Thanx

[deload]

i was planning on starting my own matrix site then i found out about your site and i now know not to make one, from what ive gathered theres no more customers (partially cause of you partially cause of so many other sites) theres to many lawsuits now and there just isnt any money left in the matrix world.

[ycchen]

Thanks for sharing your thought.

My take is that Matrix die because of consumer awareness. Matrix can only survive under tons of lies and deceptive tactics by the owners and supporters. As long as they are exposed as a genuine pyramid/ponzi scheme, they are finished.

[Dreamer]

I personally congratulate you for making such a hard decision. I mean, these Matrix sites are the easiest get rich quick scams out there, for the owner anyway. You can make alot of quick money, if you don't mind lying and stealing from people, and you don't mind the risk of being sued.

The problem with this system, is not everybody gets paid. As I said somewhere else, Ponzi's original scheme was to buy stamps from a weakend economy (foreign country) for a penny, and bring them back here for 4 cents. He offered his clients the opportunity to double their money in 90 days (I might be having my facts wrong, but bear with me). So, if he can get $10,000 invested, he can buy that many stamps, and make $40,000, give back $20,000 to his investors, and walk away with $20,000 himself.

I don't know if he just underestimated the demand for his service, or realized he can make alot of easy money with little work by just forgoing the stamps.

This can work. This is what banks do. They accept your deposits, they loan out the money to investors, businesses, enterpreniours, or just credit cards, and they collect interest on the balance. So, they are making your money work for them, and are able to give you a return (if you have an interest bearing account, or a CD or something). That is how they can stay in business.

Unfortunately, matrix sites don't do any advertising. They have all their members do it for them. They don't make the money work...they don't invest it, they don't loan it. They just hold it and spend it when they want. Thats why its a scam, because they have no intention to pay back what people buy into.

[deload]

what if i made a site that sells stuff ive made like a computer game i made (mb$15) and mp3s (mb for $1.50) of my band for fair prices and did a no purchase neccessay contest promotion in the form of a matrix would there be any problems with that? i mean it would be stuff that is well worth it in my mind and a matrix does provide a better chance to win then powerball or mcdonalds monopoly game. if people wanted to they could get entered for free by sending me a postcard or something. do you think that would be an ok use of a matrix?

[concerned]

Originally posted by deload
i was planning on starting my own matrix site then i found out about your site and i now know not to make one, from what ive gathered theres no more customers (partially cause of you partially cause of so many other sites) theres to many lawsuits now and there just isnt any money left in the matrix world.

Our involvement is very minimal as to why there are no more customers. The main reason that there are no more customers is because 90% of the customers from before were all scammed. That is the plain and simple truth. Why would someone want to make a purchase at another site, after they were scammed from one already?

Now, let's address your idea of a free entry. It would probably be OK, but are you prepared to pay out cycles of people that don't make any purchases? I can guarantee you that you will get about 200 signups just from me and my closest friends and family alone, and we will probably not be making any purchases at that site. Just remember that if you guarantee a certain cycle, then you would need to be able to pay them out. Remember, a matrix, whether they are free or not, requires you to give a cycling number ahead of time. If you have a cycle of 20 for instance, and it is free, and given that I teld you that 200 of my closest friends and family will join for free, you will have to cycle off 10 of us before you even make a single sale. My suggestion is that you just stick to your original thought, and scrap the entire matrix idea. You aren't the first person that has tried to make this more legitimate by trying to make it free, and you probably won't be the last.

[Dreamer]

If its stuff you create, than there shouldn't be a problem. But, no matter how popular your band might be, would anybody be willing to buy 50 of the same mp3s?

If indeed your band is that popular and your software that great, you won't need to offer a ponzi scheme. You can garner plenty of traffic and make money selling banner adds, and getting your name out there.

The question ultimatly will be, what will be the reason people will buy from you? For your music and software, or for the prize? If you want to offer a prize, have a monthly drawing, no ponzi.

[deload]

if i were to ditch the idea of prizes and matrixes and and giveaways does any one have any good ideas as to how i could increase business?

[MatrixWatch]

That would be a question to ask one of those ecommerce sites out there. You could also check out amazon.com, etc. for some new books about lauching your own business. I'd like to comment on the question you had regarding the matrix. Some of our members may be interested in this topic.

If you offer an item for sale, whether it be your own product or a product written/developed/manufactured by someone else, AND you require the purchase of that product in order to enter the customers into a chance-based promotional program (matrix, sweepstakes, etc.) then that is a lottery. Anything less than 100% certainty is considered chance, and a matrix definately fits into this framework. Many U.S. State laws forbid lotteries unless a special license is granted them by the state. This enables the states to set guidelines over the lotteries and make sure that certain protocols are met. Matrix sites are illegal lotteries, and not one matrix owner has dealt with this problem.

I see many questions and suggestions being offered on many of the forums out there for new matrix owners. Not once since the inception of the matrix sites have I found a solution to the illegal lottery problem. The only way to make a matrix legal would be to offer customers a spot in the matrix for free, without any purchase. However, if the lists were flooded with new names, and then those names cycled, the matrix owner would not have the capital to pay out those cycled names. Ergo, the matrix would not work.

The matrix sites are built upon a marketing concept, and this marketing concept is so flawed that several lawsuits are now being ruled in favor of the customers. Worst yet, the matrix owners do not have an exit strategy and this makes for an inescapable situation where they are sitting on a legal timebomb. Once their lists slow down, and their customers find out that they can get their money back through a lawsuit, they will be entirely vulnerable. They will also get their pay companies involved as well, and we have yet to see the reprocussions of this for the matrix owners.

In short, please do not start a matrix site. It is a very bad idea, both for you and the customers.

[deload]

im not planning on starting a matrix site i decided that yesturday and confermed my decision today

[Dreamer]

There are alot of gimics available to brick and morter stores to increase business. Giveaways, raffels, opening sales, etc. If you are talking about business in a real store, go around and see what places are doing. Coffee shops in book stores? Celebrity autographs? Even just the hours of operation, and the friendliness of the staff can lead people into your store.

But, I know your not meaning that. But, the ideas are the same...check out your competitors online and see what they are doing. Your going to want a nice professional looking site, maybe an email newsletter, quick customer service, frequent updates. Maybe sell banner adds. Start up an affieliate program with other businesses that offer similiar offerings. Find an angle, and stick with it.

Then angle shouldn't be something that people may fee screwed, even if it is legimitate. One site I've been loyal to for years, first opened up, offering a free prize (the $50 sort, not the $13,000 sort) once a month to a random person that subscribed to the FREE newsletter. If that person didn't respond to the winning email within a couple days, it would be given to the next random person until its completed. I never won that free item *mumble mumble*

If you want to start a website, more power to you. Make it professional, put it on every website out there, and give a reason for your customers to want to go there and constantly return. Don't try to scam...that will only hurt any reputation you might have. If you make an honest site, and your work your arse off to make it work, I'm sure there are alot of people out there that would be willing to help you out with suggestions. If it even smells of s scam, well, there are some of us who will cheer the day when your site closed down.

So, go to the store. Buy a nice basic guide to business. Check the credentials of the author (I can write a good premeir on it for you, but you shouldn't trush a nobody like me). Spend some time tackling your business plan, and see what your competitors are doing. If your selling online, good luck. Too much competition. But, if your sincere, you should make it thru.

Just, please...dont' think of any way you can make a profit off of somebody at somebody elses expense. All businesses make a profit, some a healthier one...but only a few of them go out of their ways to try to screw their customers, and wonder why they close down quickly. It doesn't matter if you can make a quick $100 today, but be closed down by the end of the week. What will matter is if you make $10 today, but you are still in business in 20 years.