why are you a gold member ?

for the possibility of free referrarls, and the advertising

I am a gold member of three programs, but only for those which i thought the gold membership fee is reasonable. Look at what gold offers you and make a decision based on that. In most programs, gold offers you bonus referrals which is always nice.

exactly

I've gone gold in several programs - mostly for advertising. Generally I don't find gold worth it for free referrals. You're better off seeking a gold membership that offers monthly advertising than counting on orphan referrals because these days a lot of webmasters are selling referrals on ebay rather than giving them to their gold members.

it would have better result to find more referrals if you upgrade at the opening of the site, however it is risky becasue the companymaynot be good, it's just a bet

Even at that some take so long to upgrade your account that by the time they do - the signup frenzy has ended and it's too late.