Routine Order

Thoughts is a place you can create a free blog. There are lots and lots of free blog providers and this is one of them. I got there by typing in the url, I was just curious to find out what’s at the URL thoughts.com - it sounds like the perfect URL for a blog, or, rather, a journal. Now the difference between a blog and a journal, in my opinion, is that a “weblog” or “blog” is a collection of articles and links to sites, and a few opinions from the writer. A journal, on the other hand, is a more personal thing, written for the benefit of the writer more than anyone else.

Most of the free blogs on thoughts come under the latter category, with most of the posts being introspective and very personal. I wonder if the folks blogging there got there the same way I did, and decided to start writing there that way. There’s also a thoughts forum that seems quite young. Mostly bloggers asking about thoughts, and discussing general stuff. The thoughts.com domain name must be worth a lot, and I hope the thoughts free blog service ramps up to realize the full potential of the domain name.

Let me try this once:) You can get your own free Zune player at myzunefree.com. All you have to do is sign up for one or more of the offers on display after you login, and complete enough offers to get one credit. You could get the one credit for completing just one offer, or, if you choose to try the several free, no-cost offers, you may need to follow through on more than one of the offers to earn your credit.

I’ve long been curious about these schemes, but this Microsoft Zune offer has a great FAQ that addresses the questions I have had in the past. In fact, the first question in the FAQ links to a video from the BBC that explains how these schemes work. Then there’s more:

How can you afford to give away a Microsoft Zune for free?
Our sponsors pay us a commission for users to try out their products and services. That is then used to purchase your Zune MP3 player or other related product.

The basic reason I signed up is because I have been wanting to try Blockbuster’s online video renting scheme for some time now. So I will just cancel my Netflix subscription and give Blockbuster a chance to impress me. What’s really cool about Blockbuster is that you can exchange the movies you get in the mail at any BlockBuster store, and instantly get a new movie! So unlike Netflix, you don’t always have to wait for the next movie to arrive in the mail! So as far as I am concerned, this is a win-win situation. I get the $9.99 for the first month Blockbuster rentals, and if enough of you choose to sign up for the free Zune offer, I might get a free Zune as well. If the blockbuster deal doesn’t cut it for you, try some of the other free, or even $1 offers. You can’t lose, especially with the money-back offers. So sign up for your free Zune now!

There are many websites that allow you to download ringtones, and most of them offer a free ringtone as soon as you sign up. So how do these companies make a profit?

Selling ringtones and call-back tones (which is what your callers hear when you haven’t picked up the phone yet) is a $2 Billion market in the US alone! Most of these websites are affiliates for some other business that makes their bread and butter selling cellphone services, like ringtones. These services often have tie-ups with specific cellphone carriers, such as T-mobile, or Verizon. Now the way they make money is, somewhere in the subtext of the agreement you hurriedly click through on the way to downloading the free ringtone, you agree that the company will charge you for a monthly subscription through your carrier. That’s right, even when they don’t have your credit card, they still can charge you through your phone bill. The carrier profits, the company selling the service profits and the website which sent you their way profits.

You can also profit - the trick is, instead of fishing for free ringtones, if you really are interested in getting a great ringtone, sign up with a good ringtone download site, and be aware of the subscription. After you get the ringtones that you need - maybe within a day or a week or even a month, just call your service provider, or the company you got the subscription from to cancel the subscription - of course, to do this, you need to write down or otherwise remember the details of the subscription and also find out before signing up what the exact procedure for letting go is. Most service providers allow you to cancel by sending a text message with “quit”, “stop”, “cancel” or “unsubscribe” in the message. For example, if you sign up through my ringtones hub, you will be getting the service from Blinko, and their terms clearly mention how to manage your subscription:

For help, text “HELP” to 42222 at anytime. To cancel your service, text “STOP” to 42222 at anytime. For questions, please contact Blinko’s customer service at www.Blinko.com/care or call 1-800-971-2271.

Find these things out before you sign up. Knowledge is Power - know what you are doing, and don’t be a jackass by expecting the world for free.

Go to FreeAnnualReport.com to get your credit report from the three major credit monitoring companies.

This new year, I have resolved to get a tighter grip on my finances. The credit report will (hopefully) help me in bargaining with my credit card companies for lower rates.

I also anticiapte having to pitch for a home loan/mortgage later this year - all the more reason why I should see myself as I am seen by lenders.

Everyone is entitled to one free credit report a year, so go get it, and get a grip.

DC Comics
Now you can read the full first issues of the many Vertigo series that revolutionized comics! Follow the links below to download a PDF version of the first issue of these classic Vertigo series now collected in graphic novel form. When you visit the Graphic Novels section of VertigoComics.com, any graphic novel titles with a #1 icon () will have a download of the ground-breaking first issue!

Sandman, Death: The high cost of living, The Swamp Thing, all are anow available as free pdfs… Very Cool!