HMMMM--Having A Hard Time With This

I received this email today from a PTC (paid to click) site that I belong to

I have been thinking about the lack of ads so far this year. As most of you know.In order for the sites to be sustainable and work for everyone all the way around, we need to see more members upgrading and purchasing ads... The money from upgrades/ads is what is used to pay members with so if we don't have ads then members don't get paid or have to wait for payouts. I would hate to see the sites close down/change in ti (sic) redeem for ad,s (sic) only site but that is what will happen if upgrades/ads aren't bought. It cost a lot to host a site and pay for 9 sites hosting also. With that in mind please consider buying upgrades/ads..even one per member goes a long way. I think that's all for this time so have a good day and happy clicking!!!

The sites are already NOT sustainable if they depend on upgrading and purchasing ads (future cash) to pay current members (past debt).

I received pretty much the same administrative message at several PTRE (paid to read email) sites (all of which are owned by the same person). This really frosts my ass as I already bought affiliate pages at all of these sites, and now am being pressured to buy upgrades and ads.

It seems that a lot of PTR owners and a lot of PTC owners just open up site(s) one after another (or buy already operating sites from other owners) with no real business plan.

Many of them not only rely on future cash to pay current debt but they also rely on cash from the 'new' site to pay current debt on other sites.

It costs $70.00 for the script that is used by most PTR sites--this includes script installation; it costs $20.00-%40.00 for a good PTC script--also includes script installation.

Domains can be registered for anywhere from $1.99 to $19.99 per year, and you can register the domain for more than one year at a time.

A design costs between $12.00 (Aurora PTC design) and $25.00--$75.00 (PTR design). There may be an additional cost if you don't have the tech skill to install your own design.

If you are talented, you can create and install your own designs.

Hosting prices are all over the map, $5.00 per month to $25.00 per month depending on a lot of factors including but not limited to the size of the site, what plugins you use, how much bandwidth you use, how much disk space you use.

So the cost for a basic PTR site without any games or added plugins is approximately $210.00 upfront (assuming the highest cost for domain registration, design, installation, first month of the highest cost for hosting)

The monthly cost (not including payouts to members, remember its called paid to READ for a reason) -- still assuming the highest cost for hosting -- would be $25.00 and of course you will need to renew the domain as necessary (every 1-3 years).

The plugins that can be added to the script range in price from $150.00 (paid-to-promote and ad manager plugins) to $12.00 (contest ptc plugin). Some plugins are freeware (free to use). None of these plugins are absolutely necessary in order to have a working site; some of them make it easier to run the site, and some make the site more attractive to members

PTC sites can be started up for even less money.

PTR and PTC sites generally do not have to be registered with governmental agencies (city, county, state, federal) to do business.

Does this business model work in the 'real' (offline) world?

Do people start offline businesses without having a business plan, even if its only in their head or written on the back of an envelope?

Do offline business owners invest minimal amounts of money upfront because they expect to have enough sales immediately--ie the day they open the doors--to pay their bills (rent for the building, utilities, salaries for their employees) for the business?

I am starting a jewelry business, working out of my home. Am I going to harass my (hopefully) future repeat customers to buy more of my goods because I've lost my job or have unexpected bills? Somehow, I imagine doing so would make my customers head for the hills

Even though I have probably $2000.00 or more in beads that can be used in my jewelry business they were purchased by somebody at some time in the past (ie they are not free). So far I have had to invest in findings, tools, a Dremel drill, a small table vise and a Ryoko drill.

Can you give me an example of a real offline business that can be started for $210.00?

Do offline business owners harass their customers to buy goods and services, and threaten them with closing the business if they don't buy?

Do the owners of offline businesses continue the harassment when the next 'emergency' (job loss for the owner for example) comes up?

Where I'm Waiting For Payouts (January 2011)

$3.77 Monkey Bizs (1 day)
$2.01 Scoobys Clicks 87 days (just canceled this request and re-requested $4.13)
$11.94 Lady of the Links (607 days)

total I am waiting for: $19.84

Who Paid Me in December 2011

BG Pay Mail: $4.00
Raining Cash Emails: $12.23
Pinecone Research: $9.00
Link Grand: $5.26
Our PTR: $.41
Wallaby Mail: $2.06
Clix Sense: $9.12
Poker PTR: $5.24
Donkey Mails: $2.95
After Midnight Mails: $3.50

Total for December 2011: $53.77

Total for 2011: $487.70

Sand Castle Cash--Excellent Customer Service

I contacted the owner of Sand Castle Cash because there was a discrepancy between what the front page said payout was, and what my account page said payout was.

I got a reply within a few hours that the front page was correct. But it was still saying a higher amount on my account page, so I wrote back. Pat asked me to email her with my Alert Pay payment address and she would pay me what was in my account (I was about 4 cents away from the erroneous amount on the account page, and almost a dollar over the 'real' payout amount)

I was paid within a few minutes of sending my Alert Pay address to Pat. Her site is a pleasure to belong to, payouts are fast, answers to support questions are also fast, and she communicates with her members on a regular basis

http://suellenjillroley.blogspot.com/2011/08/sand-castle-cash.html

Referral Link: http://www.sandcastlecash.info/index.php?ref=stargazerschild

Say What?

On December 2003 I sent this message to nearly all the PTR (Paid to Read) sites that I belong to

Message: Do You Allow Rotators to be Advertised?

such as: http://tpmr.com/??27304

i have 11 rotators at TPM, and I have made banners for each different one that clearly state the links are rotated.

Example: http://www.suzys-braintransplant.com/affiliate_banners/offerrotator.jpg

95% of the sites answered me within 2-3 days, and most said yes. As I recall, I got turned down only by two sites.

Today I get this response from one of the 5% who took a month or more to reply(or never replied at all):

"Hi Suellen!

I don't think that any PTR admin will allow you to advertise affiliate pages in a rotator, and I only see affiliate pages in the link you gave me, you have to ask for permission from the admin of the PTR site that you are rotating his affiliate page.

As for rotators in general, we only allow them in no timer PTC, we will create some packages for this category."

There is a saying in this country that goes like this: "don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs"

This saying means: "Don't offer advice to someone who has more experience than oneself."

1) I have been involved in PTR since the summer of 2001 (10 1/2 years). I owned several PTR sites myself from 2003 through 2009. I have been an admin at two PTR sites owned by other people for the last 2 years, and I was also an admin at 2 closed sites and 1 sold site. I know the rules and regulations for running just about anything just about everywhere and if I don't know I check it out before advertising it!

2) When I was putting my affiliate pages into the affiliate page rotator--and my other links into the other 11 rotators--I checked every last one of the sites terms and advertising guidelines for their affiliate pages and other links BEFORE adding them to the rotator in question.

Most affiliate pages are allowed to be promoted anywhere. There are some notable exceptions (Deep C Links and Lady of the Links are the two that come to mind right now, and a lot of the sites do not want their affiliate pages advertised in PTC [paid to click] sites because of the high percentage of bad traffic--anonymous proxies, bots, etc) but ALL of the affiliate pages in MY rotator say something along these lines : Affiliate Pages can be advertised anywhere. It is not allowed to advertise your affiliate page at auto surfs!

3) I have seen PTP (paid to promote) links from this site and its sister site in rotators. PTP links are really truly honest to god not allowed to be run in any kind of rotators (URL rotators or ptp rotators either one), but both the ptp links from these two sites credit hits from URL rotators. Don't lecture me about not running my affiliate pages in a rotator when you are allowing and crediting hits from URL rotators to your ptp pages!

4) I do NOT have an affiliate page at this site. I was NOT asking this owner to allow me to run my non-existent affiliate page from his site in my affiliate page rotator; I was asking if he allowed rotators in general to be advertised. I have 12 different rotators with banners made for each. I wanted to know if I could advertise those rotators at this site. Perhaps a class in remedial reading and comprehension would be helpful!

5) And now for the totally hilarious part: the site that I contacted has this to say about advertising THEIR affiliate pages You can promote your page anywhere(Except Auto Surfs) I don't see one blooming word about rotators, do you?

The other site (the sister site) says this about advertising THEIR affiliate pages: Affiliate Pages CANNOT be put in auto surf or PTC style sites, as a rule, ....BUT.... There are certain exceptions (like please limit it to only 10 and not 100 ptc sites) but please check with admin first.

Perhaps before lecturing me about what I can and can't do with my affiliate pages (and who I should contact to ask for permission) this owner should look to their own house. As those guidelines currently stand, I could advertise their affiliate pages--which at this point I am so not tempted to buy!--in a rotator because a rotator is NOT an auto surf or PTC style site!

For those of you that care here are the links to the various rotators (no point in linking to the banners ROFL)

http://tpmr.com/??12071 Referral links for TE's
http://tpmr.com/??26213 Referral links for PTR sites
http://tpmr.com/??27304 Affiliate pages
http://tpmr.com/??32115 Referral links for PTC sites
http://tpmr.com/??32928 Referral links for Survey Sites
http://tpmr.com/??32927 Special PTP links
http://tpmr.com/??32929 PTSU (paid to signup) Sites
http://tpmr.com/??32930 Referral Links for Ad Resources
http://tpmr.com/??32931 Search Links
http://tpmr.com/??32932 Links to My Writing
http://tpmr.com/??32933 Whatever Sites
http://tpmr.com/??32976 Charity Sites

Suggestions (AND CASH) Gratefully Accepted ROFL

Life in the pain lane refers to the not quite 3 months I have been dealing with a painful leg. On October 1 2011 I fell and banged the living daylights out of my right knee.

Over the last three months, my leg has gotten worse and worse to the point I actually asked my doctor to authorize a wheelchair (for those of you that care, he refused to authorize a wheelchair –he said that people who start using a wheelchair rarely if ever get out of it once they start using it and that they generally go downhill fast- I had already heard that from a friend).

But he did agree to authorize a four wheeled walker similar to this http://www.amazon.com/Rolling-Walker-Shopping-Basket-Burgundy/dp/B000EGGS7E or this http://www.novaorthomed.com/Listing.aspx?id=415)

My insurance won’t cover it, and a walker that is rated for my weight (which is none of your damn business ROFL) runs anywhere from $155.00 to $189.00 not including shipping.

I’ve seen 3 doctors (I have seen my primary care physician at least 4 times). I’ve had an ultrasound of the entire leg (to rule out additional blood clots) and an x-ray of the knee plus 3 x-rays of the entire leg. I am scheduled for a sleep apnea test on January 9 2012 and waiting for a referral to an orthopedist (probably in January 2012 also)

Everything is normal……..except for the fact that my leg hurts all the time.

I was originally prescribed generic Vicodin for the pain. It helped me sleep, but it made me weepy (24/7 waterworks –except when I was sleeping — is not my idea of fun!). I take Trazodone and generic extra-strength Tylenol to help me sleep. I was also prescribed Tramodol for pain, but the side effects (drowsiness and dizziness) have scared me off of taking it.

So I started out with severe knee pain (which has gone away); I then progressed (or digressed, depending on your point of view) to 1) severe inguinal (thigh and groin) pain 2) tingling in the side of the calf 3) foot falling asleep easily 4) muscles up and down the back of the entire leg feeling like they have either swollen or contracted (never relaxed). My leg hurts from my rear end to my ankle, mostly the back of the leg and in the inguinal area. However, tonight I got up from a long nap and my thigh had decided that the rest of the leg was having too much fun and that it needed to join the party!

Walking on the bad leg is problematical because I am right-dominant, and its my right leg that is injured. My left leg is taking up some of the slack but my whole body is out of whack due to the right leg. I have to stop after 5-10 (a maximum of 15) steps and either just stop or bend over and say ‘s–t, that hurts’ or ‘d–n, that hurts.’ Usually, I also have back pain and pain in the gluteus maximus, sometimes to the point that I have to sit on the ground or on the floor to temporarily relieve the pain

This is exacerbated by the fact that I do not have transportation other than the local bus–the nearest stop is a 5-10 minute walk from my house. Sometimes I take taxicabs, but its been $8.00 — $10.00 (not including gratuities) each way no matter where I go. I normally earn $85.00 per week and get paid twice a month — that doesn’t stretch to cover very many taxis. Nor does it stretch to cover a new walker that is rated for my weight (I hate to harp on the weight issue, but even the ones that are rated for 300 pounds really only support people up to 275 pounds–I can’t wait until I lose 30 pounds to start using the walker, there would be no point in even buying it, since even if I was crash dieting–which is not healthy–it would take a month and a half to lose that much weight, and I’m in pain NOW)

I am becoming more sedentary because of the pain which is not good for the leg, or for my other health issues (high cholesterol, high blood pressure, borderline diabetes {type 2} just to name a few). Also, its next to impossible to lose weight without being able to get some regular (3 x – 4x a week) exercise, and I usually walk once or twice a week (to the bus stop, to Safeway from the bus transfer station and back, and then to my house from the bus stop). These are 5-10 minute walks at most (usually interrupted by frequent stops because of the pain) and while they may raise my heart rate for a short time which is healthy they are not enough to consistently help with weight loss.

Sitting on the toilet hurts! And not to be gross, but its that time of the month. I do not like sitting on the toilet to insert tampons as I prefer to squat on the floor. I cannot squat long enough to successfully insert a tampon — the pain is so great I nearly fall over (so I’ve given up and sit on the toilet and swear about it)

I hurt when sitting–other than sitting on the floor or the ground. I hurt when walking. I hurt when sleeping — although not as much as when I do anything else, partially thanks to lying down and partially thanks to generic Tylenol and Trazodone

The last time I did laundry it took me 10 days (I kid you not!) to get 3 loads done. You see, I don’t have a working clothes dryer, and its 1/16 of a mile (maybe even less) walking distance to the clubhouse where there is a working clothes dryer. ONE walk to the clubhouse wore me flat out. My laundry would still be sitting in laundry baskets in the clubhouse if I hadn’t asked the park manager to retrieve it for me.

A friend suggested that I post here asking for suggestions to 1) ease the pain, preferably using natural methods or herbal supplements as I already take 15 prescription medicines for various ailments 2) get a walker that is rated for my weight (that won’t break the budget) 3) make walking easier. As usual, spam is NOT welcome — and again I earn $85.00 per week and my insurance does not cover most medical equipment so please consider those things when linking to (again) non-spam solutions or (again) non-spam possible solutions.

The things that I have tried so far or have been recommended to me by friends

1) I emailed my local Lions club to ask for help with the cost of the walker (no response yet)
2) I contacted a site called One Blue Rose to ask for help with the cost of the walker (received $25.00 from this site on January 1, 2012)
3) A friend suggested that I take magnesium supplements, and I plan on buying these with my next paycheck (January 6 2011)
4) Another friend suggested that I get more exercise, less sleep (I would welcome ideas on exercises that would gently strengthen the leg without killing me)
5) I recently bought a wheeled cart that will allow me to haul groceries and laundry without having to be a total pack mule!
6) I have about 40.00 in PTR earnings (in Alert Pay and PayPal) that I have decided to use towards the walker and/or the magnesium supplements
7) Money is always gratefully accepted (JUST KIDDING FOLKS!)

Other considerations: The muscles are not atrophying (yet) as I do move around the house on a regular basis and I do walk to the bus stop and back, from the transfer station and back at least once a week)