Slashdot

For those of you keeping count, I have one free iPod and one free Xbox.

Anyway, I'm trying to get another one through a different company. Same principle.

• Click here to get a free mp3 player (iPod, iPod Mini, rio something or the other, etc).
• Click here to get a free computer.
• Click here to get a free flat screen (yes I know they're called flat panels; this site calls them flat screens[you can also really get a flat screen, like a Wega]).

If you don't know how this "scheme" works, read my past journal posts, or my free stuff section on my website.

Enjoy, Chris

Free Dell Desktop PC
By: Chris Benard

I used to be skeptical that you could get anything free on the internet after the dot-com bust, until I got a free xbox and I've already had my order placed for a free iPod. Gratis Internet runs these sites and is registered with the Better Business Bureau. They started off with FreeCondoms.com and the wild popularity of this site grew them enough capital to do offers for better products including consumer electronics and desktop computers.

Before reading further, please note these offers only are valid in the United States only.

You may have seen my journal entry about getting a Free iPod, but this offer is even cooler. You can actually get a free desktop(I chose the Dell because it includes a monitor) for just doing one free trial and then getting some friends to do the same. If you already read that article, this is the EXACT same business model, so just click here to continue.

If you aren't familiar with the business model, read on as I explain it in depth.

How it Works

• Signing Up
  • Preparing:
    • -- Use a throwaway address!!! -- I don't think I can stress this enough. They do spam you a LOT, but hey, you get a free computer out of it. I think that's much better than the "free" spam you get now. I used my gmail account, but I had my friend John use a free Yahoo! Mail account. Either will filter the spam pretty well and keep it away from your mail account.
    • Credit Card: Yes, most offers require a credit card, with the known exception of AOL, which can sign you up under a checking account or phone number. As long as you cancel inside of the free trials, you will not be charged.
  • Joining the Website: Click here to open the FreeDesktopPC.com website. I recommend opening it in a new tab so you can read the rest of this. On the main page, put in your email address and password you want to use for the site, and submit. On the next page, enter your real address, because this is where your desktop will be shipped.
  • Referring Friends: Once you put in your address on the previous step, you can either put in names and email addresses of friends on that page or skip the step and give it to them via your own email or instant messenger, or whatever you want to use. One thing you do need is your referral link off the bottom of the "refer friends" page.
• Completing an Offer
  • Selecting ONE Offer: Strange as it may seem, AOL and Netscape internet seem to be the best offers. You sign up for the trial, and as soon as you get credit on the FreeDesktopPC.com site, cancel the trial if you no longer want the service. However, FreeDesktopPC.com has many offers and you might actually find one that you want. My dad did the Blockbuster service and decided to keep it because he liked it better than his previous DVD rental service.
• Referring Friends
  • Get friends to complete ONE Offer: You need to get ten friends to use your referral link to sign up and complete one offer in the above step. Feel free to link them to this journal entry to explain the process.
• Ordering Your Computer
  • Place the order: Obviously I haven't gotten all ten of mine done yet, but I'm hoping people on slashdot will use my link in return for explaining the process in detail(this took forever to write). It's the same company and the same business model as FreeiPods.com so once all 10 are completed on your "Check Status" page, you can go to the site and confirm your shipping info and order your pc. Congratulations! At this point, you're done.

If you now want to sign up for a free desktop, click on this referral link.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this guide, please click here to email me.

Thanks,
Chris Benard

I too was skeptical when I first saw this. In fact, a friend of mine tried to get me to do it months ago and I thought it was a scam and laughed at him for falling for it.

Since that time, I've seen many so called "FreeiPod Guide" sites and some actually have pictures of people actually receiving their free iPod.

Enter me, here is my timeline:

• Aug 28: Started Getting Referrals [Screenshot]
• Aug 29: Finished getting referals, "Processing Stage" [Screenshot]
• Aug 30: Placed order(Sorry no screenshot; It has my personal info)
• Sep 1: Order is now in "Sent to Vendor, Waiting on Product" stage [Screenshot]

So you can see, my stuff is done and now I'll be receiving my iPod shortly, so I put this up as a help to one of my friends who signed up under mine.

The Caveats

• The Spam
  • Use a throwaway address!!! I don't think I can stress this enough. They do spam you a LOT, but hey, you get a free iPod out of it. I think that's much better than the "free" spam you get now. I used my gmail account, but I had my friend John use a free Yahoo! Mail account. Either will filter the spam pretty well and keep it away from your mail account.
• The Signup Process
  • Once you put in your new email address and desired password on the FreeiPods.com front page and submit, you will then enter your address where they will send the iPod upon completion of your offers. After this is when the fun begins. You get a "survey", and you should just click "No" on each answer until you get to the refer friends page. You don't need to refer any friends on this page, but you should get your referrer link at the bottom of this page to give to other people(As I do on the bottom of this page). Just click "Complete Offer" at the top and then pick one of the offers.
• The Free Trial Offers
  • You sign up for 1 offer and get 5 friends to each sign up for one offer. Most offers are free trials that you can cancel with no futher obligation. i would not recommend signing up for any that require costs for "shipping and handling". Also, I do not recommend signing up for credit cards such as the GM card unless you need one, because too many inquiries on your credit report can be bad.

    YES, a credit card is required to complete most offers. YES, most of the offers are from reputable companies(Netflix, Stamps.com, AOL[tee hee], Blockbuster, Infone, et al). YES, some offers give instant credit such as Blockbuster, Infone, Stamps.com, and Netflix. If you don't want to keep the offer, you can then cancel them.

So if this journal entry has enticed you to claim your free iPod, please use my friend John's FreeiPods.com referral link.

Email me if you have any questions at:
chris@talkingtoad.com