| Author |
Topic |
zortag |
 Posted - 07/03/2007 : 14:28:53
|
Here is my short and honest review of Niche Empire Generator. This system would be really nice if it worked as advertised. It uploads Wordpress builds and files onto your domain, adds plugins, and best of all allows you to manage lots of sites. But here's the problem: The theme upload process does not work as advertised. Recently NEG switched to a single server-based system where you go to their website and login. The reason for this was that local NEG installs had lots of problems. Well, look's like the server version has a massive problem too. When you pick a theme to use, it does not install that theme. Instead it apparently (and mistakenly) puts a whole new install of all the Wordpress files into the wp-content/themes subdirectory. So, no matter what theme you select, you only have the default WP one ever show up. It is pretty appalling that a bug of this magnitude would be found in software costing $147 and heavily marketed, since it effectively renders the software useless until fixed.
Even worse, the tech support for NEG is pretty poor. The only way to get support is through the helpdesk, which hasn't yet responded to the support ticket I submitted yesterday. The FAQ has not been updated to reflect questions about the new single server version - it just keeps questions on the old local-install version. And the troubleshooting and knowldegebase areas in the HelpDesk are completely empty.
Has anyone else out there had similar bad experiences with NEG? Maybe if enough of us comment then Andrew Hansen will get motivated to fix this and respond to support tickets. It really would be in his best interest to do so, because I honestly think the system will be quite useful when the bugs are removed. But right now the bugs are HUGE and unless they get fixed right away, I'm requesting my money back from Clickbank. |
|
Vickx69 |
Posted - 07/03/2007 : 17:14:47
|
Well, yes, I have the same problems.
And yes, the customer support is kind of slow. I have submitetd two tickets and both have been answered in about 2 days. One was submitted as not urgent and the other urgent.
Something else that happened to me was that I got the system. Studied the manual and when I was ready to test it, I tried to log in and the server was down.
It didn't uploaded my image either.
I asked Andrew about the Themes issue and he replied in a couple of days as I mentioned earlier. He said that his programmer was working on it and it would be ready today or tomorrow.
And, well, I've also thought about asking for a refund and ordered the competing system but the NEG looks grea and once it's working as it's suppossed to I know it will be awesim.
I'd say to have a little patience and I feel we won't regret. |
 |
|
maverick4u |
Posted - 07/03/2007 : 19:31:32
|
| Yes-ditto here. It seems they way underestimated the magnitude of the complexity of pulling off what they are trying to do. I can't get anything published on my domain using the web based software. It sounded like such a great idea-(and it IS a great idea) but ideas can't make money unless you can ACT on them. Has anyone looked into the Wordpress installer at Yahoo small business? It is point and click simplicity-you have to hand select the plug-ins you want and do some SEO etc. Maybe someone can write a manual for us non-techies that will allow us to build the same thing NEG was trying to do using the Yahoo installer or Fantastico. I would pay for that-anyone? |
|
|
Denise Hall |
Posted - 07/04/2007 : 14:46:24
|
I'm having the same problem as you are, zortag, as well as another one. Every time I make a new post, or in some way edit my blog, any comments that are posted do not appear with the correct blog posts. I've got about 60 comments on my blog that have now fallen under the wrong post so they don't make sense. Support hasn't been slow for me lately, it's been non-existant.
Denise |
|
|
garyt |
Posted - 07/07/2007 : 09:17:43
|
So I'm not the only one who is suffering? Tried to set up my blogs but got strange errors like posting dated 31st Dec 1969? The www was not even born yet then not to talk about blogs.
Themes were not loaded, not adsense ads, and posts went AWOL. Andrew (or rather a guy named Ahmad using Andrew's name) says programmers are working on it and a fix will be in a few days latest.
That was 2 days ago...I'm waiting
|
|
|
Philomina |
Posted - 07/09/2007 : 02:41:26
|
Andrew emailed that changes have been made to the
software which should clear up the bugs encountered.
It was a great relief to receive this email and am now
going ahead with NEG blog creation.
Rgds,
Philomina |
|
|
garyt |
Posted - 07/11/2007 : 02:53:57
|
| Hi Philomina, any luck with the installation? I still can't load the blog theme and customised header :( |
|
|
chriswight |
Posted - 07/11/2007 : 10:40:07
|
| I've loved NEG. Sure, there have been some bugs, but now that everything is fixed it rocks. I outsourced the article writing so I've been able to put up a bunch of sites in no time. It's great, I love it. |
|
|
Tan Thian Kee |
Posted - 07/14/2007 : 15:54:16
|
was wondering if the bugs mentioned has been rectified by andrew in the recent latest update to NEG.
|
|
|
Hamida Pall |
Posted - 07/16/2007 : 03:30:20
|
quote : was wondering if the bugs mentioned has been rectified by andrew in the recent latest update to NEG.
They have - and about time too! |
|
|
wallstreeterww |
Posted - 07/19/2007 : 13:25:29
|
| Does this tool also get you content for your blog? |
|
|
rhab |
Posted - 07/19/2007 : 23:27:51
|
| No, you need to add your own content. |
|
|
Kiboko |
Posted - 07/22/2007 : 04:09:00
|
Hi,
me - nay. Tried to use it but the more time I committed to it the more I got disappointed. I cancelled and requested a refund straight away.
But maybe it was just me. If you are more patient....maybe it may work for you!
goodluck. |
|
|
DaveC |
Posted - 07/22/2007 : 05:13:34
|
quote : Originally posted by Kiboko
Tried to use it but the more time I committed to it the more I got disappointed.
Hi Kiboko,
Just recently, within about the last 10 days, Andrew Hansen annouced that the problems with Niche Empire Generator had been resolved.
Has your disappointing experience with NEG been since then? In other words, have you had problems with the latest release of Niche Empire Generator ?
Or was your disappointment BEFORE the latest fix and release.
Also, could you comment on what specifically your disappointment has been with NEG?
Thanks for anything you can share on this as I was all ready to purchase NEG since Andrew fixed the reported problems... and now you're reporting a dis-satisfaction with NEG. It would be very appreciated if you would share more detail.
Thanks.
Dave |
|
|
Vickx69 |
Posted - 07/22/2007 : 18:40:20
|
| Well, I requested a refund 3 weeks ago... and nothing yet. |
|
|
garyt |
Posted - 07/23/2007 : 04:32:09
|
I think Andrew is still fixing the software. Still buggy but works better than the previous version. At least can get the blogs set up. Some issues with customised logo and postings.
Actually for me, the only advantage of NEG over say the free Fantastico (Cpanel) is that you can queue your posts and forget about it. It will post them automatically according to your settings.
Otherwise, still need to istall your own pluggins and edit some files so that your blogs are unique. |
|
|
Nirusan |
Posted - 08/08/2007 : 01:17:45
|
It is very interesting to read all your post about NEG. I also purchased it because i liked the idea very much.(timesaver)
Ihad uploaded the whole thing to my server and it seemed to work when Andrew decided to change that. I spent hours...
Then it seemed to work and I got help from support a couple of times.
I started promoting it and sold one.
My commission appeared in my back office.
Three weeks later I noticed my commission had been set to "paid".
I checked my paypal account because I had no notification about it:
NOTHING! I sent several mails to the helpdesk: no answer!
By now I´ve spent so much time with this software and my time is very precious....it would cost him a lot.
Is he on vacation or doesn´t he pay his affiliates?
Please comment! What can I do? How long can you get a refund?
Nirusan |
|
|
AndrewHansen |
Posted - 08/08/2007 : 02:46:35
|
*MOD: I know my posts have been deleted from here before. I re read the rules
and am posting in what I believe is an unbiased manner - there is one semi support
response but I am surely allowed to clear this issue up based on the last post*
Guys,
I do pay affiliates once per month. There have been blips in the butterfly
marketing script causing some peoples commissions to be missed. PM me here
or see www. highenergysupport .com TECHNICAL support for assistance if thats
you.
Regarding the software,
No opinion - just fact: The bugs that people have had with the software
up until now have been fixed. We've worked hard on the software after
the launch and made many updates and it's currently working bug free as
it should.
That's all 
Andrew |
|
|
rangoo |
Posted - 08/08/2007 : 23:07:13
|
I have created a number of blogs with NEG and now I know how to handle it well.
Initially I had problems with the software and I contacted the help desk. The help desk did respond, but I was in a hurry to get the blog up and going. So most of the time I did not wait for their response and went ahead to try and find out the bug.
Recently Andrew has added more videos about filling in ftp details etc. which clear most of the problems I had. But I found the answer before the videos came in :)
One thing I did not like about NEG was the WordPress themes they had. I love trying out a variety of WordPress themes and I wanted more options. So initially I had problems with the themes I uploaded.
Now with the improved NEG, I have been able to get the lovely three column, four column WordPress themes from themes.wordpress.org and other places - import them into NEG and use them to my joy.
I love the convenience of posting about three, four, five months content at a time from one single page - without going back and forth as I would do if I were using WordPress directly.
I have been asking for more upgrades in terms of adding more categories, a saving option in between, etc. etc. They may be part of the upgrades of the future.
Here are a few of my mistakes and the lessons I learnt. I hope it might be helpful to others.
1. The major mistake I made once was to reinstall the whole blog (the button says Reinstall the blog from scratch) instead of choosing 'Edit Blog'. When I choose the second option all my customization etc. remain intact and I have no problems. When I choose reinstall, it is a new blog and I lose whatever I added by going to the admin area, after installing the blog.
2. I use webspacebuddy for my webhosting services and it does not use public_html as the base folder. I had to learn how to have my folder details entered properly.
3. I did not realize that the themes I import into NEG have to have a specific format. Now it is explained on that page, I need to zip the whole theme folder and then import it. Now all I do is to download from WordPress and import it directly into NEG and it works fine.
4. I wanted more plugins and the first version of NEG had problems with it. I had to deactivate and reactivate all of them many times. I was frustrated and shouted at Andrew. Now the updated NEG takes all my plugins smooooooothly I have my ultimate tag warrior and what not - no problems.
I think it is a matter of learning to use the software. NEG saves me hours of time, I create a blog per day and I need not worry about them for months on end - so I think it is worth learning how to use it. I am glad I bought it and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to create a number of blogs. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who wants just one blog.
I do hope Andrew will read my wish list and keep on updating the software.
If you are oursourcing blog management and want to set up a blog and then give it to someone to update on a regular basis, there is nothing like NEG. Because three months or one year content you can easily store by spending one single day - you are out of Google's Sandbox and your blog is ready for advanced monetization.
If any of you have problems with NEG and want to find out from me if I also faced the same problem and how I got over it, post a reply to this comment. I will see if I can help out. |
|
|
freedom413 |
Posted - 08/20/2007 : 16:09:34
|
Thanks for all the comments on NEG. I was wondering if all of you who have used it find it to be fairly user friendly? Are there any potential problems for someone using the software who has modest technical skills? Also, i was wondering about the quality of the sites that the software creates. Are those of you who have built sites using the software finding them to be of the same quality as if you built the site's manually? I would be very much interested in seeing a site that was built using the software. If someone who has a site would be kind enough to post a link to one of their sites or possibly pm me with it so i could see what the software is capable of, that would be great. (I'm not trying to steal your niche, i just want to see how a site built with the software looks and what type of functionality it has.) Look forward to any responses and/or comments regarding this software so i can determine weather or not to give this software a go. Thanks.
|
|
|
rangoo |
Posted - 08/20/2007 : 22:38:49
|
I have created many blogs with NEG some with their own themes and some with themes downloaded from themes.wordpress.org. Here is one sample - http://www.unleashenergy.com/marriage
NEG is very user friendly. I do not have much technical skills and I can use it very easily.
What is the difference between sites created manually and sites created using NEG? If I already have ready content for many weeks / months I would find it absolutely great to use a software like NEG. I can enter all the content on one page and just click one button to post it.
For my other blogs such as askrangoo.com/faq where I answer questions received from my subscribers, I do not use NEG. I post them directly one post at a time.
But the quality of blogs as regards layout, Web2.0 optimization etc. is fine with NEG.
I have a more detailed feedback of NEG on http://www.squidoo.com/themes-wordpress
At the moment I am upgrading my webhost as I am facing problems of server overload and if some blogs are not live, they will be live in a day or two. |
|
|
jbn12 |
Posted - 08/22/2007 : 23:54:08
|
| I have not used it for a while now. Hope it has improved. Was very excited in the beginning but got bogged down by all the little problems. In principle it's good but I hope the support is better now. |
|
|
rangoo |
Posted - 08/23/2007 : 12:30:24
|
| Support is not as fast as I would like it to be. But it is slightly better than before. |
|
|
halille |
Posted - 09/06/2007 : 16:44:50
|
Hello,
is anyone getting results with this software, please be specific about the results.
And if it doesn't worked for you, explain what was the problem.
Thanks
Halille
|
|
|
longroad |
Posted - 09/09/2007 : 07:02:20
|
The software will not give you results, its up to you to still promote your sites.
It will however make managing your sites alot easier. |
|
|
halille |
Posted - 09/09/2007 : 18:33:13
|
quote : Originally posted by longroad
The software will not give you results, its up to you to still promote your sites.
It will however make managing your sites alot easier.
Hi Longroad,
thanks for your answer
i'll be more specific about "Results"= Outcome you expect from the software.
Does it deliver the promise?
Are you a happy delighted customer, ok with the results you get. I mean do you like the niche websites generated.
Does the niche website is ready to go, or need a little lifting?
Does the niche website need some SEO?
Does the niche website created had enough customisations features?
Thanks
Halille
|
|
|
KevinBauer |
Posted - 09/14/2007 : 12:17:13
|
It's nice to know that NEG is beginning to generate a few smiles. I've PM'd Andrew a few times on some questions without any response regarding NEG's management capabilities and pre setting posts and it took some warriors to answer. Thank you for your comments. It seems to me that the ability to manage all your blogs from one interface is already worth the cost. I worry about it being server based though. It means that ownership of the system is never really transferred - merely made available for as long as the server owner chooses.
Cheers
Kevin
|
|
|
KevinBauer |
Posted - 09/14/2007 : 12:28:57
|
I meant to ask in my last post if anyone had used or experienced a wordpress management system found at woprot.com
I'm not altogether sure what they are selling but it runs about $8 a month and sounds like a management tool similar to NEG without the setup capability.
It also seems like a work in progress so I'm not clear on how much it can actually deal with right now..
Thanks
Kevin |
|
|
Radron |
Posted - 09/18/2007 : 09:55:58
|
quote : Originally posted by rangoo
Support is not as fast as I would like it to be. But it is slightly better than before.
Hi all,
I'm wondering how long has it taken others to get support for NEG and where did you get it. I put in a support ticket over 4 days ago with no response thru NEG help desk system with no response.
This program has shown a lot of potential and ease of use. I especially like the feature that allows you to add posts months in advance.
However I have a issue (ftp error) that I need help with to edit/setup blogs thru NEG and can get no support from the help desk, Andrew or anybody else. It's like trying to raise the dead. If anyone knows how to get support for NEG please help.
Ron
|
|
|
rangoo |
Posted - 09/18/2007 : 10:18:08
|
Hi Ron,
I understand how you feel. I had a terrible headache entering those ftp details.
I filed support tickets (so many to give a headache to Andrew).
Most often I was able to solve the problem myself. I did not wait for his answers.
Since I have experienced this problem I may be able to help you if you contact my helpdesk at http://www.askrangoo.com (If you think you cannot share the problem publicly on this forum) and tell me the problem, I will try to help.
I do hope Andrew is reading these forum posts. His last email to me said NEG updated version is soon to be launched and all the problems will get solved. I will take it with a pinch of salt.
But I do love the facility to include WordPress links and have all my posts uploaded from a single page. I can add as many plugins I like and activate them from that one page. I can add my own WordPress themes.
But Andrew has to improve his support system - may be I should say bring it back to life. |
|
|
Radron |
Posted - 09/18/2007 : 15:00:06
|
Hi Rangoo
I sent a message to your help desk. Thanks
In a nutshell my problem is I get a "ftp error" when I have not changed any info in the Neg "Host Info" area. Quickly, I setup and uploaded a test WP blog successfully with NEG, then edited and updated the blog with posts more than 10 times, loved it.
Last week I want to update test blog and setup new blogs using Niche Empire Generator and I can't edit/post/update or even setup new blogs on different domains using NEG because I get this "ftp error". All ftp info is correct and previously worked. My domain host support confirms this.
Unless there is a unique way to enter ftp info into NEG. I'm stuck and quite frustrated that any response from the NEG creator or support is non existent.
Ron |
|
|
rangoo |
Posted - 09/18/2007 : 20:24:29
|
Hi Ron,
I have sent you a reply. Please let me know if it helps or not. |
|
|
jera1968 |
Posted - 09/18/2007 : 23:54:45
|
Well, I'm having another type of problem with NEG...actually it's with the membership forum. My monthly payment was taken but I was unable to log-in and kept receiving the incorrect log in error message. I then did ask for a new password and once I got it, I again attempted to log in, and was still unable to.
Since Andrew no longer accepts either email or private messages and does not respond to support tickets, I gave up and cacelled my monthly subscription. And that concludes my relationship with NEG. |
|
|
| Topic |
|
Niche Empire Generator