hank - Share : I’m all for passive income and when I initially saw this website I thought it was a good idea, and I signed up. They promise decent money ($0.50 to $1.00 per SU review) for a fairly easy task. It makes sense (cents) for them and pumps up the site that is purchasing those thumbs.
However, the more I thought about it and the more I read about it, the more I thought it was immoral, and wasn’t worth my time…
The facts
I am a big StumbleUpon user and have 80% of my traffic coming from them. I love their service and I can’t begin to think of a reason that would undermine my time I’ve put in with both their standard service, and now their StumbleUpon Ads service. The more I read into the details, the less interested I was with them.
Right on their FAQ page, Subvert and Profit put a few choice questions:
Isn’t this illegal?
“No. Violating a website’s Terms of Use is not illegal. Digg or StumbleUpon can, however, delete your account if they discover that you violate their Terms of Use. We encourage you to violate any Terms of Use at your own risk.”
I’m pretty sure that them encouraging us to violate the Terms of Use means that they don’t care if we get our accounts deleted. They’re still turning a profit either way; with or without you.
They go on to say:
Won’t I get banned from Digg and StumbleUpon?
“We minimize the risk of your being banned…”
Gee, that sure is reassuring. I would like to see how they “minimize the risk”. My guess is they don’t do anything but SAY they minimize it. I don’t see how Digg or StumbleUpon would try to work with them at all for undemining the whole point of their respective services.
They don’t even claim identities on their FAQ:
Who are you?
“We are whomever you want us to be. We come from nowhere and we are everywhere…”
Well that isn’t very reassuring either. You’re not Batman and Robin. Sign me up for passive income, but I don’t like the sketchiness of it.
Other reviews
A post at Techipedia claimed that he knew of a person using Subvert and Profit to gain some exposure through Digg and found:
“It is possible that Digg is well aware of this and made it possible so that people trying to Subvert and Profit will not end up being able to successful when gaming the system…”
Furthering my idea that Digg and StumbleUpon aren’t dumb. They’re on to the tricks Subvert and Profit are dishing out.
Playing the devil’s advocate, if you had an account that you didn’t care about on SU or Digg, it might be worth it if you were that hard up for a few bucks. I can’t imagine you’d break the bank, but again, I’m sure both SU and Digg are on to that trick and try to eliminate those as fast as they can also. It’s a sneaky service, and must be profittable for them, so congrats on that I reckon.
Erica DeWolf seems to have a similar thought process as myself on this front:
“…despite my thoughts that this site is wrong, I must admit that its a brilliant idea, and it seems as if the creators have done a very good job covering up their tracks…”
Conclusion
I’ve had a few sites tossed my way so far, but haven’t Stumbled or Dugg any of them, nor do I plan to. I value my StumbleUpon traffic too much to flirt with possible termination. I’m always for snagging a few extra bucks to add to my net worth statement, but with any investment, you need to watch and research what you’re getting into before diving in head first…
Anyone else had issues/concerns with them?
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13 Comments
March 28th, 2008 at 8:07 am
wow. Doesn’t sound like a company I would want to be a part of either. I think you made the right choice.
Mom@wide open wallet’s last blog post..Saving will set you free.
March 28th, 2008 at 8:08 am
I think your analysis is right on. It seems that if there is anything to be put at risk it would not want to be a site’s primary source of traffic, or at least a significant percentage of it. Not to mention that their site looks pretty shady. Not professional looking at all…and whats going on with the separate blog page? Arbitrage!!
Ben’s last blog post..The Analysis of Location, Location, Location
March 28th, 2008 at 8:35 am
I signed up for S&P a while ago because it seemed like pretty easy money. That is until they sent me my first assignment. I had to read (and Digg) 3 articles and 2 videos. The videos were about 5 minutes each and the articles were about politics (something I will admit not knowing enough about). Overall, this took about 20 minutes of my time and I made a grand total of $0.50. At $1.50 per hour, I would have been better served spending that time with my family.
I know there are better ways to make passive income - now I just need someone to tell me where to find a few great ideas.
Dusty’s last blog post..Why I Gave the Government An Interest Free Loan
March 28th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
I think building a powerful SU account will be better for me in the long run. I couldn’t care less about Digg…it’s never worked for me.
March 28th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
@Mom - yea, no kidding! Thanks for the support!
@Ben - I noticed the blog; definitely sounds a bit peculiar I think also. I dunno, I just know I’m NOT on the same page…
@Dusty - I can think of a lot better things to do for $1.50 per hour; I’d almost be inclined to go through 150 http://bux.to ads for it!
@MrsMicah - No joke about Digg; I’ve gotten nowhere with them either… Down the tubes…
March 28th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
” Who are you?
“We are whomever you want us to be. We come from nowhere and we are everywhere…”
Haha! This makes me laugh. If you don’t read this and run…well I don’t know what to say.
lpkitten’s last blog post..Our Tax Dollars (Inefficiently) at Work
March 28th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
oh, p.s. I was curious, you said you “build” your stumbleupon account. what exactly do you mean by that? i’ve just started using it and was curious how to optimize it. any tips?
lpkitten’s last blog post..Our Tax Dollars (Inefficiently) at Work
March 30th, 2008 at 11:25 am
@lpkitten - Yea, no kidding, sounds a little fishy myself…
As far as the StumbleUpon account, I’m crafting a post now on it, but the teaser advice I can give you is to not think of it as your marketing too; use it with an altruistic approach to it. People will find you, but it’s not a marketing tool, it’s a social tool. Find good sites, and people will find and drive traffic to you…
Feel free to add me as a friend when you get cookin!: http://hankstram33.stumbleupon.com
March 30th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
I had much the same thought process when I learned about Subvert and Profit some months ago. I LIKE StumbleUpon. It’s fun to use and there’s no good reason to mess up my account like that. If others would rather mess around, that’s their problem.
Stephanie’s last blog post..How Do You Know If Working at Home is Right for You?
March 31st, 2008 at 6:05 pm
you probably shouldnt have even posted about it. even though u felt it was immoral, u spread the word. if they did referrals, u prolly just got like 20. i agree though, i think its wrong.
David Carter’s last blog post..Protect Your Pockets from Credit Card Penalties
April 1st, 2008 at 6:55 am
@Stephanie - no kidding, no need to chance it.
@David - yea, I probably shouldn’t have, but I figured the “pros” and “cons” of it pointed in favor of “pros” as I would be helping my readers out so not to step in that bear trap; hope it worked!
July 26th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Thanks for the information.
I found this interview interesting also:
Interview with Ragnar Danneskjold of Subvert & Profit
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