The End Of The Xfactor Forum

[1byte]

Originally Posted by Radix

As for what was purchased, you paid for a "membership." If WF closed their doors tomorrow for legal reasons, I doubt they'd provide a database to former members.

I would expect a business to at least give me a "heads up" before closing shop, which would enable me to make last minute purchases - or in the case of a forum - a chance to retrieve/save any useful posts.

[CanuckWarrior]

Originally Posted by 1byte

I would expect a business to at least give me a "heads up" before closing shop, which would enable me to make last minute purchases - or in the case of a forum - a chance to retrieve/save any useful posts.

I think many of us feel that way, but you're beating a dead horse at this point.

Like Radix said, John wears the liability, not us. Had I known earlier that some nutcase threatened his family over a stupid forum I wouldn't have said anything about the forum being closed in the first place.

John is refunding the video course payments to us, the updated ebook will come out whenever and we'll get it for free, plus a new, stricter (which I applaud) forum will open up where we can still discuss ideas.

Not that bad an outcome (imo) considering how it could have turned out.

[1byte]

Originally Posted by CanuckWarrior

I think many of us feel that way, but you're beating a dead horse at this point.

Like Radix said, John wears the liability, not us. Had I known earlier that some nutcase threatened his family over a stupid forum I wouldn't have said anything about the forum being closed in the first place.

John is refunding the video course payments to us, the updated ebook will come out whenever and we'll get it for free, plus a new, stricter (which I applaud) forum will open up where we can still discuss ideas.

Not that bad an outcome (imo) considering how it could have turned out.

Yeah, you're right, I'm beating a dead horse

Time to move on, and make some money...

[guest]

Originally Posted by Radix

I would have done the same thing. Owning a forum can be a massive legal liability. You can have solid disclaimers and agreements in place and you're still not bullet proof as the owner.

As for what was purchased, you paid for a "membership." If WF closed their doors tomorrow for legal reasons, I doubt they'd provide a database to former members.

It's likely there were other things that will never be made public regarding the removal of the forum data, but John has the right to protect himself. As the forum owner, he carries far more liability than any of the members.

You cannot delete a forum for "legal reasons". It would almost be like shredding all your old documents when your being investigated. If anything - you would need to keep them to prove you didnt do anything illegal. Removing them makes you seem very suspicious.

[Terry Gorry]

Originally Posted by guest

You cannot delete a forum for "legal reasons". It would almost be like shredding all your old documents when your being investigated. If anything - you would need to keep them to prove you didnt do anything illegal. Removing them makes you seem very suspicious.

Deleting a forum where you are served with legal proceedings in a civil suit would be more than just suspicious, it would be clearly prejudicial to the other side's ability to run their case and would leave you open to further problems.(legal problems)

Given John's claims about theft of his paypal account (criminal matter) and threats to his family and himself (criminal matter) it would not be advisable to delete any evidence which might be needed if an investigation is being carried out by the appropriate authorities.

As for the forum itself, my view is that it was good while it lasted but its over.

I wish everybody the very best of luck with trying to resurrect it or an alternative but sometimes you simply can't go back..

Terry

[scrapgirl42]

Originally Posted by smr1968

I'm afraid it's the $111 a day thread now

I'm working towards $200 a day by Xmas 2010

Good luck

I wish I was afraid I was making $111 per day

Great job and good luck making it to $200. This is from Adsense right? I loved your threads because the kept me motivated. I am moving in the right direction, but just at about $15 per day, but I do have one site that is making a consistant $3-8 per day.

Please pop in and tell us how you are progressing

[XFactor]

Hi Everyone,

I'd like to make an official post here, as requested by one of the mods
from my forum. Then it's back to work.

Below are some brief points addressing some questions on this thread:


1) Yes, All Posts Are Deleted

I did not delete my forum for legal reasons, I was simply sick of it all
(I explained this on the forum notice at my site, so stop by to read it).

At that point, I had absolutely no intentions of running the forum, ever
again.


2) Yes, I'll Re-Open The Forum (From Scratch)

With a change of heart due to talking and emailing with quite a few of my
wonderful members and mods, I will re-open the forum in the next 2 weeks.

This week and into the next I'm focusing 100% on my coaching clients
getting their sites launched, so once they are all caught up then I'll open
the doors.

Once opened, I'd like to put in time to help with posting and to get the
forum off to a good start again.


3) Video Refunds Are Going Out (as replied via email)

The project is a bust and I've got an email list of all refunds. They will
be going out as soon as my paypal account is finished with the hacking
issue and re-opens my send-and-receive privileges.


4) Finally, For Those Of You That Do Not Like Me(TOUGH)

If you do not like me or any of the mistakes I've made, fine. Get over it.

Whining about it in the forum will not be tolerated (or whining about any
other person for that matter).

I made my share of mistakes and failures for all the world to see, and
now I realize that it's best not to take your comments personally.

If that means I have to harden up a bit by providing my services, forum
and publishing experience - while putting up with a few ass-holes along
the way - so be it.

- John

[joesemo]

Hi John,

Glad to see you want to reopen the forum.

Most people are not very successful in internet marketing in their first couple of years and think that they never will.

You have found a way to make a living on the internet and this alone will make people jealous of you.

The fact that you were willing to show people exactly what you were doing puts you ahead of most of the so called gurus that found something that worked for a month or two, and once it stopped working they made an ebook to try and bank more money.

Do not let the idiots and the stalkers bring you down. Make sure to protect your assets and your family first.

[Roland]

Hi John

3) Video Refunds Are Going Out (as replied via email)

The project is a bust and I've got an email list of all refunds. They will
be going out as soon as my paypal account is finished with the hacking
issue and re-opens my send-and-receive privileges.

Just to clarify, does this mean you have already emailed people on the video list that have paid the fee that you are going to refund them please?

Or will you just refund when you have sen and reply privileges back without sending an initial email?

If it is the first thing, then I haven't received an email yet and am a video customer

I would appreciate your clarification, thank you

[buzzpoint]

I agree with Joesemo. Well said.

Originally Posted by joesemo

Hi John,

Glad to see you want to reopen the forum.

Most people are not very successful in internet marketing in their first couple of years and think that they never will.

You have found a way to make a living on the internet and this alone will make people jealous of you.

The fact that you were willing to show people exactly what you were doing puts you ahead of most of the so called gurus that found something that worked for a month or two, and once it stopped working they made an ebook to try and bank more money.

Do not let the idiots and the stalkers bring you down. Make sure to protect your assets and your family first.

[GIGMAR]

Just give him some time! I'm sure hes is overwhelmed about the problem and the deception! When you start up something with hope and entusiasm and someone's actions make it fall...you know...

[Doug Miller]

John,
It is good to hear the form will be reopening.
It is a shame that you had to go through what you did, only while trying to help others. Let your moderator’s rule with an iron fist. The people that go there to learn will appreciated it.
Doug (Rufus)

[calfred]

"Video project is a bust?"

I have not requested for a refund.

Will I still be receiving the video product?

[srswebline]

oh wow this situation doesn't sound like much fun. I would def consult some folks that might be in the know. This situation might not be as bad as it appears. There are some sites that have taken advantage of situations like this and come out on top.

You provide a public message board and someone used it in the wrong way. Did you have any disclaimers or anything on your forum? I'm not sure you have much to worry about.

Then again I am not a lawyer, so I could be totally wrong..

Good luck either way

[lucifero666]

Oh John i'm so happy for the reopening....
glad to see you here again....good luck for your troubles...family and selfcare FIRST!!! yeah your mods are very wonderful peoples...the old forum was useful..but anyway there 's something better that can come out...if there was a great forum, then there will be a greater forum...cya buddy...take care of you.Frank

[bonkgo]

3) Video Refunds Are Going Out (as replied via email)

The project is a bust and I've got an email list of all refunds. They will
be going out as soon as my paypal account is finished with the hacking
issue and re-opens my send-and-receive privileges.

Hi John,

I bought your ebook and loved it. I have started a few niche sites so far, but, I have not joined the forum yet so I don't know too much about the video side of it. But I do work for an online video company out here in California. If you are interested we may be able to work something out and fulfill your video orders and perhaps continue with other orders. I am not sure what your price points are but if you want to send me some info we can see if we can work something out.

[alvanpilot]

Originally Posted by buzzpoint

Kevin, I did get impression that alvanpilot is talking about mbmehmet, not about Radix... It seems he just forgot to write mbmehmet.

Hey Buzzpoint!

Thanks so much for clarifying my statement. You are absolutely correct. I should have specified that my post was directed at mbmehmet. NOT Radix.

Infact, I have already had a PM with Radix.

I am sorry that I wasn't more specific.

[4morereferrals]

What does one have to do to know where the forum is/was and how to join?

[remooz]

Originally Posted by alvanpilot

Hi Zoomer! Nice aircraft. Good to see you're here too.

Hi...yep, back again. Hopefully the forum will take off soon while people are still interested.

z

[lee schmidt]

John,

Question about the video project...

Is it a bust because the video's are messy/disorganized?

Or, because you were not able to meet the daily $$ goal for the project?

[guest]

Originally Posted by smr1968

I'm afraid it's the $111 a day thread now

I wil lbe popping in there, but this business model, albeit adapted, is going so well I have decided to work a lot harder on it than I had been. The XF forum was a distraction.

I'm working towards $200 a day by Xmas 2010

Good luck

I dont know if you'll come back to answer this question - but how many sites do you own to get that much per day - and is it all adsense?!

Well done my friend!

I'm worried as i've worked it out to get the same as you -- i will need 40 websites - and i do not know if google would ban me with that many sites. I'm trying to turn them into big auth. sites - but its so much easier just to keep going with the mini sites.

Any extra info on your $111 a day before you leave would be amazing!!!

[Technologize]

OK, so i paid for lifetime membership, and the forum is now closed, so where's the refund?

I don't think this is fair. No matter what happened, the responsibility is on John to at LEAST keep the forum running. I wasn't a active participant, and i left this method after G started clamping down on it, but really, to blame other members is a bit of a cop-out when John is responsible for:

1) Taking Money from people to access the forum
2) Maintaining that forum (Lifetime Membership)

I have nothing against John, but cmon, fairs fair, if you can't keep the forum up, refund the people who paid to access it. I feel sorry for people who spent hours posting on there!

[TristanPerry]

Originally Posted by anteck

OK, so i paid for lifetime membership, and the forum is now closed, so where's the refund?

I don't think this is fair. No matter what happened, the responsibility is on John to at LEAST keep the forum running. I wasn't a active participant, and i left this method after G started clamping down on it, but really, to blame other members is a bit of a cop-out when John is responsible for:

1) Taking Money from people to access the forum
2) Maintaining that forum (Lifetime Membership)

I have nothing against John, but cmon, fairs fair, if you can't keep the forum up, refund the people who paid to access it. I feel sorry for people who spent hours posting on there!

The forums are being re-opened (either officially, or 'semi-officially' at least).

[CanuckWarrior]

Originally Posted by lee schmidt

John,

Question about the video project...

Is it a bust because the video's are messy/disorganized?

Or, because you were not able to meet the daily $$ goal for the project?

It was either in an email or forum notification, but I remember reading he wasn't happy with the what was recorded, it ended up being a disjointed mess.

[BillyPilgrim]

Read the book, but didn't want to pay a fee for a forum (did that with WA, no thanks). But if it reopens and is free I'd be happy to participate. Let me know.
But no drama please.

[dagaul101]

Always sad to hear of the end of something good

[zcyka]

Sorry to hear of the problems involved, but thrilled to hear that the forum is going to re-open!

I don't know if John may be by or if others know the answers to two questions: 1) is the forum already open again? I stopped by the site and noted that I was able to click through to a checkout page that included gathering info about login, password, etc, so I'm tempted to assume "yes," and 2) is the updated book still in the works?

Zcyka

[1byte]

Originally Posted by anteck

OK, so i paid for lifetime membership, and the forum is now closed, so where's the refund?

I don't think this is fair. No matter what happened, the responsibility is on John to at LEAST keep the forum running. I wasn't a active participant, and i left this method after G started clamping down on it, but really, to blame other members is a bit of a cop-out when John is responsible for:

1) Taking Money from people to access the forum
2) Maintaining that forum (Lifetime Membership)

I have nothing against John, but cmon, fairs fair, if you can't keep the forum up, refund the people who paid to access it. I feel sorry for people who spent hours posting on there!

Yeah, I've been harping about that on this thread and I was told I'm "beating a dead horse." But I do agree, when you pay a fee for a "lifetime membership" I would expect that lifetime to last more than a few months...

[CanuckWarrior]

Originally Posted by 1byte

Yeah, I've been harping about that on this thread and I was told I'm "beating a dead horse." But I do agree, when you pay a fee for a "lifetime membership" I would expect that lifetime to last more than a few months...

Just to be clear, I told you were beating a dead horse when you kept talking about retrieving posts from something that was already deleted.

EDIT: Also, John posted that the forum would be reopened provided we all agreed to certain conditions (which are not unreasonable, imo). People can login to the X-Factor forum with their existing username to read the details. Summary version is in post #259.

[dagny]

Hi John,
I purchased your course a few days ago, will the forum be open to new people as well? Thanks for your consideration

Warmly
Heather

[smr1968]

Originally Posted by guest

I dont know if you'll come back to answer this question - but how many sites do you own to get that much per day - and is it all adsense?!

Well done my friend!

I'm worried as i've worked it out to get the same as you -- i will need 40 websites - and i do not know if google would ban me with that many sites. I'm trying to turn them into big auth. sites - but its so much easier just to keep going with the mini sites.

Any extra info on your $111 a day before you leave would be amazing!!!

It is all adsense. I have around 35 domains but some make very little. I have a couple that make 25-35 per day sometimes and I strongly believe that they can make $100 a day each on their own. I think fewer sites is the way to go these days personally.

[Surferjock87]

Sorry to hear about that, but thrilled like many others to hear it's re-opening again. With new terms / rules / etc.

[Trace]

Hi,

Any updates on the "new Xfactor Adsense Forum"?

Thank you

[zapata]

Originally Posted by Trace

Hi,
Any updates on the "new Xfactor Adsense Forum"?
Thank you

It was posted on the 8th that the forum would reopen within two weeks. If my calculations are correct that would be the 22nd, or day-after-tomorrow.

We will see...

[3afash]

why is everyone attached to and dependent on the xfactor forum? everything u need is out there, you're just addicted to getting that new piece of information that will make you the person of your dreams and make all your dreams come true.

As if making money online depended on the xfactor forum....


I still wanna know when the forum is going to be up though that's why I checked this thread

[zapata]

"Deja vu all over again"--except now we don't even get a flimsy excuse why the re-opening is delayed, like we did with the ebook and videos.

The way all of this has been handled makes no sense to me--closing a popular forum over a couple of questionable incidents, deleting all the old posts, not delivering promised ebook or videos for months on end with excuse after excuse, postponing the "re-opening" of the forum for hundreds of people who have paid thousands of dollars in favor of a few "special clients", and saying posters who question these actions have a "mob mentality".

It's time to write it up as just another Internet rip-off and move on, at least for me. I have no more interest in it.

[powerspike]

Originally Posted by 3afash

why is everyone attached to and dependent on the xfactor forum? everything u need is out there, you're just addicted to getting that new piece of information that will make you the person of your dreams and make all your dreams come true.

As if making money online depended on the xfactor forum....


I still wanna know when the forum is going to be up though that's why I checked this thread

Well the forum was a good place to get a pick me up, there wasn't much "junk" threads on it at all. If you where having issues either there was a thread already there with with, or when you posted, you had people help you who knew what they where doing.

I hope they come back - they where a good place, with mostly good people

- Justin

[TristanPerry]

Hi John et al,
If we could get an update on the forum's it would be appreciated

@3afash Lol They were great forums, and everyone there did take action (so it wasn't a case of all talk no action).

[kislany]

At this point all I want is my refund on the videos ($97), but so far no word back from John. Did anyone get any refunds on them? And I'm not talking about refunds for the forum...

Edit: And I'm only talking about refunds since he closed his forum, since I"ve just read that some people got their refunds from BEFORE closing down his Xfactor forum...but nobody since...?

[dfrerking]

In an email on 8/30 John said "I will be sending out all refunds to everyone over the next several weeks, in the order they were paid."

[Roland]

I haven't received my refund for the video project or received any further news about the forum

[kislany]

Yes, I got that email too but from over 25 people I've personally spoken with who paid for the videos, noone seems to have gotten anything but that email from him..And now it's way too late to ask from Paypal since the time has already lapsed a long time ago...

[Trace]

Originally Posted by kislany

At this point all I want is my refund on the videos ($97), but so far no word back from John. Did anyone get any refunds on them? And I'm not talking about refunds for the forum...

I requested and recieved a refund for the videos on August 21st,prior to the forum shutting down.
The lesson I learned is never pay upfront for a product that has not even been developed yet.
All in all I believe John's intentions were good.

[Roland]

Originally Posted by kislany

Yes, I got that email too but from over 25 people I've personally spoken with who paid for the videos, noone seems to have gotten anything but that email from him..And now it's way too late to ask from Paypal since the time has already lapsed a long time ago...

I have not received an email like that from John, was there an email as I thought I read that note on this forum?

[keyaziz]

Hi Kislany,

I haven't been refunded either and I also never received an email. I also sent John an email before he stated he was refunding everyone, that I wanted a refund on the video course. I don't actually need it but wanted to see out of curiosity...but then decided since the forum got closed I would rather be refunded.

I do hope I get it.

[warbar]

I asked for and received a refund a couple of months ago when I got to the point where I felt we'd never see the book or the video course.

I've always felt John was a good guy, but things never added up with him. I think it boils down to the fact he was in way over his head. Promised things that he later realized that there was no way he could deliver as a one man show. I'd emailed him a few times about the book and he always got back to me quickly and was always very polite about it, saying it would be "next week" or other short term time period.

I know he had an issue with his PP account, but that could easily be resolved by mailing checks out. I had a similar situation when I was selling a course back in 2005-06. Huge money involved, but when someone asked for a refund, I mailed a check until the PP situation was resolved. Not difficult to do. Perhaps there is a cash flow situation that is not permitting refunds to be made in a timely fashion.

One thing that always made me wonder was the fact he never publicly provided his last name. Thought that was a bit strange. Then you throw in the closing of the forum out of the blue, the scrapping of the video project, and never seeing his ebook that he was putting the finishing touches on back in March, and it becomes even stranger.

I still think he's a decent guy that just got in over his head and didn't know how to keep things going with all that he'd promised.

[kislany]

Oh btw, just wanted to ask, for those that are in his private coaching, how is it going? I hope you guys have some success with it

[Surfing USA]

The way all of this has been handled makes no sense to me--closing a popular forum over a couple of questionable incidents, deleting all the old posts, not delivering promised ebook or videos for months on end with excuse after excuse, postponing the "re-opening" of the forum for hundreds of people who have paid thousands of dollars in favor of a few "special clients", and saying posters who question these actions have a "mob mentality".
[/QUOTE]

I paid for the private coaching ($695) almost 2 months ago and have been waiting patiently. To be honest, I am having my doubts now as there has been lots of promises and very little action. I definitely don't feel like a "special client". He keeps on changing any plans that he makes so nothing gets done. Anybody else here doing the private coaching?