Entrecard MonetizationEntrecard Monetization

Until now, I have been content with my Entrecard experience to simply visit new blogs, evaluate them, revisit the ones I like and ignore the ones I don’t.  All the while, I’ve been growing a small base of regular visitors to the Ultimate Blogging Toolkit, experiencing a wonderful variety of new blogs and building a balance of Entrecard Credits (ECs).  With my newly acquired and safety net in my EIN, I am now ready for the Cashout Program.

Entrecard recently allowed members to apply for cash payout in exchange for a portion of their ECs. Of course, as I indicated in The Move to Monetization: Safety, Entrecard requires a taxpayer identification number. Well now, I’m ready.

Entrecard will be considering the following balance of six activities to award payouts:

  1. How many cards you drop and how frequently
  2. % of paid ads you approve
  3. % of Entrecard ads you approve
  4. Listings you create and completed sales in the market
  5. How many credits you transfer to others (indicative of contests, tips, and generosity)
  6. % of credits you spend on Entrecard ads

They are justifiably not publishing the details of the algorithm used to prevent gaming the system or worse, fraud.  But the move to their own monetization model has not been without controversy.

There have been a number of Entrecard members who post and comment about the acceptance of paid ads into the network being seen as a “sell out.” It appears that in my post called Entrecard Paid Ads Confusion, I posed the question about how viable an environment can be long term without a revenue stream.  All of us getting awarded ECs for visiting each other seems to have a somewhat limited shelf life monetarily.  At least one person has expressed strong opinions.  Based on the numerous other posts I have read, that person is not alone in their feelings.

For now, I have applied for the Cashout Program.  Understanding that there has been intense interest from other members, I realize it may take a while to get approved. Not a problem. When that happens, it will simply be the next step on that journey from avocation to vocation.

Dave