By YOUNG MONEY Staff
7 September 2010

Nobody particularly likes watching ads - just look at the proliferation of technology designed to get around watching them. From DVRs to pop-up blockers, any technology that carries ads will soon see some innovation designed to get around it.

With that in mind, and the usefulness of internet marketing still in doubt, a Utah-based company called Varolo has turned the traditional model of advertising on its head. Instead of paying big media companies to show you ads, Varolo pays you to watch them, and rewards you for bringing more people into the Varolo fold.

By building a "village" of friends, you can earn money on the ads watched by all the people in your Varolo social network, and you guarantee that the ads will be relevant to you and your peers. If you're shopping for a car, you could earn rewards on Varolo by watching auto ads.

The same principle applies if you're looking to go on vacation, buy new clothes or purchase a computer.

There's no cost at all - Varolo won't charge you. Of course, to actually earn money you need to spread the word and get other people into your "village." Watching ads on your own will enter you into weekly rewards drawings, which grow in size as more people watch.

The Varolo model takes something people spend millions of hours a week doing - watching online video - and transforms it into a revenue source. So you might consider switching some of your weekly YouTube viewing time to Varolo.