Skip to: content, navigation

Reserve Not Reached

The bidding on this auction did not reach the seller's reserve price.

Bid History

Site Access Verified? No

The seller has not yet verified that they have access to the site for sale. More info.

Telephone Verified? Yes

The seller has linked and verified a phone number against their user account. More info.

Feedback Profile? 0%

The seller has 0% positive feedback. More info.

Seller Profile

Username:
sdbmaranello (60%)
Location:
Private Message:
Message me

1,000,000+ MEMBER GROUP...20,000+ JOIN DAILY

"The Snowball Effect" is an online group. All members are valid and active.

  • URL: http://tinyurl.com/64crfz/
  • Established: Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:00:00 GMT
  • Uniques/Month: 1,000,000
  • Page views/month: 1,000,000
  • Monthly Revenue (USD): 3,100
  • Google Pagerank: 7
  • Listed: Sun, 27 Jul 2008 07:04:10 GMT

Description:

"The Snowball Effect" is a legitimate, official online group with discussion boards, a wall for comments, a "Posted Items" application, videos, photos, etc. I am the sole administrator and creator of the group and am selling the administrative rights to the group. As the administrator to the group, I have access to change anything on the group (i.e. ads, pictures, videos, posted items, group image, ability to ban members and delete member posts, etc.) As the administrator the group will belong to you! You will have access to change the information for a group that more than 1,000,000 members are a part of, and that grows by more than 20,000 members per day. Don't believe me? Follow the link, click "Refresh," and watch the numbers grow.

I am a college student and am a marketing rookie. I have made $3100 selling advertising space on the group in the past month. The best part is, memberships will keep growing once you buy the group. You are purchasing a GROWING GROUP!

 

I started the group as a social experiment and have completed my research so I don't need it anymore. These are the group statistics since we began promoting the site...up to July 28th:

Day 1 (July 2nd, 2008): ..........62 People
Day 2 (July 3rd, 2008): ..........309 People
Day 3 (July 4th, 2008): ..........1770 People
Day 4 (July 5th, 2008 ): ..........4780 People
Day 5 (July 6th, 2008): ..........12,725 People
Day 6 (July 7th, 2008): ..........35,646 People
Day 7 (July 8th, 2008 ): ..........90,000 People
Day 8 (July 9th, 2008): ..........165,386 People
Day 9 (July 10th, 2008) ..........246,387 People
Day 10 (July 11th, 2008) ..........317,646 People
Day 11 (July 12th, 2008) ..........382,361 People
Day 12 (July 13th, 2008) ..........451,000 People
Day 13 (July 14th, 2008) ..........522,017 People
Day 14 (July 15th, 2008) ..........583,619 People
Day 15 (July 16th, 2008) ..........637,704 People
Day 16 (July 17th, 2008) ..........680,292 People
Day 17 (July 18th, 2008) ..........716,670 People
Day 18 (July 19th, 2008) ..........746,435 People
Day 19 (July 20th, 2008) ..........786,003 People
Day 20 (July 21st, 2008) ..........821,707 People
Day 21 (July 22nd, 2008) .........853,610 People
Day 22 (July 23rd, 2008) ..........880,760 People
Day 23 (July 24th, 2008) ..........905,000 People
Day 24 (July 25th, 2008) ..........927,782 People
Day 25 (July 26th, 2008) ..........947,944 People
Day 26 (July 27th, 2008) ..........968,632 People
Day 27 (July 28th, 2008) ..........992,315 People
Day 28 (July 29th, 2008) ..........1,016,862 People!

The group is 100% free to maintain. Let me repeat that...IT IS COST FREE. $0 OVERHEAD. If you have anymore questions please feel free to contact me or leave a question.

Revenue Details:

Posting ads for affiliate programs and individuals

Traffic Details:

Current members + 20,000 new members per day + search engine traffic

Attachments

This Listing does not have any attachments

Questions to the Seller

  1. Posted date:
    Sun, 27 Jul 2008 07:52:58 GMT
    Actions:
    Comment ID:
    #1

    This is one of the most interesting auctions I have seen on sitepoint... ever.

    Posted by:
    TheKage (100%)
    Private Message:
    Message me
  2. Posted date:
    Sun, 27 Jul 2008 11:07:18 GMT
    Actions:
    Comment ID:
    #2

    great concepet i am just wondring why it cant be duplicated ? you are not offring any thing to those people ? with 1 mil people you are asking very little money? ...

    Posted by:
    huma12345 (0%)
    Private Message:
    Message me
  3. Posted date:
    Sun, 27 Jul 2008 12:43:23 GMT
    Actions:
    Comment ID:
    #3

    Please post revenue details. Who did you sell ads to? Where are they displayed?

    Posted by:
    playedonline (60%)
    Private Message:
    Message me
  4. Posted date:
    Sun, 27 Jul 2008 13:10:52 GMT
    Actions:
    Comment ID:
    #4

    This could be interesting... Do you have a website for te application?

    Posted by:
    strikers1985 (60%)
    Location:
    australia
    Private Message:
    Message me
  5. Posted date:
    Sun, 27 Jul 2008 13:59:09 GMT
    Actions:
    Comment ID:
    #5

    40k is alot...

    Posted by:
    wampu (0%)
    Private Message:
    Message me
  6. Posted date:
    Sun, 27 Jul 2008 14:37:21 GMT
    Actions:
    Comment ID:
    #6

    Interesting indeed. However, the site sits on facebook and as such migrating 1M users might be a difficult task. The only put off I have is that its deemed as an "experiment". When does the "experiment" come to an end and how many of the users are active in the discussions groups.
    Thanks.

    Posted by:
    skiman58 (100%)
    Private Message:
    Message me
  7. Posted date:
    Sun, 27 Jul 2008 14:38:42 GMT
    Actions:
    Comment ID:
    #7

    Also, who owns the users? In other words, the site resides on facebook servers. Are there any restrictions to moving those users and/or informing those users the administrator would like to move the experiement elsewhere?

    Posted by:
    skiman58 (100%)
    Private Message:
    Message me
  8. Posted date:
    Sun, 27 Jul 2008 16:47:48 GMT
    Actions:
    Comment ID:
    #8

    Huma 12345: It is very hard to get users on Facebook to join groups in mass like this. Out of the thousands of groups on Facebook less than 20 are over 1,000,000. I am a college student and $40,000 is what it is worth to me to sell it.

    Playedonline: I got revenue from selling ads to online brokers and from my Google Adsense site www.moneystocks.org (where the majority of the money came from). I have the ads down currently because I signing up for an affiliate program that sells ads, and I want to get accepted. The ads normally go in "Recent News" and "Posted Items"

    Strikers 1985: Yes but it is nothing special as I have not had time to make it good. This is why I don't have it posted.

    Skinman 58: The terrific thing is that the "Experiment" never comes to an end. The group should theoretically continue to grow forever. Interestingly my "Snowball" group is currently the fastest growing group on Facebook. By this time next year the group should have surpassed the 5,000,000 user mark. There are several thousand users currently active in the discussion groups. It is up to you to move the users elsewhere via promoting something new. As with anything you cannot just "drag" the users to a new group.

    Thanks for the questions everyone. If you have anymore please feel free to post!

    Posted by:
    sdbmaranello (60%) (seller)
    Private Message:
    Message me
  9. Posted date:
    Sun, 27 Jul 2008 18:35:42 GMT
    Actions:
    Comment ID:
    #9

    LoL some of my friends are in this group. Great idea. To be able to market to so many people is worth more then $40K too bad i don't have the money :(

    Good luck with the sale.

    Posted by:
    NewDimension (60%)
    Private Message:
    Message me
  10. Posted date:
    Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:56:42 GMT
    Actions:
    Comment ID:
    #10

    Thaks for your answer to my question. Do you have traffic graphs. As the site is group is attached to Facebook.com the traffic for your group is not confirmed. Also the links at the bottom of your group page, are those direct to facebook links or applicable only to your group?

    Thanks

    Posted by:
    skiman58 (100%)
    Private Message:
    Message me
  11. Posted date:
    Sun, 27 Jul 2008 22:09:33 GMT
    Actions:
    Comment ID:
    #11

    I don't have traffic graphs since Facebook does not provide them, but you can look at the growth of members per day on the group. Just click refresh and you will see the numbers increasing. I am at the top of page two on Google when you type in "Snowball Effect" (soon to be on page one), plus current members who view the group.

    The links at the bottom of the group are Facebook links and do not involve the group.

    Posted by:
    sdbmaranello (60%) (seller)
    Private Message:
    Message me
  12. Posted date:
    Mon, 28 Jul 2008 01:35:45 GMT
    Actions:
    Comment ID:
    #12

    Very interesting. i dont use facebook, so i want to know if Facebook will allow you to market to everyone in this group? i guess what i also want to know is what are the advantages of being a site administrator? Do you have access to everyones email? or can you send out information to everyone in bulk that has joined this group? Does Facebook allow you to promote your own products to everyone in this group? Do you have proof of income? Are you planning this experiment again on facebook once you sell?

    thanks

    Posted by:
    honeybubblez (0%)
    Private Message:
    Message me
  13. Posted date:
    Mon, 28 Jul 2008 02:33:38 GMT
    Actions:
    Comment ID:
    #13

    Honeybubblez: Yes, you can market to everyone in the group by posting ads on the group. Due to the size of the group I cannot message all of the members at once, as that would clog up the Facebook servers. The advantage of being the site administrator is that you have a complete monopoly on the group. You can advertise whatever you want for as long as you want. I am not familiar with Facebook policy, but other large groups and I have been advertising websites and products and have not heard anything from Facebook. I will be posting ads from an affiliate program I am joining soon called www.neverblueads.com. Yes I have proof of income (i.e. PayPal receipts and Google Adsense reports. I am not planning to replicate this experiment. Others have tried to copy me and are struggling to get more than 1,000 members.

    Thanks for the questions :)

    Posted by:
    sdbmaranello (60%) (seller)
    Private Message:
    Message me
  14. Posted date:
    Mon, 28 Jul 2008 09:26:32 GMT
    Actions:
    Comment ID:
    #14

    Why is the link leading me to an error page now?

    Posted by:
    Stanley Lyndon (60%)
    Private Message:
    Message me
  15. Posted date:
    Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:58:00 GMT
    Actions:
    Comment ID:
    #15

    The link worked fine for me.

    Posted by:
    sdbmaranello (60%) (seller)
    Private Message:
    Message me
  16. Posted date:
    Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:34:59 GMT
    Actions:
    Comment ID:
    #16

    I own a groupe at facebook, but i cant see any place i can add this google code, so how can i do that at your groupe?

    Posted by:
    frode78 (87%)
    Private Message:
    Message me
  17. Posted date:
    Wed, 30 Jul 2008 01:55:01 GMT
    Actions:
    Comment ID:
    #17

    Hrrmmmm ...

    Is there any allowance for an ability to email all members of your group at once, or collect their email addresses to do this off the facebook site?

    It is my understanding that Facebook puts limits on the number of users that you can email through their system and that the number is low.

    If their was a way to contact the users in the masses, It would be easy to move them over to a self regulated site.

    Is their any way to get their email addresses and/or their profile information easily into a database for ad targeting?

    Also, how much is spent monthly on the promotion to generate that many new members?

    Tim

    Posted by:
    acquisitionsone (40%)
    Private Message:
    Message me
  18. Posted date:
    Wed, 30 Jul 2008 01:59:03 GMT
    Actions:
    Comment ID:
    #18

    Stats of revenue, Thanks.

    Posted by:
    hpnotiq (0%)
    Private Message:
    Message me
  19. Posted date:
    Wed, 30 Jul 2008 05:41:05 GMT
    Actions:
    Comment ID:
    #19

    acquisitionsone: There is no way to mass message all of the members or get their info. The best way to make cash I have found is through cost per action/inquiry ads via affiliate programs. I have spent nothing to grow the group. I invited an initial 300 people and did nothing else. It literally snowballed and grew on its own. It gets more than 20,000 new members per day without doing ANY work.

    Posted by:
    sdbmaranello (60%) (seller)
    Private Message:
    Message me
  20. Posted date:
    Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:46:27 GMT
    Actions:
    Comment ID:
    #20

    You do still say ads, but there are no way to add the script code from google in a group at facebook, or have i miss something? If i have i will really like to know so i can put ads at my own group to :)

    Posted by:
    frode78 (87%)
    Private Message:
    Message me
  21. Posted date:
    Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:07:58 GMT
    Actions:
    Comment ID:
    #21

    Frode78: You can't put the Google ad code into the site, but you can link your site with adsense to your group.

    Posted by:
    sdbmaranello (60%) (seller)
    Private Message:
    Message me
  22. Posted date:
    Thu, 31 Jul 2008 05:14:30 GMT
    Actions:
    Comment ID:
    #22

    I'd say you're picking a pretty good time to sell. gl

    Posted by:
    rookdanger (0%)
    Private Message:
    Message me
  23. Posted date:
    Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:48:55 GMT
    Actions:
    Comment ID:
    #23

    I think it is a misrepresentation to say that these users are 'active'. How many users are actually active per day vs. the number that have installed overall? Daily Active Users must be included in order to gauge the value of any facebook app. Many apps are just one time install-and-forget apps.

    Posted by:
    bradical (60%)
    Private Message:
    Message me
  24. Posted date:
    Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:49:56 GMT
    Actions:
    Comment ID:
    #24

    While member counts are in fact increasing, the growth rate is definitely decreasing...
    |
    |
    |__DATE___________MEMBERS________GROWTH
    |
    |__7/2/2008________62
    |__7/3/2008________309_____________398.39%
    |__7/4/2008________1770____________472.82%
    |__7/5/2008________4780____________170.06%
    |__7/6/2008________12,725__________166.21%
    |__7/7/2008________35,646__________180.13%
    |__7/8/2008________90,000__________152.48%
    |__7/9/2008________165,386_________83.76%
    |__7/10/2008_______246,387_________48.98%
    |__7/11/2008_______317,646_________28.92%
    |__7/12/2008_______382,361_________20.37%
    |__7/13/2008_______451,000_________17.95%
    |__7/14/2008_______522,017_________15.75%
    |__7/15/2008_______583,619_________11.80%
    |__7/16/2008_______637,704_________9.27%
    |__7/17/2008_______680,292_________6.68%
    |__7/18/2008_______716,670_________5.35%
    |__7/19/2008_______746,435_________4.15%
    |__7/20/2008_______786,003_________5.30%
    |__7/21/2008_______821,707_________4.54%
    |__7/22/2008_______853,610_________3.88%
    |__7/23/2008_______880,760_________3.18%
    |__7/24/2008_______905,000_________2.75%
    |__7/25/2008_______927,782_________2.52%
    |__7/26/2008_______947,944_________2.17%
    |__7/27/2008_______968,632_________2.18%
    |__7/28/2008_______992,315_________2.44%
    |__7/29/2008_______1,016,862_______2.47%
    |__7/30/2008_______1,042,000_______2.47%
    |__7/31/2008_______1,065,509_______2.26%
    |__8/1/2008________1,084,283_______1.76%
    |__8/2/2008________1,100,908_______1.53%

    Posted by:
    JoeC246 (0%)
    Private Message:
    Message me
  25. Posted date:
    Wed, 13 Aug 2008 02:48:21 GMT
    Actions:
    Comment ID:
    #25

    Well it's basically impossible to maintain a 100% per day, or even 20% per day growth when you hit 1,000,000 people. 1% at 1,000,000 people is still 10,000 people a day. And the group is still getting 20,000 people per day.

    Posted by:
    sdbmaranello (60%) (seller)
    Private Message:
    Message me

Ask the Seller

To post a comment on this contest, please log in with your SitePoint username and password. If you don't have an account yet, you can create a new account for free.