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Get Paid to Surf

According to the Internet Advertising Bureau (www.iab.net), American businesses spent over US$4.62 billion on Internet advertising. Faced with fierce competition for audience attention, advertisers are so desperate to get their banner ads in front of people that they are willing to pay you to look at them!

This simple fact is the basis for the fastest growing business online - paying people to use the Internet.

This new industry began in March 1999 with the debut of AllAdvantage, who coined the phrase 'Get paid to surf the Net'. AllAdvantage paid Internet users simply to receive, and occasionally click on, the banner ads they sent to them.

Juan boulter says that getting paid to surf is "the Internet advertising wave of the future."

"Get paid to surf programs have, in their short time, generated more revenue than Amway has in their many years of existence," he claims.

Juan has used these services since their inception and operates the United4Cash website. Juan also gets paid for referring people to the many 'get paid to surf' sites listed on his home page.

"I use many of these services myself," he says, "and I have received many cheques from the 'Get Paid to Surf' programs I use."

"The Australian market has barely been scratched, when we consider the opportunity to refer new members to these programs," Juan says.

John Fenech is the business Development Manager for EmailCash Australia (www.emailcash.com.au), a new Internet incentive program.

Unlike its overseas counterparts, many of which require users to have a banner ad screen permanently displayed on their PC screen, EmailCash sends its advertisements via email.

"It's a much easier system that doesn't require a proprietary software download that can sometimes affect their PC," explains John. "You can check your EmailCash balance anywhere, anytime, on any computer by visiting our website."

Once they have accumulated $20.00 in value, EmailCash members can then request a cheque by mail. Alternatively, they can redeem their accumulated 'e-cash' points at EmailCash's affiliated services, such as its online store, auctions - or they can even donate them to their favourite charity!

John says the program has been a huge success. "We now have over 100 000 members in Australia and partnerships with several key Australian companies," he says. "We are expanding into Asia and have plans to take it global."

You could be forgiven for thinking that all these 'get paid to surf' programs are too good to be true. Are there any drawbacks to using them?

"If you use an Internet Service Provider that charges you for data transfer for downloads over a certain amount and you use these programs often," says Juan Boulter, "you may incur an Internet bill that negates your earnings."

"Most of these programs pay your earnings by US cheque sent in the mail," he adds. "It takes anywhere up to a month to arrive and when you deposit your cheque in your bank account, it can take up to 28 days to clear."

Juan says that "if you do not promote your referral links to your friends, you may only earn enough cash to pay for your Internet connections."

Given their success depends on members referring them to their friends and family, aren't these 'get paid to surf' programs just another form of pyramid selling?

EmailCash's John Fenech acknowledges that people can form this impression but argues that companies like his are "about sharing the wealth around to all your friends and our membership is free."

"No one is made to join," he says. "Also, people have to answer a few questions when they join, so they get the right type of emails and offers they want to receive."

"At the moment, members only get a one-off reward when they introduce others," he explains "this is nowhere near a pyramid scheme."

John advises people to make sure any program they join "is based in Australia and that it's a reputable Australian company."

"Make sure they have their company information posted on its website and that they have multiple contact channels to be able to get information from them,' he adds.

Anyone interested in joining these programs should visit Get Paid Internet Programs, an American website which reviews and ranks the many 'get paid to surf' services currently available.