BEWARE OF TODAY.COM BLOG SCAM?
A good example of why you really want to be making your CashCrate blogs with your own URL’s and own hosting is happening right now. There are a lot of people quite upset right now at Today.com because the free blogs they have are being shut down.
Free blogs are great but, and it is a big BUT, you don’t own them and they can be shut down for no reason or any reason. It would be a shame to put in month, even years, into a blog on a free platform only to find they shut down or were going to shut you down. The only way to prevent that from ever happening is to own your own URL and pay for your own hosting. I discussed this previously here at the best hosting company for your CashCrate Blog.
I have a Today.com blog that I set up a couple of months ago and this morning I got the following email:
Dear VIP Blogger,
You have not consistently posted since becoming a VIP member.
We only retain VIP members who consistently post as this benefits
both the VIP member and our program.
As a result of this inactivity we have disabled your VIP account.
Thank you for trying out our program.
Best Regards,
The Today.com Team
I rifled back an email to them being polite and asking to be let back in but after I sent it I poked around on the net and found out I wasn’t the only one this was happening to. You see, Today.com tried to entice bloggers for blogging with them by saying they would pay them $2.00 for every 1000 unique visits and a dollar for every post.
It appears Today.com might be running into some monetary problems as a whole bunch of people are getting their blogs shut down and there is nothing you can do about it. There was no warning or anything and a lot of people are pissed right now.
I don’t care one bit about Today.com and whether it is a scam or just run by stupid people who are running out of money. The point of this post is that any free blog you have is not yours and can be shut down in an instant. That includes Blogger and Weebly.
Now I know 99% of the people trying to make Cash Crate referrals don’t have any money or even the knowledge of how to buy a domain and get it hosted but the point is that if you ever do start making money online, owning your own blog should be a priority. You should spread yourself out and have some blogs you own and some that are on the free platforms. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket or one blog!
Today.com is a major scam!! I had over $38.00 and out of the blue they canceled my blog – I am going to post banners all over the place and write them an email each day!! They are fraud site that should be shut down!!
wow.. thanks for your information, I actually just joined the today.com. I then try to find information if the site today.com is scam or not. I found your blog, and finally I know when the site is slicker.
Today.com isn’t a scam. I’ve been paid by them on time and in full every single time.
People get kicked out for not abiding by the terms of service. The terms for payment are simple and IF YOU CAN READ there is nothing that isn’t made clear up front. My blog, http://guitar.today.com has been succesful for well over 8 months now and I haven’t ever had any problems with the network. Great network and a great way to make money online.
I’m inclined to say it’s mismanagement, not scamming, but sometimes it’s hard to tell. I don’t know if ‘blogging advice’ is legit or not, but theirs is a classic ‘insider’ post used when companies try to spin things back in their favor. There are actually ‘online image management’ companies which do this professionally.
I have watched a writer friend’s confusion and dismay as today.com began a downward spiral, starting probably about the time they dropped a site redesign on bloggers that didn’t seem to be well tested nor compatible with existing blogs. The general attitude from Today.com to users who raised concerns was ‘it’s our ball and we can take it home anytime we like.’ Certainly a right they can claim, but as the original post says, not an environment where one can put in effort and expect it to pay off, consistently if at all. From the suspected money crunch theories, sounds like maybe they should have listened to their bloggers.
Just another reminder that online businesses can be like online dating, a front behind which dysfunctional people hide. Look for professionalism, accountability and for those who google before they leap, good for you – anybody can create a website, running a business well is another matter.
I am not a Today insider in any other way than I get paid for blogging on the Today network. I’ve checked out Laura’s blog and, to be honest, it seems like its’ just her current grudge-of-the-week.
Like any business, they arent’ going to pay you to do nothing. And if you suck at your job, you’ll get fired. However, people who can follow the simple rules they give you and make clear upon signup, can easily make a few extra bucks blogging for Today.
Also, I’m pretty sure most scams involve actually taking money from you, not refusing to pay you for shotty work.
Well all I know is that I have been locked out of my own blog for posting inactivity. So, that means it was never my own blog at all and the only way you can ever be sure something like that will not happen is to own your own domain and hosting.
I hate to burst anyone’s pro-Today.com bubble, but I wrote dilligently on that blog with no long breaks and I took it seriously, and I had my VIP account closed for no good reason.
Is Today.com a scam? I don’t know and because I don’t know, I won’t say flat out that it is. All I can say is that many good writers have been “let go” for no good reason.
I also have a today.com blog and quite frankly I am considering getting a lawyer involved in the whole mess. You see when I signed up in January 2009. I was promised $2.00 per cpm and according to my calculations they owe me $80 more than they have paid so far. They have also failed to pay me for someone who signed up via my banner, even though I have emailed them about it several times.Being that I entered into a legal contract with them, that means I have rights as a contractor. As such, I might take this up with a lawyer. Anyone interested in a class action lawsuit? The lawsuit would not be about money, but about scaring the whole internet industry into not taking advantage of bloggers. The companies that take advantage of us need to be stopped.
I also did some digging around and found out that Today.com is hosted on a server along with numerous porn websites. So if the authorities decide to shut down those servers, there goes Today.com.
wrote:
A blog is disabled after 30 or more days of inactivity. While it is disabled there are no new earnings but all earnings up to deactivation are credited to your account until you meet the $50 minimum for payout. Your pay rate is currently $0.002 per impression (PPM).
Before blogs are reinstated there is a review and sometimes the admin will remind bloggers of the rules.