While the Blue Pages listings remain free to all, GTB now charges a $36.00 per year fee for active text links within Blue Page listings. The fee covers one full year and includes:

• one active web link
   (with monthly reports on your text link activity)

and / or

• one active email link
   (includes the optional monthly GTB newsletter)

and

• hand-adjusted map links
   These are links to MapQuest which show the exact store location. Free listings may also have a single map link but it only shows the city that the store is located in. Sponsors also get a Driving Directions link where the the store's physical address is already filled in.

and

• A Silver Star
   (prominently displayed next to their store name in their listing)

and

• A 40 word store description
   (fifteen more than free listings which are limited to 25 words)

All newly added stores with websites as well as stores that are already listed that are adding a website for the first time are automatically signed up for for a FREE three month trial. There is no further obligation and they can opt out after the trial by simply doing nothing. This way, store owners can actually guage their real results before deciding if the program is for them.

Active text links at GTB were free for almost a decade until late 2004. They undeniably send quite a few targeted visitors to bead businesses' websites.

Even if you only have a physical address (no links at all), GuideToBeadwork.com is regularly sending real business through your doors and you probably already know this well. We get lots of letters every day.

We hope you will think of your fee as a pledge to support this highly useful service. But whereas NPR sends you a coffee mug or T-shirt, we send about 500 visitors to your website (just for starters) for your investment. Actual numbers vary, but you will know exactly what they are via monthly reports (see below). The average cost is less than 10 cents per click.

You also receive monthly text link activity reports telling you exactly how many times the links to your website were clicked on as well as some interesting general site statistics.

Active text links are entirely optional. The Blue Pages listings themselves are FREE TO ALL and will always remain so. No information in your listing will change as a result of non-payment nor will your listing be deleted without your request.

I believe that most bead business owners will see the value to their own businesses in supporting this website whether or not they have active text links in their listing at GTB. This has been the trend so far.

The active links in a store listing (URL and email address) generally become deactivated (non-clickable plain dark text) for one of the following reasons:

• We are unable to contact the store. (see below)

• The store actively opts out by informing us that they are not interested in the program.

• The store's due date passes and we do not receive their payment.

We actively attempt to contact stores with full information about the active-text-link program as follows:

• EMAIL

  If we have a valid email address for the store

  We contact the store with an introductory email, then send them monthly newsletters (and click-through reports for stores with websites). Stores may opt-out from receiving monthly communications at any time simply by writing and asking.

• SNAIL MAIL

  If we have a valid physical address or P.O. box for the store and we have no email address on file for the store (just a website URL) or the email address we have on file for the store is not working

  We send initial info as well as monthly click-through reports via snail mail during the three month free trial period at no extra charge.

• NEW STORE LISTINGS (and existing stores adding brand new first-time links) receive THREE FULL MONTHS of FREE ACTIVE LINKING and monthly reports. After three months $36.00 is due for the year following.

• In the month prior to the due date, an invoice is sent via email.

• In the month of the due date, a reminder is sent if the invoice has not been paid at the time of the sending. Invoices and reminders are sent near the beginning of the month.

• Terms are pay-in advance. There are no set-up fees. Store owners can opt out easily by simply doing nothing.

YES!! If you know your Store ID (which can be found at the end of any newsletter), you can pay right now. Your Store ID is required on the payment form for proper credit.

This will cause your Silver Star and hand-adjusted map links to appear right away (within a day or two). Whether or not you're still in your free trial period, it will get you some extra (earlier) 'starrage' at no extra cost, well, except...

NOTICE:  There is a $1.75 Handling Fee assessed on all PayPal transactions which is automatically added to your payment.

You can avoid the handling fee by mailing your check to:

GuideToBeadwork.com
P.O. Box 553
Chimacum, WA 98325-0553

Either way, thanks in advance!

The Blue Pages listings themselves are FREE TO ALL and will always remain so. No information in your listing will change as a result of non-payment. Active text links are entirely optional.

No listing will be deleted without the express written request of the owner (unless we confirm independently from more than one source that the business has closed).

I believe that most bead business owners will see the value to their own businesses in supporting this website whether or not they have active text links in their listing at GTB. This has been the trend so far.

The easiest way to opt-out is to simply do nothing. Just ignore the invoice and reminder you will receive before your due-date.

Your URL and/or email address will become plain text (not clickable) at the end of the due month if the fee is still unpaid. You will receive one more notice to that effect and not be bothered further about it. Oh yes, and you won't get that nice Silver Star next to your store name. Also, your map link will not show your exact store location, only the location of the city your store is in, and your listing won't have a Driving Directions link.

To reinstate your link's active status and hand-adjusted (exact location) map links, you need only send your payment. No late or restart fees apply at this time. No further collections will be attempted.

If you are listed at GTB and have supplied us with a contact email address, you do need to opt-out of the monthly newsletter if you don't want to receive monthly website news and general statistics. Just write and ask. Apologies in advance for the inconvenience.

Unfortunately, yes. Stores that are signed up for free banners at GTB will lose them if they opt-out of the fee-for-active-textlinks program.

Yes. The cost of your links are about 10 cents per day ($36/year). Just 'do the math' and adjust your payment accordingly. For example, if you want your due date to be ten days earlier, send $35. Ten days later would be $37, etc.

Please note that the minimum payment is $20.

The cost is $18.00 per year for each active link after the first two.

Number of Links			Yearly Cost	# of Words in Description	For each URL you now get 25 words of description in a separate paragraph and each paragraph may contain a clickable URL
Email	Web	Total
2	1	3	$54.00	40
1	2			50
0	3			75
2	2	4	$72.00	50
1	3			75

The minimum cost is $36.00 per year for one or two active links.

Number of Links			Yearly Cost	All sponsored listings now get a 40 word store description. Regular free listings are limited to 25 words.
Email	Web	Total
1	0	2 or less	$36.00
0	1
1	1
2	0
0	2

Also called a Hyperlink, it is usually underlined AND colored text mixed in with regular dark text (like this text) on a webpage. When clicked on with the mouse, one's browser is sent to another web page (also called Hypertext).

There are two kinds of text links available in this program, URL's and email addresses. There are other kinds but these two are by far the most common on the web.

1. A URL is a web address pointing to another web page on the same or another website.

2. An email link will launch one's email program when clicked on. It is actually more commonly used to copy and paste an email address into one's email program.

We're crossing the bridge as we build it. Your input is essential. Thanks in advance for your patience.