Thursday, March 5, 2015

Tsu.co - Worth Your Time? Scam?



A couple of days ago, I saw a news story online about a new social media site called tsu.co. It was similar to Facebook and used hashtags like Twitter, but you were PAID for the content you provided and the people who joined using your code. The code would create a family tree or network through which you could receive additional $$ depending on the popularity of someone's posts. Tsu.co promised to give 90% of its ad revenue to the members providing content.

Earlier today, I had a whole post written about Tsu.co, but I deleted it. Why? Because this website has only been in operation for about 5 months...and when it was new on the scene, several bloggers suspected it was all a scam and spammy and suspect and crazy...etc.

One blog in particular, the woman went point by point through each thing she didn't like about the site. The idea that you have to entice people to join, where does the money come from to pay you, how do you access your money, what about copyright violations and legal problems...it went on and on.

I deleted my original post before it went live because I didn't want to be perceived as a scammer or someone who was trying to rope you into some MLM scam. I wondered if I'd been duped into joining something underhanded.

However, let me tell you more about Tsu.co and what I found out since this morning when I wrote my first post.

MORE ABOUT TSU.CO

1) You join just like you do Facebook. All you have to provide is an email address and very basic information.

2) You post just like you do on Facebook, and you also use hashtags like Twitter. Your posts can be pictures, videos, links, etc.

3) You can friend and follow people and start seeing their posts in your feed, along with your own.

4) You have access to a lot of information about your membership...how many followers, friends and 'children' you have (children are people you invite to the site using your personal code); the analytics of each post including views, comments and likes; how much money you have in your account.

5) You can simultaneously post to Twitter and Facebook, if you'd like.

6) At no time did I need to provide an address, credit card number, or phone number.

That's probably the main stuff I can think of right now. After 2 days, I have ONE PENNY (!) in my account. LOL. The site distributes money to its members every day based on the amount of ad revenue it brought in and the size of your network in comparison to others on the site. 

This site is very new, but it already has millions of users. Some famous people have joined because I think they see it as a place where they can actually make money off of their content - music, videos, etc. Artists have been upset with the likes of Spotify and other such sites that pay very little for the use of their content...and then make no $$ off of the advertising dollars these sites generate for themselves.

I think it seems promising, and I want to see what happens.

WHY I DON'T THINK IT'S A SCAM

1) The first place I saw a story about this was on Fox News. In the story, they mentioned 2 people in particular who have made a lot of money on this site. One was a formerly homeless man, the other was a young woman who posted a video of her singing to her baby...her video went viral and she ended up with a recording deal and is making $$ on Tsu.co also.

2) After my freak out this morning reading negative reactions to the Tsu.co model, I went back to Google to see if I could find more news sites that may have featured Tsu.co. I found a very recent (last week) interview with the founder of the site on ABCnews.com:

INTERVIEW & STORY LINK

3) The more time that goes by, the more legitimate I am thinking this site is. Sounds like the founder has some future plans for how you can spend the money you make on the site...possibly a way for him to make money off of your money? Still a mystery.

4) Right now Facebook and Twitter and other sites make money off of YOU. You post content. They sell ads. None of the money goes to you. You have provided way more personal information to Facebook, and you are getting nothing for it. I think any fears about it being a 'scam' are a little outrageous. You already are giving away content for FREE. Why not try something that might pay you for what you're posting?

So, that is where I stand today. I would love to hear feedback from people...your doubts, your experiences with Tsu.co, etc. I don't pretend to be an expert on any of this, but I'm willing to give it a shot. People have made money in stranger ways on the internet!

If you are interested in joining Tsu.co and checking it out for yourself, here is my code:


Yes, of course I'd love for you to join using my code!  That way I can grow my network and make more than a penny. Being honest, folks. I just thought I would share this with the world and see where it goes. For young people who have a large network of online friends, I think it might be an amazing ride. For me, it will probably be a harder slog to get a decent number of people to join in order to up my penny-a-day status. 

Thanks for stopping by and considering my idea.

UPDATE - March 11, 2015: I have been on Tsu.co for a week now. I made about a penny a day. Until yesterday. Yesterday I had a lot more activity on my posts...probably because I was adding new friend connections and following more people. The more exposure your posts get, the better for you. When I woke up this morning and logged into my account, I had made 3 cents in one day...I tripled my income. I know that may not seem like much: to go from 1 cent per day to 3 cents; however, I have only been on this site for a WEEK. Where will I be in 6 months or a year? Will continue to provide info on my experience.

UPDATE - March 17, 2015: I have now earned 19 cents in 2 weeks. Not bad!

UPDATE - June 2, 2015:  So, I've been on Tsu for almost 3 months, and I'm up to 59 cents in revenue. I had two posts of mine get a lot of attention...one was a joke pic with an Avengers theme. The other was a recent photo I took. That one really took off and was shared multiple times. I made about 5 cents in a couple of days. You do start to learn over time what kind of content gets you the most return. I have enjoyed the people I've met on Tsu. Lots of very friendly people. I visit the site almost every week day. Rarely do I post on a weekend.


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