Is it a Scam?
I wanted to quit my job. So I decided to make my fortune online. I had no idea what I was doing, but that had never stopped me before. I joined a mlm company. They said to succeed online you need to get an auto-responder and purchase leads. Great. But I didn't know what an auto-responder was...I was pretty vague about the lead thing too. So I asked, "What's an auto-responder?" "It's like a fax machine," was the response. Great. Problem was they were talking to a bus driver. I'd never used a fax machine. I had probably seen one, but I couldn't actually remember having seen one...and if I had, I wouldn't have known what to do with it. Point is, their answer didn't help. But I was not to be discouraged. I went online and found an auto-responder. Setting up that first auto-responder was like pulling my own front teeth. Then I bought 2000 double-opt-in-leads and sent out my ads. Results...2 spam complaints, 200 counter offers, and zero sales. Hmm. I must have done something wrong. So I cancelled my membership to the mlm and decided I didn't hate bus driving that much. A month later I decided to try again. Soon afterward I discovered something I had not known about myself. I have an uncanny knack for finding and falling for every scam online. Mistake # 1. Typing Sites. I've already written an article on this particular subject. For the full article, see: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Doralynn_Kennedy Mistake # 2. Paid per Lead Sites. This particular opportunity is much like the above. You place ads that state: "You can earn up to $30 an hour processing simple e-mails from the comfort of your home! You will be paid for each lead that you collect. Each lead must include e-mail address, home address, and phone number." The particular company that I fell for stated that it paid $1 for each lead collected. Well I can do that I decided! I took out a paid ad in the Denver Post. It only cost me $400 for a full month. The leads poured in. I had hundred of leads coming in each day. Guess what happened? Not only wasn't I paid for any of the leads, the company also cancelled my membership. They refused to answer my e-mails as to why and shortly afterward, blocked my e-mails entirely. Not only dirty but cowardly. I promptly reported the crooks to the ftc. Nothing ever came of that as far as I can tell. The company is still online! So beware! Mistake # 3. Online Proof Reading Jobs. Next I signed up for a very popular proof reading company. I had to pay $25 to take their test. No problem. I was happy to do so. I figured I'd get that back in no time. The test was rather tricky, but I passed it, and soon I had access to my private member's area. Yippee! Well, maybe not yippee. Yikes was more like it. There were a few problems: 1) I had to advertise the site. 2) I had to bid on the jobs. 3) The bids were as low as .25 for proof reading a 75 page e-book. and 4) The site never recognized my referral id. Hmm. Looks like I'd done it again. Mistake # 4. Assembling simple circuit boards at home. The first problem I encountered with this one was the length of time it took to receive a reply to my initial inquiry. By the time I heard back from them, I'd forgotten about it. When I did hear from them, a one-time fee was required. It was the same old story. We require a fee because not everyone is serious about this great opportunity. We have to be sure you're serious about this work. Well, I was serious, and I proved it by sending them $49. Five months later I received my circuit board...and a bunch of other things I couldn't identify...not even with the use of their simple 12 page set of instructions. I did figure out a couple of things: 1) I needed to provide my own equipment to assemble the circuit board, and 2) they only sent out 1 cirucuit board every 6 months. Since they only paid $1.25 for each assembled circuit board, I quickly concluded that I wasn't going to get rich assembling circuit boards. Turns out most home assembly jobs are scams. I only know of one that isn't. Mistake # 5. HYIP's. By this time, I was getting desperate. I think that's why I fell for this particular scam. I could tell they were a scam from the beginning?well almost the beginning. But, I decided that I had a strategy. Get in early?get out early. I lost track on how much I lost with that strategy?but it was more than everything else combined. Truth is, ALL HYIP's are scams that feed on greed. Stay away! Please! Now after looking at the above, you'd think I would have given up and gone back to work with my tail tucked between my legs. No way! I don't give up. Good thing to, because I finally did make money online?enough to stop driving buses. Now I just work from home. And it sure beats the rat race. Doralynn Kennedy
http://doralynn.net About the Author: Doralynn Kennedy is the Founder and CEO of 'The Work at Home Network' and 'Affordable Advertising Solutions' located in Colorado. http://doralynn.net and http://doralynn.net/ad_solutions.html
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Like a balloon with air pouring out, deflated and flat at the end, I hung up the phone, drained. For the most part I'd offered a supportive ear with occasional contributions of asked for advice. Several days in a row, he called or stopped by my office, with a second, and a third, and a fourth verse of the same song. After each encounter, my energy felt zapped. It got to the point where Jay's presence alone started my energy leaving, replaced with an empty heaviness as if his negative energy was seeping into me.
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I use a simple measurement to identify energy drainers and energy boosters: the laugh factor. The more laughter I find in the process of doing business, the more energy I know is in the room. The more energy in the room, the more gets done. I look for people I can laugh with, have fun with and share ideas with. My work results are better when I'm around people who make me feel energized when I leave them. Yours can be, too.
(c) 2004 Nan S. Russell. All rights reserved.
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