What is PIF?

PIF, or Pay it Forward.

Basicly a freebie, with the understanding that you try and pay it forward (instead of paying back), no obligations on your part though.
I've had plenty of PIFs on here, and I have sent quite a few off now. (the last of the blades went today!)

It's a concept that really works well on this forum, I've tried to start the trend on another forum now :p

Max
 
Pay it forward?

FrenchBlade said:
PIF, or Pay it Forward.

Basicly a freebie, with the understanding that you try and pay it forward (instead of paying back), no obligations on your part though.
I've had plenty of PIFs on here, and I have sent quite a few off now. (the last of the blades went today!)

It's a concept that really works well on this forum, I've tried to start the trend on another forum now :p

Max
Click to expand...
 
dylan-shave said:
Pay it forward?
Click to expand...
At one point you'll have quite some bits and pieces, including soaps, blades etc.. that you either don't use, or don't suit you, you can then PIF those to other members if you feel so inclined :p
Someone else can then try something, and the person once a receiver becomes the giver, and so forth...

Hope that's a bit clearer :)

Max
 
FrenchBlade said:
dylan-shave said:
Pay it forward?
Click to expand...
At one point you'll have quite some bits and pieces, including soaps, blades etc.. that you either don't use, or don't suit you, you can then PIF those to other members if you feel so inclined :p
Someone else can then try something, and the person once a receiver becomes the giver, and so forth...

Hope that's a bit clearer :)

Max
Click to expand...


Oh, donating. Giving something for nothing. Cool! :)

'pay it forward' sounds a bit strange to me. I'd get some funny looks if I said that. Be called a pretentious prat lol.
 
I've always thought that if someone accepts a PIF they should try to do the same for someone else at a later date. No obligation of course but that's really the spirit of the whole thing and why we're generally a friendly and generous community. I know PIFs occur on other shaving forums but I'd be interested to know if other types of forum have them. Perhaps I will join a Ferrari chat-room and someone will PIF me a car. :D
 
It happens on brewing forums, people will post out beers for assessment by other brewers, different yeasts and hops get piffed to other brewers although it is not known as a Pif :?:
 
Yeah, it's another one of those acronyms which seem to be designed to confuse newcomers. Here's a worked example:

- I buy a couple of ridiculously under priced razors from anonymous - for the sake of argument let's call him "the Rev". I am very happy and rather embarrassed at having scored a bargain. This is a straightforward sale.

- A certain soap maker - shall we say "Granny"? - wants opinions on her revolutionary new shaving soap, so following some negotiations, she sends me a preposterously large tub for evaluation. This is a sample, albeit an abnormally large one.

- In the meantime, the aforementioned Rev has decided that he just can't get on with a certain type of much praised and now unobtainable razor blade, so he puts some in an envelope and sends them to me, all unannounced. Now, this one is a PIF.

- Our soap maker, whilst pleased by the unequivocally positive feedback I've sent her, is convinced that her competitors are poised to steal a march on her. I order some of the revolutionary shaving soap (a sale), and furthermore send her a slice of someone else's soap (and in the interest of not starting any conspiracy theories here I may as well say that it's Maggi Dearmer's). This is industrial espionage.

- Now, by this time I have acquired a soap surplus, so in recognition of the Rev's generosity, I send him the rather substantial remains of the soap sample, and once again this is a PIF.

... and so it goes on. A roll of industrial shrink wrap gets exchanged for a batch of soapy stuff; a couple of straight razors get new scales and honing in exchange for a batch of restoration grade blades in you scratch my back: I'll scratch yours type arrangements. Samples of products get sent out to selected members of other forums on the condition that they give their opinion in SOTDs: viral advertising. There's a whole cash free economy operating behind the scenes.

Hope that helps ;)
 
Arrowhead said:
Yeah, it's another one of those acronyms which seem to be designed to confuse newcomers. Here's a worked example:

- I buy a couple of ridiculously under priced razors from anonymous - for the sake of argument let's call him "the Rev". I am very happy and rather embarrassed at having scored a bargain. This is a straightforward sale.

- A certain soap maker - shall we say "Granny"? - wants opinions on her revolutionary new shaving soap, so following some negotiations, she sends me a preposterously large tub for evaluation. This is a sample, albeit an abnormally large one.

- In the meantime, the aforementioned Rev has decided that he just can't get on with a certain type of much praised and now unobtainable razor blade, so he puts some in an envelope and sends them to me, all unannounced. Now, this one is a PIF.

- Our soap maker, whilst pleased by the unequivocally positive feedback I've sent her, is convinced that her competitors are poised to steal a march on her. I order some of the revolutionary shaving soap (a sale), and furthermore send her a slice of someone else's soap (and in the interest of not starting any conspiracy theories here I may as well say that it's Maggi Dearmer's). This is industrial espionage.

- Now, by this time I have acquired a soap surplus, so in recognition of the Rev's generosity, I send him the rather substantial remains of the soap sample, and once again this is a PIF.

... and so it goes on. A roll of industrial shrink wrap gets exchanged for a batch of soapy stuff; a couple of straight razors get new scales and honing in exchange for a batch of restoration grade blades in you scratch my back: I'll scratch yours type arrangements. Samples of products get sent out to selected members of other forums on the condition that they give their opinion in SOTDs: viral advertising. There's a whole cash free economy operating behind the scenes.

Hope that helps ;)
Click to expand...


Cool! Thanks :)

What are SOTDs? lol :p
 
Or simply pass on to a new lad some blades for instance to use for nothing. He is blown away by such a kind gesture, vows to do the same thing in the future. This is one of the things that makes this site such a nice place to be. :) :)
 
man of leisure said:
Or simply pass on to a new lad some blades for instance to use for nothing. He is blown away by such a kind gesture, vows to do the same thing in the future. This is one of the things that makes this site such a nice place to be. :) :)
Click to expand...

Double cool! :) :)
 
man of leisure said:
Or simply pass on to a new lad some blades for instance to use for nothing. He is blown away by such a kind gesture, vows to do the same thing in the future. This is one of the things that makes this site such a nice place to be. :) :)
Click to expand...
This is what I try to do - PIF different types of blades on to newbies. If someone sends me something as a PIF, though, I always ask if I can give them anything in return.
(pre-empting PigCat) As long as it isn't sexual
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom