Jun
2nd
The site will be down for anywhere from a few hours to a day… possibly more. I’m doing some moving of things and I just want to warn everyone!
May
31st
As with most industries, there’s a shady bunch in every crowd. There’s always going to be a few “groups” (companies) who tend to shave sales, claim a few sales as refunds, etc.
What can you do? Either suck it up or don’t send traffic to that company again.
The fact is - all Affiliate Marketers are Traffic Brokers. It’s YOUR traffic that YOU worked/paid for… WHY give it away for FREE? You’re losing more than time by doing so…
I’ve been working with one company for almost 2 years now… they were the reason I got started in this industry and left Web Development behind me. They treated me good, until I spoke out about a few shady practices going on. Sure, I could have kept my big mouth shut - but I wanted to warn innocent people I had worked with, and for, about the “practices” going on within their community.
Recently, I notice that my Commissions go up and down — but have NEVER come close as they did prior to me speaking up…
Sure, it could have been coincidence, but I tested to see if it was… and it was not. They were ripping me off. I found out a way to see all of my pending sales, starting a few months ago, and have noticed that I only seem to receive the SMALLEST sales… all of the highest, ironically, disappear. “Refunds”. Sure. I bet.
I’ve been in this industry for a while now, but I also grew up around Business people who have built solid businesses that still exist, even after they have passed. I spent 8 months in Vegas watching some of the biggest con-artists around… so, I catch on when it comes to these clowns.
The easiest thing to do is to switch from one merchant to the next…
Guess what? 9 times out of 10 - you will notice sales go UP. So far, they’ve gone way up for me. Coincidence? Hardly. I was getting ripped off and wasn’t focusing on switching my traffic… or shall I say “re-routing” my traffic.
In the CPA Game, you’ll see this a lot more, I’m sure. So, you’ll see how easy it is to go from one merchant to the next. Not hard to do at all.
Don’t let others screw you out of money. Show them how easily you can screw them out of sales, the honest way… walk away and give your traffic to someone who will treat you with respect!
May
30th
I’m still getting emails about “what book to buy” or “what’s the best way to learn Affiliate Marketing”.
Look, I’m going to tell you one way and you’re going to hear another way from the next guy… but, here’s my opinion.
I learned 99% of my “foundation” knowledge from Wealthy Affiliate. It’s an amazing program and I seriously thank god that I found it. I really do. It’s definitely worth every penny. Especially for Bum Marketers (beginners and even advanced), thanks to programs such as Rapid Writer (new).
Books to buy? Nothing off the top of my head, to be honest. Everything you need can be read at Wealthy Affiliate… BUT, if you’re looking to save the money because you’re having financial issues - then check out all of the great blogs out there!
For one (not blowing my own horn here, just easy to find) - I have a series called “Getting Started In Affiliate Marketing” that can help you get started.
Once you get the basics down - I highly suggest checking out other blogs such as:
CashTactics.net
CDFNetworks.com
ClickConsultants.com
illeat.com
JonathanVolk.com
Shoemoney.com (general “make money”)
UberAffiliate.com
ZacJohnson.com
There’s just a small list… mostly because they’re my favorites right now. I realize I said Shoemoney was getting boring - but he seems to be getting back on track lately. Good stuff.
Affiliate Conspiracy… is it good?
Simple and to the point. It’s by Eric Rockefeller… NO. Those guys (the entire group… you’ll see if you don’t listen) are well known sh*t peddlers who repackage the same old regurgitated crap over and over with a new spin.
If it smelled like crap in the other box, it will still smell the same when you open the new one! Stay away…
There’s not much to learn from ebooks, to be honest, when it comes to this business. When it comes down to more technical stuff, vtc.com has some great video tutorials for HTML, Javascript, PHP, MySQL, etc…don’t waste time on ebooks.
Lynda.com has great video tuts on designing websites, graphics, etc. check out the University monthly membership program, not the DVD’s… you’ll save a ton of money.
Everything else can be learned for free by blogs or by GOOD, trustworthy membership programs like Wealthy Affiliate, if you’re a newbie. It’s worth every penny.
Once you get going, you’ll figure things out from there and you’ll hopefully get a better understanding of how pathetic the IM niche is and who to trust, who not to trust., etc.
Hope this helps!
May
27th
Sorry to those who couldn’t access my site. Apparently my Host decided to change the name of the localhost on me without letting me know.
Thanks to Nick over at illeat.com for alerting me of the situation!
May
22nd
Firefox 3 has been out for about a week now and I’ve had the chance to play around with it over the past few days… I love it. The interface is “fresh”, the Artificial Intelligence thing they got going on is definitely helpful.
I think I remember a function similar to the “search in location bar” in AOL’s old browser? Either way, it’s VERY helpful and I’ve found a TON of sites that I’ve forgotten about over the past year!
I noticed Gmail is MUCH faster, especially when searching for emails.
Now, this is NOT the final release… it’s Release Candidate 1. So, with all RC’s — it may have a few bugs or other issues…but, let’s face it, it’s not IE - so you’re probably going to be fine =)~
May
15th
By now, you’ve hopefully heard of Prosper202. If not, go download it now!
I’ve used quite a few products, including Xtreme conversions, but I think this will become the best product out there for Affiliate Marketers — or ANY ppc Marketer who doesn’t want to spend a ton of money developing their own in-house keyword tracking script.
Prosper202 is free… no strings attached. One downfall for those who might enjoy diving into code is that the code IS Obfuscated (Zend Guard) (encoded). But, don’t let that stop you from using this program! It’s pretty awesome, and it’s still a baby!
It’s odd… I’ve never seen something that looks and feels so professional, that doesn’t cost a penny, since Joomla. Honestly. It makes you feel like you’re downloading an expensive program, but for free.
There’s been a few bugs and there’s still a few features that aren’t included, yet, but I believe that most major requests will be fulfilled pretty quickly. Wes Mahler and crew seem to be very professional, very responsible people.
My biggest request is a Developers License! 
Having a background in PHP, I’d love to be able to try to add-on to the program if and when I find something that’s missing.
Keyword Tracking programs are usually VERY expensive. Xtreme conversions is actually a pretty damn good and quite cheap (compared to other programs costing MUCH more, which provide less functionality) program, but I’m not sure how often it gets updated?
So far, it seems as if Prosper202 is already on the same level, yet it has a much more “at home”, professional feel to it.
I’m still playing with this script, but so far - I love it for many different reasons.
Download Prosper202 for free — or try their Hosted Version at Tracking202!
UPDATE: I just had someone ask me about the difference between TRACKING202 and PROSPER202…
Tracking202 is a hosted ppc Affiliate Tracking system (they host it, you simply sign up to their system and don’t have to worry about paying for hosting, installing the script, etc).
Prosper202 is the same system as Tracking202, but YOU host it on your own server, install it, update it, etc. (simple to do, but you either have to do it all yourself or pay someone to do it).
May
12th
I found out about this program a few days ago and I find it to be a very good product, yet it makes me feel very uneasy.
The code is obfuscated and it leaves me wondering how “safe” it really is. I didn’t want to use Tracking202.com because of the same issues (trust), and I’m wondering if it’s going to be a problem to use THIS version.
It would be very easy to send information from one server to another, including Keywords that are converting, along with any other valuable piece of information you might be storing.
I’m not calling Wes Mahler a thief, but I’m curious as to WHY the code is obfuscated. I’m also curious if I’m the first person to blog about this… the fact is - Affiliates who have success with certain campaigns tend to work A LOT of hours on those campaigns, yet it would only take a few hours to quickly copy the same campaign (actually, MUCH less if you already have another script to automate the biggest tasks) if you were to be given that information via “hidden code”.
Has anyone tried to decode this script just to check it out? I’m curious.
Again, I’m not saying Wes Mahler IS doing this (although, it would be VERY easy to do so) - but I don’t see why all of the files are using obfuscated code…
May
1st
I’ve been MIA over the past few weeks, as you can see. But, I’ve been around.
I have been really busy with different stuff, so I haven’t really felt like writing anything on the blog lately.
You’ll be seeing more posts from me next week, but not much over the next few days… just wanted to let people know that I am still alive and breathing!
Apr
16th
For those who are looking for Funeral information for Jeanette Velazquez, please see the information below.
The funeral services will be held at:
The Gathering at Corona
1901 W. Ontario Ave.
Corona, California
Their Phone Number:
(951) 734-3788
The Gathering @ Corona Official Website
Jenette Velazquez, Jeanete Velazquez, Jeanete Velazquez, janette, janet, janete, jannette, janette, Velasquez (Possible Misspellings)
Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, Corona, Norco
Mother of Innette McFarland, Lynette (Michelle) Alvarez and Alicia Velazquez
Apr
15th
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… most Internet Marketers are full of sh!t. Everything that comes out of their mouths should be verified… seriously.
Reed Floren sent out an email today talking about Mike Filsaime (the guy I’ve already blasted over a year ago). In his email he stated the following:
I’m sure you know who Mike Filsaime is. If you don’t,
you’ve obviously been out of town for an extended period
of time.
Mike is the undisputed King of viral marketing and has
been for the past several years. But I believe he just
started his own de-throning!
Interesting!
I guess Microsoft should have hired Mr. Filsaime to help them with Hotmail, the creators of YouTube.com could have done the same. Let’s not mention MySpace, Google, Yahoo, etc…
Heck, maybe Henry Ford could have used Mr. Filsaime to help him introduce people to the automobile.
Ahhh… the world could have used Mike Filsaime in so many ways. Imagine if they could have used his expertise that he used for…wait for it…
Butterfly Marketing!
Yeah. Just imagine.
I like Russell Brunson, but hey - even he is full of sh!t.
I got an email from him today (same day as Reed Floren’s), and the subject line said:
the only marketer i’ve ever hired
Now, we know Subject lines are supposed to reel you in… but, you’re supposed to be ON TARGET with the rest of your story, right?
He explains:
Yes, I paid him $1,000 for a 1 hour phone call.
That one hour call resulted in over $50,000 in revenue within 7
days, and is now responsible for almost $100k a WEEK (yes, a week)
consistently in revenues…
OK, so he’s claiming that recently (today is April 15th, 2008) that he hired this guy for a 1 hour phone call… the “only marketer he’s ever hired”.
Yet, when he launched the 12 Month Millionaire, he claimed to hire Mr. Vince James for the same thing?
Anyone remember that?
Oh well, I just got a little laugh when I read both of those emails today… pretty hilarious and contradicting! Not to mention just plain ridiculous (Reed Floren).
Apr
14th
I just found out that my best friends Mother passed away this past weekend. Having lived with her for years, I can say that she was a very straight forward, no BS’ing, in your face personality… but she was one of the kindest souls I’ve ever met in my life.
I didn’t get the chance to talk to her in 2008… I found out she had cancer (in the kidney) in December, 2007, and I only spoke to her briefly. She was very positive (as she always seemed to be over the past 8 years) and seemed to be staying strong for her family and friends who were obviously scared.
Her Daughter, Lynette, got married in the Hospital and even had news coverage ( as seen here )… I’m sure she was happy to witness that.
Her youngest Daughter, Alicia (my best friend), has overcome a major drug addiction that led her to incarceration on a few occasions. Unfortunately, I’m worried that things might spiral out of control soon - as she loved her mother very much… they were extremely close.
With all of the Airline cancellations at DFW Airport, I’m thinking I won’t be able to make it to her funeral in California… I guess we’ll see how it goes.
We’ll definitely miss her. Rest In Peace, Jeanette! I love you!
Apr
14th
I purchased Site Sniper Pro last week and have been testing it out… so far, I like it a lot for doing Placement Targeting campaign research, but I’m not recommending it just yet. I don’t want to recommend anymore products that I’m not 110% sure of.
I’ll give it another week and try to do a review of the program if I can remember to…
I apologize to all my readers out there… please see my post regarding 4 weeks of not smoking and that should explain my lack of posts on this blog over the past month.
Apr
14th
So, today is officially the first full month of not smoking. Feels great knowing that I’m on my way to another year of not smoking, but I hope this is “it”, once and for all!
Since I quit smoking, I decided it was time to start getting back into shape. I miss being in good shape… I started getting there before the end of last summer, but then I stopped for stupid reasons, including picking up smoking.
My eating habits became crappy, started drinking, stopped working out.
Now, I’m eating extremely healthy lately, with 1-3 “cheat” meals a month… depending on how I feel about my progress. I’m doing cardio every day, lifting every other day and trying my best to keep sane.
Unfortunately, I’ve become mentally drained over the past month… I put all of my energy into my morning workouts (yes, I drink a recovery drink), focus on working on my campaigns over the next few hours but it seems like things just are not getting done…
Lately, I’ve HAD to start taking afternoon naps. Lucky me…yeah, yeah. I honestly wish I didn’t have to.
When I was smoking, I didn’t have to worry about crashing midway through the day… not to mention the fact that I was amped up on Soda/Coca-Cola all day (sorry, didn’t want to use the word “coke” and give anyone the wrong impression ;-)).
I’m pushing forward, though. My goal is to get into the best shape of my life before my next Birthday, which is on July 1st. Should be hard… but, I’m going to make it happen. I’m 2 weeks into Precision nutrition and cardio, and 1 week into Weight Training, so that makes it a total of 3 months.
Unfortunately, it’s killing my work time by not having as much energy.
Stupid cigarettes…
Apr
8th
OK, thanks to the advice of guys like Ruck, I’ve decided that I’m going to jump into CPA Marketing pretty hard over the next few months.
I believe I’ll be spending at least $1,000 on ppc, which might not be very much to some - and a whole lot to others… well, I’m sticking with that number because I feel safe and confident with that amount right now.
So far, I’m really liking Copeac and AdValiant, although CPA-Empire and MaxBounty might get more use later down the road.
I know I’ve always told you (along with every one else who teaches Affiliate Marketing basics) that you should always make sure to get to know your Affiliate Manager. Well, luckily for me, my Affiliate Manager for Copeac is one of the coolest guys I’ve met online over the past few years. He’s been very quick with replies, very thorough and just an all around great guy (Thanks, Stephen!).
So, I’ll be trying out a lot of the programs they’re running first…
Am I nervous? You betcha! If there’s one thing I don’t want to lose - it’s my hard earned money!
But, that’s why I will be testing with small amounts at first and then scaling the campaigns that seem to be possible winners.
NeverBlueAds is another good looking program, although I haven’t had much success with any campaigns over there just yet… not that I’ve been very active, either ;-) (but I’ve been running a few tests)
I was going to try ClickBooth, but I keep hearing negative remarks about the company. I will check them out later down the road, possibly.
I will keep you updated on my findings over the next few weeks. I’ve been testing a few programs through Placement Targeting with very little luck, although I’ve had a little success with Placement Targeting and other Affiliate Programs (non-cpa).
Apr
1st
This year was the first year that I’ve never pulled an April Fools prank on somebody. I’m pretty sure it’s the first time ever since I was about 8 years old…
I was wondering why today was so boring. I still have a few hours left… maybe I’ll think of someone to fool before the night is over?
What did you do to someone today? =)
Apr
1st
I’ve been getting really unorganized over the past few weeks and it’s becoming a major problem for me…
Thankfully, I’ve successfully quit smoking, again, and I’ve started back on Precision nutrition, working out like crazy and now it’s time to get back on track with work… since all of the good things above have seemed to destroy my old daily routine =)
To be honest, I rarely followed my daily routines I had written on paper and posted on my Cork board, anyway… (and my dry erase board and my computer, phone, etc…)
So, now I have a HUGE sign that says the following:
“PER DAY”
3 ARTICLES
1 BLOG POST
5 ppc CAMPAIGNS
2 PLACEMENT CAMPAIGNS
and more… some of you may be confused with ppc and Placement … yes, Placement Targeting is PPC - but it’s “different” in my opinion as 99% of PPC’ers tend to run Keyword Targeting only.
Obviously, I have other stuff on this list - but those are my MAIN goals. They will be different in about a month, but for now they’re perfectly fine and will help me get back on track.
What are your daily goals?
Mar
27th
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I’ve been dealing with a ton of stuff, including work and trying to focus on not smoking, eating healthier, etc.
I’ll be posting more starting this weekend!
Mar
27th
I’ve just opted out of 18 different IM lists because I’ve gotten “accidental” duplicate emails from just about every big named IM guy and girl on the planet… If it wasn’t an accident, it was a blatant “f$%# you or purchase this product” approach. That pisses me off. Hopefully their lists and reputations are destroyed over that… sorry, but I’m absolutely DISGUSTED by all of the emails I’ve gotten over the past 48 hours regarding this “amazing formula”.
Yeah yeah… amazing. Another ’secret’ being sold. I’m going to bet that this product contains less valuable information than any book you can find on Amazon. That’s usually how it works…
Take the book ‘Call To Action’ by Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg. That book can be purchased on Amazon.com for about $15.00 or less…
Yet, all of these “Internet Marketing Experts” that have yet to create ANY successful Website (or even a landing page, for that matter) seem to sell their “landing page Systems” for a minimum of $97… pathetic.
The difference? The Eisenberg’s company has worked with the following companies (Just RECENTLY):
- Cardscan
- ProFlowers
- GE
- Leo Schachter Diamonds
- Overstock.com
- SAS
- Disney
- CBS Interactive
- NBC Universal
- PriceWaterhouseCoopers
- Volvo International
- Southern Company
- BuyTelco
- Allegis Group’s Thingamajob
- WebEx
- CafePress
- Shoeline
Gee… who shall we choose? Someone who developed a Website for one of the biggest IM Launches in history (not real, just for my own amusement)? Or… a few guys who have worked with a few “big” companies that practically beg them to take their money and give them great results?
The point is — DON’T purchase Product Launch Formula… no, I’m not going to offer you some “fantastic” or “unbelievable” bonuses that I picked up from ebay or I created during my lunch break…
I’m simply saying - do not purchase it.
A) You probably do not need it (99% sure most of you will not)
B) In a few months you can still get it… probably for cheaper… if you even need it.
C) You can find a book, or several books, that will teach you more about Product Launches than this product will…
As far as I know - Jeff Walker is probably a great guy. But, he’s not the best “product launch expert” and he’s not the only one with a “Product Launch” product…about to be launched
I don’t need to see the product… I’ve seen all of the latest “GREATEST” programs and was not impressed with 99.9% of them.
If you’re wondering which products I may be referring to — just think about all of the last few “Jeff Walker” product launches… I guarantee you that I’ve tried them all/seen them all and I was NOT impressed.
So, this Product Launch of Product Launch Formula is not going to impress me one bit… I guarantee it.
A) I don’t have a product that will be launched …
B) When I DO launch a product, it will be free and I will use the same resources and techniques you’ll learn in his program.
C) I own several Product Launch programs and/or books… I don’t need another.
Sorry for the long rant… but when you’re expecting a few important emails and you’re getting the SAME emails over and over from the same 20 guys or so… all talking about how much Jeff Walker helped THEM…
They all have the same stories and the same types of Bonuses…
These Affiliates make me sick…
Oh yeah… who in the hell is going to purchase this product for $1997? (or 3 payments of $747!?)!??!
That’s crazy… I hope you didn’t get suckered into this one!
And to think that I hesitate telling people about products I DO believe in, that I know will work for MOST of the people who take advantage of them… Wealthy Affiliate, for one. I would ask someone to slap me with a Monkey Wrench before I push a $2,000 product on someone, knowing it will be available to ANYONE who REALLY wanted to see it, within a few days… (free) and knowing that the MAJORITY of those people who DO purchase the product WILL NOT benefit from the product.
Eh…
Here’s a thought… check out Robert B. Cialdini’s Psychology of Persuasion. I can guarantee you that book will be of MUCH more help than any Product Launch Formula.
/rant
Mar
20th
I quit smoking back in September, 2006; but I started up in August, 2007, unfortunately.
The truth is, I gave into the habit because my Girlfriend (at the time) was a smoker. Stupid me.
Thankfully, I’ve quit again. I’m on Day 4 and I feel pretty good… I think the first 3 days are always the easiest, although others claim the first 72 hours are the hardest. Those are probably “experts” who have never actually experienced withdrawals (”experts”, the irony).
So, I haven’t been very active in Blogging and have actually cut down my work hours by about HALF, if not more, over the past 4 days - due to Smoking Cessation…
I think 99% of smoking is all in your head (you get used to ____ when you smoke, or you smoke when you ____ [fill in the blanks aka excuses for why you cannot quit). It’s not easy to kick, but I’ve done it before… I’ve decided to go all out and I purchased Precision nutrition, again, to give myself a swift kick in the ass.
Honestly, I feel so much better than I did the last time I quit. I think my body was just getting used to NOT SMOKING, when I decided to get back into it. Stupid me. What a disgusting habit. The smell alone is worth quitting! I hated the smell, even as a smoker!
So, if you haven’t been able to get in touch with me - give me a little time… I’m trying to stay in tune with the world, but when you quit smoking - you’re a little more tired than usual!
Mar
17th
AdCenter has a new community to keep track of updates, learn, etc. You can check it out at:
It looks pretty cool, from what I’ve seen so far.
I see that they’re really trying to become … hmmm… what’s the word? Well known?
I guess it just seems like someone that knows the web has come in and taken control… something that seems different for Microsoft!
I see they have a new API written in PHP and everything. Is it me, or is Microsoft becoming more “open-minded” over the past few months?