Your first post is one of the best I have seen so far. You have made a very good analysis on what is happening in AS world right now. Your writing reveals a lot about you. My hats off to you!

PS. Your comment regarding Tri-Star also tells me that you have actual personal wonderful Tri-star experience. I am with you!!

Coming back to the main issue of this discussion I would like to comment on the April 2006 posting. Very interesting and in general it is in line with my viewpoint:

QUOTE April 2006: The downside to referral commissions is that it allows for too many referral hounds and cheerleaders to blindly lead their downline to a program that is failing.[agree 100%/greed] BUT to promote a program[advertising] a 1-2% once off referral commission should be paid.

Once again thanks very very interesting postings.

Thank you for your kind words, but I disagree with you on some points that you made.

1. Bloggers and monitors are very different entities and shouldn’t be lumped together, no matter what King Bobby says. The majority of monitors (not all, but most) are paid to promote by sites. They are not monitoring the industry, instead they are shams. This is where bloggers stepped up to the plate. The majority of bloggers (not all, but most) are HYI/Autosurf players, just like you, that also report what they find. They are not paid for promoting, like the monitors are. Nor do they cater to the vast amount of paid to vote cheerleaders. If we think something can make you money, then we’ll tell you about it. If we see signs of stress, then we will tell you about it. What you do with the information is up to you. Personally, I do not believe monitors at all, while I believe a substantial amount of information from bloggers. You have to separate hype from reporting. The bottom line is that it is up to each individual to decide what to believe and what not to believe.

2. Bloggers will usually tell you when a program is definitely a game/ponzi or when they think one is. Monitors just report hype and votes. If you know a program is a game/ponzi, you have the choice whether to play or not play.

3. While there are referral hounds in all aspects of this industry, the majority of bloggers are not. We provide a service beyond just hyping new programs.

4. As I’ve said to you in other comments, there is a big difference between risking your money by playing in a HYIP and risking your money in a payment processor. The difference is that in a HYIP/Autosurf you know that you’re taking a risk that they might close before you make a profit. In a payment processor, you expect your money to be safe. It is double-punch when someone runs both and they both fold.

5. King Bobby runs ponzis, yet tells other programs that TriStar is too good for them…AFTER taking their member’s money. As long as I have been reviewing sites, which was long before I started blogging, I have never seen such a cult following for such a blatant liar and scammer. (Although, I heard that PIPs/PicPay was similar. I didn’t follow them, because I dismissed going with them and wasn’t blogging at that time.) You say he’s trying different income streams, like taking fees for money transmitting? Guess what ALL of his income streams are still from YOU and other sheep that all follow the king like good subjects. Bobby is absolutely tyrannical and still people put on blinders and say “Yes, Bobby, we believe you. We believe when you tell us how bad bloggers are. Yes, we will go kill the messengers of bad news for you.” Reminds me of Charlie Manson!

For once, please take off your blinders and look at where your money is objectively. Do you want to risk it in an unlicensed money transmitter that isn’t even addressing the issue? Do you want to risk it in Bobby’s ponzi’s that have had delayed payments and multiple excuses? Only you can answer those questions.

I’d also like to express my viewpoint on referral commissions. Please read “Should Programs Have Referral Commissions? Should Programs Go Private?“, an article that I wrote in April 2006.

JMO,
Sharon

Must congratulate you on an excellent blog.

Your articles/postings must be from the best you get. Thanks.

As a surfer [putting my money where my mouth is] with no real interests in making referral money I think the referral rat race is killing auto surfing.

Somebody [can’t remember who] suggested a few weeks ago that surfers should not join under a blogger/monitor etc.,but directly under the site owner to keep the tens of thousands paid out to referral “hounds’ /or not “hounds” in the program for the members. [seems to make sense]

If you take 9planets for example only a very few surfers and all the referral hounds made a packet. [ in less than three weeks only Dolphins part was $1800 from her downline which made use of her payback offer] Taking into account that she was not even one of the top ten referral hounds you can work out the amount of money involve. [nothing personal Dolphin, I have only your statistics as posted by you]

The referral hounds must have made hundreds of thousands with Adsurfdaily while the surfers are still surfing to get their principle back.[on hold at this moment]

Greed is humanity worse sin and I think that even referral hounds with the best intentions may become blinded and bias in promoting a program for the referral option.

Lately most of the bloggers seems to be non officially bonded [mafia] regulating the surfing world for their personal hidden agendas.

One thing is for sure that daily surfers is leaving the surfing world daily due to heavy losses [new members will join daily] , but the bloggers/monitors go from strength to strength. Indeed a very lucrative money making racket for them.

Personally I think there should be a referral insensitive, but not more than 1 or 2% from ONLY the original deposit. [bloggers/monitors indeed plays a very important informative role] The scammers will still scam , but it will surely prolong the life of honest Admins programs.

Have great day Sharon.

Jannie

PS: It is still difficult for me to understand how some of the moral neurotic bloggers/monitors fanatically promoted a 100% ponxi [ 9planetsurfhyip] ,
while doing anything possible to kill TriStar. [admin at least trying to implement different income streams]. The same is happening with mrsvee coming soon Matrix. [ the only real winners will be the owner and the early spots] This must be what is meant with hypocrisy . Sad, very sad.

TD, I think offering referral rebates helps to lessen some of the risk, in addition to being a sort of “thank you for joining with me” gift.

I did this for 9planetnosurf because of how high the ref. commissions were, because of how high risk it was (well for me it was among the highest riskiest I’ve joined lol) and because I like the “pay it forward” concept.

Fortunately, many who joined me at 9pns made their profits, plus the 9% and did one or two cycles and got out …

Anyhoo .. I do like to do that now and then … and I hope my referrals feel comfortable contacting me if they want to.

John, exellent outline there .. thx for that …

Dolphin

I was most impressed when you sent out e-mails to your downlines to advice us to get out of the program, if I remember right called Everlasting9 last year. I did get out on time with profit that day when the program really closed. To me you are a good upline, who goes out an extra mile to care for the downlines.

How about I take this opportunity to thank you for that?

So far I am happy with my upline.

That’s a new twist on upline services, voluntary participation. good edition to the list of what uplines do in the article.

Thanks,
Sharon

When I do have referral rebate offers, I post them on my blog and my email and messenger contact info is also posted on there. So I welcome people to contact me. I know that places the burden on them, but at least then I know I’m not feeling I may be potentially intruding on them.

Guess it varies with folks
Again, terrific write up there …

Dolphin

LOL I forgot to mention what I do for my downlines!

First of all, I rarely promote programs with my referral link. I have a newsletter where I’ll promote my programs plus programs that the subscriber’s are in (with their referral link). The programs are described along with what I see are the pros and cons. If anyone is interested, send an email to sharonsopinion@nobshyip.net

Secondly, I create a mailing list for the big programs and send out updates, along with my opinions (of course!) This is true, even when there are no referral commissions.

Lastly, I have been known to do referral commission rebates, limited count full referral commission rebates and benefactoring. Each is dependent on the circumstance and what the downline intends to do with the program.

I’m with you, Jude, I care very deeply when someone joins something with my referral link. When I first started, I was more of a referral hound, because I didn’t know better. Over time my philosophy has changed.

JMO,
Sharon

Whenever someone signs up with my referral link, I do feel obliged and always update my downlines or even through any means to let them know what’s going on.

When my downlines get paid, I’m really happy for them, more happier when they made a profit for their investments.

If a program which I introduced lacklustre or bites the dust, I’ll feel responsible for it and the feeling is worse than losing my own investments in the failed scam.

That’s why even until now I keep a close look on FX-Experts and keep in contact with Marcos. I’m prepared to lose my personal investment to have Marcos at least refund all the investors that he has.

I don’t recommend or use a link for more than 3 funds I have faith in myself, and though the referral is nice, I don’t count on it for income. I will never list anything I have a doubt in and if a doubt comes about, it will immediately be removed from my signature.