Better referral capabilities of viral programs

If you think that computer viruses do not have merits of their own, you are not totally correct. Although computer viruses are often destructive or at least annoying, some of their basic concepts are now used for positive purposes. Hence, the term “viral programs” may not necessarily refer to destructive computer viruses. These programs are basically used for marketing purposes. These should however be distinguished from spyware and adware programs. The latter are malicious software programs that can steal data and wreck havoc on your computer system. A viral marketing program could refer to software that generates referrals for marketing purposes.

If you are subscriber of one of the social networking websites such as Facebook, Hi5, Multiply, or Friendster, you are actually using a set of viral programs. These social networking websites are very successful because of their ability to send automatic invitations to the email contacts of their new subscribers. Hence, the multiplication or leveraging effect is used. For every new subscriber other potential subscribers are attracted to join the network. The subscribers themselves become promoters of the site. Although the referral software programs of these social networking sites are more sophisticated, there are simpler versions that you can use for your website.

Simple examples of viral programs include the JavaScript-based codes that you can embed in your website. These codes can be copied from free online sources and pasted on your website. These codes can display a simple form consisting of a text box and a send button. The referral email addresses have to be manually entered in the text box. The invitation emails sent by these codes are simple texts which are not very attractive. The manual entering of the individual contacts is also an advantage. If you want more attractive and customizable referral system, you can use a software application that has better capabilities.