financial reflections

Every misspell a page or type in what you thought was a valid domain name just to see an annoying screen full of ads pop up?  What you have probably found is someone exploiting “type-in-traffic” perhaps coupled with what internet millionaire Bob Parsons calls add/drop abuse.  Here’s how it works:

1. Sign up for a domain name
2. Throw up a computer generated page of ads
3. Return the domain for a full refund within the five day limit.
4. Repeat one or two million times

I’m not sure if commoners like myself can “return” domains the way larger organizations can, but the fact is that a lot of “refunds” are going on in the internet world.

The pages only have to make pennies per page.  Everything is run by software, so the trick is to make a little money (very little) off of thousands or possibly millions of domains.  So here I am, blogging my guts out, and making … pennies, while someone out there is making millions.  I’m not looking to get rich off of Financial Reflections, but I do see so many ways to increase my income online that it boggles my mind.

Am I jealous?  Ok, not really.  I think the whole add/drop scheme is shady from the start.  I’m not jealous of the Million Dollar Homepage kid, either, but I (along with everyone else who owns a site) did kick myself for not thinking of it first.