Jun
2nd
The site will be down for anywhere from a few hours to a day… possibly more. I’m doing some moving of things and I just want to warn everyone!
May
30th
I’m still getting emails about “what book to buy” or “what’s the best way to learn Affiliate Marketing”.
Look, I’m going to tell you one way and you’re going to hear another way from the next guy… but, here’s my opinion.
I learned 99% of my “foundation” knowledge from Wealthy Affiliate. It’s an amazing program and I seriously thank god that I found it. I really do. It’s definitely worth every penny. Especially for Bum Marketers (beginners and even advanced), thanks to programs such as Rapid Writer (new).
Books to buy? Nothing off the top of my head, to be honest. Everything you need can be read at Wealthy Affiliate… BUT, if you’re looking to save the money because you’re having financial issues - then check out all of the great blogs out there!
For one (not blowing my own horn here, just easy to find) - I have a series called “Getting Started In Affiliate Marketing” that can help you get started.
Once you get the basics down - I highly suggest checking out other blogs such as:
CashTactics.net
CDFNetworks.com
ClickConsultants.com
illeat.com
JonathanVolk.com
Shoemoney.com (general “make money”)
UberAffiliate.com
ZacJohnson.com
There’s just a small list… mostly because they’re my favorites right now. I realize I said Shoemoney was getting boring - but he seems to be getting back on track lately. Good stuff.
Affiliate Conspiracy… is it good?
Simple and to the point. It’s by Eric Rockefeller… NO. Those guys (the entire group… you’ll see if you don’t listen) are well known sh*t peddlers who repackage the same old regurgitated crap over and over with a new spin.
If it smelled like crap in the other box, it will still smell the same when you open the new one! Stay away…
There’s not much to learn from ebooks, to be honest, when it comes to this business. When it comes down to more technical stuff, vtc.com has some great video tutorials for HTML, Javascript, PHP, MySQL, etc…don’t waste time on ebooks.
Lynda.com has great video tuts on designing websites, graphics, etc. check out the University monthly membership program, not the DVD’s… you’ll save a ton of money.
Everything else can be learned for free by blogs or by GOOD, trustworthy membership programs like Wealthy Affiliate, if you’re a newbie. It’s worth every penny.
Once you get going, you’ll figure things out from there and you’ll hopefully get a better understanding of how pathetic the IM niche is and who to trust, who not to trust., etc.
Hope this helps!
May
27th
Sorry to those who couldn’t access my site. Apparently my Host decided to change the name of the localhost on me without letting me know.
Thanks to Nick over at illeat.com for alerting me of the situation!
May
22nd
Firefox 3 has been out for about a week now and I’ve had the chance to play around with it over the past few days… I love it. The interface is “fresh”, the Artificial Intelligence thing they got going on is definitely helpful.
I think I remember a function similar to the “search in location bar” in AOL’s old browser? Either way, it’s VERY helpful and I’ve found a TON of sites that I’ve forgotten about over the past year!
I noticed Gmail is MUCH faster, especially when searching for emails.
Now, this is NOT the final release… it’s Release Candidate 1. So, with all RC’s — it may have a few bugs or other issues…but, let’s face it, it’s not IE - so you’re probably going to be fine =)~
May
1st
I’ve been MIA over the past few weeks, as you can see. But, I’ve been around.
I have been really busy with different stuff, so I haven’t really felt like writing anything on the blog lately.
You’ll be seeing more posts from me next week, but not much over the next few days… just wanted to let people know that I am still alive and breathing! 
Apr
16th
For those who are looking for Funeral information for Jeanette Velazquez, please see the information below.
The funeral services will be held at:
The Gathering at Corona
1901 W. Ontario Ave.
Corona, California
Their Phone Number:
(951) 734-3788
The Gathering @ Corona Official Website
Jenette Velazquez, Jeanete Velazquez, Jeanete Velazquez, janette, janet, janete, jannette, janette, Velasquez (Possible Misspellings)
Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, Corona, Norco
Mother of Innette McFarland, Lynette (Michelle) Alvarez and Alicia Velazquez
Apr
15th
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… most Internet Marketers are full of sh!t. Everything that comes out of their mouths should be verified… seriously.
Reed Floren sent out an email today talking about Mike Filsaime (the guy I’ve already blasted over a year ago). In his email he stated the following:
I’m sure you know who Mike Filsaime is. If you don’t,
you’ve obviously been out of town for an extended period
of time.
Mike is the undisputed King of viral marketing and has
been for the past several years. But I believe he just
started his own de-throning!
Interesting!
I guess Microsoft should have hired Mr. Filsaime to help them with Hotmail, the creators of YouTube.com could have done the same. Let’s not mention MySpace, Google, Yahoo, etc…
Heck, maybe Henry Ford could have used Mr. Filsaime to help him introduce people to the automobile.
Ahhh… the world could have used Mike Filsaime in so many ways. Imagine if they could have used his expertise that he used for…wait for it…
Butterfly Marketing!
Yeah. Just imagine.
I like Russell Brunson, but hey - even he is full of sh!t.
I got an email from him today (same day as Reed Floren’s), and the subject line said:
the only marketer i’ve ever hired
Now, we know Subject lines are supposed to reel you in… but, you’re supposed to be ON TARGET with the rest of your story, right?
He explains:
Yes, I paid him $1,000 for a 1 hour phone call.
That one hour call resulted in over $50,000 in revenue within 7
days, and is now responsible for almost $100k a WEEK (yes, a week)
consistently in revenues…
OK, so he’s claiming that recently (today is April 15th, 2008) that he hired this guy for a 1 hour phone call… the “only marketer he’s ever hired”.
Yet, when he launched the 12 Month Millionaire, he claimed to hire Mr. Vince James for the same thing?
Anyone remember that?
Oh well, I just got a little laugh when I read both of those emails today… pretty hilarious and contradicting! Not to mention just plain ridiculous (Reed Floren).
Apr
14th
I just found out that my best friends Mother passed away this past weekend. Having lived with her for years, I can say that she was a very straight forward, no BS’ing, in your face personality… but she was one of the kindest souls I’ve ever met in my life.
I didn’t get the chance to talk to her in 2008… I found out she had cancer (in the kidney) in December, 2007, and I only spoke to her briefly. She was very positive (as she always seemed to be over the past 8 years) and seemed to be staying strong for her family and friends who were obviously scared.
Her Daughter, Lynette, got married in the Hospital and even had news coverage ( as seen here )… I’m sure she was happy to witness that.
Her youngest Daughter, Alicia (my best friend), has overcome a major drug addiction that led her to incarceration on a few occasions. Unfortunately, I’m worried that things might spiral out of control soon - as she loved her mother very much… they were extremely close.
With all of the Airline cancellations at DFW Airport, I’m thinking I won’t be able to make it to her funeral in California… I guess we’ll see how it goes.
We’ll definitely miss her. Rest In Peace, Jeanette! I love you!
Apr
14th
I purchased Site Sniper Pro last week and have been testing it out… so far, I like it a lot for doing Placement Targeting campaign research, but I’m not recommending it just yet. I don’t want to recommend anymore products that I’m not 110% sure of.
I’ll give it another week and try to do a review of the program if I can remember to…
I apologize to all my readers out there… please see my post regarding 4 weeks of not smoking and that should explain my lack of posts on this blog over the past month.
Apr
14th
So, today is officially the first full month of not smoking. Feels great knowing that I’m on my way to another year of not smoking, but I hope this is “it”, once and for all!
Since I quit smoking, I decided it was time to start getting back into shape. I miss being in good shape… I started getting there before the end of last summer, but then I stopped for stupid reasons, including picking up smoking.
My eating habits became crappy, started drinking, stopped working out.
Now, I’m eating extremely healthy lately, with 1-3 “cheat” meals a month… depending on how I feel about my progress. I’m doing cardio every day, lifting every other day and trying my best to keep sane.
Unfortunately, I’ve become mentally drained over the past month… I put all of my energy into my morning workouts (yes, I drink a recovery drink), focus on working on my campaigns over the next few hours but it seems like things just are not getting done…
Lately, I’ve HAD to start taking afternoon naps. Lucky me…yeah, yeah. I honestly wish I didn’t have to.
When I was smoking, I didn’t have to worry about crashing midway through the day… not to mention the fact that I was amped up on Soda/Coca-Cola all day (sorry, didn’t want to use the word “coke” and give anyone the wrong impression ;-)).
I’m pushing forward, though. My goal is to get into the best shape of my life before my next Birthday, which is on July 1st. Should be hard… but, I’m going to make it happen. I’m 2 weeks into Precision nutrition and cardio, and 1 week into Weight Training, so that makes it a total of 3 months.
Unfortunately, it’s killing my work time by not having as much energy.
Stupid cigarettes…
Apr
1st
This year was the first year that I’ve never pulled an April Fools prank on somebody. I’m pretty sure it’s the first time ever since I was about 8 years old…
I was wondering why today was so boring. I still have a few hours left… maybe I’ll think of someone to fool before the night is over?
What did you do to someone today? =)
Mar
27th
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I’ve been dealing with a ton of stuff, including work and trying to focus on not smoking, eating healthier, etc.
I’ll be posting more starting this weekend!
Mar
27th
I’ve just opted out of 18 different IM lists because I’ve gotten “accidental” duplicate emails from just about every big named IM guy and girl on the planet… If it wasn’t an accident, it was a blatant “f$%# you or purchase this product” approach. That pisses me off. Hopefully their lists and reputations are destroyed over that… sorry, but I’m absolutely DISGUSTED by all of the emails I’ve gotten over the past 48 hours regarding this “amazing formula”.
Yeah yeah… amazing. Another ’secret’ being sold. I’m going to bet that this product contains less valuable information than any book you can find on Amazon. That’s usually how it works…
Take the book ‘Call To Action’ by Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg. That book can be purchased on Amazon.com for about $15.00 or less…
Yet, all of these “Internet Marketing Experts” that have yet to create ANY successful Website (or even a landing page, for that matter) seem to sell their “landing page Systems” for a minimum of $97… pathetic.
The difference? The Eisenberg’s company has worked with the following companies (Just RECENTLY):
- Cardscan
- ProFlowers
- GE
- Leo Schachter Diamonds
- Overstock.com
- SAS
- Disney
- CBS Interactive
- NBC Universal
- PriceWaterhouseCoopers
- Volvo International
- Southern Company
- BuyTelco
- Allegis Group’s Thingamajob
- WebEx
- CafePress
- Shoeline
Gee… who shall we choose? Someone who developed a Website for one of the biggest IM Launches in history (not real, just for my own amusement)? Or… a few guys who have worked with a few “big” companies that practically beg them to take their money and give them great results?
The point is — DON’T purchase Product Launch Formula… no, I’m not going to offer you some “fantastic” or “unbelievable” bonuses that I picked up from ebay or I created during my lunch break…
I’m simply saying - do not purchase it.
A) You probably do not need it (99% sure most of you will not)
B) In a few months you can still get it… probably for cheaper… if you even need it.
C) You can find a book, or several books, that will teach you more about Product Launches than this product will…
As far as I know - Jeff Walker is probably a great guy. But, he’s not the best “product launch expert” and he’s not the only one with a “Product Launch” product…about to be launched
I don’t need to see the product… I’ve seen all of the latest “GREATEST” programs and was not impressed with 99.9% of them.
If you’re wondering which products I may be referring to — just think about all of the last few “Jeff Walker” product launches… I guarantee you that I’ve tried them all/seen them all and I was NOT impressed.
So, this Product Launch of Product Launch Formula is not going to impress me one bit… I guarantee it.
A) I don’t have a product that will be launched …
B) When I DO launch a product, it will be free and I will use the same resources and techniques you’ll learn in his program.
C) I own several Product Launch programs and/or books… I don’t need another.
Sorry for the long rant… but when you’re expecting a few important emails and you’re getting the SAME emails over and over from the same 20 guys or so… all talking about how much Jeff Walker helped THEM…
They all have the same stories and the same types of Bonuses…
These Affiliates make me sick…
Oh yeah… who in the hell is going to purchase this product for $1997? (or 3 payments of $747!?)!??!
That’s crazy… I hope you didn’t get suckered into this one!
And to think that I hesitate telling people about products I DO believe in, that I know will work for MOST of the people who take advantage of them… Wealthy Affiliate, for one. I would ask someone to slap me with a Monkey Wrench before I push a $2,000 product on someone, knowing it will be available to ANYONE who REALLY wanted to see it, within a few days… (free) and knowing that the MAJORITY of those people who DO purchase the product WILL NOT benefit from the product.
Eh…
Here’s a thought… check out Robert B. Cialdini’s Psychology of Persuasion. I can guarantee you that book will be of MUCH more help than any Product Launch Formula.
/rant
Mar
20th
I quit smoking back in September, 2006; but I started up in August, 2007, unfortunately.
The truth is, I gave into the habit because my Girlfriend (at the time) was a smoker. Stupid me.
Thankfully, I’ve quit again. I’m on Day 4 and I feel pretty good… I think the first 3 days are always the easiest, although others claim the first 72 hours are the hardest. Those are probably “experts” who have never actually experienced withdrawals (”experts”, the irony).
So, I haven’t been very active in Blogging and have actually cut down my work hours by about HALF, if not more, over the past 4 days - due to Smoking Cessation…
I think 99% of smoking is all in your head (you get used to ____ when you smoke, or you smoke when you ____ [fill in the blanks aka excuses for why you cannot quit). It’s not easy to kick, but I’ve done it before… I’ve decided to go all out and I purchased Precision nutrition, again, to give myself a swift kick in the ass.
Honestly, I feel so much better than I did the last time I quit. I think my body was just getting used to NOT SMOKING, when I decided to get back into it. Stupid me. What a disgusting habit. The smell alone is worth quitting! I hated the smell, even as a smoker!
So, if you haven’t been able to get in touch with me - give me a little time… I’m trying to stay in tune with the world, but when you quit smoking - you’re a little more tired than usual!
Feb
27th
I’m on Rob Benwell’s JV list to promote his new product that will be launching next Tuesday… I had the book sitting around for a few days and I finally gave it a quick look and noticed that this book was “straight-to-the-point” information… I really liked it.
So, the next day (after I was done reading through it), I saw that he was looking for Testimonials. Now, I won’t lie, I RARELY give out testimonials for products because I did that back in 2004 for The Rich Jerk, which I later realized was NOT a good book… I was a newbie, though! I didn’t know any better.
The only other Testimonials I’ve given in my life was on Amazon.com for Adwords for Dummies, then another for phpfox and, most recently, Wealthy Affiliate University. All products I truly believe in (although phpfox has been shaky over the past year or so — but they ARE cleaning up their act, and the product is much better now).
With this book, I found it to be very good, to say the least. I’ve read hundreds of Internet Marketing ebooks - and even a few that I’ve discussed on here… but there’s only a few I truly believe are worth the money. Sneaky Affiliate Cheats is one… another? Can’t seem to think of any worth buying…
This book, though, is definitely going to be worth the money to a few people. I can’t say it’s for ANYBODY - because I’d be lying… it’s more for Beginners and even Intermediate level Marketers.
Anyhow, when I submitted the Testimonial - it had NOTHING to do with winning the prize… as a matter of fact, I didn’t even realize there WAS a prize until today! My Testimonial was purely out of “thanks” for the information it covered. I just knew that it would be worth the price, once it was launched. It’s one of those books that you may look at and think ‘yeah, I already knew this…’ — but then the next part throws a curve ball and you’re eyes stop and scroll back up… it’s definitely a breath of fresh air from the norm.
When it comes to ebooks - I’ve literally read them all… anything new - I read through them quickly and think “blah”… nothing here but rehashed junk. Truthfully, I don’t recommend any paid ebooks from the creators of Wealthy Affiliate - because you get that information from WA, ANYHOW! That’s why you won’t see me promoting those books. They’re useless, in my opinion. Wealthy Affiliate is the place to be - so I keep it at that.
Can you imagine my excitement when I noticed MY name as the winner of a Mac Book? Wow… I’m still antsy about it! Sure, I could have purchased one… but, that’s the difference! When you WIN something you were not expecting - your excitement level is like a kid on Christmas morning!
Want to know something funny? I was JUST looking at Mac Books last night… the first computer with a GUI OS, that I used was actually a MAC TV. I love Mac’s and I’m excited to get this one in my hands! =)
Thanks, Rob! (if you ever read this!)
Feb
16th
OFF TOPIC:
Anyone watch Tank Abbott vs. Kimbo Slice tonight on Showtime? Wow… I think I’ve seen better performances in the WWE!
Tank’s a hometown guy, out of Huntington Beach, California… I’ve watched him for years, obviously, but this was just unreal. I can’t say Kimbo didn’t look a lot better than his YouTube videos (thanks to Bas Rutten, my favorite fighter), but seriously… if that was not a fixed fight - I don’t know what is.
A. Why did Tank look nervous before the fight? He’s never done that before… looked like something was bothering him.
B. Why did Tank start falling before the ref stopped the fight the first time?
C. Why did Tank not get recover time after the cheap shots to the back of the head?
D. Why did Tank leave his head open for shots so much? He’s never done that in his life…
E. Why did Tank not throw very many punches? That’s not like him…
I know all of the Kimbo lovers will come in and disagree… but, I just watched the fight THREE TIMES now and I see a COMPLETE FIX!
Apparently, people thought his fight against Bo Cantrell was a fix, too…
Now, most MMA fans know Tank hasn’t been so great over the last 10 years - but he still comes out to FIGHT! This was a total fixed fight and a complete joke.
I hope he got paid good for that junk!
Feb
12th
No, this has nothing to do with Affiliate Marketing, but this is one of my favorite Television shows of all time… I’m surprised it was canceled after the season finale last year, but it’s back starting tonight!
Tune in to CBS tonight! It comes on at 10 Eastern time, 9 central.
Check it out! It’s a great show!
UPDATE: AT&T UVERSE SUCKS!
I switched from Dish Network to ATT Uverse a few months back and was happy until tonight… of course, 3 minutes into the show, CBS became froze. No other channels had issues, only CBS. Now I missed the first comeback episode of Jericho. Bye bye uVerse!
Feb
7th
Hey everyone, I just found out I will be gone for the Weekend. If you try to email me and I am not replying, this is why!
I will be doing Part 7 of Getting Started With Affiliate Marketing and I will post it up before I leave.
If you’ve signed up for my list, you should have received the Affiliate Cloaker script that I sent to everyone earlier. It’s nothing big, but it works great! Enjoy!
Jan
30th
I’ve always had a problem with so called Internet Marketing ‘Gurus’, but they get on my nerves over and over again…
Recently, I pretty much came to the rescue of a major Keyword program offered on Clickbank. I won’t say the name - but the guy who owns it is very well known in the Internet Marketing world.
What had happened was that his Download and Registration page was showing up in the SERPS and people were abusing the system and taking advantage of his mishap… they were legally registering the program and downloading it without any problems.
Not once did this guy offer anything to me in return, not even a thanks until I became a bit irritated and wrote him back a few days later with a “you’re welcome”… I figured I at least deserved that? He replied with some junk programs that he no longer sells. I never used them, but at least “I” had the courtesy of saying thanks. Oddly enough, he wouldn’t even give me a copy of the program I saved from being taken advantage of. OK?
So the other day I noticed a pretty popular Affiliate had sent me an email to this recently big launch of this program (in November, I believe?) that was on special for only $4.95 and $39.95 each month. I figured “hmmmmm… I bet my readers would like a deal like that!”. So I contacted him and asked him what was up with getting my readers that deal… his reply was simply asking me how many people I have on my list.
Seeing as how I don’t push my list too much on this site, as well as the fact that I just now started using an opt-in form, I explained that I don’t have a 1,000+ member list, but my blog readers would more than likely be interested in the deal.
His response? Nothing…
Basically, here’s what happened. The guy wanted to sell a few more copies for dirt cheap as a favor for his Affiliate/Guru buddy who probably did him a favor in the past…but he didn’t want the link to “get out”.
I guess I’m old fashioned and believe that when someone sends you a reply, whether you like it or not, at least reply back with SOMETHING?
Now you didn’t think I wasn’t going to let this go, did you? ha ha… here’s the link - so grab it if you want it for cheap! There’s absolutely NO affiliate link with this, but please read the information!
I figure that if he didn’t want to make Sales, he shouldn’t be placing the link for buddies only, right?
I don’t dislike the guy, I’m just surprised that some people stay in Business with that type of disrespect. I get a ton of emails all day long and I’m quick to respond and my readers who ask those questions will agree. I do understand that people get busy, but too busy until it comes to a few extra bucks? Not cool.
Jan
18th
Aughhh. I wonder what this will mean to PHP, Python, Ruby On Rails and other developers? I’ve been using MySQL for about… 3 years now… maybe 4? But I wonder if this will affect other Developers who have used MySQL, strictly, for all of their projects?
Hopefully nothing more than commercial licensing (rather than bite the hands that fed them)…?
Hmmmm… I know this has nothing to do with Affiliate/Internet Marketing, but in a way - it does… hope it doesn’t affect many people!
Sun announced an agreement to acquire MySQL AB, an open source icon and developer of one of the world’s fastest growing open source databases. This acquisition accelerates Sun’s position in enterprise IT to now include the $15 billion database market and reaffirms Sun’s position as the leading provider of platforms for the Web economy and its role as the largest commercial open source contributor.