ClixMX has been one of my favorite PTC sites - I liked the layout (both old and new), it was uncluttered and generally easy to work with, and I'd been seeing some nice upswing there lately and was rather pleased about how things were going over there. If there had been any option at ClixMX for a Premium membership besides yearly (which I just couldn't afford at this time), I probably would have upgraded already, but I certainly had it in mind anyway for the future.
Like many PTC sites lately, it had suffered an extended outage after DDOS attacks, but came back remodeled and with some neat stuff, and I was looking forward to down the road. I didn't realize it was open again for quite a while after having checked many times and finding it still down - which was probably true of a lot of people - but I'd been back and was actually planning to cashout my measly (to anyone else maybe, tho not to me) $11 or $12 last night while I was getting organized everywhere else. And was actually kind of excited about it, as I often am about the prospect of being able to say a site that's never paid me before has paid me.
Well, guess that serves me right for planning, because when I went over there, I found this (see bold text for the particularly interesting parts of this news):
Important Announcement
I have a lot of things to tell you, but I will try to keep this short.
After the last couple of attacks (that you already know about) the site suffered a lot of damage. Many members lost trust in the site (and me), we had to invest in more security, we lost almost two weeks of ads and purchases, etc. I have tried my best this last two weeks to keep the site alive. I had to reinvest all the money we had got from the site and put $10,000.00 of my own money to keep paying and maintaining the site.
Unfortunately things didn't go quite as planned. Even though some members did help us by buying referrals or memberships (and I thank you all), sales were really low. Ad visits were very poor too, many members requested payment and stop clicking. The last few days we had over 10 ads for free members, and the average clicks per user a day was 3. We also lost many members. I am not sure if it was due to the lack of trust or to the new anti-cheat locks we added, but out of the 165,000+ active members we had before the last attack, only a little over 19,000 have returned and are active. To top it off, we had almost $100,000.00 in pending payments and we got chargeback's for almost $2,000.
For all of the above, I have decided to close the site.
I am a business man, I have my own offline business, so I know that sometime it is necessary to make a decision like this one. This is the last thing I wanted to do, but I already spent 250% more than our original budget, and got no profit. Most of that was spent in the last two weeks, and I can not keep spending money like this. This was not a easy decision to make, but I did consider all the options I had (including that poll at the forum). The PTC model is very good and it can be extremely profitable for owners and members, but at this time we have come to a point where drastic measures are necessary.
What is going to happen now?
Well, first of all I am not a scammer. I will send payments to all people who invested in the site. I know lots of standard members will complaint, but I believe that is the fairest thing to do. Payments will take sometime as I will have to use my own money (my offline business), but they will all be sent. I will include in this page a little login box where you will be able to know if you are eligible for payment. That box will be ready on Monday (I hope) as I have to review the accounts, but for now I will tell you the criteria I will use.
To be eligible for payment you...
* Must have logged in after Oct 16th and created a PIN, members that did not comeback are consider inactive and wont be paid.
* Must have invested in the site (bought referrals or premium membership).
* Did not get your investment back. If you made a profit or got your investment back, you will not be paid.
I can not tell you how long it will take to send all payments because I don't know how much money will be paid. I will have an idea on Monday.
I know how frustrated you must be (I am a member of other PTCs). I am also frustrated, angry and sad. I will open the forum again tomorrow so you can send you insults there. Please avoid sending me email as I will not be answering anything before Monday. The amount you will be paid (if you will be paid at all) will be ready then, just wait a couple of days.
This is the lastthing I wanted, and I can not apologize enough to those who trusted the site, but that's business.
Thank you,
Jose Manuel
ClixMX Admin
I'll probably have more to say about this next week, but suffice it to say I think I'm pretty much done with wasting time and effort on sites that make decisions like this about not paying free members, whether it's a site that's closing or not. Why should I spend my time clicking for months under the assumption I will get paid for it eventually - or why should I bring referrals somewhere under the same presumption - when things like this happen?
I think some of the PTC owners also need to realize that some of their free members may not have made a direct investment in the site with premium memberships or buying referrals (and again, if ClixMX had offered an option besides an entire year Premium membership, I probably would have bought a monthly or whatever) - but many of them have probably invested indirectly in buying advertising elsewhere to promote the site. I certainly did, as well as promoting plenty here, so statements like in the above just kinda burn me up.
Though the GPT/PTR side of things has it's own set of problems, it's nothing like what the PTC world is undergoing lately. I think, for the time being anyway, I'll be putting most of my efforts into GPT/PTR and PTC will just be one of those things that I will (A) not be signing up for too many new ones, (B) won't fool with when I don't have plenty of spare time, and (C) certainly won't be promoting ANY much without a cautionary word in the future.
Which is kinda sad, because I was going to do a post next week about all the PTCs I have joined lately that I haven't had time to list separately, but that list is getting smaller and smaller as time goes on anyway. Certainly won't be without a word of warning if I do.
In any case, again, probably have more to say about this next week but anyway, there ya go. Another one bites the dust and it's very disappointing to see the decisions made in its wake.
It'd be nice to be able to come back in a week or two and tell you some or all of the decisions were reversed, but I'm not holding my breath.
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Saturday, November 1, 2008
And Now It's November!
I know, I know, it's Saturday and I don't usually post on Saturday, but I had some news and plus I'm just trying to get back in the swing of things. October was just such a horrible month and I hated being away from here and the online money world so much, but sometimes offline life and especially family issues and crises have to take priority... and I didn't really have any choice in the priority part, unfortunately!
Anyway, let's see how November goes... there's already news and other stuff, so stay tuned a minute, I've got some more for ya (LOL).
I also am totally serious about reorganizing some stuff here on the site to hopefully make it easier and faster for everybody looking for whatever, no matter what they're looking for, so that's coming too. Now onto news...
Anyway, let's see how November goes... there's already news and other stuff, so stay tuned a minute, I've got some more for ya (LOL).
I also am totally serious about reorganizing some stuff here on the site to hopefully make it easier and faster for everybody looking for whatever, no matter what they're looking for, so that's coming too. Now onto news...
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Ozzy's Direct Pay Now Accepting UK/Australia Members
Yep, this week is not going much better than last week in offline life, so here I am delayed again... apologies once again. My email box is backed up to close to 6,000 emails - crazy, huh? I'll sort thru them before the week's through, I hope!
Did want to report, however, that Ozzy's Direct Pay is now accepting members from the UK and Australia, so any of you folks from over yonder and down under who might want to check it out, feel free to.
Which reminds me that I really need to update some of the info here on the site and "houseclean" a bit, as well as adding some more easily found links to some other GPT/PTR/PTC news sites I read daily and you should too (the links are already here, but I want to make them more easily accessible).
So stay tuned, more coming up - have a great rest of your Wednesday and hoping to be back tomorrow with more, fingers crossed!
Did want to report, however, that Ozzy's Direct Pay is now accepting members from the UK and Australia, so any of you folks from over yonder and down under who might want to check it out, feel free to.
Which reminds me that I really need to update some of the info here on the site and "houseclean" a bit, as well as adding some more easily found links to some other GPT/PTR/PTC news sites I read daily and you should too (the links are already here, but I want to make them more easily accessible).
So stay tuned, more coming up - have a great rest of your Wednesday and hoping to be back tomorrow with more, fingers crossed!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Got Paid Update #26 - IsabelMarco
Got paid last week on Friday by IsabelMarco in the amount of $115, about 34 days after request so they are at least still paying out pretty consistently with that.
I guess the jury's still out on whether or not their many recent changes to their TOS is a good thing or not, one of the most major of which is they are no longer paying free members anymore (and that said, I need to go back and revise several entries about this site when I can find some time). I can say from where I sit, even though I have remained a premium member for several months in a row now, I've seen my active referrals and my average monthly payout decrease by now over 50%.
I don't know; I'm watching to see how things go for now is about the best I can say. They have had more ads daily in the last couple of weeks, but I'm not seeing a lot of activity in my stats and, as I said, my draw for this month will be over 50% less than what I got just paid and my active referrals have gone WAY down, so that's a little disappointing. They've also added a lot of extra ads and a cheat checker - while I can understand the need for both and don't really have a problem with those things generally (especially when it comes to advertising in support of the site), I kinda feel having to go thru the cheat checker more than once or twice is a bit of overkill. Like I said, I guess we'll just see if it starts to even back out at all but this decrease in the last 6-8 weeks is certainly concerning.
But for premium members anyway (which is $9 a month or $70 a year), I can still recommend it as a site that does pay and is consistent with it for now.
On another note, apologies for the lack of updates this week - a lot of stuff going on offline for me right now and it's just not been the best of weeks. Will try to get a little better motivated next week, promise, and still need to do a little tweaking of the site so stay tuned...
I guess the jury's still out on whether or not their many recent changes to their TOS is a good thing or not, one of the most major of which is they are no longer paying free members anymore (and that said, I need to go back and revise several entries about this site when I can find some time). I can say from where I sit, even though I have remained a premium member for several months in a row now, I've seen my active referrals and my average monthly payout decrease by now over 50%.
I don't know; I'm watching to see how things go for now is about the best I can say. They have had more ads daily in the last couple of weeks, but I'm not seeing a lot of activity in my stats and, as I said, my draw for this month will be over 50% less than what I got just paid and my active referrals have gone WAY down, so that's a little disappointing. They've also added a lot of extra ads and a cheat checker - while I can understand the need for both and don't really have a problem with those things generally (especially when it comes to advertising in support of the site), I kinda feel having to go thru the cheat checker more than once or twice is a bit of overkill. Like I said, I guess we'll just see if it starts to even back out at all but this decrease in the last 6-8 weeks is certainly concerning.
But for premium members anyway (which is $9 a month or $70 a year), I can still recommend it as a site that does pay and is consistent with it for now.
On another note, apologies for the lack of updates this week - a lot of stuff going on offline for me right now and it's just not been the best of weeks. Will try to get a little better motivated next week, promise, and still need to do a little tweaking of the site so stay tuned...
Friday, October 10, 2008
Got Paid Update #25 - ClixSense
Received my first payment this week for $14.50 from ClixSense, a long established and good program with an excellent history in the industry. At ClixSense, you get paid at least one cent per ad viewed, and often there are two, five and even ten cent ads for premium members.
You can really maximize (and hasten up!) your earnings here with their extremely reasonable upgrade - $10 for an entire year - and by getting referrals (especially if they upgrade too). I have been recommending this upgrade for some time - as soon as you upgrade, you will usually see 300-400 ads that are available to premium members only, and once you get through that backlog, you'll pretty consistently see 20 or more ads a day if you check in a couple of times a day. That's a significant maximizer beyond the approximately 10 ads a day available to free members.
They pay automatically at the end of the month by check if you've reached your preferred payout level (they do take a $3 check processing fee out, so it's probably better to set your payout at $20 or more instead of the minimum $10), and it arrives pretty fast - I received my check within about 7 days.
Join now if you're not a member yet (and think about upgrading) - this is one that is really worth it!
You can really maximize (and hasten up!) your earnings here with their extremely reasonable upgrade - $10 for an entire year - and by getting referrals (especially if they upgrade too). I have been recommending this upgrade for some time - as soon as you upgrade, you will usually see 300-400 ads that are available to premium members only, and once you get through that backlog, you'll pretty consistently see 20 or more ads a day if you check in a couple of times a day. That's a significant maximizer beyond the approximately 10 ads a day available to free members.
They pay automatically at the end of the month by check if you've reached your preferred payout level (they do take a $3 check processing fee out, so it's probably better to set your payout at $20 or more instead of the minimum $10), and it arrives pretty fast - I received my check within about 7 days.
Join now if you're not a member yet (and think about upgrading) - this is one that is really worth it!
Pirate's Riches Closing
The admin at Pirate's Riches announced this week she is closing the site. Like many GPT sites, the site has been affected by fraudulent activity and slow affiliate payments, but with the triple whammy of the admin's husband losing his job this week, she made the decision to close the site.
One good bit of news with this is that she intends to pay her members ALL money due everyone, regardless of cashout limit, so that's really good to hear. And she has proven to be a very ethical admin and always quick to act on any problems, so I feel sure she will keep her word on this.
In an industry that has become problematic regarding things like this, that's really good to see.
One good bit of news with this is that she intends to pay her members ALL money due everyone, regardless of cashout limit, so that's really good to hear. And she has proven to be a very ethical admin and always quick to act on any problems, so I feel sure she will keep her word on this.
In an industry that has become problematic regarding things like this, that's really good to see.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Got Paid Update #24 - BankRollBucks
My favorite words when it comes to GPT/PTR/PTC sites are "dependable" and "reliable", and those words are definitely apropos when it comes to BankRollBucks!
I received my payment of $5.17 for September today from BankRollBucks, which pays on Net 15 but almost always pays within the first week of each month (usually within the first 3-4 days).
Sunday was the BankRollBucks admin's birthday, so join up (if you haven't already) and drop by and wish her a happy belated birthday while you're there! And make a little cash while you're there too - it's easy at BankRollBucks!
I received my payment of $5.17 for September today from BankRollBucks, which pays on Net 15 but almost always pays within the first week of each month (usually within the first 3-4 days).
Sunday was the BankRollBucks admin's birthday, so join up (if you haven't already) and drop by and wish her a happy belated birthday while you're there! And make a little cash while you're there too - it's easy at BankRollBucks!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
BuddyPond Closing
One of my favorite spots in the Pond Network, BuddyPond, announced recently that it will be closing.
If you are a paid BuddyPond member, the BuddyPond admin has partnered with the owner of one of the top PTC programs online (LinkGrand) for something that is going to be very beneficial. If you are a lifetime paid BuddyPond member, you will receive one year Gold membership at LinkGrand free. This is a normal cost of $240 for a year. If you are a yearly paid BuddyPond member, you will receive one year Silver membership free. This is a normal cost of $120. There will be a future announcement arriving about what the paid members will receive and what they need to do to get their paid gold and silver memberships into the new program.
If you have $5 or more in earnings, head over to BuddyPond and cash out now. After the $5 payouts are paid, the admin will lower the payout to $4 and those with $4 or more can request payout. After those payouts are made, it will be lowered to $3 and so on. If you have further questions and are a MarketingPond member, you can ask at the MP forum.
If you are a paid BuddyPond member, the BuddyPond admin has partnered with the owner of one of the top PTC programs online (LinkGrand) for something that is going to be very beneficial. If you are a lifetime paid BuddyPond member, you will receive one year Gold membership at LinkGrand free. This is a normal cost of $240 for a year. If you are a yearly paid BuddyPond member, you will receive one year Silver membership free. This is a normal cost of $120. There will be a future announcement arriving about what the paid members will receive and what they need to do to get their paid gold and silver memberships into the new program.
If you have $5 or more in earnings, head over to BuddyPond and cash out now. After the $5 payouts are paid, the admin will lower the payout to $4 and those with $4 or more can request payout. After those payouts are made, it will be lowered to $3 and so on. If you have further questions and are a MarketingPond member, you can ask at the MP forum.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Got Paid Update #23 - CashMonkies JR
Another payment to report from CashMonkies JR for the latter half of September, received yesterday in the amount of $5.09! Since the site went to $5 minimum payments and payout twice a month, it's really easy to get that $5 minimum... I haven't done it twice in one month yet, but now that things are slowing down for me just a little maybe I will in October!
(UPDATE 12/23/2008 - CashMonkies JR & CashMonkies are being sold, so at present I will not be promoting them further dependent on the history of the site under whoever the new ownership will be.)
By the way, I have got to reorganize the site a little in the next few days - there are some things I didn't foresee months ago that are now driving the webmistress in me slightly bananas - so if you see something weird, it'll be fixed soon (or at least hopefully I won't break anything!).
Happy Monday everyone!
.
(UPDATE 12/23/2008 - CashMonkies JR & CashMonkies are being sold, so at present I will not be promoting them further dependent on the history of the site under whoever the new ownership will be.)
By the way, I have got to reorganize the site a little in the next few days - there are some things I didn't foresee months ago that are now driving the webmistress in me slightly bananas - so if you see something weird, it'll be fixed soon (or at least hopefully I won't break anything!).
Happy Monday everyone!
.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Got Paid Update #22 - ReadersPond & MyCashHoney
My favorite thing to be able to do - reporting on payments! Here's two I got in the last few days...
I received my first payment from ReadersPond on October 1st in the amount of $12.72. The site began in July and is a part of the Pond Network along with all the other money opportunities I often suggest - MarketingPond, Global Team Club, Traffic Wave Profits, and the new ViralPond (for Freebie Force and GDI members).
And I also got paid $5.38 at the end of the month for August by MyCashHoney, which makes payment #3 from this great site. I actually got so busy in September that I did not cash out there for September so I'm breaking my three-month streak of payments from there.
(UPDATE: MyCashHoney closed as of 11/30/2008)
On another note, I have decided for the time being to suspend the daily contest updates. It was very time consuming to gather and organize that information and really has been what's kept me from regular posting here the last 4-5 weeks, I have just gotten so busy that I didn't have time for doing that but I wasn't posting much because that task kept hanging over my head.
Pretty much all of the sites I recommend have regular and great contests, and if you're a member of them you are getting the same e-mails I am anyway, so I know a lot of it was repetitive information as it was.
The most important things when it comes to GPT/PTC/PTR, of course, are sites that pay and are are good and dependable... so for now I will be focusing mainly on payments, news, and other updates about the sites I have listed as well as reviewing any new sites I think are worthwhile, and of course will still be posting some contest news here and there - just not a huge list as it was every single day... and that should allow me time to be able to post more often and regularly than I have been the last several weeks.
Hope everyone has a great weekend! See you next week!
I received my first payment from ReadersPond on October 1st in the amount of $12.72. The site began in July and is a part of the Pond Network along with all the other money opportunities I often suggest - MarketingPond, Global Team Club, Traffic Wave Profits, and the new ViralPond (for Freebie Force and GDI members).
And I also got paid $5.38 at the end of the month for August by MyCashHoney, which makes payment #3 from this great site. I actually got so busy in September that I did not cash out there for September so I'm breaking my three-month streak of payments from there.
(UPDATE: MyCashHoney closed as of 11/30/2008)
On another note, I have decided for the time being to suspend the daily contest updates. It was very time consuming to gather and organize that information and really has been what's kept me from regular posting here the last 4-5 weeks, I have just gotten so busy that I didn't have time for doing that but I wasn't posting much because that task kept hanging over my head.
Pretty much all of the sites I recommend have regular and great contests, and if you're a member of them you are getting the same e-mails I am anyway, so I know a lot of it was repetitive information as it was.
The most important things when it comes to GPT/PTC/PTR, of course, are sites that pay and are are good and dependable... so for now I will be focusing mainly on payments, news, and other updates about the sites I have listed as well as reviewing any new sites I think are worthwhile, and of course will still be posting some contest news here and there - just not a huge list as it was every single day... and that should allow me time to be able to post more often and regularly than I have been the last several weeks.
Hope everyone has a great weekend! See you next week!
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