Get a Free iPod

Yes, well. There is a catch. Usually.

Firstly, you would normally have to sign up for another paid program or subscription.
Secondly, you would have to refer others to join (5 unique referrals, who also have to sign up, etc).

http://ipods.freepay.com/?r=26046312

Well, let's consider the facts.

The retail price of the iPod 30GB is about £200. The sign-up offers can range from a few pounds to say, about £20. IF we take £10 as an average, you'll have to refer at least 20 people to pay for the product. But, of course, advertisers are looking for long term customers, so this is just an advertising expense for them.

Currently, this program only accepts members from US, Canada,UK and Germany.

Update: 6th Jan 2006
But, is it a scam? Maybe, maybe not. The offer advertisers pay the site owner, Gratis Internet, a certain amount per valid sign-up - they call this a bounty which may imply that it is quite substantial. There are also people who refer more than 5 members that complete all the required steps. The additional referrals don't contribute, since you can only get one iPod per account. There are some who complete the offers but don't/can't manage to convince enough of their friends to join as well (e.g. say only 3 friends signed up). This means, quite a number of people won't be getting iPods.

Jaybees wrote a very informative article on this, back in July 2004 - yes, this iPod thing has been around quite long. There's also another article on uglx.org (actually 3 articles) that basically equates this to a pyramid scheme in disguise. Viral advertising sounds trendy, doesn't it. Amazing what a good marketing/public relations team can do.

The maths is true. Less than 20% of all members will get an iPod. That's just the way it works. If you can live with those odds, then go right ahead, and promote this bad boy.


References, skeptics and believers:
http://www.freeipodguide.com/
http://info.freepay.com/

Matrix.org Discussion
http://www3.netmart.com/free-ipod.htm
http://www.uglx.org/scam
http://people.bu.edu/jbrock/ipod_analysis.htm

http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,64614,00.html
http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/
http://collingrady.com/2005/03/02/my-free-ipods/
http://www.neilturner.me.uk/2004/Jul/16/a_free_ipod.html