Conrad Strydom views and commentary from a web engineer

SpiffBox.com, pays you to be social, but that’s not the point

I ran into a new social network today called SpiffBox.com, and the only reason it caught my attention is that they allegedly pay users to use their site, i.e "the more social you are, the more you earn" ethos.

"Interesting", I thought to myself, mainly because I am not a fan of this marketing strategy for a social network (nothing like shallow, low value connections to devalue your network - just ask MySpace), but that's a post for another day. No, after signing up with a 90210 area code (the site is only available to US people apparently - sorry SpiffBox), I realised that there was something else going on, something that they cleverly mask in the form of a social network.

Here it is: SpiffBox.com is not a social network, it's a direct marketing platform! Let me lay out my reasons below:

1. Credits can be earned, spent, purchased and redeemed.
2. The word Spiff is well known to salespeople, referring to an immediate incentive a salesperson receives after a sale, i.e here is a box you can dig around in to earn yourself more spiffs?
3. You can absolutely not interact with someone unless you are a friend.
4. There is something in it for you to respond to friend requests, messages, chats etc.
5. Friendships are shortlived (30 days), but you can pay points to have them extended. Clearly the system is not intended to foster lasting relationships and is encouraging a large turnover of connections. I don't imaging you would bother to keep track of real-world friends here would you? Rather like the relationship you have with a marketer?
6. You can really go into details in terms of your search demographic, this could also benefit those looking for a love interest, but also possibly marketers. Of interest is the long list of what the person would like to spend their points on (Food, Clothes, Bills, etc).
7. Emails cannot be forwarded. Marketing might be confidential?
8. Friends cannot see other friends. Again confidential.
9. You can't make anything from posting Status Updates? Why is that?
10. You can create a list of "candidates" for future friendships, kind of like a sales prospect?
11. You are able to take part in SpliffOffers which are promotions, surveys etc which reinforces the marketing angle.

This smells a lot like LinkedIn which masks a recruitment tool as a business network for obvious reasons (professionals are always looking for better jobs, their bosses just don't know it), if you don't believe me do a google search for the terms linkedin & recruitment.

The only part I cannot figure out is why you get credits when someone views your gallery and vice-versa, that part doesn't quite make sense to me yet.

Clearly this is a social network which is setup to NOT foster long term relationships whether they meant to do it or not, and people doing it for the money are not there to catch-up with mates.

I just realised, those looking for love are not too far off from direct marketers hey? Hmmmm...