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August 15, 2007
MyHelpHub & Trent Steele Abuse Their Affiliates
Somehow - and I say 'somehow' since I don't recall ever signing up for their list - I got on the mailing list & in the affiliate program of MyHelpHub and Trent Steele. I don't want to be on this list - but that doesn't seem to matter to this outfit!
#1: Here is the email I received:
Useful, huh?
#2: I retrieved the so-called unsubscribe link out of that mass of code and went here:
Notice the threats ... "Our newsletter is not optional. If you wish to stop receiving it, you will need to cancel your affiliate account." Great! That's exactly what I want.
" ... the process is irreversible." Does this mean that I couldn't sign up with different information and they wouldn't pay me? Yeah, sure. I believe that all right ... NOT!
#3: "Want to cancel your affiliate account?" Yes, that's exactly what I want - to cancel the account I don't want & don't remember signing up for. Yep. Sounds good to me. But here's the message I get:
Their link is wrong & I cannot get off this mailing list or out of this affiliate program. I am so sick of shady stuff like this! Do they really expect me to ever sell anything promoted by this network? What awful business practices.
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 11:01 AM | TrackBack
August 14, 2007
SEO Copywriter: SEO Copy Writing Power Tip
If you're an SEO copywriter like I am, you should pay attention to this column from my favorite conversion specialist, The Grok, alias Jeff Eisenberg & company.
He begins with a title I love: Stop Being a "More-on"! This great play on words & the advice is priceless. Heeeeeeeere's Jeff.
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Impotent call to action hyperlinks like "read more," "click here," and "submit" sometimes make me feel embarrassed for the website owner. They should know better.
On Lost Remote, Don Day's TV blog, he got me thinking again about calls to action:
"Don't be a "more-on" ….That’s a mantra I repeat in our newsroom often. Why it’s so easy to write a generic, cookie cutter web tease that says “for more on this story, log on to our website at klmn.com.” Dumb. Very few viewers will actually follow through."
Dan is right and what he says applies to the Web.
Persuasive call to action hyperlinks should include an imperative verb and a benefit.
For example, which hyperlink is more persuasive: A or B?
A. Steve found an investment secret that changed his life. Read More
B. Steve found an investment secret that changed his life. See how Steve doubled his income in one year.
This technique is easy to learn. So, please, stop being a more-on!
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I am a reluctant SEO copywriter & you can be sure that I will remember this great tip. How about you?
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 9:23 AM | TrackBack
August 10, 2007
Stress Management Article: Stress Management Tips For The eBay Seller
Let's face it ... selling on eBay can be a nail-biting experience and so stress management tips for any eBay seller are quite welcome.
It seems that whenever I go to any type of conference or seminar any more, at least one of the vendors is handing out those little squeezable toys. They're generically called stress balls, and many physiologists believe that squeezing them not only relieves stress, but can also help with things like repetitive stress injuries and arthritis. There are even some studies out there that indicate they might even be an alternative treatment for depression.
However, as many eBay aficionados can attest, what were once just little round balls have now been elevated to an art form. In addition to soccer balls, footballs and baseballs, you can now find them in almost every conceivable shape: from stars to cars, little ducks to semi trucks, geometric squares to panda bears, cell phones to ice cream cones. You name it, and it's probably out there! Maybe I should get myself one in the shape of a gavel - pretty appropriate for the "Auction Genius" staff, don't you think?
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 11:09 AM | TrackBack
August 9, 2007
Early Symptoms of Diabetes: A Possible eBay Niche?
No matter how we try to be objective business people who look at information with a dispassionate eye, sometimes it can be difficult to avoid having some degree of emotional involvement with the subject. At least that's what I found when I started to research the early symptoms of diabetes.
This is the first time I realized that millions of people are affected by this disease in the US alone. A good proportion of them are people under 20 years of age, who are the most commonly affected by what is called Type 1 or "juvenile onset" diabetes, so named precisely because it is young people who get it most often. This is caused by the inability of the pancreas to produce enough insulin to process the sugar contained in the blood.
Type 2 diabetes on the other hand affects adults more frequently, while gestational diabetes occurs in pregnant women. All of these people have to deal with a disease that apparently still has no cure and which often has the potential to cause problems in vital organs such as the heart and the kidneys. They have to be very careful with what they eat, which is why one of the most common queries about the topic has to do with diets and menus - for example, people want to know all about the diabetic food exchange list.
Because of the possibility of unexepected diabetic episodes, wherein the patient loses the ability to effectively communicate his or her medical problem to attending physicians, the use of a diabetes medic alert bracelet is often recommended because it enables the medical professionals to quickly assess the situation and act accordingly.
In a way, studying this niche has been helpful for me, because it has given me greater incentive to eat well and to be conscientious in my exercise (I attend Bikram yoga sessions). So I hope that the information that I have researched will help people, even in a small way, to have a better understanding of what's involved with the disease.
Author: Flor Serquina
Guest Author
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 8:22 AM | TrackBack
August 7, 2007
PayPal Fraud: Fraudulent Emails NOT From PayPal
Attempted PayPal fraud is rampant all over the Net. Unfortunately, any large and well-known company that handles money is a target of the predators who haunt our society. This is a new one ...
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{Fake Company} just sent you $1.00 USD with PayPal.
Click {fake, live URL} to claim your payment.
= = =
It was easy to spot this fumbling PayPal scam because it didn't use the address I have designated for PayPal.
Further, I've never heard of the company mentioned above. Now it's not impossible that this might be an affiliate payment from a company that I don't recognize, for example. But $1? That doesn't sound like any affiliate company that I know - especially since they usually have a minimum payment floor and one dollar is too small to bother with.
But the genuine way to protect yourself is to NEVER, NEVER, NEVER respond to these phony emails! Always log in directly to your account and check there.
Addendum: you won't be surprise to learn that there was no such payment into my PayPal account. 
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 12:20 PM | TrackBack
August 4, 2007
Search Automator: The "New & Improved" Search Automator Tool
Back on March 23, 2005, I wrote a review about the then-new, and very cool, Search Automator software. I really liked it then and I like it even more now. It seems as though search should be pretty easy, right? Just go to Google, or your SE of choice, and type in your keywords. When I first bought Search Automator I discovered that there is an entire wealth of Net material I didn't even know existed! It's sort of like having a skilled librarian at your beck and call, 24/7. If I have any complaints at all, it's that now I have too many choices!
You can try this cool software for free before you buy it.
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 11:04 AM | TrackBack
August 1, 2007
eBay Selling Now Tougher Because Of eBay Greed!
Selling on eBay just became more difficult, thanks to eBay. When you pay your eBay listing fees, what you are buying is advertising space on eBay's giant site. This is YOUR space and it should belong only to you, the seller. In fact, eBay and its sellers (like me) have gone around the mountain with eBay on this issue before. It isn't the first time that eBay has posted revenue-creating links of the View Item pages of their customers.
My postion: if I pay for a page on eBay, that page should contain nothing but MY offer. eBay is already making money off my listing and that should be enough.
However, eBay is now creeping onto the seller pages with ads directly below their counter. Like this one:
Shame on eBay! This is only a distraction from the seller's offer. Obviously, eBay is including this affiliate link because they expect to make money with it - or, at least, are hopeful they will make added income. Where will that money come from if a buyer isn't distracted from the listing he is perusing and decided to check out the free credit report? In this event, it is almost 100% certain that the seller who paid for this page will LOSE a sale.
What is the remedy? Don't use eBay counters! Instead sign up for a free account with Vendio.com and use their free counters. The counter is a very valuable research tool and is important to a professional eBay business so avoid the distraction of eBay's lame attempts to monetize every word on its site - at the expense of its customers.
