What's Mixx Sifter, you ask? First, for those unfamiliar with Mixx, it is a social news website where users can vote news items up or down in order to promote or discuss content. This is just like its main competitor, Digg. Mixx has a good-sized community (several million visitors), which it is leveraging in its Sifter program. Sifter acts like an online focus group by funneling Mixx's communal input on new products and services. This type of information could be something companies are willing to pay for.
How Does Mixx Sifter Work?
Mixx Sifter is a new section of Mixx, only accessible to active, contributing members - not a bad way to pick out credible users. Mixxers are given five different photographs, ads, and products to rate from 1-5, the best being a 1 and the least favorite being a 5. There is also a section for offering your comments and opinions.
For companies, this is a way to test their new ad campaign or get reaction to different product designs. Questions like what color scheme to use and what text to use could be answered with the power of Mixx's sizeable userbase.
For users, they not only get karma points (a type of reward on Mixx), but they also can win prizes like iTunes gift cards and a Macbook. It could also be an interesting way to discover new products and information well before others have the chance.
Mixx Sifter: Monetizing a Social Community?
Mixx clearly has revenue on the mind with Mixx Sifter. Even its blog post announcing Sifter mentions investors multiple times. We can see why companies would pay for the services of Sifter - it's a fast and effective way to get thousands of user responses and feedback for a fraction of the price and the effort.
But how much will companies pay for this service? There are problems - Mixx, like almost any other community, has its own flavor, quirks, and community demographic. You're not going to test designs for jewelry or walking canes on Mixx. But if you're a company looking for some early feedback and insight quickly, Mixx Sifter may be the right choice.