How bad do you want Facebook Farmville credits?

I read thisĀ  story on the radio about Farmvill credits. I know people that are addicted to farmville and would probably do this just to get the extra credits. Are you willing to vote for something you are against just to get Facebook farmville credits?


Health Insurers Caught Paying Facebook Gamers Virtual Currency To Oppose Reform Bill

Author: Nicholas Carlson


Health insurance industry trade groups opposed to President Obama’s health care reform bill are paying Facebook users fake money — called “virtual currency” — to send letters to Congress protesting the bill.

Here’s how it’s happening:


Facebook users play a social game, like “FarmVille” or “Friends For Sale.” They get addicted to it. Eager to accelerate their progress inside the game, the gamers buy “virtual goods” such as a machine gun for “Mafia Wars.” But these gamers don’t buy these virtual goods with real money. They use virtual currency.

The gamers get virtual currency three ways:


* Winning it playing the games
* Paying for it with real money

* By accepting offers from third-parties

— usually companies like online movie rentals service Netflix

— who agree to give the gamer virtual currency so long as that gamer agrees to try a product or service. This is done through an “offers” provider

— a middleman that brings the companies like Netflix, the Facebook gamemakers, and the Facebook gamemaker’s users together.


It’s this third method that an anti-reform group called “Get Health Reform Right” is using to pay gamers virtual currency for their support.


Instead of asking the gamers to try a product the way Netflix would, “Get Health Reform Right” requires gamers to take a survey, which, upon completion, automatically sends the following email to their Congressional Rep:

“I am concerned a new government plan could cause me to lose the employer coverage I have today. More government bureaucracy will only create more problems, not solve the ones we have.”


Read the rest of the story here.