Written on December 10th, 2009 at 01:12 am by Darren Rowse
Make Fast Money Blogging Products – My Reaction
Today a new ‘make money blogging fast‘ product is being launched into the blogosphere that promises those who buy it that they can make big money blogging – fast.
As this thing is launching and I’m already getting emails about it from readers asking if they should buy it – let me give you a few quick reactions to it and other products I’ve seen like it.
Do keep in mind, I’ve not bought the product so I’m making these calls based solely upon what I’ve seen in the sales material and what I’ve heard from charter members. Much of what I have written below applies to most of these kinds of products (and there are many).
Note: I’m not naming the product here (and I’m certainly not going to try to make a quick buck with an affiliate promotion), I just don’t feel good about promoting it in any way – for reasons that I guess will become clear below.
Make Fast Money Blogging?
Here’s the main thing – making money from blogging instantly… immediately… quickly… fast isn’t something I’ve seen too many people achieve (I’m actually yet to meet any). I have seen bloggers make A LOT of money blogging – millions of dollars in fact. It’s certainly possible to do – however in every case that I’ve seen the blogger has worked their butts off blogging for a long time, building their authority, credibility and by writing content that is original and useful – well before their blog started making money.
If you think you can flick a switch or change to a new system and instantly make a lot of money fast – you’re in for a fall. Don’t fall for that line – to make money in this game you’re going to have to work really hard and have a long term view of things.
Lots of Blogs Each Earning Little Bits of Money
OK – the methodology of this program is that you need to start a blog network – multiple blogs that each earn a relatively small amount of money, that mounts up to be a significant amount.
Sounds like a reasonable way to approach things and there is actually some truth to the methodology. I know a number of bloggers who have made some money this way, a few that even make a full time living from it.
I’m not going to knock people for taking on this model – it can work and I guess people do need to make a living. I even did it for a little while myself. However keep in mind that there is a cost of this method – something that I learned for myself the hard way.
The problem with maintaining lots of blogs is that while they each might make a little money that adds up to a reasonable amount – you end up with lots of blogs that don’t really amount to anything in and of themselves on any other level than that they earn a little money.
Perhaps that’s all your dream is (to make a little money from lots of blogs that no one has ever heard of) but what I love about blogs is the way that they open up other opportunities for a blogger. A blog can build your brand and profile to the point that it opens up doors for new jobs, partnerships, book deals, speaking engagements, friendships, business ideas…. etc. The problem is that most bloggers who have experienced these opportunities have worked hard to build a small number of blogs (usually a single one) which they’ve worked hard at – rather than spreading themselves thinly across multiple blogs.
My experience of a small network of blogs was that it while I was able to sustain 10-20 blogs (20-30 posts a day) that the quality of what I was producing was pretty low. I did get a little traffic to each from Google – but never really generated any regular readers, never had anyone comment, never had any opportunities open up as a result of those blogs.
It was only when I switched to having 1-2 blogs with quality, useful and original content that things opened up. As a result I slowly started to make real money blogging and more importantly started to see opportunities to leverage the profile of my blogs to bigger and better opportunities.
Using Other People’s Content
One of the main methods taught by many make money blogging products is to use other people’s content on your blog for the bulk of your posts. This one teaches that you should use other people’s content for the bulk of your posts and throw in some original stuff from time to time. They even give you tools to find and import other people’s content quickly (remember you need lots of blogs to make this work – so you need to do it quickly).
Again – this is something I dabbled in for a while. I did it all manually and tried to use the content in a way that added value rather than just copying and pasting in content (I also did it with the blessing of those whose content I aggregated and always acknowledge sources) – but in the end I dropped it as a method for a couple of reasons.
Firstly it was the most boring thing I had ever done (and I’ve worked on conveyor belts on production lines for 12 hour shifts – so I know boring). Blogging can be an amazingly uplifting experience – but copying and pasting in content is not fun.
Secondly it’s only marginally useful – there are ways of aggregating content from other sites that can be useful, but it always takes work and extra effort for this to happen. The method demonstrated in the product I’m referring to just mashes up a load of content from other sites in a way that doesn’t really help anyone. As a result a blog that does this as the bulk of its content isn’t really useful to anyone, except the blogger making a few dollars from it. The demonstrator describes the post as quality content – it’s not really. It’s on topic, it might do ok in Google, but it doesn’t really help anyone.
Thirdly – you end up a blog that isn’t really unique or original. This comes back to my points above about creating blogs that actually help build a brand or profile for you. If all you do with the bulk of your content is rehash and mashup other people’s content you’ll never get a name for being anything much more than someone who reads, quotes and links to other people’s content. Perhaps I’m crazy – but I’d rather be known for someone who has original, interesting and useful ideas than someone who whips up mashups of other people’s stuff all day every day. But maybe that’s just me?
Fourthly – while search engines unfortunately do rank this kind of content, I’m finding that they’re getting better and better at identifying truly useful content and junky content like this that is created purely to get search traffic. Sites like this can and do rank well but often they fall out of the rankings and in the long term don’t tend to rank well.
Note: at least the teaching offered in today’s course acknowledges sources of content with links and only uses short quotes from those sources – I don’t think it’s anywhere near as bad as some tools that scrape content, strip links and acknowledgements and automatically produce very spammy content.
Final Thoughts
In the end people will believe that they can make fast money blogging if they want to. Some people just want to believe the dream and nothing I can say will convince them. They’ll happily pay their $67 a month, create a few of these ‘blogs’ and a few months later realise that this isn’t a ‘fast’ or particularly ‘easy’ game.
If you’re tempted then please just pause for a moment and think about your objectives for blogging. If you’re looking to purely make money and you don’t want any real personal satisfaction or have any goals of building a brand or profile – then this type of model may actually work for you.
But if your dream is to build something that grows your profile as someone with authority in your niche, or to land a job or book deal, or to get invited to speak at an industry event, or to be quoted in mainstream media about your topic, or it’s just to build a blog that has loyal readers who keep coming back because you’re helping them…. then perhaps this isn’t the type of blogging model for you.
Your Thoughts?
PS: Interestingly the sales page of this new product highlights some successful blogs that make a lot of money blogging. They include Dooce and Mashable. I would argue that these blogs pretty much prove my point. They’re all about original and useful content. They are not about creating lots of blogs that each a little money – they’re about putting in a lot of work to produce useful and original content over a long period of time and don’t resemble anything I’ve seen about the actual product being promoted on the page.
130 Responses to “Make Fast Money Blogging Products – My Reaction” - Add Yours
Alex Sysoef
December 10th, 2009 1:16 am
I couldn’t agree more on this one! Unreasonable promises create unreasonable expectations. Unfortunately – making money blogging is a fairly slow process unless combined with other aspects such as email marketing and info product creation – then it speeds up but still not instant.
What I think is even worse – “make money blogging” products that teach people how to create whole bunch of splogs filled with regurgitated crap from other sites, like one just released few days ago.
Quite sad in my opinion, as they teach spam generation from the get go!
Andrew @ webuildyourblog.com
December 10th, 2009 1:16 am
Must admit, Darren, I have been a sucker for such products before. Over the years during my on-line business, I’ve tried them all. Numerous blogs. Didn’t work for me and I got bored of doing the same thing day in, day out.
I’m currently putting my own course together and I may not sell many because I’m saying to make money on-line takes hard work, commitment, persistence, patience and a bit of luck!
My course is no silver bullet. How’s that for a sales page…but as least it’s honest!
Andrew
Kevin (strongandfit.net)
December 10th, 2009 1:16 am
I’ve been wondering about this approach–there are several products/courses which supposedly teach you how to do this. I’m glad to finally hear an unbiased opinion on it.
Rob McGuire
December 10th, 2009 1:18 am
Having other people’s content as the core of your blog rarely leads to anything positive. There is a difference between aggregate sites that work (Reddit, Digg, etc) and scraper sites (which what this money making thing appears to be).
I think you nailed it pretty good on being unique and useful; that’s how a person becomes a successful blogger.
Max
December 10th, 2009 1:19 am
I think this ist only quick and dirty and you can make some bucks. Only with a true passion for your topic you get real success. (in my opinion)
The other is only like work on a assembly line…
Dawnaj
December 10th, 2009 1:23 am
Thank you for that insightful look. I have seen these products and they did perk my interest, but you just confirmed my suspicions. I have also wondered about the Product Launch Formula. How is that going?
James Rayers
December 10th, 2009 1:24 am
Another great article Darren. Plenty of sound advice. There’s certainly enough information in here to go and start your own profitable blog without buying anything!
prettyscripts
December 10th, 2009 1:24 am
I was once told I can make money with my blogs taking other’s content (they didn’t explicitly said it but that’s how it sounds). My blogs aren’t mine anymore if the content is not mine! In addition, I didn’t want to waste money. How much money do i need to make to cover the monthly fee?
People should realize that there’s no easy money. They need to work for it!
Casey Watkins
December 10th, 2009 1:28 am
I have 2 main blogs that I run. It seems to be working great and I am getting a lot of traffic to them. I have been dabbling in some auto content generated blogs and adding them to my list to promote. So far they have not been doing that well.
Avinash
December 10th, 2009 1:28 am
Well, obviously there is no shortcut to sucess. You need to work hard and that too with great discipline and dedication for long time to achieve success.
Shortcut methods may give you short term success but it wont get converted into something big. So better start working if you wana a big blogger.
Chris Elliott
December 10th, 2009 1:29 am
I agree with your analysis. Many of these products do nothing more than clog the blogosphere with copies or successful blogger’s posts. They also create a lot of cookie cutter sites so clogged with adsense and other ad networks that they are an eyesore to anyone that happens to click on them in their search results.
There is more to blogging and life than money. Making money from blogging is important to many of us, but not in a way that makes us machines.
Provide value in a well defined topic area then find ways to monetize that value by consulting, writing ebooks, or speaking. That is the best way I know to make money from blogging.
Isaac | GoBlogger
December 10th, 2009 1:32 am
Agreed Darren. Some types of such business is only a new breed of online scam. Scammers used to say “Get rich quick”, and now they say “Get rich quick through blogging”. It has not much of a difference I guess.
I personally doubt that something like “get rich quick” does exist, other than through robbing a bank, hacking a credit card account, black market trading, or other crimes.
Even the true scammers know hard-work (in scamming), learning (how to scam successfully and evade arrest), persistence (not to give up in the scamming). They know very well that there is no such thing as “get rich quick”. Or not ;-)
Ivan Walsh
December 10th, 2009 1:33 am
Hi Darren,
I ran multiple sites on Blogger, Wordpress etc all of which generated some traffic and in some cases brought more traffic that more ‘professional’ sites with their own domains.
Same content, but different Google ranking. So I kept these for a while but then decided to focus on 3 sites.
Why?
You have to develop a brand at some point, otherwise you’re just another blog. You also have to differentiate yourself as otherwise you also end up (potentially) cannibalizing your own material.
The attraction of running multiple single blogs appeal to SEO driven sites where the webmaster is only after ads, e.g. Adsense sites.
But if you want to sell your own products, you need to develop your own site, brand and following.
Finally, the biggest mistake I made in blogging was not doing enough business planning. The more I sit back and look at the bigger picture, i.e. strategic decisions, the more successful the business becomes.
Regards,
Ivan
John Paul
December 10th, 2009 1:35 am
All great outlooks. Again people will always be attracted to the FAST buck. First it was BIG money with MLM, then BIG money with Internet Marketing, Now it’s BIG money blogging.
It is all BS, all it takes is hard work, hard work everyday, learn new things each day, and offer good quality content that is helpful, motivational, inspiring, thoughtful etc…
I am a newbie blogger, and I do everything manually,
twitter,
social media,
SEO
bookmarking etc..
I do nothing fancy at all, yet I have dropped my alexa score by 800,000 google rank of 2 and rank great on some kw and not to bad on big time kw right near big blogs of 10 yrs.
I have a 6 mnth blog, that I even took 2 mnths off from posting “jaded reflection was needed..lol” so all this on basically a 4mnth old blog.
This comes from work, and work everyday.
Joe Lerner
December 10th, 2009 1:40 am
Your article is well timed, Darren. I’ve just started my blog, and am realizing how much work it is. Yes, I need to make some additional money, and I’m hoping to do it through my blog. Yet, I am not prepared to do it at any cost.
Thanks for reminding me that I need to work hard, and give people something that is worth while. Your blogs, and personal integrity, provide the rest of us with a worthy bench mark.
Joe
Rich
December 10th, 2009 1:41 am
It’s sad to know that there are so many ‘get rich quick schemes’ out there as it is, AND it’s growing in such a fashion where they are now hitting the blogosphere by pushing those to believe that they can be an overnight success by lifting the content of those that have truly worked hard to get where they are.
Thanks for speaking out on this, Darren. Folks that have truly built their worth by providing true and useful information shouldn’t have to worry about the next Joe Blogger paying $XX per month in an attempt to build a reputation only by ‘taking’ ideas from the worthy.
Andy Beard
December 10th, 2009 1:43 am
I like to look on this from slightly different angles because I have experienced all kinds of training products and systems.
I am a fan of quality content but I am also a realist that not everyone is going to reach the pinnacle of blogging authority, or find a way to leverage authority (theirs or someone else’s) into a paid membership site or ebook.
A network of blogs can mean many things but lets look at your example first of all.
Lots of people use Twitter and suggest links – many claim that provides value, so a link from twitter to a blog post that contains 2 or 4 links with some additional commentary probably has value for some people, and to search engines.
You are assuming that you have to do all the work yourself, thus to create content on 10 blogs is going to take away your life which I agree is important to consider.
The flip side of this is that when you have an income, you can hire people to create the blogs for you, and they don’t have to be low quality or lacking personality.
Income from one channel can be used to leverage other projects that are more meaningful.
Blogs can be created with all kinds of high quality “unique” content and if you raise the bar just a little, the blogs could be good enough to attract subscribers and guest bloggers.
Networks of blogs can easily be leveraged as index drivers for ecommerce sites.
Ultimately, if you had a system in place that was making money, but you didn’t like doing the work yourself, or it wasn’t an effective use of your time, surely that was the time to outsource the work?
Justine Smith
December 10th, 2009 1:43 am
Well said. Your opinion means a lot to me.
I started my blog and after about 3 weeks, deciding to launch another one, big mistake. I haven’t had any time to update it and people still look at it and probably think “what a waste”… With one blog posting 2-4 times a day (1 business related post, 1 video (usually), the other 1-2 being q&a with other Etsy sellers) and that’s time consuming enough.
This is sort of off topic, but how do you keep track of all your email!?? I’m having a hard time with the large floods I get from time to time.
BLOGERCISE
December 10th, 2009 1:44 am
Although on my own site and in general I go for the long haul approach, ironically my first site took off from week 1!
Fazreen
December 10th, 2009 1:47 am
I think I know whose product you’re talking about.
I just watched all the video posted on the sales page. It gives me some ideas to post. My opinion, if someone feel that he can manage several blogs well then he can go with the business model. otherwise build one long lasting blog.
Franck Silvestre
December 10th, 2009 2:01 am
The more I market online, and the more I want to see good quality stuff.
these techniques work for a fact, but what people don’t really understand is that mentality of “quick cash” is what prevent people to make money. They want it now, fast. While building a real business takes time and patience, whether its online or not.
Franck
the Body Guard marketer
Vishal Sanjay
December 10th, 2009 2:06 am
I truly don’t believe in such things, I believe that there is no short cut in life, But i believe that you should create your own short cut.
William
December 10th, 2009 2:16 am
It just smells of another get rich quick scheme. Now I haven’t and probably won’t know what this system entails, so I can’t be for certain it doesn’t hold value. It’ll get chalked up as just another hiccup in the blog world.
Lam Nguyen
December 10th, 2009 2:23 am
Great Insight Darren… I’ve about just hitting the 6month mark now since the launch of my blog however its been a long and often very emotional roller coaster.
I have on countless occasions attempted to find if there is an easier or faster way and have stumbled on these kinds of products many times. Luckily i’ve been in business before offline and have learned my lessons of opportunity hopping, and purchasing or buying into these products is the same.
My personal opinion is buying these products are like buying a lottery ticket, your buying the hope! each time you buy a product you’re buying new hope that you’ll achieve whatever it is ur goals are.
If these products do work for you then great! please share it with us! these are just my personal views!
cheers
Brenda Horton
December 10th, 2009 2:27 am
I am always amazed at how hard people fall for hype and “get rich quick” schemes. Someone is always selling snake oil in every industry and someone is always ready to buy it.
Sherice Jacob
December 10th, 2009 2:48 am
Your BS switch should go on immediately if you hear the words “make money”, “blogging” and “fast” in the same sentence. A lot of products like this give you a “rinse and repeat” method – which is fine if you’re just starting out and need to build up something by following instructions, but once you “get it” you can go on to bigger and better things.
Paramendra Bhagat
December 10th, 2009 2:49 am
Hello Darren. This comment might be a little off topic. But I have spent much of this morning, and much of yesterday evening digging into this vexing question: How to send trackbacks from your Blogger blog? This is a technical question. Could you please get some expert to write a guest post for you that gives a comprehensive answer to this question please? Thanks.
Eat Smart Age Smart
December 10th, 2009 2:56 am
Hmmmm. This is NOT new at all.
As few years ago when I started online I fell for one of those programs and I had like 50 blogs making little money. I couldn’t even remember my URL because I had so many.
Most niches were of no interest to me.
In the end, I shut all of them down and then started a real blog in 2007. I’ve launched a second one this year and for 2010 I intend on launching a third one with the help of an editor. I will also work at launching products like you have Darren.
Bottom line is that you do HAVE to work hard at being successful and it takes time.
These systems work for the people creating them, but not for the people buying them.
Krizia
Graham Jones
December 10th, 2009 3:06 am
In the past five or six years I have witnessed two people “make money fast” with blogging. But – and it’s a big but – they don’t make money any more fromblogging. They made what seemed like a big pile of cash very quickly, but soon the money dried up. Had they got a job stacking shelves in the local supermarket they would have made more money overall in the past five years or so. In other words, some “get rich quick” schemes can work….but they are not long-term, fruitful strategies.
From a psychological perspective people end up feeling more negative than they did before their desire to get rich quick. Such schemes tend to attract people who are feeling somewhat down, perhaps depressed, because their luck is low and their finances are not good. The thought of “instant riches” becomes attractive and they are hooked. With a little effort they get the income rolling in, but soon it disappears as the potential marketplace becomes saturated (thanks to a large array of competitors using the same get rich quick product). That leads to self-doubt and worries that the person is not good enough at the scheme, reducing their motivation and making it less likely they’ll earn enough. They enter a downward spiral of negativity.
This new blogging product MAY enable you to get rich quick, though I doubt it. Much more important is the likely psychological impact such a scheme will have on people in the longer term.
Melvin Neo
December 10th, 2009 3:30 am
Hey Darren!
Thanks for another great insight!
I didn’t know the microwave oven and instant noodle culture has slipped itself into the blogosphere.
I guess the only person who is making fast money blogging is the guy who’s selling the product! And the people who’re tempted to buy it are people who’re having the culture I alluded to earlier. Well, it takes two hands to clap…
Dustin | Engaged Marriage
December 10th, 2009 3:56 am
Thanks, Darren. I totally agree with you. When I started investigating the blogging world several months ago, I was initially a bit disheartened because I kept encountering crap like this. I thought maybe this was the only way to be successful.
Fortunately, I never went that route, and I instead to decided to create on blog that provides high-quality content in an area I am passionate about. This was the right decision.
S Ahsan
December 10th, 2009 4:06 am
Totally agree! I have come across all these products; I also used it on some of my blogs as a trial but to be honest, i do not believe in this system! You can make some money through adsense etc but its not worth it if you are serious about making serious money with blogging..
Caitlin
December 10th, 2009 4:09 am
I won’t lie; I’d love it if someone dropped a million dollars in my lap today just for having a blog. ;)
That said, working towards a goal, and then achieving it, gives a greater feeling of success and pride.
Ashok
December 10th, 2009 4:27 am
It’s an excellent article. I appreciate your being so honest in writing about your past experiences. This is how a blog gets rated highly. Honesty pays in the end, not copying contents from other blogs as a shortcut for making money. I’m in full agreement with the views expressed in this article.
Suzanne Vara
December 10th, 2009 5:03 am
Darren
I am not shocked like others who have commented that the get rich scheme has hit the blogging arena. It was inevitable as blogging started to get really really popular. There are the folks who have been at it for 11+ years and deserve to be leaders and making money. For people to copy their work as a strategy to make money is socking to say the least.
when you walked out of college with that big fat bach degree did you expect to get a CEO job in 6 figures? No so why would people expect to that a product will make them super rich in 6 months.
Here is a strategy: write useful stuff, build your blog and name by working hard. Hard work = money.
Lisa Olinda
December 10th, 2009 5:03 am
I read your post with interest. I briefly tried a WordPress plug-in that brought in content from other sites such as Ezine Articles. I did one post with this but felt uncomfortable re-purposing someone else’s content. Thanks for sharing!
Nibras Bawa
December 10th, 2009 5:20 am
Couldn’t agree more Mr.Rowse. Well said. My thoughts exactly. I’ve written two articles on the same topic. You might wanna read them.
http://www.nibrasbawa.net/2009/12/social-media-guru-surplus.html
http://www.nibrasbawa.net/2009/12/so-who-is-genuine-social-media-guru-how.html
Ms. Freeman
December 10th, 2009 5:40 am
It’s funny how some can be blinded by the desire to make a quick buck that they would even contemplate buying into a ‘Get Rich Quick Scheme’.
Their laziness, greed and stupidity leaves more valid, trusted and lucrative opportunities available for the hardworking bloggers of the world.
David Walker
December 10th, 2009 5:43 am
Thanks Darren, for giving us a heads up. It’s unfortunate that there’ll always be people attracted to the words “easy money” in the blogosphere and that’s how marketers come up with products like these, to fill a “demand”.
Add to that the misconceptions about what “true” blogging is about and you have your vics, ready to be convinced.
There is no easy way, especially not in blogging. That egg has to be broken.
Ian
December 10th, 2009 5:45 am
I’ve been on the other end of this tactic, namely my content being taken and posted all over ugly blog templates. They link back to me, but it still seems like a waste of resources to me.
Joel
December 10th, 2009 5:56 am
Completely agree, some people are often afraid of the hard work and commitment it takes to earn a living online and will take any shortcut they can find. Of course people will offer products to fill that need, my upcoming project will require dedication and effort, but the rewards will hopefully be there!
Deborah Richmond
December 10th, 2009 5:58 am
I have been wondering if there is validity to that method. I’ve heard about it and we all have to decide which route we are going to take with your blog. It’s good to hear your opinion since you certainly have been in this business longer than many of us. Thanks!
Taylor Marek
December 10th, 2009 7:24 am
Extra kudos for saying “junky content”! My sister read this as well and was laughing as “junky” has been her catch phrase for a while now… ;D
se7en
December 10th, 2009 7:33 am
There is no such thing as a quick buck and no such thing as a free lunch… that’s it! Actually nothing more needs to be said!!!
Nick
December 10th, 2009 7:36 am
Another great article Darren. I have 3 main blogs that seems to be working great.
In my experience, there is no shortcut to sucess. Making money online takes hard work, persistence, a bit of luck, and a lot of patience.
However, in my view, monetize by writing ebooks on a well defined topic is the best way to make money from blogging.
Niall Harbison
December 10th, 2009 7:40 am
getting to the top in blogging really isn’t that hard all it takes is a massive amount of hard work and patience. You’d need to be very lucky to make money instantly (possibly start a blog around a totally new subject and be the market leader from the start). The thing that worries me most is that there is clearly a market out there for these sorts of things as people are tempted to buy it, shame really.
Gabe | freebloghelp.com
December 10th, 2009 8:19 am
I enjoy juggling several blogs but the reality is most new bloggers would be overwhelmed. Just a single blog done right is a full-time job for many folks.
If someone is looking to earn instant income, sponsored tweeting is probably the quickest way. It won’t be a windfall but even a newbie can get followers and earn $10 in the first few weeks. That’s $10 more than a new blog site.
Ursula
December 10th, 2009 8:30 am
I agree wholeheartedly with you… not to mention the personal satisfaction I get from slowly working my way up there, and the lack of guilt from using other people’s content (that they worked hard on, not me)… personally, I want to feel as if I earned my own success, and didn’t step on anyone else to get it. :)
Sarge | BeginnerBlogger.com
December 10th, 2009 9:57 am
Hey Darren,
You mentioned that they reuse other peoples content – is this word for word with a credit to the original author or is this the rewording of original content and call it your own technique?
Either way that kind of blog would not get any business from me.
The products I have bought in the blogging world have been quality products from people that have established trust with me (like some of your products). To establish this trust you need to be in the game for quite some time and have a good reputation.
You can’t do that overnight.
Sarge | BeginnerBlogger.com
Martin Malden
December 10th, 2009 10:03 am
I totally empathise with this post.
I used a tool that pulled in articles from RSS feeds to a few blogs I was running for a while. The links were live and led straight back to the original blog in each case, which meant the articles were properly attributed, but I never felt comfortable doing it.
Plus, as you’ve experienced, the blogs never did that well.
I also received a complaint once because one of the articles I pulled in via RSS had incorrectly used a company name. Since I’d not see the content before it was posted I didn’t even know the error had been made until I received an email from the company asking me to correct it.
I canned this approach nearly 18 months ago and have never ever been tempted to try it again.
Cheers,
Martin.
Technology Slice
December 10th, 2009 11:42 am
These make money fast programs are aimed to trick newbies and nothing else. Anyone in their right mind knows you can’t get something for nothing ie. heaps of cash without putting in hard work.
Mark
December 10th, 2009 11:48 am
Well done on highlighting this issue Darren. It’s honest and thorough.
Matt Propst
December 10th, 2009 11:55 am
It certainly seems like the majority of blogs these days focus on making money. As I can’t pool the collective brainpower any other way, i’ll ask here; don’t these people think they’d get more traffic, and more interested traffic if these folks blogged about what they know, and what truly interests them!?
I’d rather take what money I can take through blogging real content on topics i’m interested in. Readers seem happier that way.
-MP
Renz
December 10th, 2009 12:20 pm
What else I could add? Well, i guess I have none. I’m not a professional writer but I always want to make original contents (not copied and pasted from somewhere else). I find myself happy and contented. AT one time, at my old blogs, I tried copy-paste method too but I always end up having a guilty feeling. It’s like I’m stealing some ingredients from other chefs to make my own meal.
Kimberly Houston
December 10th, 2009 1:19 pm
Some other wise commenter here said it best: There are no shortcuts to success! I’ll admit, when I first read about these kinds of blogs as I was just getting my own blog off the ground, I thought, “Hmmm, should I just try it? To see if I can create an income stream while I work on my real passion — writing about food and wine?” And I decided not to, because it would take my focus off of building my own brand/blog/authority,etc, in my own niche. And no matter how long that takes, it will make me feel much better to build something of lasting value to myself and my readers (hopefully)!
Annabel Candy, Get In the Hot Spot
December 10th, 2009 1:44 pm
Well, I’m with you on this one. It’s a no brainer really. What’s really sad is that because theses types of scam are run again and again obviously some people do fall for them.
Good on you for exposing it in the nicest possible way.
Emmanuel
December 10th, 2009 2:16 pm
One of the Reasons to Stay away from products That Offer quick ROI using a lazy approach. No Matter How many times this is said a lot of people still fall for it as Annabel rightly said. Most times Newbies are the ones who fall for it.
People need to understand that there is no shortcut to success and there will never be one. It Takes Focus and Determination to Be Successful in Blogging.
-Emmanuel.
Ngobrol Seputar Bisnis Online
December 10th, 2009 3:08 pm
Information that is interesting information that readers benefit from it.
Hopefully the information you become one.
Darni
December 10th, 2009 4:04 pm
It takes time to make money from blog.But those products which tell people that they can make quick money always sell well.Because we all want make money easily.If you tell the people that it takes time to see the results they will not buy your products,even if it is the truth.Most people are always looking for the products which can teach them how to make money quickly.
Mathew Day
December 10th, 2009 5:37 pm
I pretty much agree with you Darren. I’ve been wondering if this type of blog can make money or even get ranked in the search engines quickly and I believe they can if you know what you’re doing.
But all the points you made above have made me cautious about creating one of these blogs.
I love and I know that the search engines like original and helpful content. Even though, I believe I’m going to make a current events blog adding great posts and articles from other sites and blogs to see what happens….
But of course I’m going to be using some new tools I’ve discovered like the “Zemanta plugin and utility poster”…
turisuna
December 10th, 2009 6:42 pm
I love this post, most of people think that blogging is the fast way to make money, but actually blogging is same with other business, it needs hard working and time. Couple months ago I also made some tiny blogs to get money, until I felt exhausted and the worse was I didn’t get any money lol. Now I decide to focus only for two blogs so I hope I can give the best effort that I can do. And about using people’s content, I don’t get any satisfaction from that, so I don’t do it.
Dana @ Online Knowledge
December 10th, 2009 8:00 pm
Sure, we can make money in short time by use this kind way but it is will be in doom in long term.
David Morson
December 10th, 2009 9:31 pm
I really agree with you, Making money through blogging is not an easy job and it is not as quick as it is promised, so these paid offers of selling money are just scam and have nothing to do.
Garry
December 10th, 2009 9:47 pm
As it is evident, quantity and quality do not always go hand in hand. How much can one write with the original essence in it. People start looking for ideas and ‘inspirations’ after some time and this is what could be called copying in some way.
There is a lot to be achieved when one works in a team. A single person is a single person after all. Get someone to write your blog articles,get a person to work on SEO of your blog and keep people informed i.e. advertise yourself.
Blogging, though a promising activity has not yet reached its firm reach in most places and that makes people ‘want’ to have it and share it among friends. This is a positive thing associated in Blogging.
Have as many variety as possible and keep it attractive.
Thomas
December 10th, 2009 10:31 pm
That’s why you Darren and this blog are untouchable. The best by a country mile.
work at home
December 10th, 2009 11:10 pm
As a blogger I almost try all thing about MAKE MONEY BLOGGING, but I do not think that there is some such option that you can make quick money.
Todd Dowell
December 10th, 2009 11:12 pm
I would have to agree on this one with you Darren. I have been promoting various different affiliate products online, but i don’t recommend going this route either.
Making money fast by blogging just doesn’t happen overnight unfortunately for most…lol. Blogging is a long term commitment for those of us that want to actually want to make the money that we so desire.
I will admit i tried this same method with a huge network of blogs, and the results yielded a whole lot of time spent and very little return on investment.
Great post Darren you hit the nail right on the head!
Have a blessed day
-Todd
Tech Maish
December 10th, 2009 11:17 pm
Thanks for this new Money Making method for bloggers. We will try all the steps mentioned here.
Wayne Jordan
December 10th, 2009 11:45 pm
I use my blog and website to build my authority. I can’t build my authority on borrowed content. I don’t care if the blog makes money or not; I’m interested in generating speaking fees and appraisal work. After just a dozen posts, one of my articles was picked up by a major regional print magazine (trade publication). That’s exactly what I want, and it never would have happened unless the content was mine.
Hear Mum Roar
December 11th, 2009 12:07 am
This is a bit of a sore point with me, actually. I’ve found a few sites have used some of my articles from my blog in this way. It really upset me, because I felt it cheapened my writing and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it. But, thanks to this article, I at least know why it was being done, LOL!
I think also, by doing this article you’ve highlighted once again what it takes to be a great blogger: an individual, original person who is prepared to put the work in and pour their heart into it too.
Lisis
December 11th, 2009 12:11 am
This is PERFECT. We’ve been having a huge cross-blog discussion lately about the Passion Paradox (how pursuing our passion, for profit, is making us miserable).
I hope you don’t mind, but I’d like to link to this post as your “expert” advice on the subject.
Thanks!
Justin Khoury
December 11th, 2009 12:14 am
I’ve actually just finished writing a blog post about a very similar topic.
It’s very saddening to see the amount of people that are suckered into these kinds of products. I will always stand behind the concepts of hard work, integrity and persistance when attempting to make any sort of profit from any sort of project.
Anything remotely hinting of a get rich quick scheme is an immediate turn off for me.
Jon
December 11th, 2009 12:38 am
We are each entitled to our own opinion, but I for one think that people should be blogging because they have a passion for something. Like you said, there is something more attractive about building 1-2 blogs with authority over time than lots of blogs solely for monetary purposes. It should be something where the prospect of NOT making money for a while does not deter you in the slightest.
Derek Alvarez
December 11th, 2009 1:20 am
As for “get-rich quick” schemes, I think it takes a lifetime of experiences to get rich. “Outliers,” anyone?
You have to first BE a wealthy person (someone who is valuable to others, someone who can manage money, someone with integrity and values) in order to attain wealth.
Look at all the people who fritter away their lottery earnings, for example.
And as far as blogging goes, I agree wholeheartedly, you have to develop your brand. Successful people brand themselves. They are self-promoters. They ask people to buy their stuff.
Scraping other people’s content is a short-term view. It may work, for a little while.
Building a brand is long-term thinking. It’s all about solving other people’s problems through what you have to offer.
jennydecki
December 11th, 2009 3:07 am
A couple quick thoughts on this.
First, well put together post! It was clear, concise, and really made your point without going over the top or sounding like you were attacking. I wish I could be half as diplomatic in my writing :)
Much like the Internet marketing craze, the blogging craze has the same people wanting to make the same money. What anyone remotely successful in either/both niches will tell you (and I think you’ll agree based on where your income is mostly generated) – is the key isn’t to blog about blogging. Sure, it’s about building a community, but not a POOR community. (Hopeful Probloggers are rich in ideas and great to have a conversation with…but generally not the disposable income type. There are exceptions, but not enough to run a real, sustainable business on.)
At least if you create 50 sites you have a chance of targeting demographics outside of your own watering hole. Maybe you strike niche gold and find some people that haven’t been addressed yet and then you have a moment of epiphany and focus on them. (Best case scenario, probably.)
Maybe I see it a little differently because I sell products and those same products can be sold to different types of people but the whole site has to be targeted differently, as will the blog content. So I *need* multiple sites in order to create niche communities.
In that sense, I’m not trying to be a problogger – I use my knowledge about blogging and Internet marketing to DO SOMETHING ELSE. I use them as tools, not as something to resell to someone who knows less than I do. But that doesn’t require an e-book, just three words in all caps – and still most people don’t (and won’t ever) get it.
With a crash course like the one you are reviewing (I’m not on any lists anymore so have no clue what the product is) at least it forces people to dive in and DO something – even if it’s learning what not to do – because that knowledge can easily be worth $69/mo. in the long run.
But until people get the concept that marketing to marketers is not good, and blogging for bloggers is not good (present company totally excluded, of course!) then maybe more people will see the financial freedom light at the end of the tunnel.
Last but not least – blogging is not a passion for me. It’s a job. Things that make money are jobs that require work. I would blog about deep-sea diving every day of the week if it was a profitable niche. I would become an expert and learn to love it. I’m okay working 8 hours a day, paying my bills, and then relaxing on the weekends. When your work is your passion you’re going to do it 24/7 and then get burned out. What fun is that? I guess I feel that passion and caring and love in a blog are just red herrings to the goal, which is having a career you love and bills that are paid and a savings account making you feel secure and allowing you to take risks.
Of course, brand building is important, but I’ve seen too many people rant and rave on Facebook and other sites and then think that won’t affect the brand. If you’re committing to having a brand online, you have to keep up that facade EVERYWHERE. Authenticity is all fine and good until you are depressed – then you better learn to shut the hell up or people aren’t going to buy anything from you cause you’re coming across as a loser.
Sorry – done rambling. Thanks again, love your blog (and fond of you as well LOL) hope you have an awesome holiday!
Wayne
December 11th, 2009 3:36 am
I can only laugh at those that pay money when most of everything they teach is found easily enough elsewhere.
There are very few secrets out there, and surely some dude marketing under a banner like that doesn’t hold the secrets.
As for mash up site, there is plenty of value to using other peoples content when it’s organized in a certain way to make the bulk of the information more readily available, searchable and meaningful.
The thing about blogs is that you can start one, get it going, then walk away from it. It doesn’t need to be a living, breathing day to day type thing. Once you get enough content in one, walk away, start another, rinse repeat.
That’s all there is to it, and each one can create enough value to impress even you Darren. So why wouldn’t you just create 100 of these? If each made $10 a day, I’d say it’s very well worth the effort.
I won’t ever pay for someones make money program since it usually turns out to make the author money, not the customers.
Business Opportunities Seeker
December 11th, 2009 4:48 am
This is an eye opener to focus my effort to blogs that are manageable to maintain. Though I like to get trainings of this kind, I have no money to pay on this for now.
Chris
December 11th, 2009 5:25 am
Thanks for this post, I have gotten lots of these offers as well recently. I guess it is the time of year for everyone trying to pad their collectives for next year.
For me these just feel weird. Not because of the work, but because they just don’t seem like the real deal. So I follow my gut feeling and try and determine if that route will make me happier…forget about richer…
Chris
Andee Sellman, One Sherpa
December 11th, 2009 6:51 am
Thanks for the honesty of this post Darren,
Hard work isn’t that appealing to people looking for a fast and easy way out of their money problems.In my experience as a business mentor and advisor I have found that everyone who has made consistently good money from any type of business always has worked hard.
The appeal of the silver bullet that quickly solves your money problems has suckered so many people in it is amazing. I’m aware of spruikers who sold educational products from the stage and one of them put blank CD’s in the material they were selling. ONLY 3% of people who bought came back to have their CD’s replaced with authentic ones which means 97% of people who bought never even opened their product. It goes to proving that people who want to take money off other people know that if they have a promise big enough there will be people who will take it up.
Like the old saying
A fool and his money are easily parted
Ellis Traub
December 11th, 2009 8:27 am
Darren,
You continue to produce valuable insight with just the right amount of modesty!
I’ve dropped out of nearly all of the other blog-guru’s subscriptions because they have become patently self-promoting and take advantage of my “hospitality.”
Your messages match your style; and I welcome every one of your posts. And, I’ve passed them on to other aspiring bloggers because I’m comfortable recommending they pay heed to what you have to say. And they have subscribed. I guess that’s the idea, isn’t it. :-)
Anyway, keep up the good work. I’ve saved each of your posts and, when I’m ready to settle down to the full-time job it requires to make six figures, the first thing I’ll do is trot them out, review them, and implement them.
ET
Steve
December 11th, 2009 9:16 am
I thought Google killed off the paid post by taking page ranks to zero for sites with paid posts.
I like private label rights as a source of ideals for articles but I always completely rewrite the material.
Eric C
December 11th, 2009 9:17 am
Bravo. Thanks for saying this.
Darren Rowse
December 11th, 2009 12:36 pm
Thanks for everyone’s feedback – overwhelmed by your thoughts. Here’s a few quick responses to a few of you!
Andy Beard – I see your point but the reality was that it wasn’t just about me liking the work, I ended up feeling that I wasn’t really doing anything valuable for my readers. It went beyond liking it and was more about feeling as though I was just creating clutter on the web. Philosophically I just couldn’t keep doing that.
Graham Jones – I’m sure some do make money fast from blogging, for a period but in most cases loopholes in Google close or systems being used stop being effective – for me its about building a long term effective business/brand rather than just after a few quick dollars by making some money by manipulating Google. But that’s just me I guess :-)
Sarge – their approach is to take a quote (paragraph or two) from others, link to the full article, then do the same for 3-4 other blogs all in the same post. They slap a sentence or two introduction onto it and that’s their ‘useful post’.
Sarge | BeginnerBlogger.com
December 11th, 2009 12:49 pm
Thanks for the reply, Darren. Always good to see you around in the comments section :-)
I hope that the sites that do that sort of thing make it VERY CLEAR that’s what they’re doing – quoting from other websites.
It would appear those sort of sites are looking for a quick buck and I can’t imagine the people that visit there are after anything more than a quick buy – unless people are just happy giving their money away to a site (it’s not even a person, as they’re re-using content from many others) And the conversion-rate of which the ‘quick buy’ would generate you would think is pretty low.
Sarge | BeginnerBlogger.com
Paul Hassing
December 11th, 2009 12:58 pm
Damn good post. I dug it the most! Many thanks, Darren. P. :)
Boris
December 11th, 2009 1:48 pm
Darren,
For me the key point is not the strategy but the motivation to create a blog. The motivation could be just to make money. Then the blogger will end up providing a very low value to the blog because he is focused in the strategies for making money. The other reason is because the blogger is passionate about “something”. Then the blogger can follow advices from blogs like yours and become better in creating a unique blog that provides value and eventually, he/she will make money…
Mobile tracker
December 11th, 2009 2:56 pm
You are absolutely right, those who say can teach other to earn fast money is probably scam.
If one can earn quick money, the world will be full of rich people.
Thanks for the post.
Sire
December 11th, 2009 4:02 pm
Hey Darren, I know my last post said that I wouldn’t be leaving a comment on a Problogger’s blog anymore, but you see I have this policy where I have committed myself to reciprocating when a comment is left on my blog and so here I am ;)
I’ve gotten a lot of these emails before and when receiving said emails I apply the ‘does it sound too good to be true’ rule, because if it does then it’s best to be on your guard. Almost anything that promises easy money with little or no input would fall into that category.
Most of the time you see these standing in front of a Ferrari or a mansion leading one to assume their method paid for all these luxuries. It probably did, but that doesn’t mean their method works, only that a lot of people got sucked in.
Once again, thanks for weighing in on the discussion. I know I appreciated it and I am sure all my readers do as well.
Sonya
December 11th, 2009 4:18 pm
The fast money blogging pitches always ring as snake oil to me, but I appreciate hearing your take on them. What I am even more thankful for is your talking about blogging for a goal other than money: “But if your dream is to build something that grows your profile as someone with authority in your niche, or to land a job or book deal, or to get invited to speak at an industry event, or to be quoted in mainstream media about your topic, or it’s just to build a blog that has loyal readers who keep coming back because you’re helping them….” Great list! Thank you.
Reza@Blogging Guide
December 11th, 2009 5:11 pm
Just my opinion, make money blogging fast is just a popular words like “make money online”. I think you should think twice before buying the product.
Chris Palmer
December 11th, 2009 5:40 pm
I really have nothing original to add to this conversation. Much of what has been said is completely true. There are predators out there to take your money if you’re willing to open it up. They’ll lie, cheat and steal to make this happen.
The other day I was looking for a legitimate affiliate marketing tracking program. I spent 3 hours sifting through blogs about these get rich quick schemes. I even got on Technorati and found the top blogs for certain keywords, and they were all ridiculous. The sad thing is that even with all the web experience I have, some were very convincing.
I ended up driving down to a few keywords that worked, and I found some options, but it really opened my eyes as to how horrible this stuff really is.
It inspired me more than ever to follow blogs like this, be honest with my content and followers, and offer my relevant knowledge to all that will listen.
David Edwards
December 11th, 2009 8:08 pm
Your spot on Darren!… Great post…
There are no such products as how to build fast money blogs. It’s all about time and effort. I would say you can build a faster list of people on Facebook as a contact source than any other platform.
Interviews, great photographs, videos and articles get the return visitors not copy and paste!…
Cheers
David
free online adventure games
December 11th, 2009 9:03 pm
Hi Darren,
Thanks for another great post.
Agree. There are lots of things to learn if you really want to earn some bucks from blogging. There is no shortcut, work hard is a must.
apol
December 11th, 2009 10:57 pm
This is again one of the great article i’ve read.
I must agree. Making money online especially thru blogs takes a lot of time, perseverance and patience as well. And the most important one is never to give up on your goal. Success and luck will just follow if you have these kind of traits in your online business.
scheng1
December 12th, 2009 1:31 am
I have only two blogs, and I have a hard time maintaining them. I can’t imagine having 20 to 30 blogs.
The word “fast” is to mislead those new blogger who do not know that search engine spiders need time to crawl the blogs, and then to display the content in search engine result page.
They may not aware that link building takes time too.
TheBlogIsMine dot Com
December 12th, 2009 2:23 am
These make money fast programs are aimed to trick newbies and nothing else. Anyone in their right mind knows you can’t get something for nothing ie. heaps of cash without putting in hard work.
Best Regards, Joe.
MrCyberSmart
December 12th, 2009 2:23 am
Outstanding! I’m doing a podcast on this same topic. What I see is that most of the money being made- is in selling the “method” rather than actual product sales.
I also started a few of these blogs but soon found it to be unproductive. These spam and scam tactics are also part of the reason for the new FTC rules.
I guess you have to decide to be a blogger- or an internet marketer. Two different things indeed. As a political blogger for 6 years, I have a hard time pilfering outher peoples content. I guess i was not raised that way. Bloggers have more cyber smarts and respect!
Paul
December 12th, 2009 3:41 am
Darren,
Thank you for sharing this. I feel it makes a mockery of the blogging principles I’ve read from the successful bloggers.
Regards
Paul
Craig Worrell
December 12th, 2009 4:37 am
Greetings,
Before I comment on this post, I wanted to say how much I enjoy your blog!
It is a great “model” for those who want to utilize blogging effectively. Everything about your blog looks and feels original. That is refreshing and keeps me coming back. Bravo!
I have been reading your content for awhile now and was never moved to comment until today.
What you say about single vs. multiple blogs is dead on. At least for those who want their blog to be a place that allows people to get to know YOU (what you do, how you think, recommendations you make, etc.)
I just wanted to say “THANKS” for posting this. It is a valuable concept.
Your work in presenting this blog is appreciated!
Positively,
Craig Worrell
Barb Schoeneberger
December 12th, 2009 7:32 am
I totally agree with your opinions and conclusions. I am a new blogger and will need to support myself and my husband by bringing in some money beyond Social Security. I want to be seen as an expert on my topic. Writing worthwhile content is time-consuming for me. I am a perfectionist, my site is my persona, and there is no place for giving short shrift to a worthwhile topic. More than anything, the niche I’m aiming for deserves helpful topics and I hope to be providing them. The reward will be some bucks coming in and the knowledge that I made a difference in somebody’s life.
Nate Moller
December 12th, 2009 11:07 am
LOL – I actually “copied and pasted” part of this blog post and sent it to a few clients I work with who have heard recently of “Autoblogging” and all the hype.
I made every effort to tactfully tell them that “Autoblogging” and anything like it is spammy at best.
I also told them that the people promoting these ideas generally have put in TONS OF TIME and effort building lists, reputation, etc. They can then show their “potential buyers” a few little tricks and VIOLA, they get boat-loads of traffic.
For a new blogger it’s just NOT GOING TO HAPPEN that way!
Thanks for the confirmation! Appreciate your blog and all the effort you put in to create real content.
Nate Moller
MollerMarketing.com
astaga.com lifestyle on the net
December 12th, 2009 1:28 pm
It’s very true that you have almost 100%control over a business if the product that you are selling, it’s yours. Clearly, you know where you want your product to be seen, how you want it to be known, you know all the details..and it’s really better for you to have the control.
Rich
December 12th, 2009 2:17 pm
It all boils down to one thing…the best way to make money on the internet is to write a book about how to make money on the internet.
People are always after a fast buck, so they prey on people who are after a fast buck.
Chris Franklin
December 12th, 2009 8:25 pm
Hear, hear!
pivory
December 13th, 2009 2:29 am
Hi Darren, totally agree and take on board the points your making in this post. I also went down the route of many blogs in many niches and the result was exhaustion and very little yield. I’m starting to concentrate on 2-3 blogs I have which I am passionate about. I feel kinda liberated since taking on this approach, its much more manageable. just find it a little difficult growing the traffic but hopefully it should grow with good relevant content and time.. Antway keep up the good work, i’m so glad I came upon your blog:-)
Martin Casper
December 13th, 2009 2:45 am
Darren…you are spot on with this one.
It goes back to being a “Jack of All Trades but a Mast of None”. I am working very hard on developing a more focused approach and keeping mys blog site centered in a certain arena. Like many of the comments above, I have gotten caught up in the past with the “make money fast” concept, only to find out that I “lost money fast” instead.
It goes back to hard work, pushing through, and being consistent. thanks for the great insight!
ZK @ Web Marketing Blog
December 13th, 2009 5:25 am
Another way to make people fool and earn good money from their money itself.
Mary Corbet
December 13th, 2009 5:39 am
“Get Rich Quick” schemes don’t work. Remember your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, … uh… all the way back to Adam and Eve, post-apple? They, as well as 99.9% of history’s population, had to work to live.
Anyway, the great thing about building a successful blog is that it is FUN. You can learn a lot, you can meet great people, you can discover a lot about yourself that you didn’t know, and you can relish the satisfaction of Working Hard to achieve something! But it’s a slow process ….
It’s like the difference between hand embroidery and machine embroidery, if you’ll excuse the niche-related analogy. Yes, with machine embroidery, you can get a quick colorful result. But, compared to hand embroidery, it didn’t really take that much skill to do it, the results are generally cheaper looking, it’s not going to withstand the test of time, and ten years from now, who’s going to remember you for making it?
Yep. That analogy probably fell flat.
I’ve seen a new software that’s just as you describe – I got a promotional e-mail from someone who is undoubtedly collecting affiliate bucks for it. All I could think was…
How Boring!
Dean Saliba
December 13th, 2009 8:48 am
I read about this recently and my first reaction was “what a pile of rubbish”. I don’t know of anyone who made money from blogging straight away, it takes time and effort.
Goji
December 13th, 2009 9:16 am
I have come across all these products; I also used it on some of my blogs as a trial but to be honest, i do not believe in this system! You can make some money through adsense etc but its not worth it if you are serious about making serious money with blogging.
Thank you!
MrCyberSmart
December 13th, 2009 1:00 pm
@Rich-
My next PodCast is titled “The Method of Selling the Method.”
You hit the nail on the head. Most of the money being made is not in “pink dog collars” or “Halloween costumes” but in continuing to sell the “magic” method on, and on and on…
I will say this though: If a person wanted to spend $100.00 on one of these methods, there is useful information. Just not about getting rich fast and easy. :-)
Peace
blogging for money
December 13th, 2009 3:02 pm
Excellent information, I hate get rich quick schemes. Hard work gets results.
Adewale Bolaji
December 14th, 2009 6:13 pm
When will the so called ‘gurus’ stop lying to unsuspecting newbies around the world?
While putting up the sales letter, right in their mind, they know what they are about to sell will not produce results as quickly as they are painting the picture.
I am very sure the word ‘conciense’ means nothing to these people.
LadyExpat
December 15th, 2009 12:08 am
You’ve hit the nail on the head. You spread yourself too thin and you have lots, but no quality.
Andrew Kelby
December 15th, 2009 6:03 am
Thanks for the wake-up call Darren!
I’ve just started my “serious blog” this month and have a lot to say from personal experience and work in the field. It is hard work and a pleasure at the same time. It will never be boring when you’re expressing your own life observations and experiences.
I was caught up in these make money fast sales pitches also because I did need money fast.
All those sites did was take the little money I needed to pay bills with. I just like to think that people can be trusted but have learned that the trust must be earned.
It seems fraud has become the way of the future for many business entities and we need more people like you to get us to put on our aware caps.
I’m now writing my own original posts and it really is a lot of work but is much more rewarding and never boring when you have a real message of truth to deliver!
Thanks for having one of the many hard to find honest blogs!
May the blessings be,
Andrew
BLOGBloke
December 16th, 2009 5:01 am
I would add that “bouncing off” another blogger’s post is especially wrong. Building upon someone else’s work without linking to the source is insidious because it attempts to cover it up. It’s called plagiarism.
Maureen
December 16th, 2009 5:26 am
Darren,
I have always thought you were smart, but here goes my BUT:
This is all your opinion. If you follow what is being taught, you have a much better chance of making some affiliate income faster…here is the big if: IF you do as they teach. They are NOT telling anyone or teaching anyone to spam! Its quite the opposite, but because you didn’t look into this further you really don’t know what you are talking about.
You are a purist, and we all get it….you always have had that mindset, but, what do you call the B5 Media network?
Your post here is not original…you can say it is because you wrote it, but the idea came to you from somewhere else. You even quoted some of their info…
You are even a friend (if one can call you that now) of who you are talking about, yet here you are bashing them. Maybe a quick call or email to one of them would have cleared this all up before you threw them under the bus. Just another reason why you may be smart….but sometimes you really can be stupid and rude.
I get it when people are upset for others using their work, but if they mention you and link to you…BE GREATFUL, the real spammers WON’T do that!
Darren Rowse
December 16th, 2009 9:54 am
Maureen – I take your point, IF people do as some of these courses are teaching (not all, some do teach spam techniques) it is possible to make some money blogging. I guess the main issue I take with the way these things are sold is that they explicitly promise fast and big money. They give no indication that there’s work involved if you really want to build a big successful blog.
The b5media network is actually an interesting case in point. I’m no longer on the management (i’m just a shareholder) of it these days so can’t speak about day to day stuff or even recent experience but what I did learn in the years I was involved more intimately was that in the 350 or so blogs that we started it was the ones where bloggers put a lot of time and effort into personalize posting that seemed to build the bigger blogs while the bloggers who just were slapping up rehashed content from other places on the web that didn’t really get far.
In terms of whether I’m a friend of who I’m talking about – I’m sure I’m not. I’ve been interviewed by him on one occasion but have had no other real contact with him.
I do agree that at least the techniques here acknowledge links – they’re not ‘evil’ as such – but I guess I wrote this post because people have been asking me for my opinion on these types of systems. I tried to write this in an even handed way – simply to point out that the type of blogging that I’m into and that I and others have had success with is quite different to this.
The sales page of this product does not point this out – it points to blogs like Dooce and Mashable as examples of what blogs can achieve…. these blogs don’t use these techniques and I didn’t want my readers to believe that they can have these types of blogs using this type of technique.
MrCyberSmart
December 16th, 2009 10:56 am
@Maureen
I have to strongly disagree with you. In fact, my podcast that I posted today is on just what you said…
PodCast Marketing “Gurus”- The Method of Selling A Method
http://www.cybersmartwebmarketing.com/podcast-marketing-gurus-the-method-of-selling-a-method.html
Angelica
December 16th, 2009 3:01 pm
I think there is more to this than what any of us think we know, but, one thing I do know is that not everyone can be like Darren or any of the other big bloggers, and its stupid to think or let others think that anyone and everyone can be. Most of the bloggers who are big, didn’t get to where they are by just blogging for free. Most people don’t take the time and energy to do one blog right anyway, most people give up. I see no harm in multiple blogs as long as you aren’t creating spam.
Werbeartikel
December 16th, 2009 9:55 pm
Hi Darren, great post! I totally agree that blogging is anything but easy, we can’t all be right up there with you as a ProBlogger after just a month or two. Give it time and stick to the key aspects you are trying to improve without trying to have all your fingers in different pies! Keep up the great work!
samuel mowe
December 26th, 2009 2:36 am
hi great info keep up the good work here is something that put to work in what I do from day to day! There are several ways to market your network marketing business. Some of the most frequently chosen methods to market online are through online forums, blogging and article writing. Often, the reason why people choose network marketing is because finances are limited.
Chris Whiteley
January 6th, 2010 4:45 am
I’ve bought an assload of blogging and IMing products over the years and none of these have taught me anything that I haven’t learned by going out there and headbutting the poop out of the blogosphere.
JadeDragon
January 9th, 2010 5:49 pm
Yes, how exactly can anyone come up with innovative ideas in 30 different areas week-in and week-out. A little diversity is good because you never know when you will hit a great niche, but going too far a field will kill your chances for success.
Grand SEO
January 9th, 2010 6:41 pm
i totally agree with you Darren. You have honestly narrated your past experience. I think you are right, quality matters more than quantity.Doing lots of blog can’t make money. Just concentrating quality time on few blogs can let us earn good money. But we have to keep patience. Patience is ultimate money.
AKP
January 25th, 2010 9:30 am
Now, there is nothing wrong making money like this, everybody needs to make money, but maybe people doing this falls into the same category as certain tele-marketing people selling spaces in directories that only has a few visitors once in a while. Doing copy/paste all day will certainly also kill every new initiative.
weng
January 26th, 2010 8:37 pm
To join the same business is not easy. With various blue prints nowadays, promising us to make money quickly is rampant. However, building the same business takes a lot of hardship before earning comes forward.
To all who wanted to join blogging and earn much, think it twice. It would be advantageous to work within your interest than thinking about the amount you will earn from blogging. Remember, hardship plus perseverance equivalent to earning.
The lesser interest you had the lesser quality you will generate. Blogging is good… but think it well!
weng
January 26th, 2010 9:08 pm
It is a very inspiring article. If we want to earn more than what we are expecting to achieve within the specified period, then a goal must be set up well. This would serve as a basis on how we will work forward.
The reality in business world is too tight due to profound competition. Bare in mind, that could be a hindrance to achieve your goal.. So we will earn more dollars or $50,000 is achievable enough.. Think positive.
make fast money
February 20th, 2010 1:48 pm
I really enjoyed reading your article.This has some great information about internet marketing.I am seeking to understand more in this area, and this really opened my eyes. Great job and Thanks for the excellent article.
sesli
March 6th, 2010 9:02 pm
To all who wanted to join blogging and earn much, think it twice.
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