July 30th, 2008

...now browsing by day

 

YTB Travel – Scam or Legit Business?

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008

I have a friend who is a bona fide member of the YTB travel group.  She promotes her stuff, and claims to make a nice commission each month.  She is trying to get me to sign up, since she knows I’m already an Internet marketer and a good public speaker.

I first talked to her about YTB about a year ago, and today I stopped in and asked her how it was going.  She claimed that they (her and her husband do it together) were doing well and once again she urged me to check it out.

So I’ve done a little research online.  Some people call it a scam, others debunk the scam myth.

I’d like to hear from some people who have dealt with YTB before, both those who are currently working the system, and those who signed up and then quit.

For those currently promoting travel via YTB:
How are you doing?  Are you averaging, say, $300/month in commissions?  $500? $1000? More? Or are you finding out that bothering your friends and family to sign up through your website is a pain?

For those who were members and quit:
Why did you quit?  Big promise but no real money? You don’t know how to promote it beyond just friends and family? They screwed you?

Leave your comments and thoughts below.  I’d love to hear them.

Things I’ll Do Differently on Vacation This Year – Thanks to Technology

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008

In preparation for the family vacation, I realized that there are several things I’ll be doing differently than in years past.

I signed up for OnStar’s Three Months on Us Trial.  This will give me emergency contact info if my 15 year old wrecks the Denali on Highway 57.

My Mom just bought a new Garmin for her husband.  I’m going to see if I can’t borrow it for our trip, and if we like it, we may just buy one of our own.

I’ll also be using the Garmin for some geocaching fun.  The kids have been talking about this, so what better way to introduce ourselves to it than on vacation?

I’ll have Google Maps on my Treo for restaurant location and any other info I may need on the fly. I’ll also use it to find known wireless hotspots so that the wife and I can check email.  Unfortunately I’m not at the point in my business where I can trust the biz to someone else while I’m gone, or else I’d be avoiding the email altogether.

I’ll also use Google Reader on my Treo to keep up with the latest feeds (when I’m not driving).

We’re considering signing up for XM radio so we don’t have to change the radio station every 100 miles or so.  That gets old, particularly on an 1800 mile trek across the US.

Can’t Print from Google Maps?

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008

We’re leaving for vacation on Friday, so as is my custom I’m preparing our little folder with the maps to each stop along the way.

Mapquest sends me the wrong way, and there’s no way to change the route. So I decide to use Google maps.

I get the map all finished and go to print it, only to get a blank page.

So I open IE (you know, last resort browser) and try to print it there, same thing.

So I email it to a coworker, and he gets a blank page too.

Can anyone print a map from Google maps today?