So, let’s say you wrote an ebook that currently sells for the low price of $97. It’s about making money with Adsense.

Or perhaps you sell some $147 software that automatically churns out websites focused on displaying Adsense ads.

And then someone comes out of nowhere and reveals a much better way to make money, and gives it away for free. What would you do?

Get defensive, probably. And that’s what all the “gurus” are doing now that The Death of Adsense and Life After Adsense have been released.

I love it.

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Spending too much time on the beach causes you to miss out on all sorts of stuff, especially deaths. Apparently Google Adsense died on August 1st, and I had no idea! I feel bad now, because I am still collecting checks from the deceased party! With funeral expenses what they are today, I’m not sure where this money is coming from.

But if you are like me and missed out, there is a report out there called The Death of Adsense. It explains everything you need to know about “the death of adsense and return to common sense.” The 18-page report was prepared by Scott Boulch. It’s a nice, quick read - just the way I like it.

Don’t have the report? That’s OK, I’ll summarize it here.

In a nutshell, the report tells why Adsense is no longer the money-maker that it once was, and it alludes to a new technique that will move you up the food chain so you can “sell your clicks for $5, $10, or more!”

Although Adsense is far from dead, the report makes some valid points. For example, if you are just making auto-generated crap sites without real content, you’re moving in the wrong direction. And if you are building quality websites, it’s still hard work to make a significant income from Adsense. Especially with the Adwords users paying very little for clicks from the content network (ie. your website.)

So, the odds are stacked against you. But the odds are stacked against you in pretty much any business venture, so that’s nothing to be surprised about.

Stay tuned for my thoughts on Boulch’s follow-up report, Life After Adsense. (which is still available at lifeafteradsense.com if you are interested)

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I love when things happen in an instant - instant messages, instant coffee, instant price raises in Adwords, all that good stuff. These days you don’t have to wait for anything, not even riches. If you didn’t know that yet, you haven’t been on the internet long enough.

See there are a lot of people on the internet that make ridiculous amounts of money each day without even working. But they aren’t snobs, they will actually be happy to share all of their secrets with you for a measly $67. Yep, pocket change compared to how much they could make by using those secrets themselves. But out of the goodness of their hearts, they offer this advice to you, the innocent newbie.

But still, that advice usually entails a bit of work. Not much, but almost enough to break a sweat. But that’s not the case if you get Instant Adsense Templates. Instead of advice, you actually get the templates you need for a virtual real estate empire!

It would take me all day to talk about all the good things you get, so I’ll just mention one. I mean, you should be ready to buy the package already, anyway. Ok, so the one thing - you get phpBB templates! For real! And all you do is set-up a forum and you’ll get rich.

Here is how simple it is (quoted straight from the sales page, so it must be true):

If you don’t like taking the time to create quality content, and updating your website, I’d suggest starting a forum. The magical aspect of forums is that they grow on autopilot, due to user-generated content.

See! Just start a forum and it will grow on autopilot! In other words, you don’t have to do anything! Just sit back and deposit the checks. You buy the template, get the software for free, and users provide the content - could it be any easier??

There is a slight catch, though. Since Joel Comm has done all the work for you, this package actually costs $997. That seems a bit steep, but remember this: 1) You’ll be getting 5-figure Adsense checks in no time, and 2) you’re getting like $35,291 worth of free bonuses!

That’s so much stuff it has to be shipped on TWO (count em, two) CD-ROMs!

I think I’m going to buy that right… hmm… wait a minute…

Oh yeah, I almost forgot… it actually takes hard work to get rich. Oh well, I guess this package of adsense templates just isn’t for me… Not that there’s a problem with that, because I heard Adsense is dead anyway…

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Last time I wrote about fake Myspace profiles and how they suck. I also mentioned an article at burntpickle.com that discusses the phenomenon. That article is great, but it could be dangerous in the wrong hands…

How do I know that? From experience. I’ll get back to this in a bit, but for now I’ll talk a bit about fictional profiles.

Fictional profiles, not to be confused with fake ones, are not meant to deceive. They are meant to humor people and just be fun. At least that’s how I look at it. It’s a great way to express creativity and goof around!

What are fictional profiles? These are profiles of people like Ronald McDonald, Colonel Sanders, SaTom Hussein, etc. Other profiles are made for inanimate objects like beer or sex. There is no doubt that it is not actually Ronald McDonald running his profile - it’s just some kid (or someone young at heart) screwing around.

The people running these profiles actually take care of them and have fun talking to other fictional characters. It’s actually a lot of fun and you meet cool new people, which is the point of Myspace if I remember correctly. I know, because I made up some profiles like that - and I just love getting comments saying how cool and funny a profile is! (Yeah, I should have been a stand-up comedian, but I ended up a bitter old internet marketer…)

Back to the burntpickle.com article… If you checked it out, you probably saw the picture you could post for a comment on obviously fake profiles. That’s great for the people who know how to spot a fake profile. But one day (before I had ever heard of burntpickle,) I found that image in one of my comments on one of my well-liked profiles. Needless to say, I was pissed off. I still am.

Those are the people who should not be reading burntpickle. The dude added me, left the comment, then deleted me. What a bitch move! I even sent him a message later, but didn’t get a response. I guess he just wasn’t very friendly.

It just worries me that people will start reporting anything and everything. Kind of like how your competitors can click on your Adsense ads and report your site. (Joke’s on them though, because if your site is legit, Adsense will crack down on the person who reported you!)

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Even worse than sending stupid bulletins is the fact that people are conning people on Myspace. Not that it’s a surprise, and it’s not going to end so it doesn’t really matter, but Myspace spam is annoying. There are so many problems on Myspace, but I’ll just talk about one right now - fake profiles.

These are regular profiles that contain a bunch of fake info and fake pictures, usually with the objective of making money. Usually there is a picture of a hot girl and a not so subtle link to a webcam. Some profiles are better than others, but there are some that are plain lame. Like this one. Seriously, who would go for that??

It truly amazes me that people would add her as a friend and leave comments. Actually, no it doesn’t. If there is one thing I have learned in internet marketing, it’s that some people are just plain oblivious. The real joke is on the people with fake profiles, because half of their friends are probably fake too!

To get all the details on this crap, along with some more humor, check out Burnt Pickle.

Wait for my next entry, I’ll talk about how I found the Burnt Pickle article…

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Hopefully by now you have seen all the marketing for Affiliate Project X, a “new” ebook touting some pretty outrageous claims. I say “new” because the book itself is new, but what are the chances that the content is anything different than the countless other courses? (which promise the same thing, anyway…)

I wasn’t going to write about this, but the claims seem so far-fetched, and there are a ton of them in the lengthy sales letter, so I figured why not! In my quick scan of the sales letter, I found about every sales letter gimmick known to man! Don’t be ashamed if you fell for it, I’m sure many people were swayed by the massive sales pitch.

Actually, maybe you should buy it. The author claims that his “bombshell” formula is “pretty much foolproof.” That must mean that pretty much anyone, including fools, can do it and make $5000 per month. So as long as you know the difference between “foolproof” and “pretty much foolproof” I think you will make the right decision

OK, enough fooling around, let’s get down to business. This ebook supposedly reveals all the secrets that no one else has revealed. But according to Ewen Chia, who also knows a thing or two about being a super affiliate, it in fact does not reveal anything new. Although Ewen could just want you to buy his products, I’ll have to side with him this time. I just don’t see the point in this new book.

My favorite line is where Ewen writes, “Frankly I find it incredibly hyped up and strange that so many marketers are recommending it like it’s the next best thing.” I don’t. They want commissions, so they recommend it!

I recommend checking out places like the SitePoint and Digitalpoint forums. You get great info there, but there are no commissions involved, which is why you don’t see the gurus promoting those links!

Oh, and as one final note, I was checking out user comments on blogs that reviewed the book. The majority said the book was not worth it! Need I say more?

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Knowing your target market is a basic business principle that has been around for ages. Why? Because it makes sense. Like many business principles, it applies to all industries - internet marketing is no exception.

But today I’m not going to give you a long lesson on this, I’m just going to make fun of people who don’t seem to get it!

And these people I’m talking about are the ones who send MySpace bulletins as advertisements.

It’s not hard at all to get an idea of what the typical Myspace user is like. Myspace is all over the news, it’s simple (and free) to setup an account, and you probably know someone who already has a profile. So if you’re sending bulletins, get a clue!

And if you can get over the fact that I am making fun of you, you might just learn something!

I have seen a few bulletins that were obviously paid for - they look like a long sales letter. But this attempt, typical in the internet marketing arena, will most likely fail with the Myspace crowd. These are teens and young adults who hate being sold to.

The bulletin should be short and to the point. It should also be something worthwhile for the 16-24 year old crowd, in most cases.

Here are some examples of what people are sending out:

Ok so…
…where the hec is everybody???
Ahh…I’m pretty much never on, and then when I do get on, no one is on to talk to! =( How disappointing!

And another:

siiickk. and pics =)

yep. im home sick. woop.
commentt my neww piccss please and thank you! =)

ill return the favor

Not what you were thinking? Well, now you know.

And to help you out, here are some more tips if you are going to send bulletins:

1. It’s not hard to create your own page. So make one. Get some friends and see what kinds of bulletins they are sending out.
2. Ask yourself if a myspace user would normally be sending your link to their friends. If it’s a myspace resource site, maybe so. But if the answer is no, don’t send the bulletin! I don’t want your crappy money making ebook on my bulletin board!
3. Be prepared to get your link filtered out of Myspace.
4. Watch for Google to close your Adsense account.
5. Go advertise somewhere else, like an FFA site.

There ya go, have a nice day!

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