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Search Engines' Reward Programs

Carl Bialik from WSJ writes "Search engines are dangling rewards and cash prizes to attract customers to their sites, the Wall Street Journal reports. MSN is offering free nights at the Four Seasons and other goodies to people who search for one of roughly a thousand terms on a rotating list. Yahoo's GoodSearch donates a penny to charity for each search. And Blingo hawks giveaways including iPods. But, the WSJ reports, 'There are strings attached to some of the reward programs. Some require users to register personal information like a name or email.'"

8 of 83 comments (clear)

  1. personal info by imboboage0 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Some require users to register personal information like a name or email.

    Wait a second - you mean they want to be able to contact me if i win?

    --
    Honesty may be the best policy, but by process of elimination, dishonesty is the second best policy.
  2. Door Prizes by eldavojohn · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So this is kind of like when you go to a conference and they have door prizes being given away by companies.

    You can register for said prizes; all you have to do is fill out your name, telephone number, address and date of birth. Then, after you don't win, you get to put up for the rest of your time at that residence with crap junk mail. May the lord have mercy on your soul if you give those people your e-mail address.

    If you have to log in to use your favorite search engine, I'd suggest finding a different one.

    --
    My work here is dung.
  3. hacked by zxnos · · Score: 4, Interesting

    already hacked.

    --
    always mosh clockwise
  4. interesting, but don't lump Google into this mix by yagu · · Score: 4, Interesting

    MSN is doing it (offering free nights at the Four Seasons); Yahoo's "GoodSearch" is doing it (but nicely -- donating pennies to charity); but Google is not doing it, but Blingo is.

    If you look at the Blingo "about us" page, at the bottom you'll find:

    Who is Blingo?

    We're a privately-held company in California, managed by a small team of successful entrepreneurs.

    Just wanted to set the record straight, since I still kind of believe Google means it when they say "do no evil".

  5. Let's try something different... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Why don't you pay me to use your search engine instead? That's a fair trade. :P

  6. And the really big prize comes when by Jim+in+Buffalo · · Score: 3, Funny

    And if they catch you searching for pr0n you'll get a really, really big prize, delivered right to your door by a couple of FBI agents.

    --
    This sig, aah-ah, is comin' like a ghost-sig...
  7. 1000 words, eh? by a_nonamiss · · Score: 4, Funny
    MSN is offering free nights at the Four Seasons and other goodies to people who search for one of roughly a thousand terms on a rotating list.

    1000 terms, eh? I don't think any Slashdotters will ever win.

    Asian sluts [click] ...damn
    Teenage sluts [click] ...damn
    Paris Hilton blowjob [click] ...damn
    Hardcore action [click] ...Damn
    MILF [click] ...Damn!
    Mail order brides [click] ...DAMN
    Mother's Day Presents [click] ...DAMN!
    Online dating [click] ...DAMN!!!

    --
    -Arthur
    Cave ne ante ullas catapultas ambules
  8. Congratulations! by alx5000 · · Score: 4, Funny

    You win a 4 night hotel for seaching on MSN. There you are, enjoying your fine stay, browsing the net with your laptop in your room...

    Some guy steps in. You look at him. It reminds you of someone. In your astonishment, you remain quiet. He moves his eyes on to your laptop. His pupils dilate. He begins to speak:

    "Just tell me it's not Google".

    You nod, frightened as ever. At that point, he picks up a chair and throws it across the room hitting a table you don't care about cause it's the hotel's anyway.

    "I'm going to fucking bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again. I'm going to fucking kill Google".

    --
    My 0.02 cents