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A MailChimp Review, For The Good Affiliate Marketer

Thursday, March 24th, 2011 at 1:00 am

Comments (39)

As I was doing my normal daily blog hopping I happen to notice that there seemed to be a lot of people promoting Aweber as the best auto-responder on the market. Apart from expounding all its good points they will generally tell you, somewhere in the post, that it must be good because all the big boys use it. This may be true but I’m sure that one of the reasons that a lot of people use it and for promoting the crap out of it is because they’re also an affiliate.

Which is fine as I understand how one tends to get emotional about promoting something that they love to use, heck I do the same when telling people about the FlexSqueeze theme. I do take exception though when while promoting it they have a go at MailChimp. Yeah, I know I did the same thing when I compared FlexSqueeze to Thesis but I never said Thesis was bad in that post, just that it wasn’t as good! :innocent1_tb:

To be quite honest not all the posts actually said MailChimp was bad but some of the comments did allude to that and the biggest contention was the fact that the guys at MailChimp do not like the way some people run their affiliate marketing. It’s true though, if you’re looking for a list to push your affiliate products down people’s throats then MailChimp is not for you because you try it with them and they will kick you out. And so they should too because that type of marketing hurts their ~~name~~ reputation, something that’s very important to them.

Image via CrunchBase

That doesn’t mean that you can’t promote affiliates, just that your campaigns should not focus just around affiliate marketing. Honestly if I joined a list and all I got was campaigns promoting different ways of making money, growing my business or other affiliates then I can assure you I will drop that list like a hot potato.

I swore long ago that I would never have a list but that was only because I thought the only reason for having one was to use it against my subscribers by pushing crap down their throats. It was only after a lot of thought and soul searching that I found a way in which I could use a list without going against my principals which was when I wrote my post Why The List Hater Has His Very Own List! That then led to my post Why I Chose MailChimp Over Aweber where I talked about why I liked MailChimp so much. In that particular post I described how you could be a MailChimp member and promote affiliates.

I know it seems like I’m rehashing old topics but its necessary because people need to know, especially when you’re just starting up your list and you can’t afford the expense of paying for one such as Aweber. That plus I would love to build a new breed of affiliate marketers, one that cares about their subscribers and would never use them just for the sake of peddling their wares.

Have you ever noticed that a lot of the products you get in your inbox from those affiliate marketers never make it to their blog? Now, why is that unless they’re not all that comfortable about actually posting about it, like one I received in my inbox today from a reputable marketer that seemed to be nothing less than a pyramid scheme. So its good enough for their list but not good enough for their blog?

That’s where we can be different as we would only promote affiliates that we absolutely believe in and because we believe in them we’re quite happy to post about them on our blogs. That is what makes MailChimp the perfect auto-responder for us because if you use it, as I do, to tell your subscribers when you’ve written a new post you will be driving traffic to that post, and if that post is an affiliate product you love you will be killing two birds with one post.

So basically all I’m saying is don’t write MailChimp off just because you’ve read somewhere that it doesn’t accept affiliate marketers because the truth is they don’t accept the wrong type of internet marketers, and that’s not us is it?

The FlexSqueeze Theme gives my blog that professional look. I loved it so much that I bought the developers license. It's the easiest most customizable theme I've come across. See how easy it is to change your theme's appearance! Compare it to Thesis to see how much better it is! Check out some of the latest Latest Updates

I highly recommend you to get your FlexSqueeze copy today!

Do You Know Who Is Really Commenting On Your Blog?

Monday, March 7th, 2011 at 10:14 pm

Comments (50)

You all know how important comments are to me and how much I value them, and I’m sure a lot of you feel the same way. We instal plugins to help us delete spam and we moderate the ones that get through deleting them if they don’t come up to scratch. The problem is that I’ve now discovered some of those commentators who leave comments on our blogs are not who they say they are.

You may recall the post I did on My Experience With Real Writing Jobs where I mentioned joining Freelancer. As it happens they offer a wide range of jobs and some of them are from people who will pay others to leave comments on blogs. The obvious reason for getting someone else to comment in their place would be they don’t have the time, or couldn’t be bothered to do it themselves, That or perhaps their English isn’t all that crash hot. Here is a copy of one such task found on Freelancer.

We need 100 high PR (PR3+) blog commenting for 7 of our sites, the comments with our anchor text backlinks must be coming from PR3+ sites from the pages it self and not the domain name. Heres what to follow:

1) Must have your own list with 100 sites – All must be dofollow blog.
2) No Spam comment – quality only so the post/comment sticks
3) No blackhat method.
4) Must have the page rank of 3 plus
5) the page’s outbound link can’t be more than 25
6) spread sheet report is a must
7) Send 2 example links of where you will be posting

If you don’t have any experience in blog posting please DO NOT BID.

So what you will be doing is posting 7 comments with 7 of our different sites linking back to our sites via anchor text. We need 100 blog comments per each site so in total of 700 blog comments done manually on high PR sites.

Paying $70 for this whole project, must have your own list, please provide 2 sample links! Thank yoU!

So basically you’re getting 10 cents per comment which doesn’t seem worthwhile considering all the work that’s involved. First you have to find dofollow blogs, that alone isn’t too hard, but then the actual post you choose has to have a PR3 ranking, which could be a little more difficult. Now you tell me, if you’re getting paid peanuts, how much time are you going to spend on a comment?

I think its these very comments, that are of a very low quality, that are getting past the GASP plugin. I know there’s probably a lot that wouldn’t disapprove of this saying it’s a legitimate form of outsourcing. That may be true but as far as I’m concerned I wouldn’t take the chance of ruining all the hard work I’ve put into building my brand by letting someone comment in my place, and if you have to take the time of checking every comment individually you may as well do it yourself.

What say you good readers, would you outsource someone to comment in your name? Do you like the idea of someone commenting on your blog in the guise of someone else? Personally I’m not in favour of it and I liken it to be almost as bad as those robotic scripts that spam our blogs on a daily basis.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011The FlexSqueeze Theme gives my blog that professional look. I loved it so much that I bought the developers license. It's the easiest most customizable theme I've come across. See how easy it is to change your theme's appearance! Compare it to Thesis to see how much better it is! Check out some of the latest Latest Updates

I highly recommend you to get your FlexSqueeze copy today!

How To Score & Have A Sexy Valentine’s Day

Friday, February 11th, 2011 at 1:22 am

Comments (52)

Image via Wikipedia

Valentines day isn’t all that far away and while there are a few of us who think it’s the biggest Load of BS out, there are a hell of a lot, usually the women, who look on it with expectation and perhaps even a few with trepidation. If you’re one of the lucky few who have a Valentines day product to sell you are more than likely rubbing your hands with glee. Personally I don’t see what all the fuss is about, it’s just another day unless you’re a bloke who has a partner and then it can be a virtual pain in the ass as well as the wallet. Not to worry fellas, I’ve come across a great video that will help you to score with the ladies on Valentines Day.

How To Score On Valentines Day

So remember guys, chocolates are in, as are a bouquet of flowers over a cheesy arrangement. Getting a Fresh Eco-Elegant Valentines Day Flowers from $29.95 at OrganicBouquet.com is probably a good idea, especially if she’s into saving the environment. Now for the women. I’m probably not the best bloke to tell women how to feel sexy on Valentine’s Day so I’ve found a video just for them.

How To Have A Sexy Valentine’s Day

You will notice that a lot more items are needed in the second video than were needed in the first. I wonder if that’s because marketers assume that women are more likely to spend their money on this sort of stuff than men? Let’s have a look at that list of requirements for having a sexy Valentine’s Day.

Beauty Treatments: I can understand this, I mean you would want to look great for that lucky guy now don’t you?
Massage Oils: Oh yeah, now that’s what I’m talking about.
Candles: Nothing better than setting the mood with romantic scented candles and where better to get them from than at Candle Bay! Also dim lighting helps to hide any imperfections
Food: Is this because women think the way to a man’s heart is through is stomach?
Champagne: I can see two reasons for this; either she wants to get him drunk so he doesn’t know what he’s getting into or she needs it to get in the mood.
A CD of Sexy Songs: Perhaps something along the lines of Erotica, Vol. 1 – Zen & Tantra Café – Hot and Sexy lounge music [Explicit] Yeah, that should get the party going.

Then the video mentions a couple of optional requirements like Erotic Movies and Role Playing costumes. You have got to be kidding! Optional, there is no way these should be optional at all. Heck Erotic Movies and Sexy Costumes, which you can get at CostumeKingdom.comare absolutely essential! Now what were those erotic movies she suggested? Oh that’s right; Swept Away (Digitally Remastered Edition), Body Heat [Blu-ray] and Last Tango in Paris? You call that erotic? Whatever happened to real erotic movies like The Girl Next Door (Unrated Edition) [Blu-ray], you know, the one starring Jenna Jameson, now that’s what I call erotic.

Isn’t it amazing how the women spend so much more time than a bloke as far as preparations go. It doesn’t matter if they’re getting ready to go out or preparing for something special it’s a major event. In regards to Valentines while we would apreciate a Brazilian it’s not like it’s really necessary. All we really want is the companionship of a good woman, and if we’re really lucky we wouldn’t mind doing the wild thing. :smoke_tb:

So, seeing there’s only a few days left before Valentine’s Day what have you planned to make it something real special?

Of Good Hosts And Bad Hosts, Beware The Bad Hosts

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011 at 6:55 pm

Comments (90)

Over a year ago I wrote a post about how I moved this blog from one host to another. That post was called WassupBlog Alive And Kicking After Transferring to BlueHost. If you’re looking for a good host you can’t go past BlueHost and their CPU Throttling would have to be one of their best features.

Over a year later it’s happened to that host again. The first time it happened I thought it wasn’t really the host’s fault, it was just that Wassup had outgrown it, especially as I had three other blogs hosted under the one domain. Let that be a warning to people, although many hosting packages give you unlimited domains you have to remember the more domains you have on the same host the more strain you’re putting on your CPU and the more likely you’ll get your account suspended. Once I moved WassupBlog I left behind three other blogs, my Scenic Adelaide, Photos2Blog and my Load Of Bullshit blog.

: Image by ivanpw via Flickr

I left those blogs there because it was an Aussie host and I wanted to support an Australian company. It turns out that was a big mistake. I woke up one morning to find that my account was suspended yet again. The turkeys at HostSmart, yeah I’m naming them as others should know what to expect from this host, didn’t take the time to find out which blog was causing the problem and suspending that blog, nope, they suspended the whole account. I couldn’t even access my CPanel or use my FTP program to access my blogs to check things out. Shit, I couldn’t even receive emails linked to those accounts.

No damn support. No phone numbers listed on the site. I finally found a phone number but do you think anyone would answer it? I left a support ticket and when I got a reply some 24 hours later it was to say that my account was suspended due to it was overloading the server and it wouldn’t be restored until I confirmed I would do something about it.

There was so many things that could have been done that they failed to do and in the end they’ve lost me as a customer. Not only that but I will no longer be sending people to them, an average of some 200 – 300 per month! What a waste that proved to be, they couldn’t even convert one of them. Perhaps those people were just smarter than I was.

Once I got access I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. While I was waiting to get access I searched the web for another host as I didn’t want to put all my eggs in one basket by using the same host. I settled on HostGator as they seemed to have a great reputation. Once access was restored I started moving everything over and it all went through without a hitch. As it turns out HostGator has a 24hr Live Chat which I used a few times, both before and during the transfer, so that I could clear up a few things. Every time I used it they were quick to respond and they were able to answer all my queries. Now that is what I call service, something my previous host knew nothing about.

Here are some tips for those looking for good Web Host.

Ask other bloggers who they use and what they think of them.
Check the forums, most good hosts have them, to see what the reaction from members are. Do they resolve problems quickly?
Check to see that they a phone number so that you can contact them quickly in an emergency. Leaving a support ticket is OK but can be time consuming.
Do they have Live Chat available? I’ve found this to be an indispensable feature and both BlueHost and HostGator have it.

If there are any other important features that you require or recommend when choosing a host I’m sure others would like to read about it in the comment section.

Mitch, if you’re reading this post, yes you did warn me about staying with them, and yes as it turns out I should have listened to you. Again. Let that be a lesson to me huh?

Sometimes It’s Better To Just Not Give A Shit

Wednesday, December 29th, 2010 at 5:00 pm

Comments (80)

I’m Sire and I am a Blogaholic! That’s exactly how I began my Comment Policy page and I suppose at the time I thought it was kind of cute. The rest of that post explains the rules that commentators have to live by if they expect their comments to be published. It also talks about the a movement I started, and although it never really took off it’s one of the main reasons why this blog is so successful.

I wasn’t always a blogger. I started off as a casual in the retail business while I worked my way through teachers college. I was a semester from completing the course when I decided it wasn’t for me. There were those who tried to convince me to change my mind saying that I should just stick it out until I completed the course. But I knew it was t Mood Meter he wrong thing to do because my heart wasn’t in it and I figured I wouldn’t be doing those kids any favors if I became a teacher. I felt that all those good teachers I ever had were good because they loved what they did and all the bad ones were those whose heart just wasn’t in it and I didn’t want to be one of those.

I’ve now been on this earth for some fifty two years and one of the little gems I can pass on to those who will come after me is that there are times when it’s best to just not give a shit. One of the reasons why there is so much strife in this world is that people get so uptight over the smallest of things. Instead of taking a breath and deciding that it’s not all that big a deal and how it would be better to let things go they get angry.

Anger is like poison. It corrupts the soul and destroys reason. It’s because of anger that people say things they don’t really mean, thereby hurting the ones they love. It’s anger that clouds judgment and causes people to make the wrong choice. Anger should probably be sitting there right alongside envy.

I believe there was many a time when this attitude saved me from making a mistake, both in my business and in my personal life. I have to admit it hasn’t always been easy in the real world because when a situation hits you more often than not you have to deal with it then and there.

Things should be different in the online world and I can’t understand it when I see people getting upset over something that they’ve read. I’ve seen it happen over a bloggers review of a product and how the owner of the product didn’t agree with it. Rather than conversing with the blogger in a calm and orderly manner, trying to resolve the issue he went on the attack and was a complete ass. After reading the comments I could see that his actions was hurting his reputation and credibility, and it was all so unnecessary.

: Image via Wikipedia

I was attacked on one of my blogs by a bloke who turned out to be a huge bigot and I admit at first I was pretty upset. Although I was pretty pissed I knew it would be wrong of me to reply while I was in that mood. I sat there for a long while and I thought about it and I decided that as wrong as his comment was it couldn’t really hurt me unless I let it, so I decided not to give a shit because it wasn’t worth it. He wasn’t worth it.

Once I calmed down I replied calmly trying to show him the error of his ways which seemed to only make things worse. The calmer I remained the more abusive he got. Some of his comments were so vile I had to delete them. What he failed to see was that his actions actually did his cause more harm than good and because of this people sided with me.

As bloggers, online marketers or whatever else we want to be while we are online we must always remember that we have one real advantage over those times when we’re in the real world. That advantage is time! Time to take a breath, count to 10 grab a coffee or whatever it takes to calm us down. It’s only when we’re in a calm frame of mind that we’re able to treat the situation rationally.

So, next time someone writes or says something that pisses you off, and it doesn’t matter if it’s on your blog or via one of the many social medias such as Twitter or Facebook just imagine that you’re a duck and that those words are like water falling off a ducks back. This will give you the time to gather your thoughts so that when you do write your comment it’s one that does you proud rather than one that may lead you on the road to self destruction.

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Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010The FlexSqueeze Theme gives my blog that professional look. I loved it so much that I bought the developers license. It's the easiest most customizable theme I've come across. See how easy it is to change your theme's appearance! Compare it to Thesis to see how much better it is! Check out some of the latest Latest Updates

I highly recommend you to get your FlexSqueeze copy today!