Showing posts with label Internet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Internet. Show all posts

InBoxDollars - A Regretfully Negative to Neutral Review

Latest update: March 6, 2024. Page URL indicates original publication date; meanwhile, times change and the updates continue.

 InBoxDollars is a website that will pay you for performing various online activities. It's a great concept, but there is a major flaw for most people.

Long story short, InBoxDollars has no respect for your time. Just my opinion. My average earnings are  less than 10 cents a day. It is just not worth it. They do seem to be an honest, legitimate, open and aboveboard site. The only problem is the time spent versus the income earned.

Some Examples:
  • The average pay to watch a video is one cent per video.
  • Many times you will spend 10 minutes qualifying for a survey, only to be told you are not qualified and end up earning nothing.
  • The average winnings for the three levels of InBoxDollars Scratchers are {1 cent, 2 cents, 1 cent (I've quit this level)}, {3 cents, 3 cents, 4 cents, 3 cents (I've quit this level)}, {5 cents, 10 cents, 8 cents, 5 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 5 cents, 5 cents, 9 cents, 5 cents, 8 cents, 5 cents, 5 cents, 5 cents, 9 cents, 5 cents, 9 cents, 5 cents, 9 cents, 5 cents, 5 cents, 9 cents, 5 cents, 8 cents, 8 cents, 5 cents, 5 cents, 8 cents, 5 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 9 cents, 9 cents, 5 cents, 5 cents, 5 cents, 9 cents, 5 cents}. And it can take a long time to qualify to play the scratchers.

The lowest cash payout threshold I could find was $15.00 to be sent to you via PayPal. InBoxDollars paid me $5.00 to sign up (I don't know if that is still going on); but accumulating the additional $10.00 to reach payout will take you a long, long time. I haven't reached payout yet. It will be interesting to see how that goes; I'll post an update if and when that happens.

In fairness, I should mention that InBoxDollars has a lot more than just surveys, videos, and scratchers. They have 1% (and more) cash back deals all over the place. They have cash back signup deals with third parties all over the place. They have shopping deals all over the place. They have printable coupon deals all over the place. They have various other offers all over the place. They will pay you to do web searches. They will pay you to take pictures of in-store receipts. They will pay you to read emails. They have free games.

My only problem with all of the above is that pesky time versus income issue. If you think you can do better than I'm doing, here's their link:  InBoxDollars.

InBoxDollars is also accredited with the Better Business Bureau. The BBB classifies InBoxDollars as belonging to the following categories: Internet Service, Online Shopping, Internet Marketing Services, E-commerce, Market Research, Entertainment, Surveys, Gift Cards, and Coupon Services.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Is InboxDollars safe and legit? They have an excellent reputation as to safety and legitimacy.
  • How much does InboxDollars pay to watch videos? It used to be 1 cent a video. Wasn't worth my time. I've noticed I don't see the video option anymore. Apparently is was not worth anybody else's time either.
  • How can I earn fast money? Not at InBoxDollars.

I had planned to frequently add to this FAQ list, but I've finally lost interest. I should add that despite some of my criticisms, I was still fond of some parts of the site.

Some Random Notes and Updates

Note. This has happened to me more than once. Some of the survey collectors that InBoxDollars uses are collecting some or all of the survey answers from us that go beyond simple qualifying and then after collecting the answers will say we didn't qualify and don't pay us. I do not know if InBoxDollars is aware of this. This practice is ripping off both the InBoxDollars website and those of us taking the time to do the surveys. This has happened frequently enough that it has become a deal-breaker for me as to doing anymore surveys.

Note. There are other parts of the InBoxDollars website I still like and continue to interact with. But with the survey option being dead to me, I no longer consider InBoxDollars a viable source of any meaningful income. Despite this article's title and that the surveys part is dead to me, I have strangely become somewhat fond of this site.

Update. I received an email from InBoxDollars informing me that one of their members made over $3,000 last month. I'd kinda of like to know how they did that...

Update. I do like their "PaidEm" emails. Doesn't earn much, but some of the ads are interesting.

Update. I tried the surveys again; 3 or 4 of them; truly epic fail due to previously stated reasons; do not waste your time.

Update. I finally got bored with the PaidEm emails. The remuneration for reading the PaidEm emails and for doing searches just isn't worth it to continue. Oh well, at least the whole experience has been somewhat interesting. This is probably my last update.

Well now, we have another update. I suddenly got an email from InBoxDollars informing me that I'd earned $0.96 from a cash back. This was triggered by my recent online grocery shopping. This is the result of the InBoxDollars "Billy Button" extension I added. The email says it's pending. We will see how that works out. Another update. I received a second email saying I have gotten another grocery shopping cash back in the amount of $1.10, also pending. The earnings did finally show up in the InBoxDollars account. The adventure continues...

And another update. The "Billy Button" seems to have stopped working. I've made several more grocery purchases and the "Billy Button" says it's activated, but nary a cash back to be seen. Oh, well.

Another update: I've given up and removed the Billy Button extension.

Update 2024

I've claimed $15 of the $20 I've earned. We shall see.

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Beginners Guide About How Search Engine SEO Algorithms Work and Decides Rankings

Latest update: August 08, 2023. Page URL indicates original publication date; meanwhile, times change, and the updates continue.

For fellow webmasters (now that's an ancient term) and writers, that is indeed an interesting title. Unfortunately, it is also a true title. In fact, maybe the title of this article should be, The Search Engine Algorithm and the Future of Online Writing - It's Not Pretty.

Obviously search engines use several parameters for determining the search ranking of a website or article when displaying results. I shall not belabor those, plenty of other websites already do that. This page will only cover the main, overriding factor that search engines use when the algorithm makes its "decisions".

Writers and web designers are not going to like this and as far as I know, there is not a thing we can do about it, nor a way we can circumvent it.

And do read the updates regarding monetization.

Description of a Search Engine's Main Parameter Used by Its Algorithm

There are two websites. Both websites are identical in all parameters such as keywords, quality, quantity, HTML design, navigation design, format design, font size, average bounce rate, average duration of visits, incoming links, keeping content updated, compatibility with mobile devices, and every and all other factors that search engines use (both known and unknown). However, the two sites have one very significant and devastating difference.

Site "A" is owned by a real world, brick and mortar, physical entity with name recognition that is associated with and dedicated to a specific field or topic of endeavor and/or interest. Such sites are automatically bestowed much more credibility than sites not meeting this criteria. The credibility factor is paramount to search engines. It is the main factor enabling an article or website to be ranked on the front page of the listed search results. There's that old Q&A: "Where is the best place to hide a body? The second page of Google." Credibility makes or breaks a website, no matter how good all the other rating factors may be.

Site "B" is just an unknown website competing with the other billion unknown websites. Due to the site's anonymity, credibility is basically non-existent; not positive or negative, just non-existent. In other words, even though your Site-B, relevant article is much better than the corresponding Site-A article; the Site-B article will have the lesser ranking. There is more about website domain names and article quality ranking in the February 2020 update.

There are still plenty of exceptions to the above, but the number of exceptions will continue to dwindle over time as more and more site "A" websites come into existence and/or expand their presence.

There Are Some Silver Linings

Successful niche hobby "Site B" websites can eventually be bought and absorbed by the "Site A" websites. Along with the exorbitant purchase price, the Site "B" owner might even be offered a full-time job to maintain the site.

There are millions of successful small business websites. Needless to say, a lot more is required than just the website.

Non-business websites specializing in specific topics can have some degree of success. However when one does the math, the compensation usually is significantly below the minimum wage.

General topic websites are usually given a lesser search ranking than the others. As for this general topic site you are now reading, it is forever doomed to relative obscurity; as are most of the other general topic websites. I'm fine with that. This site still gets plenty of search engine traffic to accomplish its stated goal mentioned on the homepage. A general topic site can gain credibility over time, but it usually takes years.

Some Final Thoughts

Do only get involved with website design and article writing if you enjoy it. If your main motivation is making lots of money, you have about the same odds as when buying a lottery ticket. And if one wants to get any visitor traffic, they will have to learn about SEO and all the other factors and parameters previously mentioned.

May 2019 Update

Writing any sort of medical or medical-related article is generally a lost cause, even when the article clearly states it is from the patient's point of view. Search engines invariably put the .gov sites on the front page when it comes to anything medical. These are then followed by medical research centers and other actual brick and mortar medical facilities. Articles written by patients and other individuals are then always buried in the secondary search results where searchers seldom visit. Basically, search engines are adamant in the classifying  of medical articles by non-medical entities as having zero or very low credibility. Forgo your time and labor on writing anything medical. Search engines are intractable on this and it is not going to change.

June 2019 Update

Some search engines are beginning the process of pretty much dealing a death blow to many how-to and other explanatory text articles. Videos are now being placed above the text version of the same topic in the search results for many subjects. So if one is considering writing a how-to or explanatory article, it would be wise to see what videos you will be competing against. Depending on the topic, doing a well-written article on particular subjects may be a lost cause. Which do the searchers generally prefer, a text article or a relevant video? At minimum, the competing and above-ranking video will severely reduce the amount of visitor traffic and the resulting earnings your written article should be receiving.

In other words: what text did to cursive and what calculators/converters did to math, videos are now starting to do to text articles.

August 2019 Update

Beware the topic-over-saturation syndrome. This is happening with more and more topics. You can literally write the best article in Internet Land for a given topic; but if the search engines are already buried in articles for that topic, yours will never see the light of day. It's not fair and it's not right; but it's the way it is.

January 2020 Update

My visitor traffic basically crashed and burned these last couple of months. However, the search algorithms really can't be blamed for this. Not many people are interested in this site's general topics during the holiday season. Visitor traffic usually rebounds in January as people get back to the regular business of living. However, the future of online writing still remains uncertain as more and more topics become over saturated.

February 2020 Update

Website domain names continue to take precedence over article quality. In other words:
  1. There are two websites.
  2. One website has an inferior article of poor quality, but has an on-point keyword in its domain name.
  3. Another website has a much better, high quality, superior article; but the website doesn't have an on-point keyword in its domain name.
  4. The inferior article will usually outrank and be given a better position in the search results than the much better article.
  5. This is due to search engines giving more weight to website domain names than to article quality. Maybe this will change as search engine ranking algorithms become more sophisticated.



April 2020 Update

The first week of April: I have an article whose traffic directly reflects the general population's concerns about the COVID-19 virus pandemic. The more concerned the general public, the less traffic the article receives. Needless to say, that article's traffic has crashed and burned. Oddly, even thought the media news is the worst yet, the article's traffic has started to bounce back. Apparently the public's panic mode has started to subside, though I still saw signs of hoarding the last time I was at the store.

November 2020 Update

COVID-19 continues to affect article traffic. Depending on the topic, the effect can be either positive or negative.

Meanwhile, a separate note. Beware moving your articles from one site to another. Doing so will result in all the stolen copies of your article(s) now outranking your original.

February 2021 Update

Regarding monetizing your website, ad-networks have been reneging on payments to website owners and publishers for years. Unfortunately, this situation has gone from being the occasional incident to now being a routine practice. As an example, one famous ad-network recently reneged on a $250 payment they owed me. It's pretty grim. About the only option left these days is to find individual retailers who have affiliate programs.

February 2022 Update

Here are two reputable SEO learning websites:
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How to Make Your Own Bookmarks Manager Web Page

Latest update: August 29, 2022. Page URL indicates original publication date; meanwhile, times change and the updates continue.

An Update. The Mozilla Firefox browser now automatically puts bookmark icons of your most frequently visited websites on the opening page and new tabs. They call them shortcuts. In many cases, this obviates the need to create your own bookmarks page. As a side note and for many reasons, I avoid the Google browser like the plague.

Make the Browser's Clumsy, Old Bookmarks List into an Online Bookmarks Manager Document Page or Website.

A quick lesson on how to create your own bookmark manager app. Setting up a bookmarks web page or online document is easy. You will be so glad you did.

No Technical Skills Required
And Much More Fun

How to Make Your Own Bookmarks Manager App

If you can...
  1. Type text.
  2. Highlight text.
  3. Click a link icon.
  4. Copy/Paste an URL from the browser website address bar.
Then you can create your own personal template, bookmark webpage or online document.

Why Make Your Own, Homemade Bookmark Manager App?

Quite simply, because it is incredibly convenient. Laying out all your links exactly the way you want them is so much more efficient than any browser bookmark list or pre-made app can ever be or do for you.

Plus, the bookmark manager web page or online document will always be there for you across all devices. Convenience factors include:
  • Always available no matter which or whose computer or mobile device you are using.
  • The ability to organize your links in rows as well as columns.
  • Never losing all your bookmarks, due to accidental deletion or browser corruption.
  • Never losing all your bookmarks, due to desktop/laptop/smartphone problems.
  • The convenience of grouped-by-type links.
  • The convenience of grouped-by-subdomain links.
  • The convenience of grouped-by-frequency links.
  • The ability to set the background and your link text to whatever color, size, and font, that is easy and best for your eyes.
  • The ability of your bookmark lists to change as your needs and preferences evolve.

How to Organize Your Bookmarks. And Things to Include in Your Lists.

You will probably want to put your most frequently visited websites near the top. Only you can decide what those might be.

As for groups, some examples would be:
  • A row of the search engines you use.
  • A row of the news sites you regularly visit.
  • A row of your frequently visited social media sites.
  • A row of your blog websites.
  • A row of your email websites.
  • A row of your less frequently visited social media websites.
  • A row of utility websites, e.g., weather, calendar, etc.
  • A row of whatever doesn't fit somewhere else.
  • Subdomain rows of a website.
As for the last one, Facebook might be a good example. If you regularly go to certain accounts all the time, it would make sense to set up a convenient row of links to those accounts.

How to Make Your Bookmarks Manager Online Document Page

Here is a Demo Bookmark Template (opens in new tab).  Feel free to copy the template for use as a starting point on your own document. The links are set to open in new tabs, which is a necessary feature. If that attribute fails to transfer when you copy, you will need to reset them to that option.

If you are not already using an online document app that lets you publish to the web, then I recommend G-Drive for your first cloud experience. They are owned by Google, so they will be around for awhile; it is free. It is as easy to use as any other word processor. Once you are familiar with it, you will probably use it for other projects as well.

Side note. Sometimes, copying from one app or format to another results in an unusable mess. If that happens, try copying into your document using the web page version below. In addition to the template, the next section also has additional, worthwhile information.

How to Make Your Own Website Bookmark Manager Web Page - Website Building the Easy Way


Eliminating Constraints

Going the website/web page building route will give you considerably more design capability.

Here is a webpage version of the Demo Bookmark Template (new tab). Only highlight and copy the portion between the lines, the objective being to omit as much unnecessary HTML and unwanted  format and other attributes as possible.

If you are not already using a website design app or software, then Blogger/BlogSpot is free and easy to use; no degree in rocket surgery required. It is also run by Google and so will be around for awhile.

Since you are creating this template site for your own personal use, you will probably have only the one post. You will frequently re-edit it as desired.

Once you've created the blog and are ready to do the post, it's pretty straightforward. After copying over the template into your new post, just type in and arrange your additional destination titles as desired. You don't have to do all of them at once. Start with your most frequently visited websites. No problem leaving the post open in edit mode as you are visiting the other sites. Then, as you are visiting your sites, take a moment to copy/paste the URL into your titles.

Always set the link to open in a new tab. The planned routine, once you have everything set up, is for the bookmark page tab to always be open and available at the far left for desktop and laptop. For smartphone, you don't want your bookmarks page (located in its own folder) disappearing every time you select one of the links.

A Blogger/BlogSpot editor note. When attempting to space from an existing link to add text in preparation for the next link in the row, the editor extends the hyperlink attribute into the space. To circumvent, don't do the space; hit enter instead. Then enter your space and text on the new line. Then go back to the end of the previous line and hit delete to bring your new line up to the existing line. It will then be as it should be.

Last, but not least, organize everything so all your bookmarks will fit on a single screen. Your objective is convenience, having to scroll all the time would defeat that purpose.

Once published, set the page as your new browser home.

Privacy Options

You can restrict public access to your bookmarks page to whatever degree you wish. You will find the privacy options under Settings on the left-side menu when in design mode. Turning off the visibility to search engines is certainly a good start.

No matter what privacy settings you use, do keep in mind the internet is the internet. So it would be wise to not include bookmark links to such things as your bank, credit card, or utility accounts. For that matter, such links should not be on your browser bookmark list either. Those links can be accessible to any malware that might happen along.

Other Blogger/BlogSpot Options

For those who are not already familiar with Blogger/BlogSpot, the platform has all sorts of other capabilities. Some of those capabilities include:
  • Adding 3rd party HTML/JavaScript
  • Images
  • Videos
  • News feeds
  • Lots more
And if you know basic HTML, you can create templates and bookmarks pages like this webpage example or this webpage example. Personally, I don't bother with the table format; the format the templates use is more to my liking

Some Final Thoughts...

Once the bookmarks manager page was set up the way I wanted it, my overall efficiency had a marked increase. Somehow, it caused me to become a real tab management pro. Projects involving repeated, multiple website access were not only easy and quick to do; they were fun again.

And besides, any bookmark manager webpage or website you create and customize exactly the way you want can't help but be:
  • 10 times better than anything Mozilla Firefox could come up with.
  • 10 times better than anything Google Chrome could come up with.
  • 10 times better than anything Microsoft Explorer could come up with.
  • 10 times better than Safari or any other prefabricated, standardized, generic website could come up with.
  • 10 times better than anything a third-party vendor could come up with, simply because only you really know what you want.


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What Happens When Doing an Online Internet Search - Tech and Privacy

Latest update: February 3, 2024. Page URL indicates original publication date; meanwhile, times change and the updates continue.

Do not do an online search for your debit or credit card account numbers. Actually the following description of what happens applies to any and all search terms you may happen to enter in most search engines.


Epic Fail!

MasterCard, Visa, Discover, American Express ( AMEX ), etc.

This website has discovered people are doing that. I'm guessing people do so in an attempt to see if their credit or debit card numbers have been stolen and are being posted online. Unfortunately, by searching online for your card number, you have just made your credit and/or debit card account number available to any website you then happen to land on; the website owner now has your card number.

Here's What Happens When You Do a Search on Google, Bing, Yahoo, or Any Other Search Engine


Sequence
  1. You do a search for your credit or debit card account number (or anything else for that matter).
  2. A list of search results comes up.
  3. You click on one or more of the results.
  4. Now here is where the problems start... The vast majority of website owners automatically track what search terms bring people to their websites; they do this for perfectly benign and legitimate search-engine-optimization-related reasons. Your card number was the search term bringing you to the website and so is nicely displayed to the website owner along with all the other more usual search terms being recorded by the site. Now if you landed on an honest website, then your account number is simply ignored. But if you landed on a dishonest website who is looking for these kind of numbers...
Dishonest websites use hacker/SEO techniques to attract you to click on their websites. If you do so, grief follows.

Be wise, do not look for your credit or debit card account numbers online. And as a side note and needless to say, the same applies to your social security number and all other sensitive data. And the website you landed on is not the only entity that now has your search term(s). Search engines now have them as well.

Online credit card account number searches are a bad idea...
Online credit card account number searches are a bad idea...


It should be mentioned that many search engines track, store, and analyze virtually every search phrase that is entered into their sites. Many times, the search engines will turn around and make that information available to others; this includes algorithmically displaying it online to the general public. This information can also be sold/given to any and all government agencies and private companies. Google has become famous for this kind of privacy invasion; frankly, I now mostly use the other search engines these days. And, as generally known, people know that your search history is also stored in your browser; not a bad idea to clear that out every once in a while.

Please share this page so as to help others. The more people who are knowledgeable, the better off we all are. We really do live in a fishbowl society these days.

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