4bux is no more!

It has only been a few days since we criticized this site, and who could have thought that the results were immediate?

Today, I've heard from one of our news sources that the PTC site, 4bux.info, has closed down and leave a statement that's surprisingly similar to Paid.vg, a PTC site that also failed the contest.

This is what's left on the 4bux.info site..

4bux.info...

It's been a short, fun, and hectic 2.9 months. However my recent plan to turn the site into a premium member only site has failed. My intentions for doing so were to keep the site from going bankrupt and to always be able to pay the members, however this was met with a lot of criticism. Many people around the internet are calling 4bux.info a scam which has ruined its reputation and I do not see it ever returning to its original state. If I tried to return it to the old 4bux, it wouldn't be the same, it would only last another month at most and fall apart. I was too nice, $0.02 clicks and $500 payouts were not working for the site structure. Part of the problems occurring from a faulty database transfer, resetting balances to zero, and a bad time to do a site change. A premium member based PTC could produce a pretty powerful PTC site, but at the same time it's a PTC site. Because of that I'm going to have to agree with the former owners of Paid.vg, PTC sites simply are a terrible business model, they don't work. They can never balance because getting advertisers is nearly impossible, no one wants to buy 1,000 visitors for $19.99. If you look around the web you can find 1,000 quality visitors for $6.95.

That said, I'm sure you can figure out what is happening to 4bux.info. The site is closing, effective immediately. Anyone who bought a membership, referrals, or advertising on the "new" 4bux.info will be refunded. Both standard and premium members will be receiving payments anyone who does not receive a payment is to abide by ToS bullet number 8.

"8) There is a possibility that 4bux.info can NOT pay its members."

While this isn't the choice I'd like to use, all members registered under these terms of conditions. Payments will be sent out over the next few hours. Also, to anyone even slightly interested in running a PTC site. Do NOT, it's a terrible idea. The sites don't balance enough and are risky. To members looking to purchase something off a new PTC site. Look around if they advertise on other sites, they may be trustworthy because they are spending money. Don't buy anything off a new and unprofessional/cookie cutter looking web site. I will probably never run a site like this again.

It's been fun. 4bux.info Is No More

With this said.. he exits.. what an irresponsible admin.

The business model sucks?

Not at all, the PTC model is not the best model for advertisers as far as quality visitors are concerned, but this advertising model could guarantee some larger hits compared to the standard PPC model used by giant companies such as Google and Yahoo. Moreover, it ensures instant traffic, so PTC are still an alternative advertising model that's still attractive for advertisers even up to now. The only problem is the competition among PTC sites.. New PTC sites come out every now and then, and this somehow splits the stream of advertisers. So, what happens is that the competition turns out to be a survival of the fittest type, and the best PTC stays! Unfortunately for 4bux.info, they get left behind, and without proper experience and skills, the business model will really press on them, but then again, there is no business model that's 100% perfect.

What determines every business model is the way it is being handled. As a businessman, you have to know what business model you are adept at, you should know how to utilize it, you should understand how it works, and you should know its weaknesses. Unfortunately, 4bux didn't know how to steer the model and that's the main reason why it failed.

Irresponsibility of the Admin

Paid.vg and 4bux admin shares a common trait. Both are irresponsible! Blaming a model that works on their control is an act of escaping responsibility. Note that the model does not work on its own as if its some kind of automated process. It rests upon the control of the admins. How it works is determined by the admins' proficiency. If they are not skilled or diligent enough, things could really turn bad for them. So who's to blame? The PTC model that worked to some PTC Sites, or an admin who failed in the PTC business model? Well, as far as I know, there is no PTC site if there is no admin behind it.