The Paid Email Experiment!

Come and be a guinea pig in this experiment!

2006-02-22T12:16:00.000-05:00

Hey! I don't know if I mentioned this before but check out "Cammie's Get Paid Experiment" for the latest happenings. I'm posting my observations and results there. Find out about paid to read email as well as other easy and free ways to make money online. See you there!

Cammie

I Won a Great Contest at Emails For Ads

2005-12-26T18:30:00.000-05:00

There was a terrific holiday contest at Emails For Ads on yesterday.

Object: Decipher 5 Christmas riddles by naming the songs.
Prize: 1 cent for each correct answer. Name all five correctly and get a bonus riddle.

Riddles:
1. Oh, member of the round table with missing areas
2. Boulder of the tinkling metal spheres
3. Vehicular homicide was committed on Dad's mom by a precipitous darling
4. Cup-shaped instruments fashioned of a whitish metallic element
5. Duodecimal enumeration of the passage of the yuletide season
Bonus - May the Deity bestow an absence of fatigue to mild male humans

Answers:
1. Oh Holy Night
2. Jingle Bell Rock
3. Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer
4. Silver Bells
5. The Twelve Days of Christmas
Bonus - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

I answered everything correctly and collected 5 cents + a bonus 100 cash PTCs. Emails For Ads is a fun site!

Cammie

Happy Holidays to All!

2005-12-26T18:17:00.000-05:00

I wanted to find out more about holidays and celebrations that occur during this season so I stopped by Wikipedia. I've posted several links here. Click and discover some interesting info.

Christmas - a holiday observed in much of the world on 25 December (or on 7 January in most Eastern Orthodox Churches).

Hanukkah - also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight day Jewish holiday beginning at the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev.

Kwanzaa - a week-long secular holiday observed from December 26 to January 1 honoring African-American heritage.

Boxing Day - a public holiday observed in many Commonwealth countries on 26 December.

St. Stephen's Day - the day following Christmas Day, is called St. Stephen's Day in Ireland, Italy, Denmark, Finland and Romania, and is a public holiday.

I'm also including an excerpt from "Amazing Peace" (a poem by Dr. Maya Angelou).

We beckon this good season to wait a while with us.
We, Baptist and Buddhist, Methodist and Muslim, say come.
Peace.
Come and fill us and our world with your majesty.
We, the Jew and the Jainist, the Catholic and the Confucian,
Implore you, to stay a while with us.
So we may learn by your shimmering light
How to look beyond complexion and see community.

You can find the entire poem at Oprah.com.

Wishing you joy, peace, and love.

Cammie

Just Lost Two Good Ones

2005-12-20T10:23:00.000-05:00

I've been busy lately working on my site and setting up another one. I haven't been able to keep up with my emails as I would like. Finally, I got a chance to get through them all on yesterday. Unfortunately, I have been deleted from two good programs. Should have set my accounts to vacation status but I didn't realize I was away that long. Fine tuning GetPaid4Free.com is definitely an addiction. Anyway, I enjoyed both Cassandra's Clicks and The Ad Click. I may rejoin but I'll continue to advertise with both. I'm a little upset with myself for losing my earnings. I was relatively new at TAC but had accumulated $3.49 at CC. Wanted to use those funds to advertise the new design but...oh well. Live and learn. If you're an active clicker, I would recommend both. CC has lots of contests and TAC always has great ad deals. When you join, tell them you read it here. Maybe, they'll let me back in. LOL :-D

Cammie

New Site Design at GetPaid4Free.com!

2005-11-29T15:46:00.000-05:00

UPDATE:
(12/01/2005) I figured out the problem and corrected it. I have SEF/UF URLs. YAY! I'll make a separate post with all of the details a little later. Just wanted to post that the new design is up.

(11/29/2005)
I tweaked generating SEF and UF URLs to the point where the entire site disappeared! The old site is back up. I'll include links to both so you can view the work in progress:
present design (will now take you to the new design)
new and improved design

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OK. I couldn't resist. After weeks of debating over changing the design of the site, I finally took the plunge. I wanted to switch from HTML to PHP and discovered a great way to accomplish this. Joomla! is a powerful Open Source Content Management System. It's easy to install, easy to use, and best of all...FREE. I'm excited about the upgraded features. Easily find the information you want and then print it, email it to your friends, or view as PDF. Also, adding content is a breeze. I'm having fun with the platform and I really like the new template.

Only one minor problem so far. The URLs generated are dynamic URLs (i.e. http://www.thenameofyoursite.com/index.php?option=blah, blah, blah). This is fine for navigation. It's possible to access everything on the site but search engines prefer static URLs. Joomla! has an option included that produces ones that are static and search-engine-friendly (SEF) but they are not very user-friendly (UF). I'm toying with the CoreSEF Hack that will generate URLs along the lines of:
"http://www.thenameofyoursite.com/faqs/faqs.html".
The hack gives me wonderful URLs but my server can't find them. I keeping getting 404 and 500 errors. I am still experimenting. If you visit and get an error page, please clear your cache and check back in a few minutes. There is an alternative solution to this. It's called SEF Advance but you have pay for the product. Since I'm all about getting stuff for FREE, I consider this an option of last resort.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. Send me an email or post here if you have questions or comments about the new design.

Cammie

It Pays To Learn - Now Earning Cash Reading V-mails is Easier!

2005-11-11T11:01:00.000-05:00

From an Admin email sent on November 10th:

Get cash for V-mails read with no other activity required! Now there is no additional activity required to qualify for cash from reading V-mails! If you are a Gold Member, you will also earn cash that is automatically deliverable with your next payment each time your first and second-level referrals read V-mails! Every IPTL member who has earned or does earn 500 QuizPoints in November from personal quiz taking will automatically receive the equivalent of 500 more QuizPoints (50 cents in QuizBucks) added to his or her QuizBank on December 1, in lieu of qualifying for V-mail earnings.

As much fun as I have taking quizzes, it will be great to get 500 free QuizPoints from IPTL. Yay! For more information on getting the most out of It Pays To Learn, visit "The IPTL System".

Cammie

Shhhh! - One of My Advertising Secrets

2005-10-29T16:15:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, October has been a great month to pick up some great PTR advertising deals. Keep an eye out for those Admin emails from the sites you have joined. Take advantage of the Advertising Sales.

If you don't belong to a large number of PTR sites or you just can't wait, a great place to find some great deals is the Advertising Offers folder at the Get Paid Forum. It's a great way to test a site or even your ad. You may have to do a bit of lurking first before purchasing. Check the Praises and Complaints folders. Read several posts and responses to get a more balanced view.

When you are ready to buy, just follow the instructions listed in the post. A couple of helpful abbreviations:
CMI = count me in
PM = personal message (click on poster's name and then "Send a Personal Message")

A special Thank-You to the webmasters and assistants who have been so helpful and friendly while getting my ads up and running!

If you have any questions on how to purchase advertising, feel free to post here or send me an email. I am more than happy to help.

Cammie

Nickels for Katrina - A Great Way to Donate and Advertise!

2005-10-22T18:56:00.000-05:00

I truly enjoy posting alternative ways you can donate to charity. In this spirit, I present:

From the site:
In September 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the city of New Orleans. This has created a state of need for the city. Agencies such as the Red Cross and FEMA have made it clear that the best way to help the Katrina effort is to donate money to the cause.

Our idea is to raise $50,000 to help with the relief effort. Here's where you come in. We are giving away pixels on the front page of our web site in exchange for $.05 US each:

If we can sell off all 1 million pixels on the front page, we will raise: $.05 x 1,000,000 = $50,000!

This idea was inspired by Alex Tew’s "Million Dollar Homepage." Alex has had an unbeliveable amount of success with the site and there have been ennumerable copycats already.

When looking at all of these sites we thought that it was a great idea except that everyone is taking the money and putting it in their own pocket. We thought that it would be great to create a site where the money goes to people who really need it. This is a way we can donate our efforts and truly help people who live outside our local community.

All proceeds from Nickelsforkatrina.org will be donated to the American Red Cross.

My Get Paid 4 Free link is up! It's the yellow dollar sign on a green background near the upper left corner. I donated $10 for 2 blocks and I am pleased with the whole process. The webmasters are dedicated to this cause. So far, they have raised over $2000. What a terrific idea!

Cammie

UPDATE: StormClix - Paid-to-click Program

2005-10-19T13:02:00.000-05:00

I haven't had the time to click StormClix links like I did a few weeks back but I have managed to accumulate a tidy sum. My total for clicking everyday from Sept 21 to Sept 30 = $10.32 (over $1.00/day). I also clicked on Oct 1, 2, and 10. Grand total = $12.10

Note: There seems to be a push (through forum posts and ads) to become NetIBA certified. This is stated to result in more clicks with higher values. Since I am satisfied with the number and value of StormClix links, I will not pay the $19.95 fee to become NetIBA certified.

Logged on today at StormPay to see if anything had changed and I noticed a couple of differences:

Payments are no longer automatic. You can now choose when you want to credit your earnings up to a maximum of once every 24 hours. This can be done from your StormClix Profile.
New minimum to process funds into your account. Now you must have at least $1.00 in earnings before you can credit the funds.
Additional 10 second timer. There's a new timer that comes up each time you access the list of clicks (Browse Clix).

I'm still happy with StormClix. My plan was to use the money to fund another program but I think I'll use it to purchase advertising. To earn money with StormClix by viewing ads, just sign up with StormPay.

Cammie

What Did You Win This Week?

2005-10-14T16:40:00.000-05:00

Well, let's see:

Cassandra's Clicks - PTC contest (cash)

Get Rich By Email - PTC contest (cash)

and drum roll please...

Emails For Ads - Riddle contest (a referral added to my downline)

Not bad considering I'm not a constant clicker.

Woohoo!

Cammie

Get Rich By Email - Refer Advertisers and Get Cash

2005-10-14T16:26:00.000-05:00

From an Admin email sent to members on October 9th:

Hey People, just a quick update, I added a link to your referral page.

Its for referring advertisers. If you send some traffic to this page and someone buys an ad you will receive 5% commissions.

Each member gets a personalized link to promote. Another reason to like Get Rich By Email.

Cammie

October - A Great Month to Advertise

2005-10-14T15:44:00.000-05:00

I'm seeing terrific advertising deals from PTR sites this month. My plan is to promote my "get paid" site and blog for name recognition. Of course, you're more than welcome to visit the sites on my paid email list and take a look around. If you belong to a few PTRs already and have something to advertise, take this opportunity to get the word out!

Wondering what you could advertise?
Yes, other PTR sites but also...
1. arts, crafts, or anything else you make
2. something you're selling on an auction site
3. any service you provide that would work online
4. other programs where you wish to gain referrals

Remember, various holidays are approaching. Now is a great time to take advantage of inexpensive advertising and make a few sales. For other promotion ideas, check out Ads 4 Free.

Cammie

Yep, I Did It. I Finally Joined.

2005-10-14T15:01:00.000-05:00

As many of you know, I frequent the Get Paid Forum. I was constantly hearing good things about a particular PTR. Finally, my curiosity got the best of me and I joined The AdClick. It's still in my evaluation stage so I haven't added it to my paid email page yet but I really like it so I'll post a few words here.

The webmaster has innovative ideas about running a PTR and that's reflected in the site. So many different things to do and ways to earn. In addition to the standard pages offered by most, enjoy: The Maze, Paid Survey, Click-To-Win, Click For Awareness, and many others. Members stay busy and have fun doing it. Advertisers appreciate the great ways to promote their opportunities. Win-win situation.

Visit The AdClick and see for yourself.

Cammie

It Pays To Learn Starts New Banner Promotion - Get Free QuizPoints!

2005-10-05T08:54:00.000-05:00

From the web site:

Right now IPTL will award you 20 QuizPoints (2 cents in QuizBucks) every time anyone clicks on your IPTL referral banner anywhere on the web, as long as you have not already received a click-thru from that person's IP address since this promotion began! All necessary tracking information is recorded automatically whenever your banner is clicked. Simply use the banner code provided on this page in your promotions to receive credit.

QuizPoints from banner clicks are displayed in your "QuizBank" in real-time, and tracking of your banner stats and web locations is provided automatically on the "My IPTL Banners" page.

You can use your QuizPoints converted to QuizBucks to run your own ads on IPTL, apply toward other purchases on the site or even to sell to other members for cash.

Cool. Free QuizPoints! Of course, I had to pick the banner with the "brain". For more information on getting the most out of It Pays To Learn, visit "The IPTL System".

Cammie

HTMail Changes Payment Terms

2005-10-04T16:23:00.000-05:00

Discovered this on one of the boards I visit frequently. Double-checked on HTMail's web site and, sure enough, it's true. I've highlighted the terms that were changed.

You are credited US $0.10 (UK £0.05) if you click a link in one of our email ads to go to the advertisers web site and return our feedback form or US $0.01 (UK £0.01) if you do not visit and just return our code number from the advertisers email - but you also get US $0.05 (UK £0.03) for each feedback form returned by someone you referred AND an additional US $0.02 (UK £0.01) for each feedback form returned by THEIR referrals.

You may choose to be paid in UK Pounds or US Dollars.

The method of payment will be by cheque/check or Paypal (your choice).

Payment is made every 3 months on

March 15th
June 15th
September 15th
December 15th

Provided you have a minimum of US $25.00 (or UK £15.00) credited to your account if you wish to be paid by check/cheque or US $15.00 (UK £10.00) if you wish to be paid by Paypal - you will automatically be paid on the above dates. If you have less than these minimums then the balance is carried over until the next payment date. You can specify a higher minimum payment than this if your country has a high cost of currency exchange.

If you wish to be paid the money owed to you before you reach the minimum simply ask us to pay you at the next payment date - BUT if your account is below the minimums quoted above, a charge of $3.00/£2.00 will be deducted from the money owed to you to cover manual processing costs, and you will be paid the remainder. If the money we owe you is less than this charge - then we reserve the right not to pay.

Summary:

Payment for reading email lowered to $0.01. I believe it was $0.03.
Payment every 3 months. I think this was monthly if you made payout.
Payout raised to $25 for a check and $15 for a PayPal deposit. It was $10.

The "Get Paid Geek" is not happy. I had earned about $8.90 so far and was close enough to that previous $10 PayPal payout to taste it. Not quite sure how long it will take since it's been raised to $15. I'll leave HTMail on my paid email page for the time being because $0.10 per returned feedback form is nice but I will monitor this one closely.

Cammie

Hey, I Won This Week!

2005-10-01T13:38:00.000-05:00

Guess what? No, not the lottery but I did win two different paid-to-click contests this week.

Get Rich By Email: One in 10 clicks randomly receives a small cash prize. I think this is the first time I won here.

Cassandras Clicks: Every 50 clicks, one winner will be randomly chosen to get 10 cents. I've won here at least a couple of times. This site has many great contests and giveaways.

Can't start my early retirement just yet but contests do make paid-to-read fun.

Cammie

StormClix: Paid-To-Click Program That Pays Daily

2005-09-21T08:23:00.000-05:00

StormPay.com has launched a new paid-to-click program. StormClix pays daily to your StormPay account for viewing links submitted by advertisers. Your account will be credited once a day at 9:00 PM Central Time.

Surfers:
Easy to get paid. Just click on the advertiser's link and read the ad. Get paid from $0.01 to $5.00 per click for a 20 second view.

Advertisers:
Get your ad seen for as little as $0.01 per potential customer. You set your own budget and number of clicks you want your ad to generate.

How can you join?
Just sign up with StormPay. It's a safe, easy way to send and receive money online. Once you've joined, check for paid links in the "Browse Clix" section. Run your ad in the "Manage Clix" section.

I love this idea! No waiting around wondering if you'll get paid or not. Easy same day pay. For advertisers - Got a dollar? Get traffic. I'll post my earnings for a few days but this one is looking like a winner.

UPDATE:
Sept 21 Earnings = $1.09
Sept 22 Earnings = $0.95
Sept 23 Earnings = $1.19
Sept 24 Earnings = $0.92
Sept 25 Earnings = $0.72
Sept 26 Earnings = $1.60

Cammie

Another Automatic PayPal Payment!

2005-09-09T18:30:00.000-05:00

Received another automatic PayPal payment from Mesmerizing-Mails on September 7th. It wasn't a huge windfall but every little bit helps. I really like the fact that I don't have to request it. Great no-minimum PTR site with monthly payments.

Cammie

QuickRewards - Red Cross Donation Drive

2005-09-08T21:09:00.000-05:00

Here's another paid email site where you can donate your earnings. From their site:

QuickRewards would like to ask our membersto help us in supporting those who were affected by Hurricane Katrina.

QuickRewards will be collecting funds to send to the American Red Cross so that they can assist those who need help by givin them food, shelter and much more.

We will be making weekly donations to them.

You can help us by donating as low as 1 cent from your account balance.

Every week we will submit all the donations.

If you would like to help just mention how much of your balance you would like us to donate during cashout.

Please remember that there is no such thing as donating too little.

Even one penny will help make a difference.

Thanks,
Cammie

A $5 PayPal payment is always welcome!

2005-09-08T18:17:00.000-05:00

CreationsRewards pays quickly!. Just received a $5 PayPal payment from them a couple of days ago. I redeemed 1000 points on August 25th and received the PayPal payment less than two weeks later on the 5th of September.

This BeenPaid.com member is a definitely one to keep.

Cammie

CreationsRewards - Hurricane Relief

2005-09-08T12:52:00.000-05:00

From an Admin email sent on September 7th:

CreationsRewards would like to send our thoughts and prayers to the families and people affected by Hurricane Katrina. We want to be a part of the hurricane relief effort and are taking donations in the form of points.

You can help by donating points, in 50 point increments.

For every 50 points that are donated, this will convert to $0.25. We will accumulate point donations until September 15, and then submit a donation for the total sum received to the Red Cross.

If you would like to donate points from your account to help with hurricane relief, please use our Contact Us form. Enter your name and the amount of points you would like to donate and submit the form to us.

CreationsRewards is another one of my favorites. I donated 500 points ($2.50) to their Red Cross fund today.

Thanks,
Cammie

Cassandra's Clicks Helps Hurricane Katrina Survivors

2005-09-08T12:18:00.000-05:00

From an Admin Email sent on September 2nd:

I added a redemption option for donations to Hurricane Katrina Victims. I will donate the funds collected to the National Red Cross in Washington, DC.

I will take collections for this week so I can send the money out next week 9/12. They need the help now so I don't want to keep the money for a long time!

Thank You in advance for all who will donate!

You can see why Cassandra's Clicks is one of my favorites.

Thanks,
Cammie

Globally Paid Email Helps Hurricane Katrina Survivors

2005-09-08T07:51:00.000-05:00

GPE is holding an Upgrade Drive and has added a donation option on the redemption page.

From an Admin email sent on September 1st:

For the entire month of September, 100% of the proceeds from EVERY Upgraded Membership purchased at any of my three sites will be used as a donation to help out the victims of this catastrophy. I have changed the Upgraded page at each site to accept upgrade payments via PayPal, StormPay, MoneyBookers, Egold, AlertPay, and GreenZap.

Globally Paid Email
Party Time Clicks
TMBCPTR

All proceeds from ALL Upgrades will be used for the purchase of: blankets, pillows, food, clothing, personal hygeine items, school supplies for the children who will now be attending school in our district and whatever else may be needed.

Let's make a difference in these victims lives. Every LITTLE bit we do can help these families ALOT!

From an Admin email sent on September 2nd:

The response is good so far for the Upgrade Drive. Your contributions are very much appreciated I have added a Donation for the victims on the redemption page. You may donate as much or as little as You wish.

If you've ever thought about upgrading or donating, consider doing it now. Support great PTR sites and help survivors during a difficult period.

Thanks,
Cammie

Paid Email News - It Pays To Learn's September 1st Policy Changes

2005-08-31T19:42:00.000-05:00

From an Admin email sent on August 31st:

Due to fraud and insufficient activity within other countries only groups and individuals who have a U.S. mailing address may join IPTL using a United States IP address (a U.S. IP address is automatic for users within the United States). Existing members in any country may continue to use IPTL, receive member payments and refer others who have a U.S. mailing address and who join using a U.S. IP address.

To prevent fraud, members who join IPTL on or after September 1st must wait 30-60 days for their first cash from offers from the time it appears in their CashBanks (either Quick-Pay or 30-60 Day, including referral offer cash). Once they have received this initial offer cash, they may receive their cash from offers with no unusual delay from that point forward. Payments for other activities are unaffected by this change.

The PayPal confirmation process will be discontinued. Members will be able to enter their PayPal addresses during registration or in their CashBanks and Quick-Pay Offers may be accepted by any member without restrictions. 25-cent joining and referral confirmation bonuses will be discontinued.

PayPal will not be a payment option for purchasing Gold Membersips and AADRS, but one or more other options may be added eventually.

I'm a little sad about the restrictions but I'm hopeful the new rules will improve the site. I enjoy It Pays To Learn. Receive quick PayPal payments and the quizzes are fun. If you are interested, I have a page to help you gain IPTL referrals.

Cammie

Paid Email News - Mesmerizing-Mails No Longer Accepting SAS

2005-08-31T18:03:00.000-05:00

From an Admin email sent on August 25th:

As of September 1, 2005 I will no longer be accepting ANY advertisements for SAS..If you have ads running for it as of September 1, 2005 I will be asking that they be changed..I will give members plenty of time IF these ads need to be changed.

Mesmerizing-Mails is quite the reliable site. No minimum payout and payments made monthly. No need to request. One of my favorites.

Cammie

Paid Email News - Cassandra's Clicks Updates Activity Requirement

2005-08-31T14:53:00.000-05:00

From an Admin email sent on August 25th:

The active members do not have to worry about this one!

The new requirement to be considered to be an active member -
Still the login once every 21 days but now you have to click at 5 emails or banners (or combination of) within the 21 day period.

There are so many only clicking 1 item once a month. This is not fair to active members.

Also any new members must click a link within 7 days of joining or your account will be deleted.

Cassandra's Clicks is a fun site. Lots of contests and activities to keep you busy. Members, let's get active!

Cammie

Paid Email News - Get Rich By Email Bans Rotator Traffic for PTPs

2005-08-31T14:29:00.000-05:00

From an Admin email sent on August 20th from the Webmaster:

If you are promoting the Paid-to-promote plugin from Getrichbyemail.com you will have to pay attention to the following.

From this point forward no traffic will be allowed to come from rotators anymore. If you currently promote using a rotator you will have to change your ads or remove the Getrichemail.com PTP from it. Sorry about this if you are using a rotator and are a legit promoter, but there is to much opportunity to cheat using this way. I will in the future keep a close eye on the traffic coming from traffic exchanges from now on and I will ban some if I have to.

This has become a big problem. It's a shame when good PTR programs and diligent webmasters must struggle to stay ahead of cheaters.

Cammie

You Can Make a Difference

2005-08-30T19:08:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: 09/15/2005
MyPoints sent the American Red Cross a check for $333,884 to be donated to the Disaster Relief Fund. They stated this is the first of many checks because point donations continue to roll in.

Hotspex added a special donation button to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Donating points will help the Red Cross provide food (non-perishable items) to those in need.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Make a Difference
I originally added this page to my site after seeing the devastation in South Asia during the Tsunami Disaster. I felt so helpless and wanted to do something. I discovered that I was a member of four sites that allow you to donate points to charity. Now again, I see suffering from another natural disaster. Hurricane Katrina is affecting so many lives and so many families.

If you are interested in donating points to charity, here are the sites and the points I've donated so far:
Creations Rewards (Only until September 15th. Donate your points quickly.) - 500 points ($2.50)
My Points - 500 points
Hotspex - 54,000 points
NFO My Survey - 1000 point minimum. I have 610.
Zoom Panel - 1000 points ($10)

Please check my page for further details.

Here are other sites if you are looking for ways to help:
Salvation Army
American Red Cross
Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund
Network For Good

Thank you,
Cammie

Paid Email News - Wolf Emails and Mails For Us Ban Traffic Exchanges

2005-08-19T12:05:00.000-05:00

From an Admin Email sent on August 18th:

We are very sorry to have to do this, however in the last week we have found MANY, many users cheating the PTP area using the various trafficX sites. Whether they be manual or autosurf sites, they're both being used to cheat a LOT of PTP sites!

We can not keep allowing this, and the time required to hunt these individuals down is overwhelming. Far outweighing the value of having the TX sites on the approved lists.

Effective immediately, we will be removing ALL TRAFFIC EXCHANGE SITES -- the only exception will be TrafficSwarm because of the way their system works.

Any TX owner that wants to accept our ptp pages will need to contact us personally so we can work out a method to avoid this problem in the future.

UPDATED LIST OF APPROVED TRAFFIC EXCHANGES:

I will update this list as necessary.

Check the Wolf Forum for further details.

Cammie

So Red The Rose Carries On

2005-08-19T11:00:00.000-05:00

This is taken from an Admin email sent on August 13th:

Hello to all you wonderful members and advertisers.

I would like to take this time to reintroduce myself. I am Laura, the owner of PiperCash.com. As you know from the previous admin mail that Sabrina sent out before she left to go into the hospital, Sabrina entrusted me to take care of her sites, and their members and advertisers, while she was away. I have spoken to her husband Ettore and it has been decided that he and I will continue both So Red The Rose and Enchanted Mail in Sabrina's honor*. It was her desire for her sites to go on should anything happen to her, and that is what will be done.

(*I added the bold type for emphasis.)

And from a message sent on August 15th:

Hello to all you wonderful members and advertisers.

I would like to inform you that we are again full operative. As you can see all pages are back online.

I wish them both much success in the future.

If you would like to make a donation in memory of Sabrina, please visit the special page that has been set up onsite.

Cammie

Paid Email News - Sad News in PTR Industry

2005-08-11T17:24:00.000-05:00

This message was sent to members on August 10th:

Hello to everyone.

It is with great regret that I have to announce this heartbreaking news.

Sabrina, owner of SoRedThe Rose & Enchanted Mail, passed away as a result of an ongoing illness.

Whilst no specifics are known, I was informed of this event and as I'm sure a lot of you are also, I am struggling to come to terms with such news.

This is a very difficult period for not just me, but for many other people also and our condolences goes out to Sabrina's immediate family and friends.

I want to commemorate Sabrina with 2 days of mourning.

At this time, I ask that you do not email any questions regarding the future of the sites as this will obviously have to be looked at. I'll let you informed on above matter.

This is truly a sad day.

Laura

I am also posting excerpts from the last admin email I received from Sabrina on July 28th that shows the love and concern she had for her sites:

Hello SPECIAL member of SoRedTheRose!

Today I have some news to say to you all.

I'm having some health problems for which I must go to the hospital to make some analysis in order to know why and how I can resolve it!!!!

I don't know yet how many days I'll be there, but I have made all necessary for SoRedTheRose to continue working fine and assist all you as usually I made!!!!

I will be back shortly
I love you all*
Sabrina

(*I added the bold type for emphasis.)

There is a thread in the GetPaidForum where people are posting condolences. When you get a chance, please visit and see the positive side of PTR - members coming together to honor the good work of a webmaster.

Cammie

I Won at Cassandra's Clicks!

2005-08-11T16:55:00.000-05:00

Cassandra's Clicks always has tons of contests. I just won 10 cents on August 9th in the contest click PTC section. Every 50 clicks, one winner will be chosen randomly to get the 10 cent prize. Their contest click section is great because I've seen other sites that require higher clicks (every 100 or 200) to win.

I even received an email message after I won:

Hello,

You have won our PTC contest!
The prize amount has been added to your account balance.

Congratulations!!!

So far, I've won 60 cents with this program. Another bit of good news. No more 0.1 cent links. All email ads are worth at least 0.25 cents - even PTP links. PTC banners are also worth no less than 0.25 cents. Why aren't you a member of Cassandra's Clicks?

Cammie

Paid Email News - BeeHiveMail Adds Processing Fees (TOS Change)

2005-08-11T16:02:00.000-05:00

This is taken directly from the Terms of Service page:

Added 8/09/2005
Processing Fees ~ Beehive mail absorbs most of the processing fees involved in paying members via paypal: however we reserve the right to share the payment processing fees with members as needed in order to keep the program viable and paying: these fees shall NOT exceed 10 cents per payment, on any/all amounts paid.

A Processing fee of 6 cents to 10 cents will be assessed on each egold and/or Moneybookers payment not to exceed 10 cents.

The explanation of the new PayPal fee is found in an admin email sent to members on August 9th:

I am really sorry that some Bee's were upset when I shared my payment fees for 10 cents each..this was to be a one time deal to help me with a very large unexpected loss* because of fraudulent paypal funds where I ran large bulk ads for over a week. I reserve the right to charge a fee after this 10 cent one time fee is over, I am thinking of 2 cents possibly...I will wait and see.

I have a thread in our own forum, where anyone who has been double charged this fee may post and I will remove the 2nd, or 3rd 10 cent charge by hand.

PLEASE...ADDRESS THIS IN OUR FORUM

(*I added the bold type for emphasis.)

Cammie

Gonefishin'...Just Gone

2005-08-11T14:47:00.000-05:00

This announcement was sent to members on August 7th:

'You've got to find what you love', Jobs says:

Spending most of my time "off" dealing with "life" both online and off has brought many things back in to perspective. I was fortunate to stumble upon Steve Jobs speech that he gave to Stanford graduates this year.

The following piece kind of sums where I am at...

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

With that, I am closing this site. Hosting is paid through August 9th. I have downloaded everyone's payment information including user name, amount due and payment processor. I have also downloaded everyone's email. None of this information will be sold, exchanged, etc. It is no one's business but your own. I will continue to process payouts as I receive requests from you and as I have funds available.

You are free to contact me at any time at (email address removed). I do not want to lose touch with so many of my friends.

I hope this note finds you in good health, good spirit and good fishin'.

As you move forward in your lives remember to stay hungry...keep looking for that next challenge...yet stay foolish...it keeps us humble.

Let's go fishin' folks...

Fishmistress Mary

Gonefishin' was a very good PTR program. It was professionally managed and closes that same way. Protection of private information and assurance of payment means quite a bit to members burned by too many other programs. Thank you and good luck with your future endeavors.

Cammie

Scarlett Mails - The Resurrection?

2005-08-11T12:37:00.000-05:00

This is part of an email ad dated August 3rd from one of the PTRs I joined:

ScarlettMails is under New Management.

Because of this fact, ALL ACCOUNTS HAVE BEEN DELETED*

ScarlettMails is RELAUNCHING NOW!

(* I added the bold type for emphasis.)

Readers of this blog will quickly recognize ScarlettMails. I posted twice before on this PTR program. See "WARNING to anyone involved with the PTR sites..." and "Sour Grapes or Lemonade?". Please be careful when considering any site. Don't be afraid to ask questions and seek information.

Good ones to ask here:
Hey, what happened to the deleted accounts?
Were any members paid?

Be careful out there.

Cammie

Just Not Enough Hours in the Day

2005-08-10T16:38:00.000-05:00

Finally decided to remove two good high search programs (BeeHiveMail and SoRedThe Rose) from my paid-to-read page. I'm just so busy with my sites and blogs, I cannot keep up with the number of search ads they send. I try to be supportive and make valid searches but I can't make 40-50 per day!

Cammie

Want a Site of Your Very Own?

2005-08-09T01:28:00.000-05:00

There is a free template on my paid-to-read page that you can use:

i HATE PAiD EMAiL - promote this paid email system to gain referrals.

The system includes step-by-step instructions on how to sign up with paid email programs, efficiently read email, download the information to your computer, make the necessary changes, find a host and upload to your web space. All information is free.

After you get your site up and running, use Ads 4 Free! - 10 free ways to generate traffic. Check Build Your Site! for more templates.

Feel free to leave a comment here or send me an email if you have questions.

Cammie

Paid Email News - What are these new laws I keep hearing about?

2005-08-09T00:22:00.000-05:00

On July 1, 2005, new laws took effect in Michigan and Utah that prohibit sending certain types of advertisements via email and other methods to "contact points" listed on registries maintained by each state. Compliance obligations for these laws are scheduled to take effect on August 1 and August 15, respectively.

What's involved?
Senders are prohibited from sending messages to a registered contact point that advertise or link to goods or services that are illegal for a minor to buy or possess (such as alcohol, tobacco, firearms, or drugs).

Penalties?
The laws could expose marketers to criminal prosecution as well as civil lawsuits brought by the plantiff's bar for statutory damages and attorneys' fees. These laws impose strict liability, and the civil penalties for violation are substantial - $5000 per message in Michigan up to $250,000 per day, and $1000 per message in Utah.

How does this affect the PTR industry?
Paid-to-read sites are beginning to ban paid-to-promote links since it is difficult to control the types of ads displayed on these pages. Many PTPs have layered ads and popups that would fall into the categories covered by these new laws. I believe more PTR webmasters will actively ban these pages until certain ads are removed.

Where can I go for more information?
I used the summary found on the Direct Marketing Association's web site as a reference.

Paid Email News - 5StarPromotions and NoBannerZone Ban PTPs

2005-08-08T23:47:00.000-05:00

From Admin newsletters sent to members on August 8, 2005:

As many of you are aware, there are new laws that cover minors in Michigan and Utah. Since I cannot with 100% certainty say which State/Country a Member lives in, I must be proactive in conforming to these new laws. Our TOS also states that you must be over 18 to be a Member of our sites, however, it has come to my attention that we may have a few Members under 18.

I tried being nice and asking Members not to advertise these types of sites. I have tried to watch the PTP pages that are shown but it seems not matter what I do, we end up with complaints about Adult, Gambling, Tobacco, and Pharmaceutical ads. Because of this, we are banning ALL PTP and search pages immediately.

5StarPromotions and NoBannerZone are two great PTR sites that protect their members.

Cammie

Paid Email News - GloballyPaidEmail No Longer Accepts PTP links and Changes Referral Structure

2005-08-08T23:02:00.000-05:00

From an Admin email sent to members on August 6, 2005:

In light of the new laws being passed regarding minors and PTP popups and such, we will no longer be accepting any advertising for PTP links. I must protect the site and its members, for that is my duty as your webmaster. I do apologize to all PTP advertisers. The current PTP ads and PTCs WILL be allowed to run until they have reached the clicks purchased. Unfortunately, this includes ALL PTP sites, even SAS. However, NickelsByEmail's Affiliate Program links with no popup may still be promoted here. By eliminating the PTP links, we also eliminate the search portals advertised by the PTP sites.

REFERRAL STRUCTURE
After counting the votes in the forum for 1 level at 40% or 2 levels at 20% each, the new referral structure will be 2 levels at 20% each.

A webmaster who actually listens to members. What a great idea! Did I mention GloballyPaidEmail has been in business for over 3 years?

Cammie

Paid Email News - Free Paid Email to All!

2005-08-08T22:29:00.000-05:00

Advertise your site! Get a free paid email to all at Tom Moon's Book Club PTR. From an Admin email sent to members on August 4, 2005:

Free Paid Email To All. But...

You must earn at least 10 cents in personal earnings to qualify for a free paid email to all. This 10 cents does not include sign-up bonuses, referral bonuses, or downline commissions. This is 10 cents that you MUST earn on your own merits to qualify for a free paid email to all.

I am also instating a Gotcha Bonus. If you catch someone advertising TMBCPTR at another site, send us your username, the username of the member you caught advertising TMBCPTR, the name of the site at which it was advertised, the date the ad ran, and a copy of the ad. If you are the first to submit a Gotcha for the ad, you will get 5 cents added to your account. The member you caught advertising will also get 5 cents added to their account.

Great bonuses for members of TMBCPTR!

Cammie

An Apology to My Laptop

2005-08-08T13:52:00.000-05:00

Please forgive my time away from this blog. It has been both an aggravating and learning experience. I've been having computer problems for the last several months but the symptoms have always been manageable. I felt the occasional crash was quite reasonable considering the age and memory capacity of my computer. Well, everything changed when I decided to update Mozilla Firefox (my browser) and Mozilla Thunderbird (my email manager).

For the past few weeks, my computer has been crashing almost constantly. After much hair pulling and many threats of tossing my ThinkPad out the window, I found an answer that seems to work. I heard that it may be a firewall issue so I dumped my McAfee Firewall (since it was free through AOL, no big loss). I am now using the firewall from Zone Labs - Zone Alarm (free download). I also heard that you should never have two virus scan programs on your computer at the same time. I started with McAfee Virus Scan (also free through AOL) but decided to try something different months ago. Downloaded AVG Anti-Virus (another free download) and used it exclusively. Now that I have removed the McAfee software, my computer is running much better.

I am taking this opportunity to publicly apologize to my ThinkPad laptop. I am constantly downloading things and forever asking you to be adaptive to the conditions I set. I appreciate your hard work and dedication.

Now, it's time for me to get back to my experiments!

Cammie

GetPaidGeek's Mini-Experiment (TMBCPTR.com)

2005-07-03T18:13:00.000-05:00

(This is the last in a series of posts transferred from my other blog.)

~ New Program Alert ~

Tom Moon's Book Club PTR

UPDATES:

07/09/2005 - The wait is over. Paid email has started!

07/16/2005 - Payout lowered to $6. Referral bonus is 5 cents!
08/04/2005 - Get a FREE ad! (Paid Email to All)
08/04/2005 - Added "Gotcha" bonus and store.

All the programs listed on my paid email page are older, more established sites. I set it up that way both to minimize my risk of being a member and increase my comfort level in promoting them. Due to the very high risk, I have never joined a new program...until now. The webmaster of Globally Paid Email has opened a brand new site.

Why did I join TMBCPTR?
I've been a member of Globally Paid Email for several months. I am impressed with the site. This search-free program has been in operation for 3 years (a great feat indeed for the PTR industry) and is a certified BeenPaid.com Diamond member. Low $7.50 payout plus $1 sign-up bonus. The bottom line - I joined the new site because of the professional way Globally is run.

Why should you join TMBCPTR?
Here's the chance to join a new program without all the risk. The webmaster has a proven track record in the industry. It's also a search-free site. Please read my post "Your search is over..." to see why this is important. Lastly, the bookish theme sounds interesting (and not just for a geek like me). The site even makes a monthly library donation.

TMBCPTR Site Details:

No points. No searches.
Get paid to read email and visit sites
Get paid to review poetry and short stories written by members
10 cent sign-up bonus
5 cent referral bonus
$6 payout

Cammie

Sour Grapes or Lemonade?

2005-07-03T17:42:00.000-05:00

I've been spending time in the Get Paid Forum trying to find additional information on the situation from my last post.

I did find the names of the parties involved but none wanted to take responsibility except the owner of Scarlett Mails. (UPDATE: This site dissappeared then reappeared after deleting all members and relaunching. I believe with a different owner.) Her case was different from the others. Although she transferred information to her new site without asking permission from members of a site where she was assisting, she sent an email soon after allowing people to opt-out. Wrong? Yes, but...

Much different from what was involved with the other sites. A database of over 10,000 members was sold and people in that database were NEVER notified. It was only discovered after several people started receiving paid email and spam from sites they never joined.

An informative thread can be found on the Get Paid Forum. It's a long thread but gives some interesting insight on the problem.

One thing that came out of the topic was a nice link to submit a complaint about a particular company or organization to the Federal Trade Commission:
FTC Consumer Complaint Form

I guess all that's left now is to move on - take my lemons and make lemonade. I will not let this situation get the best of me. I am even more determined to find and promote HONEST sites that pay. Be careful clicking out there!

Cammie

WARNING to anyone ever involved with the PTR sites Dolphin Cents, Manatee Mania, or Penguin Passion!

2005-07-03T16:56:00.000-05:00

Well, it seems as though my information was transferred to yet another site without my permission. A PTR site with a "pre-loaded" database of over 10,000 members was sold on an auction site. Unfortunately, my name was included in that database. So once again, I was forced to venture to this site and remove myself. I guess this now becomes my new part-time job - scanning the Internet and deleting my information from programs I didn't join in the first place.

How did this happen?
Several months ago, I joined a site called Penguin Passion. It belonged to a group of sites that remained in my "Still Need to Evaluate" list. Never moved it to my paid email page. Never even promoted it at all but I did want to check it out. Well, the site developed serious problems (mainly debt) and was sold to a new owner who then decided to sell the members' info over and over. I also learned that members of Dolphin Cents and Manatee Mania are experiencing similar problems.

What sites are involved?
IMPORTANT!
If you are/were a member of Dolphin Cents, Manatee Mania, or Penguin Passion, check the following sites - you may be a member:

Coffee Clickers (UPDATE: This link now produces a "404 Not Found" error.)
Mega-Mails
Scarlett Mails (UPDATE: This site has reappeared after deleting all members and relaunching.)
Clickers Club (UPDATE: This site has disappeared. Now redirects to getpaidtonetwork.com)

Log in using your same username and password from Dolphin Cents, Manatee Mania, or Penguin Passion. Go to the User Info page, change your info (name, email address, address, payment info, etc.) and then DELETE your account.

There's a good discussion of this problem on the GetPaidForum. I will update this post as necessary.

Cammie

Your Search Is Over! (with paid email, that is.)

2005-07-03T16:11:00.000-05:00

I mentioned that I would review the links on my paid email page and make adjustments. I'm changing the focus by adding more no search/lower search sites and removing most of the ones with higher search requirements. That's complete. I now want to join more search-free PTR sites and have found a terrific resource. If you're tired of searching or just don't want to start, visit:

Search-Free-PTR-Central

The over 30 sites listed are 100% search-free. No referral links are posted so you get unbiased, honest "inside" information. You have the choice of joining programs by either going directly to the separate sites or through Get Paid Forum downline builders (a good way to gain a few referrals). There's even a thread on the evolution of this Search-Free project.

Why is this so important?
The PTR industry has become saturated with high-search programs sending too many ads. I just don't see this as sustainable. Too many members receiving too many search ads = loss of interest (loss of good valid searches) = loss of revenue. Not good for any business and this is just one side of the coin.

On the flip side, the businesses that pay for clicks from search enginge keywords are definitely the losers here. It must be frustrating to spend money advertising products/services expecting to generate at least some sales or sign-ups and receive traffic from visitors who aren't even interested. This also is not good. I know this is not the case with every single clicker across the whole industry and not with every single search-PTR out there but if something does not change, advertisers will demand that search engines strictly limit traffic from PTRs and some programs and members will be left out in the cold.

Stay ahead of the curve. Support the search-free sites!

Cammie

Ch...Ch...Ch...Changes! (or the Evolution)

2005-07-03T15:30:00.000-05:00

Found out that I belonged to yet another paid-to-read site that I did not join (read my previous post). This brings the count to three where I had to remove myself. The situation is proving to be frustrating. As stated previously, I'm glad I didn't list or promote that original site. Fortunately, I like to "test-drive" a PTR site before I add it to my list.

That leads me to the topic of this post. I will spend some time reviewing the links on my paid email page. I recently came across a great list of 100% search-free sites. I already belong to some but wish to join others. My plan is to evaluate the new sites and add them to my list as I phase out some of the higher search ones. Nothing against them but there just aren't enough hours in the day for me to keep up and make valid searches. Stay tuned for updates.

Cammie

Quick Tip: Password Protection

2005-07-03T15:03:00.000-05:00

It seems as though one of the paid-to-read sites I joined decided to sign me up with two additional sites without my permission. This forced me to go to these two sites (my username, password, and other information being automatically transferred) and delete myself. It is amazing what some webmasters will do to get members. Fortunately, the original site never appeared on my paid email page and I never promoted it. Take heart, dear readers. Not all sites are run in this manner.

After that experience, I decided to make a post on the importance of password protection. Two things you should always keep in mind:

Use a different password for each site you join. NEVER use the same password for any site that you use for your online payment processor (PayPal, e-gold, etc.).
Make sure to use a random combination of letters and numbers. Find a good password manager for this function. I use Roboform. It does a good job of generating and saving passwords.

Stay safe,
Cammie

Paid to Read: A Closer Examination

2005-07-03T13:26:00.000-05:00

Observation #1:

The number of PTR sites is HUGE. I have never seen such a wide variety of themes. Food, animals, methods of transportation, even people (from babies to grandmas). Whatever your interest, you will find a favorite site.

Observation #2:
Unfortunately, quite a few of these sites are scams. Please don't be fooled. You will not get paid $5 for reading one email message nor will you ever collect a $2000 payout. The key here is to find sites with sustainable advertising prices.

Observation #3:
Some sites depend heavily on searches but not portals are created equally. The way I handle this is to attempt a valid search. After some time, you'll be able to figure out which portals produce helpful results. I also limit the number of high search sites that I join.

My Top 5 Paid to Read Sites (all sites are free to join)

Cassandra's Clicks ($5 payout, low search)
It Pay$ To Learn ($1 payout, no search)
Mesmerizing Mails (no minimum, no search)
No Banner Zone ($2 payout, no search)
TMBCPTR ($6 payout, no search)

Here are a few links to find sites that pay:
Been Paid - See which sites have actually paid its members.
PTR Junk Sites - List of known scam sites.
Get Paid Forum - Huge board. Informative and entertaining.

Interested in more PTR sites? Visit Paid 2 Read! for a great list and
i HATE PAiD EMAiL to get detailed instructions on how to get paid reading email.

Cammie

Let's get this experiment started!

2005-07-03T11:03:00.000-05:00

(This is the first in a series of posts transferred from my other blog.)

There are five general areas we need to cover before you can even think about joining paid-to-read sites:

1. Get computer protection. Here's a list of great free resources and dowloads. Make sure you pick software that will detect viruses, adware, and spyware. I suggest Ad-Adwar e and Spybot S&D for adware/spyware. For viruses, AVG-Anti-Virus provides great protection. Sygate and Zone Alarm are good free firewalls.

2. Set up a good email system to receive and sort messages. I suggest creating at least one new account since you will soon receive many email messages. Most Internet Service Providers (ISPs) offer mutiple accounts so check there first. Some free email services do not work well because they tend to label the majority of messages as spam and block them. I also suggest using a computer-based email program. Outlook, Outlook Express, or Mozilla Thunderbird (free download) allow you to receive your email locally on your computer, create folders, and have your email automatically sorted into these folders. It's great to open your inbox and immediately know which programs have sent you paid email.

3. Find software that will manage your passwords and fill forms. Each paid email program requires a password. I strongly suggest generating separate passwords for each one to add an extra level of security. I've found Roboform to be the best. This is the free trial version. You can save information on up to 10 sites. I used the free version for quite awhile before I eventually upgraded.

4. Pick a good free tabbed browser. Opening multiple pages in your browser increases efficiency. I use Mozilla Firefox the most but there are many others (Avant Browser or Netscape Navigator to name a couple). Make sure to adjust the pop-up blockers to make your surfing experience easier.

5. Get paid! This is one of the most important areas. Find a quick, easy, and free way to receive money online. I mostly use PayPal. To a lesser extent, I also use e-gold. Both are safe but you must protect your passwords. NEVER use any link found in an email message to get to your accounts. Always go directly to the sites by using your browser.

Cammie

In the beginning...

2005-06-30T13:41:00.000-05:00

Several months ago, I found a couple of FREE opportunities to make a little extra cash online. One is paid email. These are programs that pay you to read advertisements sent to your email inbox. Unfortunately, there is very little information available for the "newbie" to avoid the pitfalls of the paid-to-read (PTR) industry. After researching sites, visiting message boards, and joining a number of programs, I decided to share what I have learned. Since the PTR posts started to dominate my other blog, I went back into the laboratory and created this progeny. I'm transferring over a number of posts so stay tuned and discover:

how to get started
what programs to join
how to get your own site to gain referrals (using a free template)
free ways to advertise your site

I'll also keep you up-to-date with PTR industry news. Feel free to post your questions or comments.

Cammie