Why I am no longer a PayU2Blog Blogger . . .and maybe why you shouldn’t be either

Now, I am not writing this to piss anyone off. I know I research companies before I work for them, and I just want to give you a point of view that you don't see unless you blog for them. Now, anyone who does blog for them won't ever post one bad word ever, because if you do, you will be kicked out (yes, I know people who this has happened to). If you happen to mention something that got said on their “private” forum, you'll get kicked out (but this rule hold true for only certain people because I've seen things blogged about and nothing was done to that person). Before I go on any more, let me tell you my story, what I've seen, and why I am not sure I'll go back even when I will be allowed back in.

I think it was about two years ago when I received an email from PayU2Blog asking me to join them. I was flattered, and it was a great way to make money off my blogs. You get paid $5 for a minimum of 60 words. Those were the rules when I started. However, they aren't posted anywhere, and if you don't have access to the forum, you'd have no idea to all the changes that just seem to magically show up at their whim. One day you can be following the rules, the next you aren't. The latest example of this (besides the reason I just got kicked but I'll go into that a bit later) is when Izea came out with blog sponsorships. If you had one on your blog, they (at least sent you an email BEFORE they did it) kicked you out. Now, no where in their “rules” does it say you can't have them nor would any new bloggers even have known it. Actually, I understand the reasoning behind it. However, there are so many bloggers that left Izea, because they felt PPP was telling them what they could and could not do with their blogs. Well, this step is one big one towards that for PayU2Blog.

Another issue I have with them has to do with a friend of mine: Drew. Now, the upper brass their have a bad habit of calling out who they think are “cheaters” on the forum. Drew decided to quit and emailed them to let them know. This was exactly what he was suppose to do. He then wrote a post about why he left PayU2Blog. He then was called out on their “private” forums by PayU2Blog for being a jerk and other things. He couldn't even defend himself, since he was locked out of the forums. Well, low and behold, they found his email. They then issued a half assed apology on their “private” forums, and actually, sent him a pretty snotty message before they realized their mistake. I'm sorry, but this whole mess could have been avoided if they didn't badmouth their bloggers. They also start witchhunts among their members and I often myself unable to disagree with them on their forums. You would often find that the members would gang up on the one lone person who disagreed. I found that long standing members would no longer comment on the forums, because they felt they couldn't. Now, I also noticed that my work seemed to go down if I disagreed (now, this could be purely coincidental since it didn't happen every time I spoke out, but did seem to happen enough that I noticed). As much as all this annoyed me, I keep working for them, because money is money. That may make me a bad person, but that money paid for Christmas and a lot of other things for my kids.

Now, what happened to me. As you all know, I was picked to be an Izea Insider. I have written a small amount about this. However, no where to the level of a “personal cheerleader” like I was accused of being. However, PayU2Blog disagrees and has told me that I cannot work for both Izea or PayU2Blog. It is one or the other. I was not the only one told this either – Brett, Corrin, Heather, and Julie were also kicked out. Now, PayU2Blog seems to think that Izea has it out for them, and we are all spies. Ummm, no. We applied for this position never thinking in a million years that this would be considered a conflict of interest. I consider myself a professional blogger and can separate what I do for each company. Heck, Izea obviously agrees since they knew we all worked for other companies besides them and have no problems. The best part of all this — the blogs that are not affiliated with the Izea Insider thing I am doing (like Lisa Reviews) are also kicked out. Now, I don't mention PayU2Blog or Izea on that blog, but since I am Izea's so called personal cheerleader now (which I have done no post to even suggest that) nothing I do is good enough for them anymore. Now, their advertisers lose out the most with this decision. This blog got over 300,000 visits in October alone, and I average anywhere from 500 – 1,000 visits a day on here. Since their advertisers are only after SEO (and maybe some hits from the posts itself), it really shouldn't matter what my other posts are even about.

Now, what does this “personal cheerleader” get for being an Izea Insider? I will get a template makeover for this blog (it's coming and looks awesome!). I was given an Affiliate Summit Pass and Sears gift card to give away. I am also being given a $1500 stipend to spend on conferences. Now, I actually have to pay out of my own pocket first and get reimbursed. As you can see, this isn't as glamorous as it was made out to be by PayU2Blog. I have been nothing but transparent about this, but whatever.

I hope this doesn't come across as sour grapes — I really do. I have a lot of friends that still work for PayU2Blog and that I hope this doesn't affect our friendships. However, I do feel that you need to hear both sides of a story, and if you are thinking about working for this company, you need to be prepared for what may happen. You will not hear this from somebody currently working for them, because they will get kicked out if they even mention in a blog post that they are doubting this company. If you do a google search, you can see all the people who have had problems with them. I can't vouch for those posts — only what I personally went through and what people I know have also. Since, I am over 1,000 words, I'll end it here even though I could probably go on for another 1000 words). I just have to say that it isn't fair to change the rules in the middle and not allow me to work for both companies especially on blogs that have nothing to do with me being an Izea Insider.

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Lisa Martin

In April 2006, Lisa began blogging to stay connected with distant relatives and friends. As she delved into blogging, she discovered the potential to assist others by sharing her experiences. Lisa has actively engaged in numerous exclusive media ventures. Notable among these are her participation in events such as the Sony Mommy Bloggers Event, the Pampers Mommy Bloggers Event, the Epson Event in Chicago, the Stouffers Event, a memorable yacht excursion with Lands End, collaborations with 1-800-Baskets, an exclusive tour for bloggers by Mrs. Prindable’s, partnerships with Hallmark, PopCap games, Chicago Cubs Mastercard Priceless Events, and Rug Doctor. In addition, she has collaborated with Nutrisystem on a weight loss initiative, teamed up with Buick and Chevy, and served as a brand ambassador for Sprint. Lisa's collaboration portfolio also extends to Disney, where she has participated in press trips for significant movies such as Frozen, Guardians of the Galaxy, McFarland USA, The Good Dinosaur, The BFG, and Cars 3. Notably, for projects like Frozen, The BFG, and Cars 3, she was granted the privilege of walking the red carpet and conducting interviews with celebrities. The impact of Lisa's blog has gained recognition, with The New York Times referencing her content. Moreover, she has been featured in interviews by respected publications such as the Southtown Star, The Chicago Sun Times, and inside.

This Post Has 63 Comments

  1. corrin

    I've also blogged about the situation, and I have the same feelings as you do. There conflict of interest is non-existent and the immediate removal from the system was uncalled for. I've always walked on eggshells on the PayU2Blog forums because of how I've seen others treated and some of the system messages we've received from the PayU2Blog staff, but I kept my nose clean and completed assignments on time and with better results than many of their other members. We were treated like sneaks and criminals by PU2B and we are none of the above.

  2. Holly

    That is so stupid that they would do that. I guess they are just not grown up enough to deal with some competition. I work for them right now, but we will see how long that last if they read this.

    I have also had issues with them, like last month when they put out a bunch of jobs for the same company and expected people to know that they could only do one a week, but put the due date as 5 days away. I can't get on their forum as they say I'm a spammer, even though I have never been on the forum. (and they won't respond to emails so I don't know why) So I didn't know any of this. I have to say if my new business kicks off well I'm going to pull out too, right now I need the money.

  3. Becca

    Wow. I tried to join them quite a while back…but they never sent me any kind of email saying anything…not even saying "your blog sucks"..nothing. So I figured they wern't worth my time anyways. :/ Now I'm kind of glad…because at one point I also blogged for PPP…but the whole izea thing started to frustrate me and Id didn't really have time to anyways. :/

    I hope things continue to go well for you with izea though. 🙂

  4. Rachel

    Ohhh this article makes tons of sense on why i was kicked out. I never really went into the forums but i did complete my assignments. At one point i did fall sick and could not complete my assignments and they bascially kicked me out or said i was benched. I was doing both Izea and PU2Blog. This really stinks since they never really paid me for all the blogs i did and i also miss the steady income they gave. What a shame! 😥

  5. Colleen

    I'm not surprised. Many people still working with PU2B feel as if they're selling their souls for a meager payout.

  6. Eric S.

    Well, it sounds to me like they are not a very easy company to work for. You should not have to put up with that kind of thing. They sent me a request to blog for them once, but I never responded, now I'm glad.

    Happy for you with the Izea thing. Good luck

  7. Wilson Pon

    Thanks for the alert, and hope you'll have a great time with the Izea 🙂

  8. Shelley K

    Wow…Thanks for the alert. Sorry you have gotten invovlved in such a sordid business. Keep us posted!!

  9. Nicole Trollbeads

    I just have to say that it isn’t fair to change the rules in the middle and not allow me to work for both companies especially on blogs that have nothing to do with me being an Izea Insider.

  10. Clayton | Emily

    Doesn't seem like that should be the way anybody runs a business. It's unfair to change the rules in the middle of a game, and it's also unfair to have no real place to turn to for what exactly the rules are. I hope you continue to do well though.

  11. Que

    Hi – I'd like to email you about this but can't find an email address on your site… if you're interested my email addy is attached to this comment.

    They're saying some pretty… interesting stuff about you over there.

  12. Lisa

    I'd love to hear it.

  13. bluepaintred

    "# Colleen (Comment number:6) on January 13th, 2009 4:28 pm

    I’m not surprised. Many people still working with PU2B feel as if they’re selling their souls for a meager payout."

    Not me. I like working for PU2B, in no way do I feel like a sell out, why on earth would I? it's not like I am doing shoddy review posts of products Id never heard of before, Im writing personal posts, Im just getting paid to type the word "pens" or "PS2" <– got that one the other day, perfect timing, Im going to write about the fact the kids and I got hubs rockband for his birthday. Why would me writing about my husbands birthday make me a sell out?

    Meh. Sorry, went off on a tangent there.

    Anyway, I don't feel that PU2B had changed rules "midstream" or unexpectedly….yes they have changed and added rules, but we are all sent messages in system to know about it beforehand, and they don't just change them willy nilly either, they always give their reasons for the change. Also, anyone working for PU2B should go to the forums and become a part of them ASAP, the day they finish the min. requirements to join it. The forums are as important to the workforce as the assignments are.

    I would, and have, recommend PU2B to anyone who is looking for EASY paid online work.

  14. bluepaintred

    Sorry, I wanted to hit the "Subscribe to comments" button and forgot. Ignore this comment 😆

  15. Lisa

    Thanks for the comment 🙂 I've heard some not so nice things said about me since this post, and I do appreciate your opinion. We don't have to agree on this one thing. 🙂

    It was easy work. I never got too many drug rehab references or anything like that. Heck, I loved the free things to try. The way several things were handled have bothered me, and this was the last straw (especially since they kicked me out – lol). The thing is that person who even clued me in that I was being talked about is afraid of getting banned for doing so. That should tell you something is amiss.

    But I wish you all the luck with them. I love reading your blogs and will continue to do so. Just because I am not part of this anymore doesn't mean I plan on disconnecting from the awesome bloggers I have met along this journey.

  16. bluepaintred

    No of course we don't have to agree on the same things! If everyone agreed on everything there would be no more wars and poverty, lol. I just wanted to have my say in a post where both the post and comments are against company I love, that not everyone feels that way, that for some people, PU2B is perfect for them.

    "The thing is that person who even clued me in that I was being talked about is afraid of getting banned for doing so. That should tell you something is amiss."

    IMHO : If you do something that is specifically against the rules of a company, you should be banned.

  17. Heather in Beautiful

    Hi Lisa, I'm sure this is very hard for you. You were with them quite some time weren't you?

    I have to say, it's their loss. You have a great following, beautiful blogs and always have interesting posts.

    I didn't really care about getting the boot as I've only been with them a short time – but your post has certainly made me aware of all the 'back room' stuff going on – and IMO that's a lousy way to run a company.

    After having been at ASW09, hanging around the IZEA booth and seeing the respect shown to them and the interest in their business by bloggers and advertisers, I think we are going to see great things happening in the near future! We are very lucky to work for a company which respects it's bloggers 🙂 and treats us as friends – not spies 😆

  18. Loretta

    Just because a forum is private doesn't make it okay to talk badly about other people. Someone commenting to alert Lisa that they felt slanderous comments were being made about her (if it is what's happening …) is called having a sense of decency. If being decent and kind is against the rules, then well…. that's sad.

    Having a private forum and bashing people on it is like teenagers passing around a slam book. Yes, it's the same thing. Exactly the same. You can pretend it's not all you want. It's not different. If PayU2Blog is allowing that kind of thing on their private work based forum, I would say it's quite unprofessional and a little on the disgusting side.

    I'm not a PayU2Blog blogger or an Izea blogger anymore, so I'm not involved in this mess thank goodness.

  19. Kat

    I feel that I need to speak up here.

    No one is being bashed on the forums. There are absolutely no names being mentioned, no urls being posted, nothing of that sort at all.

    Tony asked if people really hated the work they do because he had been sent some of these comments from someone, he was concerned that people hated working for them and only did it because they needed the money.

    People replied with their feelings, what they like and don't like about the company, but again, nobody is being bashed at all.

    There's not a single mention of anyone's name in anyone's posts.

    Not one.

    There are no urls, no links to any blogs or posts. you are not mentioned at all.

    As a mater of fact, no one is mentioned at all.

    Whoever told you that you are being discussed, is way way off, and not telling you the truth.

    "The thing is that person who even clued me in that I was being talked about is afraid of getting banned for doing so. That should tell you something is amiss."

    No one is getting banned for any such thing.

    They do no ban anyone for that kind of thing, that's childish, and they would never, ever do that.

    Did this person tell you everything in the thread?

    Did they mention how much Tony hated having to ban you?

    Did they mention that this whole thing is because of the advertisers of PayU2Blog not wanting Insiders for Izea promoting Izea and doing reviews for their sites or products, that it's the advertisers who see it as a conflict of interest?

    Did they mention that Tony feels absolutely horrible about having to ban you?

    Or about how he tried to come up with any other way to not ban you?

    He likes you Lisa, he likes your blog and the work you did for him, he did not want to ban you.

    I know how he tried to come up with another way because he emailed me, called me, we spoke for over an hour on the phone trying to figure out some way to not have to do this.

    Nobody has ever been banned for speaking their mind or having a differing opinion, and no one has ever not gotten assignments for speaking their mind or having an opinion.

    The assignment system is automated, it matches up the adverts criteria with the blogs that fit it, they can't go in and decide to "punish" a blogger, the system doesn't work like that.

    Whoever it is that told you that you were being talked about, isn't telling you the truth Lisa, you are not mentioned at all, and they are not in danger of being banned.

    Yes, it was suggested that they be banned, by a member, but Tony is NOT banning anyone for telling you anything at all, he is upset that the person is not telling you the truth though, and honestly, so am I.

    There is a long standing sticky that says people are not to link to any post or discuss any posts with any person who is not a PayU2Blog blogger, but it's not a bannable offense.

    This entire thing has me greatly upset.

    You are my friend, others who were banned I also consider my friends, people in these comments whom I know, I consider at the very least, blogging acquaintances, and I would hate to lose you as a friend over some lies being spread.

    I swear to you Lisa, as someone you know, as someone who has known you for a few years now, chatted in emails, on forums, etc, that you were not talked about, not even mentioned.

    I am very upset that someone told you you were and that it's upset you so much, but you were not, and no one else was either.

  20. Tina

    I'm a bit of a lurker on the forums and don't often comment but I just wanted to say that, like Kat said, no names or urls were mentioned in that thread. I'm sorry that someone has tried to cause trouble and say that you were being talked about.

  21. Lisa

    I"m glad to say this hasn't effected our friendship. However, I just disagree on some points.

    There was a way out of this. The blogs that have nothing to do with this http://lisareviews.com (and for the others too) should have been allowed to stay in. Not one word of the insider thing was going to be mentioned on there. That would have solved this whole thing. Did you know one of the insiders who was banned didn't even get an email? She just got locked out! I completely understand Tony's reasoning why this blog can't be involved in PayU2Blog. It is the blogs not associated with the Izea thing getting kicked that irritate me the most. Unless you personally know me, you have no idea that I run those other blogs. And I am no "personal cheerleader". I don't understand why I can write about how much I love PayU2blog on here and Izea is okay with that, but the opposite cannot be done. The other way out of this was to maybe send a mass email out to us insiders and talk to us. From what I can tell, Tony was completely wrong what this was all about and what would be required of me. I don't have to write about Izea, I don't have to promote Izea, and I really can do what I want with this. From my experience, Tony had his mind up and there was no changing it no matter how many times I reiterated my position. We couldn't know we "crossed a line" when that line keeps moving. I understand they have to update the rules as things change. However, I can't guess where that is going. As professional bloggers, we can separate what we do for companies but obviously PayU2Blog doesn't feel this way. I work for a PR firm. My boss doesn't like paid blogging, knows I do it, and heck I've even promoted some of our clients on here. He doesn't consider it a conflict of interest, and this guy pays me a lot more than Izea and Payu2blog combines. The other thing is that you all left PPP for them telling you what you can and cannot do on your blogs. Isn't this the same thing?

    It was hard to write that post. I liked working for PayU2blog and I just ignored all the crap that was annoying me. Now, since I am out, now was a good of time as any. I never got too many "spammy" words, I loved the free stuff, but I'm sorry I cannot stand the way we are treated on the forums. It always annoyed me. The whole Drew situation was horrendous. You just don't call out a blogger and then go "whoops". You really don't call out something like that and be wrong. And you all do gang pile. I saw it on the forums after Tony's little message. I must be wrong and not allowed to have my opinion. I did not state one thing that wasn't true. Heck, you would be amazed at how many people are afraid to respond on here but have privately contacted me to say thanks for writing this post. I'll be honest — after the forums went up, my enjoyment of PayU2blog went way down from the things I witnessed.

    As far as people handing out my URL, somebody is doing it. I can see it in my stats. He may not have listed it, but it was made quite easy to take a few the specific keywords and do a good search and do it. I know people are getting here from that too from my stats, and people are telling me that's how they are doing it. (though the jump in stats has been nice lol so whoever is handing out feel free to keep doing it).

    I guess that we'll have to agree to disagree, but I still look forward to seeing you in Florida. 🙂

  22. Lisa

    testing, testing, testing. It ate my last comment darn it.

  23. Lisa

    I'll try this again. (other comment didn't post)

    There were ways to avoid this. First, Tony could have contacted us before he locked us out. I would have loved to be able to print off all the work I did. Specifically, the work I did last year. I didn't get my 1099 from them till the end of March. I can't wait that long to file this year. Now, I have to use Paypal which worries me and have no way to check back. (and if you could get Tony to send me a list of the work I'd appreciate it — adding paypal together last year gave me a different number than what my 1099 said!). My main beef with the whole insider thing is that the blogs that have nothing to do with it got yanked too. I completely understand Tony's position with this blog. However, I couldn't have known I was "crossing a line" when that line keeps moving. Unless you know me personally, you have no idea that I write Lisa Reviews. None. Plus, I don't even talking about paid posting companies on there and I sure was not going to start now.

    Again, I'll reiterate. I don't get paid to be an Insider. I have to pay my own travel expenses and they reimburse me. That's it. I don't have to write about them. I don't have to be their personal cheerleader. I am not some professional athlete here who is trying to make an extra buck. The thing is — my reimbursed travel expenses is more than I make a year at PayU2Blog. Also, we all signed contracts, so it isn't like we can all just up and quit being Insiders. We can't.

    This is a bigger issue than just the Insider thing. Everything I wrote happened. I didn't make a thing up. And you would be amazed at the amount of people who have contacted me privately (and felt they could only contact me privately due to fears of getting kicked out). You all may want to bury your heads in the sand and pretend that environment doesn't exist, but I am not the only one who felt it. I'll be honest — I like payu2blog better when the forums weren't there. I liked the easy money PayU2blog offers. I never got too many "spammy" words personally though my work load as of late sucked butt. I finally got some work, and then I was kicked out. I had done research already on the products to review too, I just hadn't written the post yet.

    I am allowed to have my opinion even if it differs from PayU2blog. A lot of people left PPP because they felt they were being told what they could and could not do on their blogs. Well, I feel the same with this. Except not only am I being told what I can and cannot do on my blog, I am being told what to do in real life.

    We'll have to agree to disagree. 🙂

  24. Lisa

    As far as my URL given out, somebody is doing it. I can see it in the stats. Tony also wrote the post on the forums in a way with certain keywords to make it super easy to find my post too (and I can see that in my stats too and was told by several people that's how they found my post). (though keep it up, the extra visitors have been nice – lol)

    I'll be honest — I expected it to be a lot worse than it was. My issues run a lot deeper with PayU2Blog than just the Izea thing. However, you can never disagree over there and contrary to what Kat said, I do know someone who questioned if she should work for PayU2blog in a post, and was locked out the next day (of course, it'll be said it was for a different reason but the timing was uncanny). I thought the Drew situation was just crap. You don't go on your forum and bash a blogger. Even if you think they screwed up (and he didn't and he did what he was suppose to do when he quit). That was the beginning of me taking off my rose colored glasses.

  25. Kathy

    Thats a shame this had to happen to all you Insiders…..I just hope they don't penalize all the members of the Teams as well, and I would not be a bit surprised if they did.

  26. Yura

    If you can build such a good website that Izea is willing to reimburse your travel and conferences expenses, then you might be able to either build a website on your favorite topic and earn from it as an affilaite for the products you use and recommend (like the Hostgator, but much more targeted to your visitors).

    Just a thought.

  27. Kat Argonza | Tough

    Hmm, actually, I was booted but still received no notification as to why. I'm assuming it's because I'm an Insider, but I think them booting me without so much as an explanation is bad policy and complete cowardice. I even e-mailed them and have yet to receive a reply answering my question.

    So far as I'm concerned PU2B is run by rude and childish people.

  28. Lisa

    I have heard that a lot of people have complained that they never get back to them when you send them an email. With the latest developments, I would have washed my hands of them anyway. I just have to laugh that all these people left PPP because they thought they were being told what to do with their blogs. This is the same thing (but worse in my opinion), but amazingly it isn't seen that way.

  29. InvestorBlogger

    Actually, they have never replied to any emails I ever sent them. And, whatever requirements you need to be a member of the forums, it's pretty stiff. After doing over 100 posts, I'm still not in. I have been 'banned' from the forums indefinitely despite never gaining access, just clicking on a link that asked me to click on it. It's the least personal of all the paid blogging companies I ever wrote for.

    Kenneth

  30. Staci

    I don't know if you have heard, but now they're kicking all PPP and SS blogs out. We have until the middle of March to decide whether we prefer badges or white fish.

  31. K

    Lisa, I remember you on the forums and remembered that I loved reading your blogs! I am very sorry that this has happened to you and others. You were not a cheerleader for PPP or Izea but you made it very clear that you worked for them, enjoyed working for them and would continue to do so. Honestly, many times you remained neutral on the forums in regards to PPP. I never thought you overdid it or anything and always felt you were well-written and professional about the whole thing.

    I think the problem came in when a lot of people were constantly complaining about PPP and since you weren't one of those people, you immediately got blacklisted. JMO.

    A lot that you have said is true. I quit going to the forums on PayU2Blog because I got sick of seeing repetitive messages (the ones that were posted in our box) posted on the board. It seemed like this was a form of "calling out" people and when it was brought up to Tony he only said that the people doing it were trying to help. Forgive me if the help sounded snarky and condescending at times. If the company has a problem with some of their employees, then they need to step up to the plate and deal with it directly and not resort to having other employees do it. Nor should they be passive-aggressive about it (which they have been).

    In my opinion, someone was always getting called out in some way, shape or form. A few ruled the roost and I just got tired of reading their posts.

    As for the company… it's okay. I don't mind working for them and actually quite enjoy getting paid every two weeks (who doesn't?) but decided long ago that if I wanted to remain happy working for them, then I would stay away from the forums. This has worked out really well for me. I wasn't making much money with PPP, so decided to stick with pu2b because i'm making more money with them.

    Though I will say that i'm not sure how I feel about being told that I cannot work for PPP and pu2b and that I have to choose between the two. What's to stop them from saying the same thing about TLA, Smorty or any other blogging company??

  32. Lisa

    @Stacy I have heard. I love that they want you to remove tinyurl even though they aren't an izea property at all. What's up with that?

  33. Lisa

    @K Thanks! I consider myself a professional blogger which is why I always have kept it professional. I did enjoy working for both companies.

    However, I did see this latest development coming. As soon as they kicked out all the insiders, I figured they were going to make you choose. And I agree, it starts with PPP and where does it stop. It is a very slippery slope. TLA blogs got nailed in the Google slap too, so what's to say they won't decide they aren't dangerous. People left PPP because they felt like they were being told what they could and couldn't do with their blogs. Well, this has got to be ten times worse. They are literally telling you what you can and can't blog about. I mean if you put a picture of you and Ted (the CEO from Izea) because you saw him at a conference, are they going to ban you? It sure makes you wonder.

    I'm glad I'm out. I would have quit once this happened anyway. Even us shills have their limits.

  34. Jim

    And this message was sent by payu2blog the other day.

    Hello Everyone.

    We have after much careful thought, and research decided it is time to disallow blogs in our system that do assignments for Pay Per Post, Social Spark, or any other IZEA company. This was a very tough decision but we have no choice.

    They have been a good company for some of you. Unfortuneatly too much of what they ask of your blogs interferes with getting good results for our clients.

    A few people have taken steps already to remove the scripts banners etc.. from their blogs and saw almost an immediate positive reaction.

    If you only have 1 blog within our system you will have to remove all pay per post tracking codes, izea scripts, pay per post banners, count trackula codes and some tinyurl links associated with them…IF you want to stay with us.. and of course that is entirely up to you.

    If you have multiple blogs and want to continue working for both companies… you will need to pick blogs that you want to stay with us and remove all the banners and tracking codes from that company.

    Some of what must be removed is in this list:

    * PPP Banners

    * Izea Banners

    * Social Spark Banners

    * Any posts about them

    * Tracking codes -izea, paypal, social spark etc..

    * Real Rank Codes

    * Izea Etc.. all Affiliate Codes etc.. all

    * Count trackula

    * A direct copy or link to the disclosure policy provided by payperpost izea for your use. If you need a disclosure please write your own and don't copy theirs.

    * DO NOT VIOLATE YOUR TOS for assignments with them… ie don't delete posts if you are not supposed to for a certain amount of time etc…

    Some things to search your code for are:

    pay per post

    izea ranks

    urlbrief

    tinyurl

    disclosure

    counttrackula

    A few people had some advance notice about this to give me an idea what all was involved and it sounds like it was fairly easy.. but I am sure you may have questions. Please email support here for any help we can provide.

    We know it will take some time to do this, so please do not worry, if you decide to stay with us, your blog will not be removed right away. We will give u all the help we can and answer any question we can about how to remove all this stuff.

    WE are going to be very flexible and make sure that everyone has time to get the codes off and also to get paid by them for any outstanding assignments. ( I understand it takes some time to get paid)

    I know this will be a lot of work up front for us, and for you, but in the end it will be worth it. Those that remain will get more assignments.

    The reasons for doing this are many. The main thing is this: I am positive that in order for our clients to continue to get results and for you to continue to get assignments we have to distance ourselves from them, and all their banners and tracking codes….

    Thier system is setup with advertisers in control trying to pay you as little as they can get away with for your work, and then making bloggers fight for assignments.. Payu2blog has always been about paying fairly for your work, making it easy to get, pay quickly and striving to improve the payouts over time, with increased results.

    Some time in mid March we will begin checking blogs to see if the codes have been removed etc.. please do your best to remove them if you want to stay with us… if you do not want to stay please just let us know and we will make sure you are paid any outsanding pay and you will no longer get assignments from us.

    To reclarify- You can work for them and us but you cannot have the same blog with us and with them. If you only have one blog you will have to choose.

    If you do leave and change your mind later and want to come back you will be welcome, just as long as you left in a professional manner. If you are professional we will welcome you back with open arms.

    As a company I know we are not perfect.. but I hope everyone has an appreciation for the fact that we have always tried to make sure that everyone in our system recieves steady work without having to fight for it or wait extremely long times for payment.

    This step of removal of all their trackign codes and banners must be taken to help ensure more assignments for you and better results for our clients.

    Not much will change for now because we are going to give you plenty of time to remove these codes etc.. but a mid March deadline should give those that intend to remove the codes plenty of time. If you have special circumstances email support, or margie or heath etc.. we are hear to listen but we will have to remove blogs with these codes in march for sure.

    ALSO there are many people that are frustrated about the forum and not having access.. we are making MAJOR upgrades to the forum and many more of you will be given access when that is complete. There is just no point in creating the accounts until the new bigger, better, awesome forum is done.

    Thank you all for your hardwork.

    Know that whatever you choose, to stay with us, or to leave, we at payu2blog wish you nothing but the best. Those that choose to stay. We will be here to help and working hard to answer any questions you may have.

    I know this will be challenging but working together we can make 2009 an even better year than 2008.

    In the future we are already gearing up for many higher paying assignments, quarterly disney contests and much much more that I will save to talk about with those that stay.

    Thanks

    Tony

  35. bluepaintredw

    naturally "jim" leaves no valid link. He should know that when it comes to pretending to copy and paste a message, he is not the only one who got the message, so we KNOW the parts he deleted before his ridiculous copy and paste gambit.

  36. Jane

    Here you go, Blue, the post in its entirety.

    Tony did write later to say that the "paypal" he added to this was a typo.

    Hello Everyone.

    We have after much careful thought, and research decided it is time to disallow blogs in our system that do assignments for Pay Per Post, Social Spark, or any other IZEA company. This was a very tough decision but we have no choice.

    They have been a good company for some of you. Unfortuneatly too much of what they ask of your blogs interferes with getting good results for our clients.

    A few people have taken steps already to remove the scripts banners etc.. from their blogs and saw almost an immediate positive reaction.

    If you only have 1 blog within our system you will have to remove all pay per post tracking codes, izea scripts, pay per post banners, count trackula codes and some tinyurl links associated with them…IF you want to stay with us.. and of course that is entirely up to you.

    If you have multiple blogs and want to continue working for both companies… you will need to pick blogs that you want to stay with us and remove all the banners and tracking codes from that company.

    Some of what must be removed is in this list:

    * PPP Banners

    * Izea Banners

    * Social Spark Banners

    * Any posts about them

    * Tracking codes -izea, paypal, social spark etc..

    * Real Rank Codes

    * Izea Etc.. all Affiliate Codes etc.. all

    * Count trackula

    * A direct copy or link to the disclosure policy provided by payperpost izea for your use. If you need a disclosure please write your own and don't copy theirs.

    * DO NOT VIOLATE YOUR TOS for assignments with them… ie don't delete posts if you are not supposed to for a certain amount of time etc…

    Some things to search your code for are:

    pay per post

    izea ranks

    urlbrief

    tinyurl

    disclosure

    counttrackula

    A few people had some advance notice about this to give me an idea what all was involved and it sounds like it was fairly easy.. but I am sure you may have questions. Please email support here for any help we can provide.

    We know it will take some time to do this, so please do not worry, if you decide to stay with us, your blog will not be removed right away. We will give u all the help we can and answer any question we can about how to remove all this stuff.

    WE are going to be very flexible and make sure that everyone has time to get the codes off and also to get paid by them for any outstanding assignments. ( I understand it takes some time to get paid)

    I know this will be a lot of work up front for us, and for you, but in the end it will be worth it. Those that remain will get more assignments.

    The reasons for doing this are many. The main thing is this: I am positive that in order for our clients to continue to get results and for you to continue to get assignments we have to distance ourselves from them, and all their banners and tracking codes….

    Thier system is setup with advertisers in control trying to pay you as little as they can get away with for your work, and then making bloggers fight for assignments.. Payu2blog has always been about paying fairly for your work, making it easy to get, pay quickly and striving to improve the payouts over time, with increased results.

    Some time in mid March we will begin checking blogs to see if the codes have been removed etc.. please do your best to remove them if you want to stay with us… if you do not want to stay please just let us know and we will make sure you are paid any outsanding pay and you will no longer get assignments from us.

    To reclarify- You can work for them and us but you cannot have the same blog with us and with them. If you only have one blog you will have to choose.

    If you do leave and change your mind later and want to come back you will be welcome, just as long as you left in a professional manner. If you are professional we will welcome you back with open arms.

    As a company I know we are not perfect.. but I hope everyone has an appreciation for the fact that we have always tried to make sure that everyone in our system recieves steady work without having to fight for it or wait extremely long times for payment.

    This step of removal of all their trackign codes and banners must be taken to help ensure more assignments for you and better results for our clients.

    Not much will change for now because we are going to give you plenty of time to remove these codes etc.. but a mid March deadline should give those that intend to remove the codes plenty of time. If you have special circumstances email support, or margie or heath etc.. we are hear to listen but we will have to remove blogs with these codes in march for sure.

    ALSO there are many people that are frustrated about the forum and not having access.. we are making MAJOR upgrades to the forum and many more of you will be given access when that is complete. There is just no point in creating the accounts until the new bigger, better, awesome forum is done.

    Thank you all for your hardwork.

    Know that whatever you choose, to stay with us, or to leave, we at payu2blog wish you nothing but the best. Those that choose to stay. We will be here to help and working hard to answer any questions you may have.

    I know this will be challenging but working together we can make 2009 an even better year than 2008.

    In the future we are already gearing up for many higher paying assignments, quarterly disney contests and much much more that I will save to talk about with those that stay.

    Thanks

    Tony

  37. bluepaintredw

    I am finding it really hard to keep my opinion of your readers from conflicting with my opinion of you lisa.

    it might be best if I stop coming here

  38. Lisa

    I can't help what they post and unless it is calling names or spam I let it go through. I know you are subscribed to this post, I can remove you from that if you'd like.

    Like I've said, I have no access to the site, so I have no idea what Tony is or isn't emailing or sending to people. I've let the whole matter drop and am just happy that I got my 1099 from them already so I can file my taxes for the year.

  39. Michelle

    Thanks for sharing your story. I also received an email from payu2blog stating that I either had to delete anything to do with payperpost, izea or social spark if I wanted to still work for payu2blog. I'm just not sure what to do. After they sent me this email at the beginning of February I have only received 2 jobs. I'm wondering why I'm even staying with them if they don't give out paying jobs. Just doesn't seem fair that they can control what you put on your blog. They also want me to start deleting any old posts that are related to payperpost and social spark. What's up with that? It's starting to really make me made. Thanks for all this great info. Take care.

  40. Staci

    Quick question. Did you get a 500 internal error when you tried to login once they kicked you out? That's what I'm getting tonight. They said we had until Wednesday or so before they'd start kicking the rest of us out, but based on this error I'm starting to think that they're starting early. I had one assignment left to complete, and I thought that I'd be able to get it in before the cut off.

  41. Jenny

    People are getting immature about the whole blogging deal. I think it's on its way out to be honest. A lot of people I know don't even write in their blogs anymore, and this post, after trying to get into the company, is making me think otherwise. More drama. Who needs it. I say we start our own!! xD

  42. Liz

    Thanks, it´s hard to find out which blog for pay systems are good and which aren´t exactly because the ones inside the system don´t blog about the downsides!

  43. A little bird

    PayU2Blog is still ridiculously and illogically paranoid about anyone who has any connection to IZEA. They've gone so far as to deny bloggers the "right" to promote/advertise any of their other blogs that may work with IZEA. And I'm 99% certain that anyone who dares to disagree with PayU2Blog staff or speak up in defense of IZEA gets punished by receiving less assignments. I've had it happen several times.

    1. Lita

      Little Bird,

      We can tell who you are from your profile pic. You might want to change that.

      I know this is an old post but just wanted to update. PU2B has pretty much stopped doing the things that used to make them "fun". No more giveaways (or, they announce a giveaway, say they'll be announcing a winner, but don't follow through). No more free products. Barely any assignments any more, for that matter. Most people are getting between 2 and four assignments every two week pay period. Some haven't gotten any in months. A few of the "sherrif's favorites" are still getting tons of assignments and when people post in the forums complaining about a dearth of assignments, these favorites pipe up with "It's not that bad, stop complaining!". Also I would wager that 9 of the past 10 paydays have been late. They blame the bank, PayPal, anyone but themselves… and then get annoyed when people say "You know, I was counting on that money to pay bills". They seem to want it both ways: they like to think that they're a Professional Paid Blogging Company, but they don't behave professionally at all.

      1. John

        Hint: create a secondary mail account when choosing to blog like Batman. 🙂

  44. iamronel

    sorry to heard that, but on the other hand this was a great info about the program then, thanks a lot and have a nice day ahead..:)

  45. Zoe Defranceschi

    I know what you're talking about. I'm going through the same thing now… Thank you for sharing!

  46. I found that to be more helpful well let me know how it turns out! I love what you guys are always up too. Such clever work and reporting! Keep up the great works guys I've added you guys to my blogroll. This is a great article thanks for sharing this informative information.. I will visit your blog regularly for some latest post.

  47. Gizelle

    I stopped too

  48. Flora

    I just got dumped too, but they did not have the balls to tell me. I couldn't log in and emailed the boffice twice before finding out they had disabled my account – after three and a half years working for them!!!!

  49. Thanks for the alert, and hope you’ll have a great time with the Izea

  50. Mik

    I've blogged with Payu2Blog since 2007, I had two blogs on the system and did some PPP stuff way back when, I've seen the emails about not doing Izea and related stuff as well as Payu2blogs assignments on the same site. Sucks I could not do work from various companies on the same site.

    I removed my main blog because I was finding it hard to keep it as a personal blog and drop in the keywords on some assignments. There was only so many times I could talk about life insurance.

    I am wary about what I post on their forums but of late it seems like hardly anyone uses them any more.

    My one blog I still do work for them is a Blogspot blog (that they don't accept anymore) gets hardly any readers so I can whip up posts and drop in the keywords with ease.

    As long as they keep sending me more I figure I'll spend the couple of minutes a post for $5, certainly paid for my Call of Duty game and maps.

    It does seem at times there is one rule for some bloggers and different rules for others.

  51. k_dizzle

    I'm so done with them. Payu2blog sucks. There I said it.

    All of the late payments, crappy redundant assignments and passive-aggressive system messages have attributed to my feelings about them as a company.

    Like another poster said, everything that made them fun to work for is no longer.

  52. Sandy

    Google finally came down on PayU2Blog. Many if not all blogs are on Google's blacklist and now end customers are asking for links to be removed.

    All of this goes on while Heath and Tony act like call center managers and talk down to everyone.

    Late payments continue.

    No giveaways, fun assignments, $10 assignments, etc.

    Can't wait to delete all of my paid posts one day.

    By the way, Blogvertise is WORSE.

    As far as Izea goes, WAY too much effort to earn money.

  53. Shadow

    I came across this blog finding updated reviews on payu2blog. I currently work for them. I have been since 2008. At first it was awesome–I got paid on time, and had plenty of assignments and was able to put a twist to em. Then the assignments started getting redundant (how many diet pill ads can you do before you go nuts?), and the paydays would be delayed. But the late paydays were usually balanced with early paydays, so it wasn't so bad.

    The late payments have gotten progressively worse–sometimes they would come up with an excuse saying that paypal was acting up (which is believable; I've had issues with paypal, but that's another rant). Other times it would take a week before we get paid, and don't even get a "sorry for the delay" note. A couple of times, their lovely system forgot to close the pay period which caused the delay, but you'd think that they'd look into it after it happens a third or fourth time.

    Perfect example of a late payment–still waiting for last pay period's payment–it's been almost a week and heaven forbid if I needed that money for something important like rent. If it wasn't a huge supplementary income for me, I woulda told them to stuff it.

  54. Val

    I noticed there are no recent comments about this company, so here’s mine. Choosing to work for PayU2blog has been a regrettable mistake. After reading positive reviews, I applied & was accepted December 2012. They approved all my completed assignments and provided several bonus assignments in return. I completed 11 tasks in 30 days but because the topics were too far off from my own, I had to quit working for them. I haven’t received any payment at all, and they canceled my account (without notice & without pay) but fortunately I captured screen shots of everything because I had a feeling they might pull that. While working for them, they never replied to my e-mails (I only sent one) which is a real sign of lacking professionalism in my opinion. Now, I’ve had to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau about them & plan to contact my lawyer if need be. It’s the principle. I’m a professional and can’t tolerate such childish behavior in other supposed “adults” in business. As I’m checking their social media networks, I’m surprised to see that I have a much larger following than they do, including a presence on networks they have none, which is odd for a company that works in the field of social media. Their networks and pages lack updates & engagement, which is another red flag. I’m so glad I only completed 11 assignments and didn’t proceed further, but I’m warning all my fellow bloggers about this company & my experience. Never again.

    1. Val

      I had to update about this hassle of an experience I’m still having with payU2blog. Today is 3/8/13, and I’ve yet to receive payment still, so yesterday, I post a message to their Facebook page & they replied asking where I sent the e-mails that I never received a reply to, and I explained that I sent them through my blogger dashboard but my account has since been deactivated and they deleted my comment on their last blog post. They replied to that & said they would look into it & get back to me THIS MORNING. Well, it’s now almost 8pm & no reply, but this morning I went to their page to follow-up & they REMOVED MY POST, ALL MY COMMENTS & BLOCKED ME FROM POSTING ANY NEW COMMENTS TO THEIR PAGE! I can’t believe this, it’s unbelievable that they are being so incredibly unprofessional and for what? All they had to do was pay me! Now as I’m waiting to hear back from the BBB, I will have to contact my lawyer to deal with this matter because it makes no sense & I am telling everyone I know about the lack of professional maturity of the idiots that run this company! They’d rather continue to be difficult than just pay me what they owe. I’ve shared info about this on Twitter, Instagram & the next step will be my blog which will relay it to Pinterest & Tumblr. They really shouldn’t challenge bloggers with twice the amount of followers they have… absurd.

  55. I was planning on signing up at payu2blog but when I read this post I made an informed decision. Thanks for the advice.

    1. payu2blog

      It is always funny that when someone’s mistake is fixed.. as is val’s case that she doesn’t bother to clean up all the venomous misinformation she spread..
      She was the victim of human error.. her paypal address was entered incorrectly.. and the error was not discovered until later. That is really all there is to it. We are human and we make mistakes from time to time. I guess she doesn’t.
      When We were informed it was investigated and it was fixed. We have been around for years now.. and in all that time Payu2blog has had very few complaints, and when there were complaints they were fixed. If you decide to make a judgment on Payu2blog based on some comments here.. you are missing an opportunity to earn money for yourself.

      1. QDJ

        I find it HILARIOUS that Tony (or whoever) has the time to come to this years-old post and make a comment when NOBODY at PU2B answers emails/pm’s from their workers, nor do they visit the forums to answer questions/concerns from bloggers. They announce contests where their bloggers could win prizes, and then they never update. The last one on the homepage being an Olympics contest… “We’ll let you know the winner tomorrow”… and there hasn’t been a post since.
        Tony *did* show up in the comments a month or so ago to say that they were going to be doing other contests if people were interested but that “we’re really busy so it’s hard to get the contest done” (what’s “hard” about putting names in a hat and pulling out a name?). They blame bloggers for being upset when pay is CONSISTENTLY late. These are complaints that your bloggers have been making, Tony, for years now, so it’s absolute BULLSHIT that “when there were complaints they were fixed”. If that’s the case:
        1) Late pay pretty much every time for the past two+ years;
        2) Ridiculous, miss-spelled and gramatically incorrect keywords that are very difficult to fit naturally into a blog post – and very few of those for people who don’t kiss ass;
        3) Promises that you do not keep, such as giveaways for bloggers that never take place… also there are no more “fun” assignments where we would get free products or get paid more than the $5/post. Whatever happened to the YouTube assignments or the product reviews?;
        4) ABSOLUTELY NO RESPONSES when bloggers are trying their best to get ahold of you to ask questions or raise concerns.

        You are the company/the bosses, that’s true. We are your workers. But you can’t treat your workers like shit and expect them to be happy. Oh, and that brings me to

        5) If you DO respond to this (fat chance!), you are going to take absolutely no blame in the whole matter. You will blame me, or say that I’m crazy, or basically that I’m the one with the problem. Yes, I do have a problem. My problem is the absolutely unprofessional way this company is being run. I have been a PU2B writer for over 6 years now and in the past two years it has turned to absolute crap.

  56. Hortense

    Just another update: PU2B bloggers have not been paid for June, July, or August yet. No contact from Tony or Heath or anyone else at PU2B… I have a feeling PU2B is ripping off its workers and is closing up shop. They could at least have the professional courtesy to let people know, but this is PU2B. Why would we expect that?

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