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| Free FFA page hosts & "safe e-mail lists": objective analyses. So far only "Iggy Links" FFA & "safe e-mail" seem worth trying. |
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| In theory, owning an FFA page, automatically sending "100's of spam-free e-mails daily," is the most direct and powerful method of low-cost site promotion. Bookmark this page to keep up with the best values. |
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 Our sponsor:  For a list of top opportunities, don't miss our home page.You are reading TOP INTERNET VALUES. See summary below.SAFE E-MAIL LISTS are toward the bottom of this page.Q. WHAT THE HECK IS AN FFA PAGE? (July 13, 1999) A. FFA means "Free For All" and indicates a place where anyone who owns almost any type of site can post an advertising link for free. Q. Alright, so what is an FFA page "really"? A. It is "really" a cheap advertising gimmick. The goals of which are: (a) Get more people to come to your site. (b) Get your site to look more "respectable" to search engines due to the increased traffic. (c) Get you a list of e-mail addresses of people who have posted links, thereby allowing you to e-mail them "acknowledgment letters" further advertising your products. The "acknowledgment letters" are the most tangible advantage of owning an FFA site. In theory, you can get hundreds of people posting to your site each day, resulting in a steady stream of "acknowledgment letters" sent out automatically via an autoresponder. The "subject line" of these e-mails do not need to say "this is an acknowledgment letter"----but instead, can advertise your leading product or service. Only when the recipient opens the letter do you need to say, "This letter is to acknowledge that your free link has been successfully posted on [name of FFA site]. Thank you. Please also consider our following offer. [Followed by any sales letter.]" Q. What is so great about that? A. A classified ad, a banner, or a "link" will be passed by hundreds of times before it is read once. But if you can send an e-mail, you have a captive audience. He at least must read the subject line in order to delete the message. This of course is why everybody hates "spam" or non-asked-for e-mail advertising. But an "acknowledgment letter" is not "spam." The recipient has asked for a "free link" and needs to receive a notice that his link has been posted. Q. What's the catch? A. The "catch" is that this system has been shamelessly abused by money-raking FFA hosts. First, they charge people substantial money to own an FFA page, which costs almost nothing to run. Second, they unnecessarily pour hundreds of "acknowledgment letters" out to every e-mail address they receive. Third, the "link pages" are never made "reader friendly." As a result: THE PEOPLE WHO POST LINKS are getting next to nothing. Thus they are forced to use "robot submissions" and not to give their real e-mail address. Who has time even to "delete" all those letters? (Read our chapter on Free FFA Links to learn how to post links effectively.) THE FFA PAGE OWNERS are getting next to nothing. Although supposedly sending "hundreds of spam-free e-mails daily," they are sending them to bogus addresses where they will almost never be scanned. The exceptions are the few newcomers who are shocked suddenly to find hundreds of e-mails jamming their in-boxes, many of which increase the irony by self-consciously proclaiming, "This is not spam!" In conlusion: owning an FFA page not only can give you little advertising value, but also tarnish your reputation. Q. Is there an easy answer? A. Yes. There are many simple answers, but so far only one small newcomer, (http://w3.one.net/~iguana/iggylinks) Iggy Links, seems willing to address them. Iggy Links is free, does not accept robot submissions, is already in the process of unifying all link pages (to ensure a steady stream of "acknowledgments" for everyone) and soon will require that all e-mail addresses be validated (and in return will not flood these addresses with "acknowledgments"). Iggy Links has not yet implemented many of the intended changes----but meanwhile is free including the autoresponder. Thus Iggy Links will not waste your time or tarnish your reputation, and is certain to grow. The serious "small business" site owner should not consider any low-budget advertising compaign complete without owning an FFA page. Either as it is now or as it soon promises to be, you probably can not go wrong with Iggy Links. NOTE: Iggy Links is perhaps the only FFA host which promises to become more than what we call a "legalized chain letter." In our opinion, any multi-level program becomes a "chain letter" if the ratio of intrinsic value to price tag is negligible. For further clarification see the article under "Internet MLM." PROS AND CONS OF THE TOP FFA HOSTS. (July 13, 1999)   IGGY LINKS. (http://w3.one.net/~iguana/iggylinks)ADVANTAGES. Totally free, including free autoresponder. Does not accept robot submissions. Now in the process of improvements which should make Iggy Links the only FFA page truly worth having. DISADVANTAGES. Link pages are not yet "unified," therefore the volume of "acknowledgments" is small. This problem is currently being addressed. FFA-O-MATIC. (http://www.ffaomatic.com)ADVANTAGES. Well-run operation offers "free" FFA pages with a moderately-priced ($12.95 monthly) multi-level program that makes it of value as a "legalized chain letter"----if you like that sort of thing. DISADVANTAGES. No autoresponder. FFA-O-Matic gives lip service to the problem of "bogus e-mail addresses," but in fact its method of operation all but ensures that most of their addresses will be virtually trash boxes. (I.e., only "Link-O-Matic" members can post automatically to all FFA-O-Matic sites, which members "instantly posting to 500 sites" obviously can not be expected to be giving a primary e-mail address.) Adding insult to injury, FFA-O-Matic patronizingly refuses autoresponder service even to its paid members----supposedly to increase the chances that "acknowledgments" will be read! Not a bad idea if the e-mail addresses were "real"----but in this case, a pathetic joke. The result is to make FFA-O-Matic of possible value as a "legalized chain letter," but only a time-eating nuisance for those interested in serious site promotion. ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS. (http://xtra.nu) ADVANTAGES. Well-oiled: guarantees 1,500 autoresponder "acknowledgments" sent daily. DISADVANTAGES. Expensive: $50.00 monthly. Heavy reliance on robot submissions, plus systematic bombardment of each e-mail address received, probably ensure that few if any of those "1,500 acknowledgments" are read by anyone except other Enterprise Solutions members. The trouble-free operation and slick presentation used to make Enterprise Solutions of value as a "legalized chain letter"----but even in this dubious category now has been surpassed by the equally slick and more reasonably-priced FFA-O-Matic. SESPOWER. (http://www.ffanet.com)ADVANTAGES. The largest and oldest major FFA host, but whose time may be running out. Uses an innovative multi-level program which supposedly ensures high volume to any FFA page owner who "sticks to it" for any length of time. DISADVANTAGES. It doesn't work! In spite of cheery claims that if you are a paid member "we will get back to you ASAP"----MoneyData as a paid member over several months was not even able to get a site operating or to get help of any kind. You can certainly forget about them ever addressing the basic problems of FFA sites. In our experience, "Sespower" might be called "Cesspool" and is one headache you don't need. THREE DAUGHTERS. (http://3daughters.com/ffa.html)ADVANTAGES. A small but well-run operation that currently is charging about what an FFA page is worth: $30.00 per year, including an autoresponder and automatic site promotion. However, the price threatens to increase to $60.00 soon. DISADVANTAGES. Three Daughters has two major shortcomings. Firstly, you can only change the autoresponder message once per month, or you are charged $5.00 for each change! Goodbye either to the reasonable fee or to market testing. Secondly, the pages are not "unified" so that the number of acknowledgment letters sent will remain very limited. On top of this, Three Daughters seems to be the major promoter of those "Cookie Cutter" ads which have become the epitome of kitchy Internet schemes. Not recommended for the site owner seeking any half-respectable image. SAFE E-MAIL LISTS. BizPro CO-OP E-MAIL LIST. Not an FFA page, but we mention this here because it may do you better than most FFA pages: 4,500 e-mails sent free, up to twice weekly to confirmed addresses of people who have asked to receive them. And this time there is no mistake because (a) each one of those people is eager to participate just like you, and (b) the logo "[BizPro]" is added to each subject line to give fair warning that each is "junk mail" and may safely be deleted. Thus you are getting your message out to anyone interested (if you know how to write a subject line), not abusing anyone, and not being abused. BizPro is moderated by Troy Pentico and has no website. To join, just send an e-mail with "SUBSCRIBE" in the body to: bizpro-request@iList.net. Then get ready for a snowball fight! You will promptly be bombarded with [BizPro] e-mails, for you to trash or peruse as the mood strikes. Meanwhile, you will periodically want to retaliate with your own sales letter to: BizPro@iList.net. These will be "snowballed" to the other 4,500 members. (Note: we suggest using a free "secondary" e-mail account if you don't want all the "BizPro's" mixing with important letters. You must of course send all your sales letters from the same address at which you are receiving all the [BizPro] letters.) (?) POSSIBLY SIMILAR "SAFE E-MAIL LISTS" WE HAVE NOT YET ANALYZED:http://www.topica.com/lists/HomeBiz4U  DO YOU KNOW OF ANY OTHERS? Please contact us per the feedback page.Guide-In-Brief to all TOP INTERNET VALUES (click on a heading for the complete report): OWNING AN FFA. In theory the most powerful site promotion. But so far only "Iggy Links" seems worth trying. FREE FFA LINKS. Certainly cost effective if you never pay for "500 instant links," etc. We tell how to get this free. FREE CLASSIFIEDS. The most respectable way to advertise cheaply. But don't join a "broadcasting service." Buy the software for the same price or do the "top 10" by hand. FREE BANNERS. Not instantly effective, thus snubbed by high-flying "experts." But if you stick to the "repectables" it does help and is free. FREE WEBSITES. Cheap site hosts are not for everybody. But if you do your homework, probably are for you. FREE+URLS+ETC. Don't depend of a "free url" but it can be useful. A "real" URL is best but can also be a quagmire. SEARCH ENGINES. Never pay for "search engine submissions." If you want to spend money, spend it on "ranking software." ASSOCIATE DEALS. Internet "drop shipping"----except you don't even handle orders. Sell anything starting with nothing. Books from Amazon.com, games from eToys, etc., etc. SHOESTRING NEWS. The latest ideas for any innovative person to start a respectable E-business on a shoestring. WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM READERS. We will publish your comments both pro and con, and even give you free advertising space, if you so desire. Please find contact information on our FEEDBACK page. This page and every page in MoneyData: copyright  1999 by Christopher Oey, all rights reserved. |
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