Complete Automation Of Yahoo Answers Marketing...

[dcmarketer]

"Answer Sniper Automated" is a 100% totally automated solution for marketing via Yahoo! Answers.

It works by enabling you to post and answer your own questions from multiple user accounts over a time schedule you define. It also appears like two normal independent and unrelated users naturally interacting with each other within the Yahoo! Answers community.

This is a web based subscription service so there is no software to download and install, and nothing to upload and install on your hosting account. All you need are a set of questions with respective answers, load them into your project, define your posting schedule (including if and when those answers should be selected as *best answer*), and everything else is taken care of for you in the background 24/7.

You don't even need to create your own Yahoo! Answer user accounts as we have pre-existing never before used accounts that will be assigned exclusively to your account. This is plug and play marketing at its finest.

You can read a full explanation of the system and watch a walk through video demonstration here...

Answer Sniper Automated - Yahoo Answers Marketing

Features Include;

• Allow you to market on Yahoo! Answers without having to do any of the the manual labor associated with it. Tasks such as monitoring the website for new questions, ensuring they are relevant, writing tailored responses and posting those answers. This can take anywhere from 10-25 minutes per answer when doing it manually - or even with semi automated software - but now you completely eliminate that time factor.

• Because you'll be providing your own questions and answering them, you can tailor them specifically to what people in your niche market would be asking and looking for... and then lead them into your website to close the sale or lead. This gives you pin point precision as you no longer have to worry about finding suitable questions to actually answer. This also means you can craft questions to include keyword terms that you know people are looking for on the search engines.

• Allows YOU to drive the demand of your niche market. Often you will find that there just aren't that many people asking questions relevant to your niche market. Now, because you are creating that demand with the questions you formulate, you don't have to worry about this at all.

• Automatically build your "Question Answering" accounts to high reputation levels over time. This gives you more weight and credibility in the eyes of other users that will inevitably view your answers. With our unique *best answer* ratio feature you can automatically assign a certain amount of answers to become selected as *best answer* and keep within normal usage parameters to ensure it all looks completely natural.

• Allows you to assign a different link for each and every individual Q&A within your overall project. This allows you to link to different areas within your website as the "source" - wherever the most relevant supporting material resides on your website.

• Allows you to answer your own questions within minutes of posting them ensuring you receive maximum exposure... even if you chose not to select specific answers as *best answer*.

• We have never before used Yahoo Answers accounts that will be assigned exclusively to you when you join. These will become your "Question Asking" accounts - each appearing as if it was being asked by a long term user completely unassociated with the account you assign to "answer" your questions; you can also automatically create new accounts or import existing accounts for this purpose with no CAPTCHA entry required.

• With "Answer Sniper Automated" hosted on our dedicated servers, it will continue to market for your 24/7... even if you're away for the week, sleeping at night (we all like to do that) or your computer is shut down. Everything on the front end is handled via our simple web based membership area, and everything on the backend happens via our powerful dedicated servers so it wont consume any of your personal system resources.

• For the more experienced users - There's also no messing about with half assed proxy services to manage access to multiple Yahoo accounts. This is all done seamlessly on the backend running through our own dedicated proxy server exclusively created for powering this system. If you don't know what that means then don't worry - it just relates to the "under the hood" magic that makes everything possible ;-0

Again, you can read a full explanation and watch a walk through video demonstration here...

Answer Sniper Automated - Yahoo Answers Marketing

...any questions please feel free to post here, send a PM or contact us via the email address on the support page at the above site.

Enjoy...

Duncan Carver

[dbarnum]

This sounds like a total abuse of Yahoo Answers. Can't imagine anyone who took the time to set up such a site to welcome this, even you.

Shame on you.

Please delete.

And other Warriors:

Please report this abusive method via the Help Desk (as this is a paid classified, so Reporting button doesn't help delete these in this section, I believe...)

You would not want your site abused in this manner. Help clean up this crap on the web and make it a better place. Not a spam-board for so-called "internet marketers" as this. This is not what Internet marketing is about at all.

Originally Posted by dcmarketer

"Answer Sniper Automated" is a 100% totally automated solution for marketing via Yahoo! Answers.

It works by enabling you to post and answer your own questions from multiple user accounts over a time schedule you define. It also appears like two normal independent and unrelated users naturally interacting with each other within the Yahoo! Answers community.

This is a web based subscription service so there is no software to download and install, and nothing to upload and install on your hosting account. All you need are a set of questions with respective answers, load them into your project, define your posting schedule (including if and when those answers should be selected as *best answer*), and everything else is taken care of for you in the background 24/7.

You don't even need to create your own Yahoo! Answer user accounts as we have pre-existing never before used accounts that will be assigned exclusively to your account. This is plug and play marketing at its finest.

You can read a full explanation of the system and watch a walk through video demonstration here...

Answer Sniper Automated - Yahoo Answers Marketing

Features Include;

• Allow you to market on Yahoo! Answers without having to do any of the the manual labor associated with it. Tasks such as monitoring the website for new questions, ensuring they are relevant, writing tailored responses and posting those answers. This can take anywhere from 10-25 minutes per answer when doing it manually - or even with semi automated software - but now you completely eliminate that time factor.

• Because you'll be providing your own questions and answering them, you can tailor them specifically to what people in your niche market would be asking and looking for... and then lead them into your website to close the sale or lead. This gives you pin point precision as you no longer have to worry about finding suitable questions to actually answer. This also means you can craft questions to include keyword terms that you know people are looking for on the search engines.

• Allows YOU to drive the demand of your niche market. Often you will find that there just aren't that many people asking questions relevant to your niche market. Now, because you are creating that demand with the questions you formulate, you don't have to worry about this at all.

• Automatically build your "Question Answering" accounts to high reputation levels over time. This gives you more weight and credibility in the eyes of other users that will inevitably view your answers. With our unique *best answer* ratio feature you can automatically assign a certain amount of answers to become selected as *best answer* and keep within normal usage parameters to ensure it all looks completely natural.

• Allows you to assign a different link for each and every individual Q&A within your overall project. This allows you to link to different areas within your website as the "source" - wherever the most relevant supporting material resides on your website.

• Allows you to answer your own questions within minutes of posting them ensuring you receive maximum exposure... even if you chose not to select specific answers as *best answer*.

• We have never before used Yahoo Answers accounts that will be assigned exclusively to you when you join. These will become your "Question Asking" accounts - each appearing as if it was being asked by a long term user completely unassociated with the account you assign to "answer" your questions; you can also automatically create new accounts or import existing accounts for this purpose with no CAPTCHA entry required.

• With "Answer Sniper Automated" hosted on our dedicated servers, it will continue to market for your 24/7... even if you're away for the week, sleeping at night (we all like to do that) or your computer is shut down. Everything on the front end is handled via our simple web based membership area, and everything on the backend happens via our powerful dedicated servers so it wont consume any of your personal system resources.

• For the more experienced users - There's also no messing about with half assed proxy services to manage access to multiple Yahoo accounts. This is all done seamlessly on the backend running through our own dedicated proxy server exclusively created for powering this system. If you don't know what that means then don't worry - it just relates to the "under the hood" magic that makes everything possible ;-0

Again, you can read a full explanation and watch a walk through video demonstration here...

Answer Sniper Automated - Yahoo Answers Marketing

...any questions please feel free to post here, send a PM or contact us via the email address on the support page at the above site.

Enjoy...

Duncan Carver

[Paul Myers]

Duncan,

So, basically, you've automated the process of lying for money?

I have little doubt that this will work as you say.

I have no doubt at all that it's abusive of the service and deceptive. And it violates their terms of service.


Paul

[askloz]

If that's the case, I'm not sticking up for the guy, but if you're going to trash this guy, give him his $20 back.

There are many opportunities here that ABUSE sites, take that latest crap that Eric and Howie came out with, the Google Wealth Maker/Taker. Do you see anyone trashing that? No! Mind you, I did, but it wasn't in a paid forum area - I think it was in a review area.

Any hows, what about Article Submission tools, is that not an abuse of Google's guidelines? Blasting the same ole crap content out there?

What about Social Bookmarking Automation tools, isn't that an abuse as well?

These are very thin lines here, and all on the border line of what you two above consider out of order.

I think you two own this guy an apology. $10 each should do it.

[dbarnum]

askloz,

And what do we pay the person who sells a tool to hack into your site? What's that worth?


There must be some guidelines. We don't sell porn here. Think about it - BEFORE you reply.

And you may be right about bashing Classifieds. Already have a Help Desk ticket going before I wrote that to alert people. Forum staff are always welcome to delete any posts as always. You won't read any whining from me, if that's the case.

Just know that if a tool is sold to hack into your stuff and no one speaks up, don't you whine either.

I’d rather take a chance to help right a serious wrong and actually be wrong in the process, then sit back on my hands and do nothing. You can find many examples of that in history, but I won’t go there.

Obviously there is no way to win any argument on a forum, if anywhere. So it's up to each reader and shopper.

Those here, just know that if it's your site being under abuse and attack, if I know about it, I'll stand up for you, too. It's that simple.

Let's look out after each other - and the web on the whole to make it a better place. That's all I'm asking, and hopefully not too much. For some it will be, but maybe not always.

[askloz]

Originally Posted by dbarnum

askloz,

It's Loz, not askloz, can't you read?

Originally Posted by dbarnum

And what do we pay the person who sells a tool to hack into your site? What's that worth?

Since when did the advertisement say anything about hacking into others accounts.

Originally Posted by dbarnum

There must be some guidelines. We don't sell porn here. Think about it - BEFORE you reply.

No, you think before you reply, no one is selling porn here in this post.

the guy is selling a tool that allows you to use his pre-made yahoo accounts to post questions and answers on.

Originally Posted by dbarnum

And you may be right about bashing Classifieds. Already have a Help Desk ticket going before I wrote that to alert people. Forum staff are always welcome to delete any posts as always. You won't read any whining from me, if that's the case.

Well I am right, and as for the admins doing the right thing to delete nonsense replies, they don't even read the others, so what makes them want to read this one in particular unless it was brought to their attention.

Originally Posted by dbarnum

Just know that if a tool is sold to hack into your stuff and no one speaks up, don't you whine either.

No one is selling a tool to hack into your stuff, read man, it clearly states it's a tool that uses HIS yahoo accounts that you post from.

[dbarnum]

askloz -- DUh, LOOK at your ID, yes it's "askloz"


...if you want to pick something, you're sitting on it.


On this thread - -- there are much better things to do than fight a battle with no winner, so enjoy yourself and good day.

[Paul Myers]

Loz,

Yes, there are a lot of programs that are iffy, and some others that are just wrong. I don't comment on every one, partly because I don't see them all and partly because there isn't enough time in the day.

Commenting occasionally serves to remind people to think about the issues. I can't (and wouldn't want to) make decisions for other people.

The example of article submitters and Google's policies is mistaken. Article submitters post to sites other than Google, and can be used entirely within the terms of service of those sites. What Google does with their database/ranking system is Google's choice. The Big G does not yet get to set actual rules for the rest of the online world.

A lot of automation software, including much of the social bookmarking stuff, is designed in ways that are intended to break the rules of the target sites. Yes, that's wrong. Some of it is built in ways that can be used correctly or not, at the choice of the end user.

This one is specifically designed to do something forbidden by the target site. The emphasis on IP proxying would be enough to make that seem highly probable, even if it weren't explicitly stated in the copy above.

If you can convince me that the program isn't deliberately deceptive, I'll cheerfully retract my comment.


Paul

[seasoned]

OK ASKloz,

I'll apologize! DUNCAN. I am VERY sorry that you came up with such a MORONIC idea!

OK ASKLOZ!? I said I was sorry! As for the $10? That sounds fair! Why don't you have him "buy us a beer". Hey guys, can we do that here?

Steve

[dcmarketer]

This post and the product on offer IS WHAT IT IS and I'm not about to get into a pissing contest if it hurts some people's sensibilities, because, as the person who has started all of this crap has said "obviously there is no way to win any argument on a forum".

Now there's some logic.

So I just have a few statements to make.

If anyone had taken the time to actually read a full description of the product they would have clearly read the "BUT FIRST - HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO BE AWARE OF;" section which states explicitly why spamming on Yahoo! Answers doesn't work, and that the system will automatically lock anyone out simply trying to do that. I'm not sure how to make that any clearer (and if you will keep reading this thread in it's entirety I will explain the system we have programmed in place to ensure this). I don't condone flat out blatant spamming nor is the system on offer here even capable of it (making references to it as being comparable to porn, hacking into someone's website and so forth is so ludicrous I've actually found this entire thread more humorous than anything else).

But if anyone is interested - the REAL truth about spamming on Yahoo! Answers - here it is.

The truth of the matter is spamming on Yahoo! Answers DOES WORK if done correctly (but I don't condone it nor practice it).

I know a guy (one of many) that posts the same question over and over from multiple user accounts to multiple categories... many times per day. He knows full well these posts will last 10 minutes before they are removed and his accounts are banned, and yet this simple practice that he repeats on a daily basis averages him ~$500 per day in sales and he is comfortable with that result. I state now that these people are not welcome to, nor are even capable of using our system to implement such a technique.

I DO NOT condone this at all, I AM against such blatant spamming as it does devalue the Yahoo! Answers community, AND this is NOT what I do... nor what the "Answer Sniper Automated" system is designed to do or even capable of doing. Please read that statement again if you are unclear on my position here, as the funny thing is I agree with some of what has been said in the responses made to in this thread (not the irrational personal attacks however - not that it phases me - and not the really educated blatant statements such as "things like this don't even work").

At it's worst the "Answer Sniper Automated" system is slightly deceptive marketing (but you'd be naive to think this hasn't been happening on Yahoo! Answers since it began) because you are posting your own questions and answering them. But who is it really deceiving if anyone? Yahoo! Answers is a user drive community with 190 million users, where by ANY user has the ability to report any post made as abuse (whether that be a question or an answer). That means to see any positive impact from using this as a marketing channel, whether doing so manually, using semi-automated project management software - of the full blown Answer Sniper Automated system... you need to post content that is going to HELP other users of the community.

"Answer Sniper Automated" can be considered to be slightly deceptive in the way that you are helping yourself as the original poster of the question, however if your content is not up to community standards it is going to be removed.

The fact is the community itself ensures this and therefore that Q&A content you have posted, if it remains on the site, it is likely to help other users in the future so I personally see see no real issue (others may beg to differ but that's their right). If the community deems it unfit, it will be removed, simple as that... and from the marketers perspective, if this happens, you have wasted your time so it's not even in the users of our systems interest to post crap that doesn't in some way help people.

At it's very worst it could be construed that main negative impact this has on the community is wasting the users time that also come to answer your question, with you knowing full well that you will not be selecting their answer as "best answer" nor are you ever likely to read it.

However, once again, if the Q&A thread holds then it has been judged by the community itself to be up to community standards, and other peoples responses are also going to help subsequent people that arrive to read the thread who have similar issues that the original question posed. So not only are those additional users that have answered the question actually doing what they set out to do, and that is helping the community as a whole... they are also building up their own reputation levels and standing within the community based on the points system. So we could even debate the fact that there is any negative impact.

Obviously you need to have a decent understanding of the way in which Yahoo! Answers community works to realize what little negative impact (if any at all) this system actually has.

But here is the real CRUX of things;

Answer Sniper Automated, like the Yahoo! Answers community itself, is self monitoring in terms of quality control.

If any member is simply posting crap (blatantly spamming or even posting low quality content not up to community standards), the Yahoo! Answer user accounts they are using within the system will be suspended by the community (and more often than not banned). In which case our system can no longer work with them, in which case their membership account is automatically suspended within our system for admin review and there you have it. Spamming is NOT possible using the Answer Sniper Automated system because we don't allow it, and the Yahoo! Answers community doesn't allow it.

So our system is self regulating at any point in time based on what the community itself deems as appropriate.

Now anyone reading this may beg to differ... but if you have actually ever tried to market via Yahoo! Answers you would realize how true all of this is. Anyone who hasn't can post their uneducated responses, it's a public forum, but to equate this system to a "pornographic website hacking internet destroyer" is just way out of bounds of normal logic it's humorous.

"The emphasis on IP proxying would be enough to make that seem highly probable, even if it weren't explicitly stated in the copy above. If you can convince me that the program isn't deliberately deceptive, I'll cheerfully retract my comment."

The IP's are being used simply to be able to manage large volumes of user accounts... obviously a requirement to make the system viable. However that does not mean they relate to spam as already discussed. I've also stated that the technique could be considered deceptive, but the degree of that is a personal opinion of which we are all entitled to and I am not about to try and change anyone's opinion.

This system is right on par with social bookmarking tools, hub page creators, link building manipulation tools, twitter friend adders, article content spinners, other social network tools, all designed to "game the system" in one way or another to the primary advantage of the end user.

There is no real difference here and the system we have is certainly the "24 carat golden dump" if we want to compare crap to crap that is posted here and in the WSO forum every single day.

I am also more than happy for this post to be removed but it would be upsetting to see it being removed without a public statement saying why it was removed, a refund made for the post (not that $20 is a concern but it's the principal of the matter), a retroactive policy that states what can and can't be posted here - and a requirement for admin or moderators to personally vet all products and services offered via the WSO or classified section to ensure they remain within the guidelines before they are posted.

I can assure you some of the WSO reports and so forth on offer are a LOT more scoundrelous to the sensibilities of the people that have responded to the thread. This would not upset me at all - if the post was removed, but if you want to talk about keeping the warrior community a "morally high ground place" surely this is the minimum that would be required. I have been a member here since 1999 - when the warrior forum was private and we all had to pay $99 to become "warriors" so I am not here to devalue the community whatsoever.

People themselves can judge if this is a tool they wish to implement in their marketing. We have been using it for a long time and have simply cleaned it up and made it available on the request of our own customers and clients. I'm not here to try and convince people who don't want to use such a system to use it (that's pointless and I don't need to - we have plenty of members), I simply posted the offer here because I was entitled to and many people here would find this a very valuable system to roll out should they wish to do so.

Best...

Duncan

[Paul Myers]

Duncan,

No extremist language and inaccurate comparisons in this post.

Whether it hurts the end users or not wasn't my point. You did suggest one way that can happen, of course. There are others, including the reasonably high probability that the answers given will be slanted in ways that may well not be correct or objective. That's going to be a problem anywhere, but this makes it a systematic process.

That, however, is not why I object to it being promoted in the Warrior Forum.

My primary objection is that it encourages the idea that deception is an acceptable aspect of any kind of marketing. In addition, it teaches people that it's okay to break a company's terms of service as long as you don't get caught.

I object to that anywhere I see it.

There is a secondary objection of some real significance.

What your tool does is precisely analogous to someone posting a WSO, and then using other usernames to come in and post positive comments or testimonials. Or posing a question under one username in the main forum, and then using another to come in and point to the real poster's product or offer.

It is objectionable because, by definition, it goes against the spirit of the community. In the end, that reduces the level of confidence the members have in the community itself.

If you use this community to promote such a line of thinking, you're going to encourage people to do the same things here. Bad for the Warrior Forum along with Yahoo Answers.

I agree with you on the nature of many of the tools you describe. The quality of the product, however, isn't in any significant way related to the legitimacy of the output.

As for scoundrelous WSO's... Yep. When I see them and know they're promoting something truly nasty (as opposed to questionable), I will say so. I've done it before, on perhaps 3 or 4 occasions. I don't begin to see even a large fraction of the WSO's posted, and many are in areas about which I don't know enough to form an opinion worth stating.

To be frank, I've always had a pretty high opinion of you. That's why this surprised me so much.


Paul

[dcmarketer]

Originally Posted by Paul Myers

To be frank, I've always had a pretty high opinion of you. That's why this surprised me so much.

Well I certainly appreciate that and the feeling is mutual.

"...it teaches people that it's okay to break a company's terms of service as long as you don't get caught."

We could argue till we're blue in the face about Yahoo! Answers community guidelines, because just like any company, they are vague and subjective for a reason, to ensure they have total control over what is or isn't acceptable without specifically defining it should they wish to change things in their favor in the future.

There is no guideline or TOS statement that specifically says posting and answering your own Q&A is unacceptable. In fact they even mention it's ok to use multiple accounts...

I have multiple Yahoo! accounts. Can I use these accounts to participate as different people? - Answers

...however if you read the guidelines, you will also see that such an action would be considered "questionable" (no pun intended) based on a few others...

Community Guidelines - Yahoo! Answers

...however it's a fact that anyone using this platform for their personal gain (other than the share pleasure of helping people) is in fact in some way questionably breaking one of more guidelines. Essentially anyone that is there with the intention of dropping a link to their website (a heck of a lot of users). In the same breath, they have this specific guideline...

"Exploiting the community - Yahoo! Answers is a place to gain knowledge, not customers, page views, or dates. If you have years of experience in something, have a special hobby, own your own business, or if you are a knowledge partner, it's OK to accompany a good, on-topic answer with a link to your website, blog, or email to offer more information. However, it is not OK to post links that are unrelated to the topic or are clearly meant only to solicit others for personal and financial gain. Also prohibited are solicitations like "Will you add me as a contact?" or propositioning people."

...key phrases being "own your own company", "its ok to accompany good on-top answer with a link to your website, blog, or email..." and so forth.

Again, all very subjective and again, we could argue until we are blue in the face - so lets not ;-0

However if this system was in fact doing adverse harm to any individual I would be opposed to using it myself let alone offering it to others, but I don't see it as being any different to the millions of webmasters out there every day manipulating their search engine rankings where by this is specifically (or vaguely) against Goolge's TOS for example - especially when pretty much every website marketing technique out there either does this directly or indirectly. Then let's not even start with the TOS of manipulating social book marking sites, hub sites, blogging platforms and so forth. We would all be sitting on our hands.

Again, the tool is what it is and it is up to the individual to make their own decision if they think it's appropriate.

I don't mind if the post is removed if this thread is going to encourage people to try doing this in the warrior forum. But again I think it needs to be taken into context of what LOZ has said, just because two of the most venomously opinionated warriors in existence (not referring to you here) don't like it, should I bend over to their whim?

The truth is that I actually never thought about that fact when posting it - guess I assumed most people would know that's just stupid and a waste of time in a discussion forum (where by Yahoo! Answers differs in being a Q&A specific platform). However it would've been nice to receive a polite PM or email from the "very opinionated" users here to let me know their views on this than simply unleashing their fury - someone got out of the wrong side of the bed and went to rally some mates for the apparent self appointed "just cause of the day" - with personal attacks and slander because they have a different opinion.

I would have taken things slightly more seriously in such a case rather than simply watching the responses being posted over the past couple of days and chuckling to myself at the ensuing debate, but of course I was under the same opinion as LOZ when it came to how absurd some of the comments had become.

If anything... if it encourages some guidelines to be posted about what is acceptable to post as a classified and what isn't then it's all good. But of course in the context of the bigger picture - everyone reads their local paper but they may or may not agree with the adult entertainment ads that accompany that in the classifieds section.

All the best...

Duncan

[askloz]

Duh... LOOK at MY Signature dbarnum, you blind?

Originally Posted by dbarnum

askloz -- DUh, LOOK at your ID, yes it's "askloz"


...if you want to pick something, you're sitting on it.


On this thread - -- there are much better things to do than fight a battle with no winner, so enjoy yourself and good day.

[Paul Myers]

Duncan,

Thank you for addressing this in a serious and professional way. It gives people the chance to think about where they stand on the issues, and to see both sides of the question, rather than just dismissing it because everyone is ranting.

The TOS for Yahoo Answers may be vague, but their intent isn't.

That aside, there is one part of the TOS for Yahoo account creation that is not in the least vague. You are required to use valid and correct information when registering with Yahoo. I quote:

You also agree to: (a) provide true, accurate, current and complete information about yourself as prompted by the Service's registration form (the "Registration Data") and (b) maintain and promptly update the Registration Data to keep it true, accurate, current and complete.

I would wager that the accounts used by your software don't have the marketers' real names on them.

Every time someone uses your service to post a question or answer using your "house" accounts, they're lying about who they are, and using that lie to induce people to buy, under a false impression of third party objectivity.

Hence my comment about automating the process of lying for money. That was a literal statement.

I wouldn't quibble in the least about someone putting in fake info for an account they just get newsletters at, or as a personal safety issue. I rather doubt that Yahoo would care themselves. Doing it to "game their system," as you describe it, would probably not be viewed as lightly.

Suggesting that we'd all be sitting on our hands if we followed the terms of service of various social bookmarking sites and the like begs the question: Should we be (ab)using sites like this in ways they weren't intended for, and which they forbid, in the first place?

Any time you automate things that are supposed to be personal, you run the risk of screwing up whole systems and communication channels. That's what spam does to email, what FFA submitters did, and what all sorts of other automation tools do every day in other channels.


Paul

[askloz]

What is it with you Americans that always think you're right, don't get me wrong I don't mean to have this come across as an Insult. I live in America, I think Americans are great people, very hospitable, but crikey, give the guy a break.

Listen. Most of you praised how Traffic Geyser was the best thing since sliced bread. No one is cussing that program, yet they take on a small timer like Duncan's idea and try and ruin his reputation before it's even got off the ground.

Take Eric & Howies crap invention to post out to twitter accounts, no one is saying anything bad about that, why's that? Cos Eric and Howie are known and very recognized in this IM Industry that it must be ok what they are doing, and Duncan's similar technique to get traffic isn't?

Take Social Bookmarking Demon, another very well known established software with over 2,000 users, no one is cussing that program, but Duncan's similar idea is.

Then you have article rewriting software, that MANY of you on this forum use, and MANY of you post articles to directories via automated methods from software like Article Post Robot, or Article Submitter Platinum, or others alike.

I could go on and on. Yet for some reason you want to target Duncan out of the blue. Get off his case for crying out loud and show some respect. Because I can tell you this, if you are so much against Duncan's PROVEN technique that even I use and have done since the inception of Yahoo! Answers, then get on EVERYONE's case who comes up with similar or same ideas as Duncan's... But you wont, and it seems very odd how you just target Duncan out of the 10's of thousands of posts on this forum.

Leave it alone, if you don't like it, move on, get over it, but don't stop Duncan from doing business on this forum, everyone has a choice whether to take Duncan up on his offer or not.

Peace!

[askloz]

I have a right to my privacy, why should I give them my information, information that I don't know what they are going to with. I don't know them, I don't know every employer of Yahoo! or their address, why in the name.... should I have to give mine up, just because they said so. CRAP!

They ask for that information for Marketing Surveying, and nothing else.

Originally Posted by Paul Myers

You also agree to: (a) provide true, accurate, current and complete information about yourself as prompted by the Service's registration form (the "Registration Data") and (b) maintain and promptly update the Registration Data to keep it true, accurate, current and complete.

I would wager that the accounts used by your software don't have the marketers' real names on them.

[Paul Myers]

Loz,

I never praised, or used, any of the specific tools you mentioned. I don't know anything about them. And yes, I mean that I haven't even read the sales letters for them. I skip an awful lot of stuff that's not relevant to what I do.

Without commenting on those programs, I will say that I don't use tools that I see as being destructive. I have spoken out against such things for years, in forums, on my blog (when I was running it), in seminars and teleseminars, and in my newsletter.

This is not about Duncan. It's about an approach to marketing.

As another example, ABP.

If the software rewrites articles and submits them to a network of your own (or the author's own) blogs, that's fine. If it goes out and submits them to blogs owned by third parties, it may or may not be, depending on the policies of those blogs.

It's not the technology that's good or bad. It's the interaction of the technology and the intent of the owners of the sites it affects.

It's about consent, and the right of people who own a thing to decide what's done with that thing.

Unless you're prepared to suggest that email spam is no problem, and that spammers have the right to send you as much mail as they want, you don't have a basis to object to that position.


Paul

[Paul Myers]

Loz,

You have the right to use a different service if you don't like their terms.

Complaining that they're going to use your info to market to you is a bit hypocritical, given your stance in this discussion, isn't it? Especially since they tell you that up front, and give you something in return for it?


Paul

[dcmarketer]

Just an FYI...

I do respect everyone's opinion here and largely agree with what Paul is saying.

But I just want everyone to know I am respectively stepping aside from further discussion on the topic (unless anyone wants to ask anything specific about the actual Answer Sniper Automated System, what it does and what it can do for you - in which case you might want to PM or email me directly) as things are getting a bit heated and over the top.

Just wanted to let everyone know that if they post something personal - addressed to me directly that is and that is not related specifically to the system - and I don't respond it's not because I'm ignoring you. I've made my statements and am moving on.

Best...

Duncan

[Dhira]

So a guy posts his product, pays for it, and the morality police come on and bitch and moan and call him names...

Is that how it works now?

[dbarnum]

OK, Dhira, how about these rules:

1) If it's a tool to hack into your sites and screw with them, we'll let that go.

2) If you place a paid ad section on your children's site or general audience site for say the elderly - like sweet, ailing grandmas with cancer who are dying, and you just want G-rated ads, for example, and a porn guy comes in, pays, and posts his porn - - that's OK, too. I mean that person paid, so what, right?

Silence is golden in the above. What say, folks?


How's that I mean you don' t need brains here, just brawn - and a wallet
Free-for-all if you have $$, right - -charge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



WOw, glad you don't run the web, dude

[Dhira]

lol. Stop grasping for straws.
How is asking and answering questions on Yahoo Answers the same as hacking into websites?
You're not making sense man. Stop trying to be the internet police because you're not even interpreting the parallels accurately.

[dbarnum]

lol. And you stop grasping for straws, 2. And stop trying to be human, too, because you're not interpreting post parallels accurately either

OK, forgive me if I unsubscribe to this thread. There just has to be a better way to spend time online. ..

It's been fun. Bye.

[mmurtha]

Hey Duncan,

I'm with Paul and Diana,

I think it stinks that you would lead people into using this sort of program.

It's pretty blackhat to say the least!

This is my main objection to it:

Paul wrote:

It's not the technology that's good or bad. It's the interaction of the technology and the intent of the owners of the sites it affects.

It's about consent, and the right of people who own a thing to decide what's done with that thing.

I'm sure it will be going against many site policies to be honest about, and it may very well end up getting your buyers into trouble where the law is concerned.

Do you really want that?

It's not about a peeing match at all, it's about doing the right thing, and teaching people how to go about doing the right thing.

Here's another thought, you are not doning yourself any favors by responding the way you are, or by peddeling this product.


Mary

[Glenn Newsome]

First off, let me say that I respect all opinions given

so far, even the ones I disagree with. I have in the

past done business with some of the posters here and

still will in the future when I need them.



Now, on to my thoughts. I just don't get the fuss and

anger towards Duncan. If you don't like what he has to

offer, then ignore it. I have not purchased Duncan's

product or service yet. I did skim the over the WSO.



Maybe my opinion is more of a buy it or leave it alone

attitude and I am not getting the full picture because I

have not studied the service.



That being said, I have purchase several products in the

WSO section that have been questionable at best. Yes, I

understand not all can be seen or followed but there

have been enough for them to be blasted also.

Let me state also that I have not used any of them as of

yet, but may at some point if I see a use for them.



One statement above says:"we don't sell porn here".

Well, sorry to inform you, but, yes we do.

How do I know this? I purchased it. It was in the form of starting

an adult site. This was not a how to, but, the actual

database etc. with videos etc.

Here is a quote from the WSO:
"Publish Your Very Own Fully Featured Adult Website And

Join In On A Multi-Billion Dollar Industry - Resale

Rights For This Week ONLY!"


Here is a quote from another WSO:
"you’ll get a chance to see how everyday marketing

strategies can yield high profits with the adult

industry."

Yet another from a different WSO:
"Like I mentioned above, using this tactic is extremely

black hat, and may even be illegal! I can't be held

responsible if anything bad happens to you, I just want

to let you know that! If you are Mr. Ethical, or don't

want to venture on to the dark side, just leave this

page now, I really don't want any Drama so I am telling

you guys right now that this code may be illegal and by

using it, you risk deletion of your affiliate account!"



Well, I have more, but here are a few other questionable type WSO's:
(I did not go into these files to read again--so some of
these may be perfectly legit ways to promote)

Add digg friends bot
Add myspace friends
traffic exchange trickster
article spinning
posting robots
and totally legit software(that could easily be used the wrong way)
example: social software

Anyway, I think you get the point. These are just a few

that I personally have. There were many that I saw but

passed on.


I probably would have gotten Duncan's service had it not

been for a couple of reasons. One is WSO funds are low

at the moment (I spend way too much on them), and

second, monthly services for me have to be very strong(I

am sure your service is great Duncan) or at least I have

to know that I will use them and right now I am not

ready to use it.


The only problem I have with this is that with all these

other WSO's getting through, why blast this one? In my

opinion, the blasting was enough to damage the WSO and

cause loss of income for Duncan.

Not only Duncan's WSO but others as well. Most everyone

knows blasting a WSO by someone who is known here can

put it in the trash can.

I will say that some WSO's do better when they get

blasted because folks get curious. They would have

quietly faded away otherwise.

I have seen many times statements like: "couldn't your

software be used for .......? Answer: well, yes but we

dont encourage that, etc.

I see the need to police the WSO's. But the one's I usually see blasted is someone offering an affiliate link etc. Yes those ought to be deleted and/or moved. There needs to be some kind of system or guidelines if we are going to blast em. I will blast away myself if I see someone not following the forum guidelines.

At one time--not very long ago--blasting emails was not a bad thing (well it was, but it wasnt illegal). Much money was made. Many things we do right now that are considered perfectly fine to us may one day also be illegal.

Consider this: You have a main website. What if the only way to use social sites is if someone mentions your site because it is good or they liked it. You are not allowed to build squidoo lenses, hub pages,myspace, etc.
If you ask me--all of these are not being used according to their intent at all. People are using them to promote their other websites, products,etc.

To me it is just what you decide is right or acceptable.
Do I think pointing 20 other such sites above to my site is ok. Well, for now it is. I am cool with it.

Maybe not so later on, if too many folks blast the method.

Ok, stepping off of my soap box now.

[alloo]

I own the product and don't understand the fuss of many of you. It is a time saver, you still need human input, can help the yahoo answers users, and is an improvement on the core site.

It's similar to the kind software that expands the seller functionality of ebay. That has been good for ebay, and the buyers and sellers. Likewise, with YA, you can more easily monitor the niches which you are interested in, and you can more efficiently ask or answer questions.

I haven't been able to get all the functionality to work with my yahoo accounts, and I'm not pushing it, but the search capability is very helpful and that alone is an improvement on the yahoo site, and worth the modest price of the software. Anything that can speed up or make more enjoyable a marketing task is a good thing and this developer should be supported.

[Elliott]

I don't use the product in question, but I do read and buy a lot of WSOs, product reviews, and marketing tool sales copy. I will say that by analogy, the Special Offers forum sells a LOT of pornography and spam, as well as spamming tools.

"Review Sites" are all the rage these days, and they are nothing but fodder for spamming the SEs, designed to sell Clickbank products, usually.

"Black Hat" products are openly marketed, right here in WF, and are often reviewed in the Product Review forum. It seems to me that much of the game these days is finding new ways to spam, since email spam has been cracked down on hard in recent years.

I am not saying all of this is right. I tend to stay away from tactics I see as unethical. But I must say this product seems less unethical than many other things I have seen advertised.

I think if folks are going to be police, they should be thorough about it and police all the offers posted in WF. Otherwise it does come across as singleing out one person, and letting other culprits get away with it.

To that extent I think Loz, and also Glen, have made some good points, just as much as some of the objectors.

Elliott

[WebSlicers]

Whew! This thread, definitely, is one of the best that I've been to by far. With all the intelligent and professionally delivered statements, I'm impressed!

While Duncan's product may be seen by some as cheating, or, as others labeled it as unethical, we all know that this kind of product is being offered practically in almost every forum and most websites we know and they even sell like hotcakes. Regardless of the product's validity or functionality, it's really up to the individual whether to avail of it or not.

At the end of the day, it just boils down to one thing... we all just want to make more money, and we all have different approach in doing so.

Cheers, everyone!

[tommyp]

Originally Posted by askloz

If that's the case, I'm not sticking up for the guy, but if you're going to trash this guy, give him his $20 back.

There are many opportunities here that ABUSE sites, take that latest crap that Eric and Howie came out with, the Google Wealth Maker/Taker. Do you see anyone trashing that? No! Mind you, I did, but it wasn't in a paid forum area - I think it was in a review area.

Any hows, what about Article Submission tools, is that not an abuse of Google's guidelines? Blasting the same ole crap content out there?

What about Social Bookmarking Automation tools, isn't that an abuse as well?

These are very thin lines here, and all on the border line of what you two above consider out of order.

I think you two own this guy an apology. $10 each should do it.

I agree, Loz. I think almost everyone does something in the same spirit even if it's not the exact same strategy. For article sites for example, a lot of people upload content that would be considered mediocre at best by most but no one says anything. They only open up when the process is automated. And as far as I know this tool doesn't keep real people from commenting so someone can still come along and disagree and get another point of view. I'm not defending it but but even most of the most honest marketers BS at some level or another.

I also don't see it as much different from finding a question related to something you are selling and going in there posing, making a comment and recommending "this cool site I found that I thought was really helpful". It's the same difference.

[Paxton]

Ok, so the guy has come up with a way to post and answer questions on Yahoo Answers. Big deal - why all the fuss.

Some pretty extreme comparisons to porn and hacking sites. Not even in the same league, so why go to all the fuss?

The guy has a right to post his product. Admin has a right to remove the thread if they find it contravenes forum TOS. The thread is still here so Admin must be pretty satisfied with it.

If we're going to make a big song and dance about things, then how about:

Article submission software
Video submission software
Blog generators
Squidoo generators
Hubpage generators
PLR rewirtes
Proxy services
Article rewrite / submission
Social bookmarking software
Popup software
OTO software

Pretty much a heap of examples from the above that go against TOS of one site or another (or surfers - I hate OTO's). The point is, threads with the above products do exist on WF, so Admin is happy for them to be here.

Simple fact of the matter is the THREAD must be ok as it's still here. What people do with the product is and should be outside the responsibility of forum Admin or members. If a thread is accepted, then it should be allowed to run.

If somebody buys the product and it turns out not to be as described, then Yes, object by all means.

Just because we don't like a particular product doesn't give us the right to slate it without having tried it.

It is what it is. A way to post and answer questions on Yahoo. So presumably, nobody is doing that already ? Nobody is posting comments on blogs for links ? Nobody is posting on forums for links ?

All pretty mainstream marketing methods. All used by thousands of marketers. So why suddenly question the methods, just because somebody has come up with a way to automate the process ?

Last count there were over 6 Yahoo Answer products on the WSO thread. Nobody seemed to object to them, so why object to a product that simply automates what a great number of marketers are doing already ?

[Paul Myers]

why object to a product that simply automates what a great number of marketers are doing already ?

Why ask a question that's already been answered repeatedly in the thread in which you ask it?


Paul

[Paxton]

Originally Posted by Paul Myers

Why ask a question that's already been answered repeatedly in the thread in which you ask it?


Paul

Because I wanted to - or is that suddenly against forum policies as well ?

[Paul Myers]

Because I wanted to - or is that suddenly against forum policies as well ?

Not as far as I know. Just curious if it was carelessness or trolling.


Paul

[Paxton]

Originally Posted by Paul Myers

Not as far as I know. Just curious if it was carelessness or trolling.


Paul

So I not allowed to express an opinion because it might upset somebody

I don't do careless and I don't troll.

Who died and left you in charge anyway ?

[Paul Myers]

So I not allowed to express an opinion because it might upset somebody

I don't recall saying you couldn't say anything. Just wondered why you asked a question that had already been answered. (Repeatedly.) Seems at least as sensible as your question.

I don't do careless and I don't troll.

Fooled me.

Who died and left you in charge anyway ?

Nobody. Did you see me telling anyone what to do or not do? Or just expressing my opinion, same as you?

You're kind of cute when you're mad.


Paul

[Paxton]

Originally Posted by Paul Myers

I don't recall saying you couldn't say anything. Just wondered why you asked a question that had already been answered. (Repeatedly.) Seems at least as sensible as your question.Fooled me.Nobody. Did you see me telling anyone what to do or not do? Or just expressing my opinion, same as you?

You're kind of cute when you're mad.


Paul

Not mad at all.
Nothing to be mad about.
Just had a game of golf, 74, 2 over par.
Nice dinner and a nice bottle of wine.

What's to be mad about ?

[Paul Myers]

What's to be mad about ?

An excellent question.

Generally, when someone repeats the same illogical arguments that have already been shot down in the thread in which he repeats them, and asks questions already answered in that thread, there's something impairing their judgment. Most often, that's anger.

Could be the wine.


Paul

[Paxton]

Look, I'd love to stay and take this further, but there's a big game tonight. If we win this one we get through to the next round of the Champions League.

Let's agree to disagree on this one so I can enjoy the game.

PS: the wine was pretty good.

[earnnow2010]

I don't see the reason why you hate so much this product/service ?
This is automatization of all things... even if you are using a software to submit your site to multiple directory or this.. to answer to many question...
It's only about the time... is helping you to not send each answer separatly, but to send for example 100 answers in 1h, not in few...
Btw, this is so called " blackhat " not illegal but nor after all the rules from TOS ...
so call it how you want, but you must know that bring more results and faster ...
It's up to you to use it or not...