Watch out for the sharks

I needed to have a website to be able to capture opt-in names for my primary (offline) business Xango. I tried three times to build my own website, but not being’ technically literate I was unable to do that. I wouldn’t discourage my readers from building their own website if they have the skills but it does take skill.

I started reading things on the Internet that might help me. I read the sales page for a website that a man would build me FREE. (Beware of the word FREE. There is nothing free in this world but conversation.) I had a desire to put my personally written newsletter on my website so when I read that after the website was built I could make any changes that I wanted, I jumped in with both feet. (First mistake).

A condition of this FREE website was to join the affiliate programs the webmaster recommended, which I did after reading the individual sales pages, but there I got into more trouble.

I went along with the suggestions for buying traffic, but when I checked my traffic (11,000 hits) there were no names, just IP numbers. I realized the person receiving the stats knew exactly who made the hit by the IP number, the IP number didn’t do a thing for me except frustrate me. It not only frustrated me because I didn’t get any leads but because the hits cost me a bundle.

RED FLAG! At this point I hadn’t made a dime, but paid out plenty getting into affiliate

programs, including a host. Did I stop there? No, I didn’t. I was told to be patient, but God didn’t endow me with much patience,

By the time my mentor suggested I get out before I wasted any more money, I had learned these things.

Don’t expect an answer to an email to support you wrote asking for help because the chances of an answer are nil to none.

Be aware they are going to appoint sponsors for your various programs and you have no choice. If you want to change sponsors they’ll ignore you.

I sincerely thought I was going to persevere when I bought leads which weren’t to start until the 5tth of the next month, but when I resigned at the end of the month so I hadn’t even seen a lead, a refund was refused because leads are not refundable.

I could go on. I could tell you about the host company ($39.95 monthly) who ‘forgot’ to send me a welcome letter which would have told me how to make those changes I wanted to make in the first place. By the time I realized that and asked for it I was so disgusted I barely read it and quit the whole system the next day.

I have written this not to discourage you from trying to make money on the Internet, but rather convince you to read the fine print and between the lines and remember nothing worth having is ever FREE. And be sure you can swim because there are sharks in them thar waters.

My name is Freda Douglas, P. O. Box 155, Eva. AL 35621, 256-796-0651, gloryb2u@fredadouglas. com (can-spam)

Feel free to reprint this article with my resource box and no changes.