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Free Album from Nine Inch Nails

Several artists, including Coldplay (download leftrightleftrightleft here), have figured out that giving music away is a good thing for them and their fans. NIN released its 2008 album The Slip under a Creative Commons license (see FAQ for more info) and made it freely downloadable (here) in several formats including MP3, M4a, and several "better than CD quality" formats. For anything other than MP3 you will need to use a BitTorrent client such as the original client or many people’s favorite, uTorrent, or choose from this list comparing clients.

See also: This looks like a well thought out abstract by Michael Pfahl on Giving Music Away to Make Money. I have only skimmed it so I’m not entirely sure what points are made.

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I Scream for Ice Cream – Free Ben & Jerry’s!

April 29, 2008 is Free Cone Day at Ben and Jerry\'sAll hail the great Ben and the wonderful Jerry! In celebration of their 30th birthday, Ben & Jerry’s is giving way free ice cream today! Remember, they also offer free wifi access. Find a store near you. You can bet our horde will be there late this afternoon ruining our dinner.

Amy loves ice cream!Ah! Look at the ice cream love in those eyes! Read more at Domestic Psychology.

 

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Zappos has me hooked

The shoe and apparel company Zappos is making the best marketing use of Twitter I have seen to date. (The American Red Cross still has the best utility usage of Twitter.) The Zappos CEO, Tony, is inspiring awareness of Zappos.com through contests and give-a-aways introduced through Twitter!

Twitter @zappos link 2 ur favorite shoes & ur favorite Zappos core value (hint: @missrogue has blog) by 7 PM Pacific. Will pick 1 winner! [Source, Twitter, @zappos]

They also happen to be avid bloggers! Zappos has given away shoes to random Twitter followers, each month they give away a pair of shoes to people signing up from Zappos.com, and even flew a random Twitter follower to Vegas for lunch with Tony the Zappos CEO. Oops. I was typing up this post and browsing shoes and got my entry into this contest either right on the wire or a few minutes late but I know Tony will have more contests! Right Tony? I chose the Michael Toschi Lorenzo SKU #7415650 and the company core value "4. Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded." I have a wide foot. The picture doesn’t look like it would fit comfortably. Fortunately Zappos has free shipping both directions and 100% satisfaction guaranteed with a full refund within 365 days of purchase!

Be sure to follow Zappos on Twitter @zappos. Search Twitter for "Zappos" and you can discover the COO and other Zappos staffers! You can follow me @djuggler. Watch Miss Rogue’s Interview: Zappos.com’s Tony Hsieh and Rachael Brown to learn more about this great company. Btw, the Zappos ten core values are:

  1. Deliver WOW Through Service
  2. Embrace and Drive Change
  3. Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
  4. Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
  5. Pursue Growth and Learning
  6. Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
  7. Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
  8. Do More With Less
  9. Be Passionate and Determined
  10. Be Humble

Honestly, I’m sold. My next pair of shoes is coming from Zappos! Fortunately for Zappos, this seven family household needs roughly 14 pairs of shoes in the very short term.

Update: Sarah Lacy does not like Zappos but many of her commenters disagree.