Hey Matt...it's a very good place to get feedback on your product/sales funnel/etc before the real launch. There is a lot of money to be made as well as some of the affiliates there are actually pretty big, but it's a good testing ground from a product launch perspective.
The only thing it is bad at is for pricing. Pricing in the WSO section is wacko....prices are extremely low versus the value of the products compared to the outside market. A $47 clickbank product will not sell well in the WSO section for $47 or even $37. Most products are under $25. But there are still big six figure launches because of the volume.
But yes, WSOs are great for many reasons other than making money...like I mentions....feedback, stats, stuff like that
The Warrior Forum can be all three Matt.
I've used it to establish a reputation in a
niche, get reviews and testimonials of my products, ID and
recruit affiliates, get comments on squeeze
pages and a whole lot more.
I'm in the final stages of a product launch and
am doing the initial launch as a WSO. My objectives
include building a list, recruiting affiliates and
potential JV partners, test my affiliate contest,
establish a reputation as a quality product creator
and get statistics to prove conversions to larger list owners.
As Kenster mentioned, it's great for testing
and optimizing a sales funnel as well as conversions,
which are among my primary goals.
It's also been a place from which I've developed
some very valuable relationships, including a
couple mentors.