Hello,

Thanks for contacting Swag Bucks customer support. We’re working on this right now. You should see an updated "terms of use" within the coming month.

–
Thank You,
Team Swag Bucks

Here’s hoping for the best.

Moving on, I have to say that it’s time for another “one of those” kind of posts.

If you were around for my posts regarding the swag codes issues, you’ll know why I sent this email. If not, feel free to go back and read the posts:

SwagBucks, SwagCodes, and secret policy.
SwagBucks, SwagCodes, and secret policy. Part 2
SwagBucks, SwagCodes, and secret policy. Part 3

After hearing nothing back for two months and seeing zero update on policy, I decided it was time to email in and see if I can get a response about this. I get messages almost daily asking me about the codes, and I can’t give a direct answer about them. So here is the email I sent in:

Hi there,

In past communications with you guys regarding posting the swag codes publicly, you stated, “This is not something that we have been avoiding and were planning on announcing (publicly, not hidden in our T&C or FAQ) our policy decisions late in this coming week.” – This was on 2/21/09. Two months later nothing ever came of this. Several people have asked me about it, but all I can honestly tell them is that I never received another reply about it (and no update was posted). When will you be announcing your policy decisions?

- Joshua
http://ngwoosh.com

Now we wait for a reply.

You may wonder why I’m trying to get an answer from them. That’s pretty simple: if a company (any company) has secret policies that they hold, but don’t share these policies with their customers (users) then how can we follow the rules? What if Wal-Mart or Target had a store policy that no customers with green cars could park in the parking lot without being towed, but didn’t post the policy anywhere? It’s ridiculous but think about it. If this is something that they decide to ban people for, people aren’t going to know why.

I’ve been on sites that let you earn them money and then ban you for no given reason, and they are quickly identified as scams. I know for sure that SwagBucks isn’t a scam and in no way wants to be identified as one.

If you’ve read the three posts linked above then you know that I disagree with SwagBucks trying to prevent people from sharing any of the codes (not counting special hunt codes or codes specifically designed for a group of people, such as poll creators – I’m talking about general codes). That’s like McDonald’s offering a free biscuit to all of their customers but you’re not allowed to tell anybody about it or they’ll ban you from all of their restaurants. However, if that’s how SwagBucks wants to be, that’s fine but I (and many others) would like to see a clear policy on it.

On another note, I’ve noticed that SwagBucks never really replies to me on twitter. Even knowing that, I sent them a direct message immediately after they posted about today’s “song of the day” to ask how long it takes to get your song of the day after you order it. Why would I ask? I asked because I received my SwagBucks t-shirt via USPS (snail mail) before I received my digital prize (song of the day). I ordered them both on the same day, and this made me laugh. =P

See, it’s an all around SwagBucks Related Post. ;)

Holy snapple I post about SwagBucks a lot. Maybe I need to get out of the house more. =P

Don’t know what SwagBucks is?

SwagBucks is a search engine that gives you search results from Google and Ask.com, where you can win “swagbucks” in your searches to trade in for gift cards, music, movies, books, games, and so much more! Why search Google for nothing when you can search on SwagBucks and win? Get paid for what you already do online! Check it out here.

Says some pretty nifty stuff on the back, but you can check that out over at the Swag Bucks Blog or the SwagBucks store.

Don’t know what SwagBucks is?

SwagBucks is a search engine that gives you search results from Google and Ask.com, where you can win “swagbucks” in your searches to trade in for gift cards, music, movies, books, games, and so much more! Why search Google for nothing when you can search on SwagBucks and win? Get paid for what you already do online! Check it out here.

Hey, don’t go just yet! If you came here looking for swag codes, then you should check out the SwagBucks related posts here on Geek Dad. From oldest to newest:

SwagBucks Info
Saw the last Dr. Who DVD. Also, yay Swagbucks!
Featured on SwagBucks
SwagBucks – Fox59 Search
SwagBucks, SwagCodes, and secret policy.
SwagBucks, SwagCodes, and secret policy. Part 2
SwagBucks, SwagCodes, and secret policy. Part 3
How to get referrals
Geek Dad’s Guide to Free Stuff
SwagBucks – Default search engine?

Enjoy the reading, and good luck on SwagBucks!

Don’t know what SwagBucks is?

SwagBucks is a search engine that gives you search results from Google and Ask.com, where you can win “swagbucks” in your searches to trade in for gift cards, music, movies, books, games, and so much more! Why search Google for nothing when you can search on SwagBucks and win? Get paid for what you already do online! Check it out here.

I haven’t tested it on any other setup because I have no need to do so. I actually use Firefox as my primary browser, but today I docked my quick launch toolbar outside of my start menu and added an address bar to it for quick access. Since Firefox is my default browser it automatically pulls Firefox up when I type in an address. However, if I search for something using the address bar it was pulling up IE’s default search engine even in Firefox. I’m not a fan of Live Search, so I was going to change it to Google. Then I noticed something nifty… I could add a custom search engine. Now when I’m searching for something from Windows (or IE) it automatically pulls up Swagbucks.

So I’m going to give you a quick step-by-step on making SwagBucks your default search engine. Also, I used the Windows Snipping Tool for the images. Don’t hate me for sloppy images. =D

Step 1: Sign up for SwagBucks here.

Step 2: Open your “Internet Options” (these can be found in IE or from your Control Panel).

Step 3: Open the Search Settings and click “Fine more providers…”

Step 4: Follow the instructions on Microsoft.com to “Create Your Own”

After you’ve followed these steps you will be able to set SwagBucks as your default search engine! Easy, free, and more chances to win!