Maybe I'm just stressed and overwhelmed....

13 years ago

It's not all a scam. You can make money online, but (as you probably already know) it is not as easy as most of the products out there make it out to be.

The thing is that the business of teaching people how to make money online is loaded with scammy people that put up fake sites like that to lure in unsuspecting people who are desperate to make money. Now, maybe the site that the affiliate links to is legit and a good program, so perhaps it is not all bad.

I'm not saying that everyone who wants to teach people how to make money online, or every affiliate is a scammer, just that the niche is one that can tend to attract people like that more so than other niches. Not to say that they aren't in other niches too!

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Latsyrc

13 years ago

Originally Posted by cashcow

It's not all a scam. You can make money online, but (as you probably already know) it is not as easy as most of the products out there make it out to be.

The thing is that the business of teaching people how to make money online is loaded with scammy people that put up fake sites like that to lure in unsuspecting people who are desperate to make money. Now, maybe the site that the affiliate links to is legit and a good program, so perhaps it is not all bad.

I'm not saying that everyone who wants to teach people how to make money online, or every affiliate is a scammer, just that the niche is one that can tend to attract people like that more so than other niches. Not to say that they aren't in other niches too!

What I highlighted in your statement is a VERY good point. I didn't think of it that way. Thanks for coming to my mental rescue this morning. Again, I can always count on you!

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goodmast3r

13 years ago

Hi counselormom, affiliate marketing is the same thing like all other stuff. It's like a gun. In good hand it can be useful. Don't bother other people. Don't be afraid of using the gun for good purpose.

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Sheryl Polomka

13 years ago

I have often thought the same thing - is IM a real business or is it just people making money by supposedly telling other people how to make money and so on. It can certainly seem like that at times and I do think there are a lot of people that actually make most of their money by selling the product that tells people how to make money - rather than making money from the method they are teaching.

But there are many legitimate ways to make money online and just stay away from those that aren't. These thoughts are normal I think and you just need to put them out off your head and move on with your own business and as long as you are doing things legitimately then you have nothing to worry about

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cashcow

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Sheryl Polomka

I have often thought the same thing - is IM a real business or is it just people making money by supposedly telling other people how to make money and so on. It can certainly seem like that at times and I do think there are a lot of people that actually make most of their money by selling the product that tells people how to make money - rather than making money from the method they are teaching.

Yeah, I think that too, plus I think that the people making money from methods other than teaching other people how to make money probably keep a pretty low profile.

I mean if you were making a ton of money from niche products or affiliate sales or whatever, you would probably want to just keep that info to yourself, otherwise you would be inundated with questions from people wanting to know your methods - to the point where you would be spending all your time answering questions with no time to work on your business.

I remember a thread by LMC not too long ago where he posts his business methods to make a boatload of money from niche sites and people were asking when his WSO was going to come out and he said that he had no intentions of making a WSO because it just didn't make sense to take the time to make the ebook (or whatever), and the sales page and then spend all the time on support when he could be using that time to put up more websites.

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Kay King

13 years ago

I want this dream to be a reality

I strongly urge you to think about that statement rather than worry about how some marketer gets newbies to click on his affiliate links.

If you approach IM as a "dream" - as many seem to do - it will be elusive. There is no magic or illusion or pot of gold. There is the possibility of earning an income - either large or small - if you learn to use the IM tools and you put in the effort to build a business. It's real effort you put in - real time - and those with realistic expectations can do very well.

Thinking about the money - and the dream - is the one trait I see in people who join here and become quickly disillusioned. They aren't focused on what they need to do - but on what they want to have. You don't start at the top - you work your way up the hill.

You clicked on that "news page" because "she's like me" (a mom) - which was the target market. You recognized what was on the site - someone with NO experience online wouldn't see that.

Instead of seeing distasteful marketing, think of it this way: YOU have learned enough already that YOU recognized the site for what it was. That's progress.

kay

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Latsyrc

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Kay King

I strongly urge you to think about that statement rather than worry about how some marketer gets newbies to click on his affiliate links.

If you approach IM as a "dream" - as many seem to do - it will be elusive. There is no magic or illusion or pot of gold. There is the possibility of earning an income - either large or small - if you learn to use the IM tools and you put in the effort to build a business. It's real effort you put in - real time - and those with realistic expectations can do very well.

Thinking about the money - and the dream - is the one trait I see in people who join here and become quickly disillusioned. They aren't focused on what they need to do - but on what they want to have. You don't start at the top - you work your way up the hill.

You clicked on that "news page" because "she's like me" (a mom) - which was the target market. You recognized what was on the site - someone with NO experience online wouldn't see that.

Instead of seeing distasteful marketing, think of it this way: YOU have learned enough already that YOU recognized the site for what it was. That's progress.

kay

Thank you for this. I think I have made progress too, slowly but surely. Thanks for the reality check too. Yes it is definitely possible, I don't need to let myself get derailed. I'll be around, I don't plan on going anywhere.

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Andrea Wilson

13 years ago

I was thinking the exact same thing! After I have learned everything about internet marketing I became doubtful on how truthful reviews online were.

I want to make myself believe that it is only the money making niche that has this certain review problems. But if you will look into Clickbank there were a lot of products not related to money making as well and they might be getting the-not-so-honest reviews just like any other product.

Andrea

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82ana

13 years ago

Much like you i'm still looking for my first "big" break in IM. I try and follow all (most of) the rules and when I see someone steal, lie, cheat their way to success i'm very irritated. These ppl gives affiliates a bad rep :/

Don't worry about it too much though, if you do it the right way and are willing to learn. You'll hit oil. (hoping I will too)

Cheers,
S

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DireStraits

13 years ago

News sites, by their nature (and dismissing political bias and so on, just for the moment), usually command a good deal of trust and authority - much more than any old blog can. As such, imitation news sites are a perfect way for shady marketers to lure people into a false sense of trust and security, in order to land sales.

Don't let what these people do tarnish your opinion of online marketers in general, though.

The stereotype of a used car salesman (according to me

) is one of a greasy-haired, smooth-talking, overbearing, lying jock-strap (as is that of salespeople in general, I think?) - but that isn't to say they're all prepared to sacrifice their morals and dignity. Some have a desire to build long-term, trustful, honest relationships with their customers, in order that they can better expect repeat custom and word-of-mouth recommendations.

But there are a lot of scams and shady practitioners out there for sure, whose sights are very firmly set on earning a quick buck. Even with the existing (and ever-increasing) amount of legislation/regulation they're not going to disappear overnight (and never entirely). So always exercise a good amount of due diligence when in the position of a buyer. And don't be fooled into thinking that in order to be successful, you have to stoop to their level, yourself.

There is ample room for those to whom ethics and dignity actually mean something, too.

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Michael Shook 13 years ago

The page you clicked on is an online example of what used to be called a tear sheet in direct mail. this was where you opened up the envelope and inside was piece of newsprint that looked like it was a newspaper article.

Some folks, Gary Halbert included, also taught you as a direct marketer to attacha littel sticky not to the newsprint saying some thing like "Thought you might be interested in this.

It is the same kind of thing when that you see in newspapers when you see ads that look like they are newspaper articles. When you as a marketer are buying these ads, the goal is to fin publications that do not make you put the words "This is an advertisement" at the top of the article.

I don't know if it was or not, but this kind of ad you ar talking about often shows up in popunder. When you get a popunder or a "Hey wait a minute" box on your page, you can bet that someone wants to sell you something.

But just becasue someone wants to sell you something does not mean you don't want to buy it. As a marketer, it is a big step to stop thinking like a consumer and start thinking more liek a marketer.

It is not a scam if the product lived up to its original premise or promise. It is simply a marketing method that you don't like, that in itself, does not make the product a scam.

I personally do not use popups or unders or wait a minute boxes because they are now so commonplace that it seems that many people are disregarding them altogether. But that is just my experience, other folks may have great profit increases by using them.
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TurnKey Internet

13 years ago

Like many of you have said, in ANY business there are scam artists out for themselves. This is especially true of affiliate businesses and online businesses that don't require any initial investment (no brick and mortar). Just remember that integrity is always worth something, even if it doesn't feel like it minute to minute.

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jackpot9

13 years ago

Originally Posted by counselormom

Last night I was researching a topic online when I landed on a news page about this stay at home mom who makes so much money at home. I decided for some reason to click other links on the "news page" and it surprisingly took me to an affiliate site. So, no matter if you clicked "weather" or "local counties" on the "online newspaper" it took me to an affiliate link. To ME, that SCREAMS SCAM. I researched the product on this board and found people discussing the creator of this product who apparently has legitimate products. So, that is great he is successful.

To an average and educated person like me, I personally get turned off immediately when I see something like that pretend newspaper. I understand some people will disagree with me about that. However, when I see affiliate links in a deceiving context like a pretend newspaper, it makes me feel like making money online is all a scam. So I began to wonder if I am working for nothing. Is all my hard work learning about affiliate marketing really a waste? I began to wonder how many "how to make money online" products are really a scam by people TRYING to make money.

I went to bed with a bad taste in my mouth and disappointed because I want this dream to be a reality. Yeah, I've made a few hundred dollars off of Amazon now. So I know it can happen. I personally have a friend who makes a living online now @ thethriftymama dot com. So, I know it CAN happen. However, I was just feeling left so discouraged last night because I didn't really realize until the past few weeks how so many websites are designed just for the purpose of making a buck without true and honest reviews. You never know if the review about a said product is real or not. Thank God for forums like this and reviews that don't allow affiliate links so we can read honest reviews. Yes, I do know there are people who make honest reviews of products like the Amazon ladies who are great btw.

Excuse my vent, but I had a bad day yesterday anyways so maybe my negativity was elevated from stuff that happened personally. And to top it off my husband was in a car accident this morning, fortunately, he is ok.

Thanks for reading.

Hi!

If i did not remember wrongly, a couple of days or weeks ago, i went to yahoo to read the latest news and saw a featured article on best video games of 2010 or something like that. I clicked on it immediately because i'm in that niche (oops!) and saw that it was a review style page written like that of a hubpage/ lens.

The links were links to Amazon and definitely planted with affiliate links. Surprising? Yes. Ethical? Debatable. Common Practice? Definitely.

As long as the news website you went to provided the information you were looking for, i guess they deserve the commission if you decide to buy.

P:S

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ashwinsatyanarayana 13 years ago

Conselormom,

I don't how I managed to stumble on your post exactly a few minutes after I checked out the same link.

Needless to say, the landing page was well-designed and stemmed off a webpage that looked like a newspaper. Guess what, it seems to have some kin of cookie in it that recognises the IP address and changes one word on the article into the place the IP address originates from. Clever, eh?

I did check that link out, I entered my details(using an account I use for these kind of crazy experiments) and guess what? The page announces that I "Qualify" to "fill up forms".

To subscribe you have to pay $19.95. Awesome, isn't it? Asking for money for no value shown? Yes, there are people who will fall for it and then burn their hands.

They don't realize that any "work" takes "work" and money is a natural outcome of work well done.

I still have that 'bad taste' in my mouth. I totally get it.
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- alexdigital 13 years ago
  
  I've thought the same thing!
  
  I recently purchased a site based on Registry Cleaners on Flippa ! I didn't do any real research until I had the site up and running. It was then I discovered that 99% of the other affiliate sites in that market are full of bogus reviews promoting software that doesn't do anything, and could even damage your computer!
  
  I started to panic thinking that the only way I was going to make any money would be to follow the crowd and post my own bogus reviews promoting bogus products. I couldn't bring myself to do it. My integrity wouldn't let me!
  
  So instead I started digging deeper into the industry and discovered there actually were some products that could improve your computer performance.
  
  Unfortunately the commission was no where near as good as the scammy products.. Nevertheless, I started creating real reviews promoting the products that appeared to be good and showing the crappy software for what it really is.
  
  The site has recently started to earn on a daily basis and i'm really happy.
  
  It goes to show, you don't need to rip people off to make money with IM.
  
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SlightEdge

13 years ago

I"m a rookie and learning the ropes and it's what I thought about the last few weeks.. Thank goodness for threads like this.. It really does clear the air for moi.

(now back to Ed Dale Preseason challenge, cause I don't know how else to start)

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ExRat

13 years ago

Hi,

I don't how I managed to stumble on your post exactly a few minutes after I checked out the same link.

Needless to say, the landing page was well-designed and stemmed off a webpage that looked like a newspaper. Guess what, it seems to have some kin of cookie in it that recognises the IP address and changes one word on the article into the place the IP address originates from. Clever, eh?

What you found is called a 'flog' - a fake blog.

Did it also have a handful of glowing comments, but comments were 'closed due to spam'? (No they weren't

they were never open)

They were all the rage for the last few years in certain circles (mainly CPA). Some people made a lot of money by pushing things to the very limit. Others got their collars felt.

Not my scene. I'm surprised that this is the first time you've encountered one.

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ashwinsatyanarayana

13 years ago

Originally Posted by ExRat

Hi,

What you found is called a 'flog' - a fake blog.

Did it also have a handful of glowing comments, but comments were 'closed due to spam'? (No they weren't

they were never open)

They were all the rage for the last few years in certain circles (mainly CPA). Some people made a lot of money by pushing things to the very limit. Others got their collars felt.

Not my scene. I'm surprised that this is the first time you've encountered one.

Exrat,

Actually, it's been a long time since I even clicked on anything like. A trusted friend of my forwarded the link to me and I checked it out. Since it's been years, I guess I was surprised. But then, I didn't know you had technical terms such as 'flog'. lol....

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kssca

13 years ago

This is my first post in the two years that I have been on this site.

First, I'm glad that your husband is ok.

I get overwhelmed too. When I am researching for a product I am putting together, I start to feel discouraged because there are so many people who know more or do it better or whatever. I start to feel "less than." However, my husband said that knowledge is like the building blocks of a pyramid. Sure you can jump around to higher levels but if you lack the foundation, you will still fall/fail because you lack the support. But once you have the foundation and start buildling, you can see further and higher.

So now when I come across websites like the one you mentioned, rather than feel disappointed, I feel grateful that I am able to recognize the technique being used. Then I work backwards and remember my train of thought. Why did I feel inclined to make that particular click? What was I thinking? What was my state of mind? Then I think, how can I use this information? I try to reframe my feelings of overwhelm and disappointment into how can I learn from this moments.

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Latsyrc

13 years ago

Thanks for the well wishes about my husband. I am on my phone so I can type a longer post later but I wanted to address something. It was definitely not a popup nor a Squidoo like site. I am not exactly sure what a pop under is but my search query landed on a domain name that started with news and a station number. From what i see it does not claim to be an advertisement at all. There is some legal jargon at the bottom but nothing to Me that suggests an ad. When u click on the latest weather or current events tab it takes u to affiliate.

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Latsyrc

13 years ago

Yes! It had that comment section! Closed due to spam!

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ExRat 13 years ago

Hi counselormom,

If you're so inclined, this will shed some light -

fake blogs
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DireStraits 13 years ago

Originally Posted by counselormom

Yes! It had that comment section! Closed due to spam!

Well, the next time you see one, you'll know that it's not really "Closed due to spam", but in fact "Closed due to (this being a) scam".

I admit, the first time I saw one of these sites, I was fooled. I mean, not entirely ... the fact it was blatantly promotional (and you don't see content of that sort on genuine news sites) was very suspect, but the way in which everything was laid out was very convincing. And if it temporarily fooled me, it may fool anyone (or maybe I'm just a total putz ).
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Maybe I'm just stressed and overwhelmed....

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