Cribbed Content for May 9th
Monday
May 12, 2008
Okay, I was sick on Friday so this is coming at you late. I know I should be drawn and quartered, but where else will you get this info? (That’s a rhetorical question, by the way.)
- Digg is launching a new comment system soon. Maybe I’ll use it more often now that it will be more user friendly.
- Amazon is stickin’ it to the man – they’re suing NY state over the tax laws they’re proposing that affect affiliates.
- I’m awesome, and I can prove it DOUBLE now! Check out http://marketing.alltop.com and http://trishalyn.isreallyawesome.com for proof, now!
- Super Affiliate by day Zac Johnson has a great post for budding affiliates on how to pick the right niche market for you. It’s a great resource complete with some awesome tools to get into the niche you’re looking for.
- Mark Wielgus threw out a video on blog traffic tips. Definitely some good information.
So there… your weekly dose!
Duped by Geeks
Tuesday
Apr 22, 2008
Twitter vs twatter – it was a ruse! Jim Kukral returns to GeekCast & they all explain that it was just to spoof Loren Feldman’s puppet show against Shel Israel. They explain it in GeekCast today.
Mike from 1115 Media Called it first! Did anyone have a pool going?
Next we’ll hear that Mark Wielgus is in Joel Comm’s pocket and the scam alerts were all a ruse too!
Joel Comm – Scummy or Chummy?
Monday
Apr 21, 2008
A bit of a scandal broke out last week regarding AdSense guru Joel Comm’s latest eBook offering – AdSense Secrets 4. The landing page as you can see is one of your typical sales pages that usually screams of scam – at least that’s my usual impression of pages like this. Mark Wielgus from 45n5.com noticed many trusted bloggers and affiliate marketers blogging about this book and it’s greatness – people like super affiliate Zac Johnson and Affiliate Summit co-founder Shawn Collins. Mark was ready to go ahead and buy the book, until he noticed the fine print (figuratively…) on the page – when you buy the $9.95 eBook you were also automatically enrolled in a $29.95/mo. program to receive a newsletter with more tips & such from Joel.
To make a long story short since I linked to Mark’s post in last Friday’s Cribbed Content, he called Joel & this offer out as a scam and was none too happy about it. Joel swung by 45n5.com to explain himself – apparently there were glitches with the landing page and the shopping cart process that combined what was originally intended to be an opt-in offer (the $29.95 newsletter) with the main offer of the eBook. Some of the commenter’s over there are still not convinced that Joel’s being honest about the mix up considering his many years in the field – the “he should have known better” argument.
But the good news is that Joel, in either an effort to make good by a screwy landing page or an effort to save his ass from bad PR, has offered to make it up to people who feel like they were duped. Zac Johnson seems to have the scoop – he corrected the landing pages (well, no duh), added some “Fast Action Bonuses”, and for the next two weeks will be donating 100% of the profits to charity. Wade Tonkin over at Christian Affiliate Marketers just today posted a podcast chat he had with Joel about the offer & spam accusations. Again, whether this is an honest apology or an attempt to save face, it’s still a good gesture and good deal.
The moral of the story? Accusing an internet marketer of spam is akin to accusing a home run hero of corking his bat. Keep this tale in mind the next time you formulate a marketing campaign or launch a new product. Do what you can to make sure that there’s nothing shady, underhanded, or illegal about your offer – or anything that could remotely be considered as such. It’s a good thing to have the blogosphere talking about you, but not when they’re roasting you on a spit.
