People never cease to amaze me. I run a property listing website called Property Axis . On this site I let people, estate agents or private sellers, list their properties for free. Yes, not a cent is charged. For this low price I give them 12 photo's and 1000 impressions of their property advert. The site gives all the usual things, ability to contact seller directly, ability for seller to put up their own photo and, if they are an estate agent, their corporate logo.

Now there is really no catch with Property Axis, it is what it is, a free property listing service.

When we first started the site I had no message stating that the only condition to advertising is that we would be able to send them email from time to time. Without this message, I had a large number of people registering to the site and listing their properties.

Then I added a note on the registration page to say that the only thing we ask is that we may send a property related email once in awhile. Since them we have had not one registration to the site.

I mean how's that for how people think. We give them thousands of Rands worth of FREE advertising and they will not register if we state that we will send them a few email messages.

This experience has just, once again, shown me that most people out their are "takers". They take, take, take, take, take and if you give more, they will take some more. It's an amazing thing to see just how small minded people are. How when it costs nothing and they could sell their property worth hundreds or millions, they will not even register if the are going to get a few emails related to property.

The test has been amazing. I really don't mind nobody registering as I don't make any money from the site, but it just goes to how many people actually believe that the world owes them something.

Well, that's my bitch for the week. I am now going to remove the message and see what happens. 

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Charl - Everything for nothing! Allow   | 196.41.124.xxx | 2008-04-14 03:18:29 Hi Sean, I understand your qualms and yes this is human nature! Most people are driven by 2 very powerful factors fear and greed. Most people want everything for nothing however without this interesting article i would not have responded with my comments and a potential opportunity. (perhaps some clouds do have silver linings and perhaps things do sometimes happen for a reason) Would you like to make 50% any profits from property that i own that is sold through your network/s I am referring to mostly below value properties that i own contractually and can resell through you! Cheers Reply | Quote 1   0

seanwhe   | 198.54.202.xxx | 2008-04-14 04:24:33 Hi Charl, Thanks for your response. Send me a message via the Contact me page with your details. Reply | Quote 0   0

warwick - eye :)     | 196.23.211.xxx | 2008-05-17 06:26:35 ____________________ _____ Adam's Complaint Some people, no matter what you give them, still want the moon. The bread, the salt, white meat and dark, still hungry. The marriage bed and the cradle, still empty arms. You give them land, their own earth under their feet, still they take to the roads. And water: dig them the deepest well, still it's not deep enough to drink the moon from. -- Denise Levertov Reply | Quote 0   0

Rohan - Some people can return helop     | 221.128.213.xxx | 2008-05-28 01:22:16 Hi Sean, I too have similar experiences as you. I too help people by providing free of cost advice but when I ask them for small help(its once in a year), I never hear back from most. Only few reply back. I had started a forum where I have about 200 members, everybody comes there to lurk around but nobody want to answer any question on the forum even if they knwo the answer. From what I have concluded, I think one should have a regulation over how much to give away for free. Some people have a nature tendency to give, give and give, but end up miffed when not a single guy turns when they call. All this points to one thing: "Never be ashamed or embarrassed to ask for money. You are providing service, so you ought to get money if you have no obligations to the person" Reply | Quote 1   0

Sean   | 198.54.202.xxx | 2008-05-28 02:12:34 Thanks Rohan, Yes, you are right. The free line is a hard one and I think needs some thinking as to how one can actually move a free line to one that is paid for. However, in the case of this site, what amazed me is that even though people are not being charged and the email that get sent to them also cost them nothing, they were totally reluctant. It's amazing really just how much people will take. They take just for the sake of taking, not because the need. Reply | Quote 0   0

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