So when I first started working from home, I was looking all over the place and signing up for every possible "wealth building" program to decide how to accomplish my goal. Soon my In Box was as disorganized and overwhelmed as Brittany's Public relations people.
If I had to do it all over again, I would have gotten a crappy "throwaway" email address that I could delete when I got sick of some of the junk I was getting. One of my friends went to my blog and he clicked on one of the ads and got sucked in and gave his email address. "Make it stop!" he begged. Sorry, buddy, but there is no way to stop spammers once they have your email address.
"But I've already sent out my real email address and I don't want to change it! What can I do to keep my In Box from overflowing?"
1. Mailboxes and RULES:
Well, in most desktop email programs and many web based ones, you can easily set up filters to manage the influx. What I do is set up a different mailbox for each site that I want to continue receiving messages from. This is most of the Survey sites (not Survey Spot!) and a few other mailing lists that I want to look at from time to time. Right click on the message and click on "rules" (In Outlook, there might be a different process elsewhere) and then basically tell Outlook to put all messages from that domain into a folder. Outlook even shows you how many "new" messages you have from that domain. It's handy
2. Different E-mail Programs:
Another idea is to have two different email programs. One can be set up to handle all your junk mail and the other set up for just friends and family. This way you can control which messages you are forced to be exposed to. This means setting up a seperate e-mail account, but I have used this technique in the past and it works well. You can then alert only certain people of the new account and never use it when signing up with any website.
Well, there's my tip of the week! See you soon!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Scams.Scams.Everywhere there's SCAMS!
My favorite "Make-a-ton-of-money-without-working-up-a-sweat-as-I-sit-by-the-pool" web scams are the ones which try to trick you into thinking that the price is "only available for a limited time!"
Usually these sites have several prices crossed off:
AmazingWorth: $3,750.00
Reduced to $1,500.00
Reduced to $777.00
Reduced to $150.00
Today only: $39.00
It even has todays date written on it.
Here's a surprising secret. Go back the next day and the price will be the same and the date changed accordingly.
Dear reader. I know you are smart enough to figure this out on your own, but it's nice to read that other people have found the same results!
Usually these sites have several prices crossed off:
AmazingWorth: $3,750.00
Reduced to $1,500.00
Reduced to $777.00
Reduced to $150.00
Today only: $39.00
It even has todays date written on it.
Here's a surprising secret. Go back the next day and the price will be the same and the date changed accordingly.
Dear reader. I know you are smart enough to figure this out on your own, but it's nice to read that other people have found the same results!
Friday, December 28, 2007
Affiliates Affiliations
Applying for a job online turned out to be a "buy into a home-based-business" cover. I knew it was when one of the "interview/application" questions was:
"How much money can you invest in a future home-based business?"
I know what you are thinking: "Why the heck did you bother to continue?"
Because I'm desperate. Anyway, two of the three calls that I got due to my "application" were for turnkey businesses that I could invest in.
I feel sorry for the non-Internet savvy who fall for this schlock. Yes, for $300 we will provide you with one website where you act as an affiliate for Amazon or eBay (or an online casino) and you get a percentage of every sale that generates from your site. Now there is a small "hosting" fee of Only 19.99 a month! I explained to the guy that I was well aware of how to set-up an affiliate relationship and I was informed that Amazon and eBay would soon be closing off the amount of Affiliate relationships that they offer.
This is where he lost all credibility.
Yeah, Amazon is going to say, "Yeah, we really have too many people driving business to our website. Let's shut down this affiliate thing as it's making us too much money!"
And this didn't even include EXTRA costs for ADVERTISING. So the $300 (They were willing to work with me on the price: How much do you have in your wallet?) and $19.99 a month gets me a website with some coaching as to set it up (which anyone with a little bit of research can do on their own) and then pay an extra hosting fee AND for their super advertising to drive traffic to your website (and the hundreds of other "customers" who have fallen for this scam!) Oh, and it tracks all your business so you can see how well you are doing. Wow.
Lesson learned: If someone is offering a service you can get for free that doesn't include everything and costs a ridiculous amount of money, it's probably a good idea to avoid like a date with Lindsay Lohan.
Oh, yeah, to get an idea of how "Dynamic" their websites are, here is their homepage:
http://www.affiliatepros.com
Be careful what you click! (Don't you remember your mother reminding you of this every time you wnet out to play?)
"How much money can you invest in a future home-based business?"
I know what you are thinking: "Why the heck did you bother to continue?"
Because I'm desperate. Anyway, two of the three calls that I got due to my "application" were for turnkey businesses that I could invest in.
I feel sorry for the non-Internet savvy who fall for this schlock. Yes, for $300 we will provide you with one website where you act as an affiliate for Amazon or eBay (or an online casino) and you get a percentage of every sale that generates from your site. Now there is a small "hosting" fee of Only 19.99 a month! I explained to the guy that I was well aware of how to set-up an affiliate relationship and I was informed that Amazon and eBay would soon be closing off the amount of Affiliate relationships that they offer.
This is where he lost all credibility.
Yeah, Amazon is going to say, "Yeah, we really have too many people driving business to our website. Let's shut down this affiliate thing as it's making us too much money!"
And this didn't even include EXTRA costs for ADVERTISING. So the $300 (They were willing to work with me on the price: How much do you have in your wallet?) and $19.99 a month gets me a website with some coaching as to set it up (which anyone with a little bit of research can do on their own) and then pay an extra hosting fee AND for their super advertising to drive traffic to your website (and the hundreds of other "customers" who have fallen for this scam!) Oh, and it tracks all your business so you can see how well you are doing. Wow.
Lesson learned: If someone is offering a service you can get for free that doesn't include everything and costs a ridiculous amount of money, it's probably a good idea to avoid like a date with Lindsay Lohan.
Oh, yeah, to get an idea of how "Dynamic" their websites are, here is their homepage:
http://www.affiliatepros.com
Be careful what you click! (Don't you remember your mother reminding you of this every time you wnet out to play?)
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Paying the Bills (sort of)
So this blog has taken a back seat to other writing projects as I struggle to pay bills. The Holiday season just exasperates the problem. I have been focusing on the get cash quick strategy, which isn't really a strategy it's more of a "not-going-to-happen-unless-you-have-a-winning-lottery-ticket-and-I-don't-even-play-the-lottery" idea. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People:
says that you need to "Begin with the end in mind!" which sounds kind of metaphysical and new agey, but is really just putting your end result first and then figuring out the rest. So I need to think about what I want to look like as I cross the finish line. Yes, it's also like "The Secret" and it's law of attraction. What have I got to lose?
says that you need to "Begin with the end in mind!" which sounds kind of metaphysical and new agey, but is really just putting your end result first and then figuring out the rest. So I need to think about what I want to look like as I cross the finish line. Yes, it's also like "The Secret" and it's law of attraction. What have I got to lose?
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Blogging for Dollars
Okay, if you haven't figured out that I am trying to make money from this blog, you probably haven't noticed all the little ads around this webpage. I just finished reading The Rough Guide to Blogging by Jonathan Yang.
It's a great read, which gives the scoop on Blogs. I'll give a better review in a bit, but I wanted to put in this quick plug to check my Amazon contextual link set-up. Basically, if I put this book in the text, Amazon will have alink to this book built in, so I don't have to do it.
Well, that widget didn't work, but this one did. I think. More later!
It's a great read, which gives the scoop on Blogs. I'll give a better review in a bit, but I wanted to put in this quick plug to check my Amazon contextual link set-up. Basically, if I put this book in the text, Amazon will have alink to this book built in, so I don't have to do it.
Well, that widget didn't work, but this one did. I think. More later!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Survey Taking Tips
Or How to not lose your mind taking these dang surveys!
One of the downfalls of working on so many different survey sites is the steady flow to your inbox. Here are my Top 5 tips on how to handle the deluge:
1. Use a "throway" email address. I kind of wish I had taken my own advice, here. But if I could do it all over again, I would create a unique email with the word survey in the title and have it be only for surveys/trial programs, etc. If I ever decide I want to be off the list, I can just delete that account. The downside of this is that you either have to clutter your inbox anyway if you use your desktop email program, or you have to use a web-based email and make sure that you constantly check it. I'm bad at web-mail. I am addicted to clicking the "Send/Receive" button twenty thousand times a day!
2. Set up "Rules" in your email program. I set up a folder in Outlook for each Survey site and set a rule so that whenever a new "offer" comes from the site, I don't have to wade through all the surveys in my inbox unless I want to. I can also tell at a glance how many new emails I have from each site. Survey Spot has 125 UNREAD emails in my inbox. It's my way of telling Survey Spot that they are a low priority on my list.
3. Be an American! You will qualify for many more panels and surveys if you are a typical American consumer. They are looking for people who spend money, are always looking to change insurance companies, and who pay attention to advertising. I don't drink or smoke, so that cuts me out of a good amount of surveys right there. Of course I could lie, but it's not worth the ethical hit. I also know that getting "free quotes" on anything like mortgages, credit cards or insurance, can actually affect your credit rating, so I tend to avoid "offers" like that. If you don't care, you'll qualify a lot more.
4. Watch TV while doing the surveys. I'm not talking about shows you actually want to watch, but shows that you are kinda-sorta interested in. I won't do surveys during the New York Rangers hockey game or The Amazing race, but if I'm watching something that I can follow just by listening and occasionally looking up. I can't do my writing while I am watching TV, and my workout programs usually involve watching a DVD, this is the only way I can feel somewhat productive while doing these (sometimes tedious) surveys.
5. Budget your time. Sure you can just do a bunch of surveys while your watching "Maybe Watch TV" but I have found it much better to set a specific amount of time and stick to it. Personally, I'll spend one hour a day on the surveys, and not let myself go above that total during the regular working hours. I'll do some additional surveys while watching TV at night, but I consider that extra. You have to balance the potential gain with the time spent. My work on eBay or freelance writing has a higher potential payday, so I need to dedicate more of my time to that. Everyone will prioritize differently, but I think blocking out your day in Outlook is your best bet. Then the trick is sticking to it.
Good luck!
One of the downfalls of working on so many different survey sites is the steady flow to your inbox. Here are my Top 5 tips on how to handle the deluge:
1. Use a "throway" email address. I kind of wish I had taken my own advice, here. But if I could do it all over again, I would create a unique email with the word survey in the title and have it be only for surveys/trial programs, etc. If I ever decide I want to be off the list, I can just delete that account. The downside of this is that you either have to clutter your inbox anyway if you use your desktop email program, or you have to use a web-based email and make sure that you constantly check it. I'm bad at web-mail. I am addicted to clicking the "Send/Receive" button twenty thousand times a day!
2. Set up "Rules" in your email program. I set up a folder in Outlook for each Survey site and set a rule so that whenever a new "offer" comes from the site, I don't have to wade through all the surveys in my inbox unless I want to. I can also tell at a glance how many new emails I have from each site. Survey Spot has 125 UNREAD emails in my inbox. It's my way of telling Survey Spot that they are a low priority on my list.
3. Be an American! You will qualify for many more panels and surveys if you are a typical American consumer. They are looking for people who spend money, are always looking to change insurance companies, and who pay attention to advertising. I don't drink or smoke, so that cuts me out of a good amount of surveys right there. Of course I could lie, but it's not worth the ethical hit. I also know that getting "free quotes" on anything like mortgages, credit cards or insurance, can actually affect your credit rating, so I tend to avoid "offers" like that. If you don't care, you'll qualify a lot more.
4. Watch TV while doing the surveys. I'm not talking about shows you actually want to watch, but shows that you are kinda-sorta interested in. I won't do surveys during the New York Rangers hockey game or The Amazing race, but if I'm watching something that I can follow just by listening and occasionally looking up. I can't do my writing while I am watching TV, and my workout programs usually involve watching a DVD, this is the only way I can feel somewhat productive while doing these (sometimes tedious) surveys.
5. Budget your time. Sure you can just do a bunch of surveys while your watching "Maybe Watch TV" but I have found it much better to set a specific amount of time and stick to it. Personally, I'll spend one hour a day on the surveys, and not let myself go above that total during the regular working hours. I'll do some additional surveys while watching TV at night, but I consider that extra. You have to balance the potential gain with the time spent. My work on eBay or freelance writing has a higher potential payday, so I need to dedicate more of my time to that. Everyone will prioritize differently, but I think blocking out your day in Outlook is your best bet. Then the trick is sticking to it.
Good luck!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Survey Says...UPDATE!
It sounded good at the time. Make money doing surveys. I've signed up for many of these and I'm going to give a quick review of three of them:
The Best: NPDOR, which is NPD Online Research. When I first did this program I won $100 bucks in a random drawing. That has garnered them some loyalty, and they have a new system which is called "Sweepland". This is the new way to win prizes. You get points for every survey plus bonus points in a lottery style game each time you complete one. Then you get to allocate the points towards daily, weekly, monthly (and other durations) drawings. It is very clear how many points you have earned and how many you have in play. I haven't won any prizes since I re-upped about a month ago, but I'll still do my surveys.
Jury is still out:Vindale Research, which promises that you will get paid for reviewing products. I have earned $7.00, but I have about 20 opportunities ranging from $2.00 to $7.00. Why haven't I jumped at all of these offers? Well, you have to buy/signup for the service. Most of those offers cover the cost of the startup anda few extra bucks. If you are dilligent and keep track of all the "Trial" expiration dates, you can probably make it worthwhile. But it was much more difficult cancelling the efax.com account than it was setting it up with my credit card. The hard sell to keep me on board for an additional three months was annoying. I'm not sure I want to keep doing these opportunities, so I'll let you know. Lesson learned: If they say they will pay you "X" amount, read the fine print!
Avoid like double dipped salsa: Survey Spot. I haven't officially stopped using this service, but I am not sold on it's credibility. I have taken dozens of surveys. They are all relatively short. The payoff? Not much. They have a $25,000 sweepstakes that you earn "entries" for. Sounds great. Wrong. At the end of every survey you get to play a "game". The game is either a "scratch and win match three" or a simulated slot machine. You win anything from 5 to 100 "extra" entries into the contest. Again, still sounds good. Here is an email that I sent the Customer Service department:
1. How can I tell how many entrants I have received so far? I kept getting 100 point, 25 or 5 entrants in the contest, but I have no way of knowing how many I have received. How do I know that you even really enter me in that many times and if it is worth doing this many surveys?
Here is their response:
We're sorry SurveySpot didn't automatically enter you in the prize drawing, but your name has now been entered. Good luck and thank you for your participation.
If this message does not answer your question please reply with the words More Help in the body of the message, so that we can better answer your question.
Hmmm. More help as opposed to the "non-help" the first response elicited. Okay.
That didn't answer my questions. How do I know HOW MANY entrants I received.
If I've done all these surveys and I only have one entrant it has been a big waste of time and your site did not explain it very well at all. Is this an automated response or is did you not read my questions?
And their response:
We advice our members to keep a personal record. We suggest you copy and paste your survey invitations once you have received it.
In addition, we do not have a program for our panelists to view their entries in their drawing at this time.
I think they mean "Advise", but maybe I'm a little rusty in that part of my grammar. I'll let these two responses speak for themselves. I have a feeling it doesn't matter how many "entries" you have in the sweepstakes.
I'll give some other reviews later on, but until then, be wary of the surveys.
The Best: NPDOR, which is NPD Online Research. When I first did this program I won $100 bucks in a random drawing. That has garnered them some loyalty, and they have a new system which is called "Sweepland". This is the new way to win prizes. You get points for every survey plus bonus points in a lottery style game each time you complete one. Then you get to allocate the points towards daily, weekly, monthly (and other durations) drawings. It is very clear how many points you have earned and how many you have in play. I haven't won any prizes since I re-upped about a month ago, but I'll still do my surveys.
Jury is still out:Vindale Research, which promises that you will get paid for reviewing products. I have earned $7.00, but I have about 20 opportunities ranging from $2.00 to $7.00. Why haven't I jumped at all of these offers? Well, you have to buy/signup for the service. Most of those offers cover the cost of the startup anda few extra bucks. If you are dilligent and keep track of all the "Trial" expiration dates, you can probably make it worthwhile. But it was much more difficult cancelling the efax.com account than it was setting it up with my credit card. The hard sell to keep me on board for an additional three months was annoying. I'm not sure I want to keep doing these opportunities, so I'll let you know. Lesson learned: If they say they will pay you "X" amount, read the fine print!
Avoid like double dipped salsa: Survey Spot. I haven't officially stopped using this service, but I am not sold on it's credibility. I have taken dozens of surveys. They are all relatively short. The payoff? Not much. They have a $25,000 sweepstakes that you earn "entries" for. Sounds great. Wrong. At the end of every survey you get to play a "game". The game is either a "scratch and win match three" or a simulated slot machine. You win anything from 5 to 100 "extra" entries into the contest. Again, still sounds good. Here is an email that I sent the Customer Service department:
1. How can I tell how many entrants I have received so far? I kept getting 100 point, 25 or 5 entrants in the contest, but I have no way of knowing how many I have received. How do I know that you even really enter me in that many times and if it is worth doing this many surveys?
Here is their response:
We're sorry SurveySpot didn't automatically enter you in the prize drawing, but your name has now been entered. Good luck and thank you for your participation.
If this message does not answer your question please reply with the words More Help in the body of the message, so that we can better answer your question.
Hmmm. More help as opposed to the "non-help" the first response elicited. Okay.
That didn't answer my questions. How do I know HOW MANY entrants I received.
If I've done all these surveys and I only have one entrant it has been a big waste of time and your site did not explain it very well at all. Is this an automated response or is did you not read my questions?
And their response:
We advice our members to keep a personal record. We suggest you copy and paste your survey invitations once you have received it.
In addition, we do not have a program for our panelists to view their entries in their drawing at this time.
I think they mean "Advise", but maybe I'm a little rusty in that part of my grammar. I'll let these two responses speak for themselves. I have a feeling it doesn't matter how many "entries" you have in the sweepstakes.
I'll give some other reviews later on, but until then, be wary of the surveys.
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