PIKABucks

[Boink Post] PayPerPost V4.0 goes LIVE!

2009-06-26T14:40:00.003+08:00

Originally posted on Boink

To all bloggers out there: I have exciting news for you! The newest version of PayPerPost is now officially live! You can now sign up for PayPerPost v4.0. Existing users are automatically members of the new version. I like the changes that they made on the website. Visually, the colors are very relaxing. To those who hate the cluttered dashboard that the previous version has, this is great news. With the new website, there are only two tabs: one for Opportunities and one for My Account. No more busy dashboard. The website loads faster too!

It looks like they are also changing the way opportunities are presented to bloggers. There will be no more advertiser-set prices. How does that work? Bloggers can now set the price for their blogs. Advertisers just need to go through the blogs on PPP’s database and choose the one that’s within their budget. For example, a blogger can set a price per link or per word. If advertiser is okay with the price and the blog, they will present the opportunity to the blogger.

What’s more, you get to have three (3) days to work on a post! At the same time, advertisers are given the same amount of time to review your post. If they fail to do so, your post will automatically be approved! You will get paid!

The payment method is still PayPal. However, there’s some slight change in the payout process. Your payments will now be deposited into your My Finances after 30 days from the time the post was published. You need to manually cash them out. There is now a minimum of $50 cash out amount. Once this is done, the payment will appear on your PayPal account immediately. Hurry! Sign up now!

* Originally posted on Boink!

Smorty is alive!

2009-05-14T17:11:00.003+08:00

I've confirmed it myself - Smorty is still alive! Two weeks ago, I updated my list of money-making avenues online. I saw my login credentials on the PikaBucks excel file. I logged on just to see if they still have some opportunities. Surprisingly, I found one and grabbed it. Two days later, I found another one. So I learned how Smorty works - opps are limited so you have to grab them while they're still available.

If you want to sign up for Smorty click below:

Survey says...

2009-05-14T17:06:00.001+08:00

PayPal Earnings Report #3

2009-03-29T15:16:00.006+08:00

It has been absolutely crazy in the blogging industry (yes - it has become an industry whether you like it or not). First of all, I lost my PR some months ago and the opportunities online just disappeared. It made me kinda depressed. I used to lose sleep over articles not being finished and payments not being sent to my PayPal account. Good thing my blogs are back in the game and so is my PayPal account. I am happy to report that I still earned some bucks in March 2009:

I know it's not much but hey - it still pays for my cellphone bills (which reminds me I need to pay that next week) plus maybe a couple of other bills and a nice dinner. To date, I have proven that I can really make a lot of money online. The key is to keep blogging and keep accepting opportunities. Here's a breakdown of all the earnings I received through my PayPal account since I started monetizing my blogs:

See what blogging has done to my life? It paid for a lot of bills, bought milk for a couple of babies, paid for my little sister's tuition, and still allowed me to enjoy a few blockbuster movies. Wow! I am looking forward to earning more PikaBucks!

I Almost Gave Up Until....

2009-02-28T17:26:00.004+08:00

I started this money-making journey in June last year thinking I would make it big on the internet. I did earn a lot but I experienced a 3-month slump. First, the opportunities for advertisements have stopped. Advertisers have also lowered their payouts. There are some money-making avenues that just disappeared and of course, the saddest part, is that there are a lot out there who are scamming people.

These are the reasons why I've temporarily left my blogs. I realized it was not worth it. A lot of time was wasted just by waiting for opportunities to turn up online.

In short, I almost gave up... until I got an email which really made my day. Blogsvertise gave me not one - but five opportunities in one week! My blog was alive again! I visited Reviewme and I was surprised to have even more. This means I have a big payout waiting for me in March! What a great way to revive my blogs!

Sadly, my promotion has affected the way I manage my blogging time. But it's alright. It's still what I wanted right? Ha ha. What I am planning to do now is to just manage two blogs: Boink and Pikabucks. Goodbye for now Wikipika.

I've been busy...

2009-02-25T16:08:00.002+08:00

It's everyone's excuse! I just realized that my last blog entry on this site was last 30 November. That's almost 3 months ago! No wonder I lost readers and my PR rating of 1 hahaha! I am back in the game and surprisingly, so are my blogs. I wouldn't be going back to blogging if it weren't for the emails I've been getting from advertisers who are asking me to write posts for them.

THANK YOU. It's nice to still see my blogs earn money like they did some months ago. So, I will make this promise again. No matter how much sleep I lose I will start updating Boink and Pikabucks regularly. And if I have more time, maybe I will post more on Wikipika too.

Matched.co.uk is CLOSED

2008-11-30T16:22:00.002+08:00

Sad news for people in the online money-making biz. Matched.co.uk has announced that they're closing, Sucks! No wonder they've been on beta. It was fun until it lasted. I still have two links that have not been paid for. They promised to send the payments out and I am hoping they really would:

MATCHED HAS CLOSED
==================

It is with much regret that we announce that Matched.co.uk has closed.

Matched has been running as a beta experiment for some time and, after much careful consideration, it has been decided not to progress the project to the next stage.

As a result, Matched will not be accepting new sign-ups and will no longer be assigning adverts to its current publisher base.

If you completed your last payment run before November 19th 2008, you will still be paid, but please note that no future payments will be made after this. Therefore, we recommend that you remove any Matched ads from your websites.

Thank you very much for being part of the Matched.co.uk experience and we wish you the best of luck for the future success of your websites.

Finally! PikaBucks gets a Page Rank!

2008-10-29T18:29:00.001+08:00

Wow! This is great! PikaBucks finally gets a Page Rank 1! I know it's not the best rank and I have a long way to go but this is definitely a great start. Thanks to those who keep visiting!

Save First before your Spend

2008-10-27T00:30:00.002+08:00

What's the first thing that comes to mind when pay day is near? Most people don't think 'save first'. We think of what our expenditures are and then we check our savings. This is still good considering that savings is still on the list. What's bad is that most of the time whatever is on the end of the list gets kicked out of it.

When I tried a pay day loan once, I was deducted $50 every payday. I figured, if I save that amount, I will have $100 a month and $1200 by the end of the year. The only reason why I am now capable of setting aside the $50 is because I am obliged to do so as supposed to just setting aside the same amount for savings and having a spending relapse the next day.

Which is why we all have to have a new perspective of savings. According to Yahoo! Finance:

1. Put savings (and yourself) first with the budget. A budget allows you to understand where the money goes and may help you free up cash for important savings goals, such as college and retirement.

2. Get Started. How you create your budget is up to you.

The first element of any budget is your income, or how much money you receive each month. This can include paychecks, legal settlements, alimony, royalties, fees, and dividends from investments that you do not reinvest. Once you know what your monthly income is, you can use a budget to make sure you don't spend more than you earn, thus helping to reduce debt and freeing up cash for savings.

Next, you need to know how you spend your money. Start by tracking your spending for a month. Gather bills and receipts, and don't forget to include newspapers from the corner store and trips to the soda machine. Don't assume any expense is too small to record.

Write down your expenses and break them into categories. Using the budget worksheet as an example, we find Fixed Committed Expenses -- mortgage, loan, and insurance payments that stay the same from month to month; Other Committed Expenses -- things you can't live without, like food, utilities, and clothing; and Discretionary Expenses -- things you like but don't necessarily need.

3. Less Spending means More Savings. Begin by canceling magazine subscriptions to titles you don't read. Eat fewer meals out, or choose less expensive restaurants. Across much of the country, you can rent two DVDs for the price of a single adult ticket to a movie and throw in some microwave popcorn for a dollar more.

4. Dig Deeper. Once you've reduced discretionary spending, look at those Other Committed Expenses. Can you reduce the grocery bill with coupons or more economical meals? How about taking public transportation instead of cabs?

5. Your Next Goal: MORE Savings. It might also help to set a savings goal, both for short- and long-term needs. Studies have revealed that families with savings goals tend to save more.

Pepperjam Network: More Choices!

2008-10-27T00:15:00.003+08:00

Here's a new way to fill up your site with relevant ads while you earn. Pepperjam Network is probably the biggest network of affiliates online today. Each affiliate offers different ways for us bloggers to earn. For example, you can earn by commission when a client buys through your blog.

Best of all, if you sign up through the link above, you will get a $10 bonus. Quit the boring ads now. You don't earn from them anyway. Haha! Switch to the most extensive affiliate program today!

PayPerPost Heaven

2008-10-22T18:11:00.002+08:00

Boy, I am loving PayPerPost so much right now. First, I am getting more opportunities than before (special thanks to the fast connection through Smart Bro Wireless). And most importantly, they will soon be awarding me for referring people to their site. Isn't that amazing!

I have definitely become a !!!

Sign up now!

Share-a-Pic, Earn $$$

2008-10-22T18:05:00.002+08:00

I've heard of getting paid by posting some comments and earning by socializing online. A few months ago, I found a program that lets you earn by simply sharing a picture on your blog! It works just like PhotoBucket or Flickr but way cooler because every time a person views the picture, you earn.

ShareaPic lets you share pictures and earn for views.The pay is smaller though and you may need to have more people clicking to enlarge your photos but it's definitely worth to try. I'll see if this works for me.

If you're interested, you can sign up here.

WidgetBucks is a good alternative too!

2008-10-22T17:46:00.002+08:00

I've been seeing a lot of bloggers complain about Google Adsense kicking them out. That's sad. Adsense is a good revenue source for most bloggers. However, they have strict rules you should follow. Like not inserting the ads anywhere near other programs.

Good thing is that you have other alternatives for Adsense like WidgetBucks! They have super cool widgets - it's not just the banner ad you see above. They really do have cooler widgets. You get to pick the design and the ads that will be displayed on them. Pick the ones for your target audience.

They currently have a $25 sign-up bonus. Don't hesitate and sign up here now!

10 Reasons Why You're not financially healthy

2008-10-14T00:57:00.006+08:00

Wow, I am taking some serious lessons from Yahoo! Finance. I'm currently taking a break from my blogging 'business' and will focus more on finances and budgeting since it's one of the major concerns we have today. According to an article on the site, here are the top ten reasons why you are not going anywhere with your finances. I admit I am guilty about some of these. Let's have a look at some of the reasons I picked:

1. You care what your car looks like. While I don't own a car [yet], I can safely say this is a valid reason. Some people spend thousands just to pimp their ride.

2. You feel entitlement. Some people think that you deserve all the nice things in the world even if you cannot afford them. So the only way to get them is to collect debt.

3. You started too late. Some people are excited about a huge paycheck that they forget to save up. It's better to start early than be sorry.

4. You buy what you don't use. Some people like to show off and some are just addicted to spending. People should try to go to the gym or learn a new hobby to stop this disease.

5. You don't understand value. Sometimes, shopping on the 10% off aisle can be an eye-opener.

Debt Advisory Centre

Compare your debt management
options with our free online calculator!

www.trapped.co.uk

Where do I keep my money?

2008-10-14T00:51:00.004+08:00

There's been a lot going on in the financial district lately. Companies are being bought and banks are being merged. Wachovia was bought by Citigroup. Times like these, you'd ask, where is the best place to keep my money?

The answer may be an easy chest in the attic. But it seems that bank deposits are still safe as long as you play your cards right. For example, in the US and same in the Philippines, bank deposits are insured to a certain amount by the Depository Insurance Company. Just don't go over that limit and you should be safe.

According to Yahoo! Finance:

Even though one prominent money fund just broke the buck, Uncle Sam has recently stepped to shore up confidence in these popular cash vehicles. On Sept. 19, the Treasury Department put in placea new guarantee for money funds - essentially a type of FDIC insurance - promising that investors will get $1 back for every $1 invested, with no dollar limit.

The so-called Temporary Guarantee Program will last only three months but can be extended into 2009 if needed. Because it only applies to cash that was in money funds as of Sept. 19 - and since not all money funds will choose to sign up - you still have to do to some homework to stay safe.

So call your money funds to see if they intend to purchase this government insurance. Also, stick with financial firms such as Vanguard, Fidelity and American Funds that have the financial resources to preserve the $1 share value in their funds.

And don't "stretch" for yield. The average yield for taxable money funds is 1.9%. If you see one whose yield is much higher, that could be a sign that it's taking too many risks.

Debt Management

Compare debt management plans using
our calculator - Search online now!

www.trapped.co.uk

Withdraw to bank option for PayPal

2008-09-17T14:17:00.003+08:00

My first PayPal withdrawal was no doubt successful. It took exactly 5 business days to transfer $200 to my bank account. My second withdrawal was also a success. I transferred $55 and it took the same amount of time for it to get to my bank. After using PayPal for quite sometime now, I totally forgot that I have been using a more expensive way of transferring money. I have been using their transfer to card option, which charges me $5 per transfer. I should have been using the Withdraw to Bank option instead as it charges a lower fee of PHP50.

(Click to enlarge)

The best part is that it only takes three days to transfer the money! I am guessing it's one business day for PayPal and two business days for my bank. It's much faster and costs less.

Simple SEO tip: Keyword Suggestion Tool

2008-09-15T18:23:00.000+08:00

If you want to get massive hits, there's a science that's called Search Engine Optimization or SEO. I am personally not adept at this. I've read a lot of things about it and how people have made thousands of dollars because of it. Unfortunately, I haven't had enough time and inspiration to study SEO tips and tricks. I think some of the videos I've watched online are too geeky -- they need to break it down for some folks like me who don't know a thing about it.

Luckily, there are some bloggers out there who know a thing or two about SEO. One of them is Mike from Mike's Money-Making Mission. He shared with his readers this site which allows you to search for the most searched keywords online.

For example: (Click the photos to enlarge) These screenshots show you how I searched for the keywords for 'make money'. It shows us that 'ways for teens to make money' is the most searched phrase online today. You can start using this so if people google this phrase, there is a big chance that your blog will come up and the hits will follow.

Easy right?

LinkWorth - Oh, I'm a Member?

2008-09-12T17:48:00.004+08:00

It's fun when you log into your account and find numerous opportunities to tale. But IMHO, it's more fun when they contact you because an advertiser is interested in hiring your services! That's the kind of email I got from LinkWorth. I didn't even realize I was still a member until they emailed me last week about writing for an advertiser.

Luckily, this was what I would consider a high-dollar post. And it got approved only hours after I posted it!

(Click to enlarge)

LinkWorth is very much similar to PayPerPost or Blogvertise. The only difference is that they have a wider variety of money-making avenues - they have textlink ads, sponsored posts, and many more. You should check them out here. They pay through PayPal but there is a minimum payout amount. It's definitely another way for teens to make money.

The best things in life are free!

2008-08-25T14:23:00.000+08:00

While I am busy making money through several online money-making schemes, my good friend Iwene is busy helping others through her blogsite. It's called For Free.. or close to it! where people can find out how to get some stuff for free! Yes, it's true. You can still get some freebies despite this time of the decade.

A lot of people are thanking her for putting up such site. In a small amount of time, she was able to increase the number of members in her MyBlogLog community! Talk about finding your niche in the blogosphere.

There are a lot of offers to choose from. All you need to do is find time to participate because it doesn't mean that the free stuff will just be handed over to you just like that. Some would require you to answer surveys or take part in some online activity. It won't take much of your time and if you are serious about getting the stuff for free, you'll do whatever it takes to get them.

SnapBomb just remembered to pay me =)

2008-08-24T16:12:00.000+08:00

This is pretty exciting. Two months ago, I took the risk and signed up for SnapBomb even though the terms and conditions clearly state I will get paid after 60 days. Yes, no kidding. While most programs would pay twice a week or after 30 days, Snapbomb paid me after two freaking months. I almost did not work on the opportunities they sent me but I said what the heck. And here it is:

PayPal Earnings Report #2

2008-08-17T18:14:00.000+08:00

I've been lazy and that's because I have limited internet access now. However, I still earned some bucks since my last earnings report. I hope to surpass this next month. As you can see, Blogvertise remains as my top money-making machine. Social Spark is slowly becoming a top source too. I just have to keep an eye on those opportunities. One thing I regret is not blogging for a day and missing a deadline.

Bloggerwave FINALLY sent the payment

2008-08-17T18:06:00.000+08:00

I took a lot of crap from Bloggerwave. First, they only gave me three opportunities. Then they did not pay me on time. The blog posts were true after all! I read some posts wherein some bloggers were given opportunities and when it was time to get paid, they got an email from Bloggerwave stating that their post did not qualify.

Luckily, that did not happen. They sent the first two payments to me more than a month after I wrote the post. Then when I asked about the last payment, they told me they were having trouble asking the advertiser for payment. So what I did was I went to my PayPal account and checked the notes attached to the two payments I got. Then I found out that the final post I haven't been paid for was about their site! They are THE advertiser!

So yesterday I was shocked --yes, shocked! -- to see that they've finally sent the final payment. But this doesn't change the way I think about their company. I DON'T recommend this to anyone. Read my other blog posts for the genuine money making sites.

Matched.co.uk FIRST payment!

2008-08-17T18:03:00.001+08:00

They delivered as promised! Shortly after I received a notice that I will get my first payment of 11GBP in 7 working days, they sent me the actual payment through PayPal. I love Matched.co.uk!

Matched.co.uk Payment Notification

2008-08-15T15:50:00.002+08:00

When trying to make money online, all you gotta do is BELIEVE! That's what I did when I first heard about Matched.co.uk. There were some rumors that this site is a hoax but then I still gave it a shot since I saw a couple of payment proofs online. And now here is my own proof -- well half a proof that is. They sent me a payment notification today saying I will receive my 11GBP (roughly 22 USD) in 7 working days!

Lessons from Getting Banned

2008-08-14T04:57:00.000+08:00

Like I said in my previous entry, I was banned from the Social Spark community for 2 weeks. Customer Love emailed me saying that I was soliciting props and have added a considerable large number of members in just a short period of time which may have been a result of having some sort of an automatic script.

My apologized and told them I am just a regular blogger who doesn't even know what an automatic script is let alone make one for my benefit. As a result of my account's suspension, I did not have access to the funds that were already ready to be cashed out. I earned nothing from Social Spark for two weeks and on top of that, I missed all the opportunities that were reserved for me. Oh, how painful it was to get emails saying 'Reservation has been created!' for an opportunity which I've been waiting to have for weeks now.

Fortunately, I am now able to log into my Social Spark account. Customer Love said my account will still be monitored so I will need to stop whatever it is that I am doing. This should also be a lesson for all bloggers:

1. When using social networking sites, DO NOT use the tab option of your browser to add friends simultaneously. I think this is the reason why they thought I was employing an automatic script.

2. When leaving a comment, DO NOT solicit for props. Comments should be personal and should not be any form of solicitation, be it props or opportunities.

There's an eBook for utilizing Social Networking sites as marketing tools. Shoot me an email or leave a comment if you want a coy to be sent through email!

Another round of payments - Life is Good!

2008-08-10T08:15:00.000+08:00

I got another round of payments in just 4 days! Life is definitely good! Blogging is a great way to earn money - I know I have been saying that since day 1. Don't believe me? See the proof below.

(Lang Tech - Blogvertise / IZEA Inc - PayPerPost and SocialSpark)

This is the main reason why you should never waste a single day. If you keep accepting opportunities to earn more money every single day, then you won't run out of earnings.

First SocialSpark Payment - Success!

2008-08-10T07:56:00.000+08:00

I got my first payment from Social Spark last week! Finally, I can show you a payment proof from this IZEA baby. I ran into some problems with SocialSpark when my account was suspended. I will write a different post about that. Unfortunately, I was not able to access the payments for any of my approved posts. However, I think it was also a good thing because they piled up and I had quite a bigger payout from them.

Social Spark payments are not automatically transferred to your PayPal account unlike its sister company PayPerPost. You will need to 'cash out' the funds after 30 days from the approval date of the post. I prepared some screenshots for those who have not done it yet:

The funds appeared on my PayPal account in less than 2 minutes. It's that easy! The money should appear as from IZEA Inc and PayPerPost. I'm still wondering why it didn't say Social Spark.

*Note: The screenshots I provided were from my first attempt to cash out. Hence, the amount displayed is smaller. In reality, SocialSpark allows you to cash out a minimum of $20.

Make Friends, Date Online and Get Paid

2008-08-06T23:28:00.000+08:00

I got this from Mike's Money Making Mission (yet again). There's an affiliate program that lets you choose which program will serve your website best. Do you have a wholesome blog? Dating site? Love advice site? Technology site? Porn site? All of these sites can be enrolled in the FriendFinder Group Inc. affiliate program.

There are three ways to earn money:

Option 1: Per Member Payout
For every member who signs up for free, you get $1.00

Option 2: Percentage Payout
Receive a percentage of initial and membership reordwers

Option 3: Per Order Payout
For every certain number of free and paid members, you get paid

What do you need to do? Sign up as an affiliate on FriendFinder. You will given choices as to what program you want to join. You will put banners on your site and just wait for people to sign up. Which one is best for your site?

ALT.com - (bondage/BDSM) good for sites with adult content
AdultFriendFinder - good for sites with adult content
Amigos.com - sites for dating Latinos worldwide
Big Church - befriending people from church has never been this fun
BreakThru.com - they have a anti-spamming technology. Good for any site
Cams.com - People like to show off what they have. Get paid to do that.
FilipinoFriendFinder - Filipinos are the most friendly people in the world!
FrenchFriendFinder - Voulez vous coucher avec moi?
FriendFinder - Make friends, date online and get paid
GradFinder - Find your highschool sweetheart
MillionaireMate - Date out of your league
OutPersonals - Gay and out? Date online.
SeniorFriendFinder - Who says seniors can't have fun?
Slim.com - Get paid to share your weight loss secrets!
Passion.com - Share the passion

Like I said, you only get to promote whatever is suited for your site. They have high quality banners which are sure to bring in cash. You will give your minimum payout. They pay through check or through Payoneer. I prefer Payoneer because it's more convenient. I ordered mine through their site and got it after a month.

Oh, and don't forget: you can also sign up for a member account and date online =)

Make Money with dNeero

2008-08-03T18:06:00.000+08:00

Don't you just love those sites which make you earn by just giving your opinions? There are tons of survey sites out there. I've written about one of them. As I was looking for more ways to make money online, I found a few blogs which have dNeero surveys.

Here's how it works. When you sign up, you'll be given a few conversations to join. You will answer a few questions - some are required and some are not. The good thing about this is you also get to ask a question. So the next person who answers the survey will have an option to answer your question. You'll earn a few cents by answering but you'll earn more if you paste the code onto your website or blog. It's that easy.

There's a minimum payout amount of $10 and they pay through PayPal. To date, my earnings are still small but I'm getting there. The survey codes have to be posted for 10 days I think. It's better to have it as an individual post though -- that's what I do! I will post the payment proof once I reach $10.

A Simple Start-up Guide to SocialSpark

2008-07-28T05:51:00.000+08:00

*This was originally posted on Boink

I finally gave in. After so many invites sent in all my email addresses, I finally signed up for SocialSpark, one of IZEA's innovations aside from PayPerPost. I was pretty hesitant at first because I noticed how different the site is and how it may be too complicated for me. I usually just sign up and get a blog approved but there are a few steps a greenhorn must do before starting to enjoy this website.

First, why should you join SocialSpark? My answer is, it does add more to your blogging experience. It offers opportunities for bloggers who want to earn more money through their blogs, it has some forums where bloggers can interact, and most importantly, it works as a social networking site for bloggers, where you can add friends, give them props, and drive traffic to your blog.

You get all these in just one site that is SocialSpark. They also feature:

-100% Audit-able In-Post Disclosure
-100% Transparency
-100% Real Opinions
-100% Search Engine Friendly

However, before you jump right into the bandwagon, I'd like to offer some help in understanding how their approval process works. First is a given: you have to have a blog which preferably has been online for more than 3 months and has updated posts. Here are the steps:

l1. CLaim your blog: This would require you to copy and paste a code onto your blog. This should detect and verify ownership of your blog.

2. Add ITK: I had difficulty understanding what this step required me to do. Basically, you also copy and paste a javascript code onto your blog. This is what they call the Izea Tool kit. This is different from the first code when claiming because an ITK detects the Izea ranks, number of visitors and hits of your blog. In short, it serves another purpose.

3. Verify: This is the part where all you need to do is wait. I am guessing that a lot of people are joining SocialSpark everyday so my verification took almost two weeks.

The long wait for verification shouldn't be a problem though. This is important only for accepting opportunities as you may not take any without being verified.

However, you may start adding friends, accepting invites, as well as giving them props while the verification is yet to be done. This way, you get to know which advertisers have the most number of opportunities and you can drive other bloggers to your blog/s.

SocialSpark is an excellent site for bloggers who want to monetize their blogs and have fun while doing it.

Great Day

2008-07-21T14:48:00.000+08:00

What is a great day for Pika? It's when you see all your opportunities approved and some earnings just came into your PayPal Account. It's a great day! What makes you smile and say, it's a great day?

My First PayPal Withdrawal: SUCCESS

2008-07-18T19:26:00.001+08:00

I am happy to report that my first PayPal withdrawal to my UnionBank EON card was a success! I withdrew the amount of 204USD on Friday, 11 July. PayPal took out their 5USD withdrawal fee. I was hoping that the money would come in Tuesday or Wednesday because I've read from other blogs that they received their withdrawals after only two business days. Sad for me, it took 5 business days for it to be transferred to my EON account.

I was checking my online account every single day, waiting for the amount to come in. I even checked through the ATM this afternoon and it still wasn't there. As per PayPal's website, the standard withdrawal timeframs is 5-7 business day which means you cannot report a missing withdrawal until after the 7th working day. I was starting to worry but again, it was a success.

Some things I learned from this:

1. You can withdraw the amount even if you have not finished the Expanded Use Process. I did this and what happened was they just deducted the amount I withdrew from my daily withdrawal limit. I do, however, recommend immediate confirmation of your card after you add them to your PayPal account.

2. Stick to the timeframe. The other bloggers might have just been lucky.

Secured Loans

Let Accepted.co.uk search over 350
loan plans to find you a great deal!

www.accepted.co.uk

PayPal and Phishing: You're account is Limited? NOT

2008-07-18T01:05:00.000+08:00

Have you received an email saying your PayPal account has been restricted or is limited? Are you being asked by that email to log in and confirm your information? Did they ask you for your credit card information as well as your bank account?

If your answer is YES to all of the above then I suggest you contact PayPal ASAP, like NOW. (Call: +1-402-935-2050) You have been a victim of an internet scam called PHISHING.

From Wikipedia:

Phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Communications purporting to be from PayPal, eBay, Youtube or online banks are commonly used to lure the unsuspecting. Phishing is typically carried out by e-mail or instant messaging,^[1] and it often directs users to enter details at a website. Phishing is an example of social engineering techniques used to fool users.^[2] Attempts to deal with the growing number of reported phishing incidents include legislation, user training, public awareness, and technical security measures.

Here are the steps to prevent yourself from being a victim:

Sample of a Phishing email I received

1. Check if the email is coming from SERVICE@paypal or SERVICEINTL@paypal.com. These are the only official PayPal service email addresses.

2. The email should address you by your FULL NAME as it appears on your PayPal account. Most phishing emails would start by saying 'Dear PayPal member, Dear eBay member' That should automatically raise a red flag.

3. The only time that you should be entering your information on PayPal is a) upon sign up and b) if you are changing or adding that piece of information. They won't ask you to add it just for any reason.

4. Don't be fooled by the overall look of the site. Most of these sites really look like the original but they're not. There should be visible imprints of fraud like sentences that don't make sense or typographical errors. Make sure you keep an eye on this.

5. Make sure you call or email PayPal or the financial institution before proceeding with the so-called verification process online. Verify and confirm if you indeed have to do what is indicated on the site.

Hope this helps. For questions, post a comment.

Socialize and Get Paid Online!

2008-07-16T21:23:00.000+08:00

The internet is full of endless possibilities. I've written about getting paid by writing sponsored content. You can also click ads and get paid for it. Getting paid after reading emails has also been proven by a lot of bloggers. I was chatting with my friend Irene earlier and she mentioned that there are really hundreds of sites out there which offer good deals. You just need to have the patience in understanding how each promo works.

Today, I've decided to write about two of my other favorite sites where you can earn money just by socializing online. Yes, they'll pay you for killing time on their site.

MyLOT

I recently revived my account with MyLot. I was referred by another blogger last year. Unfortunately, their site was too cluttered then and I didn't have the patience to go through each links (dayum!) so I [temporarily] abandoned my account.

When I read through other blogs that they are earning through this site, I tried to remember my password and username. Fortunately, I have a list so I was able to access my account. Here's how it works, there are dozens of forums on the site. All you need to do is participate, start your own discussions, upload photos and get paid for it.

This isn't going to be a major money-making engine but you can earn as much as 5USD a day. That's not bad at all. You can earn more through referrals. Try it now! You can sign up here.

YUWIE

Simply put: This is the Myspace and Friendster where you get to earn. You get paid for posting comments, greeting people on their birthday, sending messages, adding more people to your friends' list, even just by viewing other people's profiles and asking them to view yours. Here's a video on how you get paid on Yuwie:

*Both sites pay through PayPal. Will post the payment proof once I've gathered my earnings.

Basic Requirements in Making Money through Blogs

2008-07-16T02:43:00.000+08:00

Wow! I'm surprised that a lot of people have tried to contact me regarding my blog. The most popular question I've got so far is, 'Is this site for real? Can you really make money just by blogging?' The clear and obvious answer is a big YES! Thanks for visiting my blog by the way. I will be posting more payment proof from several affiliate programs very soon. I have a lot of articles lined up. Didn't find something interesting? You might want to visit the archives too.

Some friends of mine have congratulated me for doing it. And I told them, actually I just started doing this. Like I said in my disclaimer, I am not yet an expert and I have yet to reach that point where advertisers come to me and not the other way around. Still, making a small amount of money is good. Who knew that a blog can pay for a telephone bill, buy you a PSP, or pay for your little sister's tuition?

Yes, these things have happened. There are dozens of bloggers who've written about their first purchases using the money they earned from blogging. When I read them, I got so ecstatic. I signed up for tons of affiliate, PTC and sponsored content sites. This is something I do not recommend to other bloggers who are new to this. Why? You have to meet some basic requirements before you start blogging your way to that first buck. Here's my own list:

1. Aged blog - You don't just have to have a blog. Your site has to be at least 3 months old. Sites do require their members to age their blog before joining.

2. Decent traffic - Later, I will be writing about driving a decent amount of traffic to your blog, the PikaBucks way. I am no expert when it comes to SEO or internet marketing but there are tons of easy ways to drive people to your site. Why is this a requirement? Your advertisers need an audience! Period.

3. PayPal account - The most common question for someone who hasn't heard about monetizing blogs is 'How do I get my Money?' The answer is PayPal. Most affiliate programs send earnings through your PayPal account. That is why it is best to get one and verify it right away.

4. Good Content - Like I said I've signed up for a lot of programs online and let me tell you that I've been rejected more than 5 times now. This is because my blogs where just full of blogorrhea, a common disease bloggers have once in a while. Don't just write about how great your day was when you sat beside your crush at work. Write good content, form an opinion, elicit opinion from readers. After all, in blogging you're not just the writer, you're the Editor-in-chief! You have full control over your content.

5. Find Your Niche - This is something I'm still working on believe it or not. I guess I found the niche for Pikabucks (duh!) and BoobooStrider (entertainment). I still haven't decided what niche Boink should have. It is important to find a niche because this will be the basis for the advertisers if they want their product to be reviewed in your blog.

For example, there was this advertiser who was looking for bloggers to write about a speed-dating site. I grabbed the opportunity despite seeing on the basic requirements that they require women-bloggers only. When it came to having the post approved, it was declined by the advertiser because the post was obviously testosterone driven.

These are the only ones I could think of right now. Will get back to you if something comes up.

Matched.co.uk -- Is Permanent Income possible?

2008-07-14T14:54:00.000+08:00

I first heard about Matched.co.uk here. The post said she got paid again just by the site. You know me, show a payment proof and I'm all for it. I signed up that same day and added my three blogs.

Here's what you have to do: first, sign up here. Then, you can add up to 5 blogs or websites. For each blog, you have to upload 5 webpages (meaning your blog entries). You will be asked to choose a category for the advertiser and that's it! Matched.co.uk will start looking for advertisers which will be appropriate for your webpage.

I initially added about 12 webpages. I didn't get any luck until last week when they emailed me saying they have some ads allocated to two of the pages I added. I was ecstatic! You know how much that costs? 3GBP per month/per page! 1GBP is roughly twice a dollar. Let's do some simple math. If I add 3 blogs with 5 approved ads for each page added, that's 3 x 5 x 6USD (estimate) equals about 90USD in one month! They'll pay you after a month of posting that ad.

I don't have a payment proof from my PayPal account right now but click here to see the payment proof that convinced me to join.

Don't forget to sign up HERE.

BlogToProfit: Simple. Fast. Sweet.

2008-07-14T01:20:00.000+08:00

There is something different about BlogToProfit. But before we go to that, let me just say that I first thought the site was a scam. For one, the website isn't anything like PPP or those complicated sites. Later I discovered that the reason for this is because they just want to make it simple for us bloggers, so why am I complaining?

BlogToProfit was introduced to me by another blogger-friend. She earned some cash through it though this is not her milking cow on the net just like me. They give you opportunities and you grab them. All you need to do is write something about the advertiser/client and you'll get paid after 2 weeks. I wrote three posts from 19-21 June and was lucky enough to get the payment on the 27 June.

The GOOD: Fast and efficient payment process! They have very lenient rules for posts too.

The not-so-good: Price per link is way too low but this would probably change if the page rank is higher. Also, I got three opportunities and that's it. I haven't received new ones lately.

What is PayPal's Expanded Use Number?

2008-07-12T22:51:00.000+08:00

After getting your Unionbank EON card, you have to add it to your PayPal account. Some people think that just by adding this, they can now access their PayPal balance and make withdrawals. Truth is there is one final step before getting your blog's earnings. It's called the Expanded Use Process.

Simply put, it's a way for PayPal to verify ownership of the card added onto the system. We all know there are tons of people out there who use other people's credit card information online. As a precaution, PayPal does this verification.

Here are the steps to complete this:

1. Add your Credit card

2. PayPal will prompt you to verify your card through the Expanded Use Process

3. PayPal will charge your card $1.95 as authorization. This will be refunded to your PayPal balance within 24 hours from the time you confirm the card.

4. The $1.95 charge will appear on your card as well as a 4-digit Expanded Use Number which would appear as EXPUSE*XXXX. Normally, it takes 3-5 business days for this to appear on the card statement but those who have access online may be able to see it right away.

5. After obtaining the 4-digit code, log in to your PayPal account. Go to PROFILE --> ADD/EDIT CREDIT CARD.

5. Click on ENTER PAYPAL CODE. Then enter the Expanded Use Number. You will receive a confirmation message if the code is correct.

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!

DO NOT attempt to guess or put an incorrect Expanded Use Number as it will completely block your card in the PayPal system.

Hope this helps. For questions, post a comment.

PTC: Click and Earn easily

2008-07-11T16:48:00.000+08:00

It was my friend Rafols who introduced me to the Paid-To-Click (PTC) phenomenon online. It's easy and you really get paid! Unfortunately, I cannot show you my own payment proof since I still have to hit the minimum withdrawal. Here are two of the PTC programs I trust because they really pay their members.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Basically, you need to sign up for an account. Each day, they ask you to view several ads by clicking on links. The ad will open up a browser showing the advertiser's website. The ad page needs to be open for 30 seconds. After that, $0.01 will be credited to your account. Easy!

You'll earn more when you refer members. Aside from a referral bonus, you also get a portion of their earnings. The more referrals, the more bucks!

Here are some of the PTC programs I trust because people have proven that they do pay:

THINKBUX

My current favorite! They have a low payout of $5.00 and they pay through PayPal.

CLIXSENSE

My very first PTC program. They pay for referrals but they don't take PayPal. Check will be sent when you hit the minimum payout requirement.

BUX.TO

Great program! There are so many payment proofs (real ones if I may add) online. The only downside is they don't accept PayPal. They only take AlertPay which does not have a Philippine site. They will send you a check through Alertpay.

Finally - My EON Card has arrived!

2008-07-10T10:46:00.001+08:00

For those who want to know more about PayPal, please google them or go to their site. A lot has been said about PayPal. All I can say is, it's safe and it works! I can't tell you how happy I was when I found out that PayPal would be launching a Philippine site. I didn't sign up right away when it was launched. I just found out from my editor at the Inquirer (through her personal blog) that PayPal has indeed reached Philippine shores.

Bank accounts/debit/credit cards from major bank accounts can now be added to your PayPal account. I will list the bank codes of most Philippine banks. What most bloggers recommend is the Unionbank cyberaccount called EON. Everything is done online (except the application) and I heard that transferring money to the EON account is faster than most banks. I will have to put that to the test though.

Getting an EON card is supposed to be VERY easy. They used to allow online application but recently, they stopped doing that. So I had to go to the nearest Unionbank branch. I filled out a form, gave a photocopy of two government-issued IDs and was asked to wait for 3-5 business days.

Tick tock. Three weeks have passed but still no EON card. I called them each week and the bitch who always answers the phone said there seems to be a delay and so I really have to wait. Fine. I'm okay with waiting. I understand that there might be a lot of people who are also trying to get one. I was pissed when I received a letter in the mail (dated June 26) saying 'Welcome and Thank you for being a new patron" -something like that. If their system prompted them to send me a letter, then definitely my cyberaccount is already existent.

I called them up to follow-up and it was again the same bitch who, not only was not helpful, she also talked over me and almost hung up on me. I called their head office to file a ticket for this missing EON card. Within 24 hours, the card mysteriously appeared on the phase of the Earth. I was asked to go to the same branch to get the card.

I paid 350Pesos for the annual fee. The card is finally here:

I've signed up for the online cyber account. Now all I need to do is to wait for confirmation (which will take 2 business days) and I can finally withdraw my first batch of earnings. YES! my first PayPal withdrawal! I can't wait!

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PayPal Earnings Report 8 July 2008

2008-07-08T18:16:00.000+08:00

Since this is my online journal about making money online, I figured I should have an honest and accurate report on my earnings. Hence, I will start this PayPal Earnings Report this month. To track my earnings, I keep an excel sheet so I will know who paid me, when I'm going to get paid, who hasn't paid yet and how much I've earned from each program I signed up for.

As you can see, my biggest money-making engine is Blogvertise. In fact, I received three payments from them today alone. I am expecting more. To date, I've made almost 400USD and that from writing the first sponsored content in May. I earned my first payment through PayPal the following month.

SocialSpark is my second biggest money-making engine. The reason why I haven't written about it is because I decided to write about these money-making sites once they've paid me through PayPal. Until then, you can read my other post about SocialSpark and IZEA on Boink.

HITS4PAY: Read Emails, Get Paid!

2008-07-08T17:51:00.000+08:00

When I first heard about getting paid to read emails, I thought it's ludicrous! Who pays to read emails! I looked at my [old] email account with tons of spam emails and said who would pay me to read all of these? Apparently, someone does.

Hits4Pay is one of the legit sites which pay us to read emails. They'll even give you a $10USD sign up bonus! They have a minimum payout requirement of $25USD and they pay through PayPal. The way it works is they'll send you a notification saying you've got mail. When you click on the link, it will redirect you to their site where you need to log into your account and click on some ads. It takes only 30 seconds before they credit $0.02 (US) to your account.

There you go again... Did I just hear you say 2 cents is too freaking small for you? Well, think of it this way: you get to do whatever you want in your life, blog about your life or about any of the opps displayed on PayPerPost, Blogvertise, ReviewMe, or SocialSpark AND you can still have this. It's still another way to earn a few bucks.

INBOXDOLLARS: Money arrives in your Inbox

2008-07-08T17:37:00.000+08:00

This came as a surprise. I was checking my mail and I was surprised to see that Inbox Dollars hasn't forgotten me yet! Haha! I signed up for InboxDollars last year, thanks to Mike's Money Making Mission blog. I love that blog! I learned a lot from it. He's earning a lot through Inbox Dollars and I thought I should take a piece of the pie.

Inbox Dollars gives a lot of opportunities to earn online. You can answer surveys, play games, shop online, and refer friends and be rewarded for doing so. Upon sign-up, they'll give you a $5 (US) sign-up bonus. Sweet! I first answered some profile surveys and got paid for them. (When I said I got paid, it means it's just in the current earnings portion. They have a 30USD-minimum payout requirement.) I believe these profiles would be the basis for the cash offers which will be emailed to you.

The good: I'm earning without doing anything! You might say, what's $015 blah blah. Just imagine 300 referrals giving me that amount. For now, I need to wait until those referrals come in.

The Bad: They only pay by check. No Paypal. Also, their cash offers are limited to certain countries and states.

Still a good way to earn if you're into referrals!

BLOGGERWAVE: A Wave of Disappointment and Headache

2008-07-08T16:41:00.000+08:00

Now to be fair, I said I am going to write about the programs which have actually paid me -- meaning the money was not just displayed under the 'earnings' portion of their site, but has been successfully deposited to my PayPal account. I know most people will raise their eyebrows when they see this post but please, read the entire post first =)

I signed up for Bloggerwave last year. I was pretty excited because at that time, I've read a lot of good things about their service. I was surprised that I wasn't given any opportunities during the first few months I've been with them. I got my first two opportunities about three months ago. I was asked to write about their service and to write for some online beauty contest. (When you want to earn online, you'll write about anything! hehhe)

They said the payments will be posted after only 30 days. Understood. Advertisers want to maximize the exposure and they want to make sure people can access the sponsored content for a month. Unfortunately for me (and for most Bloggerwave members) their payments were delayed! I started going through some forums and got scared when I saw a post saying Bloggerwave 'declined' the task AFTER 30 days of posting. That's ridiculous!

I emailed them to follow-up on my payments. I have three pending payments then. I didn't get a reply. I tried again and FINALLY they credited two payments JUST recently. I think it's a case of 'Better late than never'. The problem is there is another pending payment. I have yet to contact them about that.

One of the payments from Bloggerwave

Want to hear something ridiculous? I got an email from them (aside from the payment confirmations from PayPal) saying they would like to apologise for the delay. The email also said they 'were having difficulty getting the payments from the advertisers which caused the delay'.

I went back to my Bloggerwave account and checked: the pending payment is for a blog post which I wrote for their site! Meaning, THEY ARE THE ADVERTISER!

This only means one thing: I DO NOT recommend Bloggerwave to anyone. Thanks for the two payments but no thanks for all the hassle I got from them.

SMORTY: Small time or big time

2008-07-08T16:29:00.000+08:00

I've heard a lot about Smorty and I know some bloggers have earned a lot from them. Sadly, I had a tiny bad experience with them. Here's what happened: I signed up for Smorty last year. I added BoobooStrider but later decided maybe I should change it to Boink because it has a better page rank.

Smorty has this policy which states you cannot add another blog unless you have 5 approved posts. That somehow escaped my mind so I just deleted BoobooStrider and tried to add Boink. Unfortunately, it won't let me saying I still have to get 5 approved posts. I asked myself (since I can't ask my laptop, can I?) how the heck am I supposed to get 5 approved posts if I can't change my blog?! I emailed them and they just reiterated their policy. This basically means my account is at a dead end.

However, after going through some forums and after some fellow bloggers have convinced me to try it again, I signed up for a totally new account. Luckily, after a month I got my very first opportunity. And they have a very fast payment policy! They pay on a weekly basis through PayPal. See the payment proof below.

The bad: They don't have a lot of advertisers unline PPP, SocialSpark and Blogvertise.

SponsoredReviews: Bid and Write

2008-07-08T16:16:00.000+08:00

SponsoredReviews is different from most sponsored content sites I signed up for. For one, they won't give you an opportunity on a silver platter. You will be given a list of opportunities, with the list of requirements as given by the advertisers, and you have to bid for them. You can add up to 5 blogs (if I'm not mistaken) and you can bid for one opportunity per blog.

To date, I only had one approved post from Sponsored Reviews. I bid for new opportunities everyday but I am not getting approvals on a daily basis unlike other paid posts site. I can say this is not my bread and butter in the blogosphere but who knows? If you have a better page rank you might have more approvals than me.

Here's a proof of payment:

PayPerPost: The Giant has finally noticed the BoobooStrider

2008-07-08T16:03:00.000+08:00

Well, this is great news for me. PayPerPost, the largest online marketplace for bloggers, has finally given me my first opportunity in almost one year. If memory serves me right, I got an opportunity asking me to write something about signing up for their service almost a year ago. I stopped using PPP because I thought it was too complicated. My blog was then with another hosting site and it was customizable. I wasn't into monetizing blogs yet.

I added BoobooStrider to my PPP account. It was verified and for some reason, it got declined. I decided to quit PPP. What convinced me to go back and revive my account is this post, which shows us how powerful PPP is in the sponsored content market. I swallowed my pride and look, things are starting to get better. I got two opportunities in one day. My page rank isn't nearly a Perez Hilton but if I work on this, I can probably get opportunities like this:

Courtesy of Preblogging

DISCLOSURE POLICY

2008-07-06T21:53:00.001+08:00

THIS SERVES AS THE OFFICIAL DISCLOSURE POLICY FOR ALL MY BLOGS (BoobooStrider / WikiPika/ PikaBucks)

This policy is valid from 06 July 2008.

The blogs mentioned above are personal blogs written and edited by me. For questions about these blogs, please contact Pika (contactpika@gmail.com).

These blogs accept forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content.

The owner of these blogs is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner of these blogs receives compensation for posts or advertisements, we always give honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blogger's own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

These blogs do contain content which might present a conflict of interest. This content may not always be identified. We have a financial interest in the following that are relevant to our blogging: travel, money-making, technology, electronics, entertainment, etc..

To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

REVIEWME - Earn U!

2008-07-04T17:15:00.000+08:00

I signed up for a lot of paid posts site and one of them is ReviewMe. I first saw it on John Chow's website (I think he gets paid 500USD per post) so I figured they have to be legit. And they are! I got two offers for them on my first month and was surprised that they paid on time. REALLY. I think my posts got approved on the third week of the month yet I still made it to the cut-off.

So definitely a great site.

BLOGVERTISE -- It PAYS to follow instructions!

2008-06-28T14:26:00.000+08:00

I think it would be very appropriate to only write about the sites which have actually paid me through my PayPal account. It sucks when sometimes you try a program and don't get opportunities. Worse, there are hundreds of scams out there that make you create buzz for an advertiser and when it comes to paying the dues, they simply disappear or just ignore you.

BLOGVERTISE is one of those genuine sites that actually pay bloggers for their posts. You can sign up here. Basically, this is how it works: You add a blog and they would look for advertisers who would pay for you to write something about their product. However, the page rank is a huge basis for assignments as well as the pricing for each post. A blog with no page rank would less likely to receive assignments than a blog with Page rank 3 and above.

A 'grab bag' will appear on your blog list. It contains a list of all the opportunities you can take. You may only take ONE opportunity per day. Since May 2008, I've started getting assignments on a regular basis. It helps to work on getting more hits and also writing good quality content on your blog.

Once you grab a task, you are given a specific amount of time to work on it. You can write about anything as long as it's 2-3 paragraphs long, you mention the required link words, unless the advertiser requires you to do something else. The instructions will always be emailed to you once a task is grabbed.

They pay after 30 days from the time the post is approved. This is to ensure that the post is not removed by the blogger.

Here's a screenshot of a payment they've sent me:

First: A Disclaimer

2008-06-21T08:11:00.000+08:00

Hi, my name is Pika. I've been blogging since 2000. I've used other blogging formats like livejournal, blogger, bravejournal, easyjournal, even wordpress. Over the years, I've abandoned my other journals and focused on only two. This will be my 3rd 'active' journal and it is here that I will share my money-making adventure online: the search for the golden nugget.

I'd like to begin with a disclaimer: like I said, I am sharing MY own experience. It'll be great if you'll learn from any of the posts but let me tell you that I'm also new to this kind of business. I don't want to call myself an expert but let's just say I've already earned my first dollar (wink wink) and so I'd like to share how I got my second, third and nth.

My other blogs are BoobooStrider and Boink. Feel free to visit these blogs while I begin writing my posts for this blog.

As for the sponsors you see on this blog, I will talk about each and every one of them really soon.

The Mission Has Begun....

2008-06-12T14:14:00.000+08:00

The Hunt for the Golden Nugget will begin.... SOON.