24. Is AGLOCO A Scam?
Just Think Positive
After delayed the launching for the Viewbar, I heard a lot of discussion in the net that labelled AGLOCO is a scam. Yes, it is easy to label any prelaunch program in internet as a scam as well as AGLOCO also have problems (delaying the launching for the Viewbar).
For me, I think AGLOCO is definitely not a scam, I believed in it. The releasing of Viewbar is not as easy as ABC. Though I don't know about it, but releasing it requires a lot of work. Furthermore, AGLOCO development team need to settled up with the advertisers and the Viewbar itself.
Thing can go wrong sometimes and I'm sure this company is trying their best they could. If they delayed the release, they must have some reason either technical problem or another problem as well. If every AGLOCO members have patience, things will go right. AGLOCO is trying the best, and we should appreciate it. Not by asking "Is this a scam?", "After delaying of the Viewbar, I don't want to recruit people anymore!" or anything negative about AGLOCO.
I want to ask people 2 questions. If this is a scam, why AGLOCO's Development Team worked so hard to release the Viewbar? If this is a scam, what AGLOCO get from it? Although I'm a newcomer, I've been waiting for the Viewbar too. But I won't blame anything to this company.
Why AGLOCO Is Not Going To Fail
I found this great articles which tell us why AGLOCO is not going to fail. I think it's worth to republish it here. The title is 7 Reasons Why AGLOCO Is Not Going To Fail and I got this article from Michael H. Lewis blog.
Some people say that AGLOCO will fail because most people won't make lots of money off of it. The argument says that since it is only a small minority of people who are actively trying to build huge referral networks, only they stand to reap the benefits of AGLOCO membership; the rest won't make any money and they'll just stop using the Viewbar altogether, lowering the payout amounts, discouraging others from joining and killing the program's viability. Or maybe people will get spyware-weary and not download the Viewbar for fear of being monitored.I couldn't disagree more with these argument, for a number of reasons:
- It's a big world out there. Meaning that even if three-quarters of all savvy Internet users out there think that AGLOCO is a scam, the one quarter that doesn't is still going to sign up - and I bet that one quarter will be more than enough for a decent advertising audience that will definitely draw in some serious cash. It certainly would easily break AGLOCO's "10 million members by July 2007" goal.
- The Internet grows bigger every day - and not just in terms of new users. Every day, a few thousand people who used to use the Internet simply to check their email realize that in order to keep up, they need to use the whole Internet. So they bookmark Wikipedia, create a Facebook or Linkedin page, join an Internet forum on the topic they are interested in, maybe check out del.icio.us,... and they will also join AGLOCO once one of us shows them how the "infomediary"/"economic network" is the future of the Internet. Someone like that will install the Google toolbar... why not the AGLOCO Viewbar? It's no more invasive, and it may turn out to be just as informative. Do you know how many cookies are in your cache?
- Not everybody will join in order to become a millionaire. Remember that even if the average Jane or Joe has maybe 0 to 2 referrals, they still will appreciate making a small amount of money each month for doing nothing but turning on a small Viewbar that does not disrupt their Internet experience. Don't forget, if you are a savvy expert on what's hot on the web, you are in a tiny minority all over the world. Most people are grateful to learn just how to use email, and maybe perform a basic Google search now and then. They don't intend to make a career out of online moneymaking. A lot of these folks take the time to clip coupons from the Sunday paper; why wouldn't they take a few seconds to switch on the AGLOCO Viewbar? For many whose lives are 99+% offline, the concept of getting a little money just for signing up for AGLOCO is pretty nice - and it's going to be the source of a lot of money for those of us who seek them out (yes, please click there if you haven't already joined AGLOCO!).
- While many people will make some money, a few of us are going to make large amounts of money, given that AGLOCO gives incentives to refer others. Those of us who do make considerable amounts of money are going to post our checks on our websites and show them to our friends, and then it certainly won't be hard to bring them aboard. I intend to be one of those who makes more than a few bucks a month. Are you with me?
- Like any company, AGLOCO will be put to the test. Sure, any hot new startup can get a million hits and be the talk of the Internet for a week... but soon, the proof will have to come forth. AGLOCO's team knows it must provide real member satisfaction in order to succeed. As the development team's letter states: "Trust is Everything. We lose your trust, and the network fails. We work on behalf of the members and everything we do must keep that in mind. Our members know what we are doing with their data and how we are using it for their benefit." Now, if AllAdvantage is any indication, even with the mistakes the AllAdvantage team made, they basically did it right, because, in the words of that same letter, "We unfortunately had to close the business, even though new members were continuing to join the network" . What this means is that AllAdvantage's record was pretty good. Which brings me to my next point...
- AGLOCO has a convincing history and reputation even though it has yet to be fully launched. What this means is that many people, especially those in the know, are more likely not to suddenly abandon the AGLOCO project if something doesn't quite go as planned. If those in the know stay aboard, they of course bring others along with them. Here is what upholds AGLOCO's reputation:
- The success of AllAdvantage in 1999 and 2000 (John Chow made $25,000 with AllAdvantage).
- The corporate experience of the AGLOCO team (8 seasoned Stanford MBAs, including several former executives)
- The fact that the AGLOCO team has many former AllAdvantage team members who have learned a lot from the mistakes made during AllAdvantage's run.
7. The benefits of membership in an economic network hold great value for ordinary folks! Do you know anybody who is a member of a frequent flyer program? A credit union? A benefits or discount program through their job? AAA or CAA auto service (US and Canada)? Those folks would sign up for AGLOCO in a heartbeat even if there were no cash payouts just for surfing. Here is why, courtesy of a blog post by development team member Brian Greenwald:
The AGLOCO Viewbar software will be capable of sensing when you are making the type of purchase for which AGLOCO has a revenue sharing program (and by potentially directing you to that partner if you are not already on their site). If you make a purchase, the Viewbar will collect the commission from that purchase. Initially, this revenue may be added to the general AGLOCO revenue pool for expenses and Member distribution, but eventually a sizeable percentage for that revenue will go directly into the Member’s account. Thus, the more a Member buys, the more money will be put into his or her account in addition to regular AGLOCO income. Without the Viewbar, that commission would simply not be paid, or might go to someone else.
One of the reasons a larger AGLOCO network is important is that these retailers generally pay a higher commission percentage for networks with more Members (i.e. those who bring more customers tend to get paid more money per customer). Rates vary by retailer and by retail industry, but one thing is generally true of all of them: as AGLOCO grows, we will be able to negotiate better and better commission rates for you.
This is one way in which you (as a regular Member) make extra money, and with AGLOCO it will be automatic. It’s like your Internet purchases being made by a cash-back credit card, where the Viewbar automatically picks up when you are eligible for this cash back. So, besides having an active Viewbar on your desktop, you will not need to take any action to collect this money.
Ok, now you know why this is not going to fail. If you aren't yet a member, you know that you should be. But if you still aren't convinced, read this. And please feel free to post your comment.
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