Archive for December, 2007

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Every year at Christmas we see a product selling for a premium on sites like Ebay.com. If I recall correctly the first time we saw this phenomenon was with the Tickle Me Elmo doll and every year since there has been similar fad style product. This year had many different one but one of the ones I say selling at the highest premium was the new Amazon Kindle with bids at Ebay.Com topping $1500 and Buy it Now Quotes still over $1000 on Christmas Day.

The Kindle or products of its nature will eventually replace printed Media a we know it. It looks to be an interesting product. But with anything I do not follow the crowd. I more of the bread and butter market. The type of buyer that waits for things to be established before buying it. I guess I am that way because I bought a Digital Audio Tape device that was introduced about the same times CD’s were. It never gained any traction. Since then I have always waited for products to become established before buying them. Just like the old Beta Max buyers are now.

Next Holiday Season I will have the site infrastructure in place to take advantage of the Christmas Feeding Frenzy on that next hot gotta have it product. Which leads me to Affiliate Programs.

One of the new hot you better get in now affiliate programs appears to be Pay Per Play. Basd on the past that Voice2Page has had in running an affiliate program this one is a big pass in my book. I have been fairly outspoken about this one and have had people resort to all kinds of techniques to try to silence or discredit proven claims. It is laughable but this one will go down in the books like AGLOCO, a program that may never pay off. Many already know that Voice2Page never paid their affiliates in their original program.

The sad thing is they are claiming that this is an Adsense replacement and having people buy into this. The real problem is this type of advertising platform has already been tried and failed and NetAudioAds seems to think they can make it viable. Being a natural skeptic and very analytical, I have asked for documentation of their claims and met with strong resistance. That alone should make it a pass for anyone doing due diligence. Ask them to document their claims and do not settle for smoke and mirror answers of Non Disclosure Agreements.

Ok enough ranting for now. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and is looking forwards to a prosperous New Year.

Social Media outlets like Squidoo, Hub Pages, Myspace and Face Book rely on their users to create content to support their business models and they are doing a fine job. I personally like Hub Pages and Squidoo as SEO tools and they also do generate some income for me, but they are not my primary marketing vehicles.

Relying solely on user generated content platforms as your primary marketing vehicle is akin to remodeling a kitchen in a rented home. If you do not have a place to carry your primary message and using these platforms to drive traffic to your properties you are making a critical error in your content driven marketing efforts.

Blogging in it’s self is not the end all either. Blogging should be used to brand yourself or to deliver your product message as a CMS. I happen to use blogs for niche sites ranging from Identity Theft to Automotive affiliate marketing but they are not my primary message. My first effort in personal branding as resource in internet marketing has met a resounding response because of that blogs I have been picked up by a major affiliate marketing media outlet to publish a story in hard print and online. I have also been recently interviewed by Nancy Dunham for an article on Web 2.0 for auto dealers to be published by AutoExec by NADA based on Social Networking.

I am now completely rethinking my efforts for the next phase of my internet marketing career. I am fortunate that my sites that I have on web today do provide a very nice income for my family and require little maintenance. A post here a post there, but they do not have a personal branding message nor do they help my visitors identify with me. Building niche sites is fun and profitable but those efforts will never provide the stability or income that can be built through branding and selling content.

I see so many errors in the Make Money Niche in their blogging efforts it is laudable. With every post being a presell for the next greatest product or must do program and those akin to search engine spam, not providing the reader with any valuable information. While those types of blogs can and do make people money, or they would not do them, they still should not the “home base blog” for those individuals to attract a following of readers or a sphere of influence.

Because of my current paradigm shift I will be reworking this blog in the near future to be a more valuable resource to Internet Marketers in and out of the Make Money Niche. Even though SEO is my strongest asset it is now time to teach others in the techniques I use and not be so tight lipped about niches I am prospering in.

My new mantra is provide value first and let the money flow as a resource.

Performing due diligence should be the first thing that you do before joining and affiliate program, especially membership styles, before investing time or money. Let’s face it time is money and even a free program can rob you of your irreclaimable time and effort that could be better devoted to other areas.

I have personally lost thousands in the autosurf debacle because I just followed the heard like a sheeple. Now with the new launch of the Pay Per Play affiliate program it reinforces the fact that people need to perform due diligence. There are almost two hundred people who have lost money and time with voice2page in their prior affiliate debacle and it looks like the companies intention is to continue to deceive people by trying to finally launch NetAudioAds.

Through the process of the last few days watching all of the activity with this new launch and due to the fact that I have lost money with voice2page and am owed substantial commissions from them I have decided to start a new site to help others in their due diligence in all areas of Internet Marketing.

The new site is Internet Marketing Scam Alert and I will be featuring new products and affiliate programs that hit the IM world as they become available. I will also seek out other to help with this undertaking. If you wish to contribute to the project please contact me by leaving a comment here or through www.imscamalert.com

Blogging has so many different purposes. Although they were originally designed to be a web diary they have now taken over a much broader use. Sure it is fun to blog about things that interest you and getting the word out on subjects that you have a passion for. Making money from them is even funner!!

One of the best examples  I have seen of someone using blogs in the Make Money Niche is Mike Paetzold he has used blogs in the  niche very successfully and has given some valuable tips on dealing with the glut of offers you are liable to see here at the end of the year and also has made some good recommendations. Visit his blog to see Mike’s Recommendations.

While I have recently been spending a lot of time on the Downline Integrity Brigade issue that has taken away from the message that this blog was designed to deliver. While I believe that building downlines in advertising sources such as traffic exchanges is probably not the best use of ones time in the Internet Marketing arena there are many that do. That is a debate that there is no winner in as it polarizes people and places them on the defense or offense.

My niche is creating content, SEO and providing services to help others with their Internet marketing. While SEO and Content provide a great income stream for my family through various affiliate networks it would not be possible without using blog platforms, social bookmarking and social media. These outlets are ignored for the most part by the readers here as their efforts are usually in list building and the Make Money Niche. All of my profitable properties are outside of that Niche. This site does generate some revenue but it pales in comparison to some of my other blogs.

If you are wanting to learn to use blogs to get the word out about a subject you are passionate about or to make money I encourage you to visit www.AnyoneCanBlog.com as an Internet Marketing friendly platform is soon to launch that will put users in control of their property. The best part is that it will be FREE. Which is a price that everyone likes in the Make Money Niche.

Blogging is a powerful too if used properly combined with other resources. It can allow you to dominate the SERPs for your chosen topic or set of keywords which has been proven to a great extent recently and even had others cry foul. Oh well life is life lead with your chin you are likely to get hit in the kisser.

The never saga over the Downline Integrity Brigade has resulted in personal attacks against me and even indirectly trying to bring my wife’s name into the argument. Because my comments are moderated at the GJW forum I made the post below after Don Loucks took the time to attack me in the thread concerning the source of my information about Rob’s lack of downline integrity.

When I was active at 10K my wife did create her own account as she was going to actively participate too and after my illness started and the lack of downline integrity that I experienced there my account was closed hers was not.

I have published it here as I have nothing to hide.

The alleged fake 10k account that was opened in my wifes name was opened well over a year ago, before I got sick. It was opened to bring her into the fold and let her know why I was doing what I was. It was her account not mine. The only reason the viral class account was opened was to see if the Leaks in the Admin email was visible there as well.

One thing you all fail to realize when you scream ethics you better be beyond reproach in your actions. No mistakes or I forgot. Beyond all reproach.

I have not made a false claims anywhere. The situation about UR is the Member would of never known about UR if Rob would not of violated downline integrity and abused his position as the owner of 10K to perpetuate his personal $$$ agenda.

It only became a vendetta when the players use libelous comments and supposition. I really have no dog in the fight at all. This was a good program. I had even considered coming back to until I saw all of the crap going on over at the themembersforum.

All of the drama is not helping your side of the argument and the PR that has been given to your cause has hurt it to the point that it is not viable nor ever will be in it’s current state.

I have fought this same battle over at NMF for the member before during the launch of Link Crews and was willing to face down the boys on their own turf and never received an ounce of support other than lip service from this side.

I am not one of the boys. I do not own an IM property at this time, I do however have a project in the works that will benefit IM’ers and really don’t care if either camp endorses it, because as large of a niche that this is the “Traffic Exchange” crowd is a very, very small facet of it. I can do my own thing without the need of a “support” system and have been doing quite well on my own as a full time internet marketers outside of the make money niche.

The only thing I have done fanatical at this point is point out my opinion and truth at this point as I understand it. I have yet to be convinced otherwise. If the libelous comments would of never been made I would have never jumped on this topic, because there is no reward in it other than having some properties to use for SEO purposes down the road.

As far as things going my way they have, are and always will. Because I will do things my way and call a spade a spade when I see one. I am of the opinion still that if new people to the Internet Marketing niche rely on traffic exchanges, safelist and downline builders as their marketing portfolio they are making a huge mistake if they wish to be making money out of the gate. Not to mention that the “Make Money Niche” is the wrong place product for people to be marketing if THEY ARE NOT MAKING ANY MONEY!!

Hope you all have a great holiday and rethink your direction for the new year.

Warm Regards,
Paul Rushing

Rob or one of his Minions did allow my previous post to go live at the GJW forum.

What is truly sad is that in his standing up for what he feels is right he does not like it when people openly criticize disagree with him but does not mind using libelous terms when he lashes out against others.

When the argument first started he used or supported terms such as criminal when referring to program owners that were using mailing offers to their membership and his most recent personal attack was directed towards me.

……If I have to see Mr. Rushings propellor(sic him not me) of lies one more time I’m going to be sick……

He knows I will not tolerate his personal attacks but, I will not use this blog as a sounding board to show you how Mr Gerhing has taken advantage of his membership in the past, because it will denigrate the integrity of my message here and many of my readers really do not have a clue about the argument that is taking place.

If you are truly serious about wanting to make money online then subscribing to the whole argument of Downline Integrity is really a silly proposition. If you are wanting to fight for a cause there are many worthwhile ones to fight for. This is just not one of them. Take the energy that you wish to expend backing the Downline Integrity Brigade and direct it towards making money, a worthwhile charity, your family or even cleaning out your closet and you will find a greater reward.

But now that Rob Gerhing has made it personal once again with me I will make small efforts to put him in his place. Sir you will need to grow some thick skin before this is over. You like to dish it out now learn to take it like a man.

If you wish to follow how he has taken advantage of his membership in the past you can follow it at Downline Integrity a Propeller of Lies.

Because the Forum at GJW is Moderated and I am not sure that my post will be approved I have copied it verbatim minus a quote where Rob Gerhing was asking others to post.

I have fallen squarely in the middle of it. I have stepped on toes on both side of the argument. It is purely comedic at this point knowing what I do.

And You are right Rob. You want to take the SERPS back for the search term Downline Integrity it would be easy to do. Really though it does not matter unless your message is clear when the surfer finds you. But the only searchers looking for that term are a part of the argument. You better have your selling shoes on. The only Google searches are from people admiring their handy work and those on the defense. The only thing it does it allow those on opposite side of the fence to try to persuade others to switch sides

I am fortunate. I have people yelling at me from both directions and really don’t care. As witnessed by the comments on my blog. But hey that is a fun blog anyway that only brings in a few hundred per month. So it does not get the love it deserves.

I did not truly start making the money indicative of the input of my time until I stopped worrying about downlines, traffic exchanges and member programs. People need to realize that if they are expecting others to make them successful online marketers they are in for a huge letdown and no amount of downline integrity is going to make them successful. What is going to make them successful is finding their niche and the best way to market it. Then find another niche and market it. Rinse wash repeat.

If people do not have an aptitude of some sort of business as a whole and are bombarded continuously with hype and argument chances are they would enjoy other activities online more and realize a profit a lot sooner just by authoring a simple blog that they are in control of and stay away from the make money niche all together. Let’s face it why would anyone new or experienced in online marketing want to follow a newbie around. That is why they see limited results and only have principles to defend versus getting outside of the box and making some cash.

If you just want to socialize and make friends there are less confrontational avenues to do it and they do not cost any money.

I author several blogs and only have one that relates to online marketing. One thing I do know is that I have several list over 10,000 subscribers not in the make money niche and I don’t have to beg via IM to receive commissions from Google, CJ, Azoogle, Neverblueads and other affiliate networks. They just wire the money to my bank account(s) on time every time.

Content is King and Traffic is Supreme I can manipulate them both!!

Paul Rushing

(link back to here)

Another thing that I found Humerous over at Mr Gerhing’s Forum is:

Oh, and Ms. Norwood is #6 in Yahoo with her 11/28 post. Great fix Gary………works fast! Now, can we please just shut me up and dominate all 10 Positions and beyond. If I have to see Mr. Rushings propellor of lies one more time I’m going to be sick.

Rob

P.S. Take a hard look at this issue by Googleing, Yahooing, or MSNing (Search Engine) the keywords downline integrity. Yeah, see, I knew you’d me mad. So, take those keywords back team!

Rob

Now I have just decided not only is it time to own the top entries for the search terms he is whining about but also his program names. Even though there really is no money in it it will be fun to watch him wiggle!!

I did a recent story over at my news site about an affiliate breaking the terms of the affiliate agreement then proceeding to bash the customer at RipoffReport.com.

A couple of things that the affiliate did wrong -

• She did not read the affiliate agreement.
• Had errors on her website.
• Refuse to accept responsibility for her mistakes!!
  

Let’s face it folks if you do not read your affiliate agreement and something you do comes around to bite you, blaming the customer is not the right thing to do. If you screw up in an offer or design don’t behave like the affiliate did in the article suck it up and do the right thing.

The affiliate basically was offering a rebate if a consumer made a purchase through Green Mountain Coffee Rosters through their site. However in her original design it did not say that the order had to be completed online. After the customer went to the merchant site she called in to place her order. Of course the affiliate did not get credit for the sale, but the customer thought she was entitled to the rebate, because the affiliate did not word the offer correctly.

Once the affiliate informed the consumer that they were not going to get the rebate they changed their site to be more clear in the terms of the rebate offer. Of course the consumer felt slighted by this and filed a report at RipOffReport.com. Instead of the affiliate sucking it up and paying the consumer the $10 rebate they proceeded to denigrate the consumer through troll responses at ROR and in email.

Not only was the rebate a violation of the affiliate agreement the behavior of the affiliate was atrocious. Donna-Lee Moore-Stout the affiliate in question should of known better as she has several affiliate websites and owns a few traffic exchanges.

Yes I posed her name here as she took shots at the customer at RipOffReport.com to give up the customers first and last name while Donna was using an alias.

I am greatful for what affiliate marketing has done for my family and myself. It allows me to spend time with my children while they are still young at the same only answering to myself and I would not want to do anything to jeopardize my affiliate/merchant relationships by behaving improperly or not making sure that my promotion efforts were in line with the affiliate agreement.

As of this posting Green Mountain Coffee Roasters has not terminated the affiliate agreement with Donna-Lee Moore-Stout and her associated company but merely placed her on probation.

She is fortunate I am not her affiliate manager.