Real World "Pay It Forward" - Caffeinated

This is an interesting concept...Make your Starbucks card available to everyone for a free cup of coffee and only ask that people add cash to the card if they are feeling generous.

Want free coffee and got an iPhone? Use Jonathan's Card (Updated) | TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

But nothing is ever simple. There have been allegations of viral marketing campaigns and dishonesty. While the experiment has garnered lots of people a free cup, it created controversy because some people can't believe that others are willing to do something nice.

I believe that this experiment was genuine and a good example that not everyone is a cynic.

Starbucks shut down the account on August 12, 2011, but Stark intends to continue the good will by continuing to promote a "Pay It Forward" coffee strategy with a slightly different strategy: Buy the next person in line's coffee - No Starbucks Needed. See the latest update - http://jonathanstark.com/card/.

Follow @jonathanscard on Twitter to see updates on this evolution of the experiment.