Date: Tue, 6 Apr 1999 23:56:36 -0400
Reply-To: TOURBUS-Request@LISTSERV.AOL.COM
Sender: The Internet TourBus - A virtual tour of cyberspace
From: Bob Rankin
Subject: TOURBUS - 06 April 1999 - ALLADVANTAGE / FEBREZE / GAS OUT
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TODAY'S TOURBUS TOPICS: ALLADVANTAGE / FEBREZE / GAS OUT
Greetings fellow riders of the World's Biggest Bus! Today I want to
fill you in a hot topic that many of you have been asking me about,
namely the ALLADVANTAGE "Get Paid to Surf" program, and then give
you the scoop on two new urban legends that are making the rounds
with a vengeance.
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GET PAID TO SURF?
-----------------
You've probably seen offers with that title before. But typically
they are the type of thing where you have to convince a certain number
of friends to choose a certain Internet service provider, in exchange
for a discounted rate or a small monthly referral bonus.
And you probably remember reading in Tourbus about Juno and NetZero,
the email and Internet providers which give you free access in return
for putting up with advertising messages on your screen.
But the AllAdvantage.com program is quite different. As a member,
they will PAY you 50 cents an hour while you surf the Web for up to 40
hours per month. That means you can earn up to $20 per month just for
browsing the Internet the way you normally do.
We all know there's no such thing as a free lunch, so what's the
catch? All members download the AllAdvantage.com Viewbar(tm), a little
piece of software that displays a standard size ad banner on the
bottom of your screen. The Viewbar pops up when you open an Internet
connection and displays a stream of advertising messages. However, it
can be minimized from your screen with a single click at any time.
For more info, click on the link below:
http://www.tourbus.com/getpaid.htm
Is It a Scam? Will it Work?
----------------------------
I've done some checking around and the program seems perfectly legit.
It's been widely reported in major news outlets, and all the comments
I've read praise the idea as an clever new online advertising model.
The AllAdvantage program requires that you divulge your name & address
(so they can send you your monthly check) but their privacy policy is
clear that your personal info will not be shared or sold.
The folks at AllAdvantage are betting that you will happily tolerate
the advertising messages in return for a bit of cold hard cash.
Seems like a fair trade to me... people are already used to the idea
of seeing banner ads on web sites, so why not get paid for the
trouble?
But Wait, There's More
----------------------
...And it's even better than a free set of steak knives. If you refer
friends to AllAdvantage.com you'll get 10 cents per hour while THEY
surf the Web. And you'll receive an additional 5 cents per hour from
the extended referrals that come in from your referrals. So if you
refer a bunch of friends who do the same, you could earn a lot more
than $20 a month.
My motto when it comes to this kind of speculative venture is "SOME
money is better than NO money", and it looks like there's nothing to
lose here. I've decided to throw my hat into the ring, and if you
want to give it a try too, here's the address again:
http://www.tourbus.com/getpaid.htm
DOES FEBREZE KILL PETS?
-----------------------
Have you gotten this one yet? A story widely circulating on the Net
claims that:
> There have been multiple instances of dogs and
> birds who have died or became very ill after
> being exposed to Febreze, a deodorizer/air
> freshener. Febreze contains zinc chloride, which
> is very dangerous for animals.
But is it true? According to both the ASPCA (American Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and Proctor & Gamble, the maker of
Febreze, there is no reason to believe this story, no evidence to
suggest that Febreze is harmful to pets, and nobody alive who is able
to corroborate the allegations that any pet has become sick or died as
a result of being exposed.
My guess is this story was created by the same person who started the
false rumor back in the 1980's that the president of Proctor and
Gamble was a satanist. That story has been thoroughly discredited, as
should this one. If you get a copy, send them here:
http://www.napcc.aspca.org/febreze.htm
http://www.febreze.com/pet.html
THE GREAT "GAS OUT"
-------------------
No, it's not a new anti-flatulence product... I've gotten many copies
this week of another silly story making the rounds. In response to
rising gasoline prices in the USA, someone has come up with a novel
"solution" to the problem.
> It's time we did something about the price
> of gasoline in America! We are all sick and
> tired of high prices when there are literally
> millions of gallons in storage.
>
> Know what I found out? If there was just
> ONE day when no one purchased any gasoline,
> prices would drop drastically ...
>
> Let's have a GAS OUT! Do not buy any
> gasoline on APRIL 30, 1999!!!!!
What a dumb idea. Why would the oil companies care what day of the
week you fill your tank? Even if this unattributed, unsubstantiated
claim that gas prices would drop drastically in response to a one-day
comsumer boycott were true (and I doubt it), it couldn't have any
lasting effect. It's not like we'd be using any LESS gasoline... it
would just be purchased on a different day.
For a more thorough debunking of this and many other urban legends,
visit the great site maintained by David (not a magician) Emery at:
http://urbanlegends.miningco.com
That's all for now. See you next time! --Bob Rankin.
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