Forget flying cars and get ready for air taxis

Airbus

Flying cars are dumb.

Yes, the cars in Blade Runner, The 5th Element and Back to the Future are cool, and who wouldn't want to push a button and take to the sky in their Honda Civic? But it's not going to happen any time in the next few decades, if ever. Frankly, the average driver can't be trusted with anything that breaks free of the earth. Plus, adding potentially millions of vehicles to the sky is a logistical nightmare that's sure to end in more than a few collisions that, unlike earth-based vehicles, would end with potentially hundreds of injured or killed bystanders. But that doesn't mean the only time we'll take to the skies for transit will be via international airports.
Instead of flying cars, get ready for fleets of small "air taxis" zipping from hub to hub within a region, delivering passengers to their destinations. There's a reason Uber is so bullish on this idea -- it's an outstanding complement to its current business model. The company wants a world where you take an Uber to one of its flight hubs, hop into a eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) craft and be whisked to another hub on the other side of town. You'd then finish the trip in, you guessed it, an Uber.
It's also not too hard to imagine current airlines wanting in on the action too; most already offer commuter flights. Plus, of course, there's going to be an onslaught of random startups hoping to be the "Uber of the sky."
But Uber's dream requires partners, new regulations, a change to air traffic control and an infrastructure that doesn't exist today. Plus, you need actual flying vehicles, whatever they might look like.
Fortunately, there's commercial interest in building these air taxis of the future. Airbus' A3 and Aurora Flight Sciences (an Uber partner that happens to work with the DoD) are both working on eVTOL craft. Neither aircraft being developed by these companies resembles a car. Instead they look like futuristic tiny planes. Both take off like a helicopter but fly like a plane, which makes them perfect for short (under 50 to 60 miles) jaunts for two people. But as these get closer to full production (both companies are targeting 2020 for full-size test vehicles), it's clear that one of those seats will be filled by a pilot.
"Pilot" is probably not what the person behind the wheel (or maybe joystick) will be called. Maybe a controller is the better description. Flying one these multi-rotor craft would be impossible without a computer stabilizing the flight with tiny adjustments being made to each motor at all times. A typical helicopter has two rotors that have to be adjusted constantly by the pilot. Adding six more to that mix and a human wouldn't be able to keep control. "It's obviously impossible to fly this plane fully manually. This plane has to be a fly-by-wire system out of the out of the box." said Diana Siegel, eVTOL program manager at Aurora.

Full autonomy may come eventually, but like self-driving cars, a lot of work needs to be done. Ken Goodrich, research engineer at NASA's Langley Research Center, believes it might be 20 years before we see a pilot-less aircraft zipping around an urban area. "You'll certainly find people that say, 'oh no, you know that will happen in five years 10 years.' You know, truthfully nobody knows. But we probably will have to take an evolutionary process to get there, just like it's taking place with driver-less cars today."

Autonomy won't stop in the air though. Air traffic control is going have to evolve to handle all these extra craft. According to Goodrich, at certain times there are as many air traffic controllers on the ground as there are planes in the air. That model would be unsustainable if a city were to add multiple hubs and potentially hundreds of air taxis.

"The individual's ability to manage airplanes quickly becomes an issue. If you try to scale that up, not only is it individuals that run into bottlenecks but just hand offs between individuals is also a bottleneck. It has to become much more automated," Goodrich told Engadget.

The FAA, for its part, has been talking to manufacturers and is "taking a flexible, risk-based approach to integrating innovative new technologies" said Ian Gregor, FAA public affairs manager. Gregor also noted that the agency is looking at the AI-controlled future, "Several areas need further research, particularly identifying the operational risks, making sure the automation that 'flies' the autonomous vehicle is safe, and how the automation will interact with the air traffic control system."

Zach Lovering, project executive of A3's Vahana eVTOL, seems enthusiastic about the agency's course, "While it's true that historically the FAA has been slow to adopt new technologies, recent work being performed across many divisions of the FAA marks a significant shift in their approach. Not only is the FAA working to modernize the small aircraft certification process, but they are also working to integrate unmanned vehicles into our airspace."

But even if the air taxis can fly and the FAA is ready to add them to US airspace there's still one big hurdle that technology might not be able to tackle: The people living near the hubs.

The biggest issue will be sound. There's a reason houses near the airport are cheaper. That said, the creators of these aircraft insist that they won't be any louder than nearby roads. "Our design goal is really to be able to take off and blend in with road traffic that are 70-75 decibels," said Siegel. That's possible thanks to the electric motors that'll be powering the rotors on the craft.

After the initial vertical take, the craft will fly forward like a plane and be even quieter. But potential neighbors will probably want to see a demonstration before they're cool with a tiny airport in their hood.

Additionally, who will be the first customers? Taking a new type of car across town is one thing, flying in a new type of craft might take a while to catch on. Plus, there's a good chance that it's going to be way pricier than driving. In addition to the aircraft, you need a hub with landing spots, chargers, buildings and staff to act as local traffic control, customer service and maintenance. So initially it'll be confined to executives, Fyre Festival trust fund kids and lottery winners.

But eventually, the rest of us would be able to ride across the town when we're in a huge hurry. Although for some, their first trip will likely be because of an emergency. These eVTOLs would make great ambulances in a congested urban area. However they're used and how soon the rest of us will be able to fly in one without a pilot is just a matter of getting full-size craft in the air which should happen in the next three to five years. Maybe sooner.

I'm sorry, you're not getting a flying car, but if your grandchildren are lucky they might get something that flies to get them around town. "We think it's kind of funny when people call us a flying car — if Vahana is a flying car then so is a helicopter!" Lovering told Engadget. Siegel concurs, "If we can get away from [the phrase] 'flying car' that would be wonderful."

So let's keep the cars on the ground. Because the sky belongs to something else.

Welcome to Tomorrow, Engadget's new home for stuff that hasn't happened yet. You can read more about the future of, well, everything, at Tomorrow's permanent home and check out all of our launch week stories here.

In this article: a3, airbus, airtaxi, airtrafficcontrol, applenews, aurora, design, flyingcars, gadgetry, gadgets, gear, green, NASA, tomorrow, transportation, Vahana

By Roberto Baldwin @strngwys

When not reporting about technology and cats, Roberto spends his time surfing, snowboarding, playing in too many bands and trying to figure out where he left his MagSafe 2 adaptor. 

How Marcel Proust Is Going Digital

The University of Illinois commemorates the centennial of the First World War by digitizing the work of Marcel Proust.

By William Fenton

Hours before Germany formally declared war on France in WWI, Marcel Proust penned a letter to his financial advisor that anticipated the horrors to come. He wrote:

“In the terrible days we are going through, you have other things to do besides writing letters and bothering with my petty interests, which I assure you seem wholly unimportant when I think that millions of men are going to be massacred in a War of the Worlds comparable with that of [H. G.] Wells, because the Emperor of Austria thinks it advantageous to have an outlet onto the Black Sea.”

This letter, composed the night of August 2, 1914 and digitized in the online exhibition Proust and the Great War, offers a unique glimpse into the mind of one of France’s preeminent writers on the eve of war to end all wars. As part of a cross-campus initiative at the University of Illinois, this exhibition puts project-based learning into practice: a semester-long effort by François Proulx, assistant professor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and his graduate students to curate, digitize, contextualize, and translate Proust war correspondence.

The exhibition provides a glimpse at a longer, ongoing digitization effort at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Thanks to a partnership with the French Cultural Services and Centenary Commission, faculty, staff, and students will make hundreds of rare letters written between 1914 and 1919 publicly available next fall in Marcel Proust’s World War I Letters: A Digital Edition. While this project will be a boon to Proust scholars and World War I historians, its stakes should interest a range of online learning practitioners and enthusiasts.

How can literature help us to commemorate, recollect, and reevaluate war? What should a scholarly edition look like in the 21st century? And how might that digital version exceed its print counterpart?

WWI Today

World War I often takes a backseat to World War II in American historical memory. This raises obstacles for those seeking to commemorate the centennial of U.S. entry into the war (April 6, 1917). Bénédicte de Montlaur, cultural counselor of the French Embassy, acknowledged that challenge during our conversation about the Proust digitization effort.

“The First World War is not present in the public memory here as it is in France, but that’s why we think it’s important to focus on how this war shaped international affairs,” she explained. “It marks the beginning of the United Nations, and it’s when America became a superpower.”

The French Embassy has planned a host of events to commemorate the centennial, including concerts, conferences, film screenings, and, of course, the sponsorship of Marcel Proust’s World War I Letters: A Digital Edition.

The University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, which possesses one of the largest collections of Proust manuscripts, is a natural partner for the French Embassy as it seeks to reinforce ties between French scholars, intellectuals, artists and their American counterparts. (Montlaur noted that the embassy is also collaborating with Columbia University, Duke University, NYU, Texas A&M University, and UCLA on other centennial commemoration projects.)

“Proust is the French author everyone refers to. He’s our Shakespeare. He’s our Goethe,” explained Montlaur.

Commemorating World War I using Proust correspondence doesn’t just serve the interests of Proust scholars; it also mobilizes their interest to draw new attention to the war. Proust’s letters lend texture to the experience of war, and challenge mechanized associations with flashes of doubt, despair, and reverence.

In a March 1915 letter, Proust recollects: “I went outside, under a lucid, dazzling, reproachful, serene, ironic, maternal moonlight, and in seeing this immense Paris that I did not know I loved so much, waiting, in its useless beauty, for the onslaught that could no longer be stopped, I could not keep myself from weeping.”

In letter from that summer, he laments: “We are told that War will beget Poetry, and I don’t really believe it. Whatever poetry had appeared so far was far unequal to Reality.” (I would be remiss if I didn’t note that Proulx’s graduate students, Nick Strole and Peter Tarjanyi, curated and translated these letters.)

Proust’s letters remind us of the human costs of warfare and articulate doubt that we rarely permit preeminent authors. A digital edition of that correspondence could help de-monumentalize Proust, making him more accessible to scholars, educators, and learners.

The Kolb Edition

To appreciate the digital edition to come, one must understand how Proust was studied before. The de facto edition of Proust is a 21-volume edition of letter edited by Philip Kolb, a professor of French at the University of Illinois. Published between 1970 and 1993 — shortly after Kolb’s death — this edition represents his life’s work.

The Kolb edition is remarkable in its scope and ambition. In addition to collecting all of the letters available at the time of publication (more than 5,300), he also seeks to place them into chronological order. This is no small feat given that Proust didn’t date letters. (There was no need because letter writing was a daily activity and the envelopes included postage marks.) Kolb spent most of his professional life performing inferential detective work. For example, if Proust mentioned foggy weather in a letter, Kolb would find the weather report from the month in order to infer or at least narrow the date. He recorded all of this contextual material, what we would call metadata, on index cards — more than 40,000 in total.

As Caroline Szylowicz, the Kolb-Proust librarian, curator of rare books and manuscripts and associate professor at the University of Illinois, explained it, Kolb effectively created a paper-based relational database. He created files for every person mentioned in correspondence, file identifiers for each letter, and even a complete chronology of Proust’s social life.

In the 25 years since the publication of the last volume, more than 600 letters have surfaced in auction catalogues, specialized journals, and books. (The collections at the University of Illinois have increased from 1,100 at the time of Kolb’s death to more than 1,200 today.) Those letters are valuable in their own right, but they also change the way scholars understand the existing corpus. For example, a new letter might include information that revises previous chronology.

It’s no longer feasible to produce an updated Kolb edition. For a number of institutional reasons, faculty are no longer encouraged to produce vast scholarly editions, no less work that requires decades to produce. Publishers aren’t eager to print multi-volume editions for a limited audience.

“With the steady appearance of rediscovered or newly available letters, a new print edition would be out of date within a few decades,” explained Proulx. “Also, a 20-volume edition would be prohibitively expensive for individual readers, and mostly only available in research libraries.”

A digital edition, on the other hand, doesn’t need a publisher, and it can expand to accommodate new letters and context as it becomes available. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library began the digitization process immediately after Kolb’s death: Szylowicz, in particular, marked up (using TEI) Kolb’s research notes and documentation to make them electronically available via the Kolb-Proust Archive. Marcel Proust’s World War I Letters willextend that work by digitizing hundreds of his actual letters.

Toward a Digital Edition

While the Proust Digital Edition won’t be available until next fall — sometime before the end of the centennial on November 11, 2018 — readers can expect that it will look something like the Proust and the Great Waronline exhibition that I cited at the beginning of this piece.

Unlike the Kolb edition, which was published entirely in French, the digital edition will accommodate transcriptions and English translations, which Proulx and Szylowicz will solicit through an open-source crowdsourcing platform developed by their partners at the Université Grenoble Alpes. Whereas scholars used to format the exact text to show a finished state (what’s called a linear transcription), today many scholars seek to reveal the process of writing by including marginalia and emendations (diplomatic transcription). The crowdsourcing platform will accommodate both forms of transcription simultaneously, allowing readers to see the unfinished aspects of Proust’s writing. This technical choice may enable scholars to read his work differently: Proust often added or clarified his remarks in postscript that might not otherwise be visible in a linear transcription.

The digital edition will also allow readers to see Proust’s hand through scans of letters. In addition to conveying a sense the aura of a letter (as a material object), a digital copy allows a reader to attend to the conditions of his writing. “Proust’s letters are often somewhat messy,” explained Proulx. “His handwriting is frequently difficult to read, he sometimes scribbles in the margins or even between lines. Images, when they are available, give a better sense of the letter as its recipient would have experienced it: an often-hurried missive from a complicated man.”

“Proust’s penmanship evolves over time, from childhood letters, to his ‘dandy’ years, when he consciously starts to develop a distinctive hand, with curious c’s that extend under the following letters,” added Szylowicz. “In the last weeks of his life, Proust, who is then weakened by asthma and pneumonia, is unable to speak and reduced to writing little notes to [his caretaker] on scraps of paper or the back of letters, in a distinctly shaking hand.” (Reference an example here.)

The availability of images and different transcription practices provide new ways of experiencing Proust that undermine the notion of a monumental author, but also reveal, in the words of Proulx, a complicated man. Authors must be granted moments of frailty: to deny them that is to deny them humanity and to practice hagiography.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, a digital edition invites new participants into textual editing. That is, while Kolb’s edition has served scholars well, the complexity of a digital edition demands new forms of expertise and participation: that of curators, researchers, and scholars, certainly, but also that of technologists, transcribers, translators, and students. Enlisting students in the editing process isn’t just a useful pedagogical exercise; it will likely produce new discoveries, as Proulx and his students demonstrate with their online exhibition.

Read more: “The Met Makes Public-Domain Artifacts Free to Use”

Silver Pack

Pratik Patel , AFF (India) Top Author Forum Guru 1/2/2013 12:51 pm

Affiliate since: 04/04/2012, Power Rank: 99999999 | Read Pratik's 40 other Ask SC answers

Very nice question for recent Event of SFI in New year for Investment planning.

Well let me give you some brief of Silver in present and also of future.
Silver's easy availability, diversified use places it high in the list of industrial and investor preference. Silver is a precious metal and an industrial metal, and both sectors are dynamic and volatile in nature. Silver is a precious metal just like gold. But as compared to gold, silver has far more industrial applications that includes in bearings, welding, conducting electricity, photography, brazing, soldering, washing machines, jewelry and others. As the global economy emerges from its recession, demand for silver is going to skyrocket three times more fast than gold. Silver is in high demand in industrial economies as well as emerging economies.

We have these much awesome reasons to invest in this s76 product. i would like to make it as standing order if it's available so by doing this i can do monthly investment for which i am sure i will get higher RIO in future. We are not able to purchase it weekly or daily but saving of whole month can let us to buy it for our bright future. Even there is auctions of it also coming then its very nice way to win it in cheap price than purchasing directly. Auctions of it are combined with 75TC also which can help you in future winning of same . So as per my point of view winning it in auction will be at higher degree for investment planning.

6 simple, easy ways to add Co-Sponsored Affiliates to your downline!

6 simple, easy ways to add Co-Sponsored Affiliates to your downline!

06/07/2016

Co-Sponsored Affiliates (CSAs) are a great way to add value to your team and increase your profits--you earn 15% of the CV on each order one of your CSAs places at TripleClicks.com! Plus, if you're a team leader, you'll also earn Matching VP on all your CSAs. And that's just the beginning of the team-building benefits your CSAs can add to your business.

So, how can you get CSAs? Easy!

1. You get at least TWO (2) CSAs each month you achieve the rank of Executive Affiliate (EA) or above. And it's EASY to go EA.
2. The CSA Rewards Program gives you more than two dozen ways to get 30+ CSAs every month, including 10 CSAs you can get just by becoming BCQ.
3. Every day, we award 10 CSAs to 10 Affiliates in the Daily Grand contest. Other prizes include TCredits, Member Rewards Points (MRP), VP, and more! Enter the Daily Grand contest HERE.
4. You can also win CSAs through our Pricebenders Auctions. You'll also get 1 Action VP AND 5 MRP for every bid you place! Check out the auctions at the main Pricebenders Auction page to view upcoming CSA auctions.
5. If you're currently in the E365 Challenge, you can win CSAs each day in the E365 Daily Drawing. Learn more about E365 HERE.
6. Achieve the rank of Team Leader, and you can automatically receive a share of the thousands of CSAs who are forfeited every month by other affiliates and need a NEW co-sponsor! Learn more.

My Experience

Manohar Mattu, STL (India) Top Author Forum Guru 11/12/2015 5:25 am

Affiliate since: 12/18/2011, Power Rank: 25 | Read Manohar 's 240 other Ask SC answers

Dear Norman

As per my experience, one generally experiences a loss (small or bigger) in the first year. 

Because one is trying to build one’s team of active members by recruiting, sponsoring, purchasing or through ‘Bid & Build’. There is definitely a certain amount of financial loss, and moreover, you are in the process of in and outs of your SFI Business. But one should not quit if he had read the Launch Pad Lesson 11 properly and thoroughly that gives the example of great Internet Gurus and MLM marketers. 


The main reason is that only 3% or less members get activated and they also need the same understanding that they will be bearing loses in their first year. How difficult it becomes to tell someone that he will be in loss for the first year, but still he should not think of quitting, as your success depends directly on their success. 


In my opinion, unless, you keep them motivated by giving TCredits, Cash Certificates etc. they are going to run away leaving you in a ditch. You need to further bear some more loses to keep them moving, till they become BTLs or more. Then you can leave them off their own. 


So, your real income starts coming in the third year and within 6 months you almost break even. Then here onwards once your team also become self-reliant, you can think of making some good money as Direct Commission and commissions from your CSAs. By now you should have more than 200 active and somewhat active PSAs and around 800-1000 CSAs. 


So, safely we can come to a conclusion that in the fourth year there is no looking back and you can be a silver, gold or platinum member as per your funds available to you.


Hope it helps!
Have a wonderful day!!

How much time should I allow before I should expect to be producing income from SFI?

How much time should I allow before I should expect to be producing income from SFI?

Teresa Schultz (South Africa)
Affiliate since 5/1/2015 Power Rank: 1655 | Read Teresa's 85 other Ask SC answers

Allowing something means letting it happen. You are the one in control of what you allow or don't allow.


Your question makes me want to ask questions of my own:


What were your thoughts ahead of this question? What is your plan if you don't make a specific amount of money in a specific time period? Would you think of quitting SFI if you don't make that amount in that time? Would you extend your original estimated time period and continue working towards a specific income amount that you have in mind?

Next, what sort of income amount are you thinking of or asking about?


Are you asking how long it took for others who were already happy with the income they're receiving from SFI? How long it took somebody else depends on the time they had available to work, what they did, and, sometimes, also how much money they invested, on luck in winning things to help them with their SFI business, and on the specific amount they wanted to earn at the end of it all.


You need a plan. How much time you have available each month to work at SFI; what amount you'd like to earn monthly, a list of the things you can do and how much income each action might generate for you, amounts of money you may want to spend to help you, and how long it will take to do all these things. Add up the income each action might generate for you, as well as the hours or days or week or months of the time needing to spent on different things you'll be doing, and then you will have answered your own question.


You are the best person to answer this question. Only you know the answers to some of the things that will contribute towards determining how long it will take you to achieve what you want to.

New Active Sponsor policy

Beginning May 1st, 2017, SFI will employ a new, accelerated roll-up/compression policy so as to provide a higher level of support and leadership companywide.
Here’s how it will work:
Being a bonafide sponsor requires being active, engaged, and supportive of those you are the sponsor of.  Unfortunately, many affiliates sponsor others only to essentially abandon them.  To mitigate these situations, all sponsors of affiliates will now be required to:

Log in at least once AND have at least 250 VersaPoints every 45 days

Affiliates failing to meet these two requirements will immediately and permanently forfeit all PSAs to their sponsor.  If the receiving sponsor also fails to meet the two requirements, he or she will forfeit as well…and so on up the line.
Therefore, if your sponsor and, say, four other upline members between you and an active upline Team Leader are inactive, you’re going to move up FIVE generations in May!  Yes, if you don’t currently have an active sponsor, you’re going to have one soon!
This new accelerated roll-up/compression policy is also designed to align with the objectives of The Diamond Plan and Opti-Build.
IMPORTANT TIP: Some of you, especially if you’re a Team Leader with a lot of generations of “dead wood” in your group, you may find yourself with dozens or even hundreds of new, forfeited affiliates on your first level in May.  We strongly encourage you to treat this as a business-building opportunity!  That is, if you’ll reassign these persons under the Designated Diamonds (DD) in your group, you have the opportunity to not only juice your DDs but also juice these new, received affiliates who can now have the opportunity to get more active and become DDs and participate in Opti-Build themselves!  A win/win for all!

---

Q&A

Q: What’s the main objective of this policy?
To help ensure that as many affiliates as possible have an actively-engaged and supportive sponsor and upline team.
Q: My sponsor probably doesn’t currently meet the two requirements, but still I’d like him to continue to be my sponsor.  Anything I can do about this?
You can contact your sponsor and make sure he is aware of the new policy so he can get himself qualified by the end of April.
Q: If someone is not meeting the new requirements, will they no longer be an SFI affiliate?
No. They will only forfeit their PSAs.  They will still be an affiliate until they’ve gone an entire year without logging in (per our standard policy). And as an affiliate, they can still earn unlimited commissions and even start sponsoring again and build a new team if desired.  The new rule just helps ensure that every SFI affiliate has an actively-engaged and supportive sponsor.
Q: Could this roll-up of people increase my commissions?
It could, yes.  The more people that move into your payline (i.e., the generations where you’ll earn Matching VP), the more you could earn.  You could also increase your Direct Commissions for those who rolled up to your first level.  However, we do want everyone to be aware that rolling up all these people to Team Leaders could mean more Matching VP is earned (i.e., more shares of the TripleClicks Executive Pool), which could reduce pool share values somewhat.  But in the long run, the positives will certainly outweigh any temporary negatives for most if not all.
Q: So, this roll-up of people could increase my commissions even if I don’t receive any on to my first level?
If you’re a Team Leader, it definitely could, yes.  This is because the more people that move into your payline (i.e., the generations where you’ll earn Matching VP), the more Matching VP shares of the TripleClicks Executive Pool you’ll earn on.
Q: If I’m the direct beneficiary of forfeited affiliates, do they become my PSAs?
Yes, they become your PSAs, with full sponsor rights, including the ability to reassign them as desired.  Tip: If you’re reassigning, be sure to follow the guidelines of The Diamond Plan (e.g. build a 5×5 structure).  More on reassignments to optimize Opti-Build HERE.
Q: Will sponsors who are in jeopardy of forfeiting their PSAs receive any advance notice from SFI?
Yes. Starting in May, we will automatically send a warning email at 35 days and 44 days so the sponsor is informed of the pending forfeiture of his/her PSAs.
Q: What if I was ill, away, or had some other situation that wouldn’t allow me to fulfill the requirements for awhile?
For such an instance, you may put your account on Vacation Mode and we won’t include the days you’re away in the 45 days.  Note, however, that the limit on using Vacation Mode for this purpose is six months.
Q: Could someone forfeit their PSAs and then get them back by meeting the requirements later?
No.  Once they’ve been forfeited, they cannot be reclaimed.  The only exception would be if the upline person who received them agreed to reassign them back to the person who forfeited them.
Q: When will we see the results of these roll-ups?
We plan to complete all the roll-ups during the first week of May.
Q: Will we have to wait 45 days for each level to roll up?
No. During the first week of May we will identify every affiliate who is not meeting the requirements and roll up their PSAs.
Q: How often will these new roll-ups happen?
From May 1st on, every day our system will identify the affiliates who are not meeting the requirements and roll up their PSAs.
Q: When a PSA is rolled up to a new sponsor, what happens to any affiliates that might reside under that PSA?
The entire downline/group under the PSA will move along with the PSA.  They’ll still have their same sponsors, but they will have moved up one generation in the company.
Q: Just logging in and having 250 VP every 45 days doesn’t ensure that someone will be a good sponsor, does it?
This new policy isn’t a cure-all because, yes, there can still be sponsors who log in somewhat regularly and have the required VP, but still are essentially absent from their business.  But we believe this policy will help a LOT and positively impact thousands of existing affiliates who currently have a less-than-ideal sponsor.  And should we need to go further, make the requirements even higher in the future, we will consider that too.

Where is my Sponsor's help?

must-read post

 Posted 1 day ago

This may sound a bit harsh, I'm not trying to be but this is a serious matter when it comes to business ownership.

99.9% of all businesses have no sponsor to teach anyone anything about any part of them. Be it online, offline, or in realms not yet created having an active sponsor or co-sponsor should never be an excuse for lack of success. Don't wait for an active sponsor but do check to see if you were assigned to a new sponsor at the first of the month. Our new Active Sponsors Program just started and if your sponsor hasn't been logging in and has not earned 250VP in the last 45 days as of the end of last month then you have had a new sponsor for 12 days now.

In the end though this is 100% of your business, and not your sponsor's business. Your sponsor is not your boss, they are not your teacher, they are the person who showed you the SFI opportunity but SFI provides the training and the forum provides the support, the search bar and FAQ offer the answers, and every day you can learn something new.

The training in advertising and marketing you seek are under your Marketing tab by selecting the sub menu Marketing Tactics, and more can be learned from day one newbie to advanced marketer using the Internet Income Course under your training tab. SFI is a live and interactive library filled with peers who are running their business and most of us seeing success have had inactive sponsors but realized that a active sponsor has no bearing on our success. We write our story not a Sponsor.

That said you should aim to be a better sponsor than your own because it's your business.

While the sponsor can't make you a success you can help your recruits find success which in turn becomes profits and growth in your own business, so don't repeat bad behavior or take what I am saying as an excuse to let your referrals work independently. Keep in mind that the Active Sponsor policy means you have to log in at least once every 45 days and accrue a minimum of 250 Versa Points or you too will lose all your Personally Sponsored Affiliates (PSA).

As to time frame for success most people take 2 years of investing in a business before they can even see a break even point. The less you invest of money the more time must be invested so if you are not buying advertising and team building aides you might need 3-4 years to see a substantial income, but the income is out there. You could also as you roll up your sleeves and get to work find you are a prodigy and that 6 month's from now you are making more than any of us. It all depends on you.

Hoping this helps you and others on your journey,

Andy Zeus Anderson

Move! Move! Move!

Do you feel stagnant?
Tired of the same old thing every month?
Are you thinking of quitting?
If you answered, "Yes" to the questions above, all you have to do is GET UP AND MOVE! Yes, all you have to do is write a new plan that shows how you will move your SFI business every month. You could call this your map or your formula for success in SFI. The eleventh and twelfth Rules of Success emphasize the importance of setting realistic goals and working strategically to achieve them.
The lexical item, 'move' is defined by Google as 'making progress or moving in a specified direction.' This suggests that in order for a target to be met, there must be some form of movement; not just any random movement, but the type of movement that will close the gap between your starting point and the point where you will be when you have achieved your goal.
Every month is another opportunity for us to move one step closer to our goal of becoming a top earner in SFI. You have to do this one step at a time because SFI is a long term investment business. This is why you have to do something new every month to grow your business. One way to grow your business every month is by doing activities that will add $5, $10, $20, $30, $40 or $50 to your commissions every month. I tell myself that no matter what happens, I must add $20 to my income every month or I am wasting time. My commissions must increase. At the very worst, my commissions must remain the same. Either it increases or reflects what I earned the month before but it must not decrease. I have to do this to motivate myself. Find something that motivates you and MOVE.
You need to be driven by progress. Take your business seriously. It is paramount that you get some form of desired result. You have no time to waste. You are getting older each day. You have so many dreams that you would like to accomplish. You cannot possibly chase all of these dreams because time does not afford you that luxury. It is with wisdom that you choose which dreams you will pursue. If you are are reading this article, it means that you view SFI as a priority among the many dreams and aspirations that you possess. This is why it makes sense to GO HARD and MAKE IT HAPPEN! You have to find a way to design your success. When all is said and done and after all the motivation that you receive from fellow SFIers, only YOU will write your success story. Your success will come or may not come based on your daily SFI activities. Carson stresses, "If it is to be, it's up to me."
Sometimes things are slow. Sometimes team members who are team leaders quit on you. At other times the world seems to be caving in on you and you feel like you cannot breathe. Certainly, there have been many times when you pushed and pushed and worked and worked and at the end of the day, nothing happened. Do not quit. This is just an indication that you might need to adjust your methods. If you are a Team Builder and your team is not growing regardless of how hard you promote, it could mean that persons whom you have prospected do not share your vision. Maybe they do not see what you see in SFI. Move on. KEEP PUSHING UNTIL YOU FIND PEOPLE WHO SHARE YOUR VISION.
If you are not moving, you need resuscitation. Save your business. Reach out to your Sponsor for help. Take a free online Marketing or Business Management course and refresh yourself. Arm yourself with the 'know how.'Do not allow anyone to stop you. Increase your income in SFI this month. Move. I must move. You must move. We must move individually and collectively. Just move.

Keneisha W

Jamaica

What's the history of SFI?

What's the history of SFI?

02/10/2016

In November 2016, SFI celebrated its 19th year in business. From but a small acorn 19 years ago, SFI has grown into a tall and mighty oak tree, with strong and deep roots.  But we've also planted an entire FOREST…and it’s spreading across every country in the world.

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SFI President & Founder Gery Carson remembers the day SFI was born:

As an entrepreneur, there have been very few holidays where I haven’t worked at least a few hours, and this day in 1998 was no different.  I went into my home office that morning planning to spend a few casual hours on nothing in particular.  It was a holiday after all and no one else on my staff at the time was working. So it was just going to be a relaxing day where I’d let my mind have a break from the typical daily grind.

I remember at the time that affiliate programs were becoming a big deal, thanks to the Internet, which made it very easy to track sales using affiliate links.  Numerous big-name companies were now employing affiliate programs as a part of their marketing strategy.  And I thought…why not us, too!  

I remember being particularly impressed with Amazon.com’s affiliate program.  The word was, they had 60,000 affiliates.  60,000!  At the time, that number seemed enormous to me, an impossible number.  But I couldn’t have been more wrong of course because, in just a couple years, we would be experiencing days where we’d sign up over 60,000 affiliates in a single day! 

But on this morning, I was simply sketching out a few basics on how our affiliate program would work.  At the time, we were publishing our magazine, Six Figure Income, which featured exclusive interviews with home-based entrepreneurs who were earning at least $100,000 annually from their business.  This magazine was essentially our one and only product.  By the way, it’s from the magazine’s name that the SFI Marketing Group name came to be (a few years later we changed the initials to stand for Strong Future International to better align with our vision for the program).

Six Figure Income magazine’s premier issue was the March/April 1998 issue.  Prior to this, and stretching all the way back to 1986, we had published other newsletters and magazines devoted primarily to mail order entrepreneurs, including Mail Dealer Newsletter, Mail Profits Magazine, and Profits Magazine.  During those years, marketing by mail was the “Internet” for many entrepreneurs.  All the marketing we do today on the Web; in those years, at least for entrepreneurs like myself, it was all mail based (with a little bit of help from phone, fax, and conference calls). Six Figure Income magazine was published just four times per year, and a one-year subscription was $49, so we had a healthy margin…enough margin to pay a handsome commission to anyone who wished to be an affiliate of ours and sell subscriptions.

Within days of deciding to create our affiliate program, I had published information on how to sign up online (supplemented, if I recall correctly, with a small direct mail campaign ironically).  To my pleasant surprise, sign-ups starting coming in almost immediately.  Not a lot, maybe a dozen or two a week, but that number rapidly accelerated.  Soon it was hundreds of sign-ups a day, then thousands, then tens of thousands!

Driving this, now, hyper-growth was our decision to expand the program and compensation plan–many of the details of which were hammered out during a weekend at SFI affiliate Steven Sashen’s Boulder, Colorado home with affiliates Gump Wallen and the late, great Richard Strayer (we miss you, Rich!).  By January 2001, we had exceeded one MILLION affiliates.  Over 14 million others have joined SFI since.

So like many great accomplishments, it all started with a simple idea, a simple inspiration.  Today, SFI is the online home for millions of entrepreneurs from every country in the world.  Indeed, SFI today is very possibly the largest and most successful affiliate program in the world.  Aim high.  Dream big.”

Should I Quit?

must-read post

 Posted 3 days ago

The only way to fail in SFI is to quit. That being said, you've had some advantages in a very short period of time that some of us never get!
1. You have an active sponsor!
2. You've received PSA re-assignments!
3. You've made Bronze Team Leader in four months!
You've been in business just over four months, and you're ready to quit??? Sound like you should re-assess WHY you're in business to begin with. Go back to your BIG GOAL. What is your real motivation for wanting to build your own business? Focus on that, and not where you are (or aren't) after such a short time in business.
Would you expect to buy into a franchise system and expect to be in the black after just four months? I should expect not! Investing in SFI can come in many different ways. Some will invest money to help speed things along. Those who don't have money to invest will invest their time. Only you can decide which one is more applicable to you.
Back to the question about quitting ... really? It's only been four months! No one said this was a get rich quick scheme. In fact, it's quite the opposite! Put in the TIME and the WORK, and this can be a source of leveraged, residual income that can produce results for years to come!
One final thought. You need to define what success is for YOU. Then, take a look at this article, with "shortcuts" to success in SFI, and then determine that you are not going to quit!
www.sfimg.com/Support/Solution?id=215994
Remember this ... SFI will still be here in five years, growing and moving forward into the 21st century, with millions of affiliates. The question is, will you be?

How much you can earn in SFI?

Why should I connect with ECAs?

Why should I connect with ECAs? And how do I connect with them?

08/22/2015 Your success as an SFI affiliate (and your team's success), is tied directly to the success of TripleClicks--and our ECAs are a big part of TripleClicks.

A new ECA is likely still learning about TripleClicks. They do not yet know if it will be an asset for their company. Hence, they are unsure how much they want to do with TripleClicks. But if lots of TripleClicks members connect with the ECA, this will embolden them to get their products listed. It may also motivate them to create Hot Deals, add even more products, offer lower shipping costs, better prices, etc.

All of these things make TripleClicks better and more robust. And the better TripleClicks is, the more traffic TripleClicks will receive, and the more sales and affiliate commissions will be generated for all SFI affiliates. In short, the more successful our ECAs are, the more successful our affiliates will be...and it can start with the simple act of connecting with your favorite ECAs.

You may also receive special offers, deals, etc. from the ECAs you connect with.

Note also that ECAs build their "power rankings" based on the number of connections they accumulate. Hence, ECAs want lots of members connecting with them!

So where/how do you connect with ECAs?

1. You can do this at our ECA REPORT which is updated daily with new ECAs.

2. If you want to connect with the ECAs in your country, see our "ECAs By Country" list HERE (www.tripleclicks.com/ecaCountries.php).
3. You can also connect with any ECA by visiting their TConnect page or from any of their product details pages at TripleClicks.
 
One more thing: Don't forget that you can refer new ECAs and earn royalties on ALL of their sales at TripleClicks for life! Learn about this great opportunity HERE (www.sfimg.com/HelpDesk/ECAFaq).

Love card games?

Love card games? Play the NEW CARD KING game at TripleClicks! Play FREE daily for great prizes, badges, and a share of today's Zackpot! Details at: 
http://www.tripleclicks.com/11555110/games

Which is better and why? Promoting SFI and TripleClicks locally and more personally...or globally via the Internet?

Which is better and why? Promoting SFI and TripleClicks locally and more personally...or globally via the Internet?

Wayne Crocker (Missouri, US)
Affiliate since 5/10/2012 Power Rank: 254 | Read Wayne's 237 other Ask SC answers

I have come to realize that it is to our best interest to be promoting locally and globally.
You may have more success with those who are in your local area, especially if you reside in a large city. When I lived in a large city, I had my hands full with local prospects, sometimes more than I could handle. Prospects are more likely to sign up with someone who is from their own area. This may be done because your prospects know they will be able to get better service from someone living nearby.
When you have affiliates within your area, it is much easier to have business meetings and social gatherings. This helps you to build a more solid base of affiliates.
When ordering products the shipping cost can be lowered by a group of your personal affiliates batching their orders together. (This is suggested by TripleClicks).
One of the best reasons for promoting in your location is that you will develop better relationships with your affiliates. The better the relationship will create a stronger group and higher incomes.
That said, because SFI and TripleClicks is a global business, we cannot overlook the value in having your personal business reach the far corners of the world. So promoting on the Internet opens the possibilities of having affiliates from other countries and speaking different languages. What a great way to learn different cultures and lifestyles.
The world is at our fingertips and waiting for those who are bold enough to reach out and touch the lives of strangers in foreign countries. To help someone in a deprived country with SFI gives them a chance to change their lives for the better.
Because I live in the backwoods of the Ozarks, I need to do almost all of my recruiting through the Internet. Now I could use targeted advertising to reach large cities in the States so that I could have affiliates from my own country, but I find it more exciting to be building a base of international relationships.
I plan to build an empire, and I want to help as many people I can to climb that mountain to the top with me, and that, my friends, must be done by utilizing local and global methods.

Wordpress

Lesson #32–WORDPRESS:
CHOOSING A HOST AND GETTING STARTED

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN We briefly introduced you to WordPress in our last lesson. In this lesson, we will cover obtaining a domain name, obtaining a Web hosting service, and installing WordPress. Getting Started The two main things you need to start a Website are a domain name and a hosting service. Historically, these were two separate things purchased independently from two different providers. You purchased your domain name from a domain name registrar and you purchased hosting space from a Web hosting service. These days, many of the hosting services have obtained the credentials to register domain names or have, at least, contracted with a registrar to resell domain names for them. The result is that you can now usually purchase your domain name from your Web hosting service as part of a bundled package. However, they are still separate and certain rules pertain to registration of domain names that can't be altered by the hosting service. Thus, the take-a-way is to be aware that you can keep your domain name should you decide to change hosting services or you can, should the need ever arise, move your domain name to another registrar while keeping the same hosting service. If you already have a domain name previously registered, you should be able to use it with any hosting service. Remember that choosing a domain name is part of the branding process. Review our lesson on Branding (Lesson 4, Revised Internet Income Course) before choosing a domain name. Also, as it has become difficult to find the domain name you want with a commonly known extension (i.e. .com, .net. .org, etc.) due to all the competition, you may have to settle for a less common extension to find a meaningful name. And, there is yet another issue. Even though a domain name may be available in one extension, someone else may have acquired through use, registration of the name under another extension, or by registration of a copyright, trademark, tradename, or corporation exclusive rights to the name in some jurisdictions. Just because the name is available for registration as a domain name on the Internet does not necessarily mean that no one has intellectual property rights established in that name. On the other hand, registration of a domain name without using it (as many of the speculators do) does not give them intellectual property rights in the name under other extensions. Make a note to check and make sure the name you register is clear of such rights as soon as it's financially feasible to do so and before you're too invested in the name. Choosing a Host There are many factors to consider when choosing a hosting service. Price, of course, is always an important factor. Reliability is another. Most hosting services will publicize their average "downtime" (which should be a very low fraction to be acceptable). You want to know where their servers are located, whether the server facility is climate-controlled and monitored onsite 24/7, as well as whether they have backup generators for power outages. You also want to know whether they have backup servers in another location in case of storm, flood or other natural disaster at the main site. You should also inquire regarding the type of hosting control panel the service provides. Hosting "control panels" are Web-based interfaces allowing you to manage various server configurations and services from the comfort of a Web browser. These panels allow you to set your domain name, upload your Web files, set up your email, install applications (like content management systems and credit card shopping carts that help you create and maintain your Website), install databases, and set usernames and passwords for the various functions such as ftp, database access, and email. The type of control panel used by the hosting service may or may not be a factor for you depending on your prior experience. The most common hosting control panels among the 20 or so in use are C-Panel, Plesk, Direct-Admin, and ISPManager. Some hosting services have designed their own proprietary control panels as well. Make sure that the hosting service you consider has a control panel that is easy to manage. For our purposes, since we are going to be working with WordPress, the availability of WordPress as an application that can be easily installed from the control panel is a must. Most, but not all, Web hosting services include WordPress in their available applications. Make sure the one you choose does include WordPress. (It should be mentioned that an alternative to acquiring hosting space from an alternative Web hosting service is to use the WordPress.com hosting service and access WordPress through its own server. The functionality is limited and you lose many benefits you could obtain from a standard hosting service, but, if you are technically challenged, this may be a good option for you.) Installing WordPress When you use a hosting service with WordPress available, installation is a very simple process. Log into your control panel for the hosting service and scroll to "installations" or "applications" or similar section and then look for WordPress within the list of applications. Simply click "install" and answer any prompts that may come up. It should only take a short period of time for the installation to complete. If, for some reason, you have a hosting setup that does not include WordPress, follow these WordPress instructions for the type of hosting environment you have. One important choice you will need to make is to select the directory within your Website to install WordPress. If you plan on using other CMS's or app files that require an extension other than .php (WordPress files have a .php extension) alongside your WordPress installation, you may want to create a subdirectory within which to install WordPress (ex: /wp). This way you can run other apps or services within your root directory and point your WP files back to these services as needed. One drawback to this, however, is that you cannot easily move your WordPress installation to another directory later. (It can be done, but it gets a little tedious to straighten out all the paths involved in the links and calls.) If you don't plan to run other apps that require a different file extension, it is better to install WordPress directly into the root directory. The second step to installation is to make sure that you have installed the latest version of WordPress. You can do this by logging into your WordPress Dashboard (more on this below) and clicking on "updates." If indicated that a newer version is available, click to install the update. Logging Into Your WordPress Dashboard After installing WordPress, you will be asked to set a userid and password for your Dashboard. You need to record your username and password in a safe place for easy future reference. You also need to record the URL to access your WordPress Dashboard. If you installed WordPress in your root directory, that URL will be: http://[your-domain-name]/wp-admin. If you installed in a subdirectory, the URL will be: http://[your-domain-name]/[your-subdirectory]/wp-admin These three pieces of information (the URL for your dashboard, your username, and your password) will get you back into the WordPress Dashboard from any Web browser, without necessity of logging into your hosting service's control panel first. Choosing A Theme After updating to the latest version of WordPress if necessary, your next step is to choose your theme. Your choice of theme will change both your dashboard and the appearance of your Website. Choosing the right theme for your needs is worth the time and effort required. Although you may be impatient to get started with your content, you should take your time and choose the best WordPress theme for your needs. WordPress will come with a couple or more built-in themes. The latest built-in WordPress theme at the time of this writing is "Twenty Seventeen" and it's a pretty good one for many types of Websites. Like WordPress itself, this theme is totally free. There are many other free themes you can choose from as well, including others created by WordPress.org in addition to those created by many third party providers. There are also many "premium themes" that have varying costs. When you select a premium theme, pay attention to the user rights you receive upon purchase. Some prices are only for use on one Website, while other options may extend to unlimited use on any number of sites. Refer back to your branding considerations when choosing a theme. You want to select a theme that matches your style. You also need to make sure your chosen theme has the functionality you desire (or is compatible with plugins that provide the functionality you desire). It is not uncommon for one to decide to change themes down the road. Be aware, however, that changing a theme may require rebuilding the structure of your site. While most themes will carry forward the content of your posts and pages, you will often lose your menu structure and your categories layout. It is important to back up your Website completely before changing themes. Should the new theme prove unmanageable, you can simply reinstall the site from your backup. Installing Your Plugins After installing your theme, it is best to Immediately proceed to install your necessary plugins. Many of the themes will tell you which plugins you should install to provide the full functionality of the theme. There are other plugins that should be installed as well. You can always install more plugins later as your needs are determined with experience, but it's important to go ahead and install the basic ones before you begin to configure your site. We will discuss and provide configuration suggestions for these commonly used and very helpful plugins for you in the next lesson. For now, I will list the most important ones so you can go ahead and install them, if you like: Akismet, Contact Form 7, Flamingo, Yoast SEO, and User Profile Picture. After installation, you may want to wait for the next lesson to "activate" and configure them, however. CONCLUSION The two main things you need to start a Website are a domain name and a hosting service. These are often sold together now in bundled packages by the Web hosting service. There are many factors to consider when choosing a hosting service: price, reliability, safeguards at the server site, offsite backup system, type of control panel, and availability of WordPress. When you use a hosting service with WordPress available, installation is a very simple process. Log into your control panel for the hosting service and scroll to "installations" or "applications" or similar section and then look for WordPress within the list of applications. Simply click "install" and answer any prompts that may come up including the destination directory. It should only take a short period of time for the installation to complete. After installing WordPress, you will be asked to set a userid and password for your Dashboard. Record these, plus the URL of your dashboard in a safe place for future reference. Then, you should log into your dashboard, update the WordPress version if necessary, and choose and install your theme. Then, you should begin installing necessary plugins required by your theme plus, Akismet, Contact Form 7, Flamingo, Yoast SEO, and User Profile Picture.

New Active Sponsor policy

April 6, 2017 by csi4admin

Beginning May 1st, 2017, SFI will employ a new, accelerated roll-up/compression policy so as to provide a higher level of support and leadership companywide.
Here’s how it will work:
Being a bonafide sponsor requires being active, engaged, and supportive of those you are the sponsor of.  Unfortunately, many affiliates sponsor others only to essentially abandon them.  To mitigate these situations, all sponsors of affiliates will now be required to:

Log in at least once AND have at least 250 VersaPoints every 45 days

Affiliates failing to meet these two requirements will immediately and permanently forfeit all PSAs to their sponsor.  If the receiving sponsor also fails to meet the two requirements, he or she will forfeit as well…and so on up the line.
Therefore, if your sponsor and, say, four other upline members between you and an active upline Team Leader are inactive, you’re going to move up FIVE generations in May!  Yes, if you don’t currently have an active sponsor, you’re going to have one soon!
This new accelerated roll-up/compression policy is also designed to align with the objectives of The Diamond Plan and Opti-Build.
IMPORTANT TIP: Some of you, especially if you’re a Team Leader with a lot of generations of “dead wood” in your group, you may find yourself with dozens or even hundreds of new, forfeited affiliates on your first level in May.  We strongly encourage you to treat this as a business-building opportunity!  That is, if you’ll reassign these persons under the Designated Diamonds (DD) in your group, you have the opportunity to not only juice your DDs but also juice these new, received affiliates who can now have the opportunity to get more active and become DDs and participate in Opti-Build themselves!  A win/win for all!

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Q&A

Q: What’s the main objective of this policy?
To help ensure that as many affiliates as possible have an actively-engaged and supportive sponsor and upline team.
Q: My sponsor probably doesn’t currently meet the two requirements, but still I’d like him to continue to be my sponsor.  Anything I can do about this?
You can contact your sponsor and make sure he is aware of the new policy so he can get himself qualified by the end of April.
Q: If someone is not meeting the new requirements, will they no longer be an SFI affiliate?
No. They will only forfeit their PSAs.  They will still be an affiliate until they’ve gone an entire year without logging in (per our standard policy). And as an affiliate, they can still earn unlimited commissions and even start sponsoring again and build a new team if desired.  The new rule just helps ensure that every SFI affiliate has an actively-engaged and supportive sponsor.
Q: Could this roll-up of people increase my commissions?
It could, yes.  The more people that move into your payline (i.e., the generations where you’ll earn Matching VP), the more you could earn.  You could also increase your Direct Commissions for those who rolled up to your first level.  However, we do want everyone to be aware that rolling up all these people to Team Leaders could mean more Matching VP is earned (i.e., more shares of the TripleClicks Executive Pool), which could reduce pool share values somewhat.  But in the long run, the positives will certainly outweigh any temporary negatives for most if not all.
Q: So, this roll-up of people could increase my commissions even if I don’t receive any on to my first level?
If you’re a Team Leader, it definitely could, yes.  This is because the more people that move into your payline (i.e., the generations where you’ll earn Matching VP), the more Matching VP shares of the TripleClicks Executive Pool you’ll earn on.
Q: If I’m the direct beneficiary of forfeited affiliates, do they become my PSAs?
Yes, they become your PSAs, with full sponsor rights, including the ability to reassign them as desired.  Tip: If you’re reassigning, be sure to follow the guidelines of The Diamond Plan (e.g. build a 5×5 structure).  More on reassignments to optimize Opti-Build HERE.
Q: Will sponsors who are in jeopardy of forfeiting their PSAs receive any advance notice from SFI?
Yes. Starting in May, we will automatically send a warning email at 35 days and 44 days so the sponsor is informed of the pending forfeiture of his/her PSAs.
Q: What if I was ill, away, or had some other situation that wouldn’t allow me to fulfill the requirements for awhile?
For such an instance, you may put your account on Vacation Mode and we won’t include the days you’re away in the 45 days.  Note, however, that the limit on using Vacation Mode for this purpose is six months.
Q: Could someone forfeit their PSAs and then get them back by meeting the requirements later?
No.  Once they’ve been forfeited, they cannot be reclaimed.  The only exception would be if the upline person who received them agreed to reassign them back to the person who forfeited them.
Q: When will we see the results of these roll-ups?
We plan to complete all the roll-ups during the first week of May.
Q: Will we have to wait 45 days for each level to roll up?
No. During the first week of May we will identify every affiliate who is not meeting the requirements and roll up their PSAs.
Q: How often will these new roll-ups happen?
From May 1st on, every day our system will identify the affiliates who are not meeting the requirements and roll up their PSAs.
Q: When a PSA is rolled up to a new sponsor, what happens to any affiliates that might reside under that PSA?
The entire downline/group under the PSA will move along with the PSA.  They’ll still have their same sponsors, but they will have moved up one generation in the company.
Q: Just logging in and having 250 VP every 45 days doesn’t ensure that someone will be a good sponsor, does it?
This new policy isn’t a cure-all because, yes, there can still be sponsors who log in somewhat regularly and have the required VP, but still are essentially absent from their business.  But we believe this policy will help a LOT and positively impact thousands of existing affiliates who currently have a less-than-ideal sponsor.  And should we need to go further, make the requirements even higher in the future, we will consider that too.