New Online Freebies

INTERNET FREEBIE MYTHS

Unfortunately with all of the great freebies you will find in life there are many of them to be found on the internet. The problem is that many people are convinced that there are too many down sides to getting free stuff online. As you might guess, I have encountered my share of skeptics who take the cynical stance that nothing in this life is free. Here are many of the myths that the skeptics mistake for obvious truths and my considered views on them:

1) There is no such thing as a free lunch.
This is often true, but not as much as everyone thinks. The statement means you pay for everything one way or another in the end. I will agree that this is technically true most of the time. But this doesnt stop me from looking for freebies anyway, but every request for free offers or registration for a free service takes some time and some effort as well as giving up some privacy. However, I will say that if you have the time, enjoy doing it, and are careful the cost becomes negligible.

2) You can't get anything worth having for free.
I will admit that most free offers are not particularly valuable. But then again, once in a while some pretty cool free offers show up in the strangest places. I've received free brand-name running shoes, free coffee makers, free software, free computer parts, a free DVD player, and much more, this is not a lie. Even the little freebies are fun and should not be ignored. I never have a shortage of travel size shampoo or toothpaste and I love collecting little trinkets like key rings, coffee mugs, and the like.



3) Registering for freebies ensures that you will get spam.
Actually, the surest way to get spam is to have an email address at all. It doesnt necessarily mean that the freebie is to blame. actually it is easy to avoid getting your main email address on spam lists because of freebies. Never use your main email address for that purpose. I suggest having at least two junk email accounts that deal with these. Use one for low risk offers that need verification and use the other for offers of higher spam risk.

4) A free offer is a free offer
Unfortunately, there are many free offers out there that are not worth your time, because they are free. Many people get sucked into freebies because they are free. That is just pointless.


5) Everything on the Internet is free.
Some people make the mistake of thinking any graphic or any text that they can find on the Internet is free for them use as they see fit. The downside is that some of these things are not actually free at all. Unless the author states that the content is free, it is not. Be smart enough to check the copyrights and terms of service before you subscribe to internet freebies.

6) Free magazines are too much of a hassle
That may be true when it comes to the free trial offers from magazines, so you should look for full free subscriptions and always check to make sure the offer has not changed or become void. Publishers frequently offer free subscriptions as a way to increase circulation to sell more and higher priced advertisements.

7) All the good free services ended with the dot com bust.
While it is true that many of the best of these ended as financial reality set in with the dot com craze, but there has been a resurgence. You just have to take some time and find the right ones.

8) Free software is not as good as purchased ones.
That may have been true at one time, but we are in a new era where open source and other free software has gained much more respect and are fully featured. For example, I use the OpenOffice.org suite in my home office exclusively. Why pay Microsoft, when I can get the same functionality and often less bugs for free?

9) There is no harm in requesting a free offer often.
I hate to say it, but there are many people who think this way. Most offers either come right out and say or imply that you may only make one request per person or household for a reason. Being greedy and requesting multiples is considered fraud and my land you in legal trouble.

10) If you want legal music you have to pay for it.
This may be true for most current popular artists, but thee are tens of thousands of free music selections out there that are indeed free. Before you spend all your money on iTunes, you should check out free music resources first.