Free1Up – Real review, not an usual advert!
At first, let’s check URIBL (URI Blacklist) database.
We go to http://lookup.uribl.com enter free1up.com where indicated (Enter URI), click the red button and see the result: the domain name is listed on SURBL (Spam URI Realtime Blocklists). Not very good news. Any email containing an affiliate link for Free1Up will be penalized by spam filters.
Let’s go on and check an affiliate website. Let’s analyze what we see on the first screen (what you see without scrolling down). Well, half of the screen is full of pictures: cars, money, diamonds, stuff that is supposed to impress me … The other half tells me only useful things:
“You are now at the website of the product specialist: X” then “This website is best viewed with Windows Internet Explorer 7!!! Simply click on the button below to receive your FREE browser!!!”
I wonder why the copywriter of the salesletter believes that the most important information a visitor must find immediatelly is whose site is this. Other affiliates have even more funny sites: after their name follows another important information: the fact that the affiliate now accepts PayPal at … [here it's his email address]. Probably the main purpose of this design is to help spambots to quickly find and harvest the email address and then start sending spam to it … If you scroll down a little bit you finally understand why the PayPal email address is so important that has to be posted on the first screen: the program is free to join. No, I am not joking. If you’re confused, it’s not my fault. I am only describing the salesletter.
Now let’s return to the first screen and comment the second and last important information: the website is best viewed with IE7 (3 exclamation marks) and if you use another browser, then go and waste your time to download IE7 (another 3 eclamation marks). Indeed we need some exclamation marks here because it’s unbelievable.
That’s all you can see in the first screen. It’s like the copywriter tried to design the worst site possible. Shall we continue?
Scrolling down one more screen … I didn’t find yet what this website is about. All I could find is the following information: the program has just been launched and it is in trial pre-launch mode. Today is 25th of January 2008. Well, I cannot explain you why I did the following thing, but I did it: I’ve searched for free1up.com in the folder where I’ve archived my subscribers’ ads from the whole past year. Surprise! I found many ads for this program and the oldest one was received from a subscriber on … 27th January 2007 (seven!). One year ago! Well … indeed this program is just launched!
When I see that someone is not a very good copywriter, I can understand the situation, not all people can be experts. But if you say that a program launched one year ago is just launched … this shows really a complex thinking. Probably that guy thinks globally, in terms of centuries. What is one year in comparison with the age of mankind? Nothing. So he has right!
The salesletter continues and continues and continues, but I won’t continue because I would have to write a novel. I would just like to remark something that can be found close to the end of the salesletter:
“It’s Absolutely Imperative For You to Register With FREE1UP.COM by MIDNIGHT, FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2008 to be Eligible to Take Advantage of ALL of Our SPECIAL MEGA PROMOTIONS!!! Cutoff Time is Strictly 12:00 AM MIDNIGHT!!!”
Wow! The problem is that I’ve clicked on the right button of my mouse, I’ve selected “View Source” and I’ve read the HTML code. Guess what? The code doesn’t contain the deadline of January 25 but a script that shows to the visitor the CURRENT date. So … tomorrow the deadline will be “extended” till tomorrow. After 6 months, the deadline will be exactly after those 6 months. What a cheap trick!
That’s it! We’ve had enough!
Published in Ezine Advertising Info Newsletter on 25th of January 2008.
