Toolbar Pays when You and Your Friends Surf the Internet

A new toolbar is about to be released that will pay its users to do what they do anyway while online. Its website claims that it wont even feature flashy, irritating, advertisements, but only small text ads, like we're used to seeing on many websites.

There's been talk about getting paid to surf the internet since AllAdvantage went away. Prior to the "dotcom bust" in the late 90's, eccomerce gadgets like theirs would display ads on the computers of surfers, and pay .80 or so an hour. Not exactly lucrative, but it's something right? Well rumors abound about folks cheating the company, and others like it, playing a part in it's own demise. There were also accusations of spyware, malware, and the like.

So, what about this new company, Agloco? It's been open to new members for months, but no toolbar to be seen, as of yet. What is it really all about? Is it the scam folks in newsgroups herald it to be? Is it legit? Or are they just collecting information on members to sell?

They claim to make their members money in several ways. Ultimately, even the company stock is owned by it's members. A company that passes ad revenue, sales commissions and stock to it's members? I'd like to see the big established companies try that!

I did some digging to figure it out for myself, and to decide if I'd recommend this tool to my clients & readers. Because in my business, I help clients turn their passions into their vocations, and I wouldn't want to recommend something that would be malicious to where most of my clients make their money - their computers.

Here's my criteria:

1. Will it be intrusive / disruptive?
2. Is it safe for their technology?
3. Is it safe for their information?
4. Will it effectively add to their income? And How?

The Viewbar - How annoying is it?

The Viewbar is the Agloco toolbar. Members agree to run the Viewbar at the bottom of their screen, while surfing the internet, up to five hours a month. The website claims it doesn't show annoying flashy advertisements, but small text ads. There will be a search box, that has access to Google, Yahoo, and the like. Members do what they do anyway, and the commission that Agloco recieves for members surfing and potentially buying on the internet, Agloco keeps 10% and pays 90% back to its members. The payout is determined by time the member used the Viewbar. (Another factor effects the "how much" equation, we'll get to that in a bit.)

Sounds pretty unobtrusive. Text ads aren't terribly annoying, and I'm used to them from Gmail & other websites that use them. And they're not asking me to click on the ads they run, but I likely would, if I saw something interesting. It also wouldn't be too much for me to search Google from the Viewbar, rather than from the top of my browser.

Ok, question number 1. "Will it be intrusive / disruptive?" Doesn't sound like it, so far.

What kind of spyware / malware gets installed?

Members opt to download the toolbar. I wondered what else downloads with it. Have you ever downloaded a seemingly helpful product, only to have it install spyware and malware and make your computer run SO SLOW?

According to the website, no malware or spyware is downloaded with the Viewbar. It merely records the time a user is actively online and displays small text ads.

Latest reports show that the toolbar is ready to launch, except for the ads portion. Apparently creating a tool that works with Macs & pcs, all common browsers, all over the world takes some work. Imagine that! ;)

Seems safe for technology, answering question number 2. Furthermore, I have a lot of respect for them not releasing the tool until it's safe and ready to use.

What kind if information is collected? Who are they selling it to?

C'mon, everybody's doing it! It can't be that bad. Can it? Your utilities, your credit card, phone, even the government is in the act of selling your personal information.

When I went to sign up at Agloco's website, I read their privacy policy, terms of use, and member agreement, to see if I could find who they sell to. The privacy policy says they don't sell, or share information, except with those building the Viewbar, and who are prohibited from future use of said information, or should the law require that your information is shared, it will be. Sounds about the same as most companies.

One thing that DID surprise me, though, is when I looked at the sign up form. They don't ask for an address. Just a name, email, city and state. I've had email greeting card companies be more invasive.

But how do we KNOW the information's safe? Couldn't they sell our email?

Well, yeah, I guess they could, if they wanted to tick off the 10,000,000 member network that their aiming to have in place by July.

Oh and then, there's that one guy. Y'know the guy. Ray Everett-Church is Agloco's Chief Privacy Officer. Why should that mean anything to you? According to the website: "Ray was the Internet's first Chief Privacy Officer, and co-author of 'Internet Privacy for Dummies�'." Not to shabby, eh?

So far, we have that it's reportedly not disruptive, it's safe for computers, and safe for user information. We're at 3 out of 4. Pretty cool.

What about the money?

Ah, yes. The money.

In the early days of YouTube, Myspace, Google, and similarly huge companies, who supported and helped the companies grow and become the monoliths they are today? The members.

Who got the ad revenue when the sites grew? The company.

Who got the $1.68 BILLION when YouTube sold? The company.

Who grew the company? The members.

Hardly seems fair, right? And honestly, I wasn't thinking that much about this, before checking out Agloco. Look at all those adds, next time you use Myspace, why aren't YOU getting a piece of that? You grew the site! Let's all go ask Tom, shall we?

Agloco stand for A Global Community.

Their aim is to build an economic community, where ad revenue, sales commissions and other such monies are shared by the community that produced the revenue. Seems like common sense, doesn't it? Why, then, is it so avant guard? If we are the ones producing the revenue, why shouldn't we have a part in the rewards?

Members earn, monthly, in four main ways.

1. Earn money based on the use of the Agloco Viewbar for that month. You do NOT earn more for yourself by clicking on ads in the viewbar & fraudulent clicking is detected. (Cool, no scammers!)
2. Earn shares of the company based on use of the Viewbar for that month.
3. Earn more by helping to build community. Unlike some other companies I mentioned, if you help grow the community, you're rewarded.
4. Earn when members you brought into the community earn.

So, say you're curious, it's free, safe, and you could make a little something extra for the surfing you'd do anyway. You click on my link, because this article was informative and you're open to taking a look. You like what you see, so you sign up. You tell your friends, because you'd like to help them make a few extra bucks, too.

Agloco is rewarded for the time that its members surf with the Viewbar open, from ad revenue, from sales commissions (think about it, Amazon and other sites pay 8% or more when a website refers a buyer), from service referrals, etc. Agloco keeps 10%. 90% gets distributed to community members based on the time each member put into the community.

YOU are rewarded for the time you put in. Your friends are rewarded for the time they put in. And you're rewarded for the time they put in. And we all earn more of the company.

Megzie Sez:

My conclusion is that it appears to be safe. Has the research and clout to back it up. Systems in place to avoid scams. And the rewards will range from a monthly cup of coffee for my own use, to offsetting the cost of broadband, with a larger community.

I'm on the internet most of the day, anyway, with writing, coaching and web design. A lot of that is research. It wouldn't be too much more hassle to search from the Viewbar, than from my browser.

When the Viewbar comes out this month, I'll use it, and see what happens. I'll recommend it to clients who want some passive income for surfing they'd do anyway. I'll recommend it to you, with the understanding that I trust you to check it out for yourself, to read the user agreements and privacy policy and decide for yourself if using the Agloco Viewbar is right for you.