario would be obtainable in like 7 years with someone who did quite a bit of purchasing and selling. Not really plausible for most.
For the rest posting about signing up and rewards. Again, there would be no tracking of information other than when you finally do buy something the site would need to know who its going to and where. Once you sign up with an account as you did here. You'd be tracked for a) logging in and receiving a point b) posting = point and c) selling/buying = percent of sale.
It still isn't worth it.
You have to look at the time you put in and the value of what you receive. A minimum wage job still gives you more value.
Also, you would have to wonder if the posts were genuine or if they are junk thrown out just to get free stuff. I'd tend not to take the content at a site like that very seriously.
Another problem is that there is a real cost to giving things away. Often, these point programs start to get slippery when they threaten the bottom line. Say you need 50,000 points for a free TV. You spend a few years participating and are up to 45,000 points. Then you get a notice revising the point agreement to where you'll now need 100,000 points for the TV. Looking at the user agreement, you'll find that you agreed to a clause where the site owners can revise the program for any reason at any time and that you have no recourse.
That happens all the time with frequent flyer programs. I used to have a credit card that offers free hotel rooms in exchange for points. But they kept revising the threshold for a room. So I got rid of it; it just wasn't worth it.
If there are any marketers reading this thread, here's my perspective. I am tired of being marketed to. I hate advertising and ignore as much as possible. My browser has all the extensions you hate. I do not watch TV, just ad-free videos. I listen to public radio and my collection of music. When I buy a newspaper, I dump the ads in the trash without looking at them. When I need something, I research on the Internet and read opinions. If I catch a whiff of salesmanship, you've lost me. Viral marketing gives you a black mark and I
won't buy a product if you try to trick me. Notice a trend here?
So stop spending so much money on advertising, branding, marketing, consultants, et al. Take that money and put it back into your product. You can also use that money to lower your prices. Good products sell. So do products that offer good value for the money.
I know this works because I do it myself. We have a family company that owns and manages apartments. We don't spend a dime on advertising or marketing. However, we've torn all the units down to the studs and rebuilt them nicely. We maintain them well. And I keep track of comparable rents and price ours a little under market.
The result? We have zero vacancies most months. Most tenants only move when they save enough to buy a house or take a job in a different city. When someone leaves, their neighbors always tell their friends and family. We usually get 5-10 applications before the place is empty or even posting an ad.
Oh, and we pay our three employees a little over market and treat them well. We don't have turnover and they do good work.
This might not completely maximize profits, but on the other hand, the profits are there and there's almost no drama or headaches.
