Viral PDF files

Viral PDF solves the problem of how to make free PDF downloads able to be easily customized. If you didn't think of this as a problem, read on.
If you have information that you would like to distribute, there is always the avenue of posting in relavent newsgroup bulletin boards. But any bulletin board has limited distribution, and most newsgroups have strict rules on posting that prohibit the use of sig files or html hyperlinks in the body text. Email is always a possibility, but whenever you go the email route you run the risk of false-positive Spam accusations. In my opinion, the best option for something longer than a few paragraphs is often a downloadable file, and my hands-down first choice would be a PDF file. This is simply because PDF files, unlike .EXE files,

cannot by definition carry viruses, spyware or adware and

offer much finer control over formatting, so that the file will maintain the same 'look and feel' regardless of what operating system or web browser the viewer is using, and whether onscreen or printed.

But this control over how the document displays on the author's end does not translate into ease of modification on the reader's end.
Why would you want readers to be able to modify your PDF file? Because it's so much more fun that way and greases the wheels of truly viral buzz. Essentially, the bare bones of the PDF remain the same, but if you do it right the file can have its links, including affiliate links and email links customized. This might seem a sacrifice, but it is a smart sacrifice. Allow a user to add their own flourish to your free content and they will be motivated to pass it on for free to others in their network or offer it as a free bonus with their own paid content.
Unfortunately, the ability for readers to customize is not built into the Adobe Acrobat platform. But it is available as an affordable plugin-type application that can be downloaded here.
Click here for more information on the .PDF format from Adobe. The actual Adobe Acrobat software is expensive, but keep in mind that there are quite a number of free PDF-creation tools available on the Web that will allow you to make a decent .pdf file.