The Fall of STA

Well, it was sad news, and it came suddenly. In fact the way STA closed its doors was symptomatic of the way the company was run -- at best sporadic communication.

In case you don't know STA (success through advertising)-- formerly YMMSS, then latterly for some reason STAy -- paid its affiliates (then suddenly IBAs) for reading ads 30 minutes a week. It developed from a safelist model where people would agree to receive advertising emails, but changed its model to incorporate advertising from "brick and mortar" companies as well as adverts placed by IBAs.

For some ( if they bought Ad credits early on when you could make good money just through buying ad credits and reading-- that is if you bought enough of them!-- based on the doubler system, or should I say "ponzi") you could have good success bringing people into your latest business opportunity. But, for most the discounted advertising available to IBAs was too expensive -- unless eventually you made money from reading each week.

This was the promise, and until the plug was abruptly pulled, it looked attainable -- not without hard work and time-- but this was something Kim Inman decided the company didn't have.

One problem was the poor communication. This problem had been addressed with the introduction of weekly coffee breaks, and conference calls, but newsletters were not published every week, and emails with important news also rarely sent.

I did not hear from STA that they had closed. I only heard accidentally because I logged into my Search Big Daddy back office, and read a message from Esto (formerly communications director with STA, who had left his position with STA a few months ago)

The least STA could have done was to send an email to the membership with some sort of explanation.

Anyway, we move on, and I'm sure many of the biz opp seekers who made up STA's membership will move on as well.

My hopes for a sustainable online income now rest with the family of CEP programs, and a few other autosurfs. Also, Greenwood Health (Sensatiafruit, and other vitamin/health products).