Moments away from
a free latte
Gather.com, an online social network for the over-30 crew, has announced an enhanced program that rewards members for using its social network.
Points are earned each time a user visits and passes time on the site. They can be redeemed for merchandise or services at stores like Amazon, Starbucks, Gap and Target. Members redeemed over $120,000 in points so far in 2008, the company says.
Gather will host a two-week "Invite-a-thon" from Aug. 5-15 to kick the program off formally and stimulate new membership. Existing users that recruit an "active new member" — someone who uses the site at least once after registration and email confirmation — will be entered in a drawing for — you guessed it — more points.
70 percent of Gather's 1 million monthly unique visitors are over the age of 30, and catering to so-called adults is something the company takes seriously. In July it revamped the site to make it even more appealing to the busier-than-thou:
- Landing pages now focus on just three site features: people, groups, and exploring ideas — each with a "What's Hot" snapshot.
- 20 links were condensed to five for navigational ease.
- Privacy features were added to ensure that members would not be "hit with virtual sheep" or "bothered by some former acquaintances they never wanted to hear from again." [Ouch!]
The pay-to-network model brings similar, sometimes controversial ventures to mind: Microsoft's Live Search for Cashback program — where users are rewarded for using Live Search — and PayPerPost's get-paid-to-brand-blog model.
In an implicit condemnation of the latter, last year a Google algo update tanked the PageRanks of some PayPerPost bloggers.
