Seven ways to be your own BS detector
By Allan Gardyne |
Published 09/7/2006 |
2006 Newsletters |
printer friendly version
How to research BS marketers
Associate Programs Newsletter #301
An angry, skeptical note I received the other day sparked today's main article.
If you want to bite a chunk out of me, that's OK. But for goodness sake, do your homework first.
CONTENTS:
1. Seven ways to be your own BS detector
2. Do you want to comment?
3. Learning from big affiliate sites
4. Vstore dies
5. How to discover hot markets
6. Blogathon for kids with heart defects
7. Thought for today: Passion and enthusiasm
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1. Seven ways to be your own BS detector
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Here's an anonymous note I received the other day via the contact form on AssociatePrograms.com.
It's from an angry, embittered individual. He writes:
"You are full of bull, a bullshitter, a dying of hunger guy trying to make a buck lying to people. Bet you live in some crappy apartment here in the US and never been to any resort in your life. All you live is to send these crappy emails pushing lies, endorsing other con artists, and to push this advertising crap to suckers. A person that really makes money doesn't go around giving seminars for others to do the same. The only one who makes money are them. You endorse that crap. Erase my email from your mailing list."
Oh dear! I wouldn't normally write about this sort of character but - thanks to the "77 Ways to Get Traffic" report we're giving away - we have a bunch of new subscribers. Some of you are probably just as skeptical as Mr Anonymous.
Mr Anonymous, you're quite right to be skeptical.
There are BS artists on the Internet. But instead of lashing out at me, you could have done some quick research to find out if I'm one of them.
Here are seven quick ways to do your own BS detector research:
(Some of these things can be faked. It would be just about impossible to fake them all.)
* Search for "Allan Gardyne" in Google. Try it and see how many pages you find. It's taken 10 years of work on the Internet to get so many people writing about me. Those mentions aren't all on my sites.
* Search for "Allan Gardyne" +interview
Read a few interviews. I've given plenty. Note the dates on the interviews. They go back years.
* Use the SEOmoz Page Strength tool - http://www.seomoz.org/tools/page-strength.php - to research AssociatePrograms.com. There's no easy way to fake a Page Strength of 7. And that's just one of our sites. Try comparing our Page Strength with that of a few other websites.
* Check AssociatePrograms.com's Alexa ranking:
http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details?url=associateprograms.com
Out of all the millions of sites on the Internet, Alexa puts us in the top 3,000. The lower the number the better. (For lively arguments about the reliability of Alexa stats, do a search on our affiliate forum for "Alexa". The more popular a site, the more meaningful are the figures.)
* Do I live in the U.S.? Nope. To find out where I live, go to DomainTools.com and do a whois search. It takes only a few seconds. You'll find this:
http://whois.domaintools.com/associateprograms.com
Yes, I live in sunny Queensland, Australia, in winter and New Zealand in summer. I love the freedom affiliate marketing has given me.
* For any marketer you want to research, try searches like this:
"Allan Gardyne" +conference (I spoke at one in Hawaii and have been invited to speak at many others.)
"Allan Gardyne" +book (I've been interviewed for quite a few.)
"Allan Gardyne +ebook (I sold my first one in May, 1996.)
"Allan Gardyne" +testimonials (You can find plenty.)
* I've saved the best for last - http://www.googlism.com/ .
It's a nifty tool for quickly finding a variety of opinions about people who have worked hard for years building their reputation on the Internet. (Googlism says it hasn't added data to this tool since since 2004.)
Try a search for Allan Gardyne (don't use quotation marks).
Here's what Googlism says about me:
http://www.googlism.com/index.htm?ism=allan+gardyne&type=1
It's taken me years of hard work to build a reputation like that on Google.
NOTE: These seven BS detector searches won't find "under the radar" marketers who hide their identity everywhere they go. If they try to sell you something, they're going to face quite a challenge convincing you that their story is true.
Mr Anonymous may never see this. That's a pity. I may have been able to teach him something useful.
Longtime readers of this newsletter have watched me build my reputation. They've shared the important milestones in our business online - such as the hiring of my first employee in 1999.
They've watched us launching niche websites such as...
PayPerClickSearchEngines.com
LifetimeCommissions.com
DJ-Tips-And-Tricks.com
Cheap-Computers-Guide.com
KeywordWorkshop.com
We've told them about the purchase of our summer cottage in New Zealand, our moves from a pole house at Tuan to apartments at Golden Beach and Rainbow Bay.
No, Mr Anonymous, I'm not dying of hunger.
It IS possible to use affiliate programs to create a wonderful lifestyle. You have no products to produce. No inventory to look after. No postage and packaging. No boss looking over your shoulder telling you what to do.
In affiliate marketing, you're the boss. You make the decisions. You're free to ignore idiotic emails if you want to.
Will you ever achieve that sort of lifestyle? I don't know. It's up to you. It depends on your skills, but more importantly on how persistent and determined you are.
You may be distracted by BS marketers who promise you easy riches. What I'm suggesting is that if you're new to affiliate marketing, you take the process one careful step at a time, building your business while your learn.
But where do you start?
If you want to build a house, you learn how to be a carpenter. Even then, you start with simple woodworking projects.
It's exactly the same in affiliate marketing. To learn how to build an affiliate business, you start with a simple project and master the basics.
Start with a simple site in a fairly non-competitive niche. Start with modest goals, for example aiming to make $300 a month.
You want a simple project which achieves modest results so that you prove to yourself that affiliate marketing works.
My wife, Joanna, and I have a part-time bookkeeper who does fiddly, boring stuff for us, entering affiliate commissions, PayPal data, etc into QuickBooks software for us. When Tony became curious and began asking questions about what I did to earn our commissions, I wrote the Affiliate Program Tutorial.
It's aimed at anyone who's new to affiliate programs.
It doesn't tell you how to build an affiliate empire. But it does tell you how to get started on the right track.
Now, when newcomers to our affiliate forum ask questions, other forum members often advise them to study my 18-step Affiliate Program Tutorial.
You can read it here:
http://www.AssociatePrograms.com/articles/188/5/Affiliate-Program-Tutorial
(It's a multi-part article. If you wish to see it all on one page, click on the link which says "Print Article".)
==========================
2. Do you want to comment?
==========================
Should I have bothered writing about Mr Anonymous? What about the BS detector tips? Were they useful?
We have article comments software on AssociatePrograms.com, so you can have your say on any article, or on any program in the affiliate directory.
You can comment at the bottom of this article right now.
I love receiving feedback on articles - good or bad. It's all useful.
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====================================
3. Learning from big affiliate sites
====================================
The Performics affiliate network and the E-tailing Group have published a free white paper which suggests ways you can learn from big-earning affiliate sites.
The report, "Building a Publisher Site for Pay-out and Performance", examines some of the big players in the affiliate marketing industry.
It looks at affiliate sites in the following sectors:
* Comparison shopping
* Loyalty and rewards
* Community and content
* Shopping/Promotions.
The white paper discusses the following sites: MSN Shopping, Shopping.com, Flamingo World, Fat Wallet, BizRate, Bradsdeals, Nextag, Upromise, PriceGrabber, Coupon Cabin, AnyCoupons, Yahoo! Shopping, ClubMom, MyPoints and Goldpoints.
It suggests tips which affiliates can learn from each of the successful sites.
The report is a little heavy on jargon and a bit light on detail but, as Performics says, it shows you "best-in-class" affiliate tactics.
For example, remove clutter, have an on-site search engine and incorporate branding in the things you do.
You can download the report at
==============
4. Vstore dies
==============
Vstore has died. The company says all commissions owed will be paid
on or before October 26.
Most Vstore sites weren't unique and weren't useful enough.
Vstore.ca is still operating.
==============================
5. How to discover hot markets
==============================
Marcin Lejman has written more good articles on discovering hot markets and finding ideas for niche sites.
http://www.seoprotoolz.com/a_fool_proof_way_to_discover_the_hottest_markets
http://www.seoprotoolz.com/harness_the_power_of_archived_knowledge
http://www.seoprotoolz.com/top_six_sources_for_niche_ideas
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6. Blogathon for kids with heart defects
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How on earth does he find the time?
Dr. Mani, a heart surgeon and online marketer, is doing a special 24-hour non-stop blogging event on September 9. Called the Heart Kids Blogathon, it's to raise awareness and funding for poor children born with heart defects to receive life-saving treatment.
In India, heart surgery costs only $2,500 - but even that is beyond the reach of many of these families.
The Heart Kids Blogathon will happen on September 9 here:
http://www.HeartKidsBlogathon.info
The theme of the event will be "Time Management - How To Squeeze MORE Into Your Already Crowded Day". You're sure to pick up some useful tips from the busy doctor who manages time to fit a hectic online marketing schedule into his own full, crowded day.
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7. Thought for today: Passion and enthusiasm
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"I believe that education is all about being excited about something. Seeing passion and enthusiasm helps push an educational message." - Steve Irwin.
All the best
Allan Gardyne
Spread The Word
54 Responses to "Seven ways to be your own BS detector" 
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Toby Drysdale said this on 07 Sep 2006 7:44:35 AM EDT
Just a quick note to say that I have been receiving your newsletter for a number of years and have found your articles not only interesting, but very useful. Keep up the good work and don't let the Mr Anonymous sceptics affect your work (I'm sure they won't).
Best regards Toby |
Author/Admin)|
Kirk Ward said this on 07 Sep 2006 7:49:37 AM EDT
At some point in time it becomes non-productive to respond to things like Mr. Anonymous rants. His message indicates a high level of frustration and bitterness that usually comes from something else in his miserable life, not the person he aims the diatribe at. My opinion is that a person who has reached the level of success that you have would be better off providing your BS detection tips without giving Mr. Anonymous the forum he seeks. Publicizing his rant only reinforces his thought process and contributes to his self destruction. Kirk
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Jeff Schuman said this on 07 Sep 2006 8:18:11 AM EDT
Excellent article on "Being Your Own BS Detector." I had a similar email myself from someone who accused me of being a liar and scam artist. I did not handle it as well as you. I bascially told them they had just missed an opportunity to work with someone who would have actually been there to help them. Then I went in and unsubscribed them from all of the lists of mine they were subscribed to. I wish I had read your article first. As usual it is excellent advice.
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Kathryn Beach said this on 07 Sep 2006 8:24:35 AM EDT
That was a great article, thanks for sharing all those tools. Maybe we just need to fatten you up a bit? :-D
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Chris Doersch said this on 07 Sep 2006 8:35:35 AM EDT
Allan, the real character of a person surfaces when under fire and I must say that you have kept your cool and, laced with the facts, put Mr. Slime in his/her place. Throwing mud under the cover of anonimity is not only in very poor taste but shows that such individuals do not feel comfortable in their slimy cave and must vent their frustration by lashing out at others. Keep on doing the fine work you do so well.
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Jim said this on 07 Sep 2006 8:53:31 AM EDT
Obviously Mr. Anonymous is a complete fool. Anyone who has been with you for a week knows that you are the real deal and as honest as the day is long. I know you probably consider yourself as having thick skin, but this jerk's comments probably did hurt, which is one of the reason you revealed your BS detector. You're one of the good guys, that's for sure.
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Marcus said this on 07 Sep 2006 8:53:48 AM EDT
I think it was great that Allan was big enough - to turn this into a positive. It talks directly to the concerns most new people feel, but do not necessarily verbalise. Anyway, it is said it takes 65 positives to cancel a negative, sure you will easily receive at least that many. :) Keep up the good work Allan.
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Steve M Nash said this on 07 Sep 2006 9:01:44 AM EDT
Good article, Allan. I guess the ex-subscriber concerned has a policy of shoot the messenger. I wonder if he will return to read it. Thanks. Sent you a personal email in support of your excellent newsletter.
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Susan Sheley said this on 07 Sep 2006 9:06:46 AM EDT
Your response was a class act. And thank you for including the quote from Steve Irwin. I am a very enthusiastic Marketing Strategist and am constantly faced with comments of resistance to methods that I know first hand work. I really needed to read that message today. It gave me strength. Keep up the good work.
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Marlina @ Galadriel said this on 07 Sep 2006 9:19:03 AM EDT
"Stick and stones may hurt my bones but names can never harm me..." Don't worry Allan, for one disbeliever, there are a thousand others who believe in you...
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Adrian Bold said this on 07 Sep 2006 9:24:40 AM EDT
I'm afraid that if you put your head above the parapet to reach out and help people, you're going to sometimes come across nutters with nothing better to do than throw vile abuse at you. The main thing is that you and your family know what you've achieved and those of us who read your newsletters who aren't one or two screws loose, appreciate what you do for the affiliate community. My policy, add 'the others' email addresses to your permanent delete rule and never let them darken your door again.
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Phil Tanny said this on 07 Sep 2006 9:26:32 AM EDT
Great newsletter as always Allan. I agree Mr. Anonymous was rude and clueless, and you dealt with him with the grace and style that is your personal brand. Mr. Anonymous may not be especially articulate, but he is offering a general message we'd all be wise to consider. The fact is that the Internet business niche has
branded itself as a BS machine in many Net users' minds, through a decade of careless communications. Most of us working in this niche are infected with, or at least passively support, sales hype fever to one degree or another. Don't worry about Mr. Anonymous. He's still listening, and may come around. Worry about those who have permanently tuned us out, and who won't be here to see the changes if and when the Net business niche evolves in to a truly professional industry. Business revolves around trust, and Mr. Anonymous is clumsily holding up a mirror to remind us that many prospects in our market just don't trust us very much. |
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Chris Garvey said this on 07 Sep 2006 9:30:36 AM EDT
While you can't respond to everyone, this was a great one to respond to, and you handled it in a very professional way. The best part was you showed everyone else how to do a search and find out if the people they are getting 'sold' to have any sort of reputation online. While many who are just starting out won't, and that doesn't nessesarily mean they are con-artists; add that to the 'tons' of 'make 5K a month in 15 minutes' pitches I'm personally sick of seeing and you will begin to learn how to detect the pro-shysters to be from the genuine marketers. Doing homework is another great idea. I recently sent a (much less) smart alex type comment to a fairly well known marketer, and he pointed out my simple 'math mistake' concerning a lesson he was trying to impart. Of course I apologized profusely. (I wasn't being a total jerk, or he would have dumped me. I'm still on his list today. Thanks Allan
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anon said this on 07 Sep 2006 10:05:22 AM EDT
Allan, You have one of the few newsletters that consistently delivers value to my Inbox without always trying to sell stuff. Keep up the great work! I earned one million dollars last year (salary, not gross commissions) through affiliate programs and I would never miss one of your issues.
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Scott Thrall said this on 07 Sep 2006 10:12:07 AM EDT
You did a marvelous job. Excellent article, I learned a few things I will use to check out other "Gurus". I appreciate the fact you didn't belittle the anonymous author. You are a true gentleman.
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Ruth said this on 07 Sep 2006 10:17:31 AM EDT
First, let me commend you for NOT lashing out at this man. You get a 5 star rating for that alone. Second: You get another 5 star rating for looking past Mr Anonymous' outlash and for acknowledging his attitude and concerns. And, Third: You get 5 stars for exposing yourself and your business to the world. Not everyone would be able to do that. And Fourth: If every other marketer were able to do what you did, we wouldn't have so many bitter people ranting and raving. Mr Anonymous was correct in his statements, in his doubts and accusations, his only problem was that he categorized everyone into this "pocket" and that is not fair. That was excellent advive... first do your homework. As you have proven, amongst all the crap, there are still gold nuggets out there, and it seems you are one of them, congratulations to you!
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Marc said this on 07 Sep 2006 10:18:21 AM EDT
I'm living in a crappy apartment in the U.S. ... Guess I'd better get back to work on this affiliate marketing stuff.
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ASHLEY said this on 07 Sep 2006 10:23:29 AM EDT
There are a lot of scams on the internet. People have been misled. While the letter was a little over the top I think it could express how others feel. I think it was appropriate that you responded. When I owned my own business my saying was I did not get upset with competition, only bad competition. Bad competition tarnishes all business' reputations.
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Bruce Tuggle said this on 07 Sep 2006 10:26:46 AM EDT
Excellent response to Mr Anonymous. It is interesting that your response contained a number of tools that I had overlooked and appreciate your having made me aware of them.
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Sue said this on 07 Sep 2006 10:27:17 AM EDT
Allan, I loved your article today. It is too bad that Mr. Anonymous couldn't read it. Don't let him bother you. Now that you have responded, put him out of your mind. He is bitter about something and took it out on you. I feel sorry for him.
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susan oak said this on 07 Sep 2006 10:28:57 AM EDT
Hi Allan, What can you say about poor Mr. Anonymous?
Oh dear, someone else who has thrown their teddy bear out of the pram. Hey ho! From his rant I ask "What is the Internet equivalent of the TV version of 15 minutes of fame?" |
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Paul said this on 07 Sep 2006 10:34:26 AM EDT
Hey Allan, If it wasn't your newsletter it would have been someone else's. The vast majority of your readers respect your opinion and enjoy the newsletter. It's one of the few honest ones out there. Just concentrate on putting out a good one and ignore guys like that. Very small minority and someone if you met them, you wouldn't want to be friends with anyway.
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Will said this on 07 Sep 2006 10:44:21 AM EDT
No, such don't require a personal response, probably don't expect it. Much like someone kicking a dog, the anger is most likely stemming from somewhere else or a deep hurt. Responding to the issues the individual raised would not help the person as they are unlikely to be the real issues s/he is dealing with.
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Mary Baker said this on 07 Sep 2006 10:52:15 AM EDT
Bravo Allan! I applaud your diplomacy while faced with such a "challenging" email. You have worked hard to get where you are and I for one am very grateful to you for sharing your knowledge! Had it not been for you, my site http://www.1st-4-articles.com/ would not be the success it is today. While I do not agree with Mr. Anonymous' email I DO however, understand his frustration. In this day and age with constant downsizing, layoffs and competition in the "Corporate Rat Race" -- a lot of competent folks are finding it very difficult just to make ends meet. Many people are forced into starting their careers over from scratch - and it's difficult and very frightening. You give us hope and something to aspire to. Keep up the good work and God Bless You :)
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Jim Kukral said this on 07 Sep 2006 10:54:47 AM EDT
Allan G. is old-school, legitimate online help. I can sense that reader's confusion as it's easy to get lumped in with all the scammers out there. But Allan is definitely not one of them. Keep it up Allan, you've helped thousands and thousands find success online. Heck, I found your site pre 2000 when I first started learning about affiliate marketing. Was VERY helpful.
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Anthony said this on 07 Sep 2006 10:59:40 AM EDT
It seems that your newsletter is like some kind of entertainment for those, who already make some money as affiliate. And I think that it was very unpleasant experience for many of us to read so many information about Mr. Anonymous. Also your subscribers know where do you live and what you are doing, so I think that this newsletter are not the best one. Please, try to make your newsletter useful and positive. Thank you.
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scott dieken said this on 07 Sep 2006 11:01:30 AM EDT
The bs detector article was good but i would not have given the jerk the time of day. he is obviously jealous.
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Tony Shelton said this on 07 Sep 2006 11:11:03 AM EDT
Hey Allan, I liked the article BS detector. It is more excellent information that I can use. As well as most of your articles/newletters. I probably know what the guy was feeling as I have struggled to make money with affiliate programs. I have made many mistakes myself as I sought to find short cuts that only emptied my wallet with no results. I am doing better now... making money online is hard work. As you say you must be persistent and motivated. This guy was bitter and lashed out - instead he should have got up brushed his pants off and... 1.figured out what he was doing wrong 2. Correct it. 3. Set some new goals and get going.
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Roy Miller said this on 07 Sep 2006 11:36:12 AM EDT
It's tempting to follow the old "disregard stupid people" advice. Instead, you responded with grace, and educated others. Well done.
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Joe Dion said this on 07 Sep 2006 11:47:59 AM EDT
Allan, I have found those who complain the most are the ones lacking, and somewhat jealous of those who know how to suceed in thiis business. Thanks for all of the info.
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a said this on 07 Sep 2006 11:54:58 AM EDT
Hi Allan, Just to comment on your 77 ways tips. I tried the Yahoo tip and it really worked. Traffic went up and Yahoo listed some pages. Thanks.
[Great! It's nice to know people are doing more than just reading the book. Allan.] |
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AL said this on 07 Sep 2006 12:26:59 PM EDT
A Newsletter i read AS FAST I GET.......You SHITTING ME ? geeeez... Mr.Annoyed, you need mental help more than Affiliates Marketing Advice... if i am to pick one of the most Helpful, Rich Content, NO PRESSURE and honest source for updates, tips that works i would not trade Allan Gardyne's site for another... Much Appreciated Allan & team, keep the awsome work up, Respect :)
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Terri Champlin said this on 07 Sep 2006 12:36:58 PM EDT
Allan, I have followed you for years. I wish that I had stuck with it since 1999. Your reply was spot on. While his tone was not constructive, his concerns are not unfounded. There are a lot of scammers and it is sometimes hard to tell the good from the bad. I have never thought you were one of them. Best wishes for continued success.
Terri Champlin |
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June Campbell said this on 07 Sep 2006 1:36:20 PM EDT
A few minutes before I read your article, a subscriber to my newsletter sent me a zip file with viruses. No message, just his prized malware (which I deleted without opening). People like your guy and mine should be be banned from the Internet until their IQ reaches double digits.
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Alison said this on 07 Sep 2006 3:23:54 PM EDT
Great stuff. You are one of the only newsletters I read and trust. I couldn' t agree with Mr Anonymous LESS. I like the new format.
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John T. Linnell said this on 07 Sep 2006 3:28:04 PM EDT
Excellent Allan. Also in addition to straightening out another idiot American (they think the world begins and ends with them) you provided some useful and helpful information. Unfortunately here in Canada we have to live with the Americans as neighbours and they make complete fools of themselves so often when they come up here. During WW2 in the UK we used to say that one Yank by himself was OK but two or more no thanks. Bullshit is their middle name, now changed to BUSH SHIT. I have been a subscriber to your newsletters since about the first one and have a huge file of them. Hope your health has drastically improved. Do you ever miss that pole house? All the very best and thank you for years of good sound advice.
[Thanks. My health is fine. Yes, I miss the old pole house. A lot of time and thought went into designing it. However, living in a village without a shop was a bit inconvenient! Allan.] |
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Leslie said this on 07 Sep 2006 4:09:29 PM EDT
We need to answer such attacks. It may not help the attacker, but it does wonders for the onlookers! ;)
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shane said this on 07 Sep 2006 8:48:18 PM EDT
I wouldnt have bothered responding. Really who the heck cares what some wing nut thinks allan!!! You do what you do he does what he does, and at the end of the day you know what the real truth is !!!
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Ira said this on 07 Sep 2006 8:48:41 PM EDT
Hi Allan
I've only been with you for a year now and have always enjoyed your newsletters and advice. In fact, except for Ken Evoy, You are the first email I started receiving on my on-line quest for freedom. Business type email that is. It was Mr. Evoy who in fact introduced me to you through his comments at SBI. Personally, I think you are great. And it would be losing a friend if you ever stopped your business. I think your new site update is fantatic, by the way. As to comment Number 37; hmmm, Ken Evoy is a Canadian. Allan Gardyne is an Australian. Should I judge these two outstanding gentlemen by comment #37 being I am an American? Naww, Think I will keep Ken and Allen as me mates. Comment #37 sounds too much like anonymous. |
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Haryogi Gunawan said this on 08 Sep 2006 1:03:23 AM EDT
Dear Mr Anonymous, To become succesful is hard, but to not be succesful is even harder. I am not good at saying this, but I can tell you when I write this comment I am not very successful yet. But Allan's newsletter always give me very valuable insightful tips and refreshing my soul to never surrender when getting trouble in my journey all this long. Thanks to Allan's newsletter, one year ago I am nothing in this affilliate marketing, but now I could get satisfactory result from Adsense and growing bigger every day. I did not mean to show off to you. I just want to say never surrender and hope your business could be successful some day. For Allan, thanks for your newsletter. I really appreciate it. You know what I like most from your newsletter? It is the "thought for today".
Best Regard, Haryogi Gunawan, Indonesia |
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Michael Mundy said this on 08 Sep 2006 7:49:51 AM EDT
I guess that disgruntled guy was looking for some kind of instant gratification with affiliate marketing to make those kind of uncalled for comments. If there is one thing I have learnt through reading Allan's newsletter and browsing Associate Programs website for info, it is that perserverance is required, a little old-fashioned sticking to the task, before the results, the financial rewards, start to come in.
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Aaron Young said this on 08 Sep 2006 9:04:56 AM EDT
Hello Allan, I've been reading your newsletter for several years now and find it very useful information on affiliate and Internet marketing. Sounds like Mr. Attitude suffers from 'stinkin thinkin' and would find something wrong with any type of business opportunity information. The first thing he needs to do is go to work on his mental attitude or nothing will work out for him.
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mattie said this on 08 Sep 2006 12:23:57 PM EDT
Well someone has certainly rattled his cage. It?s not what he's said that bothers me rather the way he's chosen to say it. There is such a thing as being professional. There is a way to express negative views, in a positive way... actually I think I read that from one of your articles Allan!
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Sara Harp said this on 08 Sep 2006 3:32:29 PM EDT
Allan, I have been getting your newsletter off and on since 2000. I remember comments about the pole house too. I also have a crappy apartment in the US.... BUT I, and many like me, am NOT foolish, classless or clueless. This country is pretty big for people in other countries to pass negative judgment on the entire population because of a few morons. Every country has them... bar none. That said, I was glad you addressed Mr. Anonymous as some very useful info came of it. One can only feel extremely sorry for the little minds of the world. You are one classy guy.
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Chris Lockwood said this on 08 Sep 2006 3:40:35 PM EDT
Wow, Allan, those comments are outrageous, especially directed at someone like yourself who has proven himself over the years. When I get emails like that, I immediately remove the sender from my list. This person will probably never buy anything and is the type to file false spam complaints or cause other problems.
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Lorraine said this on 08 Sep 2006 6:54:41 PM EDT
I appreciate your posting Mr. Anonymous's frustration. Although I trust you and your information, as an inexperienced web marketer, I sometimes wonder whether conventional web marketing even works any more. I think I have done a reasonably good job at applying what I've learned over the past 6 months, but I AM STILL NOT MAKING MONEY. I am a few bucks from homelessness. To say I am frustrated would be an extreme understatement. for example, I paid $300 to participate in an email from one of the biggest marketing names on the web to his list of 500,000. I got a total of ZERO customers out of it. If an email list of half a million from one of the gurus to the gurus doesn't make a stinking dime, then what does?
[Lorraine, I'm sorry to learn that you're still struggling. If a promotion sent to 500,000 didn't work, there was either something wrong with the list or with the promotion. Perhaps you need to go right back to the basics, identify a fairly non-competitive niche and build a simple site around that topic. Then use your site as a place where you can sharpen your skills. Have you tried asking questions on our affiliate forum? We have a lot of friendly, helpful members. Allan.] |
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Bill Short said this on 09 Sep 2006 5:34:15 AM EDT
Hi Allan, I have been dabbling on the internet for a long time and occasionally I get a sporadic payment (just random luck, I suppose) to my PayPal account. I've tried some things which have not worked, but I'm not discouraged.
Life is a learning process, and when you quit learning you might as well go outside somewhere and die. I'm broke right now, but that isn't stopping me from trying to earn a living off the internet using different techniques. I can understand Mr. Anonymous' frustration but you gave good advice on how to do a little due dilligence. Your articles are always interesting and I learn each time I get them. While I'm trying my experiments on line I also teach business English to non-native speakers in Germany. I'm busy but there is often a lack of income to show for my efforts, so I thought that I would put together a little web site to get some affiliate commissions to supplement my earnings. So far, I've had some traffic but no serious purchases and the site has been on the Bravenet servers for about two years now. Several people have personally told me that my home grown site is great - hey, but great would be if someone pushes one of those affiliate links on my pages and makes a purchase so I can put the money in the bank. My little site is www.123englishiseasy.com and I would be happy to help anyone wishing to improve their language. My wife says the About page has a picture that is not serious - it is a photo of me in my Bob Marley days :O) I'll download the tips book you mention and regroup, then try something different. Meanwhile, keep up th good work, don't let the folks out there who are not happy bring you down. We only have one life and I think it is our duty to find ways to enjoy it. Maybe I'll die broke, but I don't think that I'll die miserable. Have a great day in NZ. Bill Short www.123englishiseasy.com |
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Newbie in So Cal, U.S.A. said this on 09 Sep 2006 11:09:19 AM EDT
I hope Mr. Annonymous has had a chance to calm down, visit your site and read this extremely helpful article on BS detecting. And if he does, he should soon realize the need to resubscribe IMMEDIATELY. I have no site up yet, but thanks to you (and Mr. Evoy), I still have hope that I can go live by Jan. 07. THANK YOU, ALLAN.
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Kristine Wirth said this on 13 Sep 2006 9:45:19 AM EDT
Hi Allan!
You know, I'm not sure you should have responded to him (or her) at all. One part of me believes he may have just been trying to stir up some controversy and was hoping you'd publish his name or website address but the other part of me believes he was just stating his opinion albeit a very uneducated one. I think that your response to this person was very well written and gave you some extra credibility (I hope to have all of that under my belt some day too :-)) but don't know that he/she deserved it. Nontheless, we appreciate you and thousands of users can't be wrong now can they? Kristine |
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matt said this on 14 Sep 2006 6:24:42 AM EDT
why is it that the best newsletters DON'T come from the US?? They're full of BS, most of them. thats a good BS detector lol. Another one i might add would be intuition :)
Great newsletter as always |
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Brad said this on 14 Sep 2006 9:37:56 AM EDT
Allan,
Great article. I think adding this comments script is a great idea too. Six years ago I started affiliate marketing. Three years ago I was finally able to quit my day job and do affiliate marketing full time. Seeing your success was a constant motivation to me that kept me working hard instead of giving up. Thank you Allan and God bless you and your good work. |
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Stephen Hobbs said this on 14 Sep 2006 4:18:23 PM EDT
I totally disagree with that guy. He's just bitter and resentful. The good thing about his comment was that it prompted you to write this great article! Of ALL the newsletters and emails I get, yours is the only one that consistently has great info!
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Frederic Paris said this on 12 Oct 2006 8:02:09 PM EDT
What a ******* moron. I think your business model is just brilliant Allan. Keep up your good work. I get worse emails than this ... so just forget about this idiot.
Fred |
