The Washington Post reported today on a story about PicksPal.com and how it’s methodology of choosing 30 “experts” to effectively predict the outcome of sporting events and sell that prediction back to the public.
This philosophy of selling knowledge isn’t an old thing. With the introduction of the Internet, word of mouth, or viral marketing, has been an influential means of driving people to specific products. From generating sales in a recommended book to influencing a particular site’s search rankings, the web has become a powerful means to an end.
That’s not to say that PicksPal.com is any different. Right now, you can go on their site and look at information about Football, Baseball, College Football, European Soccer, etc. They offer analysis on some of the longshots, what “sure-bets” exist, and a friendly competition where people sign-in to compete on their predictions to earn points. However, the small group that PicksPal.com considers its “experts” are the ones that will determine what the interesting matches to watch and offer their predictions.
PicksPal.com turns out to be something simliar to fantasy football combined with online gambling. However, no monetary value is being exchanged so what information someone chooses to take from this site and apply it in a place like Las Vegas appears to be open game.
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