February 2nd, 2010
Beta Testers / Early Adopters Wanted
I’m putting together a new site. Well, that’s not really true. It’s an old site. But I’m taking it in the direction I’ve always envisioned for it.
At the heart of the site is the idea of people establishing authority, trust, and demand (read value) through the telling of their stories. I’m a believer in this. A BIG believer.
There is no way someone who is pushing a product or service in a cold, automated “pimp” fashion is going to be able to compete with one-on-one relationships. What I’m up to here and where I plan on taking this site (which I have yet to mention its name, I know) should at least get the pimps attention, if not strike a chord of discomfort… let alone fear.
The name of the site is Dream Town Market. It’s at least a year and a half old. It’s a simple site using RSS feeds combined with keyword phrases entered by the visitor. The search results provide relevant products and services (hopefully and somewhat), thus establishing the modest monetization of the site.
I have not heavily promoted the site because it’s been more of a thought experiment in coding more than anything else. But that’s about to change.
The vision I have for the site is one of a market where others have a platform to easily promote products and services in an intimate, one-on-one manner. The eqivalent in the physical world would be a stall in a farmers market or antique mall.
But I need a small group of individuals who are patient, understanding, literate and “get” what I’m out to achieve. And even if they don’t fully “get it”, they are at least curious to see where this leads. Consider it entertainment value for them, I guess. 😉
This doesn’t cost a lot of money. And you might think that there should be a discount for the beta testers. Well, there is a “discount” in a round-about way. You see, I don’t compete with you. Every sale is an affiliate sale. Even if no affiliate is connected to the sale at the time of the sale.
Every week prior to commissions being sent out via PayPal Mass Pay, the new members who signed up without a referrer (affiliate) will be assigned one. At this time, the assignment rule is simple. The members with the longest memberships and the least affiliate sales (starting at zero sales, of course) get the sale. This algorithm will change over time, where longevity and performance are weighted in a formula as yet to be defined. But for now, it’s a simple rule.
So in effect, you’ ve got your discount. Because this project is in the early stages, the person that signs up right behind you is most likely signing up without a referrer. And that 60% commission (again, every sale is an affiliate sale) is going to go right to your PayPal account in a few days (paid weekly on Sundays).
Now if you’ve made it this far and you’re still interested. I’ve got a riddle for you. Why? Because it’s acting as a throttle. Believe it or not, I really don’t want a lot of sales now. This site has so much more to go through in the way of “rules of the road” for WordPress Contributors and the fine tuning of Ravi’s membership software. So consider this riddle a “litmus test” on whether or not you have the patience and intelligence to be an “early adopter”. You know, those people who take “risks” and when it works out, are richly rewarded. 😉
For the location of the site (the name of the subfolder of www.dreamtownmarket.com) here is the riddle:
You’ll find many of me in the supermarket
Our quantity is always the same.
I’m in the answer to the most common question.
What am I?
OK. Every good riddle needs a hint. 😉 Go to www.dreamtownmarket.com and you’ll see the answer.
I am able to stay in daily communication with you. But the windows are tight since all of this entrepreneurial activity is currently in the category of “PLAN B”. So before I head for the bus stop in the morning and after dinner at night (there’s 12+ hours right there), that is when we can have our “quality time”. Just so you know…
Thank you for your time spent reading this post. Your time is never taken for granted and always appreciated.
Kindest Regards,
xearther
by xearther