Fee Based Awards: Part 3
by Wally Gross, Webmaster
Surfers
Choice Internet Awards
15 January 2002
This article is a sequel to Fee Based Awards: Part
1 and Part 2. If you have
not already read Part 1 and Part 2, may I boldly suggest you
take a minute and do so now.
The New Paradigm
In just 30 minutes on 9/11 the world changed and each and
every freedom-loving citizen the world over thinks and acts
differently as a result. It's a dilemma that is without reconciliation;
no normal mind can come to grips with this insanity. However,
it's a reality that bites deeply and will affect each of us
for years to come.
With this, the Internet will change as well. Email usage
will become more important than ever and the use of the Internet
as a tool of commerce and communication will increase rapidly,
but with a new paradigm that is based on traditional concepts
and values.
Perhaps, and for the better, the day of the corporate giant
is coming to an end. The boss and all those subservient may
just be something that can't survive. Control of the way we
think, act and purchase things will change. Bigger might not
be better for too much longer.
The terrorist act of 9/11 has embedded a new thinking in
our minds. Maybe people are starting to think that titles
aren't so important anymore. Hey, "pay attention I am
the president of this huge and important company and I will
control your life, your software and what and when you buy
things," doesn't impress people too much these days.
As I have said on my Surfers Choice Internet Awards site,
"From the deepest dark the brightest light will emerge."
I believe "Peer-to-Peer" business philosophies
will be the new buzz — the order of the day. I think
it's absolutely about time. Treating people like peers can
only add up to more prolific results for all who decide that
people, not technology, is really what makes things work well.
Internet Awards
It seems to me that awards have been an integral part of
our society for many, many centuries. We can all come up with
examples: The Academy Awards, The Pulitzer Prize, The Emmys,
The Golden Globes. There is a definite fascination of some
sort with the recognition and other benefits that seem to
come with receiving any prestigious award.
There is also, of course, a certain "good feeling"
that belongs to the act of giving awards. I am certain many
Internet award sites are there for that worthy purpose alone.
Are These Awards Free?
I worked as a real estate broker for 25 years and along the
way earned many awards. I did not receive an invoice for any
of them, but does that mean they were free? I hardly think
so!
The ceremonies carried a ticket price of about $100 for dinner
and the chance to receive your award from the company president.
The sales people receiving the awards would not be getting
them unless they had earned a decent dollar for themselves
and the company. I just could not imagine an awards celebration
if all the sales people were behind with their office expenses.
Are any awards free? How is the granddaddy of them all, The
Academy Awards, funded. Sponsors, members, submission fees
and donations, that's how. Even trophies given to Little Leaguers
are paid for by somebody — usually local taxes. And if
they're donated, somebody still pays for the hardware.
However, there is one type of award that does seem to come
free. The Internet Award, of course. Hundreds, if not thousands,
of award givers work endless hours to provide their services
for free. Most do it as a hobby, and most love doing it. Kudos
to all of them.
Personally, I think all awards should be free. Heck why not!
I also think my house should be free. My car, my food, my
high speed Internet connection and my clothes, as well. If
we could just find enough sponsors to get that done, wouldn't
life be grand!
Speaking of Reality
The reality of it is another story. While it may be idealistic
to give away one's time to provide free awards, it is a poor
business model in just about all respects. And that, don't
forget, is what this article is all about: a business model
for a fee based award.
In fact the good people who give away their precious time
in running free award sites on the Net may well be the only
people on the planet who provide a truly free service. I don't
think too many others exist.
As most of you who are reading this know, and as I often
say, I have served my tenure and now I would rather spend
my time helping the elderly than waste it on award collectors.
This is in no way intended to disparage those who run free
award sites. As I have said, I respect these huge efforts
that have without doubt added a great deal to the Internet.
In general, I am very suspicious of anything free, but I
don't look a gift horse in the mouth either. I can tell the
difference between "good free" and "bad free."
I haven't taken any of the spammers up on the free holidays
or the free miracle ebooks that will make me rich in 90 days.
I don't buy into the loss leaders that so many hosting companies
and others use to draw people in.
The tragedy is that all too many people do get sucked in.
I, for one, have little compassion left for these individuals
who feed the crooks their money. Most of them are driven by
their own greed and when you put two parties together who
have dubious motives, only bad things can result.
Of course, there are some good free services and products
available out there, but I don't have the time or desire to
get into this right now. A free award from a classy Internet
Awards site certainly qualifies. Free begets free, however,
and that does not feed the family or pay the mortgage, nor
will it build and propagate a business.
Charging a Fee Means It's a Business
Surfers Choice is a business in every sense of the word.
It's fun and really of very little consequence, in the larger
picture, but it does come with an ocean full of responsibility.
If you are running an award sites for fun, as a hobby or
to make a contribution to society, and you decide to do so
for free, that is your right. However, the responsibility
to do it well is still there. If you run an award site and
provide services only on a certain day or when the temperature
is over 70, this leads to poor quality and hurts the reputation
of the Awards Community as a whole. One rotten apple really
does provide the perception that the whole bushel is bad.
Once a site, whether an awards site or any commercial endeavor,
decides to charge a fee for its services, then the whole concept
is much different. When people pay for a service they expect,
and rightly so, something of value in return.
Providing a high level of service is a constant task and
one that I happily accept. What this means changes as often
as the diapers in a day care center. I am really never 100%
certain that what I did last month still works. Is somebody
else doing it differently? Or better? What needs to be changed?
What should I add to provide a service that applicants want
for their site?
Who is my competition? What are they doing? Is my payment
processing secure enough? What's the best way of processing
orders? What does my accountant want me to do? Shall I use
PHP, JS, SSI or IFRAME to update the site? Shall I sell banners?
Do I need Rich Media? Shall I run a contest? Shall I try pop-unders?
How do I get better and more traffic? What services do I need
this month? Can I implement them myself or should I hook up
with an ASP? What content do I need? How do I deliver it?
So you see, the list goes on and on.
Most free awards services have little to do with the items
listed above. Charging a fee means you're running a business
and that carries with it a whole different set of responsibilities.
The Litmus Test
Remember, the three articles in this series were written
specifically for those interested in finding out the details,
or at least my point of view, of running a fee based award
site.
In my opinion, there are certain factors that must be present
for any award site to charge a fee. However, be aware that
charging a fee for a submission is not yet well accepted on
the Net, and this applies doubly for awards. Unfortunately,
the Awards Community has really created this image all by
itself just by the shear volume of sites that provide free
services. Yahoo, which charges $300 US without the hope of
a refund if your site is not accepted, seems to be much better
accepted than award sites that charge $50, 60 or 75 for their
services.
What are these factors?
1) Your site needs total credibility. This means many things:
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