Desktop Pennies Would Be More Accurate
Written: May 21 '00
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I joined Desktop Dollars about six weeks ago in an attempt to expand my experience with online earning programs. I chose this particular problem because I had heard very good things about it from the regular posters to my favorite newsgroup – alt.consumers.free-stuff.
Surf Bar
Desktop Dollars’ version of the surf bar is called the Profit Zone. The Profit Zone occupies about a 1” chunk of your desktop and can be docked at the top or bottom of your screen (default is top). You can choose a channel when you log in (technology, sports, or entertainment are currently available). If you choose a channel you get news headlines along with your ad, and the ad is supposedly targeted to your interests. You do not have to be surfing to get credit for your online time. All you need to do is be online and click continue on the bar every 15-30 minutes.
Referral Structure
Desktop Dollars pays for 6 levels of referrals. This is where it gets very confusing, however. You are paid 45% of the ad revenue generated by your personal surfing, 15% of the ad revenue generated by your primary referrals surfing, 5% of secondary referrals,
2% of level 3 referrals, and 1% of levels 4, 5 and 6. Confused yet? I know I am.
Their referral program is different from many other programs in that you do not need to use the program at all to benefit from referrals. If your referrals surf and you do not, you still get paid for all of their surfing time (little though the pay may be). I do amazingly enough have one referral, and she does use the program.
Payout Rate
I could not find anywhere on the site that referenced a payout rate in real dollars. When you click on the “what is your payout rate?” you are taken to a section of the site that shows you the percentage of ad revenue breakdown. If you were a member in March you can supposedly see your earnings for March, but I did not join until April. My prediction would be 25 cents an hour if they are very generous, but probably much less. You can surf for an unlimited number of hours and this program does pay internationally.
Payout Options
You can choose to be paid by check or by a debit card called the “Desktop Dollars Debit Card.” You can also choose a minimum amount at which to be paid – the minimum for U.S. residents is $20 and for residents of other countries $40. If you do not make a selection on both of these options you will not be paid at all. I chose the check option; although Desktop Dollars does not charge a fee for use of the debit card your ATM most probably will. The debit card is probably the best option for International users, however – it is automatically credited each month, so no waiting for checks or hassling with exchange rates.
Technical Problems
I have found some technical problems associated with the use of the Profit Zone – namely sometimes when I click continue it gives me back a message stating I am already logged in. Also, sometimes I get a “page cannot be displayed” error – when either of these things occurs the only cure I have found is to shut the bar down and wait 30 minutes to an hour. I am running Windows 98 with Internet Explorer 5.0 – the Profit Zone requires Windows 95, 98 or NT and IE 4.0 or 5.0. It does not work with IE 5.5 beta.
Stats
Mass confusion here! The stats are now shown in ad impressions viewed rather than minutes or hours. This doesn’t mean a whole lot to me. Supposedly you average viewing one ad every 30 seconds but that is only an average.
Web Site
The web site is easily navigable but woefully outdated. There are references to the current month being February.
Recommendation
I do recommend this program if you are realistic about what you are getting into and realistic about the pay rate. Don’t expect to get rich, though – it’s probably not going to happen unless by chance you have thousands of referrals who all use the program religiously.
I have not gotten a check yet, though I hope to earn one this month. I also have not had reason to interact with customer service. I’ll update this when and if I do.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Moonvine
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Location: Austin, TX
Reviews written: 116
Trusted by: 119 members
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