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When Free Speech Isn’t Free

Saturday, June 27, 2009

(HINT: It’s not free when somebody else is paying the bills.)

I just read a blog post by Steve Wagenheim where he talks about being banned from the Warrior Forum for a week. What a pity, but I have to agree with his analysis.

Somebody started a thread meant to be a tribute to the recently deceased Michael Jackson (whose death was, in my mind at least, a tragedy. We lost a tremendous entertainer and pioneer). Personal allegations aside (and I’d like to point out that they were just allegations, and in the United States, you are generally presumed innocent until proven guilty), he simply did some stuff in his prime that were amazing. I was really hoping that he could put together a comeback tour (I saw the posters in London when I was there a couple of months ago) and once again do some amazing things. It’s tragic when Big Pharma and their promises of Utopia in the form pharmaceuticals cuts down someone as brilliant as Michael Jackson (just as it is tragic when they cut down anybody. Don’t you think God would have put chemicals in our bodies when He created us if we really needed them?).

At any rate, as seems to be the case a lot lately at the Warrior Forum, a few people apparently turned the thread into a personal attack on Mr. Jackson (I trust Steve’s judgment here; I didn’t read the post because I unfortunately have problems connecting to the forum). Steve says that he jumped in and called these people on it, and apparently used some language that was a bit over the top, at least by forum rules.

And in spite of his tens of thousands of posts there, and the thousands of times he has publicly been acknowledged for his help, he got banned for a week.

A few points here:

  • Speech is not free as long as somebody else is paying the bills. Remember this when at a forum and always respect the rules (or expect the consequences).
  • Most forums are full of people who either genuinely need help or genuinely want to help. Try not to comment on a given forum post unless you fall into one of those two categories.
  • Don’t stir up trouble on purpose in forums, especially popular ones that get lots of traffic (like the Warrior Forum). Moderators and owners might have time to discuss “transgressions” with you on smaller forums; you will most likely get the rules thrown into your face without warning on larger ones.
  • Don’t look to me as the “poster child” for 100% proper forum behavior. I do try to behave, though, and make it a point to never attack people, but I will discuss issues and share my experiences on a topic, good or bad…
  • A blog (with a link to the forum post in question) is a good way to vent steam, so to speak, without circumventing forum rules (but then the thing appears in a public place with your name on it, so make sure you don’t write something you’ll regret later. Sure, you can change your blog post, but it gets archived in its original form in LOTS of places under normal circumstances).
  • Don’t let the forum trolls get you down. Try to focus on the people who really want help while ignoring the electron thieves.

And one final, unrelated one from me:

  • Don’t use the private messaging system to send out spam to other members. We didn’t join the forum to get PMs for some affiliate product you’re pushing!

In this case, sadly, Steve let the forum trolls get under his skin, and as a result, a good forum has lost input and help from one of the most prolific writers in Internet Marketing circles for a week. Personally, I think that Steve is taking it quite well and I applaud him for his openness and willingness to post a “warning” about it on his blog.

But do remember that there’s no such thing as free speech in an Internet discussion forum; you have to follow the rules of whoever is paying the bills (or their designated agents).

P.S. — Steve, I didn’t even realize that you have a blog until your email to your list about this issue… As expected, you seem to be posting to it several times daily — and I always enjoy your unique take on things. But I was wondering if there is some reason why you don’t allow comments?

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The 7 Principles Of Mindful Wealth

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

As you may know, I keep a blog about my efforts to transform my lifestyle to one of nothing but low fat raw foods. It hasn’t been easy. I made it to the five month mark last year but reverted. I’m slowly working my way back to it now and hope to be well on my way soon.

As a part of that effort, I’m an avid consumer of information, just like you (I hope you don’t read this blog for the bad jokes and corny puns!). A recent research session led me to a site about Natural Health. The site’s editor has an article there about The 7 Principles of Mindful Wealth and it really hit home (that’s a direct link; nothing "affiliate" about it).

I think I agree with 99% of what he says there. Combine that with some recent things I’ve heard from Perry Marshall about how trying to build a business that targets the work at home and Internet Marketing market is a sucker’s game and might even be one degree short of being a pyramid scheme, that particular essay hit home.

I’ve been giving a lot of thought as to how I want my business to look like recently. I’ve fallen into some bad habits that I need to get rid of and have followed some advice that, looking back, may not have been the best advice to follow. Yes, it’s business, but does it have to be cut throat? Sure, my competitors are doing it, but if I don’t do it, can I figure out a way to make my business survive until my customers figure out that I’m different?

I hope so.

So once again I go back to square one (OK, maybe square two; I have learned some good things from some good people and it would be silly, if not impossible, to completely ignore what I’ve learned). But that’s OK; between Perry Marshall and the 7 Principles, I think I’m going to really like what comes out the other end. Hopefully you will, too.

So pardon me if random blog posts start disappearing… again… :) But some of them reflect a legacy that’s not really in line with who I am and who I want to be. Thanks for understanding, as always. There’s no reason why you can’t grow personally as your business grows. In my case, I’m heading back closer to who I really am anyway.

And I’d love to hear your comments.

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No Mercy For The Pirates!

Sunday, June 21, 2009

No, not the pirates in Somalia… the ones in Pittsburgh. One highly respected news agency has caught on to the fact that the City of Pittsburgh now expects great things from the Pirates (Baseball) in light of the recent success enjoyed by the Steelers (Football) and Penguins (Hockey):

http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/pirates_want_everyone_in

So give ‘em a break, Steel City… :)

P.S. — For those that may not be aware, The Onion is a news satire site… Don’t take it at all seriously! But I thought it would make a nice follow-up to my previous post.

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Stanley Cup Champions Pittsburgh Penguins

Sunday, June 14, 2009

I vividly remember sitting at one end of Mellon Arena in early 2004, watching the Pittsburgh Penguins lose. But even as I watched those teams lose consistently, they were fun to watch, even when they weren’t winning all that much (besides, who can turn down free tickets to an NHL hockey game?). I somehow sensed that better things were coming.

Time passed. We moved to St. Louis, and then to Stuttgart, Germany. The Penguins stayed (thankfully). All of us improved! And now, as I did last February when the Steelers won the NFL championship, I’d like to say “congrats” to all of my friends and former neighbors in Pittsburgh. It’s great to see yet another professional sports championship end up in The Steel City. I think it’s simply awesome and I’m glad to see so much good publicity going to a great city.

I”m also happy that everybody had some crazy good times down on Carson without getting at all violent or stupid. Saves wear and tear on everybody, especially my former neighbors (many of whom serve on the police force)!

Now let’s all start pulling for the Pirates… :)

P.S. — You guys got room for my Cleveland Cavaliers? Perhaps all they need is a change of venue…?

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You Did Not Get Spam From Me

Saturday, May 30, 2009

I’ve been receiving some strange emails this week, asking me to click on links to get past spam filters and the like. I finally figured out what happened: Somebody used my Google Mail (or Gmail) address as the forged “from” address on a spam email that must have gone to a lot of people.

So my first “thanks” goes to you scumbags who sell my email address. It’s obvious that the only thing you care about is making money, even if it means abusing the trust placed in you by your customers (and sneaking a line about having permission to sell my contact details in your Terms of Service is despicable. If you want to abuse the trust I place in you, why not put it in big, bold letters on your website’s main page? Is it because you know that I’d never cooperate?).

My second “thanks” goes to those of you who send me crap emails for stuff that I would never buy because you actually believe those shady “marketers” who would have you believe that I agreed to receive commercial email from “anybody and everybody”. And just so you know, since it is commercial email and I did not consent to your sending it to me, it gets reported as spam (and I keep track of the people and companies who are allowed to send me commercial email). And if push comes to shove, do you really think that the sleazebag marketer that sold you my email address is going to come to your rescue and prove that I gave permission? If you do, then leave a comment so I can sell you some prime ocean front property in Nebraska, OK?

But this time, the depths of deparvity go one step lower by using my email address without permission as the forged “from” address on spam. First off, as a certified computer security pro (who just this past week added another certification — the GCIA — to my “collection”), I’ve promised to uphold the highest ethical standards, and that includes “no spam”. It’s a double-edged sword for me; as a marketer, I need to send email to people, and as a security pro, I have to uphold those ethical standards or risk losing my hard-earned certifications. That’s one reason I use a private label version of Aweber for sending out my emails. They won’t allow me to send email without a confirmed double opt-in, and I need that kind of protection.

Of course, the actual bounces are also annoying — but that’s minor. The main issue is having email with my name on it filling spam queues all over the world and having my email address being wrongly associated with spam.

In case you happened to track me down as a result of receiving this spam email, here’s proof that I did not send it. Today I received a delivery failure message from one of the intended recipients of this email. Here’s my analysis of it:

  • First off, the sender. The mail was sent from IP address 94.23.3.157. This IP is registered to ns204117.ovh.net in Roubaix, France. Had it been sent from my Gmail account, the sending IP would have belonged to Google.
  • The registrant details for the target domain (the website that was linked in the body of the email) are not accurate. It lists an address in “Whippany, 07981, US”. No state listed (it’s New Jersey, and the city name and Zip Code do check out). Anybody in the States who legitimately registers a domain name would use the state abbreviation.
  • The domain name was just registered on May 21, 2009 — just over a week ago.
  • The website is hosted in Panama. While there are thousands of legitimate sites hosted there, Panama is notorious for allowing so-called “bullet proof” hosting that won’t get shut down for spam complaints. A quick perusal of Google search results for this particular hosting company shows that they allow adult hosting, gambling site, HYIP sites, and (ugh!) apparently even autosurfs (which are really nothing more than Ponzi schemes, which makes them illegal in most of the world).

I will be keeping a copy of this particular email as backup documentation for this post.

And congrats to Spam Assassin for picking up this particular email and properly labeling it. While you have a great system and provide a valuable service, here’s hoping that the day comes when you no longer have to offer it because every last spammer on the planet is put out of business (along with the unscrupulous marketers who provide them with email addresses in an unethical manner).

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Delavo Is Released — Almost!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Just a short blog post to talk about Delavo, Turbo Membership, and John Delavera.

First, take a look at the sales page at Delaverian Marketing. John said that it would have the offer to get Delavo (John’s new eCommerce system) for free. There’s just one problem; the manuals for Delavo are not yet ready, so John has pushed back the launch for a couple of days.

Instead, John is making a tremendous offer for Turbo Membership that contains a bunch of bonuses that will only be available for a week. And I think that you should head over there NOW (here’s the link again to make it easy for you) and sign up. Why? Because…

  • Those extra bonuses will only last for a week. I know John and he is a man who keeps his word.
  • The membership has a limit, and once that limit is reached, you will no longer be able to join. I’ll talk more about this in a moment.
  • Members get Delavo, plus a bunch of other stuff that non-members never even hear about. Rare is the month that goes by without John sending out an email with a bonus in it!
  • You get a proven system that takes work, not some blood sucking “Prophet of Hope” who wants to keep you broke — and hoping that the next ebook or video series you buy will be “the one” that propels you to success.
  • I have a coaching site at AheadTogether.com. If you become a Turbo Member using my link (and the link in this post is an affiliate link — PLEASE clear your cookies before clicking!), I’ll give you no-cost access to that site for as long as your Turbo Membership is active (and if you have already joined Turbo Membership using my affiliate link, thanks — this offer is also open to you). More on that in a minute, too.

First, the membership limit: To protect the value of the private label rights products that you receive every month, plus to ensure that you get the help and personal attention you need, John is limiting the number of memberships that he will make available. I don’t know the exact number, but it would be a pity if you went to sign up, only to discover that membership is closed. Don’t wait — please.

Next, my bonus. First off, Turbo Membership already contains everything you need; there’s really nothing in the way of “more stuff” that I could possibly add to the pile that John is giving (all of which fits nicely into his system, by the way). Instead, I’m making myself available.

You can’t even purchase access to my private coaching site right now because I’m not currently selling memberships. If I did sell them, they would cost $200 a month right now. Join Turbo Membership for half that price and you get access to Ahead Together, my private coaching site, for as long as you remain a Turbo Member (remember, this is only for people who join Turbo Membership using my affiliate link, which is in this blog post).

AheadTogether.com is kind of like a forum — except only you and I will see the “threads”. You can ask questions about anything (it’s not limited to Turbo Membership help — and remember, I’m a certified computer security professional and have many other talents and abilities). After you ask, I log in and give you a direct answer (usually within one business day).

So instead of just getting a pile of “stuff” for a bonus — stuff you really won’t need with Turbo Membership — why not get some extra one-on-one help? Join Turbo Membership by clicking here (clear your cookies first!) and let me give you personal help.

By the way, in case you were wondering if I’m qualified to give you help with Turbo Membership… Take a look at that sales page, especially at the section where John talks about his “Online Angels”. Notice my name there?

Need I say more? I have John’s ear; I can get you the help you need.

And if you join TurboMembership using my link, just send me a private message (PM) from inside the Turbo Community (the Turbo Membership forum) once you get your membership set up. Include a copy of your receipt, and I’ll get you set up at AheadTogether.com just as quickly as possible.

Have you decided that Turbo Membership isn’t for you — but you still want a free copy of Delavo? Well, the squeeze page for Delavo is GONE (the sales letter for Turbo Membership replaced it) — but it’s not too late to get on the notification list. You can still sign up for it — and get Delavo for free — by clicking on the link under the “Delavo Girl” on that sales page. And if you do sign up for it using my link, I’ll give you 60 days free access to me via AheadTogether.com (and yes, I’m going to be switching to Delavo myself, so you’ll have an experienced person to ask about it). And if you need more time after your 60 access expires, I’ll make you a deal that’s not publicly available (I won’t even list it on this blog — or anywhere else). And to be perfectly honest, if you just need an extra day or three, ask me nicely and I probably won’t charge you a penny… :)

If you do sign up for Delavo without Turbo Membership, check back here in a couple of days and I’ll tell you what you need to do in order to set up access to AheadTogether.com.

I do hope to see you inside Turbo Membership soon, but if you decide that the best Internet Marketing solution on the Internet isn’t for you, I still hope that you take advantage of the offer to get Delavo for free by the deadline of Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 9:00 AM eastern time.

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Spammer Tactics That Make You Laugh

Thursday, May 14, 2009

I just got done reading a spam email that simply left me laughing (although I suspect that the link in the email had some type of not-so-nice malware at the other end).

Why was it so funny? Because it contained the following statement (slightly edited):

Thank you for subscribing to “[NAME REMOVED} Newsletter". You requested this report and newsletter series on April 10, 2003 to go to your email address: [EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED].

There’s just one small problem with this; I opened the account in question on August 26, 2004.

Don’t believe those messages that claim that you opted in (unless they come from a legitimate email provider company, like aWeber Communications or a private label version).

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Open Letter To CPSiteSaver.com

Monday, May 4, 2009

I purchased CPSiteSaver some time ago. I am having problems registering the new version and sent you an email with details on April 22, 2009.

I’m still waiting for an answer.

As a computer security professional, I’m also looking for a website backup solution that I can recommend to others. My email has remained unanswered for over two weeks now, and regardless of how well the product works…

Please answer my email, tell me that you just “overlooked” my email, and show me that you have superb support so that I can recommend you to others. People are looking for an easy backup solution and I’d love to recommend CPSiteSaver — but I can’t get it to work and can’t recommend it to others if you won’t help me.

Thanks,
Tom

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Time To Get Off The Turbo Membership Fence

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Have you been sitting on the Turbo Membership fence, trying to decide which side you want to end up on?

If you’ve even thought about joining Turbo Membership, I recommend that you do so. Now. John Delavera has just re-opened Turbo Membership.

The following quote — taken directly from the sales letter — explains why I think you should join now instead of waiting:

WHAT YOU GET FOR $97 RIGHT NOW WILL BE OFFERED FOR $147
AND ONLY IF THERE WILL BE AVAILABLE SLOTS ON MAY 31, 2009.

Join now. Nowhere else will you find one centralized solution for all of your Internet marketing needs — plus you’ll be one of the first to get your hands on DELAVO.

What’s DELAVO? It’s John’s brand new e-commerce platform. I’ll be talking more about that soon, but for now, just read the sales letter and watch the video there to learn more.

Will you join me inside Turbo Membership, learn about centralization, get the ONE e-commerce platform you’ll need to do everything for your online business — plus get to know the one and only John Delavera? If your answer is yes, click the following link:

Click here to join Turbo Membership

If not, I wish you the best (and hope that Turbo Membership is still accepting members when you are are ready — but you’ll save a lot of time, money, and frustration by joining today!).

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Time For A Quick Contest

Sunday, April 26, 2009

I’ve been working on an ebook and video series that will help you better secure your digital product downloads and it should be ready for release shortly. In the meantime, I thought I’d have a bit of fun (and feel free to share this little “contest” with others).

The first person who leaves a comment on this blog post that can tell me what the following string means will get a complimentary copy of the product:

5f4dcc3b5aa765d61d8327deb882cf99

Good luck!

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