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How Much Are You Worth To an Online Lead-Gen Site?

Posted by Soulskill on from the depends-on-how-gullible-you-are dept.

jfruh writes "You may remember the tale of the blogger who found that an infographic he'd put on his site was the front end of an SEO spam job. Well, he's since followed the money to figure out just who's behind this maneuver: the for-profit college industry. He discovered that the contact info of someone who expresses interest in online degree programs can be worth up to $250 to an industry with a particularly sleazy reputation."

54 of 83 comments (clear)

  1. And... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    the contact info of someone who expresses interest in online degree programs can be worth up to $250

    How much is the contact info of someone who wants to enroll in a 4-year institution worth? They charge hundreds per course...

    1. Re:And... by Lumpy · · Score: 1, Funny

      You are peanuts... The real money is in the suckers that want a masters or higher. Those fools get milked out of tens of thousands of dollars. I know one that went into the medical field that is $110,000 in student loan debt because she was stupid and though the "better schools" means you get more job opportunities.

      They dont.

      Some do not get utterly robbed, those people go to school smart. They don't do the stupid move of chasing "prestigious" names. But those are the same students that work full time and go to school full time. They are not morons and get loans and spend it on rent, food, and beer.

      And yes she is one of my examples that having a phd does not make you smart. The other is my sister in law with two Masters degrees and cant balance a checkbook or keep a car on it's tires.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    2. Re:And... by sunderland56 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Physics is a pure science. Driving is an applied science. Schools teach one or the other; few people are good at both.

      Having a doctorate degree in one field - say medicine - doesn't make you smart at another - such as math, or physics.

    3. Re:And... by BlackSnake112 · · Score: 1

      I would really hope that someone a PhD in medicine was good at math as well.

      How many milligrams should a person weighing 200 lbs take of drug abc123...

      There are not charts for everything, yet.

    4. Re:And... by JustOK · · Score: 2

      The pharmacy reps tell them what and how much to prescribe.

      --
      rewriting history since 2109
    5. Re:And... by Farmer+Pete · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I got my 4 year B.S. in Information Technology degree from a reputable college for a grand total of $10,000. I graduated in 2004. That doesn't include rent, food, living expenses, or books, but I never lived with less than 3 other people (often in houses with 6-8 people), ate cheap food, didn't spend much on anything, and I hardly ever bough school books unless they really were required.

      How did I spend less for a 4 year degree than most of my friends spent in 1 year at the local University? I went to a community college for my first two years, and then I went to a smaller university (Central Michigan University). Community college cost $1000 a semester, and CMU cost $2500 a semester. I did get 2 scholarships for a combined $4000, but I didn't even apply for either of them. One was given to all Michigan students from the tobacco settlement, and the other was given to me since I had a GPA above 3.5 when I transferred to CMU.

      I have several friends who graduated with 40k-120k in debt. I can't even imagine having that much extra debt. It would be like having a second mortgage. It breaks my heart even more when someone gets that much debt with a degree that has a pretty low earnings potential. You'd be amazed how many young people I've talked to who never thought about looking at the job market before picking their career path, to see what kind of job possibilities/salary ranges were. There is no reason to go 50k in the hole, just so you can get a job making 30k a year.

    6. Re:And... by BVis · · Score: 1

      There is no reason to go 50k in the hole, just so you can get a job making 30k a year.

      Yes there is. Just not a reason that's good for the worker. It's good for the business that hires them, because that debt is an incentive to not complain when the company treats them like shit.

      --
      Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.
    7. Re:And... by mcsnee · · Score: 1

      I can't speak for "the medical field," but better schools do indeed mean more job opportunities in the legal field. This is not to say that a JD from a top law school is the guaranteed job it was five or ten years ago--or that it's impossible to get a job if you didn't attend a prestigious school--but firms certainly do look at where you went to school as a primary indicator of your value and ability.

    8. Re:And... by Farmer+Pete · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Well, I can't control what companies do, but I can advise people not to make dumb decisions. Too often people are directed to pick a career that is what they want to do. Sounds great on paper. I remember filling out one of those career direction tests in high school. If I had followed it's advice, I'd be sitting in a tower watching for forest fires. I don’t have any idea what that type of a job pays, but I have to believe the market is incredibly small. I have a cousin who was half way through college studying to be a photojournalist. He wanted to take pictures for National Geographic. It wasn’t until someone finally banged into his head that there are only a couple hundred people in the world who do that job. He had better odds of getting into the NFL. It seems harsh to smash someone’s dreams, but people need to have a sense of realism in their career choices.

    9. Re:And... by BVis · · Score: 1

      Couldn't agree more. If there are any high school students reading, if anyone tells you to study what interests you, punch them. You should study something that will be marketable once you graduate with $50k in debt. If you don't hate it, that's a bonus.

      --
      Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.
    10. Re:And... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      If you think "good at math" means the ability to do basic multiplication and division I fear for the quality of your schooling.

    11. Re:And... by Lumpy · · Score: 1

      We are talking american schools like the University Of Michigan and Notre Dame... Mathematics like Addition and multiplication is not important here.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    12. Re:And... by burningcpu · · Score: 2

      Sorry, that isn't math. That is number crunching. Anyone who completed a doctorate degree in a science field will be good at number crunching.

    13. Re:And... by dbc · · Score: 1

      Well, those forest fire towers went away a long time ago, in large part because 100% fire suppression turned out to be a bad idea.

      But back to your point: Yes, spot on. There are a lot of way to steer what you like to do into something that actually pays well, or at least you need to assess how much of a factor material wealth is in your life. For my part, I was lucky, I liked math and electronics, and also music. So... let's see, electrical engineers are paid how much? Versus how much will I make teaching an endless streams of 10 year olds to play Dvorak badly? OK... so not hard to decide for me. A degree is a first step on a career path -- have a vision of your career path before shelling out large $$ for a degree. It won't happen the way you envision, but having a broken plan that you can update is far better than no plan at all.

      But back to realism -- one of my good friends in high school -- verrrrry smart guy -- went the forest ranger route. He worked his butt off to get dual degrees in forestry and wildlife biology, with nearly a 4.0. That meant he actually made the cut to get into the forest service, since they accept only a small percentage of applicants. Pretty soon, he was living in the mountains, making trail maps for off-road vehicles. He was getting paid survival wages, eating ramen, and loving every minute of his life. Money had little interest for him -- he wanted a different kind of green. He was happy. He went into the job with eyes wide open from his first day of college.

      My point (your point, too, I think): Be realistic. Know thyself. Have a career vision that is compatible with that. Know what it takes to get into the business. Don't take on more debt than the job will pay off.

    14. Re:And... by dbc · · Score: 1

      Well.... there is such a thing as balance. I've seen an endless stream of EE and CS new hires that got the degree because they saw it as a "meal ticket". Guess what, they weren't very happy, and didn't excel at the job. "Not hating" a job doesn't contribute much to a person's sense of self-worth.

    15. Re:And... by BVis · · Score: 2

      No, but self-worth doesn't pay the rent. Excelling at your job doesn't have a great return on investment these days; most of the time, whether you work your brains out or do just enough to not get fired, you get paid the same.

      --
      Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.
    16. Re:And... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Sorry, that isn't math. That is number crunching. Anyone who completed a doctorate degree in a science field will be good at number crunching.

      Not even that. That is basic school stuff (rather, it's basic school stuff in Brazil, which has the crappiest math scores in the world) and anyone going for a degree in anything that requires a modicum of reasoning (anything, really) should do that easily. If you can't do that you can scarcely be considered a functioning citizen.

      Maths is estimating the optimal ship size to carry oil around or checking for statistical correlations between sets of data. That is BASIC math.

    17. Re:And... by briancox2 · · Score: 1

      You're absolutely right, Farmer Pete. And what is even worse is the number of young people going to college with no clue what they want to do, just because they've been told it's their next step. I just graduated at the age of 38 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. I was appalled at the number of young people at the University with no major and no direction going deep into debt. They would very likely find very rewarding carers in construction, firefighting or police work. Yet they accepted someone else's idea of what they should do and wasted a ton of cash in the meantime. How these people don't fund education to the point of keeping down costs, I will never understand.

      --
      We should learn what we need to know about issues, before we decide what we need to feel about them.
    18. Re:And... by Farmer+Pete · · Score: 1

      Well, those forest fire towers went away a long time ago, in large part because 100% fire suppression turned out to be a bad idea.

      Well, there goes plan B. That's the worst thing I've heard all year. I figured I could get a job watching for fires. Of course, I'd buy a laptop with a WLAN card and play _____. I mean, what percent of your brain does it really take to watch for fires?

    19. Re:And... by Farmer+Pete · · Score: 1

      I have a feeling that the reason for the increasing tuition is similar to the increasing medical prices. You've got a service that most people can't afford. The people who can afford it have to subsidize the people who can't. Then the prices go up because there are more people who can't afford it, but as the price goes up, more people can't afford it. So then the price goes up again.

      If you REALLY want to make yourself sick, check out the list of the largest endowment funds. http://www.statisticbrain.com/college-endowment-rankings/
      The highest endowment to student ratio is Princeton University with $1,857,040 per enrolled student. That means, assuming a modest 4% return on your investment, that the college is making $74,000 in interest per student from their endowment fund. Yet the average tuition is $38,650. How stuff like that can continue, I have no clue.

    20. Re:And... by chrismcb · · Score: 1

      because she was stupid and though the "better schools" means you get more job opportunities.

      The "better schools" DO give you more job opportunities. Some companies ONLY recruit, or recruit more heavily at the "better schools." In some cases mentioning the "better schools" will get you an interview. It gets your foot in the door. It doesn't mean you'll get hired though.

      They are not morons and get loans and spend it on rent, food, and beer.

      I'm not sure if you are saying the morons get loans and spend it on rent and food. Or if the smart ones do, but what do you think student loans are for? Just to pay your tuition? Student loans are there to help pay your room and board, as well as tuition and books, while you go to school. You can learn more if you have more time to study. Yes, having a full or part time job means you owe less at the end, but it also makes it harder to learn.

    21. Re:And... by chrismcb · · Score: 1

      It seems harsh to smash someone’s dreams, but people need to have a sense of realism in their career choices.

      Seems like some HORRIBLE advice. Not everyone can make a gazillion dollars. But telling people not to follow their dreams, so they can make money in some dead end mind numbing job?
      You are right, in that you shouldn't get a degree in "tower sitting" because some test told you to. But you shouldn't also do it because it pays money. Do it because you enjoy it.
      Your friend would probably not get a job at National Geographic. And he definitely won't now. But he might have gotten a job in a similar field, working for a different magazine. Or doing something else he enjoyed.
      Yes you need a sense of realism, but that doesn't mean just throwing your dream away.
      You go to universities to learn, and debate, and meet other similar minded people. Not to get a job.

    22. Re:And... by burning-toast · · Score: 1

      No, but self-worth doesn't pay the rent.

      Wow, that's rather cynical. I happen to think that self worth is the most important thing to hold onto dearly throughout life. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. If you don't value yourself then you will find it very difficult to really give a shit about the work you do, the family you raise, the people you know, etc. This attitude has consequences much more far reaching than most people realize and is exactly how you get in a position of "I do a good job but nobody gives a fuck about me". Or conversely can lead you down the path of mental illness where you set yourself up for the failure you think you will get.

      You can have self-worth and do your job well and get paid. Those things are not mutually exclusive, but I can tell you for a fact that if you don't have self worth it doesn't matter how good of a job you do... you will not move up and you will not get a good return on "investment" because you are only ever half present mentally at work and no body will have any incentive to socialize with or depend on you. Two of the things you will need to be successful (in general) is the willingness of your peers to socialize and depend on you (there are plenty of others too).

      Advocating for an utter disconnect between your "self", your "life", and your "job" is a really, really, really stupid piece of advice. Keep priorities separate for sure, and understand thoroughly the work/life balance you and your family need (or want), but don't relegate yourself to mundane stupid jobs with mundane stupid people who don't have any self worth. That job will be like working in a pit of hell. If you are there, in that job, then GET OUT.

      You can't tell me convincingly that people should just "suck it up" and work at a mind numbing job (with other people who have no self worth) simply to pay bills. It IS work, and you WILL hate it from time to time, but if that becomes a regular feature you should pay yourself the respect you deserve and move on.

      I've been fired a couple of times for telling the company I work for to go stuff themselves (in only slightly kinder terms) when they made unreasonable demands (tried to wrap me around their corporate finger) that didn't respect ME as a person, ME as a father, or ME as a husband with other responsibilities that didn't revolve around their profit margins. I am PROUD of that. I ADVERTISE that. Every time I stood up for myself and the interests of myself and my family I ended up finding a better job, with better hours, more flexible schedule, and almost doubling my salary. Don't be an asshole, but don't take shit either.

      I went into interviews after those couple of incidents fully expecting a question about what I did at my previous job and a question about whether they can contact previous employers. I laid it all out on the table. I told them my previous employer was unwilling to respect me or my family and I was not willing to compromise myself, my family, or my ethics just to retain employment with them for a paycheck (leaving any hint of animosity or anger at the door). Then I gave them a bunch of ex-coworker contacts to call if they wanted to evaluate my work result. I have a very long resume of coworkers and managers who very much like me and my work simply because I never stooped to lowest-common-denominator thinking and wore my mind on my sleeve (in all of its harshness). I straight-up told the interviewers point-blank that I will give infinite professional loyalty to the company only on the grounds that I get the same in return, and if they breach the contract first then they should expect nothing from me other than a resignation or a middle finger on my way out (and they will know it is coming ahead of time). I've only had to turn down offers since I changed my attitude to be more honest, insistent, and forthright. It does a body, mind, life, and pocketbook good.

      Settling for less is still settling for less after all.

      - Toast

  2. College sleaze by Vintermann · · Score: 4, Interesting

    That there is such a market for sleazy colleges at all should be a wake up call. I hope MOOCs will kill off all these "colleges" that are more reliable producers of debt than education.

    --
    xkcd is not in the sudoers file. This incident will be reported.
    1. Re:College sleaze by crazyjj · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I hope MOOCs will kill off all these "colleges" that are more reliable producers of debt than education.

      That describes pretty much *all* colleges/universities now.

      --
      What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
    2. Re:College sleaze by garcia · · Score: 2

      I worked in higher ed for most of my adult life at both non-profit and for-profit institutions and as such I like to pretend I know the good and bad of both models.

      Based on the complaints of so many in the public regarding the for-profit/online model, I am blown away by the support for MOOCs outside of higher ed. I get it, free learning is great but what about actually verifying any learning was done? Are you seriously going to tell me that for-profit education should be killed off by a model which has absolutely no verifiable results? Where is the outrage about that? Solely because it's free we can rally around it? Please be serious.

      As someone who is 10 weeks from graduating with a masters from a for-profit institution (it was free while I was employed there), I fully understand the challenges I will face in the workplace if I try to leverage that specialized degree. However, as a hiring manager, if someone said they were learning through MOOCs I wouldn't even give them the 1/100th of the consideration I would give to a candidate with a degree from a regionally accredited for-profit educational institution.

      Let's stop with the rhetoric about how MOOCs are the savior of our failing higher education models. They're not and they never will be. A wonderful way to learn on your own but certainly not one that can be verifiable.

    3. Re:College sleaze by ranton · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Based on the complaints of so many in the public regarding the for-profit/online model, I am blown away by the support for MOOCs outside of higher ed.

      The complaints about for-profit/online schools are based on the value of those schools compared to their cost. A school like University of Phoenix costs over $500 per credit hour, which is far higher than the industry average. And they provide a severely less valuable education that even the worst brick and mortar schools. No rational people think that MOOCs are going to completely replace real schools, but instead treat them purely as a supplement.

      I obtained by bachelors from University of Phoenix after getting my associates at a junior college. I did this because no brick and mortar schools offer late night classes for a BS degree in IT (in 2008 at least), and I needed to work full time to support a family. I know just how bad their education is. I joke around with coworkers about how lowsy the education was. I have also taken a few MOOCs on coursera, and the education there just blows UoP away. There is no verification that the student actually learned anything, but the same can be said for UoP. I never took a proctored exam, or any exam at all for that matter. If someone paid me $20k on top of tuition I could get them a BS in Software Engineering in a couple years for little effort, because they would never have to prove they know anything in person.

      The only reason these online schools exist is because real colleges refuse to offer a much needed service (after work hours or online BS degrees). I only got my degree from an online school so I could immediately apply for an MS degree at a real school (DePaul).

      --
      -- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. -- Edmund Burke
    4. Re:College sleaze by Vintermann · · Score: 1

      They don't have to be totally verifiable. They just have to be as verifiable as conventional college education, which isn't really an all that high bar.

      And if it turns out people won't put any faith in the Scala course certificate I have from Coursera, I could take a proctored exam, offered at a lot less than the debt-pushing colleges. Though it'd be both cheaper and more reliable to just do some basic sanity checks (e.g. asking me to read or write some Scala code) in the interview.

      --
      xkcd is not in the sudoers file. This incident will be reported.
    5. Re:College sleaze by fermion · · Score: 2
      I get it, free learning is great but what about actually verifying any learning was done?

      There are many ways to look at college. One is as a time spent becoming educated, cultured, and expanding your contacts beyond you hometown school social group. This is why many sent their kids on the Grand Tour, or from America to the great schools of England. The threat of plague, it is hypothesized, and the arduous journey across the sea, impelled the residents of proto-America to build their own colleges. Over time many private and public universities were built. For the early ones, formal assessment was not as important as learning, and of course they were not for the masses Over time more people entered an institution of higher education, formal methods of assessing learning in more real time were developed to track the progress over the years, and we heard more about so-called grade inflation.

      Another way to look at college is as a way to train for a job. In this way general learning is not the key, but rather promotion and validation of a skill set. This skill set will then allow to function as a person who can complete some predetermined set of tasks. As some of these tasks are quite involved and complicated, it requires skilled personel to teach the tasks, and therefore significant money has to be paid. At the high end fo these tasks are doctors and lawyers. At the low end is operating MS Office on a computer. These are valuable skills and deserve a significant payment.

      So what are for profit Universities? They may be a place where students who would not succeed in becoming educated and cultured in traditional institution can succeed. In this case all the complaints about cost and default rate are unjustified. The issue we are having right now is if the instruction is rigorous, or are these diploma factories. The cost lends credence to the later, and it would be good if for profit schools focused on that.

      But they are not. They more and more are presenting themselves as work training facilities. Which is fine. But in that case the verification of learning is landing and keeping a job. If one is not going to be an institution of abstract higher learning, then one is a job training, a different but valuable resource. However, the fact that people default on loans because they don't get a job then becomes a verification that learning is not going on.

      As far as hiring, most jobs for which I have applied wanted authentic verification, not simply degree and grades. The degree and grades were simply a way for HR to thin out the resumes. If someone were to look at a regional or online degree, which in my experience they were not, at least for the pay grade I was looking at, they would still want to see a completed task. It would not mater where the knowledge came from, just that you could apply it.

      And that is where all this is going. Authentic assessment. We need many different learning opportunities because people learn differently. But if the learning results in nothing, who cares?

      --
      "She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
    6. Re:College sleaze by Hatta · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The reason is, you're more valuable to the masters of the economy as a debtor than an educated citizen. This economy does not run on education, it runs on debt.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
  3. Online Lead-Gen Site? by WrecklessSandwich · · Score: 1, Informative

    Is that as opposed to an Offline Lead-Gen Site?

  4. Look up "sinecure" positions by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 5, Interesting

    So online schools are hooking you up wih loan officers for easy-to-get loans to dump cash into their pockets and leavr you, most likely, without a degree, or if you get one, essentially worthless.

    Nice.

    The student loan bubble is still bubbling. Easy loans are (knowledge is power, folks) helping people get educations but also driving the cost increases the past two decades. They nickle-dime you each year because they can.

    It's the same wih a car loan. No way you'd buy a $2000 car nav radio. But add $23/month to a payment? Sure!

    So they add $23/monh to your college loan each year because they can.

    Meanwhile politicians and administrators throw up their hands and say, "Doh! We don't know why!" If you don't, you should be fired.

    --
    (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
    1. Re:Look up "sinecure" positions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      I don't know why people bother with the scam that is the US education system. There are plenty of places around the world that are not part of the bubble.

      A distance-learning Master's degree, from a reputable university in England, costs between $5000 and $10,000 and can be easily completed in two years. A distance learning Bachelor's degree, from the Open University (the people who invented distance learning) can be had for as little as $24,000.

      Why pay a fortune to a bullshit third tier school in the USA, when you can get a better education from a better school for a fraction of the price?

    2. Re:Look up "sinecure" positions by crazyjj · · Score: 2

      It wouldn't be such a problem (in the U.S. anyway) if the government would at least restrict its loan guarantees to accredited colleges.

      --
      What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
    3. Re:Look up "sinecure" positions by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      Maybe look for a job abroad too then. A degree from The Open University is at least as well regarded as one from a brick-and-mortar institution in the UK: the standard is similar and it indicates that you can be self-driven as well.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    4. Re:Look up "sinecure" positions by BVis · · Score: 2

      But but but FREE MARKET! Government BAD! Regulation EVIL! etc.

      --
      Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.
    5. Re:Look up "sinecure" positions by BVis · · Score: 1

      I don't know why people bother with the scam that is the US education system.

      Because, in most cases, if you want a job that doesn't involve a name tag and/or a paper hat, you need a four-year degree. And even then, if you major in English or Communications or some other liberal-arts-well-rounded-fuzzy-squishy field, the most important phrase you'll need to know after graduation is "Would you like fries with that."

      HR people are lazy. In this job market, they're flooded with resumes for even the worst jobs. An easy way to cull the herd is to shitcan any resume that doesn't have a Bachelor's degree on it, regardless of the job. You can be the best programmer/analyst/actuarial/whatever in the world, and a perfect fit for the job, but if you don't have the degree, you don't exist.

      --
      Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.
    6. Re:Look up "sinecure" positions by TubeSteak · · Score: 2

      It wouldn't be such a problem (in the U.S. anyway) if the government would at least restrict its loan guarantees to accredited colleges.

      The for-profit schools have been buying up accredited colleges in order to piggyback their programs on the purchased accreditation.
      Example: Kaplan purchased its accreditation in 2000 when it bought Quest College.

      --
      [Fuck Beta]
      o0t!
  5. Terrific, how do I sell MY info? by couchslug · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'd sell my info and put it towards college. Since I'm already attending it would be legit!

    --
    "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
  6. Big business by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It's a big business, some of these degree lead gen firms employ hundreds of people and rake in millions of dollars.

    But.. it might be sleazy, but in the end it's just marketing. However, some players in the market (not OnlineSchools.org) push the boundaries even further, and attract visitors to their sites with fake job offerings. When the visitor tries to apply for the job, then they get the hard sell for these for-profit universities. The job never materializes of course as the whole thing is a fraud in these instances, but consumer protection agencies aren't bothered.

    Now, of course if those job offerings (or whatever bait is used) don't exist then it's fraud, because the lead gen company is getting something of value (you) by deception (a fake offer). Repeat that hundreds of thousands of times and you have a BIG fraud.. but with lots of individual victims who may not even realise that they have been scammed.

  7. Re:That is to be spelled L-E-D by Fierlo · · Score: 1
    Not just meaning, but at least in English, two words, spelled the exact same way can have different meaning and pronunciation.

    See: Heteronyms

  8. Great submission! by DaMattster · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This was a really great submission and the other links within the TFA were interesting as well. I always had a wary eye cast towards the for-profit educational sector but I honestly had no idea that taxpayers were responsible for a significant amount of their profits. At one point, I was thinking about the University of Phoenix because I suspected that they were at least legitimate. Now, I'm glad I did not!

  9. As an alchemist, I am worth an immense amount by optikos · · Score: 1

    although it is usually the other direction, turning lead into gold, rather than generating lead from other elements.

    1. Re:As an alchemist, I am worth an immense amount by Megane · · Score: 1

      Right, but see, eventually you'll run out of lead, because you've turned it all into gold. So you need to get more lead!

      --
      #naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
  10. Awesome Site! by Metabolife · · Score: 1

    Hey guys! Check out my awesome site to see what your lead is worth!

    sleazybusinesscollectingleads.com

    We're 100% accurate! Find out what your lead is worth TODAY!

  11. Re:That is to be spelled L-E-D by sunderland56 · · Score: 2

    So you think the article is about small electronic light bulbs???

    And you call *us* dumwads...

  12. False come-ons for lead generation by girlinatrainingbra · · Score: 1

    Yes, there are lots of other false come-ons for lead generation. The other standard one you see near the side of cash-registers at pizza places (at Little Caesars in Kearny Mesa) or other restaurants or at the entry/exit of gyms: little entry boxes that you stuff with your contact info and email and cell phone number in the hopes of "winning a cruise!" or of getting "a free vacation!". Of course, the only thing that really comes out of this is that your contact information which you've willing released is sold on to marketers everywhere. One friend of mine XX filled out another friend's (YY) contact info on a slip just to annoy YY.

  13. Re:That is to be spelled L-E-D by hackula · · Score: 1

    Ok, but I do not see how light emitting diodes pertain to the discussion...

  14. Re:That is to be spelled L-E-D by Neil+Boekend · · Score: 1

    You can generate lead if you want, I prefer to generate gold.

    --
    Well, I might have a way, but it only works on a semi spherical planet in a vacuum.
  15. Re:That is to be spelled L-E-D by Kardos · · Score: 2

    It's operator overloading, except for words!

  16. Re:That is to be spelled L-E-D by mcgrew · · Score: 1

    Oh, for fuck's sake. "Led" is the past tense of "lead" (as in "leader") and the verb "lead" is spelled the same way as the mental.

    --
    Free Martian Whores!
  17. it's not spam if you ask for it by Khashishi · · Score: 2

    If you sign up to a site about online schools, and fill out online school applications, and they call you, that's not spam. Scam, maybe, but not spam.

  18. BS for free by schlachter · · Score: 1

    I got my BS degree for free. My state, GA, offers free tuition and fees/books to anyone going to a public university with a HS GPA of >=3.0 for 120 credit hours.

    It wasn't financially based, so it didn't matter that my parents had money (even though I did not).

    Why can't more states do this?

    --
    My God can beat up your God. Just kidding...don't take offense. I know there's no God.
    1. Re:BS for free by Farmer+Pete · · Score: 1

      I know this article is a little old, but it looks like GA is/was having a very hard time continuing the program.

      http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/07/us/07hope.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

      There is no such thing as a free college education. Someone has to pay. We could make it cheaper by cutting expenses. Instead of fancy and ornate college campuses, we could build cinderblock boxes. Instead of trying the hire the best and brightest teachers, we could settle for whomever will work for cheap. I'm sure we could cut the costs down from 10k a year to 3-4k a year.