Entrepreneur Takes “Pay-to-Surf” Programs to New Level

With the rise of a new way to capture consumer eyeballs on the Internet, by paying them to surf the Web, one entrepreneur has found a new way to put the surfing programs to work for him.

Get Paid to Be Online is a new site that provides basic descriptions of a variety of money making surf programs, including “pay by the hour” services, “pay by the e-mail” services and associate programs.

Calling the surfing programs “the newest Internet craze,” Get Paid to Be Online explains to visitors how each type of site works, the differences and advantages of each, how many members the programs have and what the site’s future expansion plans are, when those details are available. In a nutshell, the surfing programs are pyramid-style plans that reward Web surfers for viewing their ads and encouraging their friends to do the same.

Some programs pay a Web surfer 40 to 60 cents per hour to let an ad window run while the person browses. Others require the person to use a special web browser that displays a rotation of ads. “Pay by the e-mail” services are fairly self-explanatory, paying Internet users to receive junk e-mails with targeted advertising. Fees are 8 cents to $2.50 per e-mail. Associate programs, perhaps the best known thanks to aggressive efforts by booksellers Amazon.com, Borders.com and barnesandnoble.com, pay Web site operators commissions or flat fees for providing Web surfers a link to their stores.

Building Referrals

Get Paid to be Online site is run by one guy, Ian Kelley, and is not affiliated with any company. The effort is not solely out of the goodness of his heart, though. The Web site has no ads on the main directory page, but each company’s listing page features several buttons scattered throughout the page, including a banner across the top, linking viewers to the surfing company’s site. The result: Everyone who signs up by connecting from the Get Paid to Be Online site becomes a “referral” for the Get Paid site operator. The Web surfing programs typically pay referral fees of around 5 cents per hour per surfer.

Since the pyramid structure of the surfing programs yields an original member referral fees for multiple levels of referrals – for the person the original member refers and for the people the referred person refers – Get Paid to be Online also offers a special service to build its own referral pyramid. Those who sign up for surfing programs by connecting through Get Paid to Be Online can get a free personalized Web page on the site to refer others.

Future plans for the site, which launched July 1, include adding a section for “online credits” services such as shopping pages that allow shoppers to accrue points toward future purchases. Other credit services that pay people to fill out surveys will also be added to the site. Get Paid to Be Online also plans to expand its affiliates program listing and is seeking submissions from companies interested in getting listed.