Idiot Report - StumbleUpon vs. ImpNerd - Who's to Blame?

Call me sick but as long as no one's really getting hurt, I just love a good drama. And, please, don't even dare to tell me that you don't, too...!

So, in one corner, weighing in at 38lbs soaking wet, we have ImpNerd, a blogger who really lives up to his moniker. Just recently, he found that not only was his StumbleUpon account frozen but also the accounts of all those he invited to join him in a StumbleUpon Love-In, or, as some might also call it, "StumbleLove" - not for mutual Stumble exchanges but, as he insists,

"A love-in is to create a 'group' of like minded people. Even StumbleUpon has groups in their forums which they actively promote."

It all seems to have started here in his (now updated) post, "Entrecard Community StumbleUpon Love-In".

In the other corner, we have StumbleUpon, "a Web 1.0 multinational conglomerate" as one person joked, which, though it has many fine and friendly users, is known for also having a very sick, and demented, core of social media whores, aka Stumble Trolls, who take both themselves, and their "stumbling" very seriously -- in fact, a little TOO seriously: "Justice Reigns - Stumble Troll Banned by SU."

Because StumbleUpon fears that Stumble Love-Ins have the potential to water down the Stumble community with mutual stumble exchanges of potentially useless crap, StumbleUpon frowns upon it. In fact, forbids it. YET, as ImpNerd argues, Problogger, owned by renowned blogger Darren Rowse, has a Stumble group of about 300+...and wonders, should they not suffer the same fate as he and his tiny little attempt at a 3rd-party Stumble group?

"I wonder why exactly they targeted my blog. A far better way to go would be to target Probloggers list of 300+ SU members or the many others who have hundreds."

So, my question to the reader is, "Is this a case of ImpNerd, and similar, getting what they deserved because 'ignorance of the rules is no excuse and/or they should have taken greater care to check the TOS first' or 'Is StumbleUpon being a typical entity that has grown so big that it hasn't the resources to deal with the public in a more intelligent and considerate manner than snap-banning someone and just firing off an irritating, irrelevant form letter explaining TOS?"

Keep in mind, as Chris Brogan, a social media celebrity likes to insist upon, "... it's all about the conversation." Well, did StumbleUpon give ImpNerd the opportunity to have that conversation?

It seems not. But, lo and behold... The Great Flagship Entrecard did! You can see the whole thing unfolding at that link.

ps. Here's another article on the matter.

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Expert Wordpress by Alex Sysoef Rocks the Blogging for Money Community!

Question...

Do you have 4 minutes to install a fully customized and Web 2.0 enabled WordPress blog? And it even comes with a professional, search engine optimized Niche theme.

Just watch this video to see what I mean...

Blogs are the most direct way to communicate to your customer. And they are also most favored by search engines. In fact it is not uncommon for a properly optimized blog post to appear in search engine results on front page within MINUTES after publishing!

The key is... "properly optimized"!

Blogs are one of the best ways to earn from sharing what you know and love and do it in the most natural way - by communicating to your target audience. But first you need to know your target audience and how to monetize your blog without annoying them.

A task 90% of bloggers fails at miserably! Are you one of the 10%? Did you say no or not sure?

Than you simply got to see this site

What perhaps is even better - you don't have to pawn off your car to get the benefits of all above. Alex and his partner Dmitriy have just released a package that completely changes how blogging is done from now on. And since they are nearly giving it away, response was dramatic.

They're increasing the price every 50 customers so go see this now before it goes up again...!

Click Here to See Expert Wordpress

To your success,
Sam

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Elephantiasis Outbreak Strikes the Entrecard Blogger Community!

The Entrecard blogging community has suffered it's first ever epidemic of Elephantiasis. For those of you who yet have no clue, elephantiasis is a disease where you grow some REALLY big balls.

Yes, the picture to the left is a ball - a testicle ball. And an abnormal amount of Entrecarders have grown them to such an abnormal size that it actually caused "The Good Ship Entrecard" to list to one side.

Make no bones about it, a good set of balls is both healthy and integral to the functioning of life. But once they grow past a certain size, they become weighty - no longer perfectly suspended and floating freely - and just plain cumbersome on what should otherwise be an idyllic march towards progress.

So, to their credit, these ballsy Entrecarders, loaded their weighty vesicles into weighty vessels and set sail for "groaner" pastures. After a tempestuous journey across deep and pensive internet seas, they found safe harbor in the VERY shallow waters of the Superficial Gallery...

(don't get your hopes up - it lives up to its name)

If you want to visit this leper-style colony, it is advised that you possess an advanced understanding of infectious diseases and do so at your own risk.

However, if you just can't get your fill of elephantiasized Entrebabies, you can find a milder, slightly witty and much safer reportage from the nearby island of...


Entrecard has been stablized and is now steadily recovering.

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Make Money Online - Should You Take Weekends Off?

Look, it's no secret to experienced site owners that there comes a sharp drop in website traffic from late Friday evening to sometime Monday morning. Sure, sure... you're off spending time with your loved ones; or, perhaps, you are deep in prayer all weekend, meditating on gratitude and world peace. Maybe you take a limo to the Poconos, or fly your private jet to Macau for some high stakes poker... or maybe you take your million dollar yacht to Belize.

It's more likely that you stay in, walk around in your underwear scratching your nether regions and eating pints of Ben & Jerry ice cream. Maybe you mow the lawn, or take the kids to the mall, or lie out on the porch after a night of sucking down 30 margaritas. Whatever... just fill in the blank.

But what's clear, is that a HUGE majority of you don't surf the web, or visit your favorite informative websites or blogs and that leads me to believe that you're not serious about making money online. Notice I didn't say, "that leads me to believe you don't THINK you're serious about making money online" for, obviously, you believe you are.

Ok, if your religion orders you to take a weekend day off each week, fine, but both? And, just how long does it take to check on your favorite sites? How long does it take to quickly peruse sites/blogs that have been most helpful to you? What if you logged on Saturday morning for 30 minutes and read your favorite blogs? You'd have the rest of Saturday and Sunday for your mind to consider the new possibilities of any good advice given you?

Do you understand? Just because you are given a day off doesn't mean you have to take it. But it doesn't mean you have to bust your tail that whole day either. Seeing as no site exists in a vacuum, we know that most of the time we sit down to surf the web, a simple 30 minute excursion can easily turn into a 3-5 hour journey so, naturally, many of us would be hesitant to do any surfing on weekends.... even if it were just to take 30-45 minutes to skim through our favorite blogs.

Monkey See, Monkey Do, Monkey Do, Monkey See...

So, you set yourself into a pattern whereby you are missing some golden nuggets of information just because you grew up in a society that takes a weekend vacation. And if you continue to BE like the masses, you will continue to LIVE like the masses, always thinking it is "something else" that is keeping you from living your dreams.

Or, if you're just oh-so-brilliant and think you're really on top of the game, perhaps you'll excuse your weekends-off by explaining how you have things set up so neatly that you definitely make sure you'll receive all the excellent weekend nuggets on Monday.... AS IF there's absolutely no cost, or downside, to cramming 3 days worth of information into 1 day's worth of attention.

Look closely, even though I KNOW the vast majority of the work-at-home-wannabe masses don't show up on weekends, I still posted on both weekend days anyways. Why? For one, because the masses don't. For two, because there ARE some people who don't see weekends as a time to completely turn their brains off. And for three, because it keeps me in shape.

So, What About You?

What do you do with your weekends? How much of your weekend is still devoted to your ongoing financial/online marketing/blogging education and how much do you give to the devil?

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I've Done You a Great Favor These Past 2 Months (poll)

When I tell you what it is, it might not seem like much of a favor, but it really is... it's one of those favors that generally isn't appreciated right away but somewhere down the road, after reality further imposes itself on your fantastic hallucinations, some of you will sit down on that quintessential "big rock" and, with head in your hands, say something remotely like,

"Hey, that guy really understood me."

Or maybe you won't... but some of you definitely will. So, what is that great favor?

I've Kept Silent

I've told you before that just about everything the "Probloggers" tell you was sound advice... THREE YEARS AGO. They used that information to build big followings and because they have big followings, newcomers think they MUST be an authority on what they're talking about. But what they're generally doing is milking the masses, getting whomever will listen to buy their latest, greatest reconstitution and repackaging of old information....

...or, in the very least, get you to click on an ad.

Speak Not, Unless You Can Improve Upon the Silence
(Which Is a Very Difficult Thing to Do...)

So, I noted the situation and took the appropriate course of action: I let you be for a while. Are there not enough "authorities" trying to tell you what works or doesn't work? Are you wealthy yet? Or maybe you really don't even care because your motivation is something like "the wish to belong" rather than "the wish to profit."

Such People Are Referred to As...

"Program Junkies"

So what are you: a marketing blogger, a blogging marketer, or a PROGRAM JUNKIE?

And, most importantly, what have you REALLY learned today about increasing your profit/influence? Or even this week? Or how about this month?

Or Are You Just LONELY and Living Vicariously
Through Others Who DO Make Money Online?

Technorati Tags: internet marketing problogger problogging blogging marketing network marketing

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4 Contests - 1 Winner - 1 Club - 2 Entrecard Memes and a Goat

If there's one thing I've learned about you, it's that you like winning things! And you like more traffic to your blogs! And you like really cool stuff, really really cheap. And you like to hear about others, just like you, who won something really big! And since I'm spiriting off to Atlantic City this weekend for the World Poker Tour Main Event, I'm going to cram a whole bunch of such goodness into one tiny, tiny little space.

Are You Ready?

4 Contests - 1 Contest Winner - 1 Club - 2 Really Cool Entrecard Memes and... a Goat.

4 Contests - Easy Entry

Android Guys - Guaranteed that less than 2% of the people traveling through here will have any clue what Google's Android is but that doesn't matter. What DOES matter is that the Android Guys are giving away 1,750 Entrecard credits on February 1st to 3 lucky Entrecarders for doing nothing more than commenting at their blog and/or something like this. Way to go, Android Guys!

Silence is Everything - Wowee, not an Entrecard contest, BUT, one of the prizes being offered is you get to author your own WordPress plugin OR PHP script. That pretty much means anything you want to get WordPress to do for you, the contest owner will make it for you! And it's actually 3 contests in 1 so there are more cool prizes - just for doing, well, this (mentioning the contest)!

AdToll's 13,000 E.C. Giveaway - I'm not even in it. I'm just mentioning this as a nice thing for both you and AdToll. The entry requirements are a little more than usual but as of right now, it appears to me that there are only 16 entrants. So if you can do a mere 10 minutes of work, you can have yourself a real probably chance at winning 1 of 3 prizes from 1k to 10k credits.

SUPERBOWL XLII - Instead of making you jump through the usual hoops, this is more like a big money raffle with multiple winners and no prize currently less than 750k. It's based on the quarterly scores of the SuperBowl so, whether or not you even care about football, you can just purchase your ticket in the Entrecard shop and kick back and wait for the news. Read more about it in the shop description.

1 Contest Winner - 2,150 EC!

Yes, it's for real! People really do win contests and they really do WIN big. Recently, I started the "WINNER TAKE ALL" Raffle Series.

Here you can see "Winner Takes All 2"

I started the "Winner Takes All" and "The Totally Silly Raffle!" Entrecard raffle series as a kind of "pressure relief valve" due to a huge proliferation of the standard, boring raffles that Dark Is Easy talks about here. Each incorporates 2 timeless, rewarding principles with which non-marketing bloggers struggle, but which we internet marketers accept as undisputable fact: make it easy, make it cheap with the opportunity for it to "go big."

So in the first "Winner Takes All", at 50 EC, 43 people entered the Sam Freedom "Thunderdome" and only 1 person left... 2,150 EC richer! And here she is...

Lady De La Luna!

What's heartfelt about this is that "Lady of the Moon" was saving up to buy Adii's awesome premium Wordpress theme, NewsPress and this win just shaved her time down considerably. Visit Lady De La Luna's blog. I guarantee you will never want to leave...!

1 Club - Wordpress Theme Club

I wrote about this just yesterday but, for the sake of my readers, it absolutely should be mentioned again. The WordPress Theme Club by "Small Potato" is one of the absolute BEST values in hot, wordpress theme design I've seen in a long time... in fact, EVER. For a mere $5 per YEAR, you are getting a MINIMUM of 1 new extremely well-done Wordpress template per month. That is a minimum, because some months there will be more.

If you are wondering that so many people will have these, just think about 2 things:

1. having 12 Wordpress templates each year doesn't mean you can, or will, use 12 templates. So not every member will be using every template.

2. just like you might not immediately run off and join, there's a darn good bet that 97% of the people coming through here (or hearing about this anywhere else) won't join either. I'm not kidding! It's a true (and sometimes sad) fact that netizens are often very distracted and either too lazy, cheap or broke to spend even 3 minutes and $5 to be involved with something that isn't a burning, hot necessity.

So, since these aren't free Wordpress templates, you can very well bet that relatively few people will ever be using any one particular theme that you might like. Even 500 people using the same Wordpress theme is a small drop in the bucket of total blogs in play today. So definitely check out the WordPress Theme Club if you like an "above the fold" value. ;-)

And finally...

2 Really Cool Entrecard Memes by 2 Hot Entrecarder Blogs

I don't toss something aside just because I don't like it. Only a fool would (heheh). There are plenty of things one might not like that are plenty good for his well-being but some of those dislikes can, ironically, make many of the things you DO like even better in the long-run. But I actually like memes. The problem most people really have with memes is that most of them are either based on total nonsense or they're poorly constructed. But memes, by themselves, are nothing to dislike.

That being said, here's 2 memes I find of great value today.

The Economy of Entrecard - Worth It or Worthless?

When it comes to my appreciation of Entrecard, I can say that JTPratt's "workin' it." And I admire that. Whether or not he actually likes Entrecard or finds it worthwhile, he's taking a serious look at it from as many angles as he can (including spamming my inbox - which I don't mind as long as it's good!) and he's paying homage to the fact that some of the best value isn't in Entrecard's ranking system but rather in working the community. To fulfill my part in the meme, without reprinting things I've already said, I'll just point you to my specific thoughts and feelings on Entrecard's worthiness in, "Entrecarders! Chaindrop My Site, Please!" and here are all my Entrecard articles, in general.

If you continue the meme, and blog about your experience with Entrecard since you signed up (on your blog) AND link to this and the original article - you can leave a link to it in my comment section on this google PR4 site. Go comment on his, too, just because it's a well-written article on a good, relevant topic.

Chaindrop 8 Above the Fold Meme

Thanks to Sweet Mummy for the tag in "Eight Great Sites" where her first line about me is just... priceless.

Dane and Alan, over at Chaindrop.com, have come up with an excellent meme for all of us evil chaindroppers. The truth is, chaindropping is not as evil as those with little experience make it out be. Chaindropping is just a way for Entrecarders to be more efficient at what they do. In case you haven't noticed, we chaindroppers are somehow managing to meet one another and read each others' blogs... hello?!

So get in on the Chaindrop 8 Above the Fold Meme by moving your Entrecard widget ABOVE THE FOLD so no one has to run around your site searching for it and you'll start to get more traffic both from chaindroppers and from memes like these.

Since 8 is a lot for a meme, it's likely that after this post has made a few rounds, we'll be picking people who've been picked before without realizing it but, nonetheless, they might still be worthy of another mention. So here goes - here are my 8 picks for Entrecarders with widgets above the fold:

Make Money Online with EJ Cooksey - Everything about this woman is classy and professional. Just look at her site and you'll see what I mean. She writes very well, has excellent advice and info on making money online and she stays connected to the Entrecard community. Right now, she's going through the pains of moving off blogger to a Wordpress blog but as long as that Entrecard widget stays above the fold, then EJ Cooksey is in like Flynn!

Rice for Poor - At first, I thought this site might be a scam or a bit of a bleeding heart venture but shortly after arriving, I went and played the game and it expanded my already massive vocabulary. Whether or not they actually give rice to the poor or the fact that they don't update the blog much doesn't matter to me. We're talking about CHAINDROPPING, folks. As long as that Entrecard widget remains above that fold, not only will hunger be elimited by the year 2010 but millions of inner city youth are going to become increasingly litemarite... er, literate. Now go click the widget and play!

WidgetsLab - At first look, if the 'L' isn't capitalized, the name looks like Widget "Slab", however, this site is anything but dead. True to its name, Widgets Lab has all kinds of awesome, crazy up-to-date information regarding all kinds of widgets for all kinds of widget-needs. Big widgets, tall widgets, fat widgets, skinny widgets, you'll find them here. And you'll also find their Entrecard widget hitting you right between the eyes from the first moment you get there. Kaching!

Tetsujin's Blog - I can't tell you if "Tetsujin" is as common as "Smith" or "Jones" in Japan, but what I can tell you is that Tetsujin's blog is not so common. How could it be? It's from North Dakota! lol Nothing about Tetsujin is blah-humbug ordinary - it even runs in his family. Right now, his dad is trying to build a wall made of rocks from all 50 U.S. states. And as long as Tetsujin keeps that Entrecard widget above the fold, I've a feeling he's gonna eventually get his father those rocks!

Kevin H. Davis - Kevin H. Davis... Kevin H. Davis... has quite a ring to it, doesn't it? No need for aliases, no need for crafty clever names - just a name with the middle initial to help differentiate from all the other Kevin H. Davis' out there with internet marketing blogs. Well, once you read even one of his posts, you'll see why he doesn't need to play fancy tricks with his names. Plus, anyone who puts their Entrecard widget above the fold, in my opinion, is an instant Kevin H. Davis-style genius. Period.

The Office Cubicle - This is "Bored Office Employee" taken to the next level. True to its title, it's like a mixed bag of office cubicle goodness and gossip. Whether it's ranting about Microsoft Vista, praising a long-awaited Outlook Express feature or just railing on about the up-coming SuperBowl, chances are, if you've ever spent time in an office cubicle, you'll relate. And with his Entrecard widget at the top, he can definitely expect either to be fired or promoted... there is no in-between with an above-the-fold widget.

Evil Woobie - I like tagging Evil Woobie. It could just be the manimal in me but I like to think it's due to something higher... something finer... like her ... like.. well, I tried. ;-) The truth is, I'd be surprised if no one else has tagged her yet because Evil Woobie has a lot to offer; not only in love, romance and dating but, in general. Besides, Filipino bloggers are massively on the rise and no meme is complete without one - especially if they wear their widget above the fold. Go get woobied. (update, she got tagged by Turnip)

Blue Stem Winery - What good is an Entrecard meme without an extraordinary after-meme wine? Well, you find just such a thing at the Blue Stem Winery blog - along with an Entrecard widget above the fold. Even if you aren't a connoisseur of wines Blue Stem Winery will take you by the hand and show you how. And if you've never heard of a sommelier, you're in need of a visit - it will help you win more rice for the poor at... rice for the poor.

Honorable mention has to go to Turnip of Power just for writing, "I Hate Memes". He already got tagged, but he really cracked me up. Boy's got talent!

Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm going to leave my office cubicle, grab Evil Woobie and head over to Tetsujin's house... with all these above-the-fold Entrecard widgets making chaindropping a snap, that leaves us plenty of time to down a few bottles of rice wine and play with our widgets.

Oh Yes, and the Goat...

Now, Please, Click Here to Ping Me...

Technorati Tags: wordpress blogging blog tools blogging tools wordpress theme wordpress themes free wordpress themes blog widgets make money webmaster tools entrecard entrecard meme entrecard contest sam freedom chaindropping

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Make MASSIVE Money Online Using Entrecard - The Missing Ingredient!

It's not often I hate someone online much less a business, but when they do something absolutely amazing and forget to call me first, it's a bit of a challenge to not go postal. But I can let that go since what I'm about to show you is "the missing ingredient" that will allow you, and many others, to

Massively Monetize Your Entrecard Experience

Those who've been following my gallivanting over the past five years know very well...

There's Not A Whole Lot That Really Impresses Me

In the 5 years I've been working online, plus the 30 years working in my family's uber-successful business, I've developed not only a "sixth sense" about opportunities but a "seventh" and an "eighth." In short,

Anyone who has visited my blog these past couple of months knows that one of them is

ENTRECARD

Because Entrecard provides "the little guys and gals" MASSIVE benefit in terms of

• more targeted traffic than most new or low-budget bloggers have ever experienced;
• loads of untargeted traffic which can still, quiet easily, be harnessed and made useful;
• social networking via the forums and shop and it's all FREE...; plus
• incredible 3rd party synergies like the one I'm mentioning next...

PROJECT WONDERFUL

The cat is out of the bag on this one, though it's not "the missing ingredient." While Project Wonderful is not limited to Entrecarders, they are catching on by the droves. Because Project Wonderful...

• allows brand new bloggers to get a fast taste of what it's like to monetize their blogs;
• allows intermediate and advanced bloggers to auction prime real estate at decent prices;
• gives Entrecarders greater advertising reach not only on more Entrecarders blogs but countless people across the Project Wonderful landscape

Even those once dreadful "chaindroppers" that many Entrecarders don't know whether to love or hate.. are stopping to look around a little bit longer to see if there's any good Project Wonderful-related advertising opportunities available on blogs they're passing by - especially if they can see the Project Wonderful ad blocks near the Entrecard widget.

So, If That Was It, Things Would Still Be Pretty Grand...

Because what impresses me THE MOST are...

SYNERGIES

"The interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects."

So, Here It Is...
THE MISSING INGREDIENT

Listen closely now... because this is where even the least amongst us has the opportunity to start a huge avalanche of income just by rolling one tiny little stone. I have praised Entrecard up and down, IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS, because it has done something for ALL ITS MEMBERS such that even the LEAST ESTABLISHED bloggers are in a supremely better position to grow rapidly than the 100s of 1000s of non-Entrecard bloggers starting up every day.

Most of them are just dying for the traffic that even the LEAST of Entrecarders gets to his or her blog every day.

So Where's the Money?

But, how are MOST bloggers, let alone the newest bloggers, going to make any REAL money just toolin' around Entrecard and placing Project Wonderful Ad Blocks on their site that probably won't even sell for 3 cents in the beginning?

Easy...

Right Here,
Doing Something We All Already Do
ALL OF THE TIME

(Well, hold on just a sec...)

MARK MY WORDS...

• Entrecard keeps loading up the barrel with more and more fish every single HOUR of every single DAY;
• Project Wonderful, whether or not you actually make significant money from it, gives you unfettered access to both very highly-traveled Entrecard AND non-Entrecard blogger's blogs for a very, very reasonable daily fee... and sometimes for NOTHING.

Just like someone got to advertise on your Entrecard widget for 2 credits when it was new, you can EASILY get to advertise on new blogs at Project Wonderful for mere PENNIES! And if you spy a blog that gets 15,000 hits per day, it's absolutely worth spending up to $10 for a day, or more to get your ad on it...

IF...

IF You Have a Place to Send Them That Will Pay You For It Big Time and for a Long Time

SO WHERE'S THE MONEY?!?!?

Right Here
10 Levels Deep...

...And For Doing What You Already Always Do.

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, make money, webmaster tools, project wonderful

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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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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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Wikipedia - Google's Anna Nicole Smith

Remember that old set of Encyclopedia Britannica you have... somewhere downstairs? growing mold? up high, on a dusty old, shelf? Remember that one?

Don't Throw Those Old Encyclopedias Away Yet!

It seems there's another juicy bit of controversy going around.

The case I'm about to make is SO nefarious and worthy of extreme scrutiny that I'm surprised it hasn't been raised before in much greater detail.

My Assistant

Beginning with Fantomas' Fantomnews, Ralph Tegtmeier refuses to pull punches in both the name and the writing of his article, "The Spammer’s Guide to Wikipedia Hacking", a pretty-much, tongue-in-cheek look at how Google blindly throws its ability to manipulate search rankings behind a site that is uber-ripe for gaming,

"If you though that Wikipedia was a mildly nutty but essentially benevolent amateur community effort at an unprecedented scale, leveraging the wisdom of crowds to create an immensely useful repository of human knowledge - well, there’s no need to rethink that view as long as you know that you’re dealing with a venture that’s wildly unreliable and inaccurate in too many respects to seriously compete with the professional setups such as the Encyclopedia Britannica and others."

Of course, I'm going to take it a step further and say that there's nothing mildly nutty or essentially benevolent about it. It's EXTREMELY nutty and very dangerous. In case anyone hasn't quite noticed, there's a cute little Kumbaya-type slogan on the very top of Wikipedia's front page that goes like this:

Just In Case You're Brainfogged By All the BS Floating Around the Net These Days, Let Me Spell It Out For You:

SOCIAL ENGINEERING. HI GOOGLE.

Remember that AT BEST, Wikipedia is that "mildly nut bunch of essentially benevolent amateurs"? Well, at worst, it's an "extremely nutty bunch of amateurs with a naiveté that is essentially dangerous." Just how in the heck do these nutty, naive amateurs imagine that YOU can change the world just by donating money? Even at its very outset, that premise is speculative and borderlines on the ridiculous.

In Fact, Guess Where I Got This

"Before one can engage in social engineering, one must have reliable information about the society that is to be engineered, and one must have effective tools to carry out the engineering."

If you guess Wikipedia, you get a cookie and go to the head of the class. More precisely, it was in a sub-heading of "Social Engineering" titled, "Social Engineering Through History". But doesn't it all just sound so nice?

But, one very astute Digger, in response to the Digg pictured above wrote,

I'm not quite sure developing countries need Wikipedia on DVDs.
I'm not quite sure how much different Wikipedia on a book is different from an encyclopedia.
I'm not quite sure how much information you'll be able to fit on a pamphlet.

So you see, when you're sitting at home feeling pretty much like a powerless geek, the mere idea that donating $5 to Wikipedia can somehow transform you into a revolutionary for social change is understandably attractive. But like our "comrade digger", we, too, can avoid being sucked into a "social engineering funnel" if we just take a few seconds to put our precious grey matter to use.

Do you understand? Even just for starters, it reeks of such incredible juvenile thinking. Is there anything wrong with Britannica other than it doesn't employ nutty people who are essentially naive about their pawn-like contribution to social engineering? Or that socialists everywhere hate the fact that Britannica is a capitalist company that pays taxes in the U.S.?

Slow and Steady Wins the Race and with a Consistent,
3,600 Alexa Ranking, Britannica Ain't No Slouch

What is the Best Online Encyclopedia?

Which Brings Us Back to Google:

The Company That Censored Search Results for the Government of the Peoples' Republic of China

If Wikipedia is so awesome, and so capable of changing the world - and if Wikipedia, due to it's SugarDaddy, Google, is experiencing an impressive Top 10 traffic ranking in Alexa, then why, pray tell, are there only 26,000 donations?

After all, WE can change the world, right? So why aren't WE?

I'm not quite sure developing countries need Wikipedia on DVDs.
I'm not quite sure how much different Wikipedia on a book is different from an encyclopedia.
I'm not quite sure how much information you'll be able to fit on a pamphlet.

I think it's a safe bet that there's a LOT more who aren't quite sure from where he came. Oh, I'm sure, when that first Wikipedia DVD hits the streets of Chad or Madagascar, there'll be no shortage of news-hungry outlets covering it, but will it really be changing the world? No, it won't. If it were... if it could, there'd be no need to reinvent the wheel. Truly benevolent, non-nutty minds would just go to Encyclopedia Britannica and impress upon them their concept of changing the world by spreading DVD encyclopedias all around impoverished nations (accurate, non-gamed encyclopedias, mind you). But it's not about changing the world. As you'll soon understand, it's about "dreaming about" changing the world.

Btw, isn't that why nutty people think radical Islamists hate us? Because we spread our influence all over the place in the belief that we're doing good?

Do Wikipedians think they'll want copies of Wikipedia DVDs in Saudi Arabia? Yemen? Syria? Iran? Maybe Al-Qaeda would be more accepting of Wikipedia's world-changing DVDs if only the U.S. would get out of Iraq. I'll bet there's a bunch that actually believe that.

The Truth Is More Likely That...

Wait, isn't that the Nazi salute? ;-)

...it wouldn't matter if, even a year after this article, there were 100,000 donations made to Wikipedia. Because, if we take the quote with which Wikipedia so kindly provided us earlier...

"Before one can engage in social engineering, one must have reliable information about the society that is to be engineered, and one must have effective tools to carry out the engineering."Social engineering (political science)

...we can begin to see why Google plays J. Howard Marshall to Wikipedia's Anna Nicole Smith. Wikipedia doesn't know jack squat about the society that is to be engineered (in this case, the whole world). But once again, we have to thank those mildly nutty, borderline dangerous, naively manipulatable bunch of Wikipedians for helping us find a quote to couple with the previous one:

"Social engineering (security) is a collection of techniques used to manipulate people into performing actions or divulging confidential information. While similar to a confidence trick or simple fraud, the term typically applies to trickery for information gathering or computer system access and in most cases the attacker never comes face-to-face with the victim." Social engineering (security)

And that, of course, is where Google comes in.

Conclusion

Some may chalk it up to a difference of styles... or "professional courtesy", when well-known personalities in the SEO world acknowledge such odd results in a more toned-down or tongue-in-cheek way:

"By fixing the above issues, they may very well rank for the remaining 11 keywords." Aaron Wall, When Will Wikipedia Rank for Everything?

"From my perspective, there may be slightly less of an incentive for spammers to hit Wikipedia pages in the short term, but no less value to serious marketers seeking to boost traffic and authority by creating relevant Wikipedia links." Randy Fishkin "Wikipedia Finally Makes the Right Decision"

But, you see, this isn't just SEO - this is big-time social engineering on the part of Google. Rather than BUY Wikipedia, which they can't anyways, and screw it all up with their "Do No Evil"-style of evil, they just get Wikipedia drunk with lots of Google juice. And just like J. Howard Marshall gave Anna Nicole money and Howard K. Stern (allegedly) gave Anna Nicole drugs, none of them really cared WHO she slept with as long as she'd flash them her ta-tas once in a while.

I'll say it again - Google doesn't care about you. The only thing they care about is serving ads - the more targeted the better. And as long as all the mildly nutty, essentially benevolent, little do-gooding Wikipedians think that their 26,000 donations "to-date" are going to help them spread Wikipedia goodness all throughout Chad and the Ivory Coast, then we can thank them for helping Google to better "serve" (read: game) us.

EARTH TO GOOGLE AND WIKIPEDIA...!

ILLITERATE, STARVING CHILDREN CAN'T READ OR EAT DVDS.

AND JUICING UP WIKIPEDIA SO YOU CAN STUDY US EVEN MORE IS EVIL.

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The Ridiculously Simple Solution to Blogger Error Codes When Installing or Publishing a Template or Layout

"Look! Up in the Sky! It's a Bird...It's a Plane... It's Superman!"

No it's not.  It's Blogger publishing error codes.  And at last count, there were at least 5 error codes specific to New Blogger that seemed to provide the bulk of the angst plaguing both newbies and techno-geeks alike.  The error codes all seem to occur during an attempt to either install a new template OR publish one with new mods.  The errors include, but might not be limited to:

1. Error code bX-aigizw;
2. Error code bX-bl6ew0;
3. Error code bX-8o4rmd;
4. Error code bX-88j389; and,
5. Error code bX-1n3uk8

As I ran face first into a couple of these blogger error notifications myself, I surfed on over to Google's "Blogger Help" group to immediately begin an inquiry.  Once I arrived, I found no shortage of the usual cries for help by countless bloggers seeking solutions to the very same set of demonic error codes.

But Then I Noticed Something Peculiar

Actually, I noticed a few things that were peculiar.

First, there were no solutions!  There were a handful of replies by the usual good Samaritans who really wanted to help but, as you'll seen see, they were doing so in vain.  Many responses focused on whether or not the blogger template's XML code was clean or properly installed.  While others suggested that maybe the blogger had too many widgets or had somehow duplicated widget IDs by "pasting the template code" into to the save window rather than uploading it.

(But remember, that's just filler text because none of that mattered.)

Second, inquiries about blogger publishing error codes were rarely ever followed up with a second inquiry and definitely not with a third.  If any of us had a problem publishing our modified templates or installing new ones, we'd be bouncing all over the map trying to find an answer.  Yet in almost every instance, there was the initial complaint, then maybe a follow-up the next day.  And then.... crickets.   Cheep, cheep.... cheep cheep...

So, No Solutions, Yet Few, If Any, Follow-Ups Equals?

(These poor, poor, people all have a bad case of
Error Codes bX-aigizw; bX-bl6ew0; bX-8o4rmd; bX-88j389; and, bX-1n3uk8 )

But wait.  There was a third thing that was peculiar:   no solutions, no followup and.... no solutions anywhere on Google search results! 

Everyone with an error code problem of ANY kind knows they can usually just run right over to Google, plug in the error code (and sometimes another word or two) and, voila, 8 zillion results come up from techno-droid forums and blogs all across the universe.  So isn't "no solutions, very few follow-ups and no solutions on Google search results" just a tad bit unusual for a blogger publishing error code that seems to trouble so many unsuspecting bloggers?

So Then What Is It?!  And Why Does This Have to Be So Eerie?!!

"WHEN IN DOUBT, REBOOT!"

I won't go into complete detail as to how I troubleshot this thing.  It's enough to just say that I had like 20 tabs open across 3 windows on Firefox and another 5 windows open on IE (because you can only log into one gmail acct per browser).  I was going to do a full reboot but wanted to see if it would really be enough just to free up a bunch of resources and after shutting down both browsers and restarting FireFox, there were no more publishing error codes and my blogs published like a charm.

IN CONCLUSION

To answer Aditya who, in the first comment on Improbulus', "Blogger Error Code Blog" post, asked...

""How can an error exist that the programmers don’t know about? Shouldn’t errors on an implemented system be known? Otherwise how is the system running?"

...the answer is:  Because they weren't following Chris Ortman on Twitter.  Had they been, they'd have solved that "problem" in no-time!

(Btw, if you have a sense of humor, then take 2 seconds and follow Chris Ortman on Twitter.  He'll just start getting massive follow notices out of the clear blue for no apparent reason at all and it'll boggle his mind.)

And if you want to help bloggers who are desperate for an answer to these error code problems, then link back.  Even though they're only going to suffer for about 18 hours tops, do you really want them to suffer that long when a simple link back could have helped prevent it all?

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PayPerJokes Crime and Google Does Evil - My First Review

Ah, sweet controversy is in the air and I just can't tell you how much I love it.

After commenting on Andy Beard's article about Pay-Per-Joke and reading one of his Stumbles about the same, I just had to laugh and finish something I'd wanted to start a few weeks ago.

First, let's get it clear:  Google doesn't care about you.  It's a company that has to pretend to care about you and many of you really believe it does because it provides an opportunity for the godless to feel as if they belong to something much larger and much better than themselves.  I honestly realize how tempting it is to want to believe that Google is good or, in the very least, benign.  But it isn't...

No, I'm Sorry People.  It Isn't Even Neutral.

You see, when technology outpaces the consciousness of those who develop it and, most certainly, those for whom it is intended to serve, then we got a big problem here, folks.

Too Good to Be True?

Not too long ago, a company I'll call Pay-Per-Joke (not it's real name) came onto the scene.  In the only nutshell that really matters, advertisers paid no-name, Q-list bloggers to write reviews about their sites for pennies on the dollar of what REAL reviews from REAL reviewers should cost.  But ever the desperate bunch, many bloggers, who were starved from having believed in the Adsense dream, all went a-flocking to Pay-Per-Joke for their thimbleful of monetary goodness (note: I have to exclude bloggers like Andy Beard from such characterizations, as well as others of his level, who qualify as REAL reviewers.  Even big fish get caught once in a while...).

And for those who can't already tell... the reviewee got not only a review of questionable quality but, more importantly, a quality BACKLINK surrounded by highly relevant, targeted keywords.

Now Wait Just A Gosh Darn Minute...

Now I might not be a rocket scientist, but isn't that a barely veiled scheme to sell links?  Of course it was.  After all a REAL review should be done by someone who actually USES a product or site, or lives and breathes the topic, and not by someone who just graduated from college and only knows how to research a term paper.  In fact, it wasn't too long ago that I pretty much warned anyone passing through in, "Get Your Vaseline Out, Google Is At It Again (re: Paid Links)".  I mean, why couldn't people see this coming?  And do you notice I don't even use Pay-Per-Joke's real name on my blog?  Coincidence?  Because Google is ferreting them out with a vengeance.

When Knowing Too Much Can Get You "Killed."

Andy Beard has shared his thoughts-a-plenty on the Pay-Per-Joke matter even BEFORE his site was eviscerated because of it:

"Now I should point out that at this time Google is interpreting this as gaming PageRank. I personally feel this is the wrong interpretation, but then my own interpretation could be extremely biased. I have been penalized by Google, even though I believe I don't sell PageRank." (Andy Beard, "Pied Piper of [Pay-Per-Joke]". I don't want PPJ's name on my blog even in a link so I left the other links instead.)

There's no doubt in the mind of anyone who knows Andy that he's one of the most knowledgeable, well-informed sources about SEO but what he was up against, all the while, wasn't SEO - what he was up against was mechanics and a bit of psychology. 

Andy has been "technically" right.

"Compensation in whatever form should be based upon the time involved, expertise, and possibly the size and influence of the audience, and not based upon any SEO benefit to a site or service being reviewed."

But corporations, whose main interest is their survival, don't always care about what is technically right (see: "Warning! Big Twitter Is Watching YOU!").  And Pay-Per-Joke was the equivalent of a "Pagerank hemorrhage on the horizon" and Google couldn't sit around and wait for Pay-Per-Joke to get their "ethics department" up to snuff. ;-)

PAY-PER-JOKE WAS A PAID LINK SCHEME, PERIOD.

The fact is, PPJ was a paid link scheme.  I mean, let's just call things what they are.  When I had once dipped my toe into the pool of black hat experimentation, I didn't pretend it was anything else.  So why are people writing 8,000 posts about this matter?  IT'S PAID LINKS AND GOOGLE DOESN'T LIKE THAT.  And all the "technically correct" opinions about it aren't going to change the only fact that matters to Google because Google's primary interest is Google.  It's not interested in people who unwittingly get caught in the crossfire, like Andy, or a bunch of starving young chickadees who were only guilty of chasing after what seemed like a really good meal.

In short, we're all losers in that one, folks.  And, in my opinion, a crime has been committed... just not one that's on the books yet.

FULL DISCLOSURE

This article serves as my REVIEW of Pay-Per-Joke.  Even though Pay-Per-Joke summarily denied my blog...

"Thank you for your blog submission! 

Unfortunately, we are unable to approve your blog because it fails to meet one or more requirements from our Terms of Service.  Specifically, blogs must not have any non-writing periods of 30+days in the past 90 days. After your blog meets the criteria listed in our Terms, then you may resubmit."

...they still fiendishly allowed me, as an applicant waiting for acceptance, to work on the first opportunity:  a review about pay-per-joke.

So what I want to know is...

WHERE'S MY 20 BUCKS?!!??!

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