Jon from Wickedfire forums and the Super Affiliate Marketing Blog writes a post entitled ‘My New War On Internet Marketing Ebooks’, where he wants to ‘stop these assholes from making money off of your foolishness and greed‘.
I’ve decided that I’ve had just about enough of these internet marketing ebook self dubbed experts and gurus making money off of their regurgitated information. So, instead of just warning people about it (since so many of them just don’t listen anyway), I’m going to go ahead and do something about it. From now on, when an ebook comes out, promising riches and traffic and whatever else they swear about, I’m going to buy it, summarize it, and post it.. for FREE.
As much as I might agree with the sentiment Jon, you’re painting with a very broad pen stroke here. There are good quality ebooks and guides out there that do help people, and people do use them and are successful with them. Not all of them are written by scammers and theives.
Here’s a better idea for you. Why not review them and provide a guide about them for people to read and let them decide to buy based upon your recommendations?
Also, I think you over estimate one critical factor. You are a smart Internet marketer and you know how to find the right, free, information to help you, the people who need these guides are not, and don’t know where to look. These people sometimes also need to have the information presented in this manner, otherwise they don’t get it.
Good luck with your quest. Can’t wait to see the hate mail and lawsuits that will be pouring in! I’d much rather see you spend your time on a review site. I’ve thought of doing that myself, but who has the time?
Jon’s a moron — and I don’t even write or sell these things. Nah, not a moron: an asshole loser who wants to spend time screwing others rather than add value to the world himself.
Yeah, a lot of ebooks are regurgitated CRAP. You can find the info in forums and blogs? You bet — go do all the research and you can get it, free.
Sometimes I do that research, and sometimes I buy an ebook because I like the author, or he has a different point of view. So why shouldn’t I pay him for his opinion, for the time it took him to research, write, and market the information I want? You don’t want to buy it? THEN DON’T. But don’t fuck ME over by removing the information I want from the market, or by making the market unprofitable so no one will create the material for me.
You want better material out there, Jon? THEN WRITE IT. Then see how frustrating it is that some jerkwad doesn’t just give it a bad review, but makes sure you don’t make a penny. “Super Affiliate Marketing Blog”? No way, man: “Crybaby Who Adds No Value” is more like it. That’s the last time I EVER go to Jon’s blog. He has just proven that his opinion isn’t worth reading.
Being able to find something for free in a forum or blog does NOT make the information not worth paying for.
Buyers pay for convenience … for ease.. to save time … even to HEAR again (one more time .. so maybe it will sink in) stuff they already know. All of these can be valuable and worth paying for.
If I get one small idea in a $200 ebook that improves my business 1% … than that book was a BARGAIN .. and worth far more to me than a measly $200.
So what if that information could have been found in a forum? I wasn’t looking in the forum… I was looking for an info product.
Jim.. You’re right. Not all ebooks are bad, and I’m not targeting ALL ebooks, just the scammy ones that promise rags to riches in a short period of time with “little or no work” or “work in your sleep” crap. I’m also going after all of those “Google Adsense/Adwords Secrets Exposed” ebooks, because like the rest, they are scams.
Why should people continually be ripped off? It’s not like this is a new thing either. If you watch tv late at night they always have these infomercials for Carlton Sheets and all of the other types of crap. Do some research on these guys and their products. Most of them rip people off for $5k+ from “seminars” that are nothing but more and more sales pitches for upsells. It’s a joke!
No one is regulating this stuff, and no one will continue to do so. So since I have some status within the industry, I think I can use it to be more effective than just one small pissed off or angry customer. Since my reputation is shot to shit as it is, and I’m not in this for any financial gain, what do I have to lose?
If I get sent some C&D’s then yeah, I’ll comply. But I won’t stop linking to other sites that have the links up as well. I spoke to my lawyer about all of this, and while he says it’s not something he would advise he said so himself, that since I’m not doing this for financial gain, there really isn’t much someone can do about it to stop me. I’m not reselling it and claiming it as my own, or asking for donations, nada!
That’s the difference between giving it out for free to stop these scammers. And let’s be realistic, do you really think these scammers are going to hire lawyers and take me to court? I’d like to see them try. I will get a class action lawsuit going on their asses so fast. So maybe it’s worth it for them to lose out on a few thousand sales. They’ll still make money ripping off people who don’t know about my cause or what I’m doing, but at least they won’t bank off of it like they have done so for so many years.
Every industry needs regulations, and again, if no one is going to wise up start something up, well, I will then. I am also starting up something for the affiliate marketing industry to start regulating ad networks/aff programs and affiliates alike.