Rumors are true. My family and I will be moving to Portland at the beginning of May. My parent company, ShoeMoney Capital, INC. has been aquired by the Hanso Foundation. I feel I express myself better in video then in writing so I made a quick video about what all is going on:
The much anticipated iNetMania iPhone game launched today and is now one of Apple’s featured applications in the app store.
The game is a lot like Monopoly but instead of buying real estate, you buy web properties. It’s pretty cool and right up my alley.
Key points about the game:
* Quick Play mode, easy to understand rules and low learning curve puts you in the game right away
* Achievement system (similar to Xbox 360 games) sets gameplay goals and allows you to compare your prowess against other players, as well as unlock bonus playing pieces
* Save your progress during any moment in the game
* Shake the iPhone as a die cup to toss the die
* Use the Accelerometer to shake the die in a 3D, virtual cup with real-world physics (a first for the iPhone!)
* Based on the award winning board game ServerMania!
* Un-lockable player game pieces – collect them all!
* Great graphics, featuring dynamic animations with fluid, openGL animations
* Gameplay is saved if you quit or have to take a call
* Swap n’ Play™ with up to 3 other AI or human players
Internet Marketers will see a lot of familiar faces in the game such as Neil Patel, The Webmaster World Crew, Myself, and many others!
The iNetMania game is $4.99 in the Apple store. We might have some contests with this in the future so it would be a good idea to brush up your skills now.
So a couple days ago I wrote about “exec-tweets” and how stupid I thought the concept was. I also said in the next couple days I would write more about my ideas for Twitter to monetize their platform. So here we go…
The “Buy A Friend” Option?
A little while ago, Jason Calacanis threw out that he would pay $500k to be listed as a suggested user for 3 years.
Twitter turned down his offer. But people are now saying they are entertaining the idea of it.
But is it a good value? Sure you will no doubt have millions of followers but will they actually care about what you are doing like natural followers would?
I can use myself for an example. Before I started the Twitter contest, I had about 10k followers and got about 500 unique visitors from Twitter each day. The contest virtually doubled my followers to 20k+ and now I am almost at 23k. But the traffic to my site from Twitter is about the same. Hmmm….
To be honest, the “buy a friend option” for Twitter IMO is not good for them. It artificially inflates users “trust” with the community and does not give any value to the person paying.
I equate this kind of traffic to pop-up, interstitial, or incentivized traffic. It’s just not going to convert very well.
So what can Twitter do to make money?
Offer Premium Accounts
Let me pay a monthly fee for premium features on Twitter. I took a straw poll with my friends and every one of them said they would pay $10 a month for a premium account. Not one of them even asked what the features would be.
I can throw out some ideas though:
1) Give me unlimited or more API calls. I use like 6 different computers and have Tweetdeck on each one. I also crank up the updates so its like almost real time. This sucks when I leave them logged on cause I always have zero API calls.
2) Buy something like Twitpic and give me unlimited hosting.
3) Buy something like 12seconds and allow me to add video to my twits.
4) Let me use animated gifs.
5) Put a little thing around my avatar that says I am special (premium user).
6) Let me rotate multiple avatars.
7) Let me use animated avatars.
Seriously, I could go on all day for features they could add.
In my opinion, this is the best way for Twitter to monetize their service. It keeps the integrity of Twitter and also will make them a ton of cash! Subscriptions 4tw.
This Thursday on the ShoeMoney radio show will be my friend Seth Godin.
Seth has written many best selling marketing books and is widely regarded as the world’s best marketer.
I am taking questions you would like me to ask Seth.
Fire away 
HookahLounge.net not only offers plenty of hookahs, but they even have even have hookah gift sets and hookah accessories (flashing hookah lights – who knew!). If you’re into smoking devices 
like hookahs, this site is pretty dedicated to the craft – hookah forums, a hookah bar directory and a hookah blog.
Thanks for the shirt, HookahLounge.net. If you would like to see your website or company featured on Free Shirt Friday, click here.
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California, Connecticut, New York and several other states are launching investigations from tons of consumers who feel they were misled by fake blogs about weight loss stories.
Its hard to miss the ads. I see them everywhere. “Just following this 1 simple rule I lost all this weight, first colon cleanse then Acai Berry”
The website named in every report so far is http://www.ashleysdietblog.com/ :
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Here is a screen shot of the site a couple days ago when I first got wind the FTC was going to make an announcement (but was told not to post about it yet).
Well today its officially going on: (fast forward about 5 seconds in).
So here is the thing. WTF?
Let me take the side of the fake blog for a minute.
So a actor was hired (the picture was from a professional model) and all the testimonials in the comments are fake.
How is this different then all the ads I see for weight loss products on television?
How is this different then all the various religions who collect money from people in promise of everlasting life and crap. I mean they all cant be right… right? One promises I am going to go to heaven, one promises I am going to get to bang 60 virgins, and 90 other religions promise something else. yes I know that’s a different topic but its still bullshit.
How is this different then me paying $150 a month for my gym membership and not going for 3 months…..
Have we turned into so much a socialist country that we have ZERO accountability.
DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN LOOSE 50 LBS IN A MONTH FROM DRINKING BERRY JUICE AND WASHING OUT YOUR COLON YOU FRICKIN RETARD.
We have always had great marketing in this country but I honestly believe we are in the economic situation we are in because nobody has to learn the lesson. The government will come in and protect you.
So now we are going to put some affiliate behind bars because he exploited the human weakness to want THE SECRET overnight?
And no im not a hypocrite cause we had a lawsuit with the Google Money Tree. That was because they were using my image not because I had beef with what they were doing.
Anyway whats your 2 cents on it?
Yes I have a new design. About a week ago I asked UBD to make me a much sleeker and faster loading design that was almost 100% CSS and gave them a ton of specs.
I had many goals with this new design.
1) Full proper HD Videos – we built this awesome video system which allows us to use full HD 16:9 videos and with my old design I had to scrunch them into a 400px wide column. That sucked.
2) Website am going to start doing weekly website reviews.
3) Streamline across the network. This design will work for the gallery and other pages on this site. I will also be bringing back the classifieds soon.
4) Advertising. Its a MUCH better layout for advertising and we have seen clicks on advertisers go up dramatically since implementation. Yes you always see a spike when you implement a new design so we will measure this over the long haul.
5) Website Reviews- After dabbling with the first website review we got a FLOOD of emails (400+) requesting we review there website. We also recieved request from about a dozen different companies wanting to sponsor the ShoeMoney Website Reviews. So we are going to make this a weekly feature (probably on Wednesdays) starting next week.
6) Readability. The statistics so far on the new design on how much time people spend reading articles is up an enormous amount in the short time. Again we will measure these stats overtime.
So the big change has been made. The look and feel will keep the same but there will be many subtle changes. Expect a lot of changes in the sidebar as we monitor user activity and follow what people like and what they don’t like.
I am extremely happy with the new design. I think Unique Blog Designs hit it out of the park with the specs I gave them. Its exactly what I wanted.
So I would love to hear your feedback. Too plain? Not Jazzy enough for you? Please don’t hold back
Twitter recently made a post promoting a new service from Microsoft and Federated Media called Exec Tweets.
Twitter is contacted regularly by brands interested in sponsoring innovative experiences based on topics of interest.
However, our focused commitment to Twitter itself means we don’t have much time or resources to build these interesting topical experiences. It turns out the folks over at Federated Media have both the resources and the expertise.
Its actually a partnership between Microsoft & Federated Media.
If there is one thing Microsoft knows how to do its waste money. Remember the new search engine they launched where they used that porn star to narrate?
Sorry I got distracted…
So I am gonna be honest. I think exec tweets is retarded. Let me see if I understand this…
Its a website… where executives pay to have their tweets syndicated… and I can vote on which ones I think are the most interesting. I can also follow them on Twitter.
I have no doubt it will be jam packed with CEO’s wanting their recognition for how smart there tweets are. I just do not think it will be a good ROI for their company.
Now everyone is going around saying that this is how twitter is going to monetize their platform.
I am not so quick. I actually would be surprised if twitter was getting a cut of this at all. I do think this is a dangerous road for them to be on. I have some thoughts on why and alternatives I will write about tomorrow.
Every day I get this question in my email:
Hey man help a brother out. I just lost my job. I have no technical ability or resources and I need to make $5,000.00 in 1 week and only have $100.00 to spend. What do I need to do?
My answer is always the same:
“Sorry I am not qualified to answer that. I focus on building quality services that take years to build and stand the test of time. I have zero experience about getting 50x return on my money in a week hours with zero technical ability or any resources what so ever..”
Then I always get something back like:
F*CK YOU THEN SHOEMONEY MY KIDS ARE GOING TO STARVE BECAUSE YOU WONT GIVE ME YOUR SECRETS
It used to bug me a bit but I have become numb to it.
Now – do I play around with affiliate stuff and sometimes make 50-100x my money in 24 hours? SURE but those times are EXTREMELY rare and its happen maybe 5x in a 6 year period to me. And that is only because it was something I stumbled upon while building our next thing.
Progress is a very underrated thing.
Why is it people are so unwilling to make small progress every day on something. Its really the key to success. It applies to all areas.
Right now we are working on like seriously 20 projects of which 3 are massive new ventures for us.
We just try to make progress on every one every day.
This is a HUGE challenge. And it requires something that does not come naturally to me – Management.
But the rewards of making progress every day are HUGE.
People think of affiliate marketing as some fly by night thing. And sure people are making some money flying by night but the biggest affiliate earners have build there systems over YEARS.
Completion is very overrated.
Completion or reaching the end many times means death. When you complete your life… your dead.
People win the lottery and feel that is all they need to complete their life and looks what happens to 87% of them. They go bankrupt. They stop making progress on LIFE.
The same is true in internet projects. If you are working to just complete the project and move onto something else then it has no chance to succeed.
I know its not the American way but start thinking long term and make progress every day. Trust me.
If so you are the ideal candidate to enter AzoogleAds contest to win a all expenses paid trip for 2 (TWO) DAYS at the Playboy Mansion hanging out with the biggest affiliates on the planet.
This is TWO FULL DAYS/Nights at the Playboy Mansion with unlimited access.
So get drawing and submit your designs today.
I missed the original announcement of this contest and was sure they had gotten some great submissions already but then they hit me up this morning saying they havent gotten anything worth a piss so GET TO IT!
About 3 years ago John Chow (from my recollection) was growing at a rapid pace. He was selling text links, doing paid posts, and he had this whole thing going where if you liked to him with the words “make money online” then he would link back to you. He did this for what seemed like months and he quickly moved up to #1 for “make money online” which of course made google look stupid (receprical links dont work right?) so they nuked his ranking for that.
A Short time later Google took a very hard nosed stance on paid text links and posts and John was pretty much completely nuked from Google.
Many people wrote about the John Chow vs Google thing. Almost all of them siding on the side of Google saying how John Chow was done.
Here is the interesting thing. John has only grown in popularity…. and grown HARDCORE.
This is one of my big beefs with SEO. A great brand does not need Google.
Now to be fair to Google I completely understand why they did took John out of Google. He clearly violating the policy they put in place.
Sure, It probably wasnt fair that he was completely nuked out where others got simple warnings.
Barry Schwartz, of seoroundtable.com got his pageranked nuked for selling text link ads but stated publicly that his seo traffic had only increased. He still continues to sell links. Weird huh?
Ok back to Chow.
So what now does Google do? They helped create John Chows brand and now when people search for it they cant find his site. Scraper sites outrank John for his own content. At what point does this hurt Google and make them look incompetent?
I recently talked to John about seeing if I could play a role between him and Google and try to get him back in. John could care. His profits continue to go through the roof… all without needing Google.
Its a interesting case study.
Note From ShoeMoney:I had someone contact me anonymously via the contact form telling me he was a former employee of Cash4gold. If you are not familiar with Cash4gold its a new thing where you send your old gold to them and they send you cash back.
Anyway he contacted me after seeing a twit of mine about the cash4gold product. I asked him to write something up and I would post it. I found it pretty interesting what he said:
Well I am a former employee of Cash 4 Gold. I did not know much about the company before being hired. On my first day of being hired, I was taught the “Cash 4 Gold Scam” from beginning to end.
1. The “refiner’s pack” that is used for you to put your jewelry is “insured for UP TO 100 dollars, ” according to how much they feel your items are worth, NOT appraised at.
2. We receive your “Refiner’s Pack” within 3-4 days, but we are instructed to tell you that it takes “7-10 business days, for us to receive your pack, ALTHOUGH your package has already arrived.3. Your jewlery gets appraised by hand/magnifying glasses/
a small weight pad, and a bottle of mystery fluid, which your items are then give a value for. Not million dollar equipment or specially trained jewelry experts.4. Although the payment (check) for your item is dated within 24 hrs of testing your jewelry, we sometimes DO NOT actually send out the check until up to 3-4 days later.
5. We claim a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee or your jewelry returned, BUT THE CATCH IS, that the guarantee is contacting us within 10 DAYS from when your check is DATED. (This begins with the time it takes for the accounts payables dept. to issue the check and also including the transit time for you to receive your check in the mail. **** NOTATE THE COMMERCIALS THAT STATE U GET YOUR CHECK IN 24 HRS.***
6. IF you are lucky you will receive your check around the “7th-10th” bus iness day, AND more then 97% of the time Customers are outraged when they lay eyes on the amount of the check. Some Customer’s even receive a check for 0.01 cents. (TRUTH) Thats including items of great value (Diamonds, Platinum/ Gold and Sterling)
7. They sometimes even receive your valuables and like them so much THAT we CLAIM to not have received the items just so the “TOP” people or even “FAVORED” people can get first dibs on your items. From which point we issued an INSURANCE CLAIM for UP TO 100 dollars. GOD FORBID your items are worth more then a 100 dollars, and when you call in to check on the status of your items, we tell you ” YOU SHOULD”VE ADDED EXTRA INSURANCE ON YOUR ITEMS.” We do not have an actual Insurance company, they use customer service reps as the claim department agents.
8. For those who receive there check within the 10 day frame, GOOD LUCK with trying to get in touch with a cust. srvc. rep before your 10 days are up. Which after your 10 days, your items are “ALREADY MELTED” or NO LONGER AVAILABLE FOR RETURN.”
9. For the “LUCKY” people who do get in touch with us within the alloted time frame, we already know what you are calling about. Customers want their items returned, because there check amount is so insultingly LOW. The first thing a Rep will ask you is “HOW MUCH WERE YOU EXPECTING TO GET BACK?” This way we can know how much to “BONUS” you.
Definition of a BONUS: We issue low checks just to have you call us back if you are smart enough to realized that you just got scammed. For the smart one’s we are paid to offer u a bonus up to 3x the original amount of your check and you accept. For ex: Sally Smith receives a check for $27.86 for a rolex watch(which we dont issue value for), a class ring, a ring with diamond chips, a pair of earrings with emeralds, as well as a few sterling silver pieces, and maybe a few items that were really of no value. Now Sally Smith calls the cust srvc dept, where she speaks to a rep who seems so concerned and will see if she can do better with the amount by speaking to a “SUPERVISOR”. We then place the caller on Mute, and speak to our neighbors or doodle on a sheet, or twiddle with our hair for about 45 seconds, while we are supposedly speaking to our supervisor about Ms. Smith’s complaint. We then come back with an offer to “BUMP UP YOUR MELT DATE or any other lies the cust srvc reps can think of, and offer you a total amount of $53.20 which is a little under double the amount of your original check. In which case if you accept, the cust srvc rep makes a 15.00 bonus off of your transaction. If the cust srvc rep offers you under triple the amount of your orig check, she makes 10.oo in bonuses.10. If you accept the offer, the deal is done, and you are told that the call is recorded(which most of the time, the record button does not work.)Just a way to make your feel binded by a verbal contract. IF you do not accept the deal, you have to return your check, and it takes sometimes up to a month to receive your items back after we receive the check.
11. If you only want the items that we do not find of any value back, you have to pay a 10.00 shipping and handling fee to have your own items returned, which varies depending on sales for that week. IF sales are good, there is no fee, when we are slow, you must pay.
Cash 4 Gold is definitely not a trustworthy or credible company to do business with. You are almost better off taking your items to a local pawn shop or shopping around for other companies. With the economony the way it is, Cash 4 Gold seems to be a way out of financial stress for some, but in actuality becomes a stress of its own. I would advice you to think twice before sending in valuables or items inherited and of sentimental value. Its not worth it. I am not doing this as a way of Bashing their money making process
I guess this guy has posted this a few other places around the internet but I thought it was pretty good info that should be passed on.
