Autosurf

An autosurf is a type of online advertising program. Autosurfs are basically traffic exchanges that automatically rotate advertised websites in one's Internet browser. They are capable of bringing a huge amount of traffic to the advertised websites. Members (ad viewers) earn credits for each site that they view, and these credits can then be spent to advertise the members' sites by adding them to the autosurf rotation. Sites may additionally be added by external advertisers who pay the autosurf operators.

Autosurfs differ from manual traffic exchanges in that the site rotation is automatic; an ad viewer need not respond or even view the sites. Many autosurfs also pay their viewers a percentage or hourly commission to view the advertised sites. On the web as of 2005/6, a large number of autosurfs are investment autosurfs: members pay an "investment" fee and are promised a certain "return" on their fee. The "investment" is claimed to be (usually disguised as) a membership or upgraded membership fee and the "return", a per-site commission. There is a strong possibility that most investment autosurfs are Ponzi schemes, and thus breaking the law and/or deceiving their users.

Concept

Autosurfing is in some ways similar to the concept of advertising on television. Advertising companies pay large amounts of money to TV stations to run commercials, and in return TV viewers may watch programs for free, in exchange for commercial breaks during programs.

In comparison, autosurfers are paid to view pure advertising (that is, advertisers' websites) for a certain amount of time (usually less than 30 seconds). Interested viewers can pause the surf timer or open any site in a new window, giving themselves more time to peruse an ad. If the viewer is not interested and does nothing, the surf timer will simply restart after the specified period of time and a new site will be loaded into the browser.

One flaw in the concept from an effective advertising standpoint is that the viewer need not actually watch the rotation. Most sites contain code to re-maximize the web browser window every time the page rotates, preventing the viewer from using their computer effectively, but an autosurfer can walk away from the computer, or disable the relevant script actions in the browser. The surf rotation requires no feedbacks of any kind, in contrast to a Manual surf, Paid to Read Email or Paid to Click site.

Benefits

Autosurfing allows members to promote websites of their own choice, according to a system of "credits" earned by surfing. Members usually earn credits in a fixed ratio to the number of sites they view; for example, for each 4 sites a member views, he or she may earn 3 credits, which can then be allocated the member's own site, which will cause three other members of the autosurf to visit the site at some point in the future. Of course, as the member may not actually be viewing those 4 sites, the 3 visitors to his site may also not be viewing the member's site but just logging a hit from their IP address.

Member-promoted websites may or may not be their own websites. If not, they are most often the members' MLM page at another autosurf or an online money-making program. This is because most autosurfs are structured as pyramid schemes - members may earn a commission for each site that their referrals view, and are therefore encouraged to build a downline; the most obvious place to advertise is on other autosurfs. Also, most members do not have their own sites.

In the case of 'investment autosurfs', members either pay a "fee" to join and/or to upgrade their account level. The "fee" can usually vary from a few cents to thousands of dollars, and the minimum and maximum is set by the site operator; as such it is more like an investment because the member chooses how much to "risk". The program then offers a commission based on the member's account level for viewing a minimum number of sites, for example, for a period of X days, every day that the member views Y sites, Z% of the upgrade fee will be credited and can be withdrawn from the site. The product of Z% and X is always over 100% to ensure that the member makes a profit. Members also have even more incentive to build a downline because further commissions are received based on the amount of money that referred members put in or earn.

As autosurfs are run from websites, online payment processors are used for members to upgrade and withdraw their profits. The most common processor until Feburary 2006 was StormPay, but after it converted to an auction site, the most common processor is now e-gold. The 'investment autosurf' concept is generally against PayPal's terms of service, however, so sites using PayPal are few and usually do not last long before PayPal blocks their account.

Many people have used autosurfs to earn extra income, sometimes up to hundreds of dollars daily. In this regard, they are similar to HYIPs that can give a very high return.

Controversy

A large amount of controversy is concentrated over whether autosurfs are inherently structured as Ponzi schemes. Traffic-only autosurfs that involve no monetary transactions can also be Ponzis if more credits are earned than page views available; older members are promised a certain number of website hits which can only be fulfilled by newer members joining, because when older members view sites, using up others' credits, they earn more credits. However no money is lost and few people, if any, are concerned about this as credits are basically 'free'.

On the other hand, autosurfs which require an investment and promise to pay a profit must, to not be a Ponzi, have other sources of income which can yield the high percentages they offer. Therefore, they often come under attack because of failing to reveal their income sources or not registering as a legitimate investment company. Ponzi schemes will end when no new investors are found, and it follows that autosurf sites have rather short lifespans, existing from one week to a few years depending on the popularity and "investment plans" offered. Also, if one is paying a fee to join and receiving commission for viewing ads, then it makes no sense that those who "invest" a higher amount are paid a higher amount for viewing the same number of sites a day.