The Difference Between Hosted and Self-Hosted Shopping Carts

Shopping carts for your online store can either be self-hosted or hosted. There is a big difference between the two especially when it comes to the price. Hosted shopping carts have monthly fees and sometimes they even require a percentage of your gross sales. This may not seem much at the start when your sales are still low but when you get heavy traffic and sales are high, 1.5% plus monthly fee surely adds up to a lot of money. Self-hosted eCommerce shopping carts, on the other hand, can cost a lot but it’s only a one-time fee. Some shopping carts can be downloaded by getting your license for a few hundred dollars to over a thousand dollars. It’s also self-hosted so you won’t be getting any assistance once you installed and use the program.

Why Choose Hosted Shopping Carts

Hosted shopping carts are excellent for those who cannot host it on their own or for companies who don’t have IT experts with the technical know-how in hosting their shopping cart.

With hosted shopping carts you don’t need to have the knowledge in managing and handling the shopping cart especially when something goes wrong. You are paying them a monthly fee for the reason that when something happens or you have any questions, they have a technical team that will help you out quickly.

Usually, hosted shopping carts also include web hosting or it’s inclusive to a web hosting package so it is more convenient especially for beginners.

If you don’t have much time in your hands to fix problems for your site when they arise then you should go for one with the full support. Let them worry about it and you just wait for them to get it fixed in the quickest time.

Why Choose Self-hosted Shopping Carts

Self-hosted shopping carts (see our SunShop hosted shopping cart review) can be downloaded and installed on your web server. You will be doing it on your own and you are not getting it in combination with a web host. You will need to rent your own web space for it and you’ll be installing it on your own. You will learn about how to install it properly but it’s relatively quite easy to do though you also need to have the knowledge on how to install apps on your server. If you want, some also offers to install it but you also need to pay the installation fee.

If you don’t like to think about monthly fees then the self-hosted shopping carts are for you. No fees and the host will not get a percentage off your sales. The earnings you get from each purchase will go completely to you so you’d be earning more. In the long run, spending hundreds of dollars for the downloadable shopping cart upfront would save you a lot of money in the long run.

If you like to do things your way and don’t want to be limited then the self-hosted shopping cart is perfect. You just need to know how to do it and have the time to spend to get things done.

What are Free and Open Source Shopping Carts

Free and Open Source shopping carts are self-hosted shopping carts that you can get for free. Many are also interested with this type of shopping cart solution as long as it’s from reputable names known to give secure open source experience. Everything is customizable but you need to do everything on your own. Unlike the downloadable shopping carts, these shopping carts require a lot more in building and in getting verified. If you are going for the free and open source shopping carts but would like to hire a technical expert to handle it for you, you’d actually wind up spending a lot more than going for the self-hosted or the hosted shopping cart solution.

Conclusion

Finding the right shopping cart solution for your eCommerce site is very important. Although cost is an important factor to consider but it’s not the only factor. You also have to think about whether the shopping cart solution is going to be beneficial for your site or it may cause problems eventually.

Be realistic. If you know you are not a technical expert then don’t go for the self-hosted shopping carts just yet. If you want to learn, then learn about it first then decide later on if you would like to get the self-hosted shopping cart or if you want the free and open source shopping cart.

Whether you go for the hosted or self-hosted shopping cart, one thing is very important and that is to get one that is well respected and secure. The important part is really for your customers to enjoy their shopping experience with you.

Benefits of Email Marketing Services

One of the most powerful tools in your marketing arsenal is email. These days social media is the big thing, which may cause some business owners to overlook the many capabilities at their fingertips with email marketing services. While email has been around for ages, email marketing services can provide you with an increased level of control over your campaigns and can also reduce the amount of time you have to spend managing your email marketing campaign. Here are some reasons to consider investing in an email marketing service:

• Up-sell and cross-promote your products to the visitors who are most likely to convert. Using email marketing services, you can send out targeted emails to customers based on their past purchase or browsing patterns. These emails will market products the customer has already shown an interest in along with related items that can add value to past or future purchases. Targeted email marketing ensures that you won’t pester customers who aren’t interested in specific products, but that you also won’t miss sales opportunities. You can also identify which customers to target with which offers through surveys and analytic data.
• Generate repeat business from your buyers by engaging customers who have already demonstrated that they are willing to purchase your products. Following up with customers reminds them that you exist and draws their attention to relevant products which may compel them to make another purchase.
• Even if you operate a brick-and-mortar store, an email campaign is an excellent way to boost your offline sales. Customers may shop at your store in person, but they still check their emails at home. Sending out special discount opportunities is a wonderful way to get people to keep coming back through your door.
• Get valuable feedback about your products and services. If you create a targeted mailing list based off of your customers’ interests, you can find out which products and services are of most interest to customers. You also can use the analytic data email marketing services provide to streamline your campaigns.
• Email is the fastest way to reach clients and build relationships which are ongoing in nature. It’s a less expensive way to get in touch, and with email marketing software features like targeted marketing and customized delivery schedules, you can send customers as many or as few messages as they are interested in receiving. This increases the likelihood that people will actually read your targeted emails and appreciate you staying in touch. You can customize the subject line and more and even greet each customer by name, and you can do it automatically. You also can find new customers with email marketing since customers may forward your emails to others.
• Increase sales conversions. This is the bottom line and the most important goal you can achieve using powerful email marketing software. Social media can be integrated into your email campaign for even greater reach, and you can also work in customer testimonials to make your emails even more effective. Ultimately a great program for bulk email is going to boost your revenue.

TopFiveAdvisor has reviewed a dozen popular email marketing services to help you identify the best tool for your company’s campaign. With advanced segmentation, you can now personalize all of your emails and reach out to each of your customers as an individual, and you can do it on a budget. We’ll introduce you to the features and pricing tiers available and also take a look at customer service for each company so that whether you’re a large or small business, you can find the best software for your needs.

Spy Software Vs Spyware

There is a common misconception between the differences of spy software and spyware. On this page, we are going to explain the differences so that you can get a better understanding of what spy software is and isn’t.

What is Spyware?

A spyware is a kind of malicious software (or malware as it’s mostly called) that is installed in a computer and this software gathers information typed in the computer without the knowledge of the person being spied. It is hard to detect a spyware with a simple search but there are many reliable antivirus software that can detect most of these spyware and get rid of them. You wouldn’t want to have a spyware in your computer as this could lead to a lot of problems such as your credit card information being used to make online purchases you did not consent to.

Any type of data can be collected by a spyware and it can do other things too. It can redirect your browser as it please and you have no clue as to what is going on. It is a nuisance and a security threat thus you must make sure your computer is always safe. Avoid going to websites that are not secure and avoid downloading anything online that you are not familiar with.

What is Spy Software?

A spy software is a type of software that is installed to a computer that records every activity done both online and offline. The spy software is different from a spyware because the owner of the computer is the one who made the decision to install it for monitoring activities of other members in the household or by their employees.

Spy software is legal. If it’s illegal then it can be categorized as a spyware because of its intrusion on the privacy of people who are using it. There is a thin line between the two and it all boils down to its legality.

Why is Spyware Illegal?

A spyware is illegal because it steals information from you. It is planted in your computer maliciously and without your consent. Usually, spyware are installed in your computer to abuse this type of technology. Your information may even be sold to several marketing companies and you wonder why you are getting spam emails. The worst thing that could happen is when your identity is used. There are many who reports losing their accounts such as an online game account because of spyware. The predator logs in to your account and changes the password and changes the questions so you will no longer be able to retrieve your account. Not only that, credit card details can be stolen too. This is why it’s important to scan your PC from viruses, adware, spyware and other malware before you ever try typing in your credit card information for your online purchases. Also, make sure your antivirus and spyware software are updated and reliable or else the spyware could simply pass through it.

Simply put, a spyware is something that you wouldn’t want to have in your computer or in your employees’ computers. It’s not meant to protect you, your family and your workforce but it’s meant to steal information.

Why is Spy Software Legal?

Spy software is legal if it is installed on a computer that you own and not on someone else’s computer without their consent. If installing the spy software does not violate anybody’s rights then there are no legal liabilities on your end.

Spy software programs are legal if you install it on your family’s computer to keep your children safe from online predators and from harmful information found online. It is legal as long as your child is under 18. If they are of legal age, you must inform them that you installed the software and they must also consent to it.

Spy software is also legal if you install it at your workplace provided that you have the right to do so. If you are the employer and you want to make sure your workforce are efficient and not slacking around then you must inform them that a spy software is installed on each computers and every activity done are tracked. They must know this so they will know if they type in their personal details, e.g. passwords, it will be logged.

What Are the Benefits of Spy Software?

There are a lot of benefits to having the best spy software. Unlike spyware where there are no benefits as it causes you harm in many aspects, the spy software is there to help protect you and the people who are involved.

One great benefit is for parents. You can’t always watch over your children 24/7 but at least you can try. With spy software you can monitor them when they use the computer even when you’re not at home. With this software you can make sure your children will not be in harm’s way when they don’t have your guidance when they browse online. There are a lot of sites that you can block with spy software so they won’t even be able to try and visit them especially when the contents are restricted or only for adults. The same applies to chatting. Chatting with friends is friend but chatting with strangers can be dangerous. Take control.

Improve the efficiency of your workplace. When employees know they are monitored, and if you show them evidence that you really monitor their computer use, they would be more efficient. Instead of spending hours browsing the internet they’d actually be doing what they are paid to do.

Also, the workplace is much safer when spy software is installed in all computers. This will prevent the transfer of confidential files by your employees to leak them. By avoiding such circumstance, you’d save your company from losing revenues, clients or secrets

There are other ways that spy software can be of great benefit to you. Just remember not to step on anyone’s right to privacy where it applies. Make sure to research about the legalities especially in your area when it comes to spying on a computer.

How eCigarettes Can Help Shake The Habit

Millions of people around the world die each year from smoking-related diseases. Smoking used to be advertised to be good for one’s health until studies show that smoking tobacco actually contains different types of carcinogenic chemicals. Even with different methods to warn people of the harmful effects of cigarettes, millions of people still continue to smoke because they’re already addicted to nicotine. Nicotine is a highly addictive chemical but it’s not categorized as a carcinogen. What makes tobacco smoking harmful are the other chemicals and not exactly because of nicotine.

One method to put nicotine in your system without introducing these harmful chemicals in your body is through the use of the nicotine patch. Many have tried it but not all find it to be the solution to help them finally get rid of the addiction. They still want to enjoy smoking and savor the taste of the smoke in their throat and puffing the smoke after. With nicotine patch you won’t have that luxury so people still crave to smoke a few sticks of cigarette just to satisfy that craving because it became a habit for them. One other method to get the nicotine without the harmful carcinogenic chemicals is with e-cigarettes.

What is an E-Cigarette?

E-Cigarettes were invented in 2003 by Ruyan, a company established in China, and it was introduced to the United States in 2007 then to the rest of the world. E-cigarettes or electronic cigarettes give you the same feel of a real cigarette but minus the harmful chemicals and smoke. It also comes in different flavors and can be disposable or reusable depending on the type of e-cigarette you choose. When you inhale in the vapor, the LED will light up so it looks like the ember tip of a cigarette. You will then be exhaling vapor and not smoke which dissipates quickly and does not have any smell. Second hand smoke will be eliminated so people around you won’t have to suffer from smoking related diseases caused by your smoking addiction.

E-cigarettes are actually not being sold as a smoking cessation device. Rather, it’s an alternative to smoking which is claimed to be healthier. There are still studies being conducted as electronic cigarettes can’t be regulated under Tobacco regulation because it’s not categorized as such. But, because it only contains nicotine and low voltage electricity is required to turn the e-liquids to vapor, it is an obvious safer alternative. Even though it is not promoted or sold as a smoking cessation device but it can actually help you to finally stop smoking. Slowly reduce the nicotine strength until you no longer crave for nicotine.

Steps on How to Stop Smoking Using e-Cigarettes

• Choose an e-cigarette to buy. You can start your search by reading through e-cigarette reviews online and find a reputable company with quality electronic cigarettes. Price is a factor but quality is what’s important. Check what their brand of e-cigarettes offer and make the comparison.
• After making the choice of e-cigarette company and the brand you want, now it’s time to choose the shape and size of e-cigarettes that fits your preference. Choose the flavors to make your experience even more exciting. You may also choose the accessories you want and take note of the battery life.
• Enjoy smoking your new electronic cigarette. Throw away your regular tobacco and start using the electronic cigarettes. It may take some getting used to but you’ll notice that it actually gives you the same feel as smoking regular tobacco. Start with the nicotine strength that you are most comfortable with and slowly reduce its strength. Don’t abruptly reduce the nicotine strength as your body would still be unable to adapt to the lower level of nicotine so you’d end up using it more often.
• If you are successful and you reached the nicotine strength of zero, you can finally say to yourself that you already got rid of the habit of smoking. You can quit using the e-cigarette or continue using it for leisure. They offer different flavors with zero nicotine so you can continue to enjoy the experience of smoking.

In Summary

Many who have tried using electronic cigarettes to help them stop smoking actually recommends it to their friends or loved ones who are also having difficulty kicking the addiction. Many claimed that they are able to kick the habit in just 6 months or even less. More so, it really doesn’t matter how long it’s going to take you to finally kick the habit of smoking and nicotine dependence. What matters is that you are slowly reaching your target and with every time you reach for your electronic cigarette you are only inhaling the great flavor and the nicotine without all the horrible carcinogens that goes with regular cigarettes.

Legal Uses of Monitoring Software

There is a line between a spyware and a monitoring software. Both can do pretty much the same thing and that is spying on activities done on a computer. The difference though is that a spyware is bad and illegal while monitoring software is legal and with consent, and it’s good because it’s used for beneficial reasons and not to steal information with the use of keyloggers.

So, what is a spyware and what is a monitoring software? A spyware is a kind of malicious software that intrudes through a computer’s security program. It compromises the computer and can even contaminate it. There are different kinds of spywares with different means to jeopardize your security. A spyware can record your web habits, can record your emails and many others. The unfortunate thing here is that all the data gathered by this spyware is being sent to someone you don’t know. That person developed this spyware to steal information from a lot of people. Unfortunately many have already fallen victim to this and they lose information such as their credit card details that can be used to make purchases even without your consent. The most affected with this type of theft are users of the Microsoft Windows OS.

Legal Uses of Monitoring Software by Parents

Monitoring software is capable of what a spyware can do only that it is legal. That’s because this type of software is allowed with an informed consent and that the one who will install it must be the owner of the computer or is consented by the owner of the computer and lastly, it must be used for parental guidance towards their children.

This type of software is great for parents who are afraid to leave their children to use the computer without them watching over them. Of course parents can’t always be there and kids would want to use the computer for many reasons such as for schoolwork or simply to play games and be in touch with friends. Monitoring software can be legally installed on their computer (as long as that PC is owned by the parents) so parents can have the peace of mind that even though they are not around, the computer use of their children are supervised because they record everything that their kids do online or even offline.

You are legally allowed to spy on the computer used by your child as long as they have not yet reached the legal age of 18. After the age of 18, you will need to check with your local laws to ensure you aren’t violating their privacy.

Legal Uses of Monitoring Software by Employers

Monitoring software is typically legal if installed in the workplace by the employers. Depending on your local law, employees may need to know about monitoring applications implemented at the workplace and therefore, you may need to get paperwork signed by all employees. It’s up to the employer if they will leave a certain amount of privacy for their employees or not. As a rule, the workplace must not be the place for leisure browsing or online gaming but a place to focus on work as employees are paid to do their job. With a monitoring software, employers can make sure that they are getting the service from their workforce that they paid for.

It is typically legal to install such software and keep it in full stealth. If an employee thinks that they can bypass it, they can try but a reliable and trustworthy monitoring spy software wouldn’t let them succeed. Thus, you will still know whether or not they are trying to cheat and hide their online activities.

A great advantage for having such spy software in the workplace is to keep the intellectual property safe. You wouldn’t want an employee to leak important data and resources online. When you don’t have software that will make sure they only do what is “legal” in the sense of what their job entails then they wouldn’t have a chance to try and leak important data. If they do, then you will know who did it and can make legal actions using the software as an evidence of what has transpired.

Spouse / Wife / Husband Monitoring

As for monitoring your partner’s behavior is a different story. It is not going to be a good idea to monitor their behavior online and take it as evidence in the legal proceedings. Though you may claim the computer is commonly owned, unless you already have consent of your spouse or partner, spy software is most likely illegal. Please check your local laws to see if spy software is legal in your area and allowed to be used as evidence in legal proceedings. Most likely, there are privacy laws protecting your spouse from spy software monitoring activities unless they have given you signed prior consent.

If you are allowing company to use your primary PC with monitoring software installed, it is highly suggested that you inform them of the monitoring software that is installed and document the fact that they were made aware.

Top Must-Have eCommerce Features

Being an online merchant, it’s important to have an eCommerce shopping cart that is reliable, safe and has all the features that you want. There are many to choose from but it’s important to know what the must-have features for the shopping cart technology you’d want to have in your online store.

Top Must-Have eCommerce Features

eCommerce solutions provide a wide range of features. Below, we list some of the more important features that every shopping cart eCommerce website needs to have.

• Compliance with PCI – The environment in your online store must be compliant with that of the Payment Card Industry. Since you’d want to accept payments online, this is a must. The council has set up standards for data security. Once your site meets all these requirements, PCI will give you a certification of compliance and you can inform your online visitors about it. This will give your site the credibility knowing that customers making an online purchase from you can safely make the transaction. This is why you must find an eCommerce host that will guarantee to give your website this kind of environment.
• Product Images – You must think like an online buyer, what do you think is the first thing they’d want to see before wanting to make an online purchase? The product images. That’s because this is the only way they can actually see the actual item and this must stand out, be impressive, accurate, and clear for customers to be willing to make the purchase. If your online eCommerce solution is not offering functional product images for your site that lets you adjust to make it bigger, it can be a major disadvantage. Image zooming is also a great advantage to have.
• Product Reviews – Customers like to read product reviews especially from former customers who already bought the item. An eCommerce site will be able to generate higher revenues when there are product reviews that they can read about.
• Site Search – Find an eCommerce platform that has the search box situated on every page. This makes it easier for the customer to search for the item they are only interested in. It must be situated where they can easily see it, usually on the upper right side of the page or in the top center.
• Search Engine Optimization – Online merchants would want to optimize their sites for search engines. This is the best way to get the most target visitors to visit your site. By finding an eCommerce solution that gives you the control on your Meta descriptions, tags and keywords then you can optimize your pages to rank up in search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Ask.
• Quick and Secure Checkout – If you’re a buyer who wants to make a purchase, you want to avoid all the long forms that many online eCommerce sites have. They can get annoying and can shoo customers away. You wouldn’t want that for your own online shop. You already got this far in getting customers to want to make a purchase and you wouldn’t want this last method to be the reason why they won’t finalize the sale. Avoid having your checkout go from one page to the next just to fill out the forms. You are giving the opportunity for glitches to happen (mostly not because of your fault but their internet service provider) and once the consumer receives an error and must start all over again, some would frown about it and look for other online stores who also sell the product. Make sure to get the checkout page limited to just one with just a few important fields that the customer must fill out. This makes it more convenient for your customers and after one click and page load, you make a sale.
• Shipping Integration – Integrated shipping solution is a great must-have feature for eCommerce. You’d want your eCommerce solution to already have the shipping integration with major shipping lines such as Fedex to make it more convenient for you, the seller, while the buyer can get a shipping rate quotation before they make a purchase so they can choose what type of shipping they’d want.
• Sales Reporting – It is important that you are able to track the product sales from your site. A reliable shopping card has this feature and it’s also a must-have. This is important so you’ll know the activities on your site whether you are getting good sales or not and to know which product items are the most sought after and which ones are not so popular.

In Summary

There are many other features for eCommerce that you’d really want to have. Make sure that you make a lot of research on the shopping carts available so you can make the best choice possible. Remember, your choice of shopping cart can make or break your online business. Don’t be in haste when you make your choice. Take time as this is one of the important decisions you’d be making for your online shop that will save you many headaches down the road. Find the top eCommerce services to help make a better decision.

How Electronic Cigarettes Compare to Traditional Smoking

Electric cigarettes or e-cigarettes are relatively quite new to us. Some might not even know about it yet but they surely know how harmful cigarette smoking can be. There are millions of people who die each year because of cigarette related diseases. And, unfortunately, many of these deadly diseases will let you suffer tremendous pain before your body would succumb to the disease. Nobody wants to die a painful death and we can’t completely avoid that but we could prevent certain types of deaths if we only choose the safer alternative to different choices in our lives.

Here are the top 5 reasons why e-cigarette smoking is the better choice compared to traditional smoking.

Cigarettes Impact on Society

Cigarette smoking is viewed negatively by most people. Although there are millions of smokers around the world but the vast majority of people still don’t like smoking especially the smell and the harmful effects of second hand smoking. Many establishments prohibit smokers from entering and it is not categorized as discrimination because cigarette smoking can leave bad odor to the establishment, the food, and the other customers.

E-cigarette smoking is a better option because you are not exhaling smoke but you’re only exhaling vapor that fades away fast. The vapor doesn’t leave any odor and no carcinogenic chemicals are spread through the e-cigarette’s vapor. Many establishments, even with the no smoking sign, allow e-cigarette smoking but do make sure you ask first as some may still not be aware about e-cigarettes.

Cigarette Safety and Hazards

Traditional smoking is quite unsafe. You lit it with flame and it leaves behind embers. There are many fire-related deaths associated with cigarettes and in fact, in the United States, it’s the leading cause of fire-related deaths.

E-cigarettes don’t require ignition. You just need to make sure your battery has power and when you inhale in the vapor you’ll already enjoy the great flavors of electronic cigarettes. There are no embers and cigarette butts left behind. If used properly, e-cigarettes can’t cause fire as there’s no combustion required to use it.

Smoke Odor

It’s one of the most annoying factor of traditional smoking. Smokers may not notice it anymore because they’re already used to the smell but non-smokers would easily point out that you’ve been smoking because of the way you smell. The smell of cigarettes lingers and sticks to your clothes and more so on your breath and fingers. Unfortunate to those around you, they’d also end up smelling like you when you smoke because the smell also sticks to their clothes. The cause of that distracting smell is not just the burning of the tobacco but also of the combustion of tar and other chemicals. It’s these chemicals that you inhale in to your lungs that are carcinogenic and will cause you a lot of health problems after some time.

Electric cigarettes don’t burn tobacco, tar or other chemicals. You are simply inhaling the vapor from the cartomizers and it’s what you exhale too. It dissipates quickly and there’s no smell that sticks to your clothing, breath or fingers. The people around you won’t complain about the smell anymore.

Electronic Cigarettes Are a Cost Effective Solution for Smokers

Electric cigarettes are actually cheaper. In the United States, the cost of a pack of cigarettes range around $7 to $10. If you smoke a pack a day, just imagine how much you’d be spending a month just on cigarettes? The cost of cigarettes is high because the taxes on this type of product are also very high. A couple decades ago you could get a pack for just $1 and that’s almost 1000% inflation on today’s price.

Contrary to what others may say, using electric cigarettes over traditional cigarettes are actually cheaper. Sure the initial cost would be higher but you’ll see the big savings in just a short time of using it. You can get a pack of e-cigarette with cartomizers for around $50-$100 and you can use it over and over again and just need to replace the cartomizers. Eventually you’d end up spending just a few dollars each month to replace the cartomizers so you are actually making great savings when you made the switch.

Aside from the price of packs of cigarettes, you also have to consider the price of getting medical attention when health problems would arise. With e-cigarettes you won’t have this type of problem.

Health is Wealth

There’s no study to prove whether e-cigarettes are healthy for you but one thing is certain, traditional smoking is dangerous to your health. One option is sure to be dangerous to your health while the other option just need to have proof that it is actually healthier for you. Which one would you choose?

Traditional smoking causes different kinds of diseases especially with how it damages your lungs. Diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, heart diseases, different types of cancer such as lung cancer, mouth cancer, esophagus cancer, throat cancer and many others. Other known deadly diseases caused by traditional smoking include asthma, hypertension, stroke, emphysema and even impotence.

In Summary

If you are to compare e-cigarettes with traditional smoking, it is evident that the better choice is e-cigarettes. Not only will it cost you less but it will spare you from the many known diseases caused by traditional smoking, won’t cause any fire and you’ll also be socially acceptable because you don’t exhale bad smelling smoke. It may still be a recent addition and is still not regulated under the tobacco laws but electronic cigarettes are leaving its mark especially to people who have already tried it. It really feels like you’re smoking traditional cigarettes but with other added benefits. With it you can opt for different flavored vapors which you can’t do with traditional cigarettes. You can find one that is chocolate flavor, apple, mint, orange or also comes in the usual tobacco flavors. It can also be used to help you finally get rid of the habit of smoking and nicotine dependence by slowly reducing the strength of nicotine in the cartomizers.

Guide to Internet Safety

The internet is a great source of information and can be used to keep in touch with people around the world. With all the beauty and convenience the internet can offer, it’s also a place full of danger. Scams, predators, bullies and many others are all over and there are lots of sites you wouldn’t want to become available for your children to view. Sadly, the internet does not have a good regulatory board that controls what’s being uploaded online. It can really go out of control and if you’re a parent this is actually quite scary.

As parents it is our obligation to protect our children as much as we can. What happens to our children is partly our fault and it is vital that we try to protect them even when we are not allowed. This may seem impossible if you really think about it but then there are also many tools that the high-tech era has to offer that makes it much easier for parents to be in control.

Parents should know about the internet. Though many parents think that the internet is already beyond them, it is vital to still try and learn about the dangers that the internet has so we can protect our children from them. If you won’t become suspicious about your child’s internet use then you may just be shocked when all of a sudden your child became a victim of an online predator, a bully, a scammer or be exposed to explicit contents that their innocent eyes and minds shouldn’t have been exposed to.

What Parents Must Know Regarding their Children’s Net Usage

One thing you must know is that your child can be lured by those predators. You may think your child is just chatting with a friend but it may be that your child is already chatting with an online predator pretending to be the same age as your child. It could be that the online predator already knows your child and found a way to be in touch with him/her online. Your child may think he/she has a lot in common with this cyber friend and later on he/she becomes comfortable and willing to meet up. The next thing you know, your child had been victimized which is any parent’s worst fear.

The parents of children who has fallen victims to these predators can only wish that they did something before it turned to the worst. Most of these parents don’t spend time to really know about the activities of their children because of their busy life at work and doing errands. They think that since their child is just staying at home anyways there’s nothing that can harm them. Wrong! The internet connects you to practically anybody even when you’re just in your own bedroom. There are so many things that could happen that can exploit your child without them really knowing it and unfortunately, without you even knowing it. Your child may have been convinced to send private photos to the “friend” and later on that photo was published online for everyone else to see.

There are also online predators that actually inform the child about their real age. They give gifts or promise the child with things that they’ll give to make them feel special. Once the child feels safe with this predator, they can be lured to meet up and we all know that a child meeting up with a strange adult is not really a good thing and you wouldn’t want that to be your child with a strange man/woman.

You must also know that an online predator can be a friendly one or a forceful one. Your child may either feel secure with this person or your child is scared enough to let him/her follow this predator’s every request. Whatever the case, your child is trapped unless you intervene. Make sure to always ask your child and also take necessary precautions. There are some software available that can let you track down your child’s online activities. Even chat messages can be tracked. By doing so, you can spot whether or not your child is already in touch with a predator. If that’s the case, call the police right away.

You must also know that no matter how smart your child is, he/she is still naive and innocent. You may have disciplined your child well, he or she may have excellent grades in school but it does not change the fact that they still have not had enough experiences in life to make them think maturely. Predators take advantage of this naivety and innocence. They are predators for a reason, they want to get your child and they know exactly how to do it especially those who already preyed on other children in the past.

Social Networking

Social networking is the hype today. Kids and adults alike are going crazy over these sites that they spend a lot of time each day in these sites. Both children and adults must know how a social networking site works. If you are familiar with those commercials talking about being responsible in what you post online then you already know that when you post a photo on any site, even when you take it down after that photo could spread like wildfire. Anyone can get a copy of the photo you uploaded and that photo could haunt you even for the rest of your life.

Children are prone to making this type of mistake. They think it’s cool to post photos of them being drunk or showing off some parts of their body that are not supposed to be viewed by strangers. Children can be quite innocent especially the younger ones for thinking that there’s no harm in posting such photos. Truth is, even parents make the same mistake. They post photos of their child in the nude thinking that only family and friends can see their cute little one only to realize later on that it was set to public. Pedophiles just love such photos and they may just end up copying those photos and it can circulate to fellow pedophiles. It is such a horror especially for parents when they are the ones who made the mistake and put their children to a horrible shame. Do remember that what you post online can be viewed by just about anyone even when you try to keep it in just a small crowd of people. If you think that the photo you want to upload is not appropriate if viewed by a predator then it is best not to post it at all. Parents must inform their children about this type of danger so they too would become aware. Social networking can be a lot of fun and you can meet friends you haven’t been in touch with for years. Let’s keep them that way. Let’s enjoy them the way they’re intended to when they were created for its members. We cannot blame these networking sites for something that we are the ones responsible for. They are just the media, we are the ones who uploaded the photos.

How to Protect your Child from Social Networking Sites

It depends on how young your child is and how cooperative he/she wants to be with you. If possible, it would be great if your child will give you their password. This way you can easily monitor the private messages and information to keep them safe in case there are harmful people getting in touch with them.

If you can, create your own page too and add your child. This way you will have access on their page and what they are posting. You can also check out his/her friends’ list to see if there are some you don’t know then ask your child who that person is. Open a communication line with your child but try not to be too nosy and disrespectful of your child’s privacy. Just know where to draw the line. Your child would want to feel respected by you too.

Check the photos uploaded by your child. Sometimes they get too excited to post pictures without actually thinking about the possible effects of it on their image. Be the one to check it out and inform them about the consequences of the photos they uploaded. If the photo is demeaning or is showing more than what the public should see, demand to take the photo off as soon as possible to lessen the damage.

How to Control Your Child’s Chatting Activity

Tell your child that it’s alright to chat with the people he/she already knows. If she wants to chat with his/her friend then she can chat all she wants. After all, they are his/her friends in real life anyway. Just tell the child never to go online and try to chat with anonymous individuals. Inform them about the facts regarding these online predators and how they can pose as really friendly chat friends before they attack. Raise the awareness on your child so they too would be cautious and avoid chatting with strangers.

Tell your child that the same rule applies online as it is in person. If the person is a stranger, better to avoid interaction. The only difference though is that online you don’t actually see the person instead you only know of the persona they try to have and that can be deceiving. If the person says he/she is also from the same school, ask for important details then confirm it when you’re in school with your child or ask your child to confirm it. If it’s a predator, most likely he/she made up the identity or stole the identity of a student there.

Webcam Cautiousness

Webcams are great tools as it lets you talk to another online and actually see the image of that person. It makes you feel you’re just talking to a long distance friend or relative like he/she is just in front of you. There are many things you can do with a webcam like taking photos and sending them instantly online or taking a video that you can upload online. With these many benefits of owning a webcam comes the danger to it as well.

Online predators or malicious individuals can use it to lure your child into taking photos of themselves that you really won’t approve of. Just imagine what else the predator can request from your child when he/she is alone, chatting with someone online and having a webcam. If you can’t monitor your child’s webcam use then it’s best to take it out when you’re not home then return it when you can safely guide your child from its use. Again, awareness is key. Your child may be young and naive but they can hear and understand when you try to talk to them and explain the pros and cons of using a webcam so they too would be cautious enough to use it only for safe reasons and not for something they may regret later.

Online Scams and Phishing

Another danger posed online is with online scams and phishing. There are sites that can be interesting to your child and all of a sudden a pop-up appears. It asks the child to type in some details in order to view the next page or to view another site that they find interesting as well. Excitedly, they type in the details and the next thing you know they typed in important details of themselves or they installed malicious software into your computer. Many viruses and malwares are acquired because of unknowingly downloading them and kids are susceptible to this.

Also, there are online scams. Don’t give your credit card details to your child as he/she may type it in to malicious webpages that steals your account details. There are many other types of scams. There are malicious individuals who send out emails telling people that they’ve won something or someone wants to give them a big amount of money. The email letter appears convincingly real and many have fallen victim to this. Not only kids fall for this as a few adults have already been victimized. They money transfer to the person claiming they have won or will give them an inheritance and they don’t hear from them again.

Safety on Online Games

Parents may think that a game is just a game and it can’t do any harm to your kids. Unfortunately, this is wrong. Online gaming is now very popular especially to kids. Online games on virtual worlds allow chatting between players. You must know that not all players are also kids as some adults lurk into these online worlds too. Some expletive words may be exchanged or your kids could fall victim to virtual bullies. Make sure you also monitor the online gaming activities of your kids and disable private messaging as possible.

It’s not only online virtual games that can pose a threat. Some flash games may also be unsafe to young children because of the graphical images they contain. You can block online gaming sites with R-rated games such as hentai games and violent games. You wouldn’t want your child to be exposed to these types of games until they reach a certain age that they could handle it. As much as possible, block all sites with Hentai.

Online Games Addiction

This is something that parents have to take control of before their child even becomes addicted. If you allow your child to play online games for hours then you are actually influencing them to become addicted to it. Their body would yearn to play these games everyday and they’ll sacrifice sleep, their studies and even personal social interactions just to spend hours in front of the computer playing their favorite games. Don’t allow this to happen by giving them schedule of when they can just play these games. Set a limit and stick to it. This way they won’t have the chance to be addicted to it.

Also, it’s a great idea to make gaming act as a reward for something they did well or achieved. They can only play these games when they do something that you liked. It will motivate them to continuing making you proud and happy by being responsible to achieve what they need to achieve and receive a reward for their actions.

Cyberbullies- What We Can Do About It

It’s unfortunate that bullies are using the internet to do more damage to someone they prey on. There are many videos posted on how fellow teens are beating another and uploading the videos like it’s something they are proud of. It is an alarming thing for parents and we should all be aware that bullying exists. It existed when parents were kids themselves and it continues to happen now. You wouldn’t want your child to become a victim of this and you must make sure your child is protected.

Cyberbullies could cause the victim deep depression. Some kids even result to suicide because they no longer feel their lives are worth living anymore because of the constant attack.

Parents can do something about it. Social Networking Sites and even YouTube will remove such hateful messages when you report it. There is a report link that you can use and they will remove it if it is hateful. Also, if your child receives hateful messages tell them that they don’t need to worry about it and just ignore it. Make them feel good about who they are and erase the effects of those hateful messages so they won’t get depressed. When a child is attacked on their phones and emails, change the number and email addresses quickly. Your child doesn’t need to read those hurtful messages. In social networking, make sure to remove friends who are sending them hateful messages or report them. If you can, copy the hateful messages then bring it and talk to the parents of the bully. For sure they will reprimand their child. If not, go to a higher person such as the principal to reprimand the bully. If things turn worse, create a group and fight for the rights of the children being bullied. Raise awareness and surround your child with other kids their age who supports and love them.

Antivirus Software for Protection

You must not go online when your computer is not equipped with antivirus software. The internet is not safe without it because there are a lot of viruses, malwares and pop-ups that won’t just be an inconvenience but can destroy many of your important files. Here are some of the popular free & paid antivirus software you can find:

• AVG – A great free antivirus. It’s great to install on computers that are used for gaming as it does not decrease the performance capability of the computer while it prevents the intrusion of viruses. It also informs you when a web page is not secure so you have the option of whether or not you’d proceed with visiting the site. The paid version of AVG protects you from identity and banking theft.
• Avast – Another great free software for protection. It does not go heavy on your computer so gamers would love this installed. The paid version also offers identity protection as well as anti-spam.
• Norton – A popular paid antivirus but can slow down the startup of your computer especially in old computers. It scans your computer daily and its definition files are regularly updated.
• Kaspersky – Can slow down your computer but it’s one of the most loved antivirus too. If you suspect you have a keylogger, it lets you type in your passwords without using the keyboard to prevent password theft.
• McAfee – Can slow down computer but is great for blocking malicious software. The downside is when you try playing online games it can block it thinking that it’s also a malicious website. Disabling the application during this time is recommended but make sure you enable it right after.

Summary

The internet is a great tool and a household without it is missing a great opportunity to open their world to quick access to news, updates, information, facts, reports, online gaming, and connection to people you love but lives far away. The internet is not perfectly made but it’s all we’ve got right now. Maybe someday the security would be improved so we no longer have to worry about all these things. But for now, we can’t be lazy when it comes to protecting our loved ones from the dark side of the internet. Take precaution so you can sleep well at night knowing your children are safe from all types of internet monsters.

What is Tsu? A Beginner Guide and Reference

If you are anything like me when I got my start on tsū (pronounced sue), you are likely skeptical and wondering what makes this social media network “tick” without joining. I found out about Tsu while I was on a family vacation to Moab, Utah when there was a massive viral push for the network on Google+. I remember sending myself a text “Research Tsu and join” to remind myself when we got back and I did just that after we got back.

I couldn’t find much information about what the heck Tsu was and social media was flooded with “Join Tsu” links all over the freaking place with no real explanation of what the heck it was. I was frustrated as I am sure you are as well. I used Tsu for several weeks before writing this guide to offer my own educated input based on my research. So with that intro out of the way, let me go ahead and show you exactly what you are missing.

Tsū Beginner Guide Contents

When browsing this guide, feel free to click the sections below to drop instantly to that section to immediately get access to the information you are looking for. If I didn’t answer your question, please feel free to ask in the comments section below so I can answer you there as well as update this guide.

1. Introduction: What is Tsu? Why is everyone suddenly begging me to join?
2. Register your Tsu account.
3. Customizing your profile.
4. Don’t be a greenhead!
5. What is the difference between Follow and Friend?
6. How to create a post and share your content.
7. What are the limits?
8. How to increase engagement.
9. How to increase followers and friends?
10. Understanding notifications.
11. Understanding the family tree.
12. How do I earn money and get paid to be social?
13. Learn how to be a good Tsu citizen.
14. How to block the spammers.

Introduction to Tsū

What is Tsu? Tsu is a social media network built, in my opinion, most similar to Facebook and was launched on October 14th, 2014. If you’ve ever used Facebook (who hasn’t?), then you’ll easily fit right in to working with Tsu, for the most part. Since launch, Tsu has welcomed stars like 50 Cent, NBA stars like Tyreke Evans and Kevin Durant, bands like  Guns N Roses, NFL stars, singers and more (growing by the day).

The main key difference when comparing the two networks is the fact that they pay their users a majority of revenue earned ( up to 90%) when users view pages and therefore, the advertisements. This key factor is, in my opinion, the reason why there was a big initial push with people sending their link everywhere and to everyone they could. This is a simplified summary of the “getting paid to socialize” concept, you can learn more about earning money in the “How do I earn money and get paid to be social?” section.

Even though you can get paid to be social on Tsu, it is important to understand that it is completely 100% free to use to the fullest. There’s no upgrade fees, add-ons or premium services to purchase at the time of this review.

Tsu was founded by Sebastian Sobczak. See Sebastian talk about Tsu here:

Register Your Tsū Account

Now that you’ve learned what Tsu is all about, it’s time to register your account. You will need a link to another member’s short code to get started, you won’t be able to join by simply visiting the main page. Feel free to sign up under me with this link, I’d appreciate it, otherwise, use the link of the person that first told you about Tsu.

However you sign up to Tsu, make sure you follow me and send a private message introducing yourself. Be sure to mention this guide in your private message!

Customize Your Profile

The very first thing you should do once you have your account registered is to customize your profile to let everyone know more about who you are, what you look like and of course, your bio.

Use the image to the left to find your profile link. You can either click your name on the upper right or click the edit profile link in your profile area.

Once you are in the profile area, you will see many options on the upper right to select.

1) General Settings

This page can generally be ignored because you just entered this information in when you registered your account. Should you need to change your name, email, birthday, gender or password, you can do so in this section.

2) Profile Settings

This area is the most important section to update. Here is where you can add your face image, your cover picture, your bio (160 characters max), phone number, website, relationship status and location information.

The first 3 social media links that can appear on your profile are also located on this page. These include:

• YouTube
• Tumblr
• Pinterest

3) Social Accounts

This is slightly confusing and I’ve had several questions asked to me in private message about it, but this area does not include all social media account possibilities (see #2 above).

This section allows you to link three major social media accounts with Tsu to enable sharing capabilities. The current social media that allows linking are:

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram

Between #2 and this section, you will be able to link a total of 6 social media accounts and have them listed on your main profile page. Additionally, once you add Twitter and Facebook, you will now be able to share to these networks when you post content.

4) Find Friends

Simply put, this area allows you to find other Tsu members that are connected with you on Facebook and Twitter. Once you discover these users, you may friend or follow these members to connect with them and see their content.

5) Invitations

This area shows you your Tsu short link and also allows you to email friends to invite them to join Tsu through your link. Unfortunately, you can only email one email address at a time and you’ll need to know their first and last name so you may consider using a personalized email to reach out and ask others to join.

Don’t Be a Greenhead!

As a general rule of thumb, I strongly suggest at minimum you update your profile picture. This allows other people to see who you or your company are and this image is used all over the website including notifications, private messages, your content, when people hover over your name in mentions and many other areas.

You want people to identify with you or your brand so make sure you update that photo ASAP!

What is the Difference Between a Follow or Friend Request?

When you begin using Tsu, you’ll notice a couple choices when you decide to connect with another user. Here’s how these two functions work and differ.

• Follow – You can use this on any account and their content will appear in your home feed (main tsu.co page). This is a one-way connection, meaning, you will see their content but that user you follow will not see your content in their home stream unless they choose to follow you back.
• Add Friend – This option will send a friend request to that user which will appear in their notifications. This is a mutual connection that, if the user approves, will allow both of you to see each other’s content.

How to Create a Post and Share Content

Now you are ready to share your content to the entire Tsu audience. There’s several ways to find where to create your content:

• Top navigation bar > Click the “Create: icon
• Profile > Top of the middle column.
• Home Page > Top of the middle column.

Once you know where to go to post your content, there’s a few options I’ve highlighted for you in the image above that you should know about.

1. Add Title – This allows you to give your content a BOLD TITLE which helps your content stand out and grab the attention of your viewers.
2. Post Body – This is where your standard content goes. Paragraph formatting for your content with the return / enter key is allowed.
3. Image Editing – After you uploaded an image into your post, check out the black “Edit” icon on the top right of your image. You can do all sorts of fun stuff including adding effects, frames, cropping, resizing and much more.

The above image isn’t even all the options available when you decide to edit your image. You can also click the right arrow in the popup window and access splash options, text options, drawing options, red eye reduction and more. Each option, when clicked, will give you many options within to help your image POP. I won’t spoil the fun by going into every single image editing option, just upload an image into your post and play with it for a minute or .. days. 😀

What Are the Limits?

This has been updated several times and, at the time of this review, is assumed to be true with no official documentation provided by Tsu to confirm.

• 36 total posts in a rolling 24 hour period.
• 8 shares of posts from others in a rolling 24 hour period.
• 50 pending friend requests in a rolling 7-day period.
• 1,000 people you can follow.
• 5,000 friends.
• 10 @ mentions (account mentions) allowed per post.
• 10 hashtags allowed per post.

A common misunderstanding from newer users is the follow limit. Your account is allowed to follow 1,000 people, however, an unlimited amount of people can follow your account.

The 36 total post count includes any sharing you do. So if you share 8 posts per day then you can only share 28 pieces of original content.

A rolling 24 hour period means that if you shared a post 23 hours ago, you can wait one more hour and you’ll be able to share another post again.

How to Increase Engagement

I define engagement as people who like, comment and share your content. Everyone wants to boost their engagement but almost everyone does it wrong. Most people, when reading the limits above, will instantly think “Hey, I’ll just share until I hit the limit and everyone will notice me!” That’s a bad strategy because you’ll likely fill up your diary/stream with a ton of recycled content that everyone else has seen and they will just skip over your posts and engage on other content instead.

Here’s a few tips that will help you:

• Be You – Be yourself, be unique and embrace your quirks. People who have similar interests will follow (and/or friend) through attraction marketing.
• Search – Type in your favorite topics in the search bar and click the hashtag options that appear. Go through the content in these pages and like, comment and/or share the stuff that interests you. Again, you’ll attract attention from that person’s audience as well as the person themselves.
• Encourage – When you see comments on your content, encourage them by replying to keep the conversation going.
• Reciprocate – If a user is engaging on your content, consider looking at their profile and reciprocating if their content is interesting and relevant.
• Stay Consistent – With most social media, you need to be consistent with your content. Don’t share 30 things one day and then return a week later. Instead, try to share content on a daily basis. Download the mobile apps for Android or iOS so you can post while enjoying that Starbucks coffee on the go.

How to Increase Followers and Friends

The same advice I provided in the above engagement section applies here. Mainly, you want to grab the attention of others by commenting your thoughtful or insightful thoughts relevant to the discussion, sharing content you think your audience will find useful and otherwise standing out in a large crowd or people.

Here’s some additional ideas:

• Share your short link to other social media if you have a following there.
• Share your short link on your website(s).
• Add your short link to your email signature.
• Add your short link to forum footer / signature areas.
• Call any family member who loves social media to get them on-board.

There’s lots of methods you can use. A quick Google search on “how to market your business” will turn up hundreds of ideas that can also be used to share your Tsu link.

Hello, this is a guide being written right now. Feel free to refresh to see updates.

Understanding Notifications

The standard way that most get their notifications on desktop is to click the yellow numbered icon in the top navigation bar. This will trigger the drop down you see to the left that shows you current activity, private messages and pending friend requests. Due to the obvious limited space of this drop down, there’s a limited amount of information available here.

Under each section, you will see a “See all” option that allows you to see all notifications, all private messages or all pending friend requests.

Of course, if you are on the tsu.co main page, there’s a handy sidebar on the left that also has “Notifications” and “Messages” that you can use to see all notifications.

Notifications are awesome! They allow you to quickly see who is engaging on your content, allows you to see when people mention you, allows you to see who is sharing your content and more. Use this tool to your advantage to thank others, encourage additional commenting and more.

Stop Emailin’ Me Bro!

I remember when I joined and added my first 75 people to my network. I was on fire! I started posting instantly, sharing tips I discovered, posting inspiration and lots of stuff. Then it happened, I checked my email. 150 emails within 4 hours of joining! WHAT!?! I took advantage of this by sharing screenshots of the massive amounts of emails I got on other social media and it attracted many to join Tsu with my link.

It eventually got old. Within a week, I got tired of deleting the thousands of emails and decided to put an end to it. Above, I created a Gif showing how to access your notifications settings. Simply click your name on the upper right, click “Settings” and then click on “Notifications” to access the screen shown below.

The above is how I currently have mine configured. You’ll notice that the majority of email notifications are disabled because it became extremely overwhelming otherwise. I do allow my audience to share content on my diary (wall) so I like to be notified when others share on it. I also enjoy following the comments on my content that is shared by other people, so I love those emails as well.

All that being said, you’ll notice the animated gif I just recorded that shows the massive amount of shares I am getting on my content. That’s 49 emails in a span of just 3 hours. Could you imagine if I kept all email notifications enabled? I’d spend my life deleting email from my email client!

You’ll also notice that I disabled some web notifications as well. This helps keep my notifications a little more manageable as my account grew in popularity. For those new to Tsu, I recommend keeping all web notifications enabled so you can reach out and engage with others. Of course, if you follow this guide, you’ll also grow in popularity like my account did and you may revisit disabling notifications at a later time.

Understanding the Family Tree

To access your family tree, go to the tsu.co homepage while logged in and click on “Family Tree” on the left sidebar.

When you begin building your “family” by sharing your Tsu short link with everyone, you’ll begin growing your family tree. This consists of what Tsu defines as children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren (and so on).

• Children – These are accounts that you directly recruited into Tsu.
• Grandchildren – These are accounts that your children recruited into Tsu.
• Great-Grandchildren – These are accounts that your grandchildren recruited into Tsu.

When you go to the family tree section, you may “View Descendance” under each of your children to see how they are performing.

This entire section is awesome. Let’s brainstorm the possibilities here:

• Find awesome recruiters and highlight them on a post.
• Private message your children and help them with strategies to build their network.
• Build a team website, Facebook group or Google+ community and help your entire network expand with strategies.

Ok, so why do I want to build a family tree Scott? See below.

How Do I Earn Money?

Tsu is built on the principle that your content is yours, therefore, ads revenue earned because of your content should be shared with you, the content creator. In fact, Tsu shares a massive 90% of their earned advertising revenue with their users (on accounts with a large expansive family tree). In order to get a slice of the action, you need to 1) build views and traffic to your profile and 2) build your network. Both of these, when combined, will earn you a larger portion of the share and thus, your daily earnings go up and up.

The Tsu Algorithm as Quoted by FAQs

Tsū’s algorithm automatically tracks, measures, and distributes revenue to the appropriate user and their Family Tree. At a high level, 90% of revenues are distributed to users. To maintain the platform, tsū receives 10%. To see how this breaks down, let’s take a look at 4 users, all with varying start dates on tsū:

User A invites user B, who invites user C, who invites user D

Part 1
– $100 of earned revenue is generated based on the content user D shared (photos, videos, status updates, etc.)

Part 2
– 90% of earned revenue go to the users. In this case, $90 of the $100 is shared with all the users.
– tsū takes 10% of the $100 for platform fees. In this case $10.

Part 3
– User D, the original content creator takes 50% of the $90. In this case, $45.
– User C gets 33.3% (1/3) of the original $90 generated. In this case, $29.70
– User B gets 11.1% (1/3 of 1/3 = 1/9) of the original $90 generated. In this case $9.99
– User A gets 3.70% (1/3 of 1/3 of 1/3 = 1/27) of the original $90 generated. In this case $3.33
– This is what we call the rule of infinite thirds

As you can see, you can earn money based on the people deep in your family tree. Imagine if you were able to recruit 1,000 people and each of those people recruited 50 people and each of those people recruited 25? That would be 1,250,000 people in your network that you are earning revenue from!

In other words, pay less attention to understanding the algorithms and pay more attention to building your network.

Learn How to Be a Good Tsu Citizen

Now that we’ve established how awesome Tsu is for everyone involved (thanks Sebastian and administrators, you rock!), there’s also the down side. There’s a revenue sharing model in place, so there will be obvious problems as people try to exploit the system to earn more money. In this section, I want to address Tsu etiquette and things you should not do on the network.

DO NOT CONSIDER:

• Creating a “follow me” scheme where you encourage others to share posts to gain followers.
• Comment on people’s content begging for “follow4follow” or “follow me please.”
• Share (participate in) content that others posted begging for follows or friends.
• Stealing other people’s posts and posting it as your own without crediting / mentioning the author.
• Sending unwanted advertisements (spam) in private message.
• Liking every post you see.
• Any attempt at “gaming the system.”

All of this is considered spam. I’ve watched countless accounts attempt these pointless techniques only to get their accounts banned permanently. It is not tolerated. Don’t waste your time.

In fact, you may notice in some of my screenshots that I have in my bio which states: “MY POLICY: I block all accounts that spam follow begs.” I block any accounts that attempt to comment on my content with follow begging. Since begging for follows does not contribute to the actual conversation, you are being disruptive to people trying to have real conversations. Yes, this will get you banned when enough people report it.

CONSIDER:

• Posting unique content that is relevant to your interests and hobbies.
• Contributing insightful comments to people’s content to help further the conversation.
• Sending private messages to people you find interesting and introducing yourself.
• Sharing Tsu tips and advice to others.
• Be a good “Father” or “Mother” to your “Children” and “Grandchildren.”
• Like content that you actually enjoy.

How to Block Spammers

As with any social network, you will likely encounter people that you need to block. When you block an account, it will prevent them from seeing or commenting on your posts, prevent them from writing on your wall and will also prevent them from sending you private messages.

All you need to know is that you will need to visit their profile by clicking on their name on a comment or on the top of their post(s). Once you are on their profile, use the animated gif process I show above to block them.

If you spot a spammer on Tsu, consider using the “Report” option and then “Block” that user using the process I show you above. This will help everyone’s user experience improve as administrators will likely block repeat offenders.

Summary

That concludes this Tsu beginner’s guide. If you have any suggestions or feedback, feel free to comment below. As always, this guide will continually be improved or updated as new features are added or changed.