15. Waiting for The Viewbar

I got another update for the viewbar from the official AGLOCO's blog.


I have just got word from our Shanghai based tech team with an update on the Viewbar status. Most of the QA tests are going well with the exception of the ad servers. The team is currently integrating the Viewbar with the ad servers so that the Viewbar will have ads (and revenue) ready to go when it launches (it would not make too much sense to release a Viewbar that was not making any money). So, while the Viewbar is still on track for release this month, making the April 2nd to 16th window is getting more difficult – and, yes, the Shanghai team has been working seven days a week for quite a while now and will continue to do so until the Viewbar is released.

There is some good Viewbar news for most of you. As I mentioned in my last post, we are initially releasing about 50,000 Viewbars to those Members that signed up first. Our current plan is to release another 50,000 Viewbars every day until every pre-launch Member has a Viewbar (which means all Members should have their Viewbar within the first 10 – 11 days). This should alleviate some of the fears Members have expressed that they might have to wait weeks or months for their Viewbar. We recognize that there have been delays on the front end of the release, so we are trying to tighten up the back end of the release as much as possible.

Also, as some Members have correctly pointed out, AGLOCO’s early revenue will not immediately translate into cash distributions to Members. While we do not know how large our initial revenue will be, we do know that AGLOCO has operating costs to pay. It is important to remember that AGLOCO is not a “get rich quick scheme”, and we maintain that the most prudent way to build AGLOCO as a sustainable company is to calibrate Member distributions to company earnings. As such, the cash payouts will not begin until there is a comfortable balance between AGLOCO’s free cash flow and AGLOCO’s expenses. It is important to add that all Members will begin to accumulate hours from when they first start using the Viewbar (and referral hours will also be earned). Those hours will not be wasted. Both overall hours and monthly hours will be used in determining distributions to Members.

I’ll keep you posted as relevant updates continue to come up.


Brian Greenwald
AGLOCO Development Team

10. How Do AGLOCO Makes Money?

Did you know how AGLOCO makes money for its members? AGLOCO makes money for its Members in many ways:

Search: Every time you use the Viewbar™ to do an Internet search, AGLOCO earns money from the search engine providers. (For example, Google pays as much as $0.10 on average for each search that is directed to its search engine.)

Advertising: The Viewbar™ itself displays ads that are targeted based upon the websites you’re visiting. When you click on an ad and make a purchase, AGLOCO receives a referral fee, which we pass on to our Members. (Please note: Individual members do not receive any compensation for clicking on ads in the Viewbar™, and the Viewbar™ can detect if someone is clicking ads in a fraudulent manner.)

Transaction commissions: Many major retailers pay commissions when you refer customers who make a purchase. AGLOCO collects that commission and passes it on to our members. (For example, Amazon pays an 8.5% commission to most websites who refer customers, and has cut deals for even larger percentages. The bigger the AGLOCO community, the better commission we can negotiate for our Members.)

Software distribution: Numerous software companies pay websites to encourage the download of new software releases (for example, Adobe’s Flash and Acrobat Reader software), and trial versions of new programs. AGLOCO members not only get access to the latest and coolest software, they get paid for it.

Service distribution: Many online service providers will look to the AGLOCO community as a source of new and active users for their services. (For example, eBay, Skype, and PayPal, among others, all pay fees to people who help them recruit new active users to their services)

Product distribution: When Members agree to use a product, such as cell phones, high-tech gadgets, office supplies, new credit cards or financial services, AGLOCO can collect referral fees. Some companies even offer special rebate and cash-back programs.

8. AGLOCO Team

Meet the AGLOCO Team

1. Akshay Mavani
A.K. coordinates strategy and represents our Indian Members. He brings experience as an electronic engineer, and worked in sales and strategy in China and Hong Kong before attending Stanford's Graduate School of Business.

2. Allison Cui
Allison is AGLOCO's China specialist and represents our Chinese Members. She worked as a software engineer in Shanghai, China before attending the Stanford Graduate School of Business.


3. Anne Sophie Mayos
Anne-Sophie handles AGLOCO's website and her sense of style makes sure it is always up to date. Originally from Paris, she designed media information sites for millions of online users at France's leading television channel.

4. Brian Greenwald
Brian works in business development at AGLOCO. A scientist by education, he worked in marketing and development for several biotech companies before attending Stanford's Graduate School of Business.

5. Cannon Bonar

Cannon is AGLOCO's ambassador within the teenage community. Currently a student at Central Middle School, he will represent our teen Members (and he tried hard to think of a cool-looking name for our company).

6. Dan Jorgensen
Dan is AGLOCO's Member recruiting coordinator. He worked in sports marketing and online advertising before helping AGLOCO create its network.

7. Javier Alvira
Javier is our in-house blogger expert. A native of Spain, he worked as an engineer in telecommunications around Europe before joining Stanford's Graduate School of Business.

8. Jim Jorgensen
Founder of AllAdvantage and Discovery Zone. Jim's experience of paying $100 million to members in 1999 and pioneering the “returning value to Internet users” idea, is an invaluable source in guiding AGLOCO's new Development Team members.

9. Moshe Pinto
Moshe is AGLOCO's resident lawyer, he negotiates and executes contracts. Prior to joining Stanford's Graduate School of Business, Moshe worked as a corporate lawyer and political strategist in Israel and the US.

10. Nick Punt
Nick advises AGLOCO's technological and community development. He worked as a video game designer and online communities' product manager prior to attending Stanford's Graduate School of Business.

11. Ray Everett-Church
Ray was the world's first corporate Chief Privacy Officer, pioneering the field of corporate privacy professionals. An attorney and technology expert, he is responsible for ensuring the privacy and security of AGLOCO's Member information and providing guidance on privacy and anti-spam issues.

12. Sam Flax
Sam is AGLOCO's Chief Architect for the design of our economic network. Sam's 30 years in Russia and then 20 years in the US give to AGLOCO a unique perspective on managing and implementing our database.

13. Steve de Bonvoisin
Steve coordinates AGLOCO's communication and strategy implementation. Originally from Belgium, he has lived and worked on four continents and brings experience in economic consulting and as a reporter for a leading economic newspaper. He is attending Stanford's Graduate School of Business.

14. Trey Reasonover
Trey is our in-house community dynamics specialist. He became a Web 2.0 addict after working as a strategy consultant, and attends Stanford's Graduate School of Business.

7. AGLOCO'S Vision

During the last ten years, the Internet has spawned a new economy: one where users create tremendous economic value but hardly get anything in return. With AGLOCO we want to change that thinking. We hope that all companies that depend on its users will eventually believe in what we do – The Members should share the value they generate for the company.

We believe that AGLOCO will be a success if we can change the entrepreneurial mindset on the Internet. Instead of only looking for ways users can help them build the company, future entrepreneurs will be asking how the users can share in the value creation.

We believe in a different way of looking at users on the internet. We developed the following philosophy for AGLOCO and we welcome your comments (philosophy@AGLOCO.com). After all, it's your company.

10. Members should be owners

The Members who are the source of value for an internet company should own that company. This brings transparency and rewards the right people who contribute to developing the company.

9. Providers should be stewards

The providers of a service where Members create the value should act as stewards, not owners. The stewards of the company have a duty to do what is right for the community, and maximize the benefits for the community. The stewards will act in the best interest of the community if the incentive system is aligned.

8. You can make money without changing anything you do

The internet currently generates value from nearly everything a user does online. From a simple internet search, to clicking on an ad, to making a purchase, someone is making money from these activities. Our job, as stewards of a large community, is to ensure a fair part of that value is returned to our Members.

7. Privacy is not a nice to have, it is a must have

Our Members privacy is paramount. After all, without our Members, the community would not exist. That is why we will never sell, disclose or give away any or all of our Members' information. A high level of privacy is far more valuable to the community than any alternative.

6. Trust is everything

The AGLOCO platform can be a gateway for an array of other services developed to provide both monetary and service benefits. Whether early virus and phishing site alerts or simply a trusted information exchange, Members should benefit from such a community.

5. Every single Member benefits

Every Member should benefit in his or her way by joining a trusted community. Whether earning money while surfing, or giving that money away to charity, we believe the platform should represent what the Internet should be: a source of benefit for a large section of the population.

4. Members that own the community should help promote and police it

A user that owns part of the community has more incentive to promote it and keep it free of malicious software and ill-intentioned individuals. We believe that the overwhelming majority of our Members will want to reach out to friends, family and colleagues, as well as protect themselves from scams and pitfalls on the Internet.

3. A community with a shared sense of responsibility

We stray away from advertising and products that are socially unacceptable. We strive to create an active and socially responsible community.

2. A global community

The internet unites the world across cultures, borders and languages. AGLOCO wants to bridge the divide in global understanding and promote itself as a cross cultural, socially aware and responsible community.

1. Free is too expensive (our favorite)

A free service is always great. However, if Members produce what becomes the core value of the company – as we have seen with recent online mega-deals - then we believe Members should receive a good portion of the financial benefit that the company derives.

The AGLOCO Development Team