A free ipod ?  Bullshit.  There's no such thing as a free lunch.

*UPDATED 8/10/04 - See below*

That's what I figured too.  Then I started reading more, such as:

• How they make their money, and why the economics of such a deal actually work out.  
• Or how tens of people who had received their iPod or flatscreen were talking about it and giving proof on the Flyer Talk forums or Speed Guide forums.
• Or this BBS report on the company, Gratis Internet, backing both offers.
• The contact information of a guy at one of their suppliers.

The list goes on.

I decided to give it a shot.  Here's the story:

Step 1: Sign up for a freeipod account.

 I signed up for an account at www.freeipods.com using a link sent to me by a friend. At the end of this step you should have a freeipod or freeflatscreen account.

Step 2: Complete an offer.

  I signed up for RealRhapsody with my freeipod account.  This is the best option because you can easily sign up with a credit card for the 14 day trial, then cancel a couple days later when the confirmation from the freeipods website comes through, costing absolutely nothing to you.

Step 3: Refer 5 friends to complete an offer.

There are numerous conga lines out there to help you collect your 5 referrals, but it could be weeks before you get all 5.  I recommend telling your friends about it (they'll be able to get ipods or flat screens too) or simply asking them do you a favor by signing up.  It won't cost them anything and they'll be helping you.  You can try Craig's list or Ebay but such sites don't typically have very good success rates.  Be creative and be patient.  At the end of this step you should have referred 5 friends to complete an offer.

Step 4: Pick your ipod, fill out your shipping information, and wait.

Now that you're done with the hard part, the agonizing part begins.  I highly recommend taking the 20 GB ipod over the Minis.  The minis will take longer to ship because they're backordered, there are various problems with the Minis' software, and they've been known to break.  The flatscreen is up to you.  Then you just fill out your shipping information and wait for them to send it to you!  Here is a list of the various stages you'll encounter, how long they'll take, and pictures to prove it.

    Stage 1:  Reviewing referrals (supposed to take 2-3 days, mine took 1)

    In this stage they check your referrals to make sure that each is unique and legitimate (another reason not to try to scam them).

    Stage 2: "Pending" (supposed to take 2-3 days, mine took 1)

    In this stage they process your order and prepare to send it to their supplier.

    Stage 3: "In Progress" (supposed to take 5-9 days, mine took 5)

    In this stage they have placed your order with their supplier and they are waiting on the supplier to process it.  Note that "In Progress 2" and "In Progress 3" are the same thing as "In Progress".

    Stage 4: "Shipped" (you're done!)

    In this stage the order has been shipped.  They should send you a confirmation email.  Delivery typically takes a few business days, although mine came in 2.  Here are the pictures I have of my ipod shipping page, and the UPS shipping page.  Finally, in spite of the DNC and UPS's best efforts, my iPod arrived.  I can get pics up when I get a digital camera, but yeah it's here.  w00t.

OK, great, how do I start?  

To get started with the free ipod, click here: free ipod.