# Making moneys on the internets **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 17, 2010, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-moneys-on-the-internets/539815 "2010-05-17T21:12:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-moneys-on-the-internets/539815/1 "2010-05-17T21:12:44Z")
My mom has a client who is a stay-at-home single mom. According to my mom, this woman makes $6500 a month “posting links” on the internet. This claim sound incredibly suspicious to me. I know people get paid to spam emails and message boards, but I can’t see how they could possibly be paid that much. Because we live in different states, I can’t ask the woman probing questions myself, and my mom isn’t computer savvy enough to get to the truth. A lot of the phrases my mom repeated from this lady sound like some sort of pyramid scheme (“If you can send an email, you can post a link!”). Alas, Googling hasn’t turned up any reliable information either. So I turn to the Dope. Is this woman’s claim even possible? ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-moneys-on-the-internets/539815/2 "2010-05-17T21:29:51Z")
Well, if you can’t trust the integrity of a spammer giving you information third-hand through an uneducated party, then I’ve just lost all faith in mankind. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-moneys-on-the-internets/539815/3 "2010-05-17T21:40:22Z")
Well yes, actually. But if we told everyone then it wouldn’t work anymore. I hope you understand that it is nothing personal. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-moneys-on-the-internets/539815/4 "2010-05-17T21:43:28Z")
> [@Pullet](#): > > My mom has a client who is a stay-at-home single mom. According to my mom, this woman makes $6500 a month “posting links” on the internet. This claim sound incredibly suspicious to me. I know people get paid to spam emails and message boards, but I can’t see how they could possibly be paid that much. Because we live in different states, I can’t ask the woman probing questions myself, and my mom isn’t computer savvy enough to get to the truth. A lot of the phrases my mom repeated from this lady sound like some sort of pyramid scheme (“If you can send an email, you can post a link!”). Alas, Googling hasn’t turned up any reliable information either. So I turn to the Dope. Is this woman’s claim even possible? It is theoretically possible. You could create and acccount with one of the pay-per click advertising providers. you will then be able to create coded links to your account. You then post links to your Myspace, Facebook, etc with a “I signed up for this cool service that will manually stimulate my ferret automatically, check it out” The ferret porn website will then pay like $.05 for every unique clickthrough from your link. IF you have 2000 facebook friends and IF 100 of them clicked on it, you make $5… Lather, Rinse, Repeat. become frinds with 5-6 other people who have tons of friends and you could increase your exposure exponentially, possible resulting in hundreds or even thousands of clickthroughs. Some links also pay more or pay more per signup. ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-moneys-on-the-internets/539815/5 "2010-05-17T22:21:09Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > It is theoretically possible. Yeah, I figured that was the mechanics of it. But, as you point out, you have to get thousands of clickthroughs with those things before you start making more than pocket change. It just seems so improbable to make that much reliable income that way. My theory is that there is some sort of pyramid scheme layered on top of what you describe, that this women has other stay-at-home types working under her and she gets a percentage of whatever income their clickthroughs generate. I was worried that she would pull my mom into all this, because my mom is a sucker for a sales pitch. But, it seems my mom’s technophobia has safeguarded her. I just wanted to find some more dirt on the situation in case I needed to talk her out of it later. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-moneys-on-the-internets/539815/6 "2010-05-18T02:16:32Z")
> [@Pullet](#): > > Yeah, I figured that was the mechanics of it. But, as you point out, you have to get thousands of clickthroughs with those things before you start making more than pocket change. It just seems so improbable to make that much reliable income that way. > > My theory is that there is some sort of pyramid scheme layered on top of what you describe, that this women has other stay-at-home types working under her and she gets a percentage of whatever income their clickthroughs generate. I was worried that she would pull my mom into all this, because my mom is a sucker for a sales pitch. But, it seems my mom’s technophobia has safeguarded her. I just wanted to find some more dirt on the situation in case I needed to talk her out of it later. Let me guess…IJango There is an MLM involving google advertising called IJango that makes a huge production out of “we have MLM’d Google!!” I also pointed out to one of their reps that one change in google policy and the whole thing unravels…they seem to operate on the assumption they have outsmarted Google at their own game. Kinda like claiming to be able to sneak up on a ninja in the middle of an empty brightly lit football feild. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-moneys-on-the-internets/539815/7 "2010-05-18T02:23:05Z")
The first and easiest assumption to make is not that this is an MLM scheme. That’s second. The first is that the $6500 figure is a total lie. ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-moneys-on-the-internets/539815/8 "2010-05-18T06:20:55Z")
IJango…yeah, that looks like it fits all the skeezy parameters. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-moneys-on-the-internets/539815/9 "2010-05-18T11:51:39Z")
The problem is that the people that pay out money for “click through” on links also have the ability to void the clicks if they think they are fraud. If you place a link on a blog and it suddenly gets a rush in clicks Google or whoever pays for those clicks will look at it close, if it even looks slightly out of skew, you get nothing. Even if it’s 100% legit, Google will not pay on it. Others operate the same way. Click fruad and the non-payment of legit clicks are huge issues with Google. But there’s no regulation. Try reading [Search Engine Watch (dot) Com](http://searchenginewatch.com/) for info. You can also check out [Black Hat World](http://www.blackhatworld.com/) It’s not a site that tells you how to do anything “black hat,” really 'cause by the time someone posts “look what I did” on the site, the game is already caught and the hole is closed. But it IS an interesting site to see how web developers have to look at sites to prevent fraud. And it gives you a one up on scams via the Internet ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-moneys-on-the-internets/539815/10 "2010-05-18T12:14:56Z")
The use of the phrase make moneys should clue you in it’s a scam. Maybe involving pictures of moneys and your home printer. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-moneys-on-the-internets/539815/11 "2010-05-18T12:31:44Z")
You’re all being way too suspicious. I bet this stay-at-home single mom simply discovered one simple trick to turn yellow teeth white at home, or the shocking truth behind acai berry, and is trying to get the word out. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-moneys-on-the-internets/539815/12 "2010-05-18T12:44:56Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > The use of the phrase make moneys should clue you in it’s a scam. Maybe involving pictures of moneys and your home printer. I can haz moneys? I’\m, in yur internets, making moneys… ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-moneys-on-the-internets/539815/13 "2010-05-18T12:56:10Z")
My gf works in advertising. Her company has interns whose job involves their adopting an online persona and interacting with people as a way of promoting a product or service. They generally make minimum wage. ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-moneys-on-the-internets/539815/14 "2010-05-20T06:19:25Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > My gf works in advertising. Her company has interns whose job involves their adopting an online persona and interacting with people as a way of promoting a product or service. They generally make minimum wage. That is amazingly frightening. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-moneys-on-the-internets/539815/15 "2010-05-20T06:23:05Z")
> [@Pullet](#): > > That is amazingly frightening. What is? That they make so little money? I’d have figured it’d be one of $10/hour type jobs with a high turnover rate. You’re not actually frightened at the prospect of shills are you? We’ve even had some here. ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-moneys-on-the-internets/539815/16 "2010-05-20T06:58:06Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > W > You’re not actually frightened at the prospect of shills are you? We’ve even had some here. The shills. I mean, it’s the internet, caveat emptor and all, and people lie all the time. But, still. Hiring people specifically to lie convincingly. So skeevey. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-moneys-on-the-internets/539815/17 "2010-05-20T09:09:32Z")
> [@Pullet](#): > > The shills. I mean, it’s the internet, caveat emptor and all, and people lie all the time. But, still. Hiring people specifically to lie convincingly. So skeevey. How is this any different from the people pretending to be satisfied customers, or doctors or whatever, on TV ads? ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-moneys-on-the-internets/539815/18 "2010-05-20T09:17:42Z")
You mean they aren’t real? **OH NOOOOOOES!** ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-moneys-on-the-internets/539815/19 "2010-05-20T09:37:29Z")
> [@Pullet](#): > > That is amazingly frightening. heck, I’d love something like that, I could do it from home - stop teasing the poor out of work gimp =( 😃 ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-moneys-on-the-internets/539815/20 "2010-05-20T14:43:03Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > How is this any different from the people pretending to be satisfied customers, or doctors or whatever, on TV ads? Because on TV it is obvious to everyone that this is a paid advertisement. Message board shills try to hide the fact that they are paid to promote the product. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-moneys-on-the-internets/539815.md?page=2)