Congratulations (insert e-mail here), you just won a free gadget! Every time I see this kind of phrase, I say a prayer for the canned meat industry. This kind of marketing is ugly, and hurts more than just the reputation of the kind people who would send it.

"Nothing in this world is free", echo's the voice of my grandfather in my head. Sound familiar? Chances are pretty good you may have said this very phrase to yourself, or heard your own voice of wisdom echo in your head the very second you read the title of this article.

With spammers bombarding our in boxes, and the "nothing is free" reasoning passed down from generations of old, it is easy to understand one's skepticism when considering a free online offer. But folks, there's good news, and no, I didn't save any money on car insurance.

Sometimes companies really do offer free products and services online, and it isn't because they want to be nice or just like to give things away. This is the equation: (powerlessness of online marketing) + (large audience) = free offer. The fact is, online advertisers almost have to offer something for free to sell their main product.

Did you ever see a retailer offer a free cell phone if you sign up for a plan at their physical store? If you go to the store, you can touch the product, tinker with it, and try out some of the features. The sales person is always helpful in answering any questions you might have.

People who shop online can only see a picture, a written description, and possibly a FAQ. When shopping at a store, it is the product itself that gives the sense of urgency to buy, coupled with a savvy sales person. Online it is that tantalizing free offer or unbeatable deal that gets the sale.

Other reasons a company may offer a product for free is availability. Take satellite TV for instance. To compete with cable television, who already has lines hooked up to almost every home in America, the satellite TV companies need to make service readily available, and giving away a free satellite TV system is a great online pitch.

In no way should you ever respond to one of these free offers from an e-mail. While large companies do offer products for free, in exchange for your purchase of service, spammers are only after your wallet and may even steal your identity. When looking for legitimate free online offer's, always go to the source.

Here is a tip. Search Engines like MSN and Google have done a bang up job of providing legitimate search results, but when looking for a free online offer, leave out the word free. Just search for the kind of service you are looking for. When you find it, see if they have a free offer on that page, and don't forget to make sure it comes from the source.