What about that one (1) qualifying purchase?

Yes, I did pay for something. I will get my money's worth on it. Bear in mind that there were no five, seven, or fifteen qualifying purchases for my soon-to-be free digital camera - just one. There were no bronze, silver, gold, or platinum-ranked purchases - just one. A web hosting service somewhere out there is now provides space for TheFreebieHunter.net, which will be even more helpful than the links just to the right of this post. Is there something you're fanatic about? Sports scores? Road trips? Why haven't you set up a dedicated site yet? Would you want to if someone threw in a free digital camera?

Free Digital Camera?

A free Canon SX10 IS? On what planet? What about a free Canon PowerShot SD990 IS, Sony Cyber-shot T900, Nikon CoolPix P90, Lumix DMC-ZS3, Olympus Stylus Tough 8000, or just $325 in cash?

There are several companies offering one kind of freebie or another. Most of these are purchase-and-referral-oriented. The company offering your choice of six different cameras, OfferCentric, seems to be more open and up-front about their terms and conditions than the competition.

I'm starting this blog to reach out to other people who, like me, worry they don't have enough friends for referrals.

The two basic questions related to this offer are:
Do you ever shop online?
Would you like to get more for your money?

If you can answer "yes" to both, then you are probably qualified to participate.

Let's narrow it down a little more.

Are you already shopping for Direct TV or a web hosting service?

If no, you are not in the target audience today. Try back later. If yes, you absolutely are in OfferCentric's target audience.

These are the actual two offers I was asked to choose between. One of them happened to interest me, so I was in luck. Other advertising partners may show up for new members, such as Netflix or Discover. If I had signed up earlier, eMusic would have been one of my options. It changes over time.

If you are presented with different offers after this is posted, please let me know in the comments so I can give more accurate information. I'll be kind of jealous if someone gets GameFly.

Some transactions may have no up-front cost (i.e., credit card applications), but it is more difficult to qualify for these. Try one if you want, but the camera is free no matter what option you choose, because you receive something for your money. It may be a product. It may be a service. I have a new website (in development). If you don't like the options available right now, look again in a month or two.

Aren't these scams?

I bet several are, which is why I have stayed away for three years or more. If you look at the terms and conditions set up by OfferCentric, there aren't a lot of "hoops" to jump through. Complete one (1) qualifying offer. Refer N people, which is a whole number that varies by giveaway. This is aggressive word-of-mouth marketing. The company believes your personal recommendation is worth more than ads on Google. There are no time limits to knock you out of the running, unlike with FreePay, one of the original "Free iPod" companies. The periodic changes to the cameras offered and advertising partners make it easier to reach out to new people who may also have a use for a free digital camera.

If you are worried about protecting your identity, create a new e-mail account with an unusual name (as in not you, not a pet, and nothing personally identifying), user IDs with unusual names, and use long, challenging passwords (as in not you, not a pet, and nothing personally identifying) - all things you should consider doing from time to time anyway.

Why a camera and not a Playstation 3?

This company has twenty-four different offers that you can choose from, starting with an iPod Shuffle and going up to expensive desktop and notebook computers. The terms for each are basically the same, with just one qualifying transaction plus referrals. The camera stands out as a good first choice because it will let me:

1. take pictures of everything I hope to receive in the future (proof of success)
2. find new opportunities to turn a hobby into a career.

So I sign up and then never hear from you again?

I know how hard it is to make worthwhile friends online (no offense to My Space's Tom). I'm planning on showing my gratitude for everyone who helps me out by adding their promo links as time goes on, even before I finish my referrals. Hopefully we can work together to find other freebie opportunities in the future. For reference, I signed up under Stuart Whitmore, from the website just-stuart.com. If I happen to finish before he does, all my links will be replaced with his as a thank you for pointing out this service (and being funny about it) in the first place.

Get started today. It doesn't cost anything to look. You don't even need to share a name or e-mail address until later.

Is this an abnormally long first post for a blog?

For me it is. Optimism does that.

This is nice

My fiftieth idea for a name wasn't taken yet!