I see all kinds of people talking about Ryze and Okrut and social networking on the Internet. Blah Blah Blah...
So, I signed up for a trial account on Ryze.com to see what all this social networking crap is about. I found out that it's just that - a bunch of crap. Sorry to be so blunt. Here's the deal - when you get in there, it's a combination of Classmates.com and a flea market. Everyone on there has something they're pushing. Most people on these things seem to be playing out those "Get Rich Quick" schemes and trying to see how many people they can get to sign their guestbook and add them as a "friend". The most alluring thing there was the "Networks" - basically chat groups of similar people with similar interests. One week of getting bombed with emails from Ryze that an entry had been added and going there to find some form of SPAM from someone who can't spell and I had had enough. I don't get it.
I've gotten much more accomplished from a business perspective by actually MEETING people. I help them out. When I have needed something, I call them on the phone and say, "Hey, I was wondering if you knew what I could do about..." What good is some person I never met who lives on the opposite side of the US going to do to make me more successful?
I think we've gone a little overboard, here. Or am I missing something obvious? The best part? It's almost impossible to cancel your subscription. There's no automated way - no button to click. You have to go to FAQ and find this answer:
Note:
- If you want to get less messages from people, make sure you dont have your home page say 'Please sign my guestbook' (which many do)
- If you want to change preferences on various e-mail notifications, visit http://www.ryze.com/preferences.php
- If you want to hide entries from your guestbook, click on the Edit Personal Info link on the left and then on Guestbook Entries.
If these don't address the reason you're considering cancelling, please send an e-mail to the support address at the bottom of any Ryze page asking us to cancel your account.
We would be quite interested in your feedback and why you're considering cancelling - feel free to be direct and blunt! :)
Huh? Where's the listed reason, "Because this is a big waste of my time and in about 6 months everyone else will realize the same and your site will fall off the face of the Earth."?