Amazon Associates Program Closed for North Carolina, Hawaii - California and Other States Next?

Amazon Associates Program Closed for North Carolina, Hawaii - California and Other States Next?

I was surprised to read over on ProBlogger that Amazon Associates has closed for North Carolina and Hawaii associates already, and California may be next.


Yeah, while the selfish part of some of us say that's less competition for other states -- not so fast with that thinking -- who knows what state may be next?


Read all the gory tax details causing the melee over on ProBlogger or the links he has and comments that let Amazon Associates in the closed states know exactly what to write to their representatives to protest.


Lately, Amazon Associates has been making over 500 bucks a month for me -- nothing to sneeze at, hey, everything helps pay the bills! -- but for others, their Amazon Associates take runs into the thousands per month.

Watch out for .MP and .CC virus website links on Twitter...

Watch out for .MP and .CC virus website links on Twitter...

I have a GreaseMonkey script that shows me what people are tweeting on Twitter when I search for that term right on Google. That's how I noticed a lot of .mp and .cc domain names tweeting about current google trends with a link that I was poised to click on till something in my gut -- thank You, God! -- told me not to click on.


So I researched "mp and cc domains on Twitter" and found a Mashable post warning people of just that: Scammers and phishers are using a lot of .mp and .cc websites to post links to malware sites.


Don't click on em!

$40,000 a Month Blogging - $500,000 Projected Income in 2009 for John Chow - Watch the video below to see how he does it...

$40,000 a Month Blogging - $500,000 Projected Income in 2009 for John Chow - Watch the video below to see how he does it...

John Chow -- one of my blogging heroes -- posted up an hour-long video describing how he makes $40,000 per month with his blog, one that he hadn't even monetized when he started it back in 2005. (Just like me!)


Then in 2006 he said some challenged him, "Hey, you don't make any money blogging -- why should we listen to your tips?" John Chow took the challenge head on and started monetizing his blog. The first month he made around 300 bucks; after a few months he'd hit his goal of $3,000 per month -- so he said, Why not pull out all the stops?


He did, and in 2009, his blog is projected to make half a million dollars.


I watched and/or listened to the whole video below because it was interesting to know his philosophy. Some of it is pretty techie for those who don't know about Aweber, RSS feeds, auto-responders, Feedburner chicklet counts and the like -- but it's valuable information.


I'm taking away from it the marketing knowledge of seriously thinking about what I'd really want to sell -- and that information is one of the best products to sell online. I'm using it to inspire me forward...

Watch blogger John Chow explain how he makes 40 grand a month:

10 Grand is Buried Here - Microsoft Has Buried 10 Grand on the Internet, Guess I Gotta Switch over to IE from Firefox to Find the 10 Grand...

10 Grand is Buried Here - Microsoft Has Buried 10 Grand on the Internet, Guess I Gotta Switch over to IE from Firefox to Find the 10 Grand...

Microsoft has a "10 Grand is Buried Here" contest going on (click the attached pic in this post for more info) where they've buried $10,000 somewhere on the internet and the first one who finds the $10,000 wins the money.


I see that the buried 10 grand will be revealed on an IE8 browser, so I guess I've gotta switch over from my beloved Firefox Browser back to IE to find it.


They are giving clues on Twitter, so I'm going to go decipher them and pray I win. Or, whomever really needs the money to win.

Woman's Gotta Pay $80,000 Per Illegally Downloaded Song...

A woman illegally downloaded 24 songs -- and now she's gotta pay $80,000 for each song.


That's the verdict today in the only illegal file-sharing case to go to trial.


Thank goodness I don't use Bear Share and all those other file-sharing sites -- I don't like them because they are a virus risk. I like getting my music from Amazon or iTunes instead.


But I love YouTube and Daily Motion videos, I must admit. But that's a different story.

WorldPay Scam Email Amazon Hoax - World Pay Customers Receive Malware E-mail Called WorldPay CARD transaction Confirmation

I've never heard of WorldPay before today. And while WorldPay itself is not a scam, scammers did target WorldPay customers with some "WorldPay CARD transaction Confirmation" saying that their Amazon products were confirmed and supposedly contained some invoice.


But it was really malware in the email.


For WorldPlay customers who opened the attachment in the scam email, a trojan identified as Troj/Agent-JUC would've been downloaded.


Find out the latest on this WorldPay scam here...

New Amazon Promo Codes, Amazon Special Offers - Current Amazon Coupons in the Past Week Below...

One special trick I use to find current Amazon promo codes and and Amazon special offers is to use Google's advanced search to the fullest capability, checking the most recent pages crawled by Google that have certain verbiage like "promotional code" on Amazon.com or "Amazon.com special offer" and the like:

Amazon promo codes *** Amazon Special Offers

.


I think these links are especially helpful around the Christmas holidays when a lot of people are shopping online and looking for deals on Amazon.

amazon special offers, amazon promo codes,amazon promotion codes, new amazon coupons, amazon deals

Google Home Income Scam Hoax Sites Designed to Steal Money From People Wanting to Make Money Online...

These Google home income scams are getting out of control -- but thankfully many people realize the Google home income scams are just that, scams designed to steal money from people.


And thank God that most people aren't just diving into any old site promising a Google home income -- like my dad, who must've run across one of the sites that look just like a newspaper article with a mom or someone saying she makes $25 per link that she posts on Google -- people are researching first that they are scams:


»»»»»»» Los Angeles Tribune News $25 for Every Link Post on Google SCAM for Easy Google Profits | PAULA NEAL MOONEY

"It's a scam!" I yelled to my dad over the phone yesterday...

...about one of those ads just selling Google Easy Profits.


"They say you'll only pay $1.99," I continued, "then they'll charge your credit card all this money per month."


"Oh, really? Google is involved in a scam?" Daddy asked me.


"No, they just use Google's name."


So there. I hope people keep checking their guts first and researching these so-called Google home income programs and understand that...

Any way to make money online can be found by researching blogging, SEO, etc. -- for free! -- without really spending any money for these fake Google home income products.

Microsoft Sues Trio for Click Fraud, Saying They Earned $250,000 Thru Their Scheme...

You read about click fraud -- how people use automated scripts to click on ads of a competitor a bunch of times to drain their advertising campaigns, therefore making their own ad campaigns more successful -- and now Microsoft is suing a trio of people they say earned $250,000 last year doing just that.


Microsoft is suing three people for $750,000 -- and it makes me glad I no longer use Google Adwords to try and promote products. Who know how many people are paying good money for ad campaigns and click fraud is happening to them?


Paying for great ads, but automated scripts, not customers are clicking on some of the ads. I guess this will be a real lesson for anybody using black hat techniques like automated scripts to create click fraud to stop doing it. Today.

Strathmore's Who's Who Scam Book?

People on Twitter are wondering if Strathmore's Who's Who is a scam because I'm assuming you have to pay to be included in the book.


And what's the point of being in the book?


I see one from years ago for sale on Amazon.com for loads of money. Maybe it's more of a vanity thing...

strathmore s who s who

Hunch.com Down on Launch Day - Let's vote our hunches on when Hunch comes back up....

Update: Hunch.com is no longer down, but up...so Hunch away!

I was trying to check out the new Hunch.com -- a website self-described as once that "helps you make decisions and gets smarter the more you use it."


Well Hunch had better get some Google servers, because everybody's trying to hit it right now and I can only view the cache of Hunch, which has a question about flowers on the Hunch.com homepage right now:

Teach Hunch About You

Do you often buy fresh, cut flowers for your home?

* Frequently
* Sometimes
* Rarely or never

Skip this question
loading...

Why are people searching for those keywords right now? Find out below how to get current Twitter results on Google...

Have you ever been on Google Trends and saw a certain term trending upwards but have no idea why by looking at the results that Google Trends gives you from Google News and Recent Blog Posts?


Well I found this post describing how to add a Firefox plugin that gives you real-time Twitter results on Google when you type in a certain term.


For example, I installed the add-on and then typed "tornado warning Denver" into Google and was able to find tweets right away from within the past 40 minutes of people saying that a funnel cloud had been spotted in downtown Denver and that people had gotten pelted with hail.


I already like this Firefox add-on as a great addendum to researching why certain terms are trending.

April Rose Scam Blog Fake Hoax Sends the Blog World Reeling...

Update: The Chicago Tribune has picked up on the whole April's Mom blog scam, and now I feel more sorry for Beccah Beaushausen, who said she really did lose a baby boy shortly after he was born in 2005 -- and I feel bad I was so quick to pull out the "terrible thing to fall into the hands of the Lord" Bible quote in the original piece below. Then again, I wasn't one of the folks following the fake April Rose blog for months -- and praying and likely sending gifts and such. I just hope Beccah ends up healed and okay.

I'd never heard of April Rose or read the blog dedicated to the baby until I started seeing people searching for April Rose fake and April Rose hoax and April Rose scam today.


Now, I've read tons of blogs that are talking about the April Rose saga. Basically, a woman people are calling Beccah Rose Beushausen allegedly created a blog, reeling people in with a story of how she was expecting "April Rose" -- a child whom she wrote was afflicted with serious medical issues.


People prayed, offered help, updated the dark photos of April Rose that were posted on the blog, now widely believed to be one of those life-like dolls.


The April Rose blog has been deleted, but you can still read the posts by clicking on the "cached" link below these posts still on Google.

Was the April Rose scam done for money?

Maybe. I don't know. Probably. The more comments I get, the more I'm thinking that yes, it was done for money. Curiously, the cached pages of the April Rose hoax blog show no Google Adsense ads, at least from what I've seen so far -- but they do show BlogHer ads (whom I'm sure had no idea of the April Rose scam) as well as ads from a couple of other sites that I don't see affiliate programs for:

The April Rose website probably received donations and gifts by P.O. box mail:

One of the cached pages on the April Rose blog says she wasn't taking money, but led readers to a link where they could donate money to various places -- I didn't research where those places were, or if they went to a PayPal account or something. (People have updated info below in the comments with more info about PASS donations for April Rose.)


One of my readers also just commented that the fake April Rose blog probably took donations thru a P.O. box, and I went back and pulled this screen pic of the cached fake April Rose blog that indeed shows where people could email the "mother" and get her address to send cards or letters -- no doubt knowing people would stick a 20 dollar bill in there:

The April Rose Scam Played on the Sympathy of Christians...but Believers are Praying for Forgiveness and His Will Wednesdays

The April Rose blog author wrote about God a lot, and posturing herself as a young, single woman. Perhaps she knew of the Lord's edict to give to the poor or those in need, and thought that not asking for money outright as she spilled her detailed-yet-kinda-purple-prose-ish story online would naturally garner empathy and donations.


Any believers who gave to the plight of April Rose, don't feel bad -- you did it out of the kindness of your heart to help, and God will honor that I believe.


The cool thing is that one blog author at Wind Beneath My Wings wants to continue the His Will Wednesdays -- see her post here:

Wind Beneath My Wings: His Will Wednesday Continued: (Making Light of the Dark)

I love that, making light out of the dark.


But woe (and whoa!) to those who dare steal in the name of Jesus Christ and think they've gotten over. I'd say repent quickly, because as that Bible verse goes, "It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Hebrews 10:31

April Rose Blog is Not the First Online Scam

We've seen scams before online, like the "couple" who threatened to abort their baby if they didn't get a certain amount of money. I believe that guy was found and arrested.



Then there was one "girl" who claimed to have a certain amount of time to live before she killed herself. I think that one was a scam. (Of course, there was that real case where that young black man killed himself in actuality on Justin.TV, so we can't assume everyone is scamming.)



But for April Rose -- follow the money trail. Was money involved? If so, this might be one for the FBI Internet Crime people.



If no money was involved, the April Rose scam might spell a person behind it who created a story or drama for deep-seated emotional issues.



Either way, the mastermind behind the April Rose hoax needs a whole lotta Jesus right now. For real.

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Canada Job Journal Scam Ad for Easy Google Profits

I learned from Net Profits Today that there's a Canada Job Journal scam ad designed to pitch Easy Google Profits just like the other two that have been uncovered:


»»»»»»» Los Angeles Tribune News $25 for Every Link Post on Google SCAM for Easy Google Profits | PAULA NEAL MOONEY




»»»»»»» Miami Gazette News - Scams Getting Prettier Pitching Easy Google Profits Hoax... | PAULA NEAL MOONEY




It's good that people are getting hip to these scams and researching them and following the part of their gut that tells them it's not real -- so they can save a lot of money.

How I Got Laid Off Website Lets Laid Off Workers Vent...

This How I Got Laid Off website in good, letting people tell the tales of how they got laid off from their jobs. I want to create a social networking site for the laid off people by company, letting them get together and keep up with each other -- because LinkedIn isn't necessarily designed for that. I guess FaceBook is, only if they've set up separate groups. I want it all on one website that lets people find each other. I'd better get to work whilst you check out the laid off people venting:

Los Angeles Tribune News $25 for Every Link Post on Google SCAM for Easy Google Profits

Just like the Miami Gazette News scam pitching "Easy Google Profits" Hoax... today I saw a pop up ad for the "Los Angeles Tribune News" -- claiming some stay-at-home mom made $25 for every link she added to Google, saying she makes $500 per month.


It's a load of crap! Don't fall for it!


The news around the web is that people pitching Easy Google Profits say you only have to pay one dollar or $1.99 or whatever, but the fine print shows you'll be allowing them to charge your credit or debit card $40 or $50 or much more per month if you sign up for it.


Just like some of the people selling the acai berry products, some of the people pitching the Easy Google Profits don't feel bad about confusing people and in essence stealing their monies -- at least for now they don't.

PayPerPost on Twitter - Izea Paying for Tweets

I haven't been on PayPerPost or IZEA for so long, I had to get them to send me my password. But I found out on ReadWriteWeb that people actually get paid to tweet.


I don't know how much PayPerPost / IZEA is paying per tweet on Twitter -- I haven't gotten my password to log in yet to check out the opportunities -- but I'm thinking this might be cooler than using PayPerPost on your blog and risk suffering a pagerank penalty by hypocritical Google for having paid links on your site.


Maybe getting paid per tweet won't be as risky, because at worst, Twitter could eventually close out an account of a person with too many #spon tags or whatever. I don't know.


It'll be interesting to see how much they pay per tweet. Of course, users with a lot of followers might not be willing to subject their Twitter followers to too many pay per tweets.