Getting Started

1. What is admine about?

Admine combats invasive advertising practices in favor of ethical advertising to benefit both internet users and advertisers. By allowing users and advertisers to connect through honest disclosure of their mutual interests, AdMiners transform the current commercial model into a more direct and ethical one. By downloading the admine browser plugin you control which ads appear on your screen, help prevent the abuse of your web identity, and make money from ads you choose to click.

Back To Top

2. What's the catch? How can this be possible?

It’s a great question! What’s really going on is that you are replacing the “middleman.” These organizations collect your personal information, track your browsing patterns, and they make some big money by sorting, packaging and selling your information. By setting your own interests and blocking ads that come to you from other sources you are making explicit decisions about what reaches you. Over time, the middlemen cannot make money on your information when the buyers of information are denied access to you. When you use admine tools, you are keeping your access and information more tightly under your own control… so the middlemen cannot create value for themselves by pretending to know who you are, what you want, and how to gain access to you.

By the way, this is why admine pays you. You are now making these decisions yourself. So you are the one who should be paid.

Back To Top

3. What are some ways I can use admine?

• Use admine as a "personal shopper" to find stuff you like
• Earn rewards for yourself
• Support a favorite charity with your earnings
• Block ads you don't want to see
• Block URLs that bug you
• Influence web practices for the better by joining with other adminers

Back To Top

4. Is it free?

Yes. There are no hidden fees.

Back To Top

5. If I don't live in the United States can I join?

Yes, just keep in mind that bank transfers will be in USD, and we cannot offer gift cards for international members right now. Currently, our website is only available in English. Do you live outside the United States, or do you want to access admine in a language other than English? We want to know! Send us a message so we can start working to make admine a better tool for you.

Back To Top

6. Can multiple users use admine on the same computer?

Yes, each person can create their own account. Just be sure to log into your account at the toolbar to apply your personal preferences as you surf the web.

Back To Top

7. How do I use admine the first time?

Start by creating your account. Follow the directions to download the plugin. Restart your browser, login at the toolbar, and admine will start working automatically. The default setting blocks all ads.

To allow ads that appeal to you, go to the Interests page to tell admine what type of ads you would like to see and admine will begin looking for them. When admine finds ads that correspond to your choices, they appear under the View My Ads menu. Choose to see ads while you surf or only on the View My Ads page by selecting the View My Ads Options under the admine Cart icon.

Back To Top

8. How is admine different from other ad-blocking services?

Admine is actually very different: You can specify interests that allow appropriate ads to reach you so that you can learn about opportunities and promotions of value to you; We pay you for clicking and reading the ads you choose; We screen advertisers for ethics, content, policies, etc.; We even contact advertisers when our users report ads or practices they feel need to be addressed. Admine can also block ads, or any URL, with just one click!

Back To Top

9. Does admine pay you for every ad you click?

Our goal is pay-per click for every ad you request. However, as we begin this new approach to advertiser/user relationships not all ads will pay per click. It will take advertisers time to figure out how we benefit them, too. Also, we do not generally pay our members for clicking on ads for charities. These organizations normally depend on volunteers and donations. We want to volunteer our resources to help them succeed.

Back To Top

10. Does admine affect my browser performance?

Yes. It makes it run faster. When the admine toolbar is turned on, your browser won't be loading extraneous stuff that comes with so much advertising. Ads and all the associated scripts slow your browser down. A bloated browser is a slow browser.

Back To Top

11. Where can I read more about the threat against my information online?

Check out our blog. It has more detailed information as well as links to some great articles—such as this one from NPR.

Back To Top

Choosing Your Ad Interests

12. How do I change my interests?

Go to Interests in the menu bar. To remove a category, check the box next to the one you want to eliminate and press delete. You may simply wish to modify a current interest with a new subcategory or keyword. If that is the case, click the category name and make your changes. Click "Update Category" and voila! To add new categories click the "Add Category" button.

Back To Top

13. How can I view my ad opportunities?

The My Opportunities box on the right side of most pages shows you the number of ads admine has "matched" with your interests. This list is updated all the time. To view them just click My Opportunities or go to the View My Ads menu.

Back To Top

14. What if I no longer want to view ads from a particular advertiser?

Go to Interests. Type the advertiser name in "Keywords to Block."

Back To Top

15. What if I no longer want to view ads in a certain category?

Go to Interests. Check the box next to the category you want to eliminate, and click delete.

Back To Top

16. What if the advertisers I want to see never place ads for me?

Admine regularly contacts advertisers that are of interest to our users. You can suggest advertisers through the Contact Us page. Just select "Ad Request" from the drop down menu, list the companies in the Comments section, and we'll let them know you are interested in them. Also be sure to examine your Interests section, and consider whether your selections are correct and free of information that impedes your search, such as typos or criteria that may be overly limiting.

Back To Top

17. Will ads I request appear as I surf the web or only on the View My Ads page?

Switch on ads on the toolbar by clicking on the "$" button. When the "$" button is lit yellow, you will see ads that match your interest.

Back To Top

Earning Rewards

18. Do I have to click on an ad to make money?

Yes. This may change in the future, but for now, its pay per click. Since you are specifying your interests, we assume you will have a high level of interest in the advertising you receive behind the "My Opportunities" link.

During our initial launch phase we can't guarantee a per-click earning for every ad, but in the future that is what we envision. It will take a little time for our new advertisers to realize the many users who are expressing interest in their offerings. We're constantly expanding our network to improve your click-and-earn opportunities. NOTE: to see what you would earn, view the click amount below each ad on the View My Ads page.

Earning Rewards    Back To Top

19. If I choose to click and earn, how do I collect the money I make?

There are four ways you can redeem your admine dollars.

• Transfer to bank account (not available for beta)
• Donate to your favorite charity
• Transfer to PayPal account
• Receive a gift card

Earning Rewards    Back To Top

20. What is the typical fee paid for clicking an ad?

Admine pays between 1 cent to 25 cents per click depending on the item. (In order to be fair the amount paid is reduced for subsequent clicks. Once you have seen an ad, there is not much point to pay you a second time. Besides, you can always click on the "Previously Viewed" tab, and find what you had seen before.)

Earning Rewards    Back To Top

21. How much money can I make?

The goal here is not to pay for college but to collect for yourself or favorite charity a click fee that would normally go to an advertising middle-man. Admine pays you this fee. You can earn from 1 cent to 25 cents for each ad you click through admine. Over time these small amounts add up. As adminers break from the traditional commercial model with a new practice of pocketing a click fee and telling advertisers which ads they truly want to see, AdMiners promote ethical advertising that respects users' information and provides fair exchanges with advertisers as well.

Earning Rewards    Back To Top

22. How often do I get paid?

Money transfers to bank, charity, PayPal, or gift card can take place whenever your balance is a minimum of $25.00 USD. We can only offer payouts in $25.00 increments.

Earning Rewards    Back To Top

23. How long will it take me to earn $25?

This varies a lot from one person to the next, because it reflects the amount of time you are on-line, your interest selection, the number of participating advertisers, and so on. So it may take a few weeks to accumulate $25. At that point, you can request a payout. Please be aware that we strongly discourage blind random clicking, as earning money quickly is not the primary intention of this service. Over the long run, it is ethical advertisers and sincere users transacting together who create the value of internet commerce. We aim to put money in your pocket for participating, rather than paying middlemen or others who abuse the current commercial model.

Earning Rewards    Back To Top

24. How long does it take to get paid, once I request a payout?

Cash is paid out to your PayPal account. Once you submit your request, it typically takes 24 to 48 hours to process the request and transfer the money to PayPal. If you request a gift card, we process the request in 48 hours and send authorization to the gift card distribution center. They will mail out card(s) according their own terms and conditions, but we find this takes 7 to 10 days.

Earning Rewards    Back To Top

25. Can I get a check?

We are unable to issue checks at this time. You may, however, transfer cash in $25 increments to your bank or PayPal account, get a gift-card, or donate your earnings to a favorite charity.

Earning Rewards    Back To Top

26. What if I lost my gift card?

Unfortunately, gift cards are like cash and cannot be replaced if they are lost. If you request a Starbucks card, Starbucks may grant a replacement for the un-redeemed amount.

Earning Rewards    Back To Top

27. My gift card/deposit/donation did not come through.

Please call us at 1-877-9AdMine (1-877-923-6463).

Earning Rewards    Back To Top

28. Can I cancel or change a payment that I ordered?

Unfortunately, once a donation or deposit has been made we can't reverse it.

Earning Rewards    Back To Top

29. How do I check my balance?

For a quick glance look at your piggy bank (on the right side of most pages), for more detail visit My Account.

Earning Rewards    Back To Top

30. I earned more than $25.00 and received my gift card. Why is there a balance in my account?

Payouts are in $25.00 increments only. The remaining balance of your account will go toward your next payout.

Earning Rewards    Back To Top

31. How do I change my reward options (gift card, charity donation, bank deposit, PayPal deposit)?

Go to the Get Paid menu and choose a different option as your default choice.

Earning Rewards    Back To Top

32. Can I click ads and earn while browsing the web or only on the View My Ads page?

Only ads that are placed by admine in response to your interests can be eligible. On rare occasions, an ad outside of your categories evades our screening. Please alert us when this happens using your toolbar. Otherwise, you may click ads and earn both as you surf and at the admine View My Ads page.

Earning Rewards    Back To Top

33. What happens to my money if I don't reach $25?

For transaction efficiency, we are obligated to maintain a $25 payout minimum. So we ask you to stay with admine 'til you reach the $25 minimum.

Earning Rewards    Back To Top

Support Help

34. How do I change my account information?

If you wish to change your password or contact information go to Profile.

Support Help    Back To Top

35. What is a browser plugin? How does it work? Does it affect anything else on my computer?

A browser plugin is a software extra that adds more capabilities to your web browser. It does not interfere with your computer system or programs or impede your browser performance.

Support Help    Back To Top

36. Help! I am still seeing URLS I don't want.

Use your admine toolbar "Ad Needs Blocking" feature when the offending URL shows up or inform us via the Contact Us page. Select "My ad blocking experience" in the drop down menu and paste the URL into the Comments box. For immediate relief, you can right-click an image ad, then click "block this." For flash ads, click on the "block this" tab on the top right.

Support Help    Back To Top

37. Help! I requested ads for certain categories but am seeing ads I don't want.

Go to Interests and edit your category/keyword combination by including the offending advertiser or keyword in "Keyword to Block." If the ads you see are too general, try adding a keyword to make your search more specific. On rare occasion an ad may get miscategorized in our system. Please send us an alert if you receive an ad that does not match your category.

Support Help    Back To Top

38. I picked a category of interest but I never seem to get ads for it. What can I do?

Send us an Ad Request via the Contact Us page. We'll contact advertisers in that category and invite them to join admine so that you can receive their promotions. You might try adjusting your categories and keywords to make sure they reflect your interests accurately.

Support Help    Back To Top

39. I sometimes want admine to be disabled. How can I do that?

Your admine toolbar has an OFF button, just click it.

Support Help    Back To Top

40. How do I use the admine toolbar?

Although you make your initial ad selections through the admine website, the admine toolbar allows you to choose whether or not you also want to view these ads as you browse the web. The toolbar has three settings:

1. OFF (gray)
2. DEFAULT (orange) block ads as you surf. Ads still appear under the View My Ads menu if you have requested them
3. INSERT ADS (green) block irrelevant ads and show my admine ads as I surf

Support Help    Back To Top

41. How do I uninstall?

To uninstall the admine toolbar from Internet Explorer, go to the Add/Remove programs menu. The admine toolbar can be uninstalled from Firefox by going to Tools in the main menu, Add-ons, Extensions tab, selecting the admine toolbar from the list of toolbars in use, and clicking the "Uninstall" button.

Support Help    Back To Top

Security and Privacy

42. How do I know my admine account is secure?

Admine never sells, gives, rents, or shares your personal information. We tell advertisers we have people interested in them and invite them to present their product or service. Admine receives their ad and places it for you, so the advertiser never receives information about you through admine. We also use a secure Secure Socket Layer (SSL) connection and secure servers. This means that information that passes between you and our website can't be read or intercepted by someone else.

Back To Security and Privacy   Back To Top

43. What does admine do with my personal information?

Admine uses your information to deliver your gift card, to make deposits into your account, or transfer money on your behalf to the charity of your choice. We use your information to contact you regarding your account and to respond to your inquiries. If you are participating in testing, we may use your information to communicate in a relevant way with you, but we do not share this with others, because we believe it is YOUR INFO.

Back To Security and Privacy   Back To Top

44. Does admine prevent data accumulators from collecting information about me?

By blocking ads with admine, you are screening out a lot of tracking activity. However, as you surf the web and carrying out other tasks, such as looking up a word at dictionary.com or visiting the major search engines, you will still be exposed to trackers. REMEMBER THIS: When you use admine, trackers can't use the information they collected to reach you so the value of it is reduced or eliminated. They therefore LOSE THE INCENTIVE to collect your information. Who would buy it if admine blocks their assault on you? The increasing clout of our growing admine community will force major players to change their ways.

Back To Security and Privacy   Back To Top

45. Does admine use cookies?

Yes, but no user information is stored in the cookie. Cookies are small text files sent from the server to the web browser. When a user logs in, the admine server returns a token stored in a cookie if the user logs in successfully. Every subsequent communication from the user (through the browser) to the server contains this token so the server knows that it's dealing with the person who logged in.

It is not uncommon for other websites to load cookies with data such as your name (or username), password information, or ad-tracking information. Heavily packed cookies slow down your browser.

Back To Security and Privacy   Back To Top

Definitions

reWeb

to address and reform unethical and inefficient web practices.

Back To Definitions    Back To Top

Direct Intrerest Advertising

bypassing data accumulators and data trackers, advertisers and users connect directly. This allows a more efficient, honest, and profitable exchange.

Back To Definitions    Back To Top

MyBox

is the parent company of admine. MyBox tools are for the purpose of advancing ethical web exchanges that benefit all web users.

Back To Definitions    Back To Top

Online information

Your online information ranges from general to specific details of your internet preferences, browsing and click history, and other "footprints." Web trackers collect this history so they can target you with ads or otherwise profit from your information.

Back To Definitions    Back To Top

Click fee

The current practice in web advertising usually works like this: Each time a user clicks on an ad, the website who displays an advertiser's ad earns a small fee (called a CPC, "cost-per-click"). But what about the users themselves? Advertisers are using your screen, dsl line, bandwidth, etc and your time to display ads to you. At admine, we think users should be paid-per-click.

Back To Definitions    Back To Top

Admine Tool Set

Free user tool set includes:

• Reliable Ad Block (i.e. virtually all advertising)
• Effortless URL Blocking (any site, not just ads)
• Personal Shopper feature that asks my interests, then ONLY shows ads that fit those interests. The Personal Shopper is fully editable at all times
• Pays Me Cash for the ads I click
• Rewards Me (with discounts, gift cards, etc.) for clicking ads
• Allows users to collaborate to improve internet security

Back To Definitions    Back To Top