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lifetips.com > Become A Guru > Guru FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a guru?
A guru is a source of knowledge in a sp/aecific area. Our gurus are experts in a wide variety of topics. They
provide information for our users including tips, links to useful sites,
answers to questions, and a weekly newsletter.
What is the role of a guru?
As a guru or knowledge source for your community, your role is to help build
a resourceful site for users, offering tips that will improve their lives, and
links descriptions with your assessment of the best sites on the Internet.
You�ll edit, test, review and �certify� tips and links that are submitted by
your users. You�ll also answer users� questions and create a weekly tip
newsletter for your site.
If your site is a new site, you�ll need to first jumpstart your site so it
has appeal to users. Then, as traffic increases, your responsibility will
change to �servicing� your community. You�ll have lots of choices to support
your community, and earn income.
How do I get started with lifetips.com?
Now that you�re a full guru, you have full access to all areas of your
site. With this new access comes a new administration area: http://www.lifetips.com/gurus Here
you�ll be able to add and edit tips and links, add and edit categories, answer
users� questions, and create weekly newsletters.
It�s important that you work in this new administration area of the site,
not the normal front end where you filled out the original application.
I need help. What can I do?
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to send our Guru
Management team e-mail at [email protected]. Our goal is to respond to all
inquiries within a few hours if you send it between 9AM and 7PM EST.
How many gurus will each site have?
Each site can only have one guru at a time. We�re currently working on
creating a program which will allow you to become �apprentice gurus,� learning
what it�s like to be a guru with a minimal amount of effort. If a guru resigns,
or is asked to leave, the top-rated apprentice guru for that site will have a
chance to become the guru.
Who is the Guru Manager, and what is their role?
To protect our company from potential problems, we have several �master
gurus� in our guru management department that will review all content before
publication. They will do their best to preserve your content in its original
form. As a publisher for hundreds of thousands of users, we have a diligent
responsibility to approve content and maintain a high quality of service. Our
users and sponsors expect that of us.
Can I become a guru for more than one site?
Not exactly. We know many of you have expertise in many different areas and we want
you to be able to share that knowledge. Towards that purpose, you�ll be able to
�cross-submit� your tips and links to other gurus for review. They�ll look over your
content and post it on their site. The great news? You�ll earn GuruPoints for those
submissions!
Will people be able to e-mail me with a question?
Yes. Users will be able to ask you a question through our advice area. The
question will be posted to your special back end of the site where you�ll be
able to respond. You�ll earn 5gp for each question you answer. We hope you�ll
take the time to prepare thoughtful and concise answers to your users�
questions.
Can I tell my guru friends about this? Is there a referral fee?
Yes and yes! Feel free to spread the word; we are looking for qualified gurus for lots of
sites. All are welcome, but it is first-come, first-serve in each site area.
To refer a guru, have the person apply at http://www.lifetips.com/BecomeAGuru.asp. Then email
[email protected] and let us know who it is
you referred. If that person is accepted and completes 200 tips, you will receive a check for $50!
Can I submit tips and links to other tip sites?
Yes. Once you�re an approved guru, you can submit tips and links to other
areas, and receive credit for your knowledge. We encourage you to support other
sites, and spread all the knowledge that you may have. You�ll still earn while
you help our users learn. You�ll be able to earn 2gp for each tip you submit in
all site areas, including your own. You can enter your tips and links for other
sites in the special guru are, http://www.lifetips.com/gurus
How does Lifetips make money, and afford to pay me?
Lifetips.com generates revenue by selling exclusive sponsorship for our tip
sites� newsletters. Our sponsors own the marketing rights to your site and your
newsletter. Sponsors will run banner ads on your site, run contests and offer discounts,
and run text ads in your tip site�s newsletter. Our fees are based on subscription levels and
performance, and work much like an affiliate program.
What is your ethical policy for user and guru information?
Lifetips.com maintains complete confidentiality on all information and data
relating to its users, gurus, members and employees. We will not, for any
reason, broker, distribute, release, transmit, or sell such information without
written consent.
Can I be a guru, and not get the free stuff or get paid?
Yes. We welcome volunteer support for the community. Simply send e-mail to
[email protected].
Soon we�ll be adding an �apprentice guru� program soon that will make
volunteering for lifetips.com even more fun and exciting. Apprentice gurus will
be able to submit content and answer users� questions, finding out what it�s
like to be a guru without any pressure. You�ll also have a chance to become a
guru if our present guru for the site resigns, or is asked to leave.
Where can I get information for tips, links and content?
We encourage you to research content. Naturally, we expect that any content
you present to us will be original, tested, proven and researched. We encourage
and expect gurus to research content.
Please do not copy content from any source, as it would violate copyright
laws for your content. However, you are allowed to paraphrase content from
another source as long as you give that source full credit for their work in
the �tip source� area.
Can I add new tip and link categories?
Yes, Please add as many categories and sub categories as needed. Categories
guide users to wisdom in an efficient, effective way. Take the time to think
out your categories for both tips and links. Coming soon: subcategories to
further help your users be guided to knowledge.
How much time will I need to spend on this project?
Here's a summary of our plan for your involvement of time. Remember our
staff and users will assist you in building content for you site.
Phase I Prepare for Launch: 4-10 Hours
Our general goal for each guru is to launch your site to our users with at
least 50 tips and 20+ link descriptions. Each tip will link to your bio, so
your users will begin to get a feel for your value, insight and knowledge. If
your site is a new site, it will require at least 50-100 tips to have appeal
for users, and for a potential sponsor.
You should begin building your site by checking out the "New Guru Help" section,
then doing the following:
Phase II Site Launch and Maintenence: 20+ hours a month
Site Support Ongoing Weekly Tasks: 1-5 hours per week
Once your site is launched, your responsibilities will change. You will check in with
your community, approve or reject tips, answer questions posted in your site area, and
edit tips and/or links that are submitted by users and fellow gurus. Everything you do
will be accounted for in our database. We'll keep track of all of your activity, giving
you GuruPoints for you response to your community, and addition of content. You�ll earn
a 40% of the revenue earned from your site, as long as you earn 200 GuruPoints each month
and maintain your content and community in a timely manner.
Creating Newsletters: 1 hour per week
To service your community, you�ll create weekly newsletters giving them your best
�tip of the week� and �recommended site of the week.� The best newsletters add that
personal touch, so please add your own character to our format. For each tip newsletter
we send out, you�ll earn 5 GuruPoints.
Hosting Community Chats: 1 hour per week
As your site�s �Resident Guru,� your users want to talk with you directly. Once a week,
you�ll offer a chat with them, covering topics they�re interested in and answering their
questions live. You�ll send in a log of each chat and our Guru Management staff will evaluate
it and give you pointers to help improve your service to your community. For each chat you hold,
you�ll earn 10 GuruPoints.
How do I earn money?
Our special guru area keeps track of all of your activity. You�ll know exactly what you�ve done
to date. At any given time, you�ll have real time access to your GuruPoint total.
When you enter a tip, for example, your account will be credited with 2gp. You�ll earn a commission
of 40% for you effort, as long as you earn a total of 200 GuruPoints per month. At the end of each
month, we check the totals of our gurus� accounts, and pay all gurus that have earned 200gp that month.
I reside in a foreign country, is that a problem?
No. However, our accountants are working on the best possible way to manage foreign transactions
for our accounts. We will provide more information to you, as it is available to us. For now, we
will mail you a U.S. check. It�s up to you to cash the check at a bank that will accept US checks,
and pay any fees associated with the transaction.
Update: We�re now offering PayPal payments for our international Gurus. Instead of paying high bank
check cashing charges, you can pay a low percentage rate from PayPal and get your money quickly
and easily. Contact our Guru Management staff for more details.
When will I be paid next?
After you receive your acceptance check for $50, you�ll need to build your GuruPoint total up to 200.
You�ll achieve this by building more content, answering questions, or approving other tips and link
descriptions. You�ll work in your own time, at your own pace, and you�ll earn as you help our users learn.
There are five things that are essential tasks our gurus need to complete each month in order to
earn their commission:
1.) Enter quality tips and link descriptions
How much can I earn?
Your earnings will depend greatly upon the popularity of your site. We pay
our gurus 40% commissions for maintaining their tip site and building a strong
community. If your community grows at the pace we expect it to, you could have
opportunity to earn $200-500 per month. If your community grows slowly, we will
have more difficulty in selling sponsorships, generating revenue from that site
and paying you more.
What date of the month are the commissions paid?
At the end of each month, we will review GuruPoint totals for all gurus, and select
those who have earned at least 200gp that month. We�ll process the checks in the first
few working days of the next month, and mail checks to gurus via regular mail. You should
receive your check within 7-10 days of the following month. If you have any problems,
please notify [email protected].
We pay you your commissions when we are paid by the sponsors and affiliate programs.
Sponsors pay immediately, but each affiliate program pays at a different time: some
monthly, some quarterly. When we receive payment from these companies, we�ll send out
your portion of that payment with your commission check, sent out at the beginning of
the month. Please view our affiliate and commission section for details on pay schedules.
Are you interested in getting paid faster? Contact us about using PayPal to receive
your commissions electronically.
Can I promote my sites or myself in my special site area?
Yes. In the guru section of your site, you�ll have promotion opportunity for
you in your bio, and a special �my sites� area for your sites. We would prefer
you to promote yourself in your bio, and your site in the �my sites� area of
your bio section.
Restrictions: In general, we think it is not appropriate for you to list a
link to your site in the guru link recommendations section. If your site is
completely dedicated to your site�s topic and is a competitor with your other
recommended sites, it may be possible to list your site. Please discuss this
with our guru management staff first.
Approved gurus will also be promoted on each newsletter sent out to your
opt-in subscribers. Newsletters will offer users a guru approved tip and link
recommendation each week, and a link to your bio for promotion.
All of our promotional opportunities are free to you. Our mission is to help
promote you, as you help our users learn.
More Questions?
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to send our Guru
Management team e-mail at [email protected]
Our goal is to respond to all inquiries within a few hours if you send it
between 9AM and 7PM EST.
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