Sam Freedom's Internet Marketing Controversy Blog: December 2007

Thursday, December 27, 2007

EntreCard Holiday Dysfunctional Link Love That Could Potentially Hurt You

(UPDATE 12/31/07 - the links and pics from the Entrecard All Cards page, as promised, are now removed from this article. The article itself has been left "as is" so it will still refer to them as if they are still there)

(this page might take a while to load but it was necessary in order to bait some of you here to see your own folly. In a day or two, I will remove all the Entrecard pictures, and links to your sites, which you will understand why shortly. But ALL Entrecard users should read this in order to see how some of the cheap, lazy tactics over which some people gush and fawn can actually HURT you and thwart your progress - and, in most cases, without you even knowing.)

So, You Think It's Easy Being A Controversy Blogger?

Think Again.

What I'm about to show is you just an example of what I deal with on a regular basis. To note, I do not like to do what I'm about to do. When it comes to naming people for making "bonehead" moves, I generally don't; unless they are a well-known marketer or an "A-list Blogging Celebrity" whose influence over the masses makes naming them more important. But in this case, I have to make an exception so that you can see exactly what I'm talking about and why it is both cheap, lazy and potentially harmful.

Thoughtful, Creative & Community-Building

In my previous article, Love Thy Entrecard Neighbor Blog Meme - A Powerful Use of the All Cards Page, I came up with a powerfully creative way to get more benefit from the Entrecard "All Users" page than just the backlink it gave to us. In fact, the article was more beneficial and brilliant than meets the eye because it took certain factors into account - human nature, search engine optimization factors, etc - that would have required too much time and space to explain. But, in short, it was a way for participants to meet their 8 "all cards page Entrecard neighbors" and, very likely, learn some very cool new things about them. At the same time, they'd be giving those 8 neighbors some link love and simply inviting them to do the same.

Ideally, it would ripple out and many Entrecard users would get to meet many other new Entrecard users... real, quality, eyeballs on each others sites.

I then invited about 20 other active Entrecard users with an invitation to help kick it off so that it would grow faster and give many of the newer, less popular, Entrecard users, something to both enjoy and buzz about.

And Gosh Be Darned, I Forgot What I Was Dealing With...

Shortly after, I received a reply from some people saying that it was a "great idea." But then one of them wrote again to say...

"Your idea is pretty good, but this one is better and will build everyone's technorati rank. [link withheld for the moment]"

It then led to NOTHING MORE than a complete and total copy of the Entrecard All Cards Page on someone else's blog.

A Better Idea?
That Will Build Everyone's Technorati Rank?

PLEASE!

Yechhh, and this is more prevalent than you likely even know. In fact, some people will read this and actually wonder, "Well, what's so wrong with that?" For Starters, How About - EVERYTHING..

The Blind Leading the Blind

Just think about this for a second. YOU DO NOTHING MORE THAN COPY ENTRECARD'S ALL CARDS PAGE TO YOUR BLOG and then a handful of the 1300 people on the page show up and say, "Hey, THANKS!" and maybe they even say, "That was so nice! I'm gonna link you back, too!" because most of them don't know any better.

I even saw a couple Entrecard users in the comment section who I KNOW are much smarter than that so it goes to show you what life on the internet can be like. If...

Even SMART People Can Get Roped In By A Cheap & Lazy Ripoff...

...then think about how ripe for exploitation are those who are fairly new to all this?

Most new and intermediate bloggers are so desperate for attention and visitors that even if Adolf Hitler came back from the dead and linked to their website, they'd be flattered and gushing with thanks.

Thanks for the link-love, Adolf!

Here is one response to the RIP-OFF of the Entrecard All User's page:

"I found your site because I started receiving visits from this post! So THANKS for the link! :-)"

Ok, Stop... Critical Thinking Pop Quiz...

Does anyone REALLY believe that packs of users really sifted through 1300 tiny icons to go visit this one guy's page? Apparently, yes! Multiply that times a couple of billion and that's what you're up against. If anything, it was the effect of search engine spiders... but people?

"Oh, Search Engine Spiders? Well, That Was At Least A Little Good, Right?"

WRONG!

But don't let that stop you, or anyone else, from getting distracted from the main point which is a CHEAP & LAZY RIP-OFF of the Entrecard All Cards Page that made all kinds of people think they were witnessing the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ.

But Here's A Specific Reason It's Not Only Not Good But Potentially Harmful

"Keep the links on a given page to a reasonable number (fewer than 100)." (Google Webmaster Guidelines, design and content guidelines)

Now, you might not realize this but there are a LOT of people who fight to remain ignorant. It's not a bad thing; it's just true. So I'm already used to the kinds of answers I get from things like this. For example,

"Ok, well, who says you have to do everything Google wants you to do? I don't even get most of my traffic from them, anyways!"

Ok, well, that's all well and good. The point here is that there are people who are gushing with thanks for something that amounts to a LINK FARM and if Google suggests you avoid building LINK FARMS then it's a good bet all search engines don't like them either. In fact, BLACK HAT SEO types, when targeting someone with a vengeance, will often put their target's site links on such pages in order to devalue their rankings in the search engines.

EXPLANATION OF LINK FARMING AND HOW IT CAN DESTROY YOU

(google search result for 'link farms')

Just Imagine You Are Google...

...and, suddenly, out of nowhere, you find an ordinary site that suddenly throws up 1300 links overnight. LOL! And isn't it just a riot that newbies with virtually no experience in these matters try to argue FOR these "feel-good" events as if we were standing in the halls of their former high schools?

"But Entrecard Did It!"

(yeah, well, it's their operation...)

Ok, so by that logic, it's instantly ok to just copy it to your blog and take credit for it while giving search engines the impression of a link farm? In fact, Gorilla Sushi didn't even acknowledge Entrecard for the effort THEY put into creating the "All Cards" page. People were giving HIM all the credit for the "effort" when it was PHIRATE who created it and there is NO acknowledgment of that anywhereon Gorilla's blog. Oh, I'm sorry, Gorilla made it so that you have to SQUINT to see any of the 1300 icons. That's what I call a "wasted effort."

Also, as far as search engines go, they would see that Entrecard had LOTS of traffic and that Entrecard wasn't just a little blog out in the middle of nowhere - so it wouldn't set off the red flag that a copy/paste ripoff page would. Besides, Graham and Phirate really did it in the spirit of helping you ; whereas, the RIPOFF was done in the spirit of getting backlinks while potentially harming you.

IN CONCLUSION...

In so many ways, what Gorilla Sushi did was cheap, lazy and potentially harmful; but that, as you can see, that doesn't stop people who don't know any better from raising up their hands in praise and thanks. This means two things that matter in relation to Sam Freedom's Internet Marketing Controversy Blog,

As an internet marketer, you should be excited that there are still so many people out there who can be bamboozled into your favor with almost NO EFFORT at all. That the same people who bitch that they don't get a break are the same ones who throw it away every chance they get while fighting to keep it that way; and
By being controversial, Gorilla Sushi has earned his mention on the world's only Internet Marketing Controversy blog. Congratulations, Gorilla.

(Here's what Gorilla Sushi did below. Soon I'll be removing it so that it doesn't make Google hate you and I and brand us as link farm conspirators. If you want to see his page, you can find it by passing through his Entrecard page because I don't want to link to a link farm. It's titled, "Entrecard Holiday Link Love")

How Does It Feel to Be A Part of Your Very First Link Farm?

Oh Wait, That's THREE Now...!

1. Entrecard All Cards Page
2. Gorilla Sushi's Cheap, Lazy Ripoff of it
3. And Now Mine Which I'll Be Removing Shortly

You're On THREE Link Farms Now!!
LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE IN TROUBLLLLLLLLE!!!!

Entrecard, blogging, blog tools, blogging tools, increase website traffic, traffic exchange, web 2.0, social media, social networking, social bookmarking, social news, blog widgets, website traffic, internet marketing, make money, webmaster tools

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Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Love Thy Entrecard Neighbor Blog Meme - A Powerful Use of the All Cards Page

If you've been using Entrecard for a little while, you might already know that Graham and Phirate created a big huge "All Cards Page" which is like a big Entrecard Mosaic that has the icon pics of something like the first 1300 Entrecard users. And yes, each is clickable and links directly to each Entrecard user's personal website. That is to say, it does not link to their Entrecard info page but actually gives a real bonafide link to actual sites.

Well, my first thought was,

"Well, That's Nice, But Aside From Being Nice, of What Real Benefit Is It?"

I reasoned, and properly so, that it was unlikely anyone busy building their business was going to sit there scanning over 1000s of Entrecard icons trying to determine which would be a good one to click.

So, I Almost Did The Unthinkable...

I ALMOST wrote the Entrecard "All Cards" Page off just as some early Entrecard users hastily wrote off Entrecard traffic as "junk traffic." They were wrong, and I was almost wrong. In fact, my admonition to such people had been, "don't blame the traffic, blame the marketer, or blame the blog owner." After all, it's up to the BLOGGER to learn how to make the most out of ANY traffic. Well, similarly, it's up to the Entrecard user to find a way to make the most out of the All Cards Page, as well.

So I Racked My Brains for A Way...
And, Naturally, Found One...!

LOVE THY ENTRECARD NEIGHBOR!

Even though Christmas Day, 2007, will soon be behind us, how relevant is it that we should be asked on Christmas Day, to LOVE THY ENTRECARD NEIGHBOR?

The Concept Is Simple And Crystal Clear.

1. Read these instructions twice then copy them for your article.
2. Go to the Entrecard ALL CARDS page.
3. Find your card and open the pages of all the card owners around your card. For example:

4. Visit their site. Drop your card, and find at least one positive thing say about them (or their site). Here are mine:

Atomic Popcorn - Two words: BLOWN. AWAY. I was blown away by the awesomeness of this person's movie reviews. I'm not kidding. How it is only a 200k Alexa ranking, I will never know. But I suspect it won't remain there for long. This site is going to do nothing but grow, grow and grow. And I was particularly impressed with the review of "Sweeney Todd".
Learning About Natural Healing - We all hear about things like acupuncture, "feng shui" and "qi gong" but what do we really know about them? And how much of what the people we meet tell us do we really comprehend? Well, this is a brand new blog by a person who is going to share their experience while taking a master's program in acupuncture and Eastern medicine... could be very enlightening! And a great public service, too.
Letters to Business - A hilarious site of rants written to businesses. Whether they were really sent or not, I don't know, but most people can expect the much needed "belly laugh" for which their inner, disgruntled, postal worker has been impatiently waiting. While it doesn't appear to be updated frequently, don't worry, the laughs you get should last a month or two each.
Widgets Lab - How freakin' cool! A blog that's chock-full of information about all the cool, new amazing widgets that come out faster than the chocolate candy conveyor belt on the "I Love Lucy" show.
Contestime - I just keep getting amazed at who my "Entrecard Neighbors" are on the "All Cards" page! This site lists various contests going on. Already it's listed 5 different Entrecard contests. If you want to learn of more, or get yours listed, this is the place to be!
Merritr.com Blog - Ok, I think I'm in love. Alright, not really, I've way more self-discipline than that but it turns out that one my Entrecard "All Cards" Page neighbors is a hot 26yr old female mechanical engineer, car enthusiast who also trains with the US Masters swim team (plus one of her former high school classmates married Google's Larry Page). Ok, so tell me... how else would I have found this unique and interesting person if I didn't check out my neighbors on the Entrecard Users "All Cards" page?
Scarty.Com - "My daily life experiences" are what she says and are exactly what I got. Normally, I don't have the attention it takes to read personal blogs of this nature BUT I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not sure if it was the bubbly female perspective, the creative touch and the overall positive, fun nature of each of the entries but the total impression I got is, "this is a GOOD soul!"...just really simple, down-to-earth and nice.

There should be 8 total but, in my case, one is a blatant ad blog with only one entry - an ad.

5. Include a link to the original, "Sam Freedom's LOVE THY ENTRECARD NEIGHBOR Blog Meme"
6. If you tag your posts, include "entrecard", and "entrecard meme" tags, so others can find us and we can find them all (if you don't understand tagging right now, don't worry).
7. Post your article.
8. Revisit your neighbors and leave them a comment with a link, and an invitation, to your "Love Thy Entrecard Neighbor" blog meme article, letting them know that it names them (ideally, they will participate and you will get a link back). You can also notify them by clicking the "E" on their Entrecard widget and leaving them a message at Entrecard.
9. Go thank Graham and Phirate right now!
10. Enjoy the new traffic, new links, new relationships, new friends and new opportunities!

All Because You Loved Thy Entrecard Neighbor As You Would Love Thine Self! ;-)

GO SEE WHO YOUR ENTRECARD NEIGHBORS ARE NOW!

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Monday, December 24, 2007

Oh, It's Gonna Be A Click Fraud Christmas...!

It was during a quick search of the New York Post's online edition that I discovered something both funny and disturbing - and definitely controversial.

The article for which I was searching was already controversial enough. It was,

"JEWS' SUBWAY HERO A MUSLIM:
SAVES 'HANUKKAH' RIDERS FROM THUGS"
(story found here)

and, not totally surprising, I was initially greeted with a typically annoying audio popup for Toyota Corp. It looked like this...

I really didn't mind it... ONCE. But what made it so annoying was that it re-appeared on EVERY... SINGLE... PAGE.

Now That's a Little Odd, Wouldn't You Say?

I mean, surely, any business with the money and staff of the New York Post should have been able to hire competent advertising firms who would have a firm grasp of "cookie technology" and, therefore, been able to limit their one same ad to just one showing per visit... even per-hour, let's say.

But Nope, There It Was, Over and Over Again.

Naturally, I started "X"ing out but the X, and the accompanying word "close" were faint red and very tiny, indeed.

Ok, Something's Not Right Here...

Why would a sleazy tabloid with enough money to fund every presidential candidate's campaigns combined want their cheesy video popup to not only appear AS MANY TIMES AS POSSIBLE but also have a "close link" about the size of a hamster's pubic hair?

Oh I Don't Know.... Could It Beeeeee.....

CLICK FRAUD?!

(anyone who can't figure out how I got it to say click fraud, just ask)

It honestly didn't occur to me until, accidentally, I'd missed the tiny X and clicked on an ad for a credit company who I would comfortably presume had just had anywhere from $15 to $45 neatly subtracted from their ppc advertising account. So, naturally, in the inimitable style of Sam Freedom, I found their contact form and, on behalf of the New York Post, promptly thanked them for having generously contributed to the New York Post's "Executive Lunch Fund."

Merry Christmas Everybody!
And a Happy New Year!

ppc click fraud adsense new york post ny post toyota search marketing sem yahoo search marketing overture pay per play internet marketing search engine marketing pay per click

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Sunday, December 23, 2007

Super Advanced EntreCard Strategy - Squeezing the Most Out of Your Chain Droppers

It just gets better and better, doesn't it?

In just a second, I am going to show you how to PROFIT from almost EVERY, SINGLE Entrecard chaindropper that comes through your site, but first I need 30 seconds to set the stage for it:

If there's one thing about which I'd bet almost anything that I'm one of the best, it is discovering SYNERGIES - even between things that seem almost totally unrelated.

So You Thought Chain Droppers Were No Good, Did Ya?

You Called Them Untargeted Traffic Did Ya?

As many of you know, I've been writing EXTENSIVELY about EntreCard because every last bone in my body tells me that it is has potentials vast, light years beyond what are immediately obvious right now. Not only did I explain extensively how people could initially benefit, even from chain droppers ("10 Simple Ways to Squeeze the Most Out of Entrecard for Your Greater Advantage") but I've also told people from day 1 that...

...Online Marketing and Problogging Is A NUMBERS GAME!

Those of you who have been following me, especially recently, are experiencing it directly... even gaining just one more loyal reader puts you, potentially, within reach of his or her whole network of friends. You saw the "Entrecard Meme" and you felt the goodwill and connectivity coarsing through you.

Now, that is not really a mystery or a huge revelation but it is WILDLY underestimated...WILDLY.

If, for example, you followed my advice in, "Quick Free Tip on How to Get Followers on Twitter Fast!", you'd have learned how to quickly get lots of followers on Twitter. Just imagine, then, making a really hot, interesting tweet on Twitter and then, "BANG!", 20 of your new Twitter friends tell THEIR followings of 20-100, or even more, Twitter friends. And then some of THEM tell people.

It Can Be THAT Quick! Seriously!

So Do NOT Underestimate the Power of Merely One New Reader or Friend

Especially now that I'm going to show you how to PROFIT from EVERY SINGLE PERSON that visits your site...

No, on second thought, I'm going to just show you...

Click Here

In short, though, not only will every single person who spends 5 seconds at your site earn you "Pay-Per-Play" revenue, but you'll earn in other ways, too, without doing, or paying, for anything new. You just put the code on your site and, all of a sudden, those supposedly "untargeted", "no good", "junk traffic", chain droppers become...

...Instant Honeybees!

All collecting honey for... YOU. ;-)

Click Here

blogging, blog tools, blogging tools, increase website traffic, traffic exchange, web 2.0, social media, social networking, social bookmarking, social news, blog widgets, website traffic, internet marketing, make money, Entrecard, webmaster tools, adsense, ppc, pay per click, entrecard meme

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MERRY CHRISTMAS Internet Marketers and Bloggers! Come Get Your Present!

HO! HO! HOOOO!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

It's that time of the year again, folks! Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, it's in your face, and there ain't a gosh darn thing ya can do about it except jam your face into a bowl of whatever gets put in front of you and make the most of it!

Of course, if you're a radical extremist of any kind, you might have some mad belief that you CAN do something about it but, take my word for it, you'll just get crushed like a bug if you dare. And you won't like it.

When In Rome...

It's so much easier to just buy a bunch of gifts for people and eat lots of food than it is to go around shaking your fist and blaming a religion, or religion, in general, for the bulk of humanity's problems. So if you think there's something wrong with Christmas and religion,

KNOCK IT OFF!

Ok, so, in keeping with my own advice, I am going to go down to the local breakfast place and stuff my face in preparation for the coming festivities. Furthermore, I'm going to give you a very special gift...

Promises of Money?
Free Ebooks Stuffed With Affiliate Links?
A 97% Discount to an Over-Priced Program?
1000 Entrecard Credits?
Free Jimmies On Your Sundae?
A Trip for 2 to Las Vegas, Nevada's Tahiti Village?

No... No... No... No... No...!

(sorry, no)

BUT, I'm going to give you something MUCH BETTER than all that nonsense! I'm going to give you...

ANSWERS...!

I'm not going to lie - I'm a pretty smart guy. That doesn't mean I know everything, but if there's one thing I DO know it's that things are NOT as easy as internet marketers and A-list bloggers make them seem. In fact...

THEY'RE A LOT EASIER!

But the sad fact is that with a lot of clueless wanna-be's following their advice, the internet has become cluttered up and bogged down with all kinds of sub-standard information that makes any GOOD information much harder to find.

For example, I want to move a Blogger blog to Wordpress.

Simple, Right?

Of course not, since there's all kinds of nasty messiness in ensuring that everything, including Pagerank and traffic, etc., transition over smoothly.

So I Just Google for the Info, Right?

Of course... not... well, one could try, and I did, but what I had to wade through before I settled on THIS, was an abomination of half-truths and outdated information written BY the technically-minded FOR the technically-minded - a cacophony of web-chatter that would spin the head of even the great Albert Einstein. All had good intentions, but all were as confusing and unhelpful as.... a nipple on a bull.

So, Let's Start Simply, Shall We?

In the comment section below, tell me (and the other visitors), what is your most pressing dilemma right now? What problem, if you had an answer, would allow you to move forward with much greater clarity, ease and/or speed?

Try to state your need as concisely as possible - perhaps 2-3 sentences that don't require 300 words each. Keeping questions concise and to the point helps you get a quality answer.

(Note: If you have something majorly technical, you might be better off going to guru.com or scriptlance.com for help.)

But if there's a concept you need help to comprehend better or you're not sure if X is legitimate, or worth your time, or whatever else you can think of that would help you to move forward in your internet marketing or blogging career, then...

ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE...
(others are encouraged to help, too but please no affiliate links)

(and if ya have no questions or answers, then enjoy this ultra-cool Christmas light show! Dozens more Christmas light shows can be found here!)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

blogging, social media, social networking, social bookmarking, internet marketing, make money, sam freedom, Christmas lights, Christmas, Xmas

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Friday, December 21, 2007

Making Entrecard Easier - Easy Access Widget Club

MAKING ENTRECARD EASIER -
EASY ACCESS WIDGET CLUB

This is around number 7 in a growing list of Entrecard articles I've written to help make your Entrecard experience both more ENJOYABLE (Who Ever Thought A Traffic Widget Could Be So Funny?) and more EFFICIENT (10 Simple Ways to Squeeze the Most Out of Entrecard for Your Greater Advantage), for starters.

And this article is going to be short and sweet.

What follows is a list of Entrecard users whose widgets are at the TOP of their sites. I want to REWARD this by making their sites known to everybody so that you can BOOKMARK THEM and go back to them regularly for some very quick chain dropping. While searching or scrolling around for Entrecard widgets might not seem difficult or costly, in terms of time, it's just a fact that ANY activity that is repetitious feels a lot better when it's both smooth and fluid.

So, if you have to stop every other page to scroll around searching for a widget that, for all you know, might not even load right away due to horrible placement and slow load times, then your card dropping experience is going to rapidly become less pleasant.

MY CURRENT LIST OF ENTRECARD USERS
WITH WIDGETS ABOVE THE SCROLL LINE

(please add any other sites that come to mind if they qualify)

http://controversialmarketing.blogspot.com/
http://www.bluestemwine.blogspot.com/
http://www.heavilytrafficked.com/
http://www.heaxt.com/
http://www.jeancosta.com/
http://www.myppcadvertising.info/
http://www.dailymoolah.com/
http://www.purplesunset.co.uk/main/martynblog/
http://www.riceforpoor.blogspot.com/
http://tetsujin.metamudcreations.com/

http://theofficecubicle.com/
http://simplyblogforcash.com/
http://imakemoneyhoney.blogspot.com/
http://bloggingsocial.blogspot.com/
http://www.buildingobserver.com/
http://www.digitalburn.org/
http://www.kevinhdavis.com/
http://ejcooksey.blogspot.com/
http://www.widgetslab.com/
http://www.yimto.com/

And naturally, that's just for starters.
List any others you find in the comment section
And bookmark the ones above for quick, easy card dropping.

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Sam Freedom for Entrecard Shop Seller Status - I Have A Dream!

Holy Entrecard Credits, Batman!
It's An Entrecard Store!

If you HAD to add another straw to the camel's back, the new Entrecard store should, without a scintilla of doubt, be one of them.

As users now well know, using Entrecard is a "drop"-dead EASY way to get both EYEBALLS on your site and make new, excited, like-minded friends. And, surprisingly soon, users start amassing so many advertising credits they start wondering, "Ok, now, other than advertise on high-traffic blogs, what ELSE can I do with this large excess of credits?"

Well, Pay Close Attention!

After racking up all kinds of credits (which is a real cinch!), you'll now be able to trade them in for some of the most powerful, advanced features of any traffic generating system known by, but not limited to, bloggers! Here's some examples:

You'll be able to unlock VALUABLE statistics that will help you fine-tune and optimize your efforts for even GREATER results!;
You'll be able to obtain new widget designs! And have your widget stand out just the way you want in some really cool ways!;
You'll also be able to trade your credits in for gear and items like Entrecard t-shirts which can serve as EXCELLENT conversation starters to talk about Entrecard and your own site!;
My favorite is that you might even get to buy REVIEWS from excellent reviewers! This would focus on the best aspects of your site, increase your credibility and get you backlinks and traffic!;
And much, much more!

Graham is really excited about bringing, and developing, many new gadgets, gizmos and exciting new things Entrecard users can obtain with their ever-growing feast of credits.

I Have A Dream...!
I Have an Entrecard Dream!

As a seller, I would charge between 300 to 5000 credits for varying sizes of site, product or person reviews the likes of which, I guarantee, will not be available on just any ol' street corner. Anyone who has passed through here knows that I am many things when it comes to blogging. I am friendly, insightful, creative, and come with a very sharp edge that conveys both conviction and honesty. Add to that, I've actually enjoyed focusing the majority of my current efforts on helping fellow Entrecard users fan the flames of a "fascination" we all understand too well.

Thank you for the support and suggestions. I would love to have you as a guest author sometime after I get this all squared away. - Entrecard User - CyberStreetReport
Ever since you linked me, traffic has been wonderful. Thank you, Thank you for the unbelievable traffic. hug - Entrecard User - EvilWoobie

When I recommend or review someone's site, it's not a cold, academic review by someone "trained at the academy." And it doesn't pick on things like site design or placement of widgets. It's going to be from someone who has spent 30 years inside his family's multi-million dollar world-class business and who has been acquainted with some of internet marketing's most famous, successful people. It's going to focus on the positives and bring out the best in a way that no one can fail to appreciate.

Once again, you've proven that you know what the blogger world needs. I think we should all keep these tips in mind, since we're the ones that will benefit from these great ideas. Entrecard User - Swan
Some are complaining about junk traffic as the result of entrecard. I have to tell you, thanks to people like you, my comments have jumped 5 fold since getting signed up with Entrecard. Entrecard User - Big Pappa

I have an amazing ability to bring out the finest points about a person, site, or product, and to word things in such a way as to prepare potential visitors get the most value from a site once they arrive. Truthfully, 500-5000 credits really isn't enough of charge based on that of which I'm capable. But I want to remain realistic and also to put one's own excellent review within reach of all Entrecard users. That way, each can feel more confident and inspired by having their own excellent reviews.

Here are a handful that others have left for me:

Found Entrecard through Sam's blog. He calls things as he sees them. Sam Freedom's blog - worthwhile reading. The Uncanny Broadcasting Brain Blog
This blog is great because he is already inventing ways to improve the overall experience of a great new thing...Entrecard. This blog is on top of the game and has much needed and great advice. Love Life
A humourous and entertaining blog to read. Sam is a funny guy and it's evident in his writing. Definitely a recommended site! ShowMeAnime.com
I am so pleased I've found this site. It's one to check every day as there is always something of interest. Really useful info too - not fluff! Pososto
Entertaining read! Hilarious commentary on the blogosphere, definitely an eye openener! Don't miss it! Black Zedd's Basic Literature
Sam is throwing himself wholehearedly into Entrecard and is contributing a huge amount to the community here. His blog is an excellent read. Thanks Sam Just About Dogs
I am just starting out with my blog. Literally it's been 10 days since I started...I've been able to bring in just over 6000 visits in this time, but the material on your blog is really going to help me refine this process and hopefully I can spend more time on content rather than marketing. Thanks for the tips! ReverseMonster.ORG
A thoroughly entertaining read, a well done Blog. Dude, you rock. Seriously, I learned more about the Entrecard from Sam Freedom than I did from the Entrecard Website itself. Just wanted to let you know, you should be getting some traffic your way as I stumbled you and faved you in technorati. Keep up the good work, You have just earned another RSS subscriber. Earning a Living Online

As of right now, there are at least 35 more sincere reviews, comments, emails and recommendations exactly like these, and growing... and These Wonderful, Kindred Entrecard Users Didn't Leave 'Em By Accident... ;-)

Vote Sam Freedom for Entrecard Seller Status, And Let the Reviews Begin...! ;-)

(here are all my Entrecard articles in case you need any help)

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Thursday, December 20, 2007

ENTRECARD Contests That Never Made It - And One That Did

Entrecard Contests That Never Made It

And 1 That Did...

The following comprise three of the worst Entrecard contests that have ever made it off the drawing board. In fact, they were so bad, they never saw the full light of day. For the sake of professional courtesy, and whatever little bit of kindness is left in me, I will not be revealing the origins of these contests.

Just review them and shake your head silently. But have hope! They are followed by an Entrecard Contest that is rocking the world!

Failed Entrecard Contest Number 1

Prize: 1000 credits
Entry Fee: Blog about the contest with a link pointing back.
Why It Sucked: In a nutshell, it wants you to give them a beautiful link buried in perfect anchor-text within a juicy, keyword-rich article - a backlink lover's dream merely for the OPPORTUNITY to stand in line for 15 weeks at John Chow's "Advertise" link. To add insult to this injury, you would, ultimately, be inviting all of your readers to become your competitors by sending them to the contest blog to do exactly the same.

Failed Entrecard Contest Number 2

Prize: 1000 credits for each 5 people who enter.
Entry Fee: 100 Entrecard credits
Why It Sucked: This was a standard raffle where someone's kid throws a dart at a dartboard or pulls a piece of paper out of a hat and, quite frankly, someone forgot to do the math. One hundred people entered (10,000 prize pool) and 20 prizes equalled 20,000 credits and they couldn't make up the 10,000 credit deficit. The operative word is "Ponzi" or "Ooops!"

Failed Entrecard Contest Number 3

Prize: 0 Credits
Entry Fee: Do nothing.
Why It Sucked: It was rigged. Right from the start, it was impossible to do nothing so everybody lost.

But Here's An Example of
A Successful Entrecard Contest...

BIG PAPPY'S BIG BALD BLOG'S
BIG BAD CONTEST!

Yes, you heard me right! The Big Bald Blog is having a contest for some really cool prizes including an 8 Gig IPOD, Entrecard Credits, a Blog Review by a Great Reviewer and some Big Pappy WorldWide Gear!

All I can say, folks, is that any time there's a contest with a BIG BAD IPOD involved and it doesn't require me to give my credit card info and fill out 30 forms, I'M IN!

After all, the entry fee costs twat-diddly and, when you really think about it, people have to leave your blog at some point anyways... so why not send 'em to a friend? or a guy who you'll end up wanting as a friend? Or a guy you'll end up wanting as a friend with...

AN 8G IPOD AS FIRST PRIZE IN HIS CONTEST!

What are you waiting for? Go Enter Now!

contest

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Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Sam Freedom's - Drop Squad - The First Entrecard Meme Known to Bloggers

As many of you know, I've written extensively about Entrecard this past week. In fact, Entrecard is pretty much the focus of my last 5 articles including, "10 Simple Ways to Squeeze the Most Out of Entrecard for Your Greater Advantage".

So, Why Am I Doing This?

Well, to take a lesson from one of the guys who everyone seems to quote fanatically, Seth Godin, Entrecard is an idea that spreads and, as Seth says, "ideas that spread, win." (In other words, since I just mentioned him, he supposedly wins.)

One of the reasons I take a small whip to various marketers is that their ideas SOUND cool but they're very often incomplete. For example, Fascism, like Naziism, spread, and that certainly didn't win (right Seth?). Some marketers only see half the story and, in the retelling of it, you only receive one-fourth, or one-eighth, of it. The result is your destruction and hardly ANYONE ever sees that story except you and your loved ones.

So a more enlightened version of Seth's quote might be, "GOOD ideas that spread, win." or "Good, COMPLETE ideas, that spread, win." If he DID say that, then consider me corrected but that's not how his fanatics have "spread" it. But then you get into the realm of the bizarros whose best response is, "Well, who's to say what's good and what isn't?" Well, I just told them... the ones that WIN are the good ideas.

Stupidity Wins Battles; But GOOD Wins The War.

Alright, so here's another IDEA that will spread. All that remains is to find out if it's GOOD...

SAM FREEDOM'S "DROP SQUAD"!
The First Entrecard Meme Known to Bloggers

Entrecard Meme Instructions

With the full realization that these Entrecard meme instructions are being read by some of the most brain-fogged, weary net travelers known to mankind, I am going to keep this VERY, VERY simple. Btw, I say "brain-fogged" for the fact that ever since Entrecard "dropped" onto the scene, it's a fair bet that each of us is seeing, at least, 2-3 times more blogs per day than usual. I would even venture 5-10 times more.

So Here They Are, The Simple Entrecard Meme Instructions

Read these instructions twice;
Drop your EntreCard at this site;
Drop your EntreCard at the 5 EntreCard users' sites listed below;
Choose 5 other EntreCard users;
Copy these instructions to your own Entrecard meme article and tag (link) those 5 people;
Include a link to the Entrecard meme article of the person who tagged you;
Link to the original article "Sam Freedom's Drop Squad - the First Entrecard Meme Known to Bloggers";
Notify the people you choose that they've been tagged;
Comment below so even passers-by can drop their card at your site, too (it shows you are active and will likely return the favor)
(optional) IF you tag your blogs, use both "entrecard" and "entrecard meme" as tags so that others can find them AND so that we can find them all later as this grows. (If you don't know what tagging is, don't worry.)

The Following Entrecard Users Are Officially Tagged:

1. The Evil Woobie - Being a gorgeous Filipina with brains and heart.. who wouldn't tag her? ;-) Besides, I think she'd stalk me if I neglected to. Go drop your Entrecard on her now and then, if you pray humbly, she may stalk you, too.

2. CyberStreetReport - Reno is working extra hard to unite and encourage bloggers to make this more fun and profitable for all of us. Dropping your Entrecard on Reno will potentially connect you to 100s more like-minded people in the relatively near future. Think you can handle it? ;-)

3. Big Bald Blog - Big Pappa is another go-getter with a great wit and attitude in a friendly, engaging style even though no one, as of yet, has been able to say his blog's name 10 times fast. Go drop your card with Big Pappa so you can be his friend BEFORE he overtakes John Chow on Entrecard's "Most Popular" page.

4. Affiliate Confession - For the uninitiated, affiliate marketing truly CAN be like hell, but Alan doesn't want your soul to go there. So he does cool things like give away a free copy of the BEST Ebay Afilliate Niche Site Builder every once in a while. It might be too late for you to win that now but you can still go drop a card and be in line for the next one.

5. Flaming Lacer - The only thing that prevents this 50-something, self-styled, "grumpy" woman from being the perfect proof that success does not discriminate is that she's white and has all her limbs. But barring that, she provides a warm atmosphere that feels good to everybody (even if she does like Seth Godin). Dropping your card with her will help you to remember that somewhere inside that walled-in city of your internet addiction is a long-forgotten human being named YOU.

Well, there you go... Now Get Droppin'!

ps. Actually, anyone who wishes to be in on the fun and traffic may participate in this meme. And take just a second to sign up to my "controversial" MyBlogLog community, as part of "The Drop Squad"

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Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Entrecard Humor - Who Ever Thought a Traffic Widget Could Be So Funny?

Whoever thought Entrecard could be funny? We all know that there are some who think that Entrecard is a joke, but funny?

Well, Hold Onto Your Hats Because....

IT IS!

Yes, when you've used Entrecard as much as I have and have looked up its skirt from every angle humanly possible, some odd things begin to emerge. It's like, suddenly, they just start to jump out at you and you wonder,

"Am I Really Seeing This?"

ANALING

Take, for example, the lovely Anna Ling,

there's one in me right now

Oh PLEASE...! Girlfriend, don't even TELL me it's a language thing! I mean, I really want to believe she MEANS "Anna Ling" but the "L" isn't even capitalized. And that 2nd "n" doesn't change a thing...

Don't lie. It's not just me and you know it.

I don't even know if there IS such a word as "analing" but I've no doubt that such a word would be perfectly understood in the Craigslist "Escort" section. If ever there was such a thing as "code talk" then this is a primse example for the vice squad training manual! Girlfriend, PLEASE!

This Next One Better Have Something to Do With Articles!

The mad irony, is that it wasn't that far away from Annaling. And it got me to do something I don't very often do - I started to wonder if maybe some minor deity was playing a really cruel joke on me. After all, I'm only human! Please... PLEASE, just look me in the eye and tell me that the creator of that name didn't look at it and say, "Awesome! I can lie and just say it's about quickly grabbing articles! Woohoo!"

Do I look like I was born yesterday?!

Ok, Now Tell Me This Next One Was Nearby Due to Sheer Coincidence...!

Oh sure, there's fire trucks and transformers on the ad, aren't they just so cute? But we know what this really means! This is a conspiracy by all of Entrecard's detractors to make Entrecard seem seedy. They're just jealous! Since they don't know how to capitalize on their Entrecard traffic, their next move was to flood it with these lascivious ads, attempting to undermine it's family-oriented credibility!

Well, I Never!

Oh, I Can Look No Longer!

Oh SURE! Are we REALLY to believe this man is showing us he is broke?! NAY! This man is inviting you to "kiss the rabbit on the nose!", is that not ridiculously foul or what?! What has come over people these days?!

Don't you get it?!

At Least This Next Person Is Honest!

Or is she?!!?! So what if she comes out and admits that she has a lot more in common with Britney Spears than her... than her... than her... well, the point is, how do we KNOW she's the best? Not even an offer of free samples, just a brazen admission that she is the sultry, sultana of silicon sin city!

My Word! Tell Me Where Is Sanity?!

As For This Last One? I Am Utterly Speechless.

Oh, yeah, right, a monkey, suuuure!! Monkey's eyes are NOT that close! Ok, so maybe I do have words - THREE words: Pen. Tail. Banana. Is anyone putting 2+2 together and coming up with 69? This is all about that wretched, rabies-laden, bugmobile's dingle-dangle. Look, that radioactive monkey-thing IS dangling. Ok, so what ELSE dangles? Hmmm? See what I'm sayin'?

Like I'm Stupid or Sumthin!

Now This Next Event Really Pissed Me Off!

Trainers of man's best friend rejected my ad?!! Now, seriously, does anyone in their right mind think that I need traffic from a dog trainer's site? The short answer is - NO! I'd actually thought, "What the heck is a dog training site doing looking for an audience the size of a pin in a place the size of 10 haystacks?!" so I thought I'd give them a little business and maybe an inspirational boost. But they denied me!

So guess what? I WAS going to take my dog to get trained by you but since you rejected me, I've decided to go elsewhere!

Want Some More of This Turnquist? Didn't think so..!

But Look... Look Who Accepted My Ad...

Awwwww, a wittew kitty... how cute? NOT! Do I really need to spell it out this time?! Or is it enough to say that I paid her my 2 credits and when I was done, I checked my wallet and 30 credits were missing?! What the heck is going on here?

Why can't all those crazy people be nice and upstanding like me?

Entrecard.... You Owe Us Some Answers!

I Hope You Enjoyed a Brief Respite from All the Madness...

Now Leave a Comment, Drop Your Card and Get the Heck Outta Here!

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Monday, December 17, 2007

Advanced Entrecard - Increase Website Traffic With A Strong Alternative to Chain Dropping

If you're an Entrecard user who is looking for an alternative to "chain dropping" (drop your card, click thru to the next ad, drop your card, repeat), and you want to maximize your efforts even further with some insightful, exploratory strategies, then read on....

Since writing an article titled, "10 Simple Ways to Squeeze the Most Out of Entrecard for Your Greater Advantage" , I've read all kinds of articles that range from amateur to insightful. Some trashed Entrecard, preferring to blame the "quality of the traffic" rather than the "quality of their marketing skills", while others have just been elated to start getting any traffic at all.

Some have whipped out traffic stats and made wild inferences based on how much time visitors have or haven't spent on their sites while others have simply looked at ANY influx of traffic as an opportunity to win over some new readers.

Let Me Give You A Tiny Example
Converting So-Called "Junk Traffic"

Some people have referred unfavorably to the questionable quality of chain dropping traffic. They quote "average time" statistics and infer that since people aren't staying long enough to read an article, that the traffic is junk.

Well, Put Something Irresistible to Entrecard Users Under the Damn Widget!

entrecard pony, beware it kicks!
like a little pony

After all, every single Entrecard users is, by nature of doing what they're doing, someone who has wants and needs. So, if you know that, then either give them something they want or give them something NEW to want. It can even be FUNNY, after all, we could all use a little relief from this madness every now and then, but don't blame them, or their "quality"... that's like blaming an acorn for not being an oak, or a child with ADD for not being able to learn. Provide the right sunlight, or the right medicine and you should become better known as a good "gardener" or "doctor."

Let Me Give You Another Tiny Example
Placing Your Widget Strategically

By now, any Entrecard user over a week old realizes that searching a site for an Entrecard widget can be a royal pain in the ass. Especially if one is interested in testing out one of the high cost blogs and needs a lot of credits. As a result, they're going to start realizing the value of blogs that have their Entrecard widget at, or near, the top versus those who either jam their widget at the very bottom or have it buried undiscernibly amongst a bunch of other similar looking ads on the sidebar (the sidebar is a horrible place, by the way, because no one is LOOKING for your ordinary ads but they ARE looking for your Entrecard widget).

In fact, I just dropped 70 cards for a very specific purpose and found widgets, like mine, either NEAR or AT the top to be of great service to me. Ironically, I was more disposed to look around if the initial impact of the blog looked nice and easy to read. I felt a strange gratitude towards such blog owners for not forcing me to have to search all over the place under the assumption that MAYBE I would like their blog.

The widgets near the top suggested that these blog owners not only understood what Entrecard card-droppers want but also weren't looking to squeeze every dime out of me. It's subtle, but it IS conveyed. As a result, I've bookmarked those blog owners into special folders and will, in the very least, bless them with a dropped card every time I go card dropping.

A Strong Alternative to Chain Dropping

I've never been a "good boy" - that doesn't mean I'm only a "bad boy", it just means I'm very inquisitive and have a special gift for finding the outer limits of others' comfort levels. More so than wanting to know how things work, I like to know how they can work BETTER and in clever, unexpected ways, for that would give me a little while to play with something and then share in the discovery.

But it's really just human nature to want to be more efficient - even procrastinators like to be more efficient when you think about it.

The Multiple Dead-Ends of Chain Dropping

Most Entrecard chain-droppers eventually start running into widgets whose current ad displays contain an ad for a site they've already card-dropped. Essentially, it represents a temporary dead end to their chain-dropping rhythm. It doesn't take a whole lot to click the E and go back to Entrecard to find another starting point but if you're trying to build up a bunch of credits and that starts happening more and more frequently, well, let's just say it defeats the purpose of chain-dropping.

So I've come up with something a little better. Not necessarily brilliant, but a little better AND there's more benefit to it than meets the eye.

Use Your Bookmark Folders and Labels

Whether you use Firefox or IE, or something like the Google Toolbar Bookmark Button, you should be familiar with something that looks like this:

entrecard site bookmarks in sam freedoms entrecard lesson

At the very bottom, there's an option to "Open In Tabs" so I could open all those websites at once. Assuming it won't bog down my computers resources, that's a pretty powerful way to get all those EntreCard sites to come up. Now remember, there's currently over 3180 people using EntreCard and more coming in every day. Not all of them will read this article and, following lackluster, inside-the-box, A-list bloggers, they won't think to put a juicy tidbit under their widget... like I have... and like you will.

entrecard widget with a little juicy bit added by sam freedom

But That's Just Plain Evil!

Why? Are you in denial? Chain-dropper? I am talking to a chain-dropper here, aren't I? I AM talking to someone who is reading my Entrecard articles because they want to understand how to use things to a greater advantage, aren't I? We are not breaking any EntreCard rules, are we?

But keep in mind, we might be chain-dropping or mass-opening but we are still human. If you see a site that has some immediate appeal to you, by all means, bookmark it under a separate folder or label for further review. THAT is the ultimate power because you're chain-dropping for credits AND you're bookmarking Entrecard-friendly (widget near top), eye-pleasing sites for further review... to maybe advertise on them, or get to know the site owner for some other reasons.

Either way, what you're doing is not evil at all. It's INTELLIGENT. Instead of dropping cards at sites, one by one by one, you're loading up 10 and then running down the list and you're bookmarking friendly sites for further review. It only makes sense that any site that impresses you from the first few seconds deserves the prize of your attention.

Suggested Setup of Your EntreCard Site Folders

Obviously, you aren't going to setup 3180 sites into 318 or so folders or labels. But setup WILL probably take a mere 5-20 minutes depending on how many credits you want to blaze each day. That's just enough time to get the academics to complain that you could make a lot better use of your time.

But they don't quite comprehend your fascination with EntreCard - and I do.

So I'm just trying to help you make it more satisfying and more efficient. And the added bonus is that the "way of thinking" you will learn here, will help you in later ventures with, or without, me.

This Is REALLY Simple...

entrecard users using sam freedoms alternative to chain dropping

Did you know there is a page of Entrecard users who are the "Most Recent?" Not everyone does because the mention of it is somewhere in the instruction pages that few read word for word. Here it is...

The Most Recent Entrecard Users
(opens in a new window)

Now, you can lurk there and hope to pick up some new cheap advertising... like 100s of others people (and, therefore, truly waste your time), but I'll show you how to use it differently.

Those are the newest people.
They are the most hungry people.

You and I once appeared on that page and we can remember what it was like coming into Entrecard and being hungry. We wanted to get right to it. We wanted to start dropping cards and advertising on others' sites. We were thrilled to see others dropping cards on us. And we thought it was cool that a bunch of people actually wanted to advertise on our site...

But at EntreCard University,
We're Now Sophmores, and Juniors
and (dare I say?) Seniors...

Alright, here's a Suggested Method for a More Effective Alternative to Chain Dropping

Choose and visit 20 of the most recent Entrecard users;
Drop your card so they get to meet you nice and early;
Put them in 2 folders or under 2 labels depending on how you bookmark
Have a SPECIAL folder or label for those whose widgets are right at the top.
Do the same for 20 Entrecard users in your category.
Do the same for 20 of the most popular Entrecard users.
Several days later, do the same in all three areas with new people until you are satisfied.
Then, each day, just open the folders of your choice and start dropping!

The unspoken benefits of this are...

The simplicity and just opening 1 folder and dropping 10 cards should be obvious;
Just like Coca-Cola, you get your ad in peoples awareness over and over, and early;
New people appreciate you giving them a consistent, early boost;
You will appear more consistently to select people in your category (rather than randomly via chain-dropping)
You will appear more consistently to the Most Popular and that can have further unseen benefits.

You see, the sky really IS the limit.

While naysayers will wring their hands and glow academically about how X.z% of Q traffic spent (A/b)*C minutes doing LMNOP, you are, in the very least, learning the HOW of finding unorthodox, yet highly intelligent, ways of getting your brand noticed, making your presence felt, building your relationships, maximizing your efforts, thinking outside the box and, in general, increasing goodwill.

Now, Tell Me, How Is THAT Bad?
It Isn't.

entrecard user university gets a lesson on efficiency by sam freedom

CLASS DISMISSED!

entrecard, blogging, blog tools, blogging tools, increase website traffic, traffic exchange, web 2.0, social media, social networking, social bookmarking, social news, blog widgets, website traffic, internet marketing, make money, webmaster tools

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Friday, December 14, 2007

10 Simple Ways to Squeeze the Most Out of Entrecard for Your Greater Advantage

Ok, so you've taken the plunge and signed up for Entrecard. You read my previous article, "Entrecard Madness - My First 24 Hours" and decided that you really need the traffic. You need the traffic so badly that you're going to risk life and limb, focus and attention, and, possibly, increased symptoms of ADD, ADHD, OCD or Depression, in order to get it.

Well, Congratulations...!

HOW YA DOIN?
HOW YA DOIN?
HOW YA DOIN?

So being the kind of person that I am, I thought I would create a Top 10 kind of list of things to do in order to both save time and maximize your efforts while using Entrecard. In other words...

Get In, Hit Hard and Get Out.
So, here they are...in no particular order (wrong!)

10 Simple Ways to Squeeze the Most Out of Entrecard for Your Greater Advantage

The Following Assumes You Already Have an Account

Definitely Have a 125x125 Ad Graphic Made for Your Card. If you need one, I'll help you make one in exchange for a link or a post pointing here. Otherwise, you can try Caveman's blog, "Caveman Conclusion." In that post, he makes a "backlink for payment" optional, and I don't. I guess I'm not that nice but, somehow, I'm nice enough to point you to him, though. Ya get my drift? We just value our time differently.
Either way, GET A GRAPHIC for your Entrecard or people will realize your an amateur. A graphic will help you hide that fact... for a little while, anyways.
Make Sure Your Entrecard Widget is NEAR THE TOP of Your Blog.
Some people are trying to come up with ways to get "chain droppers" (people who drop their card and then just click the ad to go to the next site) to stay on their blogs longer. One person suggested putting the widget at the very BOTTOM so people would have to scroll past stuff in order to find it.
Well, let's think this through for a second: if you're chain dropping (which is perfectly legitimate) just to rack up your credits (1 credit per card drop), are you REALLY in the mood to stop and peruse blogs? Theoretically, maybe. In reality, no. When you're on a mission, you're on a mission. And anyone who has to play "Where's Waldo?" looking for the Entrecard widget can just as easily take any easy route back to Entrecard home page and start over.
But most importantly, who's gonna want to advertise on your blog if your Entrecard widget is jammed half a mile down the page? No one. And that would suck. So place your widget in a RESPECTABLE place. Near the top is nice for the advertisers and card droppers - and if placed next to a tantalizing ad or your list of recent posts, that would be good for you, too; as long as it was near the top.
Note: Middle isn't bad, either, but top sidebar area is best. Just keep it fair and reasonable.
Drop Cards With Those Who Dropped Cards With You First.
(Working in a NEW BROWSER WINDOW and in the DASHBOARD area of your Entrecard back office) Within moments of signing up, you're going to see Entrecards in your INBOX column (to which, by the way, you can subscribe). Those are from people who just dropped their card to "say hi", hoping you'll click on the card and visit their site. You want to RIGHT CLICK on each of them and open them all in new tabs (or new windows if you've got an old browser).
This will not lead to each Entrecard's owner's website but rather to an information page about that Entrecard user. From there, you can decide whether you want to advertise with them or not but that's for later. For now, you just want to click on the links leading to their websites. While you're running down the tabs, clicking to each one, the previous one's are loading.
Then you just go back and click "drop card" on each site's Entrecard widget which will earn you like 5-10 credits very quickly. And remember! Dropping cards is nothing more than for YOU to get a credit, for YOU to see a widget owner's site, and for YOU to have your ad seen in the site owner's inbox. Dropping cards has NOTHING to do with accepting or requesting advertising although dropping cards DOES affect advertising costs.
Note: Some will argue that "chain dropping" is faster and, therefore, better. But the reason I suggest you first drop cards with those who dropped cards with you first is because they just proved that they are actively working the system. You can start chain dropping on the last card in your inbox.
Click the Campaign Tab and Choose an Appropriate Category to Advertise.
After "card dropping" those who dropped cards with you AND "chain dropping" about 10-20 sites, you'll have 1 credit for each card you dropped and 1 credit for each card that had, in the meanwhile, been dropped on your site widget. This will give you some credits to start making advertising requests.
We all know the value of a "good deal" and newbies blogs cost only 2 credits to advertise on them. But if a lot of cards get dropped on them, then their advertising charge goes up rapidly and their ad queue fills up quickly. That's really no cause to rush because there'll be new people just like you coming in but it will help get your credits up to get your ad on, at least, 1 blog pretty quickly.
The question remains as to whether it's better to get your card seen quickly on a bunch of newbie blogs where most of the traffic will be from low-value chain droppers or whether to get on only a couple of newbie blogs and make a few higher-value purchases to get on a more highly travelled blog. In other words, will 10 ads on newbie bloggers sites for 20-30 credits be any better than 2 ads on 2 sites that cost 15 credits each but have better non-Entrecard traffic?
I think the latter, but if your blog is eye-popping, and interesting enough, even chain-droppers can be persuaded to stick around a while. They're only human, after all.
So pick a few new Entrecard users' blogs on-the-cheap, and save some credits for a couple of expensive blogs.
Quickly Check Blogs Before Advertising On Them.
It doesn't matter that they SAY they are relevant, it's up to you to verify. It's also a good idea to see if their widget is placed fairly or buried near the bottom. Unless it's placed fairly, it's going to seriously curtail the number of eyeballs you get on your ad and that sucks. Do this quickly as there are many others doing the same and ad queues can get filled up quickly (limit of 10 ads queued per site).
Remember to drop your card while you're checking them out for an extra credit but, if you decide to advertise with them, drop the card AFTER you make the advert request or your card drop could make the advert cost go up for you! ;-)
Quickly Check Blogs of People Requesting to Advertise With You.
It's entirely up to you whether you want to allow UNRELATED ads to appear on your site. If you do, it would probably mean less of your organic visitors would probably click on that ad when it appears in your widget but it could, at the same time, make your blog appear pretty wierd. After all, how attractive, and/or sensible, is a "bald Britney Spears" in your sidebar?
Remember here, as well, to drop your card when checking out Entrecard advert requests for relevance to your blog.
Thank Everyone Who Advertises With You Via EntreCard's Messaging.
By thanking everyone who advertises with you, you don't exactly get any credits, but you DO get their eyeballs on your card again AND it lets them know, by what you say, that you might be the kind of person they'd want to visit or do business with, again, in the near future. In short, it can't hurt, and...
Remember, there's no rule against you including a friendly invitation to do something else such as, "By the way, if you Twitter, feel free to follow me on Twitter and I'll follow you back!"
Subscribe to the 3 Feeds in Your Dashboard: Requested Ads, Your Ads and Inbox.
This will accomplish several things:
1. Being notified of Entrecard advert requests will allow you to approve them quickly. This will decrease the likelihood of an advertiser cancelling an ad request due to a concern that you might not get around to it soon, or at all. Meanwhile, they are watching other juicy ad spots go by for which they might only have sufficient credits were they to cancel the one they placed with you. The sooner you verify and approve advert requests, the better.
2. Being notified of what's happening with YOUR Entrecard ad requests allows you, for example, to quickly find other places to advertise should one of your advert requests be rejected. You spent your credits for a reason - you want them working for you, not just sitting there looking pretty. The sooner you can replace a rejected advert request, the better.
3. Being notified of what's happening in your Entrecard Inbox can be useful as it gives you both a way of seeing how steadily the flow of cards dropped at your site remains. If, most days, you get 20 cards dropped at your site but, next day, there's only three, then you know you have some trouble-shooting to do. It also reminds you to get back in there and bring up your credit stores by performing Steps 3 through 5.
Make Yourself Very Visible in the Forum.
START, in the very least, 1 NEW post in each of the (currently 4) main categories. Also contribute to 3-5 threads authored by other people. Preferably newer posts so they last longer and, also preferably, where your post will be one of the first three. You may just post naturally as you would anywhere else, too. These are just guidelines for more traffic but without looking obnoxious.
Remember, it certainly can't hurt to do the SAME on the Entrecard blog. Just a few intelligently placed, relevant comments will do.
GIVE RECOMMENDATIONS!
Everyone loves having something nice said about them. It inspires them to want to be nice to you in return, sometimes. Recommendations are simply testimonials. They can be about anything so if you haven't had any direct experience with the site owner, you can still compliment about how nice his or her site looks, how well they write or how something they wrote might have opened your eyes, etc.
Recommendations can be left by clicking on a persons card WHILE AT ENTRECARD (clicking a card that's displayed on a site's widget will only follow through to the next website). That will bring you to that person's info page with the recommendation link on the right side. The rest should be pretty obvious.

START HERE

Leave an EntreCard Recommendation for Me and I Will Leave a Recommendation for You.

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Thursday, December 13, 2007

Entrecard Madness - My First 24 Hours

((You + Entrecard) * 24hrs) = Insanity - Me

Quite frankly, I don't even know where to start, so I'm just going to get out my mental "walker" and just proceed forward at a kind of wobbly, handicapped pace, thanks to Entrecard. Others have written about the EXISTENCE of Entrecard but I've found few posts regarding one's actual moment-to-moment experience of trying to use it.

So This Is My Gift To You

The "Drop Your Card" Avalanche

My Drop Card

You see, never mind my first DAY using Entrecard, in the first hour ALONE, I got slammed with people dropping me their "cards." They do this because it earns them 1 credit and causes their "business card" to show up in my Entrecard Dashboard. Even though all the traffic and attention coming so quickly can be overwhelming, it's considered a good thing because each card that is dropped at your site increases the "cost of advertising" at your site.

Dropping a card earns a credit for the dropper and the biz card shows up in the dropees dashboard as if to say, "Hi, stop on by!" and having a card dropped on your site beefs up the cost of anyone having a biz card actually SHOWN on your site (which is why potential advertisers try to get ads on newbies sites early before all the card dropping causes the cost of advertising to go up).

And We All Want That, Right?
More Credits, More Ads, More Eyeballs, Right?

But the geeks will ask, "Yeah, but is it targeted, quality traffic?" And my answer is... who gives a #$@!? It takes 3 minutes, at most, to set up and it gets eyeballs on your page. It's networking, pure and simple and it works, period. If people need to get out their slide rules and pie charts to see whether this is viable for them, then they are just totally in the wrong ballgame. Those who REALLY know how to do all kinds of site metrics, and so on, won't be hanging around Entrecard asking such questions.

Those who do are either sincere and need a little education or they're "emulators" trying to sound like they know what they're doing. Next...

An Avalanche of Advert Requests

When you USUALLY join a club of like-minded people, it's pretty cool. You can talk about your favorite fun things all day long whether it's surfing, biking, playing video games or drinking beer. But when you join a "club" of attention seekers (aka business opportunity seekers), you're pretty much screwed if you're not prepared for what comes next.

Just imagine that the moment you step in the door you're confronted with at least 100 overly-jubilant people wearing all kinds of eye-busting colors and patterns getting right up close in your face and shouting...

HI, HOW ARE YOU?
HI, HOW ARE YOU?
HI, HOW ARE YOU?

Well, It's Going to Happen at Entrecard

And as always, there's those who've left the primordial muck before you and so they're set up to chow down on your ass the moment you finally try to hurl yourself up onto the beach to join them.

For example, there's ALREADY people using 1000s of credits to hold contests or offering 100s of credits for you to jump through hoops for them or wear their mothers underwear - things like that. And there's already talk about "gaming the system" and how to defend against it (if you or they really can). And you're also going to get a bunch of advert requests from people who aren't even remotely related to your topic simply because the cost to advertise on a newcomers blog is dirt cheap.

But have no fear, the cost of advertising on your site will go up as more people come up to you and scream (drop their card),

HI, HOW ARE YOU?
HI, HOW ARE YOU?
HI, HOW ARE YOU?

But, by then, you might be feeling a bit dull and woozy, as if you took the wrong anxiety medication - you won't actually mind it but you'll still know that under the thin film of glaze that surrounds your brain, something's not exactly right.

CAN YOU REALLY HANDLE IT?

I'm not saying whether YOU should or shouldn't use it. However, I WILL give you a way to qualify yourself...

Those Of You With A.D.D. or A.D.H.D to the Left...

And Those of You With O.C.D and Mild to Severe Depression to the Right.

First, I want to remind you of an article I wrote last month titled, "Sir Samuel Freedom: Social Media's Errant Knight." In it, and elsewhere, I mentioned fellow blogger, David Armano's, article about "social media fragmentation" in which he says,

"By now most of us wouldn't argue that the media landscape has been fragmented. In the old days if you wanted to communicate something—you had a few choices. A marketing campaign fueled mostly by television, magazines and newspapers. You had all the usual PR methods and of course the press. Digital happened—eyeballs went to the Web and now you had to add a whole new mix of tactics. Social Media picked up steam and now you've got another set of options to take seriously."
[....]
"If we want to influence folks regarding our personal or corporate brands, we've got multiple ripples happening all at once not only in the digital space, but drilling down to the social aspect of it. It's enough to make your head spin. But here's the big takeaway from all of this. Successful personal and corporate brands alike will be the ones who take a holistic view when creating, maintaining and amplifying their ripples. This means avoiding the temptation to hyper fixate on one venue thinking it's a replacement for another." Influence Ripples + Social Media Fragmentation

In other words, and in Sam Freedom style, if you have ADD, ADHD or don't want your attention split up, yet again, think twice before joining Entrecard, or check with your doctor about doubling up on your Ritalin. Also, as you'll see in my next article about "gaming Entrecard", you're going to end up seeing a LOT of new blogs... and I mean A LOT! Two things can possibly result from this

Information Overload
A Sudden Realization of The Bigger Situation

And, Therefore, DEPRESSION

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, entrepreneurs, without ill intent, generally consider the downside of their products inasmuch as it helps them profit, or avoid major profit loss. As I'd said in my aforementioned article,

Like ANY technology, the positives are stressed AD NAUSEUM by both those who KNOW they are in the ripe position to gain handsomely from it; as well as by those who are utterly naive in IMAGINING they might POSSIBLY gain handsomely from it. So the battle lines get drawn and each begins to fall into rank as to what kind of soldier they're going to be in this new "social media" vacuum, this same old, same old war for POWER.

As you drop your card, again and again, and check out others' dropped cards, while qualifying more and more blogs seeking to advertise on yours, you're going to start seeing TONS of blogs. Now let's get serious for a moment: how many of you can even make it to your kitchen and back without getting side-tracked? You know, deep inside, that cruising all these blogs in order to gain credits and more exposure is going to mess with your head, don't you?

Ideally, you'd find a couple of new blogs you like and add them to your newsreader. But, in reality, you're going to find 300 new blogs you like while trying to NOT add them ALL to your newsreader. And is that what you need? Do you need another 150-200 blogs to read, or DO YOU NEED TO ESCAPE THIS RAT RACE BY ACHIEVING FINANCIAL FREEDOM?!?!

Oh Dear, I'm Starting to Sound Like A Broken Record

From Day 1, I've constantly referred to FINANCIAL FREEDOM and NOT about chasing, chasing, chasing, more and more and more of what? the feeling of belonging? the antidote to feeling that you might miss out on something important? And that's all I'll say about it here.

But if you're a NEWER blogger, you're going to suddenly realize just how many other bloggers and internet marketers are competing for the same tiny, little piece of the pie you're going after and, unless you've got Florence Griffith Joyner's genes (or are a liar), you're going to end up depressed. And if you think your life is a bit overwhelming now, just think of how it's going to be when you have 300 more blogs to read, and 300 more ads to qualify and approve, and 300 more cards to drop and 300 more excuses to make about why you didn't take out the trash...

Oh yeah, you forgot to take out the trash...

IN CONCLUSION

If you want to play around with Entrecard, go for it... because now you know what you're up against. Now you have DISTINCTIONS and the possibility of noticing when your focus and attention are becoming more shredded and flaked than a serving of Wheetabix. So go have fun!

If, however, you want FINANCIAL FREEDOM then calculate your monthly expenses (including emergency funds, leisure and some savings) and get back to me.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go check my EntreCard Dashboard, view my last 300 Twitter messages, read my MySpace and Facebook email, write my next article on "10 Simple Ways to Squeeze the Most Out of Entrecard for Your Greater Advantage" and make a few new submissions to Mixx, Digg, StumbleUpon and Sphinn.

Cheerio!

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Monday, December 10, 2007

The Myth and Fallacy of Social Media

How do I put this? How does one break the news to an alcoholic, for example, that they have a disease that needs attention? How does one explain that if the disease does not get attention, the liquor stores, bars and alcohol companies will continue to bleed them dry until they die?

From what I've been told, you just tell them once and then step back, so here goes...

You're A Socialmediaholic.

Despite all the increased connectivity. Despite all the new connections and ways of wasti.. err, spending... your time, you are still a nobody, a no one, a non-entity, a loser, a big fat ZERO.

Go Ahead, Get Mad at Me

But there's the hypocrisy - because if you hated me for saying so, then you'd be hating the Buddha and Dalai Lama, as well. Since social media seems to appeal mainly to grassroots, peace-loving greenie types, I imagine that would cover most of you.

But if you're Christian, you'd be hating Jesus, too, who pretty much said that you're nothing without Him who was the only way to the Father. And were you really at church last Sunday, or were you Digging? Hmmmm?

And if you're Jewish, shame on you. What is one of G-d's chosen people doing flailing around in a Twitter box on Shabbos?

If you're Hindu, I'm sure Lakshmi has a much better vision of how a life can be lived than running around from social media farm to farm to get milked like a social media cow. Is that the epitome of luck and good fortune?

And if you're Buddhist, you don't mind, because you're already one with everything. Isn't that right "Oh, Brother, My Self?"

And So On, And So On...

So, you see, here's the myth - you were lonely. You were not happy. You had dreams and desires that you were not able to fully express, or even at all. So someone came along and pretty much said, "Hey, you know what? We can put these people to use!"

social media addiction is like the matrix

So they came to you and said, "Hey, you know all those goals and hopes and dreams you had that you almost forgot about because you couldn't fully express them, or not even at all? Well, we've created this cool, little application that will give you the ability to tell a whole bunch of people about them. And if you use it, we'll get rich because huge greedy companies will see us as innovators (read: predacious) and want to pay us for the privilege of milking and eating our herd. While, in reality, you'll just be talking to a whole bunch of people who, while chasing the dream like you, won't hear a word you're saying, because they are too busy hearing themselves, also just like you! Isn't it awesome!"

Rise and Shine, Buttercup!

intense social media addiction photo

So every morning, you wake up from that part of your shallow existence you accept as "a dream" and, feeling your nothingness dawning on you, you reach for your bottle of social media and keep drinking until all awareness of it is obliterated from your consciousness.

Now, if you'll excuse me, there's a small village to the north I intend to conquer today and I have to go ready my horse.

[just in case you think i'm really a meanie, here's something to provide you some counter-balance, "John Lennon Imagined Social Media" (thanks to Nick for stumbling this) - tell me it doesn't sound irresistibly wonderful and a whole lot more desirable than anything I've just said.]

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Friday, December 07, 2007

Gary Ambrose's Reminder to Those Who Want to Make Money At Home

Some of you might know of Gary Ambrose. Gary's one of those guys who, like most of us, struggled at internet marketing for a couple of years until he hit upon the right formula, and the right crowd, in the right place and at the right time. There's no telling what he really makes but what really matters most is that "he's workin' it." He continues to come up with new opportunities to help others help him help others help him help others.

You get what I'm saying.

So Why Am I Writing About Gary Ambrose?

Recently, Gary wrote a letter to his readership. In it, he said something which, to the uninitiated, might have sounded a little arrogant.

Well, Maybe More Than a Little...
But it really wasn't.

He reminded his readers of his own humble beginnings and how he rose to prominence by making himself ultra-useful to established marketers without worrying about what was in it for him and suggested that others, if they wanted to break into the big leagues, consider doing the same. You see, the "What's In It For Me" (WIIFM) type thinking, about which we marketers try to educate our students, belongs to the consumer... but what we're trying to be are business owners, so WIIFM is not always the best thing for us.

So Gary Has It Right

Producers, marketers, or any blogger that wishes to go from consuming to producing, from solely buying to successfully selling has to really think about how to be of service to those who can help him or her... and the "WIIFM" will take care of itself. Focusing on WIIFM will just impeded your usefulness and the natural return that occurs via the invisible law of reciprocity. It's ok to KNOW this and to USE it... but it's counterproductive to dwell on it. Just find someone who can help you someday and see if you can find out what will REALLY help them and just do it.

That isn't to say you should be an endless fountain of giving or a doormat. Being helpful to those who can possibly help you doesn't mean throwing all reason and wisdom to the wind. It doesn't mean your efforts should become a recipe for abuse or self-denial. Just keep it simple. Find out what will REALLY help someone who can potentially help you and HELP THEM.

And Don't Take Offense If They Don't Find Your First Attempts Helpful

Like anything else, helping others is learned. It can take a while to get it right and if someone doesn't find your efforts helpful, don't take it personally. And don't make them out to be wrong (which isn't helpful), just use it as *priceless* feedback on how you might learn and adapt in future situations. You might even say, "Sorry about that, I really meant it with the best of intentions but since you were kind enough to let me know it wasn't helpful, would you also be so kind as to tell me how I might have done things differently?" Or something like that; a simple question seeking simple feedback.

So Thank You, Gary Ambrose.

Thanks for the powerful reminder. It actually took courage and conviction to come right out and say what you said, too, because, like I'd said, many could easily misinterpret it. I would say that it was pretty timely, too, since the great Thomas P. Stanley was just saying the exact same thing in a CD to which I'd been listening - take a genuine interest in the leaders of your industry.

For Those of You Who've Never Met Gary...

Just below is a timeless audio recording download between Gary and serial entrepreneur, Mark Joyner - to those in the internet marketing field both are considered highly accomplished. This recording is scarce and has not, to my knowledge, been made public in any big way before. It took place during the period of Mike Chen's "Secret Weapon" which was a fancy split-testing tool that wasn't bad, but it was a little too complicated for most people. I once referred to it as "an over-glorified split-tester" which I still believe it is because the average person doesn't know how to use it. But the audios which came with it were, in my opinion, worth far more than the program.

Along with this audio, you'll find links to a couple of the opportunities that Gary has made available to marketers who have no list of their own so they they can develop one in far less time than it would take them by themselves (no affiliate links are being used).

Mark Joyner with Gary Ambrose
"How a Marketing-Newbie Went from Rags to Riches Through Testing!"

THIS EASILY RETAILS FOR $97.

Learn the little tricks Gary used to triple the opt-in rate to his newsletters ...

Learn about log file analysis basics ... what's important and what's not.

Discover which website changes are a total waste of time ... Find out what to focus on and what to ignore to shave years off your learning curve.

Listen to real-world examples of how you could start applying the Secret Weapon Lite to your marketing today in order to increase your sales in a snap. This is hard proof from two experienced marketers that this tool works!

And much more....!

Right Click HERE and Choose SAVE AS
or SAVE TARGET AS to DOWNLOAD

Gary Ambrose's Seminar Aces
Gary Ambrose's Email Aces
Gary Ambrose's List Bandit

The LITE Version of the Split-Testing Script
"Secret Weapon Lite"

If You Download the Audio, Just Leave a Comment Below About Someone or Something for Which You're Grateful.

Thanks!

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Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Review and Rebuttal of 10 Reasons You Might Be a Pussy Blogger

Kudos to the author of "LEARNING SEO BASICS: Search Engine Optimization Resource Center" for her blog post, "Review of Sam Freedoms, '10 Reasons You Might Be a Pussy Blogger'"

In it, she (henceforth referred to as "seo basics") graciously called me out - something I neither discourage nor fear, for it provides me with yet another opportunity to find out that indefinable stuff from which I'm made. My goal here, then, is to rebut her review point-for-point. And for those of you stumbling in for the first time, here is the original article, "10 Reasons You Might Be a Pussy Blogger". At present, it is receiving 100s of visits from both Sphinn and Stumbleupon.

Well Sam, here’s what I think:

“You Moderate Your Comments”
Well, maybe sometimes people don’t know of any other options for weeding out cursing and foul doo doo that others may infiltrate it with. But, I totally disagree with omitting comments simply based on the ‘Opposition’ factor.

First, finding other options is as simple as asking. Second, I was not referring to newbies but specifically mentioned "captcha" and "akismet" to highlight those who know of it (even possibly use them) but still moderate their comments. See, after each point, there was a short explanation. Omitting those explanations, which you did, makes your rebuttal seem relevant but none of your rebuttals are relevant in light of the points I made after (though I still appreciate your bravado).

“You Repeat Tips and Suggestions That You Never Experienced, Especially With No Attribution”
Not everyone that blogs, blogs to hear themselves talk. Maybe, there are those that post comments that they believe in, expecting the reader to be wise enough to research it further themselves. Maybe they are posting a comment that they hope will bring responses to ‘set-them-straight’ if disputable. Besides, I have heard some comments from people that are experts who are supposed to know all who have been publicly declared ‘Full of Doo Doo” too. Blogging is a journal…an online diary of sorts. And, a diary is observations .

Assuming that any mass of people who you don't know are wise enough to do anything is a big mistake but perhaps you need to learn that by making it a few times. If you are going to post something in hopes of being set straight, then that ought to be stated so that people don't mistake you for an authority only to end up in the jaws of a lion. Your having heard comments from so-called experts that were declared "doo-doo" was covered because, in the very least, you know the source and can knock their block off.

“ You Try to Be Top Commenter On Popular Bloggers’ Blogs”
This one is funny actually. Is there actually 1 person that gives a comment that they hope will be a flop?

You misunderstood (again). Top Commenter refers to the very first position in the comment queue - or, at least, the top 3 positions. Some people actually hover over their RSS feeds trying to get top position in the comment queues of high-traffic bloggers.

Is there really some reason that people that comment should BEWARE of those lurking that may hate you? Like SamFreedom is really worried about being mindful of not stealing the show. LoL. You’re ability to do that is one of the reasons I enjoy reading your blogs. And, isn’t that similar to the ‘Moderating’ theme of question #1? Not a huge difference. Either be yourself, or fall in line with the masses. Of course, having respect for those you may be infuriating by being the top commenter is something to take a look at. If a Top commenter’s sole purpose is to steal the show, others will see and disregard or applaud. We’re all grown.

The point is that if people are caught up in the game of trying to be a "top commenter" amidst the comment masses, then they are wasting their time and energy and are, therefore, pussy bloggers. They should focus more on leaving useful comments and, perhaps, some light, attention-grabbing formatting.

“ You Give ALL Your Experience Away for Free”
I don’t really know of too many people that’s hanging out at their computer giving away all their goodies for free.

Then you must be living a sheltered existence. And be careful, I said "experience", not "goodies." If you don't know the difference, that's ok, but there is one.

But, for those who are, who are we to formulate an immediate assessment of WHY they are doing so?

We are not all the same; some of us are more experienced than others and can make better, quicker assessments than others. It's like the US Constitution says, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,..." which many slackers interpret to mean that their potential worth is equal to someone else's actualized worth. And it just ain't so... We are all regarded as equal so that, ideally, we can have equal opportunity to develop our understanding of life. So some people are more understanding than others and can make that "immediate assessment" to which you referred.

Maybe ‘Free’ is a great practice for the real thing. You say it’s a sign of weakness, not strength. Why is that? Here’s an example…I requested a free sample lotion online a few weeks ago. It came, I tried it, it was great, I bought. I don’t think it’s a whole heckuvah poor idea to give away what you have to offer because it allows for gaining experience and followers if what you have is useful.

You might have completely missed what I wrote because I referred to.... "giving away all your EXPERIENCE" which has nothing to do with lotion samples.

For those who don’t have experience to speak of, what can be a better way of experimenting and dipping your foot into the waters to give it a test run? People follow free. If all goes well, maybe in the end, it becomes what you need on your resume’. Also, not to be overlooked. SOME PEOPLE JUST LIKE HELPING OTHER PEOPLE! It makes them feel like a positive contribution to society instead of the same old same old taker that can be found on a bazillion SERP’s . Wha’ts so wrong with that? Having a little bit of unselfish qualities can also be what gives you an edge my friend. You get what you give. It all comes back to you, good, bad, or indifferent.

I wrote , "Giving away something of value for free is ok as a lead in to a bigger offer but to give oodles of your hard-earned pearls away at no charge is a sign of WEAKNESS, not strength."

A little bit of unselfishness is not only fine but recommended (see this example).

And I would gladly bet that you are the kind of person who, out of the other side of your mouth would say something like, "Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime." Giving away ALL your experience is both a weakness and, I'd also bet, a sure sign of CO-DEPENDENCY.

YOU ARE AFRAID TO TYPE IN CAPITAL LETTERS!”
Uh, well, yea! It’s part of the appeal or lack of that we all experience when reading. Take a survey for this one: “How many people feel that using capital letters in comments is equal to yelling?” Some people actually enjoy fact without drama. Then again, sometimes drama is fun. One of your best qualities, I might add.

As far as capital letters go, if someone typed in them all the time, maybe something might be said. But how is it that otherwise mature adults can't simply skip over any msg in capital letters without having to scream about "screaming"? I still say capital letters can be used better than they have been to-date.

“ You Think Because You Do SEO By the Book That Black Hatters Are “Beneath” You.”
Now, this is great…once again, we enter the zone…Didn’t you just answer #4 with “b) you’re saturating the market and making it harder for them to make a living.”? Don’t the “Honest Abes” deserve the same respect? Hello? Sheesh.;Honest Abes?" How dare you besmirch the reputation of president Lincoln by likening a bunch of white hat SEOs to him.

The Honest Abes are the ones who take a full 20ft pole up the backside when 100s of their sites plummet off the chart each time Google tries to redefine its algorithm based on what it thinks is fair. The black hatters are flexible and nimble and are usually either untouched or capable of just setting up another operation in short time.

And the point was that the "by the book" lambs are pussies for considering black hatters beneath them. That doesn't make either one honest or dishonest - they just have different ways of getting their needs met.

“ You Never Sphinn or Digg Your Own Posts Because of What People Might Think.”
Ok ok, I’ll Sphinn and Stumble this. Will that make you happy?

Why would it? The article was about whe r not a blogger is a pussy. Not whether or not I was happy with their status.

“ You Don’t Sphinn or Digg or Bump an Article That Mentions You Because You’re Afraid You’ll Be Accused of Doing It for Yourself.”
Actually, I have held the position of underdog most of my existence, so I actually agree with you on this one. Live and learn.

I had figured that out from the outset. And I'm still not sure with what you precisely agree.

“ You’re Afraid to Use Something Like This!”
Once again, back to #2 “better have experimented with everything you’re saying or AT LEAST cite someone who HAS. That way, your readers have someone’s actual block to knock off if the tactics fail.” Maybe I am too busy trying to learn how to do it the right way the first time around.

It's a semi-automated aid for those who don't have the time or friends to submit to social media on the scale of those who got in first, spend hours there and have huge cliques of friends. But your "trying to do it right the first way around" is the kind of condescension to which I was referring. Web2Submitter is not "the wrong way" - just like anything, it can be used or misused and the creators constantly promote responsible use.

“You Don’t Take My Advice.”

Ok ok…maybe I’m just no there yet. Gimme time. But, hey! I’m Sphinning you! That oughtta count for something! *>) SORRY…DOES IT FEEL LIKE I AM YELLING??

Nope, I kinda like it. ;-) Take your time and thanks for the Sphinn..

Thanks for letting me share. Oh, btw, I love your blog.

My pleasure, and thank you for the kind compliment.

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So, Bigmouth, You Think You Know Viral Marketing?

Viral Marketing

viral marketing is not for dummies

Write the phrase "viral marketing" on your blog and suddenly (you think) you're an internet marketing rock star. "Heh heh... I'm about to have a video go viral, heh heh..."

Please... shut your face with your viral this and your viral that. You know what's TRULY viral? Your ignorance. Think about it. One person gives 10 reasons how to obnoxiously comment on A-list bloggers blogs to get noticed and, within 36 hours, every wannabe who hasn't made a dime repeats the information on their blog. The result is an avalanche of wanna-be bloggers not just flooding A-list bloggers' comment sections with ridiculous, horrible, nutritionless comments but ridiculous, horrible, nutritionless comments on steroids!

So that you realize how serious I am about this, in that particular instance, I did my best to counter the madness with "Comment Whoring Outside the Box". I suggest you read it to see a sweet, simple, short analysis on how to REALLY comment whore but without the thundering mass of the herd crushing you.

So What the Heck Is Viral Marketing Anyways?

You should know by now that no one but yours truly, Sam Freedom, is going to tell you in the way you need to hear it. So I'll break it down for you and put it in a nutshell. This way, whether or not you agree with me, you'll at least be VERY clear on my definition.

SO VIRAL MARKETING IS...

When you DO or SAY something worth repeating....

SIT DOWN! I'M NOT DONE YET!

Viral marketing is when you DO or SAY something worth repeating in a way that were an idiot to repeat it, the damage would be minimal.

Yes, idiots repeat all kinds of good information just for the exposure and to feel important so they unwittingly leave out small, but important, pieces of the puzzle that could unwittingly sink your business. So great viral marketing takes into account the "idiot factor" so that idiots can't regurgitate material in a harmful manner.

So, Pop Quiz...! Is the Following...

Viral Marketing on Steroids? Or Viral Marketing on Hemorrhoids?

How About the Following? Viral Santa? or Just Plain Silly?

So What Kinds of Things Did You Get Santa to Do?

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Monday, December 03, 2007

10 Reasons Why You Might Be a Pussy Blogger

1. You Moderate Your Comments

Oh like you're so important that a combination of captcha and akismet can't solve your problems. Were you so overwhelmed by a domineering person in your past that you have to play out your "retake control" fantasies in your comment section?

2. You Repeat Tips and Suggestions That You Never Experienced, Especially With No Attribution

It's ok to post something like "How to Comment on Others Blogs for Traffic" but you damn well better have experimented with everything you're saying or AT LEAST cite someone who HAS. That way, your readers have someone's actual block to knock off if the tactics fail.

3. You Try to Be Top Commenter On Popular Bloggers' Blogs

It's WISE, for example, to be top commenter on a high traffic, low comment, dofollow blog. It's imbecilic to try to be top commenter on a popular blog under the impression that all the other commenters might visit you. The truth is that all the other commenters will hate you because they were trying to be top commenter and you beat them to it. Oh yea, that's gonna sit will with them.

4. You Give ALL Your Experience Away for Free

You are too afraid of failure so instead of putting your experience into a book and charging something for it, you give it away to everyone like a dazed hippy chick at a biker rally, believing that they're really going to love you and support you.

If that's you, then "Earth to you! You are not Mahatma Ghandi or Mother Theresa. People are here to make money and giving away all your experience for free makes them secretly resent you for two reasons: a) you're showing them how to NOT make money - which they already know; and b) you're saturating the market and making it harder for them to make a living.

Giving away something of value for free is ok as a lead in to a bigger offer but to give oodles of your hard-earned pearls away at no charge is a sign of WEAKNESS, not strength.

5. YOU'RE AFRAID TO TYPE IN CAPITAL LETTERS!

If you're still saying something lame like, "Hey, don't yelllllllllll...!!!" when people type in capital letters, it can only mean you (or your parents) were avid users when CompuServe, TRS-80 and Apple ][+ were all the rage.

If you still do that to your commenters, or are afraid to use capital letters yourself, self-esteem issues could very well need some prompt attention.

6. You Think Because You Do SEO By the Book That Black Hatters Are "Beneath" You.

Black hatters do what they do because they actually have an offline life they'd like to visit once in a while. And I'm not talking about the "offline life" due to necessities like going potty and walking the dog. I'm talking about like dating, having a glass of wine/brandy with the neighbors or taking their Lamborghini out for a sphinn.

They don't have all day to sit at home waiting for the GREAT LEADER GOOGLE to send them the next transmission on what is, and isn't, acceptable. After all, Google never asked them whether or not it was ok to use their websites in order to build a for-profit search engine. Google never did things by THEIR book, so why should they do things by GOOGLE'S book?

7. You Never Sphinn or Digg Your Own Posts Because of What People Might Think.

Darlings, if I have something time-sensitive on the menu, I'm not waiting for Little Red Riding Hood to traipse on by and post my articles to social media sites for me. I'll be glad to take the lesser amount of traffic ON TIME than a greater amount of traffic TOO LATE.

This one also reminds me of that last piece of pizza that no one wants to take because everyone knows everyone else wants it and the person who takes it is going to get all the psychic daggers. So then the last piece ends up getting cold and the fat kid ends up eating it like usual.

8. You Don't Sphinn or Digg or Bump an Article That Mentions You Because You're Afraid You'll Be Accused of Doing It for Yourself.

Ok, turn up your hearing aid... SO #!*&%* WHAT?!

The truth is, as long as you do such things with flare, there are people who will still support you because they want to learn to be more like you. So what if you don't get max traffic because of it. Most people who will admire you for being fearless don't get ANY traffic to begin with so start thinking in two directions instead of one.

In other words, fearing being disliked or fearing less popularity and therefore less traffic is just as narcissistic as submitting an article by, or about, you. So go ahead, try it... it's like ripping off a Band-Aid; the faster you do it, the easier it'll be.

9. You're Afraid to Use Something Like This!

Oh my, how could you DARE use such a nefarious piece of software to help semi-automate your submissions to dozens of social media sites? That's right, just keep doing things LIKE EVERY OTHER NEWBIE WHO JUST CAME ONLINE THIS WEEK and some day you'll be RICH, RICH, RICH! lol

Seriously, my doggies, if you're somehow under the dastardly illusion that "getting a little help from your friends" is somehow unfair then make sure to tell everyone how clean and pure you are so when the holidays roll around they can each send you a nice card.

Really now... just try such a program even once and you'll suddenly realize that while I might not be your "friend" friend... I'm definitely your "friend".

10. You Don't Take My Advice.

Don't worry, there's no rush. There's all kinds of people around the globe who are suffering right now, so you're in good company. But if, perchance, you want that to change, even just a little, then think about everything I've said for a second... then make a clearly stated wish, "I wish to be more free of suffering."

Then go re-read the "10 Reasons Why You Might Be a Pussy Blogger" and see if anything jumps out at you a little differently.

And if that fails you, ask questions.

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