As American marketers struggle with the eccentricities of the Internet, they've developed some inventive methods to lure cursors to their leaping, blinking, pulsating ads.

Now they're even offering cash.

A handful of companies issue cyberscript, airline miles, discounts, coupons and an array of other bonuses just for taking a gander.

Whether this tactic will flourish no one knows. In fact, these corporate experiments may only reinforce doubts about advertising on the medium. But given the relatively low cost for electronic ads, they are likely to multiply with the continued growth of home computing.

A service called eSmarts (www.esmarts.com) attempts to track and assess the various premium programs. In several cases, the service

warns that it may be impossible to rack up the points necessary to cash in.

Its highest marks go to CyberGold (www.cybergold.com), the only "click-through" subscription service that features rewards in hard U.S. cash.

After registering and setting up a CyberGold account, Internet travelers can earn from 25 cents to $1 for each Web site they visit to download demo software and provide consumer research information. More bucks can be earned if you actually purchase a product.

Like most of these sites, CyberGold stresses privacy. Unlike most, it is a member of the fledgling TRUSTe, an independent, nonprofit privacy initiative dedicated to building users' trust and confidence on the Internet. It is operated on a "secure sockets" server, so you are supposed to feel comfortable transferring earnings to your bank account, Visa card or one of six nonprofit organizations now on board.

Most of those transactions require that you earn at least $10 in CyberGold, and credit card transfers don't show up as payments but as credits on your bills.

A look at the company's FAQ gives a hint of the structure of this kind of service. Advertisers set up a debit account with CyberGold. You make a withdrawal from that virtual bank account by dropping by. The company is then assessed a charge based on how many visitors it attracts through CyberGold gateways.

"You are guaranteed cash for your attention, and the advertisers are guaranteed attention for their ad dollars," the site says.

At the other end of the spectrum, eSmarts finds BigBang Media (www.bigbang.com). Although claiming to have 40,000 members and a stable of 200 participating sites, eSmart reviewers ran into so many roadblocks and fine-print limitations that they issued a bold-faced warning, "We would avoid this program!"

How bad could a freebie get? First, there's an eight-page "confidential" form to fill out. You do receive 500 frequent-flier miles for an airline you specify, but it seems like that's how far you travel to get to the bottom of their questionnaire.

Second, at five points per Web site, 300 visits would be necessary to claim anything at all. Finally, eSmart's inquiring mice found it possible to actually run out of ads before hitting the magic 2,500- point minimum for the first cash-in.

At several junctures during a recent test run, a frenetic BigBang clicker got this message: "Currently, there are no ads available for you, but, with your help, there will be more soon."

Can't wait.

With a growing list of advertisers desperate for your Web attention, eSmarts itself seems the best value of all. Members of this ad-stripped site claim to be providing a free consumer service. A monthly newsletter about Web bargains and an up-to-date list of coupon offerings make it well worth the visit.
ILLUSTRATION(S): (DMN) Internet Incentives.

© 1998 The Dallas Morning News All Rights Reserved

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