A lot has happened since I created this blog and promptly abandoned it. For one, I'm poorer than ever, my grandmother passed away, and I left Wealthy Affiliate University. It got too expensive, the format changed, and things just got messy with it. As such, if you click on the links, I get no commission. I actually suggest you stay away form Wealthy Affiliate at this time. There's tons of better products out there that I will review later, but WA isn't one of them anymore.
So, this blog will hopefully resurrect and you can follow my journey. So, I'll be back to give you my life story (like everyone does), and then you can see me grow or bomb even more!
Monday, February 4, 2013
Friday, October 7, 2011
Are Affiliate Marketers Honest?
Does it bother anyone that when you promote a product, people assume that because you’re being paid a commission, you aren’t totally honest? I always felt that way about salesmen – that all they wanted to get just a little more of your money, and once they got you to buy just one thing from them, they would bombard you with all manner of special offers and similar products that you just can’t live without. I was very reluctant to get into this field because of that reason. I never wanted to rip people off, and a quick look around a certain marketing forum told me that a lot of people who create products aren’t totally honest themselves. However, I’ve learned that affiliate marketers, and marketers themselves, can be completely honest, aren’t necessarily greedy people, and that many of them just want to help people.
I’m a blogger, first and foremost in this field. It’s not my goal to sell products, but to write about the subjects I enjoy, such as learning Japanese. It’s an ongoing process, and I never claim to be an expert. I review products, some good some downright terrible, and am always completely honest in what I say. In fact, I wasn’t even an affiliate marketer when I started my first blog. I’ve since added affiliate links to the products I recommend, but I’m not going to change my opinion about a program (think the horrible Rosetta Stone) just because it would earn me a big commission to convince someone to buy it.
Actually, I’ve come to think that a lot of affiliate marketers are pretty honest people, as they won’t get return customers if they rip them off, but that still isn’t enough reason for me to make affiliate marketing the sole drive behind my own sites. My sole drive is to help people learn, and to entertain them and inform them with reviews of everything from movies to products, to share the latest news from Japan, and just enjoy writing about it. I like doing reviews for products because I happen to own a lot of them, so I can safely say that I’ve tried everything I review, and sometimes I would recommend it for a certain group of learners, and other times I’ll declare it to be a waste of time and money. That I like, for I feel that I’m helping people, not making money.
A lot of us aren’t greedy misers, either. Many marketers who make a lot of money (I’m not one of them) put a lot into charity, and many aren’t looking to make millions and live in mansions across the globe. I’m just looking to support my family, and when the stores and companies around me aren’t hiring, I have no choice but to make a job for myself. All I’m trying to do is win some bread, not put Liberace to shame! And if one does make a lot of money, that’s okay, too. There’s nothing wrong with that, so long as you earned it and didn’t lie and step on people to get there.
Moreover, a lot of these marketers started off as regular bloggers who decided to continue informing people while making a passive income in the process, like AJATT. A lot of people trust Khatzumoto, and we normally wouldn’t call him a marketer. He’s very helpful, full of great advice, and is a big inspiration for me in my own journey to master languages, but he does get some money when he recommends a product, and that’s not a bad thing. He doesn’t rip people off, nor does he blog for the sole purpose of generating an income, and if he continues to go in that direction, then that just means that he’ll have even more time on his hands to share his advice with the rest of us.
All in all, I really think this is a legitimate field. There are scammers out there, but you can find them everywhere. Most of us are nice, caring people who don’t want to harm anyone. I’m glad I’m here now, and everyday I learn. This is a journey that will be long, but I think it’ll be worth it.
I’m a blogger, first and foremost in this field. It’s not my goal to sell products, but to write about the subjects I enjoy, such as learning Japanese. It’s an ongoing process, and I never claim to be an expert. I review products, some good some downright terrible, and am always completely honest in what I say. In fact, I wasn’t even an affiliate marketer when I started my first blog. I’ve since added affiliate links to the products I recommend, but I’m not going to change my opinion about a program (think the horrible Rosetta Stone) just because it would earn me a big commission to convince someone to buy it.
Actually, I’ve come to think that a lot of affiliate marketers are pretty honest people, as they won’t get return customers if they rip them off, but that still isn’t enough reason for me to make affiliate marketing the sole drive behind my own sites. My sole drive is to help people learn, and to entertain them and inform them with reviews of everything from movies to products, to share the latest news from Japan, and just enjoy writing about it. I like doing reviews for products because I happen to own a lot of them, so I can safely say that I’ve tried everything I review, and sometimes I would recommend it for a certain group of learners, and other times I’ll declare it to be a waste of time and money. That I like, for I feel that I’m helping people, not making money.
A lot of us aren’t greedy misers, either. Many marketers who make a lot of money (I’m not one of them) put a lot into charity, and many aren’t looking to make millions and live in mansions across the globe. I’m just looking to support my family, and when the stores and companies around me aren’t hiring, I have no choice but to make a job for myself. All I’m trying to do is win some bread, not put Liberace to shame! And if one does make a lot of money, that’s okay, too. There’s nothing wrong with that, so long as you earned it and didn’t lie and step on people to get there.
Moreover, a lot of these marketers started off as regular bloggers who decided to continue informing people while making a passive income in the process, like AJATT. A lot of people trust Khatzumoto, and we normally wouldn’t call him a marketer. He’s very helpful, full of great advice, and is a big inspiration for me in my own journey to master languages, but he does get some money when he recommends a product, and that’s not a bad thing. He doesn’t rip people off, nor does he blog for the sole purpose of generating an income, and if he continues to go in that direction, then that just means that he’ll have even more time on his hands to share his advice with the rest of us.
All in all, I really think this is a legitimate field. There are scammers out there, but you can find them everywhere. Most of us are nice, caring people who don’t want to harm anyone. I’m glad I’m here now, and everyday I learn. This is a journey that will be long, but I think it’ll be worth it.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
The Start of My Journey
This is a big day for me, as it's the day I officially become an Internet Marketer. I made a video promoting Wealthy Affiliate, so check it out. I appologize because a sore throat has made my voice sound like crap, and the microphone doesn't help at all.
For some background information on me, I'm 25-years-old and haven't been able to find a job since college. I use whatever money I can get ahold of to study languages and review products for doing so on my Genki Japan blog, although that one's strictly for Japanese. Anyway, I was looking for a way to support my family and my hobbies, but no one will hire me. Each time I filled out an application or submitted my resume, I was told that mine was just one amongst hundreds, and I never even got an interview.
So, I started looking around on the Internet for jobs. I tried a few things, found out that they were rewarding, though not financially, and finally decided to try marketing. It seemed like it would be relatively easy, the biggest problem being that the majority of marketers will not give you information for nothing - they expect you to pay. There are so many aspects of marketing, that to pay for training or tips in all of them would cost a small fortune, which I don't have, and I wound up getting scammed a lot by other marketers who were aware that it costs too much to learn the trade and promoted products that promised to make you a fortune even if you had no idea what the heck you were doing.
Eventually, I found a site that promoted Wealthy Affiliate, a site designed to teach you affiliate marketing (and every aspect of it), as well as provide the tools needed to become successful. I've never been happier, as this is the product that is actually worth the monthly fee.
So, here's the written review of Wealthy Affiliate (check out the video for visuals), and my idea of how we can create a good little network going right here.
Firstly, the Wealthy Affiliate University (the "university" bit is to make it sound like a school, which is kind of is) is a learning environment that isn't built on promoting a product made for getting you rich; it's all about learning how to succeed in the world of Internet Marketing. I've been scammed about five times now, which is absolutely unacceptable, and made me question the integrity of marketers, which in turn nearly drove me away from the whole business. If it weren't for desperation, I probably wouldn't have found Wealthy Affiliate.
When I first found it, I went looking for reviews and didn't find a single negative one, even from a site and video that had a negative title. That impressed me, as with all other marketing products out there, you either found some praise and some griping, or you knew that all the people reviewing it were just marketers watching each other's backs. Not so with this site, and I've not regretted joining it.
Secondly, I was impressed that Wealthy Affiliate made no false promises. They'll provide you with the training and tools you need to make this thing work, and if you work hard, you will eventually write your own paycheck. I really like this ethic, as all the other products I tried (and I'm unemployed and not getting unemployment checks, so this is really bad for me) basically promised overnight success at the push of a button. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, and I learned it the hard way.
There were also a ton of hidden costs that they didn't tell me about up front, whereas WA doesn't do that. They give you offers from time to time, but everything you need is on the site and comes with your monthly payment (the video has more information on that), so the other stuff is just extra. Their honesty is what keeps me most impressed with them, and I want to be an honest marketer like that.
Anyway, in the video, I said that it would be cool to get a bunch of blogs together and network. We can share our success and our failures, learn from each other, and show non-WA members that it is possible to succeed with this. I know that we can share with each other on the website, as it has great social networking features, but it would be nice to promote it to potential marketers and prove that it's possible.
If you're reading this and you're not a marketer but interested in becoming one (otherwise why are you here?), then I encourage you to sign up and we can grow together, since I'm new to this as well. Sign up, create your own free blog on blogger, and we'll network together and learn this business together.
We can be like the Fellowship of the Ring, except maybe a Guild of Newb Marketers or something. Notice how there's a role for everyone. I'm just nerdy enough to break it down, too.
Frodo: the unlikely marketer
Sam: the encourager who never lets you give up
Aragorn: the wise leader
Merry/Pippin: the guides
Legolas: The cautious one
Gimli: the risk taker
Boromir: Mr. Priority (hey, his first priority was to Gondor - everything else came second)
Gandalf: The experienced one
So, let's get this going!
The video won't upload at the moment, probably because it's new, so click here to see part 1, and click here to see part 2. I might redo these videos later on, since the quality isn't that amazing.
For some background information on me, I'm 25-years-old and haven't been able to find a job since college. I use whatever money I can get ahold of to study languages and review products for doing so on my Genki Japan blog, although that one's strictly for Japanese. Anyway, I was looking for a way to support my family and my hobbies, but no one will hire me. Each time I filled out an application or submitted my resume, I was told that mine was just one amongst hundreds, and I never even got an interview.
So, I started looking around on the Internet for jobs. I tried a few things, found out that they were rewarding, though not financially, and finally decided to try marketing. It seemed like it would be relatively easy, the biggest problem being that the majority of marketers will not give you information for nothing - they expect you to pay. There are so many aspects of marketing, that to pay for training or tips in all of them would cost a small fortune, which I don't have, and I wound up getting scammed a lot by other marketers who were aware that it costs too much to learn the trade and promoted products that promised to make you a fortune even if you had no idea what the heck you were doing.
Eventually, I found a site that promoted Wealthy Affiliate, a site designed to teach you affiliate marketing (and every aspect of it), as well as provide the tools needed to become successful. I've never been happier, as this is the product that is actually worth the monthly fee.
So, here's the written review of Wealthy Affiliate (check out the video for visuals), and my idea of how we can create a good little network going right here.
Firstly, the Wealthy Affiliate University (the "university" bit is to make it sound like a school, which is kind of is) is a learning environment that isn't built on promoting a product made for getting you rich; it's all about learning how to succeed in the world of Internet Marketing. I've been scammed about five times now, which is absolutely unacceptable, and made me question the integrity of marketers, which in turn nearly drove me away from the whole business. If it weren't for desperation, I probably wouldn't have found Wealthy Affiliate.
When I first found it, I went looking for reviews and didn't find a single negative one, even from a site and video that had a negative title. That impressed me, as with all other marketing products out there, you either found some praise and some griping, or you knew that all the people reviewing it were just marketers watching each other's backs. Not so with this site, and I've not regretted joining it.
Secondly, I was impressed that Wealthy Affiliate made no false promises. They'll provide you with the training and tools you need to make this thing work, and if you work hard, you will eventually write your own paycheck. I really like this ethic, as all the other products I tried (and I'm unemployed and not getting unemployment checks, so this is really bad for me) basically promised overnight success at the push of a button. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, and I learned it the hard way.
There were also a ton of hidden costs that they didn't tell me about up front, whereas WA doesn't do that. They give you offers from time to time, but everything you need is on the site and comes with your monthly payment (the video has more information on that), so the other stuff is just extra. Their honesty is what keeps me most impressed with them, and I want to be an honest marketer like that.
Anyway, in the video, I said that it would be cool to get a bunch of blogs together and network. We can share our success and our failures, learn from each other, and show non-WA members that it is possible to succeed with this. I know that we can share with each other on the website, as it has great social networking features, but it would be nice to promote it to potential marketers and prove that it's possible.
If you're reading this and you're not a marketer but interested in becoming one (otherwise why are you here?), then I encourage you to sign up and we can grow together, since I'm new to this as well. Sign up, create your own free blog on blogger, and we'll network together and learn this business together.
We can be like the Fellowship of the Ring, except maybe a Guild of Newb Marketers or something. Notice how there's a role for everyone. I'm just nerdy enough to break it down, too.
Frodo: the unlikely marketer
Sam: the encourager who never lets you give up
Aragorn: the wise leader
Merry/Pippin: the guides
Legolas: The cautious one
Gimli: the risk taker
Boromir: Mr. Priority (hey, his first priority was to Gondor - everything else came second)
Gandalf: The experienced one
So, let's get this going!
The video won't upload at the moment, probably because it's new, so click here to see part 1, and click here to see part 2. I might redo these videos later on, since the quality isn't that amazing.
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