Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Colocation and Data Centers : Opinions on this Idea

[Mrdredd]

What do you guys think about selecting 2 upstanding members of the WHT community and offering them each 1MBPS and 1U colo free for 6 months as long as they write up reviews on the service for use on our site and for referral to for prospecting customers?

For example, write up a review/status on performance once a bi-weekly for the first month, then one review required everymonth there after until the 6th month, where it goes to bi-weekly again until the end of their term.

What do you guys think of this idea?

How do you think I should go about making a selection as to who the 2 users should be?

[Papa Smurff]

I think the other name for this would be "Political firestorm"...

[RofyHost]

Great idea, sure everyone will appreciate

[mgphoto]

I think it sets a pretty bad precedent. Isn't that almost the same as paid advertising?

Let the market speak for itself. Someone getting free hosting is going to cut you more slack than someone who is paying for it. If you have happy or unhappy paying customers they will let others know.

[innova]

Reminds me of Microsoft's benchmarks showing MSSQL / IIS pounding the free alternatives on linux, or the more recent report showing that windows is actually safer from a security standpoint.

Seems they slipped the company reviewing the software a few bucks for the kind writeup.

Don't do it. It only shows one thing: Desperation.

[trustedurl.com]

Originally posted by Mrdredd
What do you guys think of this idea?

I think it's against the rules... but in reality I'm sure it happens...

[snickn]

I think it'd possibly be a bad idea..could this user write a bad review and be confident he wouldn't :

1) lose the deal
2) lose his machine?

Not speaking of any company doing this specifically, but if this user isn't happy at all with whatever, are you really going to continue to give him 1mbit? Probably not.

Granted, you shouldn't have anything to hide, and your service should be great, so this would probably work, however I think paid customers will give more truthful reviews that anyone being "sponsored"

When the Radio DJs tell you how wonderful their car is, or their cellphone is..do you really trust them? I don't, because they get the car and all for free...they have to say it's wonderful.

[Jake Weg]

what I think he means is for 1 month only

what would someone do with 10 servers for 1 month

[Aussie Bob]

Originally posted by innova
. . . Don't do it. It only shows one thing: Desperation.

I agree. Let your current clients write up testimonials etc.