Well, well, well... did I learn a thing or two yesterday! When I started this blog, I had signed up for, and had been offering links to sponsored blog post and pay to blog websites that were 'legitimate' and not scams. Well, that little word 'scam' just has a large array of meanings here on the internet, doesn't it?
Though not scams, and likely still a great and satisfying way for some to earn money online with their blogs, sites like Smorty, PayPerPost and Sponsored Reviews really irritate Google. I hadn't been using any of them myself except Smorty. Smorty expressly has a blurb on their website that ensures that Google PageRank will not be affected as they do not require you to admit that you are writing a sponsored post on your blog. Well, I suppose right there should have been my first clue. If you are hiding something, that's a lie, and lying has consequences.
Well, I discovered the consequences of using my other personal blog for Smorty sponsored posts, as well as their fun little feature of post exchange. Post exchanges allow you to write posts for other blogs, and in turn, another blogger writes a post for you. This creates a one-way link into your blog so that 'supposedly' your Google PageRank will increase. To me, at first glance, this didn't seem like anything that could possibly be against any rules. And maybe it's not, but more about that in a moment. Once your Google PageRank increases, you get more sponsored opportunities from Smorty.
Well, I own 3 other websites and the two blogs. I've been obsessing over Google PageRank since I began this journey back in September of 2008. I finally got a PageRank increase to 1 last night on every site, including this blog, EXCEPT the blog that I used for Smorty...which is now back to N/A PageRank. That's even worse than Zero, I think. So, it immediately occurred to me that Smorty was the culprit. Upon a bit of research from other great bloggers, I realized that what I had been doing, and selling to the world as legitimate, is actually a great, big, fat GOOGLE TOS NO-NO!
So, I have officially suspended links to any and all 'get paid to blog' links. I checked out Social Spark and I just wasn't impressed with how they operate either. I refuse to tell you that you can make money posting on your blog for any of these sites because the entire point, besides getting paid, is to raise your Google PageRank. If you start at 0, you can't get any rank when Google catches you, and if you start higher and get lots of paid posting opportunities, you'll lose your Google PageRank when Google catches you. It's a no win situation!
So, I'm back to simply writing articles for the sites that I know to be legitimate. These include Helium, Bukisa, Associated Content, eHow and others. Links can also be found to the right of this blog.
Also, I'm having a rather good time at Gather. Gather is a social networking community that boasts 'The Best Conversation Online.' Not only can you make great friends and find interesting topics on which to comment, but you also earn points for your contributions that can be cashed in for gift cards or Paypal cash. More on this shortly.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
A.W. Surveys - Scam from the get go!
Ok, so this blog is all about LEGITIMATE ways to make money at home. I usually like to simply avoid anything negative, as you might already know from following My personal blog, Bloomdrop's Zany Zodiacs. In avoiding anything negative, I like to provide all the legitimate ways to make money, but I prefer not to bother writing about anything that might be considered a scam. My biggest reason for that choice is that I really don't like to outright call someone else's business idea a scam. We are here to make money and not necessarily to please everyone with our practices. However, I began this journey by starting a website of only legitimate survey companies. In locating legitimate companies for my survey directory, A.W. Surveys was one of the survey companies that kept popping up.
These people are certainly making the money to market themselves. I see them advertised everywhere. How are they making sufficient money to advertise so much? By promising top dollar for people to refer friends, and then not paying anyone for referrals. Oh, wait! From what I gather from all my research and reading, they apparently pay a 'chosen few' and the assumption can be made that this is done so that there will still be a few people who sing the praises of this scam, scam, scamming survey company. From my research, it has been concluded that their favorite reason for denying payment is by saying that referrals were gathered fraudulently and therefore are not valid.
According to Survey Police, another legitimate directory of online survey companies, there are 5 unresolved complaints. I refuse to even list AW Surveys at surveymoneymakers.com. And the only reason I decided to post this now is because the first person who decided to leave a comment on this blog was trying to push A.W. Surveys on me. HA!
I have even had a personal run in with A.W. Surveys. And if you don't want to say that this is a scam red flag, then I don't know what is. I signed up, just to see what would happen. I did the initial $28 worth of surveys, which automatically sounds too good to be true. I had a question about one of their processes, being that I was starting a directory of legitimate surveys, so I sent them an email through their online support system. I already had an idea of what these people were about. My ticket was mysteriously 'closed' with no response. I reopened it and replied 'LOL' to which that was closed with no response as well.
AVOID AW SURVEYS LIKE THE PLAGUE! You won't usually see me posting negative things about money-making opportunities, even if they are scams, but this scam is just too juicy to pass up. If you are blindly referring people to AW Surveys without knowledge, just stop. There's a really slim chance of your getting paid, so waste your time on something that's actually legitimate like ClixSense or just go to the right of this blog page and sign up for a survey company that is actually going to pay you for surveys and referrals!!
These people are certainly making the money to market themselves. I see them advertised everywhere. How are they making sufficient money to advertise so much? By promising top dollar for people to refer friends, and then not paying anyone for referrals. Oh, wait! From what I gather from all my research and reading, they apparently pay a 'chosen few' and the assumption can be made that this is done so that there will still be a few people who sing the praises of this scam, scam, scamming survey company. From my research, it has been concluded that their favorite reason for denying payment is by saying that referrals were gathered fraudulently and therefore are not valid.
According to Survey Police, another legitimate directory of online survey companies, there are 5 unresolved complaints. I refuse to even list AW Surveys at surveymoneymakers.com. And the only reason I decided to post this now is because the first person who decided to leave a comment on this blog was trying to push A.W. Surveys on me. HA!
I have even had a personal run in with A.W. Surveys. And if you don't want to say that this is a scam red flag, then I don't know what is. I signed up, just to see what would happen. I did the initial $28 worth of surveys, which automatically sounds too good to be true. I had a question about one of their processes, being that I was starting a directory of legitimate surveys, so I sent them an email through their online support system. I already had an idea of what these people were about. My ticket was mysteriously 'closed' with no response. I reopened it and replied 'LOL' to which that was closed with no response as well.
AVOID AW SURVEYS LIKE THE PLAGUE! You won't usually see me posting negative things about money-making opportunities, even if they are scams, but this scam is just too juicy to pass up. If you are blindly referring people to AW Surveys without knowledge, just stop. There's a really slim chance of your getting paid, so waste your time on something that's actually legitimate like ClixSense or just go to the right of this blog page and sign up for a survey company that is actually going to pay you for surveys and referrals!!
Thursday, December 25, 2008
myLot
So I have to say that myLot is really starting to grow on me. For those of you who haven't heard, myLot is a community where you can discuss issues, ask questions, view blog posts, news articles and read about people's personal experiences. The best part of myLot is you get paid for all your contributions to this site.
Each time you make a post, comment or submit a blurb, you are paid for your entry. Talk about the weather, get to know people, raise a complaint, get some information, a question answered, or post your thoughts. Each contribution earns you a little more money. There are some people who spend the better part of their days writing on myLot.
You can also use myLot to promote your business. Though, like any site, myLot disapproves of directly spamming and entering your network links anywhere and everywhere, if you're crafty, you can get word for your products and services out there. Technically, it's not considered spam if people are interested in what you have to offer. Just be careful about where you put links to your affiliate programs and such. Private messaging is the safer way to go, and always be conscientious of what you're pushing. If you know it's a scam, please don't try to get a million people involved!
Further, myLot allows you to post HTML code on your profile page. This is the PERFECT place to enter your affiliate banners, website links and network referral URLs. Then you can simply respond to posts by people looking for your time of services, and point them to your profile. myLot is a social networking community. Use that to your advantage, plus get paid! myLot also has a referral program. You can't go wrong. Spend all day, or even just a bit of time, posting and reading and having fun and you'll be bringing in some money in no time.
Sign up for myLot now
Each time you make a post, comment or submit a blurb, you are paid for your entry. Talk about the weather, get to know people, raise a complaint, get some information, a question answered, or post your thoughts. Each contribution earns you a little more money. There are some people who spend the better part of their days writing on myLot.
You can also use myLot to promote your business. Though, like any site, myLot disapproves of directly spamming and entering your network links anywhere and everywhere, if you're crafty, you can get word for your products and services out there. Technically, it's not considered spam if people are interested in what you have to offer. Just be careful about where you put links to your affiliate programs and such. Private messaging is the safer way to go, and always be conscientious of what you're pushing. If you know it's a scam, please don't try to get a million people involved!
Further, myLot allows you to post HTML code on your profile page. This is the PERFECT place to enter your affiliate banners, website links and network referral URLs. Then you can simply respond to posts by people looking for your time of services, and point them to your profile. myLot is a social networking community. Use that to your advantage, plus get paid! myLot also has a referral program. You can't go wrong. Spend all day, or even just a bit of time, posting and reading and having fun and you'll be bringing in some money in no time.
Sign up for myLot now
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Promote Your Links Using Social Networking
The difference between spam and self-promotion is sometimes hard to decipher. Many of us on the internet are looking for ways to tell people about what we're doing, and seeking to share valuable information with those who are like-minded. Some just want to get as many referrals as possible, but others are genuinely seeking people who might be interested in articles, webpages, e-books, blogs and more.
Social Networking has become very popular and there are so many ways to make friends and exchange links with others who share the same interests as you. Some social networking and bookmarking website work better than others, depending on what it is that you have to advertise. I've created a Squidoo lens that outlines some tips on social networking and gives some great resources on where to find friends. Enter your profile information in each corresponding section and sit back as people find you and you can begin to get support for your great ideas, articles and internet creations.
click here to Self Promote using Social Networking
Social Networking has become very popular and there are so many ways to make friends and exchange links with others who share the same interests as you. Some social networking and bookmarking website work better than others, depending on what it is that you have to advertise. I've created a Squidoo lens that outlines some tips on social networking and gives some great resources on where to find friends. Enter your profile information in each corresponding section and sit back as people find you and you can begin to get support for your great ideas, articles and internet creations.
click here to Self Promote using Social Networking
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Repair and Clean Registry Errors
I've written a review article on CCleaner, a great tool for fixing registry errors and cleaning, repairing and optimizing your PC. It's easier to make money with your PC when it's clean and up to speed! :) This is a free tool and I am in no way affiliated with the company. I use this tool to keep my PC free of registry errors and cleaned of junk. I highly recommend it.
See article here
Got ideas for your own articles? Join Bukisa and get paid to write!
See article here
Got ideas for your own articles? Join Bukisa and get paid to write!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Determining Duplicate Content; When Can You Repost Your Articles?
When it comes to search engine optimization, there is much debate over the effects of duplicate content. Writers and webpage designers are in a quandary over the rules determining duplicate content and how it can affect SEO, filters, content views, and the earnings involved for both writer and website owner.
I write articles for many different sites, including my own websites, blogs, and other sites like eHow , Bukisa , Helium, and Squidoo . To determine how I felt about this issue of duplicating content across sites, I decided to do some of my own research.
One side of the debate holds the argument that it is never appropriate to duplicate an article on more than one website. The claim is that Google and other search engines filter out duplicate content based on certain criteria. Therefore, duplicating content would put you, and the sites that you write for, at major risk of 'losing' some pages as many will be filtered out and not displayed in search engine results.
The opposing viewpoint states that duplicate articles, as long as they are legitimate, are not at risk of filtering, especially when titled differently and displayed on completely different websites. Because of this, one may freely post a duplicate article anywhere possible without worry.
When determining the secret rules behind SEO, no one can really be 100% positive. I discovered an invaluable article called Duplicate Content Filter: What it is and how it works and a Similar Page Checker tool that helped me to determine whether duplicating my articles across more than one website is beneficial to myself, as well as the hosting website, or whether to steer clear of it and take the time to rewrite articles each time I post.
The Similar Page Checker helps to determine the percentage of similarity between two pages. I checked a few of mine between sites, and based on my gut reaction at the similarity percentage, I decided whether or not to make changes to the content. This is a great tool to use on an ongoing basis to decide for yourself how to post your articles.
I write articles for many different sites, including my own websites, blogs, and other sites like eHow , Bukisa , Helium, and Squidoo . To determine how I felt about this issue of duplicating content across sites, I decided to do some of my own research.
One side of the debate holds the argument that it is never appropriate to duplicate an article on more than one website. The claim is that Google and other search engines filter out duplicate content based on certain criteria. Therefore, duplicating content would put you, and the sites that you write for, at major risk of 'losing' some pages as many will be filtered out and not displayed in search engine results.
The opposing viewpoint states that duplicate articles, as long as they are legitimate, are not at risk of filtering, especially when titled differently and displayed on completely different websites. Because of this, one may freely post a duplicate article anywhere possible without worry.
When determining the secret rules behind SEO, no one can really be 100% positive. I discovered an invaluable article called Duplicate Content Filter: What it is and how it works and a Similar Page Checker tool that helped me to determine whether duplicating my articles across more than one website is beneficial to myself, as well as the hosting website, or whether to steer clear of it and take the time to rewrite articles each time I post.
The Similar Page Checker helps to determine the percentage of similarity between two pages. I checked a few of mine between sites, and based on my gut reaction at the similarity percentage, I decided whether or not to make changes to the content. This is a great tool to use on an ongoing basis to decide for yourself how to post your articles.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Make Money Blogging for Smorty
IMPORTANT UPDATE!!!! 12/31/2008
******Unbeknownst to me, involving your blog with Smorty or any other Paid to Post or Sponsored Reviews website really upsets Google. I have just proven this with my own experience as Google PageRank was updated and the only one of my sites that is back to N/A is the blog I use for Smorty. I'm officially cancelling my account and removing all links to any Pay Per Post, 'make money with your blog' sites until further notice...(which may be never!)
Smorty is a website that offers paid writing jobs for your blog. Based upon some criteria involving page ranks and blog popularity, you will be offered paid assignments and you can start making money for your blog. Your job is to simply write your opinions about people’s products and services, and publish these opinions to your blog. You will be paid shortly after your blog entry has been approved.
Sign up for Smorty. To get blog approval, here are part of Smorty’s guidelines: "Blogs that are not indexed, have little or no content, are banned from search engines or contain hate related and crude content may be rejected or put on Probation until corrected. Your blog must be older than 30 days and have at least 10 posts to apply." Other than that, the only rules are the obvious ones.
One thing that I really like about Smorty is their post exchange program. They pair you with other similarly ranked blogs, and you write a review for that blog. In turn, another blogger will write a review for your blog. Instead of a 'link exchange' this process is creating an inbound-only link from another blog, therefore increasing your Google PageRank. When Google PageRank increases, not only does your blog popularity increase, but your opportunities for making blogging money will increase as you are offered more paid reviews. I find this little program to be quite awesome!
Smorty is currently offering a beta version of their Digxa Widgets. I haven't yet tried this feature, but I have read that it connects to products by Amazon. If you aren't yet an Amazon affiliate, and don't have plans to become one, this is a super easy way to begin earning commission from product sales. Yet another great way to make money for blogging with Smorty.
Lastly, Smorty offers a friend referral program. You will earn 5% commission on all payments made to any referred bloggers who sign up under your referral link. If you have a blog, it is my opinion that you can’t lose with Smorty.
******Unbeknownst to me, involving your blog with Smorty or any other Paid to Post or Sponsored Reviews website really upsets Google. I have just proven this with my own experience as Google PageRank was updated and the only one of my sites that is back to N/A is the blog I use for Smorty. I'm officially cancelling my account and removing all links to any Pay Per Post, 'make money with your blog' sites until further notice...(which may be never!)
Smorty is a website that offers paid writing jobs for your blog. Based upon some criteria involving page ranks and blog popularity, you will be offered paid assignments and you can start making money for your blog. Your job is to simply write your opinions about people’s products and services, and publish these opinions to your blog. You will be paid shortly after your blog entry has been approved.
Sign up for Smorty. To get blog approval, here are part of Smorty’s guidelines: "Blogs that are not indexed, have little or no content, are banned from search engines or contain hate related and crude content may be rejected or put on Probation until corrected. Your blog must be older than 30 days and have at least 10 posts to apply." Other than that, the only rules are the obvious ones.
One thing that I really like about Smorty is their post exchange program. They pair you with other similarly ranked blogs, and you write a review for that blog. In turn, another blogger will write a review for your blog. Instead of a 'link exchange' this process is creating an inbound-only link from another blog, therefore increasing your Google PageRank. When Google PageRank increases, not only does your blog popularity increase, but your opportunities for making blogging money will increase as you are offered more paid reviews. I find this little program to be quite awesome!
Smorty is currently offering a beta version of their Digxa Widgets. I haven't yet tried this feature, but I have read that it connects to products by Amazon. If you aren't yet an Amazon affiliate, and don't have plans to become one, this is a super easy way to begin earning commission from product sales. Yet another great way to make money for blogging with Smorty.
Lastly, Smorty offers a friend referral program. You will earn 5% commission on all payments made to any referred bloggers who sign up under your referral link. If you have a blog, it is my opinion that you can’t lose with Smorty.
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