Changes on eHow

I was disappointed today to receive an email from eHow saying they will no longer allow publishing of articles from their website. Instead, they are insisting that all new content on eHow will be generated by Demand Studios and encouraging us to apply as freelance writers. Here's the catch: Demand Media owns all content you submit. It's a big change. eHow's own Terms clearly state that you retain all rights to your content, including the right to republish on multiple sites. The FAQs page eHow has put up about the transition says that you can republish elsewhere if you have suggested the title yourself, but this is not what the Contributors Agreement says on the Demand Studios site. While eHow has always been a good source of shares revenue for my articles, I can no longer advise anyone to publish content on this site. I, personally, will not be applying to write for Demand Studios and will start looking for some other sites that pay for content.


~Beth~

August 6, 2009 Mommy Discovers InboxDollars

This program is another one I didn't just discover. I started doing it back in late 2006. I use the paid email program, although it has all those extras like MyPoints does. From time to time, you might catch me doing a survey, but not usually. InboxDollars actually pays cash for each email. Whether all you have to do is click on the email or whether you have to click on a link on the page it opens doesn't matter. You get paid the same $0.02 for every email you read. The emails do expire, but there is no indication of when they expire in the email, so you just have to do them often and try clicking on them all. The only problem I've ever had was when I didn't have internet at home (which was for more than two years). During that time, I discovered InboxDollars was on the school's very rigid security system block list and tons of my emails would expire between visits to my parents' house. Even then, I cashed out back in December and received my check in February for $30 (the minimum cashout). There is a $5 signup bonus for new members and, to give you an idea of how many emails you will receive, I have received credit for 405 since December and I will admit to missing out on quite a few emails. Obviously, this program won't provide any immediate income unless you do other activities on the site, especially because of the long delay in mailing out checks, but it's the every little bit counts concept.


~Beth~

July 23, 2009 Mommy Discovers MyPoints

Two posts in one day. Remarkable. I know.

I have to admit, I didn't just discover MyPoints. I've been using it since June of 2002 with fairly decent results. MyPoints, for the many of you who probably haven't heard of it, is a paid email site. They have an ever expanding paid for purchases and signups section, but they reward plenty well for just doing the emails. While some emails have no reward for viewing, many of the emails come with a 5 point reward for just clicking or a higher reward for completing the offer described. I only do the clicking and never spend money, but have managed to cash in my points for a $25 gift card once a year since starting. Most years it has been a Barnes and Noble gift card, although last year I got myself a Kohl's one and hit the maternity clearance on Black Friday. You should check out the rewards section. They actually have a decent selection of stores and restaurants to choose from. One issue to note with MyPoints is that they do have expiration dates for their emails. You want to make sure you click the emails at least every couple days or you'll miss points. Believe me, the expiration date is enforced. Otherwise, have fun!

~Beth~