So today I bought a cool Motorola Q phone, it runs on Windows mobile, I decided that I wanted to add some mp3 and run them as ringtones on the phone, I already had the mp3s so I just had to edit them and load them to my phone, I went to Download.com and searched for "edit mp3" so I came across "Easy Ringtone Editor for Free Ringtones 1.01 " so I decided to give it a try, I downloaded the program and installed it on my pc the software told me that I had to register and get an activation code here is the first screenshot. http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/image.php?94a9b0035d.jpg OK so I clicked on the button and it took me to a page asking me for my email address, once I entered my email address instead of receiving my activation code it told me to complete an offer.. WTF? so I have to click on the affiliate link to get the activation code here is another screenshot. http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/image.php?c6fbaa08a7.jpg well they say that you have to complete the offer to get the code, now its not a free offer its a ringtone subscription that you need to get to get the "activation code for your ringtone editor". Now here is where I really got pissed off, while I was doing this my Antivirus gave me a message here is the screenshot. http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/image.php?f6d9d3c43c.jpg A fuc$%n virus?? this is some very scary stuff, once again this dude is an affiliate doing some crazy grayhat shit well at the end I was not quite as mad, here is why. I learned that there are other ways to make money online without having a huge website, second I learned that it is very easy to fall for kind of stuff, I actually entered my email and I have been doing been an Internet Marketer for a couple of years, so a regular person will complete the offer with no doudt, just imagine this guy is making $11-$13 bucks per ringtone referal, the software is listed in Download.com with hundreds of downloads a day "I think" so this guy is really pulling some big dollars. So I am not mad anymore I learned something new today. So DPers do not copy his tactics or do grayhat.... If you like this post, hire my translation services... - I do not drink so don't buy me a beer.
this technique has been going on for years.. a popular one is to upload some torrent or other file, password protect it, and make them complete a zip/email submit to get the password.. but all these techniques would be against many offers TOS, unless it accepts incentive leads
Well the guy has not been banned "I am not trying to get anybody bannded" but it just shows you the kind of things that webmasters are doing to make money.
Just because he hasn't been caught yet doesn't mean its OK. If the offer doesn't allow incentivizing its against TOS. That's not grayhat.
That is not the point, as a webmaster you must look at the Internet in a different way, thanks to stupid stufff like this I have earned thousands of dollars on the Internet.... That is why 90% of webmasters do not make any money, because they do not think out of the box... and that is why most webmasters will never make money and they will have to keep working for other people. Like I said the example that I showed you tells you how money is being made out there, lots and lots of money.... Now if you want to just look at the thread and think "stupid guy he should not be downloading stuff from the internet" and go to another thread than keep doing that, but I guarantee that you will never be a successful Internet Marketer.
lawl. Sorry dude, didn't mean to offend you. Just trying to have some fun. Ya I guess I'm not a successful internet marketer at all .
Hey no one has been offended I just did not want people to look at the money that can be made out there, for sure you do not want to go gray but if you think outside of the box you can make a lot of money on the Internet, just 2 months ago I made about $15,000 bucks with a stupid idea that I implemented in 15 minutes and it worked! Its cool bluebobbo don;t worry.
Shoemoney... Have anything you want to admit about this program?! I kid, I kid. Thanks for sharing this! I think it's quite genius.
there are many "grayhat" ways people are making money online... the whole issue is stay within the TOS and dont lie to people and you are ok. But honestly White/Gray/Black.... is all relative terms.... I think more as Don't push limits/Somewhat pushes limits/On the cutting edge (and i dont mean breaking TOS etc... i mena in just new ways o link building advertising etc..)
Affiliate marketing is different than other ways to make money online. You are entered into a agreement with each company you are promoting. If you don't play by their rules (they being the actual people who are paying you) it hurts the advertiser's bottom line, and eventually degrades the whole system. I suppose if you are just in it to make quick bucks here and want to call that creative, great. But there are ways to think outside the box, while still providing the advertiser valuable traffic and staying in the TOS. That's how you will be most successful in the long run, and advertisers will love you not ban you.
Old techniques but seems to be always working. I think "selling" on Internet is mostly "gray" - especially for a product like "ringtone". 9 out of 10 ringtones ads come with the word "free" when it is never free... but then what matter most is that it sell really well this way. And the same is applicable to almost any products...