Aussie Company Will Sell You Facebook Friends
Here's a company that will help those who really, really need more help killing Col. Mustard in the parlor with the candlestick in Mafia Wars: Australian company uSocial is selling Facebook "friends" and Twitter followers by the batch. If you want 5,000 more adoring Facebook minions checking out your status updates, you pay $654.30.
The offer is best suited for companies looking to spread word about themselves on the cheap via social media. Reuters reports:
"Facebook is an extremely effective marketing tool," Leon Hill, uSocial CEO, said in a statement.
"The simple fact is that with a large following on Facebook, you have an instant and targeted group of people you can contact and promote whatever it is you want to promote," he added.
"The only problem is that it can be extremely difficult to achieve such a following, which is where we come in.
Understandably, Facebook is miffed. Its rules prohibit using personal profiles to promote personal gain, so we'll see how long this business model lasts, assuming the bought friends are uSocial contractors. CNN is hoping Twitter doesn't ban uSocial before it can buy its way back into competition with Ashton Kutcher.
Not enough Facebook friends? Buy them [Reuters]
(Thanks, Michael and Kim!)
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Comments:
If Facebook really cares, this seems like an easy thing they could combat. Just go "undercover" and buy followers to their own bogus accounts - and then ban all the users who follow those. Of course, it requires Facebook to invest some cash - BUT, perhaps they could use some kind of legal means (sketchy since this company is in Australia) to recover the funds?
So can I get this company to pay me to be facebook friends with people? I'll definitely start a secondary account if it will make me some cash...
@tawni:
I love Facebook. I've reconnected with a ton of high school friends and extended family through it.
I think if you only friend people you actually know, you'll be fine.
@tawni: The internet itseld is a scammer and malware haven. I've been on facebook for quite some time and have never remotely had problems. This is no different than anything that is web based such as email etc. As long as you are smart about what you do and you don't send your life savings to Nigerians you will be able to enjoy the internet for all it's worth. It's not like this is some virus or something that will hack your account and steal your money to give you thousands of frinds. It seems dumb to me and I don't know who would use it but if that is how someone wants to waste their money....
How hard is it to really get facebook friends though? All you have to do is submit your e-mail to spam websites and e-mail and its friend request heaven. Sure, your computer may become overloaded with malware and crap but at least youll have friends. The good thing? Facebook works anywhere so just buy a netbook once you trash your current computer. 300$ for a netbook or 650$ for friends. I say go the spyware road, get friends, and an excuse to get a shiny netbook. Its better than that dell inspiron your rolling anyhow right?
I assume you mean, facebook is mad when OTHER people do this. Obviously facebook itself is allowed to use your personal profiles for their own profit, without sharing the profits back with you.
@tawni: I have encountered exactly zero scammers and malware items on Facebook and I use it every day. The same common sense approach to the internet (as roshambo said) apply to Facebook.
here in illinois, we buy our friends the old-fashioned way: with dirty political money.
About another week, and my old Facebook account should be completely and irrevocably deleted, which I arranged for because, as illustrated in this story (and for many more reasons) Facebook is EVIL. I will have no part of it anymore.
@duncanblackthorne: LIES! We know you just updated your status to 'Posting lies on The Consumerist'. Haha. Facebook is evil no doubt... and it will suck you in forever! Until of course something better comes out. Like Personopedia. Yea, its a million dollar idea, you can have it.
@tawni: I have never seen any spyware or lamware on facebook. I think you are thinking of Myspace, now that place is full of scammers and spyware.
This is just sad, people collecting others and people following strangers for fun. The only friends I have on facebook are actual friends and family. It has helped me reconnect with lots of friends from high school and college so its great for that.
Can I rent my friends just like I do in real life? I'm maximizing my "uncomplication" time.
Hmm... misleading. From the article, all the company does is *send friend requests* to the number of people bought - it is up to each individual person on their list to approve or deny the friend request. It doesn't actually buy you friends, as long as the people uSocial contacts are smart.
Maybe... maybe that is too much to ask.
@gqcarrick:
It's always the people who've never bothered to use Facebook who complain about how horrible it is.
What.
How would this do anything but just take your money?
@gqcarrick: there are some on facebook. ive gotten a lot of friends through mass add lists for mafia wars and you come across a scammy app every now and then. itll pop up a notification that someone complained about your profile and click here to view it. then it tries to install itself. but youd have to be an idiot to allow it. i would think they could be avoided by only being friends with people that you actually know.
@eddieck:
Facebooks pissed cause these guys are selling friends cheaper than they are. Best you can get on the FB is $8-$9 CPM.
Buying friends. Isn't that what college fraternities/sororities are for?
@tawni:
I doubt very much that THIS is why you don't use Facebook. If you think Facebook is full of scammers and malware, you know nothing about Facebook.
@eggshelld: I read a report about this study conducted recently where the guys doing the study randomly sent friend requests to something like 500 people on FB, and the positive response was about 13%.
I was half-expecting people here to start posting Facebook account links to pad out their friend count for free.
Come on, savvy consumerist readers. FREE friends!
@tbax929: and THAT is why i personally don't get into facebook - anyone from high school that i want to be in touch with, i already am. the rest of them need to leave me alone
@Cant_stop_the_rock: I know enough to have had too many hard drives that I have had to get crap off of and the clients swear they only played games and crap on Facebook. considering there was no porn and no external drives I tend to believe them. Now that being said I know better than to click on links and never play those flash games. I would still never use facebook.
@catastrophegirl:
I went off to combat within 6 months of finishing high school and then was stationed all over the place. I lost touch with most of my high school friends. Are there people from high school I'm not interested in? Sure. But you don't HAVE to be friends with everyone who asks you!
@moore850: I'snt letting you use a site that costs thousands of dollars to maintain for free constitute them sharing their profits? God forbid they use advertising profits to run their site instead of lining your pocket.
@tbax929: there's one that's been stalking me but i haven't seen in person in over a decade. i don't even want him to know what i currently look like. facebook doesn't seem secure enough for me, since within a week of signing up my sister figured out how to manipulate facebook URLs to see photos of people who didn't want to share theirs.
This is exactly why I stay off of facebook. It is becoming a scammer and malware haven.