The short answer is, No! Let me ask a question. Did you ever pay an employer to hire you? I hope not. Fact is, that most websites that ask for money to join them aren't going to do anything for you. So, how do you know if a site is really free to join or not? Well, they say they are free to join, right? Not necessarily.
Usually if an advertisement is asking for your name and email, it is for a couple of reasons. First, they need to convince you that what they are charging to join is worth it and second, they want you on their mailing list so they can continue to try and convince you or to send you more offers. Some ads will say right up front that there is going to be a charge and others won't tell you until you give them your email. Oh, they will do everything they can to deceive you into thinking that their membership is free. The worst ads are the ones that are pages long or those that want you to fill out an application. Fill out an application so you can pay them a membership fee upfront? Yes, I see them all the time and maybe you have too. If they are going to deceive you before you are a member then how reliable and trustworthy will they be with your money? Finally, there are those websites that promise a bonus if you sign up with them. This is nothing more than another ploy as you will find out after you sign up. In order to get the bonus you will either have to upgrade or the payout threshold is so high that if may take forever to get to it.
I should make it clear that not all of these types of websites are deceiving or untrustworthy. Here again is where you need to do your research. So if some opportunity looks interesting to you, before you sign up, before you do anything, do your research. Better to spend a little time up front then to waste your time and possibly money later.
Once you decide to join a website that promises earnings, the next thing they will hit you with is why you should upgrade. Should upgrades be avoided? The answer is no and sometimes it is the only way you are going to make any money. My suggestion is that before upgrading, spend some time to get familiar with the website, find out if they are paying on time or not and check their forum for any issues.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Neobux Review
Neobux is a paid to click website that has been around since 2008. It is free to join and provides a multi-language environment. A quick look at the home page shows something like 9 or 10 thousand new members signing up, usually around 20 million ads viewed, and approximately $100,000.00 paid out to it's members every single day. The main source of earnings comes from clicking on ads. Initially a minimum of $2.00 is required for a payout. Each successive payout is stepped up by $1.00 until $10.00 is reached which then becomes the minimum. Earnings can grow by renting or getting direct referrals, as members earn when referrals click on ads and upgrade. Referrals are rented for 1 month and must be renewed each month from earnings or with something called Autopay. Autopay simply uses a referrals daily ad clicks to extend the rental period for one more day.
There are many other ways to earn money or rewards on the site. Neopoints are awarded for viewing ads along with any earnings. They then can be used to maintain rented referrals. That is, to extend them or recycle those that are not profitable. Neocoins are awarded for performing tasks or participating in offers. When enough are accumulated, they can be exchanged for currency. Mini jobs is another popular way of earning money. The jobs are provided by Crowdflower, through an agreement with Neobux. Jobs consist of doing Internet searches and then answering a few questions about the results, surveys and others. Adprize is another feature where you can win prizes for viewing additional ads. 3 ads are made available for each regular ad that you view.
The bottom line is that Neobux is worth a try since it has been around for more than 5 years, pays on time and offers several ways to earn. When you join, make sure to read and understand the TOS. Finally, I don't recommend using your own money for any upgrades until you are well experienced and confident with the site. Follow-up posts discussing Neobux strategies:
A Practical Neobux Strategy (Part I - Ways to Earn)
A Practical Neobux Strategy (Part II - Expenses)
A Practical Neobux Strategy (Part III - Managing Your Account as a Free Member)
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Types of "Get Paid To " Websites
This post provides a list with a brief explanation of the so called "Get Paid To" websites. That is, websites that pay people to do a certain kind of work or tasks. In order to participate with these get paid to websites you
will have to signup with them first. This list is not all inclusive and not all types of work are suited to everybody. Search on any of the headings below to get a list of websites in that category and don't forget to do your research before signing up or upgrading. I will be adding to the list as time progresses.
Get Paid To Click are websites that are used to direct traffic to other websites and the easiest way to earn online. Advertisers pay the website owner a fee to have their ads displayed to members of the website. Members are paid when they click on advertiser's ads. Additionally, most PTC websites provide other ways of earning money such as doing tasks and completing offers. The amount paid per day is very small, but the idea is to build up your list of referrals (direct or in some cases the website will rent them to you). It is possible to earn 50 to 100 dollars or more a day with these websites, but it does take time. They are usually free to join and always offer upgrade packages that allow members to boost their earnings.
Get Paid To Upload is another way to earn money online. Everything is free, you don’t need to have a website of your own because it is already provided for you. All you have to do is sign up at the website, upload your files to the server and promote the given links to your friends and other people to download your files and you earn money. It is that easy, so be sure to check these websites out if you are looking for opportunities to earn money online without spending a single cent.
Get Paid to Answer Questions - Yes, you can actually get paid to answer questions in the field that you are an expert in. You earn money by giving your advice or solving customer problems and it can all be done at home. The amount of money that companies will pay you depends on many factors such as your field or subject that you are interested in, your knowledge potential etc.
Get Paid to Post - Now-a-days many webmasters are quite busy and have limited to time, so there are many webmasters who are willing to pay you to post on forums and promote their websites. Posting on forums are some of the most simple and effective ways to earn online. These jobs are hard to find though and there are only a few websites that offer this kind of work. Fortunately, the get paid to post on the forums is gaining more and more popularity each day due to time constraints of many webmasters. Once you are accepted, you will get paid from webmasters to promote their websites by posting useful information which is relevant or a related topic that is being discussed on the forum.
Get Paid to Test or Program Games - You actually can get paid to test or program games, but there are some requirements that you must meet before you can be hired. The first requirement is experience, If you want to get hired by top video game companies then you must have experience and proof of your previous work. Without any experience you will have to look towards the smaller video game companies. Then you can write a resume that highlights your skills and references. Second, is that you must be over 18 years of age. Third, is your education level. Companies require people who can analyze story lines, have good knowledge in grammar and the English language, are able to discuss and work as a team, etc. Writing skills are also important. Depending on the job you will need at least a high school diploma up through a college degree.
Get Paid to Play Games - There are many strategy and other types of games (other than gambling) that yu can play and earn money. You can find more information on these websites under the category "Everything Else."
Get Paid to Read Emails - This type of website promises to pay members to read emails. Members usually get paid 1 cent for reading these ads. Sometimes the email must be viewed for a certain amount of time and others only require that the members click and view the advertiser's page. One thing you must know is that nearly 90% of these websites are scams. If you decide to participate in them you must choose the website that you want to join carefully.
Get Paid to Process Emails - These websites promise to pay you a certain amount of money for each email you process. They always want a fee upfront for you to get started. Usually 20 or 25 dollars for training material. Then you find out that the training material consists of a copy of the same ad which you are to replicate and promote. These websites are almost always scams and therefore you should stay away from them.
Get Paid To Promote - This is a website that you own. You get paid by offering advertising space. Companies and individuals pay you to run banner and text ads, as well as to display offers for people to
complete.
Get Paid to do Surveys - Websites that offer surveys are looking for your feedback about their business, products and services. They ask you about the quality of their service, pros, cons and what to improve. But volunteers usually don’t provide all the information they need, so business/company owners pay survey panels to gather useful information for them. Many survey websites hire people online and pay them money to provide user feedback about products or services they have tried or opt in for getting free samples, which they get to try out and review. There are even mobile applications allowing survey takers to provide their opinion while being in store. In exchange they receive money, discounts and various prizes including gift cards, movie tickets or electronics. Some survey websites charge a fee to join them and sometimes you have to answers questions to see if you are qualified for other surveys. Again, do you research to make sure you are not wasting your time.
Get Paid to Search - Many websites will pay you to do web searches and answer a few questions about the results. Some of these companies have agreements with the paid to click websites as another way for their members to earn.
Get Paid to Write - From writing magazine articles to books. Publishing online is more popular than ever and is still growing. For all those that are interested, I plan on a series of posts in the future discussing how to write and self-publish your work.
Get Paid to Review - If you are one of those peoples who love to review then you should know that there are many websites actually willing to pay you for your opinions and feedback on their products. Paid to review websites are free to join but you will have to be at least 13 years old and live in the U.S. or U.K..
You get paid when someone reads and rates your reviews. Good quality reviews are paramount to building a good reputation. Paid to review websites have a well establish communities and get millions of visitors each month.
More to come
Get Paid To Click are websites that are used to direct traffic to other websites and the easiest way to earn online. Advertisers pay the website owner a fee to have their ads displayed to members of the website. Members are paid when they click on advertiser's ads. Additionally, most PTC websites provide other ways of earning money such as doing tasks and completing offers. The amount paid per day is very small, but the idea is to build up your list of referrals (direct or in some cases the website will rent them to you). It is possible to earn 50 to 100 dollars or more a day with these websites, but it does take time. They are usually free to join and always offer upgrade packages that allow members to boost their earnings.
Get Paid To Upload is another way to earn money online. Everything is free, you don’t need to have a website of your own because it is already provided for you. All you have to do is sign up at the website, upload your files to the server and promote the given links to your friends and other people to download your files and you earn money. It is that easy, so be sure to check these websites out if you are looking for opportunities to earn money online without spending a single cent.
Get Paid to Answer Questions - Yes, you can actually get paid to answer questions in the field that you are an expert in. You earn money by giving your advice or solving customer problems and it can all be done at home. The amount of money that companies will pay you depends on many factors such as your field or subject that you are interested in, your knowledge potential etc.
Get Paid to Post - Now-a-days many webmasters are quite busy and have limited to time, so there are many webmasters who are willing to pay you to post on forums and promote their websites. Posting on forums are some of the most simple and effective ways to earn online. These jobs are hard to find though and there are only a few websites that offer this kind of work. Fortunately, the get paid to post on the forums is gaining more and more popularity each day due to time constraints of many webmasters. Once you are accepted, you will get paid from webmasters to promote their websites by posting useful information which is relevant or a related topic that is being discussed on the forum.
Get Paid to Test or Program Games - You actually can get paid to test or program games, but there are some requirements that you must meet before you can be hired. The first requirement is experience, If you want to get hired by top video game companies then you must have experience and proof of your previous work. Without any experience you will have to look towards the smaller video game companies. Then you can write a resume that highlights your skills and references. Second, is that you must be over 18 years of age. Third, is your education level. Companies require people who can analyze story lines, have good knowledge in grammar and the English language, are able to discuss and work as a team, etc. Writing skills are also important. Depending on the job you will need at least a high school diploma up through a college degree.
Get Paid to Play Games - There are many strategy and other types of games (other than gambling) that yu can play and earn money. You can find more information on these websites under the category "Everything Else."
Get Paid to Read Emails - This type of website promises to pay members to read emails. Members usually get paid 1 cent for reading these ads. Sometimes the email must be viewed for a certain amount of time and others only require that the members click and view the advertiser's page. One thing you must know is that nearly 90% of these websites are scams. If you decide to participate in them you must choose the website that you want to join carefully.
Get Paid to Process Emails - These websites promise to pay you a certain amount of money for each email you process. They always want a fee upfront for you to get started. Usually 20 or 25 dollars for training material. Then you find out that the training material consists of a copy of the same ad which you are to replicate and promote. These websites are almost always scams and therefore you should stay away from them.
Get Paid To Promote - This is a website that you own. You get paid by offering advertising space. Companies and individuals pay you to run banner and text ads, as well as to display offers for people to
complete.
Get Paid to do Surveys - Websites that offer surveys are looking for your feedback about their business, products and services. They ask you about the quality of their service, pros, cons and what to improve. But volunteers usually don’t provide all the information they need, so business/company owners pay survey panels to gather useful information for them. Many survey websites hire people online and pay them money to provide user feedback about products or services they have tried or opt in for getting free samples, which they get to try out and review. There are even mobile applications allowing survey takers to provide their opinion while being in store. In exchange they receive money, discounts and various prizes including gift cards, movie tickets or electronics. Some survey websites charge a fee to join them and sometimes you have to answers questions to see if you are qualified for other surveys. Again, do you research to make sure you are not wasting your time.
Get Paid to Search - Many websites will pay you to do web searches and answer a few questions about the results. Some of these companies have agreements with the paid to click websites as another way for their members to earn.
Get Paid to Write - From writing magazine articles to books. Publishing online is more popular than ever and is still growing. For all those that are interested, I plan on a series of posts in the future discussing how to write and self-publish your work.
Get Paid to Review - If you are one of those peoples who love to review then you should know that there are many websites actually willing to pay you for your opinions and feedback on their products. Paid to review websites are free to join but you will have to be at least 13 years old and live in the U.S. or U.K..
You get paid when someone reads and rates your reviews. Good quality reviews are paramount to building a good reputation. Paid to review websites have a well establish communities and get millions of visitors each month.
More to come
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Researching Income Opportunities
One thing for sure. There is no shortage of websites out there that are going to promise that if you just sign up with them that you will soon be making lots and lots of money. Reality is, it is not going to happen. At least not right away and not without some work. The more you look, the more websites you will find making the same promises. You may get a suggestion from a friend or family, through Internet searches or from blogs like this one. Sooner or later you will find one that looks interesting and you might think that this one deserves some of your time. So, how do you know if the sight you are interested in is a good one or not?
Here are a few things you need to know and things you need to look for even before researching a website or before signing up as a member. First, there are no free lunches, no matter what is advertised. You will have to put a certain amount of work in and have lots of patience. If a website says it is "free to join", or "get your free information", it is probably going to cost you something down the road. Many sites are free to join, but in order to make decent money on them you will have to eventually upgrade (hopefully you will be able to use your earnings). Second, there are a few things to look for on a website's home page. The best way to show you is by example.
"Paid to Click" sites are very popular right now and have been for a long time. In fact, there are probably more of these types of sites out there than any other. Most fail because they don't have a good business plan, so they don't last more than a few months. These sites offer you money to click on ads and perform tasks. The good news is that here are some good ones out there, as you will see in the example below.
The example we are going to look at is Neobux (I am a member of this site) also known as the "King of PTC's." So, go ahead and click on the link and I will tell you what to look for. If you look towards the bottom of the page, you will see how many members signed up, how many ads were viewed and how much money was paid to members the previous day. This is a good indicator as to how well a website it doing. Look for these numbers on any website you are considering. Second, look further down to see which payment processors are accepted. If PayPal and Payza are on the list, it is probably a good bet. PayPal and Payza are very leary of these kind of websites because of charge backs. Both have transaction guarantees and they don't want to be paying back disgruntled members because things didn't work out. Here is where you have to be a little careful. Both payment processors will accept payments from just about anyone, but they may not be willing to make a payment (say for an upgrade) to a suspicious website on your behalf. So, if a website will make a payment to your PayPal account, but they will not let you upgrade with it - stay away. Finally, look for a forum. This is where users post comments and ask questions about the website. If there is no forum or there are lots of negative comments, you might want to look for something else.
Next, you need to do is a couple of searches. First, do a whois search and type in the domain name (Neobux.com in this case). This will tell you where the domain is located, how long the domain has been around, and when the domain will expire. Neobux started in 2008 and the domain is good until 2023. Another good way to look up a website is on vampirestat. If a website has been around over 2 years it is a good bet that they know what they are doing. Next, do a search on the website name followed by "scam." Any negative or positive information can be found this way. If you can find the website owner's name, search on that to see if there is any bad press on that person. It is unfortunate, but all of the above is necessary to make sure that you don't waste your valuable time for nothing.
Here are a few things you need to know and things you need to look for even before researching a website or before signing up as a member. First, there are no free lunches, no matter what is advertised. You will have to put a certain amount of work in and have lots of patience. If a website says it is "free to join", or "get your free information", it is probably going to cost you something down the road. Many sites are free to join, but in order to make decent money on them you will have to eventually upgrade (hopefully you will be able to use your earnings). Second, there are a few things to look for on a website's home page. The best way to show you is by example.
"Paid to Click" sites are very popular right now and have been for a long time. In fact, there are probably more of these types of sites out there than any other. Most fail because they don't have a good business plan, so they don't last more than a few months. These sites offer you money to click on ads and perform tasks. The good news is that here are some good ones out there, as you will see in the example below.
The example we are going to look at is Neobux (I am a member of this site) also known as the "King of PTC's." So, go ahead and click on the link and I will tell you what to look for. If you look towards the bottom of the page, you will see how many members signed up, how many ads were viewed and how much money was paid to members the previous day. This is a good indicator as to how well a website it doing. Look for these numbers on any website you are considering. Second, look further down to see which payment processors are accepted. If PayPal and Payza are on the list, it is probably a good bet. PayPal and Payza are very leary of these kind of websites because of charge backs. Both have transaction guarantees and they don't want to be paying back disgruntled members because things didn't work out. Here is where you have to be a little careful. Both payment processors will accept payments from just about anyone, but they may not be willing to make a payment (say for an upgrade) to a suspicious website on your behalf. So, if a website will make a payment to your PayPal account, but they will not let you upgrade with it - stay away. Finally, look for a forum. This is where users post comments and ask questions about the website. If there is no forum or there are lots of negative comments, you might want to look for something else.
Next, you need to do is a couple of searches. First, do a whois search and type in the domain name (Neobux.com in this case). This will tell you where the domain is located, how long the domain has been around, and when the domain will expire. Neobux started in 2008 and the domain is good until 2023. Another good way to look up a website is on vampirestat. If a website has been around over 2 years it is a good bet that they know what they are doing. Next, do a search on the website name followed by "scam." Any negative or positive information can be found this way. If you can find the website owner's name, search on that to see if there is any bad press on that person. It is unfortunate, but all of the above is necessary to make sure that you don't waste your valuable time for nothing.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Getting Started
There are many ways to earn money online, but most fall into just two categories. First, you can actually do some kind of work and second you can sell products. Other ways include investing, gambling, strategy games, ponzi schemes, etc. I got my start in 2005 by self-publishing books and buying and selling items through auctions. Doing work and selling products are the least risky and are the ones we will stick with right now. Now, you may or may not make a lot of money online. So, my philosophy has always been to have multiple income streams. In other words, try different strategies and keep doing what works for you. Then eliminate the rest. Hopefully, this blog will help in that regard.
Before doing anything, you are going to have to set up a way to process your transactions. Many websites will accept credit cards and make payments to bank accounts, but that could possibility result in having your account numbers all over the Internet. So, the best way to avoid the problem is to set up accounts with one or two payment processing websites. The most reliable and trustworthy are PayPal and Payza. There are probably hundreds of other payment processors out there, but many have turned out to be scams in the past, so my advice is to stick with the two best. There is another reason to go with the ones I mention which I will discuss in my next post on how to tell if a website is legit or not.
Once you create your accounts, take the time to go through the verification process. This involves providing a name, address, phone number, bank routing number and a credit card number. This shows PayPal or Payza that you are a real person. Additionally, most websites that you get income from will not pay unless you are verified with your payment processor.
As a final note: I actually had PayPal call me once a half hour after I bought something off the Internet. It was a large purchase and out of character from my normal transactions. They just wanted to make sure it was me that made the purchase. How many credit card companies would do that?
Before doing anything, you are going to have to set up a way to process your transactions. Many websites will accept credit cards and make payments to bank accounts, but that could possibility result in having your account numbers all over the Internet. So, the best way to avoid the problem is to set up accounts with one or two payment processing websites. The most reliable and trustworthy are PayPal and Payza. There are probably hundreds of other payment processors out there, but many have turned out to be scams in the past, so my advice is to stick with the two best. There is another reason to go with the ones I mention which I will discuss in my next post on how to tell if a website is legit or not.
Once you create your accounts, take the time to go through the verification process. This involves providing a name, address, phone number, bank routing number and a credit card number. This shows PayPal or Payza that you are a real person. Additionally, most websites that you get income from will not pay unless you are verified with your payment processor.
As a final note: I actually had PayPal call me once a half hour after I bought something off the Internet. It was a large purchase and out of character from my normal transactions. They just wanted to make sure it was me that made the purchase. How many credit card companies would do that?
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Can I Really Earn Money Online?
Search Google for "earn money online" and you will get over 212,000,000 pages. So, it seems that you can earn money online. Oh, but how does one go about researching and deciding which strategies work, which ones don't work, and which ones are just outright scams? I have been earning money online since 2005 and I can say with experience that most websites that promise earnings (especially large earnings) are not going to make you a dime. Incredibly, thousands of these websites come online and thousands bite the dust everyday. If you are suckered into the wrong ones and happen to contribute your hard earned money to become a member, it probably won't take long until you find yourself out of your membership or subscription fee and looking for another site that promises "big bucks."
Other than joining websites that promise to make you money, other alternatives include creating your own website to sell products, information or services, writing books and selling them through the online publishers, and others. Of course, each requires a lot of work and success is not guaranteed.
Having been there, I decided to start this blog to shed some light on how to get started, how to tell if a website is legitimate o not, which strategies work, which don't, etc. Now, I admit that I am not a so-called "Guru" at earning money online, but I have had success and I shall continue to look for more ways to succeed.
As I add content to this blog, I will create categories and arrange them so that they are easily navigated. There will be reviews of websites and strategies for making the most of them. Although I have no interest in online strategies that don't work or are scams, I may discuss certain ones just to point out why you should not participate in them or at least be skeptical. There may be times when I make a mistake in thinking that a strategy is going to work, and it doesn't work out. When that happens I will let readers know right away.
Comments are always welcome, but any comment submitted that includes a website URL will be promptly deleted and designated as "trash." I want to read and share what others have experienced, but when a URL is included with a comment I know it is just a ploy to get me or my readers to join that site.
When I do suggest a website it may or may not be one that requires a fee to join. In any case I will let you know. After that, if you have success with it and you want to add more funds for upgrading, it is up to you. Also, any URL I suggest may or not be my referral URL. I will let you know. Not all strategies are going to require you to recruit referrals, but many do and are required for you to stand any chance of succeeding. Finally, if you follow one of my suggestions, I take no responsibility for your success or lack thereof.
In my next post I will discuss how to get started, the different kinds of strategies, how to determine if a site is legit or not, and a few things that have worked for me in the past or are working now.
So, stayed tuned and don't forget to bookmark this blog for future reference.
Ron Celano
Other than joining websites that promise to make you money, other alternatives include creating your own website to sell products, information or services, writing books and selling them through the online publishers, and others. Of course, each requires a lot of work and success is not guaranteed.
Having been there, I decided to start this blog to shed some light on how to get started, how to tell if a website is legitimate o not, which strategies work, which don't, etc. Now, I admit that I am not a so-called "Guru" at earning money online, but I have had success and I shall continue to look for more ways to succeed.
As I add content to this blog, I will create categories and arrange them so that they are easily navigated. There will be reviews of websites and strategies for making the most of them. Although I have no interest in online strategies that don't work or are scams, I may discuss certain ones just to point out why you should not participate in them or at least be skeptical. There may be times when I make a mistake in thinking that a strategy is going to work, and it doesn't work out. When that happens I will let readers know right away.
Comments are always welcome, but any comment submitted that includes a website URL will be promptly deleted and designated as "trash." I want to read and share what others have experienced, but when a URL is included with a comment I know it is just a ploy to get me or my readers to join that site.
When I do suggest a website it may or may not be one that requires a fee to join. In any case I will let you know. After that, if you have success with it and you want to add more funds for upgrading, it is up to you. Also, any URL I suggest may or not be my referral URL. I will let you know. Not all strategies are going to require you to recruit referrals, but many do and are required for you to stand any chance of succeeding. Finally, if you follow one of my suggestions, I take no responsibility for your success or lack thereof.
In my next post I will discuss how to get started, the different kinds of strategies, how to determine if a site is legit or not, and a few things that have worked for me in the past or are working now.
So, stayed tuned and don't forget to bookmark this blog for future reference.
Ron Celano
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