[2006-06-16]

Vivasurf News

My apologies that I could not follow up to this thread earlier. I have an old shoulder injury flare up again past few days and got worse 2 days ago, probably because I slept on it. At that point I could not even type at all, and quite unable to think either with the pain. After seeing my doctor today am at least functional to a coherent degree.

I understand the reluctance of most members to upgrade after the SP debacle, but we have been here now months after that incident and still seeing reluctance. It is now time to throw caution to the wind; to help us recover faster I am hoping that members will show good faith at least by commiting a certain part [no matter how small] of your payout to maintain an upgraded status, when ever you are paid. Getting paid and cashing out every bit of it sends the wrong message. As you are watching us, we are watching to see what you are doing too. As you, some of our members have said every business has to watch the bottom-line to survive.

Yes, we changed the Rules/FAQs but I can not enforce it all in one day in all fairness, and can not afford to do that by inconveniencing members. None-the-less, we need your help and I am impressed by all the members verbal or written support. The key is to now back up that support by some action and a show of good faith. I have spent and continue to spend a lot of personal money to support the site and pay members, but I look back and see over $150,000 going out in recent weeks and nothing significant coming back. So it gets to the point as a business to be concerned if everyone is just slowly cashing out. That is the interpretation when people start relying on prior upgrades only.

We are working on ways to reward members who work this business and help us out during this process. To this end everytime you recruit a member that upgrades, you will be issued a bonus upgrade for every referral that upgrades and whoever get the most referrals in a given month will automatically be bumped up to VIP or Associate Status Free of Charge. If this works well we will increase the bonus upgrades as we become stronger.

The above will reward those members that recruit. While those that upgrade amounts that is over 10 units will receive 1 bonus upgrade for every 10. This way no matter what class of member you fall under you will be rewarded for your actions. We will try to automate the process to avoid backlogs and to enhance smoother process.

The whole point of any business is that cash must flow both ways, but what we are seeing now is by and large one-way.

Here is another truth, members want us to keep paying, even when there is little coming in. I have been paying since the SP debacle in good faith, that as people get over their losses things will pick up. Even went as far as absorbing SP losses, and after running the reserves out I have used personal funds to bankroll payout. I do not want to scare members, but the current trend suggests that members are already scared anyway. Between the slow payouts and the Forum/Monitor attacks, people are holding back on advertising not to talk of fresh upgrades.

Right now here is where it stands, I want you guys to convince me by your actions that it is worth me to put more personal funds into payouts. That I am not just throwing money down the drain. That our members have not already given up and decided it is a lost cause. At least meet me somewhere above zero upgrades, note that am not even asking you to meet me half-way. The Autosurf concept is a wave of the future, we have a billion dollar industry here. However, the way the cookie crumbles depends on what we do here. I think vivasurf sites have ridden on my back and my pocket to last this long. If you want to milk this Cow for a long time you have to feed it some hay.

There have been days very recent that I payout close to $20,000 to over 240 member accounts in a 16 hour period, and at the end of the day not much to show for it. Not even 6 members posted for that day. I wish there was a medium to get as many members online at the same time to discuss things and lay it all out. We have to stop playing cat and mouse. Stop watching what each other do and act now. Let us move forward or not, without hurting each other. I have already shown you by my actions that I will like to move forward as I strongly believe in this and have the know-how to do it too. I hope you do not pull the rug, and instead give your support by promoting again and upgrade again if you can, even if it as you get paid.

The fact that we are being attacked is a proof that we have something worthy. Worthy of the effort required for the perps to attack us. Lets hit this superhighway hard and show them we mean business. Words alone will not cut it, there has to be some action. If you are trully not in a position to financially support us, we understand, but it takes more than money to survive. Those that can support financially should not hold back. We are too close to getting ahead to give it all up.

Lets forge ahead and make it work better that before. Some of you think that you keep putting money in and we dont pay, while I am thinking that I keep paying and nothing is coming back. It is obvious, that many members are smart people; please do the numbers and you will see that we are paying more than has been coming in since January. Regards

"One armed" Robert
At least for the time being

Added by: tw2