Cammie's Get Paid Experiment!

I'll be a busy little clicker during March.

2006-03-02T14:57:00.000-05:00

I've found yet another March Click Contest at a paid to read email site. Started the one at Earn With Email but I also discovered a contest at Emails For Ads.

Emails For Ads Details:
The Top Clicker will receive $1.00
2nd Place: $0.75
3rd Place: $0.50

Plus, every member who clicks on a certain number of links will receive a performance bonus!
1,600+ clicks: $0.50
1,200-1,599 clicks: $0.30
800-1,199 clicks: $0.20
400-799 clicks: $0.10

The best thing about this Emails For Ads contest is that some of the banners in the paid-to-click section reset every 12 hours. Great way to maximize clicks. Let's see if I at least get a dime. ;-)

Got a cash prize in the February Click Contest at Earn With Email.

2006-03-02T12:57:00.000-05:00

Here are my final results in the February 2006 click contest at the paid email site Earn With Email. As long as you were one of the top 200 clickers you won a cash prize:

1 = $5
2-3 = $4
4-5 = $3
6-10 = $2
11-25 = $1
26-50 = $0.50
51-75 = $0.25
76-100 = $0.10
101-200 = $0.05

There was no way I could get that $5 top prize but I was determined to at least get a nickel (oh, yeah!). With 430 final clicks, I moved up to #180. Not bad since I started on the 26th and the contest ended on the 28th. The top person had 31,258 clicks. Amazing.

I only won a nickel but it was fun to watch "getpaidgeek" move up the ranks. I also accumulated tons of points (over 1900) to use in the Earn With Email Point Auction. I can bid on cash added to my account, gift certificates, advertising, referrals, and other stuff.

The March 2006 contest is here. My goal is to rank higher than 180 at the end of this one. With this early start, I'll get it done.

Results of my little marketing experiment #1.

2006-02-28T15:18:00.000-05:00

This will be the first of many marketing tests. Remember my post about a referral contest at Emails For Ads. The contest is over and there's good news and bad news.

The Bad News:
I didn't win anything. Didn't place 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. Didn't even win anything in the prize drawing for members who referred at least one.

The results:
1st place - 30 total referrals (14 counted in the contest)
2nd place - 56 total (5 in contest)
3rd place - 17 total (5 in contest)

The Good News:
My goal was to bring in at least one referral. I doubled that with two (heh, heh). Considering that I didn't do any promotion other than adding Technorati and del.icio.us tags and pinging my site, the results were pretty good. Also, Emails For Ads is a good paid to read email site with lots of fun contests so I'm still happy.

Stay tuned for an upcoming post about tagging and pinging. It's helping me get a little extra traffic.

How's that paid email click contest going?

2006-02-28T12:10:00.000-05:00

OK. From my last post, you know I'm in a click contest at Earn With Email. Here's my progress so far:

Feb 26th - Started at zero and ended with 108 clicks. Need to at least get to 301 to reach the top 200 clickers.
Feb 27th - Clicked from 108 to 306. I now sit at #199.
Feb 28th - Others are clicking. My 306 has been pushed down to #203. Need at least 322. Yay! I now have 350 clicks (#196).

The contest ends today (one minute before midnight). I'll keep checking the stats and click more when necessary. Keep in mind that the timer on these page views is as short as 10 seconds so you don't have to click all day to participate. I'll post my final total of clicks, how much I won, and what I plan to do with the points I accumulated at this great paid email site once the contest is over.

Clicking my fingers to the bone in another paid email contest.

2006-02-26T12:58:00.000-05:00

Today, I'm catching up on all the paid to read email sites I joined. Been a little busy recently making changes on my sites so I usually pick one day a week to read email from the PTR sites.

After getting caught up on Earn with Email, I thought I would check the stats on their February 2006 Click Contest. The top 200 point PTC clickers get cash prizes. I am no way near the clicks required to win the $5 first place prize but (right now) I only need 301 clicks to get to #200.

Just started clicking banners today so I started at zero. Only been clicking a short time and I'm up to 35. In addition to the paid email, there are always tons of clicks at Earn with Email. The best part, clicks are separated into categories, so I only click what interests me. This contest ends February 28th. I'll keep you updated with my progress.

Think I can win a little cash for my marketing skills?

2006-02-22T11:10:00.000-05:00

Moving my paid email observations from "The Paid Email Experiment" to here. Just makes life a little easier.

Found a new test of my marketing skills. Emails For Ads is having a Referral Contest until February 28th. Just for the record, don't let the name fool you. This site pays CASH!

Contest Details:
1st place: 3 cents per referrral
2nd place: 1 cent per referral
3rd place: 1/2 cent per referral

PLUS, all members who refer at least 1 member will be entered into a drawing for the following prizes:
- Paid Email to 600
- 500 Point PTC's
- 5,000 Banner Impressions

Contest Rules:
Only referrals from the USA, UK, and Canada will count.
Each person referred must login and click on at least 5 links to count for this contest.

Throwing my hat into the ring. Now, let's see if I can get at least one new referral.

Get details about this paid to read email site.
Join Emails For Ads right now.

Stayin' on top of the blog world. A-list, here I come!

2006-02-21T14:06:00.000-05:00

I am definitely NOT an A-list blogger...yet. I just may be after reading Scoble's "Tips for joining the A list" (heh, heh). One tip to help find blogs that interest you and help interested vistors find your ramblings - try a blog search engine like Technorati.

OK. From my last post, you know I tried that brrreeeport thing. Even tagged it. Well, it worked. Got a few visitors that way. I will definitely tag my posts from now on. In addition, decided to claim my blog on Technorati plus added a profile and a picture. Now, I'm getting a little more traffic. Also, I use several search features there to find some great blogs to read. I love it!

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Cammie

Brrreeeport? What is brrreeeport?

2006-02-18T15:18:00.000-05:00

I was visting the Nickels for Katrina blog (pixel ad site for charity) when I noticed a post about brrreeeport. After a quick Yahoo search, I discovered what it was all about. Check out "The brrreeeport report" for details from the originator but the short answer is that it's Scoble's way of testing the blog search engines. To participate in this experiment, just add the word brrreeeport to your blog. I'm game. Let's see if I can get more visitors.

Cammie

Win $100 in IPTL's 2006 Winter Olympics Contest!

2006-02-18T13:50:00.000-05:00

IT PAYS TO LEARN'S 2006 WINTER OLYMPICS CONTEST

PREDICT THE OUTCOME OF THE WINTER OLYMPICS AND WIN $100

The first IPTL member on record who correctly predicts the total number of medals won by any 3 countries or territories participating in the 2006 Winter Games in Torino, among those countries or territories that win 10 or more medals, will be awarded $100 in cash plus a free Gold Membership from IPTL. The second IPTL member to submit a correct prediction will be awarded $75 cash. The third place winner will receive $50 cash.

All IPTL members of any age may enter the contest.

Only one contest submission is allowed per person. Violators will be disqualified. You may submit your prediction below at any time from now through Friday, February 24. Once submitted, you cannot change your prediction.

Only one medal is counted per team for victories in team events.

In the event that there are not 3 correct submissions, the 3 prizes will be awarded for the 3 earliest entries with the smallest margin of error. Therefore, it is up to you to decide what is the earliest point you are willing to venture your prediction. The spoils belong to the bold.

The winners will be announced at the top of this page along with the answers by Monday, February 27.

It Pays To Learn does it again.

Cammie

Another Great Day Getting Paid to Play at Prizee!

2006-02-18T09:59:00.000-05:00

Prizee is such a fun online "get paid to play games" site. I made €0.69 today including €0.50 playing Sinkyfrog's Ticket and €0.11 plus 2 Fresco fragments on Level 2 of The Dare of Diabolo. After 69 days, my total is €12.60.

Now, if I can just figure out how beat the red flower monsters in Buccaneer. There is a tip on the forum about how the monsters don't run straight to you but I still have trouble. I just use my sword to slash at them and then run but I die a lot.

I still love the free games at Prizee!

Cammie

Fun Online Cash Quizzes - It Pays to Learn!

2006-02-17T19:14:00.000-05:00

You CAN take a Cash Quiz on IPTL! Online Cash Quizzes for up to 50 CENTS EACH are now available HUNDREDS of times every day to the first IPTL members who take them! Get one cent in cash for every QuizPoint earned! Every time you complete a quiz for QuizPoints, your next fun quiz will be for CASH AND QuizPoints if you're the first member to start a new online quiz after a Cash Quiz is made available!

This was posted on the It Pays to Learn web site on yesterday. How cool. Get paid to take fun online quizzes. I've cut down quite a bit recently but now I'll start answering them again.

Cammie

I Still Make Money With StormClix Paid-to-Click

2006-01-20T00:22:00.000-05:00

Latest Stats From StormClix:
Last Payment Amount: $1.01
Last Payment Date: 18 Jan 2006 10:49 CST

Next Payment Available: NOW
Amount Pending: $1.09
Clicks Since Last Payment: 80
Time of Last Click: 19 Jan 2006 23:09 CST

It took me a little over 36 hours to make the $1.09. Great clicks in this batch. Although the majority were for $0.01, I did get one worth $0.10! A few were $0.03 and several were $0.02 per click. I am not NetIBA certified. Just requested my $1.09 and it was transferred to my StormPay account. My total is now $16.32.

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

StormClix pays directly into your StormPay account for viewing links submitted by advertisers. You choose when you want to process your payments! (Up to a maximum of once every 24 hours as long as you have a minimum of $1.00.) From your StormClix Profile page you can elect to process your payment immediately or wait until you feel you've made enough to transfer into your account.

Easy to get paid - Just click on the advertiser's link, view and read the ad for 20 seconds, and get paid! Get paid from $0.01 to $5 per click. Just join StormPay to get access to StormClix.

Now, what shall I do with my StormPay money? Hmmmm.....

Cammie

I'm a Silver VIP Member at Prizee.com!

2006-01-19T17:52:00.000-05:00

Managing to sneak in some Prizee game time (heh, heh). I'm up to Day 45. On Day 43, I was promoted to a Silver VIP member! YAY! I now have access to two more paid games and I should be able to complete some quests soon. Lots of tips in their forum (yes, this is a hint). My earnings now total €8.23. Come join my addiction. Well... one of them.

Cammie

Win $100 in IPTL's Super Bowl Contest!

2006-01-18T20:17:00.000-05:00

I'm still busy with my free "get paid online" site. Adding content and reorganizing some of the information there. Wanted to stop by and tell you about a great contest.

ITPAYSTOLEARN'S 2006 SUPER BOWL CONTEST!
PREDICT THE OUTCOME OF THE SUPER BOWL AND WIN $100!

The first IPTL member on record who correctly predicts the outcome of Super Bowl XL (February 5 in Detroit, Michigan). All other correct entries will receive a small mystery consolation prize.

All IPTL members of any age may enter the contest.

Only one contest submission is allowed per person. Violators will be disqualified. You may submit your prediction below at any time from now until the kickoff of the Super Bowl on February 5. Once submitted, you cannot change your prediction.

In the event that no guess is correct, the $100 prize will be awarded to the first contestant who selects the correct winning and losing teams and comes the closest to predicting the correct score.

The winner and any consolation prize recipients will be announced at the top of this page by February 6.

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

ItPaysToLearn pays you cash for reading V-mail ads (Virtual Email) right on the IPTL site which are available to you from time to time. You can earn cash for accepting offers that are made available to you from various companies.

Specials:
Right now you can get 50% BONUS CASH plus FREE AADRS (referrals) when you accept offers! Why not get some cash and benefits for trying popular products and websites you may have been thinking about trying already?

Our 2 for 1 AADR and V-mail special continues until further notice! Increase your Referral Network earnings potential when you purchase AADRS (Auto-assigned Direct Referrals)! Before you advertise your site or program anywhere else, try our V-mail (Virtual Email) ad system and drive as many as 18% or more viewers to your site (visits are unincentivized)!

So far, I've earned $20.82. I get PayPal payments but you can also request a check. Visit my site for tips on maximizing earnings with ItPaysToLearn!

Cammie

Development Tip: 301 Redirect Code

2006-01-09T20:33:00.000-05:00

I've been spending time tweaking my site using search engine optimization techniques. This post deals with the issue of directing the non-www version of your site to the www one. After reading information on a number of boards, I decided that doing this was a good thing. Several reasons include:

Lost link value and damage to the ranking of your home page due to duplicate content issues. The answer is to point all versions to a single "canonical" version. More information can be found here under "Canonical Issues & Duplicate Content".
Avoiding a 301 sabotage. Some people are using canonical domains to sabotage competitors in Google. Better to be safe than sorry.
Because (to me) it just looks better.

OK. WHERE'S THAT CODE?
Because I have mod_rewrite, the easiest way to do a 301 redirect is to modify the .htaccess file. I use NotePad to edit it.

Several boards listed the following code (or something similar):

Options +FollowSymLinks
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www\.yourwebsitename\.com [NC]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^$
RewriteRule ^(.*) http://www.yourwebsitename.com/$1 [L,R=301]

I found a very good explanation of this 301 redirection code but after using it and several derivations, all I managed to produce were error pages when I typed in my non-www URL. I finally discovered the problem using an HTTP Server Response Code Checker. This useful little tool showed me problem. I removed the $1 from the above code (portion in red) and now the redirect works!

I'll post more tips as I whip my "get paid" site into shape. ;-)

Cammie

Focus for the New Year

2006-01-02T12:28:00.000-05:00

Happy 2006! I wish all of you a joyful and prosperous year.

One thing I've decided to focus on for the new year is branding. It's time for "The Get Paid Experiment" to look like one. The clean white template was nice but the mad scientist in me wanted more. New design at GetPaid4Free.com and now new design here. Thanks to isnaini dot com for the template and Architetto Francesco Rollandin for the funky test tube background image. O.K. Time to get those stimulated brain cells working!

Cammie

Site of the Week (The Bunnies are Back!)

2005-12-27T08:24:00.000-05:00

Just in time for the holiday season. Well, actually I'm a few days late but still trying to deal with my TISP (Turkey-Induced Sleep Problems). Having trouble keeping my eyes open several times so far. :-D

For a guaranteed smile, Angry Alien Productions presents two parodies:

It's a Wonderful Life

A Christmas Story

Make sure you check out some of the other films. Funny stuff.

Cammie

Happy Holidays to All!

2005-12-26T17:12:00.000-05:00

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

Merry Christmas!

2005-12-25T12:46:00.000-05:00

I wanted to take a moment to extend Christmas greetings. Since I'm spending the day with my family, I decided to post now. My wish for you is that the love, joy, and peace of the day surrounds you. Have a Wonderful and Happy Christmas.

Cammie

Using Your Computer's Idle Time

2005-12-20T15:07:00.000-05:00

While I was clicking around on Google's web site earlier today, I noticed the Google Labs page. Had to find out more about Google Compute because the tag line said "donate your computer's idle time to help scientific research". The geek in me couldn't resist.

Google is assisting Folding@home, a non-profit academic research project at Stanford University that is trying to understand the structure of proteins so they can develop better treatments for a number of illnesses. From the Stanford site:
"You can help by simply running a piece of software. Folding@Home is a distributed computing project -- people from through out the world download and run software to band together to make one of the largest supercomputers in the world. Every computer makes the project closer to our goals. F@H uses novel computational methods coupled to distributed computing, to simulate problems thousands to millions of times more challenging than previously achieved."

So, I downloaded the software and got it installed. I'm running a project right now that's about 2% complete. The 3D protein molecule images it generates are impressive. Protein folding is so cool! OK. Calling all geeks.

Cammie

Looking for Free Web Stats to Track Your Site?

2005-12-20T14:40:00.000-05:00

I've been using StatCounter on my site and blogs for quite some time. I really like the detailed results and it's free if your log size is limited to 100 entries. They provide fast, responsive, quick-loading, and reliable service with accurate visitor tracking and analysis.

Although I'm happy with StatCounter, my next step is to implement Google Analytics. I heard about it in an SEO forum. From the Google site:
"Learn how visitors interact with your website and identify the navigational bottlenecks that keep them from completing your conversion goals. Find out how profitable your keywords are across search engines and campaigns. Pinpoint where your best customers come from and which markets are most profitable to you. Google Analytics gives you this and more through easy-to-understand visually enhanced reports."

Google Analytics is free but new account signups have been temporarily suspended due to high demand. Google offers to notify you when signups re-open. I've been on the waiting list for about a month. Hopefully, I'll hear something soon. I'll keep you updated.

Cammie

Prizee Always Makes Me Smile

2005-12-20T14:18:00.000-05:00

I've been so busy recently that I haven't had the chance to visit Prizee. Yes, I know. It is a sad situation. Fortunately, I found some time last night. Had a blast earning €0.29. I am now on my 42nd day with €7.69 total. Prizee games make me happy! Just 3.5 hours to go until I can play again. Ahhh, the addiction starts...

Cammie

Site of the Week (JibJab's 2-0-5!)

2005-12-16T17:57:00.000-05:00

JibJab does it again! Had to come here and post about this little gem. JibJab's Year-End Round-Up! is hilarious. Energy prices! Katrina! Insurgents! "2-0-5!" has it all. Just click to watch. It may take awhile to get through. Their server is seriously working overtime. KEEP TRYING! It is definitely worth the wait. Try not to bump your head when you hit the floor. Enjoy!

Cammie

Keeping Busy!

2005-12-16T17:44:00.000-05:00

Updating my site is keeping me busy but I love it! Each day, I find a new reason to really like the Joomla! platform. It's so easy to add stuff.

Just wanted to post a message to let you know I'm still here and give you the "Site of the Week"! Stay tuned........

Cammie

A Little Problem Solving

2005-12-01T22:12:00.000-05:00

The new site design is really coming together. I solved a couple of problems today:

Creation of great search-engine-friendly, user-friendly URLs. After spending a couple of days hunting for workarounds because I thought my host didn't allow me to change Apache configurations, I discovered the answer was right in front of me. After making sure the standard Joomla! SEF option worked, I installed OpenSEF (free download!). After activation, the URLs are produced automatically. Got to love "http://www.getpaid4free.com/international-surveys/ciao-int.html".

Correction of browser display problem. Activating SEF functions caused disrupted image paths leading to broken images in Firefox. Internet Explorer was fine but I couldn't leave the FF users hanging (especially since I use it). To fix this, I added the following line in the template's index.php file in the header section: base href="http://www.getpaid4free.com/. Now the template looks great in Firefox and IE.

Still working on getting dynamic page titles. Right now, every page displays the same title in the browser bar across the top. Hopefully, I'll get this resolved soon. I'll keep you updated.

UPDATE: (12/03/2005) It's resolved. Joomla! allows you to enable dynamic page titles in the administration panel. I had it enabled but it did not work. The answer was a missing line in the template's index.php file. Added ?php mosShowHead(); ? to the header (put command between brackets <> ). Bingo! Instant dynamic (changing) page titles in the browser bar..

Cammie

P.S. Before I forget. A big thank-you to the author of the template (acidgreen) I'm using. Great job, Peek!

New Site Design at GetPaid4Free.com!

2005-11-29T14:06:00.000-05:00

UPDATES:
(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

Post-Holiday Evaluation

2005-11-29T12:13:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday. My spinach lasagna was a hit. New family tradition! The candied sweet potatoes also made a splash. That brown sugar/butter/pineapple/marshmallow combination is deadly but so good.

Just a note about dinner versus dinner parties. I watched that "anyone can do a dinner party" episode of Oprah and kind of tucked the information in the back of mind. When I entered my parents' home and observed my sister moving furniture and arranging flowers/pinecones gathered from the yard and spray-painted earlier, I had the feeling she also saw that show. :-D

Throwing a dinner party really was fairly easy. Everyone had specific tasks so it was not overwhelming.

Some observations:

it only took some cheese, grapes, and my sister' homemade salmon dip to get people to socialize before dinner
the TV/radio trick from Oprah's show works (both were on and people could comment on the football games instead of plopping down and sitting catatonic for several hours)
snacking and talking gives the chef a chance to leisurely finish cooking before dinner
snacking and talking makes you eat a lot less at dinner (Got full on the grapes and cheese and dip.)

Oprah's show was right on the money. The Thanksgiving dinner party was a success. Pleasant company and good food made for a beautiful evening. Truly reasons to be thankful. Perhaps we'll gear up and do another one for Christmas. Hmmmmmm......

Cammie

Happy Thanksgiving!

2005-11-24T08:49:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to stop by and wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm spending the day with my family. Only have to cook a couple of side dishes. My candied sweet potatoes are more like a dessert than a side dish. Also, instead of mac-and-cheese, I'm making a spinach lasagna with Alfredo sauce. Perhaps, starting a new family tradition. ;-)

Be safe in your travels and enjoy the fellowship with family and friends.

Cammie

Site of the Week! (My Top Three Thanksgiving eCards)

2005-11-19T07:43:00.000-05:00

I decided to take a little nap yesterday before posting my Site of the Week. That was a mistake! I just wanted to close my eyes for a few minutes. Unfortunately, they didn't open again until several hours later. Once the weather turns chilly, I grab a blanket and hibernate like a bear. :-D

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. I recently visited AmericanGreetings.com and had fun clicking on a few eCards.
(Note: Sometimes the home page causes my Firefox browser to crash but the cards haven't caused any problems.)

These are my top three for Thanksgiving:

Quiet Beauty
My third choice. A lovely, serene card. I consider it a mini-meditation.

Catch the Turkeys Game
This one comes in at number two. Yes, you know why.....it's a game! Got to be quick with this one.

And my #1 Thanksgiving Day eCard......

Survival Song
Turkey sings Disco! Too funny.

Cammie

AAARG!!! What Happened to My Site?

2005-11-14T18:00:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: Good news. The site is back. Now, I can get back to work changing those links.

I am in almost constant turmoil over the design of my site. Most days, I really like it. Others days, not so much. Decided this past weekend to play around with some of the templates and tools provided by my host. Had fun but, yet again, decided not to change anything. Needed to update a few links on my site this morning and got this:

error 403: Forbidden!
The server understood the request, but is refusing to fulfill it. Authorization will not help and the request SHOULD NOT be repeated.

Error? Aaarg! My "weekend creation" was uploaded and now taking over my site! LOL

I deleted the new stuff and reset my home directory. Now, I'm trying to be patient and wait for everything to resolve. Just wanted to post to say....I'm still here! Sorry for any inconvenience. Feel free to post here or send me an email if you have questions. I'm here sitting on my hands so I won't pull out my hair.

Maybe I'll take this as a sign to NOT change the design. Hmmmmm, maybe.

Cammie

Site of the Week! (Mansion Impossible)

2005-11-11T17:45:00.000-05:00

Yes, yet another addictive game! :-D

Mansion Impossible
The goal of this game is to buy and sell property until you have earned enough to purchase the big expensive mansion. Click on a property to buy it and click again to sell. Buy low and sell high.

OK. The first time I played, it took me 40 years to get that mansion. 40 years! I'm down to about 28 but I've read of people getting it in under 11 years. I have a looooong way to go.

Note: You may need to download or update the Flash Plugin to view. For those that use Firefox as your browser with the Adblock extension (like me), you'll need a fix you can download here.

Enjoy.

Cammie

Traffic News - Over 1,000,000 Credits Given Away So Far!

2005-11-11T15:14:00.000-05:00

From an Admin email sent to ts25 members on November 8th:

Members are earning traffic at an incredible rate!

With the November promotion now underway, members are really racking up the credits ... and the traffic is flying out the door! In fact, we have already given away over 1,000,000 extra credits and the promotion is just 4 days old!!!

Are you one of the members that is capitalizing on this fantastic opportunity to earn a lot of traffic? If you are not yet taking advantage of this great promotion, then there is still a lot of time left for you to get involved.

Simply log into your account and surf as you ordinarily would between 8:00am and 8:00pm PST. During this time, there will be a special 1-hour block when the surf bar will change and where all your surfing credits are either DOUBLED or TRIPLED!!!

This means that if you have the Standard (Free) account, you could be earning 3 credits for every page you surf (unless you are also in the SDL, which means that you could be earning 6 credits per page surfed!) BUT, if you are a Gold member, then you could be earning 9 credits per page surfed and ... even better ... if you are a Platinum member, you could be earning 15 credits for every page surfed during this power surf hour!!!

Sound great? .... Well it gets even better than that! Because if you are an upgraded member, then we are going to tell you when the power surf hour occurs for each day in advance! This means that you will know exactly when the best time to surf is so that you don't miss out on all those extra credits! To see what time the next power surf hour is, simply log into your account. You will see the time for the current day and the time for the next day listed on the main message page when you log in and also at the bottom of your briefcase page.

With 17 days still remaining in this promotion, there is still time to take advantage and get a LOT of extra traffic.

Join ts25 and take advantage of this traffic giveaway. Find more ways to promote your site by visiting "Ads 4 Free".

Cammie

Traffic News - New Contest at Traffic Soldiers

2005-11-11T13:40:00.000-05:00

Surf for cash and real products! From an Admin email sent to members on November 10th:

Every member that surfs 150 sites per day for the next 10 days will receive a cash bonus of $5.00 (paid to your Paypal or Stormpay account) and a FREE Download from our Surfing Rewards program (located in the Contests Section). I'm not talking about an ebook or piece of software that can be found FREE anywhere, I'm talking good, usuable and most importantly, Re-Sellable programs. You will receive the software title of your choice from our Super Sale Page with full resale rights. The contest starts tomorrow 11/11 and runs until 11/21.

Also, we have taken out the Credit Bonus link in the surfbar and replaced it with a Cash Link for the contest period. Members will receive cash bonuses while surfing instead of credits. Cash can be used for upgrades, credits, impressions or paid to your Paypal or Stormpay account. This is only cash earned during the contest, any cash earned before 11/10 can only be used for upgrades, credits and impressions. I will award prizes and cash the week of 11/21-11/25 to all eligible contestants.

Traffic Soldiers is a great advertising community. They are always working on new features to deliver quality traffic to your site. Need blog hits? Use BlogSoldiers.

Cammie

Special Thanks to My Hotspex Referrals

2005-11-11T11:26:00.000-05:00

Thanks to everyone who emailed me for a Hotspex invitation. There are a number of charity options available on their site but I'm focusing on three: Hurricane Stan, the South Asia Earthquake, and Hurricane Katrina. For every referral, I am able to donate a non-perishable item. Thanks again for your help.

Looking for other way companies that allow you to earn points and donate them to charity. Try "Make a Difference".

Cammie

Game News - New on Prizee: Vegetable Garden Alert

2005-11-11T10:49:00.000-05:00

From an email sent to members on November 9th:

Vegetable Garden Alert
From the 9th to the 15th of November, Prizee invites you to test the precision of your reflexes! Invaded by moles, Snuggy's Garden has been transformed into a real battlefield! For each validated MaxPack, Prizee offers you one Go for "Vegetable Garden Alert". Make all the moles disappear and you might win one of the 10 Sony PSP consoles, MaxPacks, thousands of Winnings and Prizee Gifts! Take advantage, all Gos are winners!

Come and join my addiction. If you like fun, colorful games, Prizee is for you!

Cammie

Site of the Week! (43 Things)

2005-11-04T19:58:00.000-05:00

I'm feeling a bit reflective this week. So, what do you want to do with your life? Find your...

43 Things
(Explanation from the site.)
Write down your goals
Getting your goals in writing can help you clarify what you really want to do. You might find you have some important and some frivolous goals. That is OK. You've got space for 43 Things on your list. Not every one of them has to change the world (but save room for the ones that might).

Get Inspired
Browse 43 Things to find out what others want to do. You might find some goals you share. Click the "I want to do this" button to add a goal to your list. Got an idea for a new goal? Just type it in the text box on the homepage or at the bottom of any page on the site. Bam. Now, it's your thing.

Share your progress
We all have stories about what we care about. Writing down your progress on a goal can help someone else learn about something you both want to do. When you see a goal you've achieved, click on the "I've done this" button and share a story about how you did it.

Find groupings of "things" based on subject or even by the city of the poster. I enjoy perusing the assortment on the home page. This site is a great place to visit for inspiration or a chuckle. A few of my favorite things from the list: make a difference, watch every episode of Star Trek, and date a geek. :-D

Cammie

Site of the Week! (Chinese Students Sing Backstreet Boys)

2005-10-28T23:09:00.000-04:00

OK. Funny site this week. I couldn't resist. You've got to watch these two students lip-sync "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys. They are hilarious...and actually very entertaining. The funniest thing is the roommate in the background oblivious to everything. Too funny! To check it out, click here.

Enjoy!

Cammie

Survey News - Hotspex Adds Charity Buttons

2005-10-25T12:14:00.000-04:00

Just finished a Hotspex survey and decided to donate some more points. While on the site, I noticed a couple of additions to the Charity List. I mentioned in a previous post that there is a button for Hurricane Katrina donations. Separate buttons have now been added for the victims of Hurricane Stan and the South Asia Earthquake. The donations are through the following agencies:

Hurricane Stan - Mercy Corps
South Asia Earthquake - International Committee of the Red Cross
Hurricane Katrina - American Red Cross

Hotspex is a fun site and I always enjoy taking their surveys. The points really add up. I've donated 66,000 so far. For other sites that allow you to donate points to charity, visit Make a Difference.

Cammie

Traffic News - WebmasterQuest Has Been Sold

2005-10-24T17:57:00.000-04:00

From an Admin message sent to members today:

We are thrilled to announce that Peter Kelly owner of http://www.trafficg.com will be the new owner of Webmasterquest. Pete is a true professional and the perfect candidate to take over Webmasterquest. TrafficG has actually been around longer than Webmasterquest as one of the original traffic exchanges on the internet.

What does this mean to you?

The partnering of two of the largest and most successful traffic exchanges means huge benefits to members of both exchanges. This has to be one of the biggest mergers for the traffic exchange industry ever!

We will be moving Webmasterquest to a bigger server this week with Pete to complete the transfer. Note: Both Thomas and myself will still be a small part owner of Webmasterquest moving forward. Nothing changes on your end and all member payouts etc are still in effect.

We thank all of our members (over the years now) that have enjoyed Webmasterquest and we know Pete will do a great job in making Webmasterquest even better in the future as well.

I am a member of both WebmasterQuest and TrafficG so this is good news. I look forward to great traffic results from both sites.

Cammie

Still looking for a Pinecone Research banner?

2005-10-24T12:42:00.000-04:00

UPDATE: (Oct. 29) Open Recruitment Week is over.

Finding that elusive Pinecone Research banner. Normally, a difficult task but not this week. Pinecone is having an Open Recruitment Week! Just visit the site.

Pinecone is one of the best online paid survey sites. Act fast with this one.

Cammie

Site of the Week! (Nickels for Katrina)

2005-10-21T21:44:00.000-04:00

UPDATE: (Oct. 22) 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. I'll donate again soon and get a link up for this blog.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.

The webmasters are dedicated to this cause. So far, they have raised $1915. I made a donation this evening and will update this post when my link has been added. What a terrific idea!

Cammie

My Great Prizee Update...I Love This Game!

2005-10-21T17:19:00.000-04:00

UPDATE: (Oct. 22) An update to the update. Just had to post about my best day so far. I made €0.34 just from the games including €0.20 from Riccochets. Snuggy performed well by giving me 9/10 skips across the pond!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today was my 30th day. I've reached the Bronze 4 rank and earned €4.43 so far. Been a member of Prizee longer than 30 days but I don't get a chance to visit the site every single day. Yes, it is torture to stay away. The games are very addictive.

Here are the answers to a few questions about my experience with the site:

Hey, it's in French! I can't read it. What do I do?
Prizee is a French site but (fortunately) it's been translated into English. Just click the UK flag near the upper left corner. I have to admit that receiving the occasional email in French is actually pretty cool. I can even understand some of it.

How much do you make per day?
About €0.10 per day on the games. I've also made some from referrals.

So, what are your favorite games?
Free:

Sinkyfrog Ticket - Why do I get so many bricks?
Diabolo Ticket - For the firebug in you.
Sarcophagus - Egyptian mummies. Oh my.
Snuggy Ticket - I wish the carrots were carats.
Riccochets - Skipping stones is not so easy.
Waterbubbles - I only seem to match the seahorses.
Cocktail - The fruit looks pretty tasty.
Sinkyfrog's Ark - It's all in the jump.
Guardian Angel - I hate it when I hop over the side.
Intruder - Who doesn't enjoy blowing up green blobs? My absolute favorite.
Prism - Beautiful marbles. Just don't stack them too high.
Buccaneer - Can't seem to find what I need for the missions but I enjoy hopping around the island.

Paid:

The Lost Temple - I always come out even with this one. Pay €0.05. Win €0.05.

What's new on site?
The Clans' Cup:
Prizee launches a new edition of the Clan's Cup! Will Bubbly Sinkyfrog, Diabolo and Snuggy be able to hoist you up to the so coveted first step of the podium? From the 19th of October to the 2nd of November, create or join a clan to win, along with your team-mates, the €5000 put up at stake!

Why do you like this game site so much?
The games are colorful, fun, and addictive. You can win money and then swap your earnings for checks or gifts. Paid to play. Need I say more.

Cammie

Socratic Forum - Made $18 This Week!

2005-10-20T17:45:00.000-04:00

UPDATE: Qualified and completed a survey today (Oct. 21). Another $4 brings the total to $22 this week!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Although The Socratic Forum has been rather slow for me recently, they made up for it this week. Received three survey invitations and qualified for two($15 and $3). The money has already been credited to my account and I have requested payment. This will be my second payment request. I received the first check without any problems so I know they pay. My check should arrive in 4 to 6 weeks.

Background on The Socratic Forum:

participate in web-based surveys about new technologies and software, e-commerce innovations, and business-to-business products and services
receive cash, online gift certificates, and other rewards
redeem cash in five unit increments once you have accumulated a minimum balance of 5 units of the currency (5, 10, 15, etc.)

No referral program but great incentives for taking surveys. If you're interested in other survey sites that pay, visit Surveys 4 Free.

Cammie

Site of the Week! (Big Box Mart)

2005-10-14T20:33:00.000-04:00

What's one of my favorite sites on the Internet? I can't hear you. Yep, that's right. JibJab! That site has some of the funniest animation I've ever seen. Here's the new one:

Big Box Mart
Featuring the faces of over 1,000 JibJab fans, Big Box Mart is the very unfortunate story of a hard working American worker done in by an addiction to every day low prices...

Enjoy!

OK. Pick yourself up from the floor now.

Cammie

New Feature - "On the Back Bunsen Burner"

2005-10-14T19:02:00.000-04:00

"On the Back Bunsen Burner" gives you a peak at experiments that occur behind the scenes. It has always been my plan to not only find free ways to make money online but also multiply it and earn a pretty decent income.

I started with surveys. Decided I could make more if I had my own "get paid" site. Got that up and running on free web space. Wanted to sign up with affiliate networks so, using my survey earnings, I purchased a domain name and paid web hosting. Used various free ways to advertise and started seeing progress. Using earnings to buy ads is working well. So, what is that next step to multiply earnings?

I thought about paid-to-surf. Joined a couple of sites to see what the excitement was all about. Never upgraded. Actually signed up with StormPay (payment processor) so I could use StormClix (their PTC) to earn money to put into 12DailyPro (paid auto-surf). Was just about to join when I happened to read something in the Investment folder at the Get Paid Forum. Yes, there are tons of posts about paid auto-surfs but there are some other ideas there as well.

Someone posted a question about traditional investments. That's when it hit me. Do your own investing. That way, I'm in control. I assume all the risk but I get the return.

The plan:

Set aside earnings from my site.
Read, read, read, and read some more. Plenty of great free online investment resources to study.
Form an investment strategy.
Test...test again...and again...
Open an account with an online broker.
Be a disciplined and informed investor.

I am most interested in options trading. Although options can be quite risky, covered calls seem to have the risk/return ratio that I find comfortable. I'll keep you updated with my research.

Cammie

P.S. I guess I'll use that $12.00 I earned with StormClix to buy some advertising.

Traffic News - ProHitsPlus Increases Surf Ratio...Again

2005-10-14T18:54:00.000-04:00

From an Admin email sent today:

The surf ratio for all members has been increased 50%. This will
remain in effect through:

6:00 p.m. Pacific October 16
7:00 p.m. Mountain October 16
8:00 p.m. Central October 16
9:00 p.m. Eastern October 16
2:00 a.m. London October 17
11:00 a.m. Sydney October 17

Use Pro Hits Plus and start promoting your opportunity now. For other free advertising ideas, visit Ads 4 Free. Want your own site to gain referrals? Build Your Site.

Cammie

What's the deal with Greenfield?

2005-10-14T18:12:00.000-04:00

OK. I am really trying to stay objective but it's getting more and more difficult. I'll just list two nerve pluckers and leave it at that.

1. As stated in a previous paid survey post, Greenfield merged with Ciao. Ciao, had a nice little refer-a-friend program for members who couldn't utilize affiliate networks. Well, I visited the site today and now it's gone. Would not be nearly as irritated if I would have received some notification. Grrrrr.

2. Also stated in a previous paid survey post, Greenfield merged with goZing. I didn't know how to react to this news until about a week ago. I got an email from the goZing Network (previously, a great affiliate) that they would now only run in-house campaigns and exclusive offers. The number of campaigns I can run has gone from about 25 to 7. Aaaarg!

I'm done. Thanks for allowing me to vent.

Cammie

Site of the Week! (PostSecret)

2005-10-07T23:24:00.000-04:00

Psssst....Got a secret? Now you can get it posted at PostSecret.

From the site:
You are invited to anonymously contribute your secrets to PostSecret. Each secret can be a regret, hope, funny experience, unseen kindness, fantasy, belief, fear, betrayal, erotic desire, feeling, confession, or childhood humiliation. Reveal anything - as long as it is true and you have never shared it with anyone before.

Secrets are submitted by mailing homemade postcards to the address posted on site. Some are sad. Others are funny. Still others are touching. But all are creative as they come together to form a very human art project. Memorable.

Cammie

Survey News - New Makeup Survey at Hotspex!

2005-10-04T08:30:00.000-04:00

UPDATE: This survey opportunity has ended but Hotspex is still a great site to join.

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

Attention survey takers! Hotspex Global Research and Innovation Panel is looking for women age 45-69 to complete a survey on makeup. (Canada only)

Although this particular survey is limited to Canada, Hotspex is an International survey company. It's one of my favorites because you can earn tons of points and then donate them to charity. Please read a previous post "Hurricane Katrina Charity Donations" for other sites with point donation programs.

Cammie

Survey News - goZing and Greenfield Merge: Memberships Upgraded

2005-10-01T14:15:00.000-04:00

From a goZing Admin email sent on September 30th:

Now that goZing is part of Greenfield Online, one of the world's leading online survey panles, we are in the process of integrating our resources to offer more benefits to our members. As part of this optimization process, you will now be able to participate in paid surveys exclusively through Greenfield Online. So that you can continue receiving paid surveys, we are upgrading your membership to the Greenfield Online Panel. This means more paid surveys and better service for you as goZing and Greenfield share resources and knowledge to create the ultimate panelist experience.

Some benefits of this new relationship are that goZing and Greenfield are now working together to create a more interesting incentive system for panelists and improving our surveys, our websites, and our panelist care. So as a Greenfield Online member, you can expect to benefit from the best of both companies.

Hmmm, this sounds familiar. Greenfield is becoming a huge survey company. I wonder if this is a good thing or a bad thing? Once again, I have to wait 2 weeks for the mystery email on my optimized membership. So, stay tuned.

Cammie

Traffic News - ProHitsPlus Increases Surf Ratio

2005-10-01T14:03:00.000-04:00

From Admin email sent on September 30th:

The surf ratio for all members has been increased 50%. This will remain in effect through:

6:00 p.m. Pacific October 2
7:00 p.m. Mountain October 2
8:00 p.m. Central October 2
9:00 p.m. Eastern October 2
2:00 a.m. London October 3
11:00 a.m. Sydney October 3

Take advantage and promote your site with ProHitsPlus. Don't have one? Build Your Site gives you a choice of four templates and full instructions to get them up and going. Grab one and start gaining referrals.

Cammie

Survey News - Ciao and Greenfield Merge: Memberships Upgraded

2005-10-01T13:32:00.000-04:00

From a Ciao Admin email sent on September 29th:

Now that Ciao is part of Greenfield Online, a world leader in online surveys, we are in the process of combining our panels to offer more benefits to our members. As part of this optimization process, all of our paid surveys for U.S. and Canadian members will be sent through Greenfield Online. So that you can continue receiving paid surveys, we are therefore upgrading your membership to the Greenfield Online panel. This means more paid surveys and better service for you as Ciao and Greenfield share resources and knowledge to create the ultimate panelist experience.

Ciao and Greenfield are now working together to find ways to make paid surveys even more profitable and enjoyable for you. So as a Green field Online member, you can expect to benefit from the best of both companies.

The email also mentions that additional information will be sent in about 2 weeks about my new optimized Greenfield membership. We'll see how the merger it goes. I'll keep you updated.

Cammie

Survey News - Now Earn $1 to $5 for Every Survey at Your2Cents

2005-10-01T13:06:00.000-04:00

I mentioned this in a previous post but now it's official. From an Admin email sent on September 29th:

Starting right away, you will be able to earn MORE cash rewards for giving Your2Cents. You'll be an instant winner of $1 to $5 every time you qualify and complete a survey. And, when you attempt to take a survey, but don't qualify, you'll receive an entry to our $5,000 cash giveaway, or earn a small cash amount, sometimes both, just for trying!

Our brand NEW WEBSITE is up and running! Here you will be able to log in to your personal account and view the dollar amount of your earned rewards, take surveys, update your profile information, redeem your rewards by rerquesting a check, and view the status off your reward checks.

Only Your2Cents' new Instant Winner program gives you Four ways to earn CASH rewards for your opinions:

1) Each time you qualify for and complete a survey, you are an instant winner of at least $1, up to $5.

2) When you attempt to take a survey , but do not qualify for the study, you are still rewarded with an entry to our $5,000 cash giveaway, or a small cash amount, or both!

3) You can increase your instant winner amounts by completing profiles. For each completed profile, you will earn an additional $1 the next time you qualify for and complete a survey!

4) You are entered into our $5,000 cash giveaway each time you attempt to complete a survey, complete or update a profile, or redeem your rewards.

These new changes to Your2Cents will definitely cause me to look for their survey invites in my email inbox.

Cammie

Site of the Week! (Game Thumb)

2005-10-01T08:29:00.000-04:00

Game Thumb
OK. I wanted to post this last night but fell asleep before playing all of the games I wanted to try. Some of these are pretty graphic. (My, oh my, we've come a long way since Pong.) There are tons of games at the site but here are some of my favorites in no particular order:

XIAOXIAO - cool shooting game
Castle Cat - funny graphics
Ninja Combat - I love shooting things
Streets of Fire - just...can't get...to those gas cans...in time
TrapShoot - for me, chickens are the easiest

Memories (sigh):
Asteroids - addictive after all these years
Pacman - I still have my moves

WARNING: Set aside some time because you'll stay on this site awhile!

Enjoy,
Cammie

I Think I've Created a Monster!

2005-09-30T18:59:00.000-04:00

Although I am very happy to see my primary experiment growing in the huge Petri dish we know as the Internet, I can't help but notice the increased workload. It seems for every added page, the drain on my time time increases exponentially. I am forever adding, deleting, and rearranging things. Fortunately, I really like working on the site.

The "Get Paid 4 Free Monster" is here to stay and, in fact, will probably get even bigger. I'm tinkering with a few ideas that you should see both here and on the main site soon. So, continue to read, ask questions, post comments...FEED THE MONSTER!

Still that "Get Paid Geek" ~
Cammie

Site of the Week! (Dead or Alive?)

2005-09-24T02:23:00.000-04:00

Dead or Alive?
Ever wanted to know if a famous person was dead or alive? This web site will help you find out. Very well organized and the categories grab your attention. Here are a few:
Died Before Age 30
People Alive Over 85
By Cause of Death

Some may find this site kind of creepy but I think it's fascinating. Yep, geeky science thing.

Cammie

Survey News - Lightspeed Panel Announces Program Changes

2005-09-22T14:19:00.000-04:00

From an Admin email sent today:

We are very excited to announce some great improvements in the Lightspeed Panel incentive program - these improvements will give you more prize and gift certificate options and ensure faster prize delivery.

The changes will take place later this year (after December 1). The Lightspeed Points Terms and Conditions will cover the details of the new program.

One change we need to point out to you, however, is that a 10% charge will be added to gift certificate orders and a 15% charge will be added to cash orders. (For example, you will need to redeem 1100 points for a $10 gift certificate.)

We hope that the hundreds of new prizes available to you and faster prize delivery will outweigh this charge. You can redeem any points you currently have or accumulate (in each case prior to December 1 ) for gift certificates or cash orders without the added charge.

The new fee is a bummer but I still like this survey site. On a much happier note, today I received my third check from Lightspeed. That makes $35 so far! Those points really do add up.

Cammie

(Late) Site of the Week! (Urban Legends Top 25)

2005-09-19T10:03:00.000-04:00

Please forgive my tardiness. I wanted to get this posted the end of last week. My relatives are visiting and I haven't stopped talking since they arrived on Friday (heh, heh). I'm in a good mood so I'll pass along a humorous site this week. Well, actually last week but you know what I mean.

The Urban Legends Top 25
You must see the Urban Legends Slide Show. People can be very creative when left alone with digital imaging software.

Enjoy!
Cammie

Game News - New on Prizee: The Gift Pond

2005-09-10T01:19:00.000-04:00

Since the Admin email sent on September 8th was completely in French*, I visited the site to investigate. I knew it had something to do with a new game but I wanted details. From the site (in English):

The Gift Pond
Despite her fear of water, Sinkyfrog is too pleased to help you! Quickly discover all the Gifts that she can make you win!

Leap from lilly-pad to lilly-pad to pick up a maximum of points. You can exchange your points at any time for one or several of the 12 suggested gifts! From the 8th to the 21st of September, for each MaxPack, you'll receive an extra go for the Gift Pond!

*Note: Receiving an email from Prizee in French is actually pretty cool! Need I say more.

Cammie

Survey News - Earn More Rewards for Your Opinion at Your2Cents

2005-09-10T00:49:00.000-04:00

From an Admin email sent on September 8th:

Beginning in just a few weeks, you will be able to earn MORE cash rewards for giving your 2 cents. You'll be an instant winner of $1 to $5 every time you qualify and complete a survey and, when you attempt to take a survey, but don't qualify, you'll receive an entry to our $5,000 cash giveaway, or earn a small cash amount, sometimes both, just for trying!

This is good news. I normally take surveys for drawings if the the survey seems interesting, if I have time, and if the company sends surveys that actually pay on occasion. Your2Cents has only sent me surveys for drawings. Recently, I've deleted most of them because I just don't have the time. I think now I'll give them a second look.

Cammie

Site of the Week! (Hurricane Katrina - A Different Way to Help)

2005-09-09T23:59:00.000-04:00

People Finder Volunteer
This is a part of the Katrina Help Wiki. Information from the site:

Thanks for your interest in helping with the Katrina PeopleFinder Project! Your assistance for even an hour or two can make a big difference. Fancy tech skills are not necessary. If you can copy data into a form, you're valuable here.

Volunteers: What YOU can do

Input New Data
Go on Clean Up Duty
Join the Volunteer List
Help with Publicity and Outreach
Share Success Stories

The ultimate goal is for people to be able to search one consolidated database and find information about their loved ones.

If you are looking for a different way to help, donate your time to input data for a worthy cause.

Thanks,
Cammie

Site(s) of the Week! (Hurricane Katrina Charity Donations)

2005-09-02T15:55:00.000-04:00

UPDATE: 09/15/2005
My Points sent the American Red Cross a check for $333,844 to be donated to the Disaster Relief Fund. They state 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.

UPDATE: 11/11/2005
NFO My Survey members have contributed over $126,730 worth of Reward Points to relief and recovery efforts.

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

This week, my thoughts and prayers are with those in the Gulf Coast region whose lives have been devastated by Hurricane Katrina and with those who are there to provide assistance. I mentioned previously that I have a page on my site for anyone interested in finding companies that allow you to earn points and donate them to charity.

These four companies have point donation options. So far, I've donated:

My Points - 500 points
Hotspex - 66,000 points
NFO My Survey - 1000 point minimum. I have 760.
Zoom Panel - 1000 points ($10)

Check my page for further details. If you belong to any of these companies, please donate your points. If not, consider joining. This is a good way to give not just today but for many days to come.

If you are looking for other ways to help, more information can be found at these sites:

Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund
Salvation Army
American Red Cross
Network For Good

Thank you,
Cammie

Please Don't SPAM My Blog!

2005-08-31T20:04:00.000-04:00

So, here's the deal. I love for people to post comments here but I no longer allow anonymous posts. I adjusted my settings previously to screen out SPAM but for some reason I just had to adjust them again. To the 12 anonymous people who posted comments in the last hour:

Please don't post offers here that require visitors to spend money. This blog provides information on FREE ways to earn money online.
Don't post sites that are nothing more than search result lists with your Google ads on them.
Don't post offers that stretch the truth by saying you can make $10,000 per month working from home.
Don't post any site that says SurveyScout is a great deal at $34.95. You don't have to pay for survey information. Free databases exist.
Not really interested in sites about casinos, DUI lawyers, the Atkins Diet, or sunglasses. Please don't post them here.
Stop with the canned SPAM!

Posts like this will be deleted.

Thanks,
Cammie

Game News - New on Prizee: Treasure Hunt

2005-08-31T18:44:00.000-04:00

From an Admin email sent on August 25th:

You want to withdraw to a desert island?

From the 25th of August to the 7th of September, Prizee invites you to a new Treasure Hunt!

Take the lead of the ranking by collecting a maximum of Bub's on the website, convert your seniority, and multiply your points by 10 thanks to the MaxPak! You might win the 3,000 Euros at stake on the website!

I am addicted to this French site. I am glad it's now available in English. Play for free and earn money. Redeem for cash and prizes. The games are colorful and so much fun.

Cammie

Survey News - JD Power Panel Changes Reward Program

2005-08-31T17:51:00.000-04:00

From an email sent to members on August 25th:

We are excited to announce that we are updating our rewards program. Starting this September, you will be able to redeem your JDPowerPoints for Amazon.com Gift Certificates! The current Folios (rewards catalog) will be expiring on September 9, 2005.

If you want to redeem your JDPowerPoints from the current Folios, you must do so on or before September 9, 2005. Please be assured that if you do not redeem your JDPowerPoints on or before September 9, 2005, you JDPowerPoints balance will remain the same.

The redemption level will be lowered to 500 points. Starting September, for every 500 JDPowerPoints you accumulate, you will be able to redeem them for a $5.00 Amazon.com Gift Certificate.

The JD Power Panel gives you the chance to provide your opinions about a variety of products and services. Receive incentives for participating in important industry studies.

The lower redemption level is good news. I'll have that $5.00 Amazon.com GC before you know it.

Cammie

You Can Make a Difference

2005-08-30T19:51:00.000-04:00

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 (My Points, Hotspex, NFO My Survey, and Zoom Panel). 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, consider joining. I've also included a link for the "Network for Good" to connect you to other ways you can help.

Cammie

A $10 Check is Always Welcome!

2005-08-28T12:22:00.000-04:00

NFO My Survey is one of my favorite survey sites. Just received a $10 check from them a few days ago. Redeemed my points on August 12th and received the check less than 2 weeks later.

I plan on posting a more detailed review of this site in the future but for now:

established in 1946 and online since 1995, it's one of the oldest consumer panels around
in addition to sweepstakes entries, earn points for taking surveys
redeem points for cash, prizes, charity donations, or raffle tickets

This one is a keeper.

Cammie

Site of the Week! (Death by Caffeine)

2005-08-26T23:41:00.000-04:00

Been busy this week promoting the blog and my site. Using the ways listed in Ads 4 Free!, I'm getting pretty decent traffic. Continuing with this theme of being busy and needing to stay energized, I present this week's site:

Death by Caffeine
This calculator determines how much of your favorite caffeinated drink it would take to kill you. Pick your drink from the drop-down menu, type in your weight, and then click "Kill Me". The results are both funny and frightening. Be sure to read the disclaimer at the bottom for an extra chuckle.

For chocolate fiends, there's also a "Death by Penguin Mints" page. Those Hershey's Kisses can be deadly.

Cammie

Survey News - New Survey Site! (Opinion Surveys)

2005-08-19T17:00:00.000-04:00

Opinion Surveys is a brand new consumer site that gives you the chance to complete surveys online in real-time. Provide basic information and automatically get routed to a market research study. No panels to join. Take a survey right now.

Participate and win up to $4000 in cash! It's simple. Complete the questions and click "START SURVEY!" to get started.

This is a new site from Greenfield Online. I've taken Greenfield surveys before and been paid without problem.

Cammie

Site of the Week! (The Exorcist...With Bunnies)

2005-08-19T16:45:00.000-04:00

Thought everyone could use a laugh so I've posted a funny one this week:

The Exorcist in 30 Seconds With Bunnies
This little cartoon keeps me in stitches. It's a re-enactment of the famous movie using rabbits.

Listen to the official Spokesbunny!

Enjoy.

Cammie

Should I Really Change My Site?

2005-08-19T14:25:00.000-04:00

This week I've been toying with the idea of changing the format of my web site. Found sites with free templates but I didn't like the majority of them. My favorite so far is Zymic. Nice templates. I've even downloaded a couple to "play" with. A number of the them come with .psd files. Since I don't have Adobe Photoshop, I needed a free way to edit these files. Searched on Google and found The Gimp. This is my new toy of the moment. I'm able to edit the .psd files and save them as .jpg files. Also, able to create graphics. I still like FlamingText graphics but one day soon, I may end up uploading some of my "creations".

Know of any good free web template sites? Post them here.

Cammie

P.S. Found a good little marketing tool, too. It's a Headline Analyzer that determines Emotional Marketing Value. Not a bad deal since it's free. Want a site? Build Your Site gets you started the right way.

Site(s) of the Week! (The Death of Peter Jennings)

2005-08-12T21:52:00.000-04:00

Glad to be able to post these again. Tough decision this week. I started to pick a site associated with Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a U.S. soldier slain in Iraq, who is waiting in Crawford, Texas to speak with President Bush. Whether you agree with her or not, questions have been raised that should be discussed by those on both sides of the fence. It is my hope that a resolution can be reached.

So, what did I pick? Well, the scientist in me kicked in and I decided to present links on Peter Jennings and the impact of lung cancer.

ABCNews.com : Message Boards
People are posting their sentiments here. Thoughts are varied. I've seen condolences, political statements, and even pledges to quit smoking. There was one post, in particular, that caught my attention. The poster asked the media to report on the status of lung cancer research. Since non-smokers also suffer, more information on possible causes is needed.

To that end, I have also included a few links on lung cancer and recent research:
American Lung Association
MedlinePlus: Lung Cancer
Lung Cancer | American Association for Cancer Research

Cammie

Getting Paid - It's a Good Thing! (June, July, August)

2005-08-12T14:32:00.000-04:00

I've been receiving payments from survey companies for well over a year including cash, gift cards, food,...even a digital camera. To answer the question "Is this real?", I decided to make a post listing the companies that have paid me over the last three months.

June 2005
Brand Institute - PayPal payment
ESearch - PayPal payment
Gozing/Greenfield - PayPal payment and check
Lightspeed - check
Pinecone* - check (x 2)

July 2005
Opinion Site - check
Pinecone* - check (x 2)
Survey Savvy - check

August 2005
Adjoined Research - CircuitCity.com gift certificate
Gozing/Greenfield - PayPal payment (x 3)
Pinecone* - check (x 2)
TestSpin - Amazon.com gift certficate
NFO My Survey - check

* See the post "EVALUATION: Pinecone Research" for details on how to sign up with this company.

NOTE: TestSpin sent the GC by email within one hour after I asked for payment.

Tips:

Check the settings of your email account. You do not want survey invitations filtered out as SPAM.
Sign up with an online payment processor. I use PayPal without any problems.
Use a password generator and manager for added security. Roboform works well.
Fill out profiles accurately and completely. Make sure to keep them up to date.
Reply to survey invitations as soon as possible.

I will update this as necessary and post separate monthly reports.
For more, Surveys 4 Free! gives a good list.
Get your own page to gain referrals at Build Your Site.

Cammie

Fast Traffic News...Beep! Beep!

2005-08-11T19:10:00.000-04:00

Just a few quick notes - short messages from traffic exchanges:

AutoHits.dk
(August 1st) IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT PAID TO PROMOTE AND AUDIO:
We do not accept Paid To Promote sites or sites with audio. They cause too many problems and we receive too many complaints from members about them.

Clickin Fingers
(August 1st) The exchange ratio for banners and text links has been doubled for all membership types.
Free: 1 credit = 20 impressions
Pro: 1 credit = 30 impressions
Premium: 1 credit = 40 impressions

ProHitsPlus
(August 11th) Special Surf Ratio
To help get more websites in rotation the surf ratio for all members will be temporarily increased by 50%. That's a 4:3 ratio for Free members and 1.5:1 for Pro members.
This will end August 14, 2005.

Jump start your advertising campaigns with extra banners, text links, and hits! Find other free ways to advertise your site at Ads 4 Free!.

Cammie

Do You Like to Play Around?

2005-08-11T08:51:00.000-04:00

UPDATE: I've added the game page to my site.

I have some data to report on my research with online games. There are several companies that allow you to play games and win cash and prizes. I'm hoping to put together a game page on my web site soon but until then, I've listed them below:

Bingo.com
The world's home for cash and free bingo games. Play for free and earn Bingo Bucks that may be redeemed for sweepstakes entries. Prizes include cash, jewelry, electronics, home & garden items, music, and videos. (US, UK)

Jackpot.com
Access over 52 games for free and play to win up to $8,000,000 in cash and prizes. Get your own free jackpot email account and automatically earn daily sweepstakes entries by opening or clicking your email. (US, CAN)

Kerclink
Fun, easy way to earn cash and prizes playing games, contests, and giveaways. It's all free and all fun! Check out the demo to learn more. (US, CAN)

Prizee
French site now available in English! Play free games and earn money. Redeem for cash and prizes. Get checks, DVDs, mouse pads, electronics, fashion accessories, and more. (International)

SkillJam
Premier destination for cash prize skill game play. Offers over 80 game options you can play for fun, prizes, and cash. Once you register, you can compete in tournaments and win cash. Join now and get $6 free to play games! (International)

Uproar
All the best free games are here. Play an old favorite or check out some of the latest releases. Earn iCoins that can be used to enter prize drawings. Prizes include a brand new car, cash, electronics, and jewelry. (US, CAN)

Sign up now and get paid for just playing around!

Cammie

Want a Site of Your Very Own?

2005-08-08T21:47:00.000-04:00

Since I recently joined two additional affiliate networks, I thought now would be a good time to mention an easy way to get your own site.

There are four free templates posted on my site that you can use:

FREE ONLINE PAID SURVEYS! - promote this online paid survey system to make money
i HATE PAiD EMAiL - promote this paid-to-read email system to gain referrals
EARN MONSTER HITS - gain referrals by promoting this traffic exchange system
FREE ADVERTISING - promote this It Pays To Learn system to earn free ads and gain referrals

Each system includes step-by-step instructions on how to sign up with companies, download the information to your computer, make any necessary changes, find a host and upload to your web space. All information is free.

After you get your site(s) up and running, use Ads 4 Free! - 10 free ways to generate traffic. Then join affiliate networks to increase your income. My favorites are:

OffersQuest - Easy-to-use account administration, detailed statistics reporting, and real publisher support. Payments by check or PayPal.
CheckMy Stats - Timely payments, residual earnings, real-time tracking. Commission payments by check, direct deposit or PayPal.
GoZing Network - Top payout, high-converting offers, user-friendly reporting system. Payments by check.

Remember, you can always leave a comment here or send me an email if you have questions.

Cammie

Traffic News - 31 Days of Cash and Traffic Prizes!

2005-08-08T17:01:00.000-04:00

From an Admin email sent on August 1, 2005:

31 days...31 great cash and traffic prizes!

How would you like the chance to win great cash and traffic prizes EVERY DAY during the entire month of August? Yes, you read that correctly. We are going to be giving away cash and traffic every day for the next 31 days.

Here is how it works:
The 3 exchanges are as follows:

To ensure you are eligible for the draw, you must simply surf at least 100 sites in each exchange. We have kept this number low so that all members can easily surf the required 100 sites in each exchange. If you only surf 100 sites in Hitpulse, then you would only be eligible if the draw for that day comes from Hitpulse. Members will not know in advance what exchange the draw will come from.

This is a great opportunity for all members to get involved and earn some extra traffic to their websites. Plus, with cash prizes ranging from $20 - $100 and traffic prizes ranging from 5,000 - 50,000 credits each, now is the best time to do a little extra surfing and give yourself the chance at winning.

If you are not yet a member of these, consider joining. A list of more traffic exchanges can be found at Hits 4 Free!.

Cammie

Traffic News - Click Voyager Adds Splash Page Generator

2005-08-08T16:01:00.000-04:00

From Admin email sent to members on July 27, 2005:

In recent months, Splash Pages have proven again and again to be THE most effective way of promoting on traffic exchanges. If you're unfamiliar with the term, a Splash Page is a simple, eye-catching page that is extremely fast loading and can be read and absorbed by a visitor in just a few seconds.

Not everyone has the skills or resources to create and host their own splash page, though. Until now, that is...

Introducing the Click Voyager Splash Page Generator!

You can create your very own Splash Pages to promote any program you like. No programming skills are necessary and we'll even host the site for you. Just fill in the form, upload a picture that you wish to use and your Splash Page will be generated instantly.

So, what can be done in just a few moments with this new tool? Here's an example.

What a great bonus! Get your free splash page from Click Voyager.

Cammie

Traffic News - Profit Charger Hits Closing?

2005-08-08T15:29:00.000-04:00

From an Admin email sent to members on August 4, 2005:

Just a quick note to let you know that ProfitchargerHits will be closing soon.

Unfortunately the site went through a bad patch late last year which meant that it basically ground to a halt.

Having looked at the stats there are simply not enough people using the exchange to make it a worthwhile option to keep open. As members you have a right to expect a good level of traffic delivery and PCHits cannot deliver the quality you deserve.

I will keep the site running until sometime next week in the hope that you may be able to use up a few of your outstanding credits.

My apologies to you all but it would be unfair to keep the site going under some false pretense that we were delivering traffic when clearly we are not.

I have removed this traffic exchange from my Hits 4 Free! and Earn Monster Hits pages.

UPDATE - 08/11/2005
I just received this Admin email message (excerpts):

Hi all,

I have now taken fully the reigns of ProfitChargerHits
I am working through the scripts and pages and making changes where appropriate

You can be certain we will end up with a Traffic Exchange we can all be proud of
However while there is work in progress you might find somethings dont work for a short while or that pages suddenly dissapear - only to reappear later!!

When I get this completed we can all get promoting this great little Traffic Exchange!!

Many Thanks for using
ProfitChargerHits.com

Think I'll keep an eye on this one before I add it back to my list. Although, it is interesting to see that (at the moment) I'm one of the Top 25 surfers. Hmmmm.....

Cammie

An Apology to My Laptop

2005-08-08T12:28:00.000-04:00

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 with 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

My Separate Experiment and Site(s) of the Week! (Griddlers/Sudoku/Drugs I Need)

2005-07-04T00:55:00.000-04:00

For those returning to the lab, you may have noticed a few changes. In an attempt to make the blog look more like a science notebook, I changed the template. It now has that sterile, geeky appearance that I love! I also created another experiment. Since the PTR posts were taking over here, I decided to start a separate blog and transfer the information.

Site(s) of the Week!
I know it's a little late. Been so busy that I owe you more than one. The first two were posted here as comments. The third was deleted during the reorganization, so I'll post it again. That gives you three. Enjoy.

Griddlers.net
Another great game site. Thousands of puzzles to solve online or offline. Even has a tutorial and a forum. Ronni, thanks for posting this one.

The Sudoku Experience
Nice site for sudoku fans. Get puzzles delivered to your email inbox daily. Thanks to The Navigator.

Drugs I Need
So funny I had to add it back.

Cammie

EVALUATION: Pinecone Research

2005-06-27T16:54:00.000-04:00

BANNER UPDATE:
(Oct. 29) Open Recruitment Week is over.

(Oct. 24) Open Recruitment Week. Visit the site. Look for the moving text above the Member Login.

Check Volition.com through August 18th. Further details can be found on their forum.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As some of you may know, Pinecone Research is one of the most popular survey sites on the Internet but also one of the hardest to join. Through research, I've uncovered some new information and decided to write a quick evaluation to present it.

First, some details from their site:

You will receive a $5.00 check for each completed product evaluation survey. You are compensated for the initial product concept survey and again for the follow-up survey.
Occasionally, we may ship you a product to test.
Project surveys will take no longer than 15 to 20 minutes to complete.
Occasionally, we may ask other members of your household to complete a questionnaire if the product is more appropriate for someone in your household other than yourself.
From time to time, we may send you a few questions regarding your household. These questions assist us in sending appropriate product surveys to you. You are not compensated for these short 2-5 minute questionnaires.
You can expect to be called upon to answer a survey once or twice a month.

Now, my personal observations:

Very high marks for consistency. I receive two surveys per month and have tested several products.
Even higher marks for quick payments. I receive checks within days of taking surveys.
Well-run. I highly recommend this one.

Great! How do I join?
Pinecone does not recruit new members from their web site nor take unsolicited referrals. However, they do post recruitment opportunities through banner ads on various web sites from time to time throughout the year. If you see an ad, sign up!

How do I find a banner ad?
Ah, the elusive Pinecone Research banner. Try searching using the major Internet search engines (Google, Yahoo, Ask Jeeves, MSN, etc.). Visit message boards and forums. Check here for updates. As a member, I am not allowed to post direct links to their sign-up pages but I will post where banner ads have been spotted.

Cammie

Site of the Week! (Industrious Clock)

2005-06-10T18:32:00.000-04:00

Strange one this time. Industrious Clock
Functional...slightly artsy...and fun to watch. I love this one but then again, I'm a geek. Enjoy.

Cammie

Instant Buzz Removal and Site of the Week! (The Oracle of Bacon)

2005-06-03T23:31:00.000-04:00

Removed the Instant Buzz link from the traffic page of my site. It seems as though IB was shut down for a SPAM complaint. One member decided to try to gain more referrals by spamming and well, the rest is history. Amazing how ONE person can get a site shut down.

Now, the Site of the Week!

The Oracle of Bacon
You may have heard of a game called "The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon". It is based on the theory that Kevin Bacon is the center of the entertainment universe and that it is possible to link any actor or actress back to him, typically within six connections (degrees). This site allows you to plug in a name and get the Bacon factor.

Star Links will link any entertainer to another.

Cammie

Oh, no! My microscope is broken!

2005-05-27T22:38:00.000-04:00

No, it's just the reason I'll use for the abbreviated post today. After completing surveys, catching up on a few email messages, and surfing, I'm a bit tired. Must be the upcoming holiday. My brain wants to take a little break.

Before it shuts down completely, let me give you the...Site of the Week!

It was a tough call. Two final candidates but one received more media press than the other. So, my winner is:

Sudoku.com
This Japanese number puzzle is growing in popularity. I heard about it on the BBC a couple of weeks ago. Seems to be taking Britain by storm. Since then, I've seen articles in a couple of newspapers. Tried the puzzle on the site and even with the answer, I'm still scratching my head! If you come across any sites with easier Sudoku puzzles, feel free to post them.

Cammie

P.S. I promise to get that microscope repaired very soon so I can continue examining more money-making companies.

Site(s) of the Week! (Talk To Aliens and The Force)

2005-05-20T21:56:00.000-04:00

This week, you get two for the price of one. As a salute to Star Wars, I'll introduce sites with cosmic themes.

TalkToAliens.com
The world's first intergalactic communication system. Strange, huh?

TheForce.net
Your daily dose of Star Wars. Get your fill of The Force!

Cammie

EVALUATION: AC Nielsen Homescan and Site of the Week! (JibJab)

2005-05-06T15:30:00.000-04:00

Originally, the plan was to cover basic information on free ways to make money online before starting my site evaluations but the package I received a few days ago changed that schedule. Since my scanner arrived in the mail, I've decided to write a few words about the AC Nielsen Homescan Consumer Panel now.

First, some details from their site:

AC Nielsen is the world's largest market research company.
The Homescan Consumer Panel is a "mini-USA" and represents all types of Americans.
As a member, you'll receive a hand-held scanner that is yours to use as long as you participate.
Scan the UPC barcodes of your purchases and, once a week, transmit this information toll-free.
Earn valuable gift points which are redeemable for electronic equipment, household items, jewelry, toys, and much more.
Join by simply filling out the online registration form.

Now, my personal observations:

I applied and was on the Reserve Status Waiting List for about two months until a scanner became available. The company did send email updates and two online surveys for me to take while waiting. High marks for not leaving me in the dark.
Perhaps, I just love gadgets but I was thrilled when the package arrived. High marks for the "techno-gadget" coolness of the scanner.
Setting up the scanner is a breeze. It comes with easy-to-follow instructions and all the equipment you need. Even a Y-connector is included if you need to plug the base and your phone into the same wall jack. The scanner charges quickly and may be used after one hour. High marks for applying the "keep it simple" principle.
The process is easy because the instructions walk you through every step. The HARDEST part for me (in the beginning) was physically scanning the items. Some items scanned right away and others required a few passes. Once I got the hang of it, scanning was fun and didn't take much time at all. Low marks at first when I struggled a bit but eventually high marks for the "fun factor" of the red scanner beam.

Overall, I am pleased with the Homescan Consumer Panel. I've read opinions that say the points aren't worth the time but I have to disagree. Cashing in points to get valuable gifts for scanning purchases I would have made anyway sounds like a great deal to me. I'll keep you updated.

Cammie

P.S. It's Friday and that can only mean one thing...Site of the Week! This Week: JibJab
Although this site has been around for some time, it is still absolutely hilarious. Most famous (infamous?) for "This Land" but contains quite a number of other funny ones as well.

Tips to Success with Online Surveys

2005-05-03T19:03:00.000-04:00

Wondering why you should even bother with online surveys?...FREE stuff! Over the past several months, I've received cash (PayPal payments and checks), gift cards, food, even a new digital camera. Here are a few tips to make taking the surveys easier and also increase the number of invitations you receive:

1. Use an automatic password saver and form filler. It really does save time and makes registering for companies and taking surveys much easier. I use Roboform and since I've mentioned it before, I won't go into detail here. Search using Google or Yahoo! (try the phrase password manager) to find others.

2. Set up an email program. Outlook, Outlook Express, or Mozilla Thunderbird all let you set up separate folders to receive email. I have a folder for surveys. Within that folder, I have additional folders named for the companies that send the most email invitations. I then set up message filters to automatically deliver the invitations directly to these folders. When I open Thunderbird, I know exactly which companies have sent me invitations and how many.

3. Apply to as many survey companies as you feel comfortable.When I started, I originally registered for about 100 companies. Now, I keep up with about 40. Some companies just weren't worth the time and energy. Here is a list of some of my favorite survey sites.

4. Reply to survey invitations as early as possible. I know this isn't always convenient but many surveys fill their quotas quickly. Use your email program to sort invitations and stay ahead of the game. Also, some sites post open opportunities so check them often.

5. Fill out the profiles accurately and completely. Be patient - opportunities will come. Also, update your profiles frequently. Not just broad information such as employment status or income range but also changes in specific things like computer type or Internet connection speed.

Try these tips and start receiving online surveys in no time.

Cammie

TEST 1: Finding Good Paid Online Survey Companies and Site of the Week! (Whack Your Boss)

2005-04-29T21:48:00.000-04:00

Now that you've finished the prep work, let's apply our hypothesis (you can get paid online without investing any money up front) to the subject of paid online surveys.

Observation #1:
There are tons of sites on the Internet that promote "top-of-the-line" information on paid surveys. Just search the phrase paid online surveys on Google or Yahoo! and the results are staggering.

Observation #2:
A large number of these sites want money. Please don't pay for this information. It is available for free. Legitimate companies that offer paid surveys do not charge a fee.

ACOP, for example, clearly states in the FAQ section that there is no fee to join. ALL of the companies I signed up with have similar statements.

Here's a short list of my top 5 free online survey companies:

Lightspeed (US, Canada)
NFO My Survey (US, UK, Canada)
Synovate (International)
Survey Savvy (International)
Greenfield/GoZing (International)

PineCone Research is my favorite although it is quite difficult to join. Occasionally, members are allowed to extend invitations but, for the most part, you must find a PR banner while surfing. Try searching on one of the major engines to track down more information.

Interested in more survey companies? Surveys 4 Free! has a nice overview and Free Online Paid Surveys! provides detailed step-by-step information on online surveys.

Before I close, I'd like to introduce a NEW feature. I'm including a Site of the Week. It may be funny or thought provoking but definitely always interesting.

This Week: Whack Your Boss
I saw this one on CNN a few weeks ago. It's a graphic cartoon so proceed with caution.

Cammie

The key to successful projects?...Good prep work.

2005-04-25T11:08:00.000-04:00

We have our hypothesis. Now it's time to do the ground work. There are five general areas that need to be covered in order to make money online taking surveys and reading email. It's best to set them up early in order to avoid problems later.

1. Get computer protection. I mentioned this in my previous post but decided to go into a little greater detail. Here's a list of free resources and downloads. Make sure you pick software that will detect viruses, adware, and spyware. I suggest Ad-Aware and Spybot S&D for adware/spyware. For viruses, AVG-Anti-Virus provides great protection. Sygate or Zone Alarm are good free firewalls.

2. Set up a good email system to receive and sort your messages. I suggest creating at least one new account. Since most Internet Service Providers (ISPs) offer multiple accounts, check with them 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 you 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 site has sent you a survey invitation or message.

3. Find software that will manage your passwords and fill forms. This will save you tons of time in the long run. Each survey site you join requires a password. I suggest using a random combination of letters and numbers to generate a different password for each site. Also, there are sign-up forms that require the same information over and over. I've found Roboform to be best for generating passwords and saving information. 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 your 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. PayPal is great for getting your online survey payments. It's safe but you must protect your password. NEVER use any link found in an email message to get to your account. Always go directly to the site by using your browser. Also, use a different password here that you don't use ANYWHERE else.

The best way to success is to get your preparatory work done in the beginning. Once you've established a strong foundation, you will find everything else to be pretty easy. The time you save now will translate into more money later.

Cammie

What's an experiment without a hypothesis?

2005-04-21T23:07:00.000-04:00

Because the Internet is huge and the amount of information it contains is vast, my original thought was that it must be possible to make money online for free. So, I set out to develop my hypothesis, my "educated" guess, and came up with the following:

HYPOTHESIS: You can get paid online without investing any money up front.

With statement in hand, I decided to conduct some basic research. After "Googling" for what seemed like an eternity, my first concrete observation became clear. If you want to make money online for free, you must invest something...TIME. Hopefully, you'll have some to spare, as I share some of my other observations.

So far, I'm having the most success taking online surveys. There are literally hundreds of companies out there but, of course, not all are created equally. Some sites don't pay their members and others charge a fee for information that should be free. One of the most important take-home messages about this is don't pay for online survey information. This is available for FREE...100%. I know it's tempting to think that paying $34.95, or even $9.95, for a paid survey database must make it superior. Avoid the temptation or, if you must (sigh), sign up using free info, earn the $34.95, go to one of these sites, and pay. But seriously, my advice, stick with the free resources.

Before we get into the nuts and bolts of free ways to make money online, let me pause to mention the importance of computer protection. Viruses, trojans, adware, and spyware can ruin any surfing experience. I've never really had too many problems in this area but it is better to be safe than sorry. To protect your computer, here is a list of resources.

Cammie

What in the world is "The Get Paid Experiment"?

2005-04-20T00:43:00.000-04:00

The adventure began several months ago with my determination to make money online without spending even one penny. Using my experience as a resident science geek, I spent countless hours online researching home business and "get paid" opportunities. All wanted me to part with my hard-earned cash for the privilege of joining their "guaranteed" money-making schemes. Wanting none of that, I continued on my quest. I checked message boards, queried search engines, read newsletters and e-zines...searching...until finally...FREE information on ways to make money online.

After signing up with a number of companies and happily finding success, I decided to start my own site to get the message out. GetPaid4Free.com continues to be a personal learning experience. Because of this, I decided to start a blog to relay this continuing process of discovering free opportunities. I affectionately call my blog "The Get Paid Experiment" as a tribute to the little bit of geek in all of us constantly searching the Internet for real information. Stay tuned and discover:

how I started
what companies I joined
how to get your own site(s) going (using my free templates)
free ways to advertise your site or affiliate page

I'll also present tips, resources, news, and any other info helpful to getting paid online. Feel free to post your questions or comments.

Cammie