If you have an email address, then you've heard about the latest "Get-Rich" Program out. They come and go in waves, and the newest one seems to be cresting. This one is called MyListMaker. And before I say anything else, I want you to know I am NOT saying it is any kind of scam or that it WON'T get you rich. It very well could. It has some new twists, and makes some new promises that others have not made. And I have no doubt that many of you have paid the fee and joined this program. If and when you DO start seeing some return, I would LOVE to hear from you. If you haven't yet put any money into it, just be sure you carefully consider the pros and cons of these types of programs before you make the decision to invest in one of these programs.

Let's look at the details of this one in particular:

This program is based on a 3x10 forced matrix. You get 3 people on your first level, whom all have 3 on theirs, down through 10 levels. Everyone has to sign up 4 members, and the "spillover" is placed (forced) into existing downlines.

To get the most out of this program, you need to refer four people in the first three days after you join, and it will build a mailing list of up to 80,000 addresses for you. PLUS, you earn $10 per referral, which has the potential of making you $800,000. Pretty darn tempting. Even WITHOUT the referral fees, what a person couldn't do with a mailing list of 80,000 addresses, right? We'll talk about that part in a minute.

*Refer 4 people in 3 days, you get $10 for every referral. *Refer 4 people in 7 days, you get $5 " " " " . *Refer 4 people after 7 days, you get $1 " " " ".

They pay NOTHING until you have referred 4 paying members. (Membership is $89.) And don't overlook the part of the member agreement that says that you won't get paid until your account reaches $200.00. They give you no information about what happens to any money in an account that does not reach the $200.00 minimum payment amount. And they also state that they make no guarantees as to how much money you can earn.

My biggest problem with this, and any other similar MLM program is that they sell no tangible products!!! The money is earned by recruiting new members. You are basically getting a portion of what others' pay to join. So, there is no real incoming revenue. It is basically just money being passed around. And at $89 per member, for someone to wind up with $800,000, (or even an eighth of that amount!) there are going to have to be a LOT of members that don't earn a dime.

But, you say, you would still be getting an 80,000 address mailing list for $89. Good value? Let's take a look.

In the sales letter that promotes the program, you are told that the majority of opt-in lists are useless because "everyone is posting, and nobody is reading". Well, if you joined this, or are thinking of joining this, what is YOUR reason for doing so?? Are you planning to promote your own offers?

Just because someone pays to be on a list, does NOT mean that they are more likely to read the offers they get. Will you? Or will you join it with one of your "disposal" email addresses? Do you think no one else has the same idea? Trust me - there is a lot of deleting going on out there.

So what's the "moral" of this story? Bottom line: THERE ARE NO GET RICH PROGRAMS! I'm sure some of the people at the top of the matrix, and the creators of the program will earn some income. But the only way to REALLY create a successful online business is to build it the old-fashioned way! Work at it!

Want to build a large mailing list of people who will open the mail they get from you? Then put out quality PRODUCTS, and INFORMATION, combined with a relationship of trust that you have taken the time to build.

Here's a good rule of thumb: Invest yourself for a year. If you can get past a year, without giving up, your business will be a success. Most internet marketers give up before a year. Work hard for a year. Learn all you can, and put everything you learn into practice. Invest yourself in your customers, not in your business. The Get Rich Quick Programs will keep coming at you. They'll keep making promises that will sound extremely tempting. Don't let them distract you. You can do it without them!!!

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About the author: Gail Hornback is a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of 5 kids. She is the author of WebWorksAtHome.com, and publisher of WebWorksAtHome Weekly update. You can contact her at webmaster@webworksathome.com. You can subscribe to her ezine at http://listbot.com/subscribe/webworksathome.