Stuff Like That.

vectoredzev

My concern with your statement, is you dont know how the product was offered. Was it offered, free, no commitment? Or was it a paid product.

Either way, no one should be REQUIRED to publicize something before downloading it.

It should only be an option.

You mercurycreative are supporting evil design.

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mercurycreative 

Assuming the product was free, then I see no issue with this. It is neither abusive nor “evil design”. It is a creative barter agreement. They give you the content for free in exchange for you providing a little publicity. If you don’t wish to participate then look elsewhere for the product. It doesn’t appear that they ask you to support it or evangelize the product, just state that you downloaded it.

This company is not REQUIRED to give you the product for free. They can offer you any form of exchange for the download they like. You are free to accept the terms or move on.

Angry Birds does this to unlock levels. Is that abusive? Or a creative way to get marketing and engage the friends of a user?

We need to start thinking of new ways to engage, market and monetize websites and their products. It’s all well and good to demand that everything be free and catered to your whims, but your clients need to make money off of their products. Either you be the creative person thinking up of new ways to market or someone else will take your job.

EDIT: This wasn’t even an example from something in the wild. It’s from a demohttp://tutorialzine.com/2011/05/tweet-to-download-jquery/

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vectoredzev

Btw. I posted a live version of one, down below. People use it, just not with that text, so its harder to find.

Seriously, go read the website I linked to. Dark Patterns. You might learn something.

What this tool did is not about engagement, its about being viral, and not in the good way. In forcing your name throughout the web.

Tools like this are not an example of good experience, product, and branding. It’s an example of manipulation. Offer a product, with a requirement.

The same way capitalism works. You mention marketing and monetizing. You’re right, that is exactly… EXACTLY what this is doing. But it’s not doing it in a reputable way.

The point of Dark Patterns is to point out the ways companies “Monetize” and retain their users. But they do it without giving an option.

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In Louis CK’s iAmA here on Reddit. He pointed out that the LAST thing he did on his site was decide whether or not to let users “opt in” or “opt out” of the newsletter. That was his decision. He chose the default option to be “Opt Out”, and in doing so, gained the respect of more than a handful of his users. Which replied by thanking him in the AMA and supporting his album, which only cost $5.

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There is a difference between creative engagement and ruthless entrapment.

That’s where the line is drawn between good and bad memorable & forgettable products.

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mercurycreative

I have read it. Which dark pattern do you believe this site is employing?

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