Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Affiliate Junktion Scam test Re-loaded





<<<<< EDIT: my latest blog on Affiliate Junktion is here - You can find more up to date inforamtion on Affiliate Junktion here.>>>>>>

Welcome to the definitive blog on weather or not Affiliate Junktion is a scam. When people look for “Affiliate Junktion Scam” many people find my blog because it tells my own real story which didn't start off that well.


I suggest if you really want to know if Affiliate Junktion is a scam, you read this whole post as it is a culmination of my entire experience so far with Affiliate Junktion and weather or not Affiliate Junktion is a scam. During this post I will answer the most common Affiliate Junktion related questions.


The most important thing people want to know is not “is Affiliate Junktion a scam?” it is actually “is Affiliate Junktion going to steal from me, cheat me, sell my email address or worse”. The answer is no. They really do offer you free information on their money making program. So then you want to know “wheres the catch?”, there is no catch, but yes you will need to spend some money (very little, which you will get back). To understand it all go and visit omnis (it used to be ipwer). They offer good value web hosting. It's this hosting service that you will need to run Affiliate Junktions free website and use the Affiliate Junktion system.

You will also then need to generate traffic to bring to your promotional website, this can be done with online advertising rather cheaply. The downside is, it will take a month of advertising to bring in daily clicks before they pay you. In the mean time you have to bear the cost and the risk. You don't have to, but to really make Affiliate Junktion work, you should bite the bullet and splash out for a proper keyword tool. This tool turned my Affiliate Junktion income from €10 a day to €80 (and counting) - well worth it.

The good thing is you after you signup for the free Affiliate Junktion information you are under no pressurer to take part. I recommend you check out omnis and also get the free Affiliate Junktion information here (opens in new tab). One thing I can guarantee you, is that you can do all of this without obligation/risk. I always recommend researching anything before you get into it, so take a look at all the information that Affiliate Junktion gives you. By joining up (it's safe) you can see what they offer and decide for yourself if you want to take part.


Also check my other Affiliate Junktion blogs. Here is a post purely as a directory of my Affiliate Junction posts. When I first stared the program I made a loss, and didn't really understand Affiliate Junktion, but I managed to turn that around (now I'm making about €100 a day with affiliate Junktion - proof here). DO read what I've written to see if its the right program for you, but also get the free info from Affiliate Junktion (click here) it will help you understand more.


I am doing my absolute best with this blog to provide you with independent accurate information on Affiliate Junktion, so you can decide for yourself if Affiliate Junktion is for you.


Though Affiliate Junktion had not been successful for me at first, I tried again (the third attempt). I did so because I learned two things: That Affiliate Junktion paid out per referral not per conversion (how did I miss that - stupid), which means that people don't have to take part in order for you to get paid. I also learned some more things about advertising with Google adwords to help me make a better Affiliate Junktion campaign.



Lets start by answering the most common questions about Affiliate Junktion.



Q1) Will Affiliate Junktion actually pay me?

A) You can find dozens of websites on the Internet saying “I got paid by Affiliate Junktion” but most people say that from the time they join up thinking they need to do so to create interest in the Affiliate Junktion program (or at least to show Affiliate Junktion isn't a scam to help entice people). Often people will out and out lie thinkin it might help them make money with Affiliate Junktion, me, I don't care. Take a look at my Affiliate Junktion payment proof and if you feel you want to get monthly cheques in the mail like me then click here and take a look. You decide.


Q2) How do I know if Affiliate Junktion isn't going to use my credit card and steal my money.

A) Because Affiliate Junktion never asks for your credit card number, nor does Affiliate Junktion ever ask for any payment from you whatsoever. The information they give you really is totally free.


Q3) Is Affiliate Junktion legitimate?

A) Affiliate Junktion is legitimate in the sense that it does not try to defraud you of money. I have debunked (explained) Affiliate Junction in this post. It's easy to see how it works simply with the information Affiliate Junktion gives you.


Q4) If the information is free how does Affiliate Junktion make money? (Affiliate Junktion is trying to make money isn't it?)

A) It's easy to see how Affiliate Junktion makes it's money. Affiliate Junktion gets a commission from either omnis or ipower. Once you receive you free information the process is explained. You can check it all out here.


Q5) Does Affiliate Junktion really pay the $75 joining bonus?

A) Yes, the $75 joining bonus has been in my Affiliate Junktion account from day one. Please note that is NZ$75, you can check daily currency conversions here.


Q6) Why should we trust what you say about Affiliate Junktion?

A) Just because something is written doesn't mean it is true, (the same goes for the newspapers). You have to decide yourself how honest my explanation of Affiliate Junction is. You can see this blog is about other things of interest too me, and that my experiences with Affiliate Junction aren't all happy ones (I din't work it out in the beginning, - all these post still exist in Nov/Dec 2007). Also seven months has past since I joined Affiliate Junktion so I'm happy that one can see how genuine it is.


Q7) Whats does “ Affiliate Junktion pays out per referral not per conversion” mean?

A) It means Affiliate Junktion pays you NZ$2 every time somebody makes an enquirery , people don't have to join for you to get paid a commission (unlike other Affiliate programs).


Now lets talk about my new experiences with Affiliate Junktion as of late.


Since learning a bit more about Affiliate Junktion and advertising with Google Adsense I decided to give Affiliate Junktion another shot.


I started a new advertising campaign for Affiliate Junktion and here are the results:

1st month = €10 per day profit

2nd month = €110 per day profit (the change is solely because of this tool)

The two most important things are:

Months of successful activity with Affiliate Junktion - 3 --- Daily (yes daily) income currently €110

My income increase came from the use of this keyword tool.


Affiliate Junktion is now making me a decent profit. One can't help wondering how much my negative comments in the past have an affect on my own current Affiliate Junktion campaign. I took my wifes advice and decided to keep everything truthful and not inflate or exaggerate my results to try and improve them. In other words, I'm not going to falsify my experience to make it attractive for others interested in Affiliate Junktion.


Affiliate Junktion Summary (so far):

I can't say if Affiliate Junktion will work for all. It's not a scam in the sense it's not trying to steal from you, but you may not be able to get it working right straight away (I couldn't until I discovered this). If you are prepared to spend a little time learning abou how to get it working or if you have other sources of Internet traffic you can direct to the Affiliate Junktion program, than Affiliate Junktion might just be what you are looking for. One thing is absolutely sure, it cost you nothing to find out about it, I wholeheartedly encourage you to empower yourself with the information to help you make an informed decision and you can get the best information on Affiliate Junkiton from the source (here).

Monday, April 28, 2008

Is Jack Tompson promting GTA IV for TakeTwo?

One could almost be mistaken in thinking that Jack Tompson is actuallt working for Take Two.

Jack Tompson is the attorney who wrote to the US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, demanding that legal action be taken against Take Two and retailers of Grand Theft Auto IV.

He is bringing worldwide media publicity to the already hyped and highly anticipated GTA IV game.

But for Jack Tompson, that's just a necessary evil.



Despite unintentionally promting GTA IV, I think Jack Thompson is doing a good thing. He's bringing mature games into the lime lite. Hopefully this way parents will think more about games a little more and understand that their are games aimed at another audience than just "kids".

I agree with him in one sense at least, parents should be aware of the content of the game and make sure they talk about it with their children rather than just handing it over.

The same can also be said for many other games (not just mature games like GTA IV). Aa game written for a thirteen year old is almost definitely not going to be ok for a 7 year old (the same as with any other media).

The way I see it, keeping this game away from kids younger than those supposed to play it is the combined responsibility of the retail outlets and the parents in the same way that selling alcohol is. That just might be where Jack Thompson's argument comes a little unstuck.

Game playing parents (like myself) already know there is a difference between Mario games and Grand Theft Auto type games (remember Carmageddon?) . However some parents either don't know or simply don't care. If you combine this with the tendency for those same people to throw their kids in front of a Playstation/Xbox like they would a TV (to use as a babysitter) then you have a very scary combination.

Grand theft Auto is no different from any movies, or comics or other media aimed at the same yo.ung adult age group. A big problem is that outdated concept that video games are for kids. If you still think that like that, then watch this.

It all comes down to caring about what children are doing and being there for them. Perhaps thats Jack Tompson's goal, to show parents they do need to be aware of the content of such games. Or perhaps some took his ZX Spectrum away before he finished Manic Miner and he's still pissed, who can tell.

Critic of game like GTA IV need to remeber that like TV, Movies and Books, Video games are a great escape.

Grand Theft Auto looks like an amazing game and I believe that helping publicize the necessity for parents to watch what their children are playing and be there for them will be good for mature games in general. When parents start taking a more active interest in what games their children are playing, those of us mature enough can run around being bad ass killers and nobody will get hurt.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Is Apple missing out?

The world is ready for Apple to make MAX OS X available to for PC's

Apple may as well, because others are already making it happen.

I've long been an advocate of Apple selling the operating system to those who want to install it on non Apple hardware.

Years ago Apple allowed other people to build machines with the same components and licensed the operating system. In 1998 (I think it was) Companies like Umax were selling Macintosh clones (I brought one, it was great!).

Fast forward to today and the MAC OS is now running on the same hardware as PC's making the possibility even easier. Dell and HP would happily jump at the chance to sell PC with MAC OS X installed. But Apple won't do it.

Apple maintains (amongst other reasons) that the hardware/software synergy is required to achieve the stability and reliability that MAC users enjoy and expect. If they suddenly had to support millions of hardware configurations as Microsoft windows (or Linux for that matter) does then the operating system would suffer and become less secure, prone to crashing and problematic (like it's current competition).

This is a weak excuse. There is absolutely no reason that Apple can release the MAC OS as a software operating system and specify which hardware it would run on.

The truth is, they are doing quite nicely the way things are. Producing the whole product they can make a profit on everything and guarantee a bigger sale.

Actually I don't blame any company for wanting to make an ever increasing profit, it is (after all) their duty to do so for their shareholders, but would releasing the operating system actually cost Apple money?

I don't think so.

If Apple sold the operating system, they would instantly open up a whole new market. Sure there would be new competition undercutting the Apple computers (actually thats already happening, I'll get to that soon..), but take a look at Apples customers, people buy MAC's because they are great computers, they look good and they are a strong (even cool) brand. I don't think that would stop, they would just get their computer sales and operating system sales on top.

If other people sold computers running MAC OS X they'll still never be as cool as MAC's. It still actually amazes me that there aren't any PC's that look as cool as MAC's (well I found a Sony as cool as an iMAC, but it was far more expensive). Plus if you look in other industries, big brand names are always finding a way to get their products into the hand of people on a lower budget in order to open up new markets, without hurting their brand image.

Car brands are a good example, you can buy non Mercedes SUV's with Mercedes motors. Some factories make the exact same car which sells for a different price by three different brands. Rollerblade (the big in line skating company) also owns a buget brand. They sell some models under both brands, if you want the badge you pay the price, if you can't afford to be in that club, they still make a sale and you still get the product albeit without the badge.

I'm sure that Apple could do the same.

Apple could also partner with the component manufacturers, or hardware makers. If they did release the operating system as a software only option then it would boost sales of particular hardware. Your telling me Apple couldn't get a percentage?

Well if apple doesn't, it just might miss the boat (*sighs*) -again. For those not yet in the know, since Apple MACS became Intel based (like PC's) there has been a movement of enthusiasts dedicated and determined to doing what Apple won't. Making it possible to install MAC OS on any PC. This effort is called OSX86 project, and they have done an excellent job.

If you build your own computer with exactly the same parts as in a MAC than installing MAC OS X on it is amazingly easy. Just a couple of tweaks and you have MAC OS X on your screen and be able to keep that big fat PC box on your desk (*sighs again*).

Some companies are even capitalizing on this.Take a look at this comparison of an “open computer” (now available by from a company called Psystar) and a MAC mini I found (on this pic it's called an “openMAC”, they changed the name last minute for fear of litigation from Apple, but forgot to change it on this jpg from their website)

It shows a computer built to run MAC OS (and they will deliver it pre-installed with MAC OS X Leopard) with better specifications for a lower price than the MAC mini.

For this comparison to be fair you have to consider one thing, the cost of the operating system. They should show the cost of the software in this comparison. The “OpenMAC” would cost (including software) $628 (more than the MAC mini). Just for reference, it would cost $618 using OEM Windows Vista Home Premium (note that the Leopard software is not OEM and is the 'ultimate' version).

*** oops, I almost forgot, that a new MAC comes with iLife which would cost you a further $79 if you bought the Open Computer from Psystar instead of the genuine article.

In my opinion it won't provide competition to genuine Apples (I'd still buy the MAC mini anyday) but possibly open the door to a new market.

In any case, it may prove that if Apple doesn't make MAC OS available to buy separately for installation on non Apple hardware they may suffer in the same way that the music and motion picture industry has done in the face of file sharing. Consumers showed that wanted the product a different way, when the industry failed to respond and the process went underground. Is the same fate slated for the 'budget' Apple MAC?

Only Apple really knows if their OS will ever be sold separately. If it doesn't sell it separately it may risk loosing the sector of the market that wants an ugly box with the best specification possible on the cheap, and thats something the Steve Jobs probably wont lose any sleep over.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Does a new technology mean a new way to breach copyright?

One of the coolest things I've come across in a long while is a tool for 'sucking' 3D data out of any 3D application or video game.


Imagine you want you very own figure of you World of Warcraft character. You simply use this software called ogle to extract the 3D information, clean it up a bit and get it printed on a 3D printer.

Here you can see what I mean.

In case you don't know a 3D printer is like a cross between a bread maker and an inject printer. You put in a powdery substance in the 3D printer and a printing head moves through it spitting out a drops which harden it. After each pass head moves up a fraction slowly hardening the 3D object. The end result is that you can open it up and pull a solid 3D object that was made from your 3D data out of the tin of powder (at least thats a pretty good simplified explanation).

But if you can extrad 3D mesh data, you could also use the 3D models in any number of ways.

The problem might be for computer program manufacturers is that people might rip off their models.

It wouldn't be too hard to (theoretically) get the 3D data for an object, change the mesh a little and then use different texture maps to save you from making your own object.

Having said that, if your reasonably good in 3D it would probably just be easier to make your own models bearing in mind the probable amount of time you would have to spend cleaning up the mesh and the quality of 3D editing software. It would be far too obvious, for example, to use a character (and risk the copyright owner taking legal action against you) from a game for your own project, commercial or not.

I'd hate to see someone intent on inserting DRM into OpenGL (3D graphics data) in an effort to stop 'mesh theft' (my term).

I'm hope this is going to be a technology only really used for fun and for good. I can imagine that might be a cool niche business, 3D printing an painting (from a screenshot) figures of game characters (by that I mean configurable character like the ones in mmorpg's).

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Dear Friend. How have you been scammed today?

Are people really that stupid? I hope not.....

I received an email in my junk folder today (as much as I hate to admit it, hotmail is a Microsoft product I almost like because of its spam filter) thats starts:

"Dear Friend.

How are you today?"

It goes on to talk about the delivery of US$1.8m cash. It's supposed to appear as though it got sent to you by mistake, and that if you forward the identification details, they will send the US$1.8m to you.

C'mon are you kidding me? This is a phishing scam at its worst. If you get it, block the sender, delete the email, and if possible report the sender. Never reply, this will only alert the person who is phishing that the email account is live (in use), and it might be passed on/sold to a spammer, then you can expect a never ending supply of phishing emails in your inbox.

Phishing scams pray on our will to believe something (no matter how preposterous). If I told you I knew a way for you to make millions online you would at least listen. What you would also do, is hope. Hope and want that information to be true.

Phishing scams do it, affiliate marketers do it, heck, advertising agencies do it! The emotion can be strong, the argument convincing (I was once convinced to take part a sophisticated way to get you to part with your money called Affiliate Junktion).

But there was nothing sophisticated about this phishing scam I received today.

I have to wonder how many people fall for such pathetic attempts to get you personal information. More importantly, I worry about people I know who may be sucked in...

Here's the email in its entirety for those how get similar phishing scam emails and want to recognize them.

Don't be sucked in by Phishing scams like these:


Dear Friend.

How are you today? I am writing to inform you that I have Paid the fee
for your Cheque Draft. And I went to the bank to confirm if the
Cheque has expired or getting near to expire and Mr.Ahmed Zafa the
Director of Central Bank of West African States(BCEAO) told me that
before the cheque will get to your hand that it will expire.

So I told him to cash the US$1.8million United States Dollars to cash
payment to avoid losting this funds.However, all the necessary
arrangement of delivering the US$1.8m UNITED STATES DOLLARS in
cash was made with FEDEX COURIER SERVICES LTD. in Cotonou Benin Republic,
Mr.Ahmed Zafa the Director of Central Bank of West African
States(BCEAO) Cotonou have to package the sum of US$1.8 m in cash for me.Then he also agreed to help me to Register the Consignment with FEDEX
COURIER SERVICES LTD.Infact I'm happy that every movement I made goes
sucessfull.
As for our agreement with the FEDEX COURIER SERVICES LTD. they
promised that your consignment will leave this Country on monday next week,But
the Director of the FEDEX COURIER SERVICES LTD. said that they need
your contacts informations to able them meet up with you immediately the
Diplomat Agent arrived to your Country.

write a letter of application to the given address below.
Contact person: Dr.Jim Vicktor
EMAIL:***********removed to protect the stupid************@yahoo.fr
Send them your contacts information to able them locate you
immediately they arrived in your country with your BOX .This is what they
need from you.

1.YOUR FULL NAME---------------------------------------------------------
2.YOUR HOME ADDRESS--------------------------------------------------
3.YOUR CURRENT HOME TELEPHONE NUMBER---------------
4.YOUR CURRENT OFFICE TELEPHONE---------------------------
5.A COPY OF YOUR PICTURE------------------------------------------
Note.The FEDEX COURIER SERVICES LTD.
don't know the contents of the Box. I registered it as a BOX of an
Africa cloths. They don't know it contents money. this is to avoid
them delaying with the BOX. don't let them know that is money that is in
that Box.

Thanks and Remain Blessed.

Mr.David Baju

**********
The latest scam I got in my email was this one (give me a break!)

AWARD FINAL NOTIFICATION.
We are pleased to inform you the released results of the EUROMILLION SWEEPSTÁKE LOTTERY/NEW YEAR PROGRAMS held on the 14th July 2008.
Your EMAIL was attached to a ticket number 102/08 with serial number 000228 lucky numbers 4 5 5 6 4 which consequently won0the lottery in the 2nd category.You have therefore been approved for lump sum pay out of £10,600,000 Pounds(TEN MILLION SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND POUNDS)in cash credited to file REF Nº: ESWL/2147/08/MAL.
To begin your claim please contact your claims agent: Mr Alex Taylor
The Foreign Services Manager of EUROMILLION SWEEPSTAKE LOTTERY
Email: ----------@hotmail.com


For the fun of it take a look at these other Phishings scams, some are quite hilarious.