Day 5.2: Alternate Internets: Are They Worth It?

Over the past couple days, I've been investigating one online money-making opportunity that's really got me interested: alternate internets. I doubt that it would be possible to make any serious money with these, but wouldn't it be nice to get a $5 gift card every few months for doing nothing at all out of the ordinary. So, what is an alternate internet? Basically, it's a website that offers all the popular services of the internet: a search engine, mailbox, and other features. There are several out there that offer their users something in return for their service: cash. Yes, it is possible to earn cash just by using one search engine over another and playing games on a site other than Facebook. Is it worth it, though? And if so, how's the best way to take advantage of it?

There are two major internets I've found so far are Swagbucks and My Perfect Internet. Both make similar claims, and so I got accounts on both to check them out. Let's take a look at them.

Swagbucks

Swagbucks has been around for at least a couple years. The site is pleasant to visit and offers many ways to earn the virtual currency, Swagbucks. Each Swagbuck is worth about a penny, and when you have enough you can trade them in for pretty much anything--gift cards, gadgets, or even Paypal deposits. There are so many different ways to earn Swagbucks that you could earn more than you could at even the best of PTC sites. Even if you don't download their handy toolbar, you can look things up on their search engine and earn money just from that! So what are the downsides? Well, for one thing, you're not really earning "cash." It's only a virtual currency, and usually only pennies at a time. While it's true that you can get money in PayPal, it needs to be at least $25 worth of Swagbucks to do that. Another thing is that after a while on the site, it can get tiring to try to find ways to earn Swagbucks. It has all the same offers and tasks offered by any scam site, and it's hard to use as a primary "internet."

My Perfect Internet

I first heard of My Perfect Internet about a year ago, before it was even live. I was immediately interested in the idea of an internet that pays you to use it and refer others to, and so returning to it a year later I was excited to make an account. My Perfect Internet does take the idea of an internet very seriously. You can choose your own e-mail and have a list of up to ten of your favorite sites on the front page. It also has a wide array of games to choose from, including a form of solitaire that I'd never seen online elsewhere, and it has its own social community, Wazzub. The downside? Making any money here is hard and complicated. Everything here is hard and complicated. The front page always looks cluttered and is filled with flashy advertisements for things you don't really want. Granted, it's a new site and still has a lot of growing to do, but at present I doubt I'll do much with it. It just isn't, well, fun.

So what's the verdict? My Perfect Internet may score better as an internet system, but it falls very short next to the Swagbucks alternative. Even though Swagbucks is primarily oriented around making money, their toolbar allows you to make Swagbucks without even going out of your way to do so--definitely an opportunity worth checking out.