Avoid online money scams and scam websites...

The Internet Marketing
Money-Suck Vortex
From Hell Report

=====================================

WARNING:  If you're just getting into internet marketing--that is,
taking a shot at making a living online, do yourself a huge favor and
read this report!  Read it before shelling out another dollar of your
hard-earned money on the next ‘big thing.' 

I highly recommend that you read this report in its entirety. 
Yes it is important for you to read it!   It is for your own good.
 
I would be remiss in my duties as an unbiased and objective
reporter if I didn't write this report and urge you to read it!

=====================================================

Without further ado, on to...

How to escape...    
"The Internet Marketing Money-Suck Vortex From Hell"
                        ...while avoiding Paralysis by Analysis
                                    caused by information overload

                                                   a.k.a. "The Vortex Report"

                                                                   
[Originally written 
01 AUG '06 but
relevant forever]

The Vortex....

Is it real?  Absolutely, positively, beyond a shadow of a doubt--oh hell
yea it's real.  Knowing how to control it or avoid it altogether (nearly
impossible) is a learned skill.  And I'm here to teach you how.

Just because I allowed myself to get sucked into the vortex doesn't
mean I feel compelled to make you suffer the same fate.  But it seems
there's this unwritten rule in life that makes people pass on to others
the same hardships that they had to endure; as if it were a 'right of
passage'...

(And it happens everyday:  You try to merge into heavy traffic but not
one SOB will let you in.  So you force your way in.  Later, when
someone else trys to merge in front of you, you don't let them in. 
Now you're the SOB ;)...

I've bought and downloaded so much worthless crap in an effort to
make quick money on the internet that it makes me nauseous just to
think about it.  But I also joined the accompanying affiliate programs
just in case.  Just in case I could sell the same program to some other
naive newbie and make my money back!

           "There's no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love. 
           There is only a scarcity of resolve to make it happen." - Wayne Dyer          

You'd think that after a couple years of this I'd learn, but...

    eternal optimisim combined with an unhealthy dose of greed
   made me hold out hope for a bona fide "get rich quick scheme."

And therein, my friend, lies the main problem.  Greed.  Period. 
(Well, nothing's ever so black 'n white, really, so mixed with greed
was desperation; when you're spending faster than you're making and
don't know how you're gonna pay the rent, desperation comes into
play ;)

But I digress, so onward...

Part of the blame for my blind stubborness (yea, see--it wasn't all
my fault ;)  goes to other greedy internet marketers.  Specifically, the
ones that put up "review" sites.  See, I thought I'd gotten smart by
checking out product reviews before laying down the fungolas... 

But even I--the newbie Charlie Brown, was soon able to see through
their ploy.  Which prompted me to curse like a sailor in frustration...

But done right, it's nothing more than honest commerce.  It's part of
what makes America the great country that it is.  Nevertheless...

        Unless you really have good reason to trust a particular 
     internet marketer---do yourself a favor and look at each and
                        every one like a sleazy 'carpetbagger.' 

You know, like one of those guys standing behind a gaudily-decorated
roadside stand in a W.C. Fields film (I love his hilarious old flicks). 
Where the marketer is bellowing, "tonics, potions and elixirs that cure
cancer, gout, hoof-and-mouth, rickets, and baldness...today and
today only, half price!"

Amazing how things haven't changed much. 

I'm sure if I was living in those times I would be one of the fools
lined up to throw my hard-earned money at one of those self-
proclaimed wizards, too.  But at least those "elixirs" got you
high...most of the crap you download won't do anything!

 [It's impossible to feel bad about recommending this guy and his program.]

     Wild, unsubstantiated claims have gone unchecked---and 
                will continue to go unchecked---in the world of 
                               internet marketing because...

1. Lack of accountability to the customer;  customer and marketer
will never meet.

2. Digital products have no physical limitations.  Describe them (hype
them) as you will!

3. Everyone else is doing it;  Join the sharks or get eaten.

There is actually a 4th reason---Lack of accountability to the FTC,
but I cover that in an article in my "Rants and Tips" section on the
right.

I know you've read some crazy, ridiculous hype in internet marketing
ad copy.  One of my favorites is "Start Making Money 15 Minutes From
Now Guaranteed".  (This is on several sales pages of a fairly popular
biz-op site.)

        It doesn't take a genius to figure out that it is next to
        impossible to start making money in 15 minutes on the 
                                internet with any program. 

And by the way, I found this particular site listed on two "Rip-offs
exposed" type of sites.  And in forums in which this site was
repeatedly slammed by posters to the forum.  Now, because of all this
'bad publicity' this site has gotten, what do you think has happened
to the site's business and the site owner?

Answer: 
Nothing, of course.  It continues, apparently, to rake in money. 
Do you think anyone has knocked on the site owner's door? 
Made him feel accountable for this deception?   No and no.

There is hype and there is a point where it crosses over an imaginary
line into the area of flat-out deception.  Which is another way of
saying, "You are being lied to."  We'll call this type of hype,
"deceptive hype".

But also keep in mind that deception is not limited to the ad copy. 
There are scripts that are cleverly designed to deceive you.  But
more on that in my "Mini-Rants" section.

      "Dreams are the touchstone of our character." - Henry David Thoreau

But for now this is a good point to take a brief look at...

                            ConsumerReports.org

If you know anything about Consumer Reports---the offline brick 'n
mortar test lab for consumer products---you know they don't accept
any form of advertising money or sponsorship whatsoever.  Their sole
source of funding for their magazine and .org website is from their
online and offline magazine subscriptions.

That's why you can trust Consumer Reports' product reviews with
your life...

        ...because this trustworthy, unbiased feature is built
                      into their business...they can't help it!

This "built-in integrity" is all but impossible amongst internet marketers,
and internet marketing product review sites.  So you have to be
immediately on guard when reading or listening to anything coming
from them---even this site!  (But it's my hope to get on your short list
of folks you trust before you leave...and not all in a selfish way :-)

Kind of in the same way that 'Consumer Reporters' can't help but be
totally objective, internet marketers can't help but keep their own
selfish interests in mind when engaged in any form of communication
with you. It's their job; it's how they can eat.

But it goes even deeper than that...

Here's where we check out Reason #1 for Deceptive Hype
(headline is written in the hypey style you've come to know and love
er..ah...loathe):

1. Lack of accountability to the customer...

      Revealed:        

    "The Unique Psychology of Online Marketing and Why 
          You Should Be More Than Skeptical---You Should 
                               Expect to Be Bamboozled!"

It's no secret in psychology circles:  Human behavior studies have
proven over and over again that otherwise kind and caring people will
willingly do bad things to other people as long as their anonymity is
guaranteed...

Now think about internet marketing and the anonymous medium that
the internet can be.  Heck, there are many internet marketers out
there who've been steadily making six figures and never even had to
leave the comfort and security of their own bedroom! 

Not that it's not hard work, but the point is they've never had to
deal with customer questions and complaints face-to-face.  Never
met them, never even seen them...

             Never had to be accountable for their products 
                     not living up to their advertising claims!

(By the way, charge-backs, refunds and answering emails don't count
as being held accountable.  Not in the 'real' world way.)

Now ordinarily---that is, in the world of physical, tangible products
and face-to-face selling, most people would never intentionally try
to deceive their customers.  Because customers tend to get irate if
they feel slighted and some may even 'go postal.'

...but enter Internet Marketing and digitally downloadable products...
  
            Being 100% safe from the threat of face-to-face 
    confrontations, the internet marketer becomes emboldened.

Without threat of repercussions, the marketer has no reason to show
restraint; his customer isn't standing in front of his computer desk. 
No, the marketer's customer is just part of a vast, faceless sea of
numbers.
 
                Yet he, the marketer himself, can remain 
      inaccessible 24/7, answering only to emails---if he wishes.

Of course, the smarter, more successful marketers will establish a
long-term relationship with their customers thru follow-up emails
and newsletters.  And if they're really smart, their clients will love
them for this. 

But too many marketers go about this email follow-up thing similar
to the "review sites" that I describe above---with affiliate links
everywhere in their emails.  And emailing way too often with offer
after lame offer after lame offer...

  They get too greedy and it becomes obvious that all they want 
   to do is grab you by the ankles and pick you up and shake you
                  until all your money falls out of your pockets!

(My ankles are still smarting from when I allowed them to do this to me!)

Plus this has the terrible effect of spilling your drink!
 
Don't become that type of marketer.  In the long run you will make
more money, anyway, by NOT doing that.  Think "white hat," not
"black hat."  What you want is a sustainable, long-term business---
not money scheme after money scheme; don't engage in 'hit-and-run
marketing.'

Here's where we look into Reason #2 for Deceptive Hype:

2. Digital products have no physical limitations... 

Which is why...

                  You Can Over-Hype Digital Products and 
                                 Rarely Be Accused of Lying

This is another big reason why the ad copy for digitally-downloadable
products tends to be more "hypey" than copy for physical products.

Because a tangible product like a television, for instance, has specific
dimensions, certain features that can't be exaggerated; it is what it is. 
It has physical limitations that can be hyped but so much.

And the benefits of owning a T.V. can only be expanded on but so
much, because people already know a lot about T.V.s in general. 
It can be touched, held, seen.  
                 
Contrast that with a digital product:

Aside from the on-screen image that represents the "box" that the
product is "packaged" in, including any on-screen GUI that's part
of the program for you to interact with...

            A Digital Product Exists Solely In Your Mind 
                                and On Your Hard Drive.

The features and benefits, therefore, can be described and expanded
on from dozens of different angles; who's to say they're wrong? 
Depends on your point of view.  And this also holds true for ebooks
and guides. 

    So, digitally-downloaded products open up a huge potential
              for hype like you read about!  (tongue in cheek ;)

But there is that point where the hype turns into deception.  (Read:
"lying".)  It's that area you want to avoid in your own copy...

However, when reading ad copy done by others, you're not privy to
the facts.  So it's not always so clear when you're being lied to. 
It's not always as obvious as the "Start Making Money 15 Minutes
From Now Guaranteed" example that we talked about above.

Which brings us to Reason #3 for Deceptive Hype:

3. Everyone else is doing it;  Join the sharks or get eaten...

I have a theory that at first there were only a few sketchy dudes who
stretched the truth beyond recognition in their ad copy.  Most others
wouldn't dare go as far as these rebels.

But when it became obvious just how much money the rebels were
making, everyone started to “one up” the other in their ad claims
until it reached the point that it is today-the ‘grey area’ of legality
and morality.  But since the internet is still largely unenforced
(thankfully!) this grey area is acceptable, whereas in the offline
world it would be unacceptable.

(Notice I said "unenforced;" it's just as regulated from the FTC's
standpoint, but unenforceable...see the article on the FTC later.)

     So to remain competitive,  many internet marketers have
             been forced to rise...er ah...lower to the levels of 
                       hype and trickery that exists today...

...but not all of them.  Some have been the 'pillar of truth;' completely
honest and above reproach. 

Not that there's a total lack of hype in their sales letters, but their
products deliver and some of the time---OVER-deliver on each and
every promise made in their sales letters.

Up 'til now, I've been focusing on the negative parts of internet
marketing. The internet is huge and there are thousands of internet
marketers.  So it should come as no surprise that there's no shortage
of marketers willing to forego good business ethics in exchange for
a quick buck... 

                     After all, it's not like their names will be
                                      dragged thru the dirt. 

Because of the anonymity that they 'enjoy' on the internet, it's just
too tempting to 'go to the dark side.'  But that doesn't mean that
they're making more money than the honest marketers.  It just means
they're misinformed.  Besides, their days are numbered:

Your opportunity to make great money from an online business has
never been better.  Because of the universal laziness in 90% of
all people trying to make a living online (see "The Sobering Truth"
article on this site later), if you just put forth 'the good college try,'
it's only a matter of time until you succeed.  Because most of your
competition is engaged in "hit and run" marketing; falling for one get-
rich-quick scheme after another.

So What Is THE Answer?

The answer to all of your problems--if you have any--and the end to
all of your worries about how you are going to make it in internet
marketing can be summed up in five words:          

                      1     2          3          4         5                  
                    Do Not Reinvent the Wheel!!
                   It takes too long and won't roll very well!

              Other folks have blazed the trail ahead of you... 
                              leave your machete at home.
 
So the Key To Your Guaranteed Success:
     You only need to be smart enough to pick a Guru and follow
                    his path, ignoring the paths of all others...

      ...and that, my new friend, can be one of the 
                     hardest damn things to do!!

But why?

Here's why: 

Please go with me on this...
Go with me on this analogy, trust me--it works: 

It's actually a story, let's call it:

               -The Path Through The Forest- 
Imagine you are standing at the edge of a forest. 
Your success---your goal---is dependent on you finding your way
through the forest and emerging on the other side. 

Thank heavens!  There's a path that goes all the way thru to the
other side.  And it's right there in front of you, disappearing into
the forest, into the darkness.  This is good news, because the clock
is ticking....you need to get going.

You can't know for sure that the path goes all the way through.  But
a person told you that it does and you believe him, based on the fact
that he sounds believable to you.  And you're a pretty good judge of
character.

You happen to know that the forest is huge and you will definitely
need to be on a path that goes all the way through.  Not only that,
but there are many snakes and other adorable creatures such as this
that are off the beaten path.

But here's where it starts to get screwy:

While you are preparing for your trip through the forest, you slowly
notice another path, and another...'til last count there's ten paths
that disappear into the forest.  All diverging out from the same area.

And not only that, but each person who has cleared each path has
come forward, in turn, and told you how you should trust only him
and his path... 

You now have good, solid reason to believe that each path is better
than the others.  You're told some of the paths go into swamps or
worse. You're told that some people have started down paths and not
emerged on the other side---never to be seen again.

The confusion about which path to take is made worse by the fact
that you are getting antsy about getting going.  Time's awastin'. 
Your blood pressure is rising.

                        For crissakes, what to do?!

Well, if you did what I did---taking my start in internet marketing
as an example of what NOT to do...

You started down one path only to second-guess your decision to
take that path.  But no problem. You just turn around and backtrack
to the beginning and start down another path.

After a while, you repeat the same thing.  Over and over again. 
Because once you've successfully backtracked and started over, the
decision to change plans becomes easier and easier with each
successive re-start.

And so, naturally---at the same time---the decision to commit to
one path becomes more and more difficult. 

But by now the stress of knowing that you've been wasting precious
time and resources is causing you to overlook common sense.

So there's a point where you don't even bother backtracking to the
start like you should.  Instead you run laterally through the brush
in an attempt to intersect another path without having to start
over. 

And now you're confronted by snakes and other deep woods creatures
because you aren't following a path.  This delays your success even
more.

But you're finally able to intersect an adjacent path, however you're
not sure which direction to turn once you get there.

You are officially lost.

If you would have just stuck to one of the paths cleared by one of
the folks that you trusted, you would have already made it out of
the other side of the forest.

Here it is again:

                   Do Not Reinvent the Wheel!!
                It takes too long and won't roll very well!

            Other folks have blazed the trail ahead of you... 
                           leave your machete at home.

So the Key To Your Guaranteed Success:
   You only need to be smart enough to pick a Guru and follow 
                  his path, ignoring the paths of all others...
                  [By the way, I am not the guru of which you should seek]
                                     

There's a fellow named Dale Calvert who, back in 2003, published an
ebook called, "The Success Principle the Internet has Stolen" and
subtitled "Finding A Success Mentor".

His ebook is based entirely on this problem.  It was sold at one time
but is now available as a free download.  I had never heard of him
before but apparently he's one of the "who's who" among MLMers. 

The chapter in his book that best applies to internet marketing is
called, "The #1 Reason Marketers Today are Dazed, Confused, and
Afraid to Act." (Other chapters apply more to MLMers, but the
principles are the same.)

What we're talking about here is that the internet has made it "too
convenient" to access dozens of Gurus of Internet Marketing.  All
with a few clicks of your mouse.  You are sold on one Guru only to
find another who "speaks" to your psyche; as if you should be
following his advice and program.

Before you know it, you've half started several projects, maybe even
joined several monthly subscription services for access to "one-stop"
marketing materials, products, and services.

But the challenge for you is really easy to overcome if you can just
accept the fact that because of the internet, we can now access
dozens of "Gurus".  The problem, therefore, is not CAN we find a Guru
to lead us to success, but WHICH GURU?!

   The good news is that the first step in overcoming a problem
             is becoming aware of the problem.  You have now 
     successfully completed a huge step towards your success!

And Step 2 is just selecting your mentor; your 'guru.'

Let me help you with your selection by first asking you a question...

Using the "Forest" story again (go with me on this just one more
brief time :)...

Say each path has its own unique identifying mark at the beginning
and at the end---where it emerges from the deep forest. 

You can choose which path to take, just as in the first example of
the story.  But this time, you are given no other information about
the paths other than what you can get from visually inspecting
them---Sherlock Holmes-like---at either end.

Which end would you inspect?  The beginnings of the paths or where
they emerge from the forest?

You'd want to inspect the paths where they emerge, right? 
Because, being smart like Sherlock Holmes, you want to see which
path shows evidence of the most wear on it...

I hope I didn't make this too cryptic, but wouldn't you want to
select the path that had evidence of the most people making it
successfully through?

Me too.  I just wish I'd been smart enough to figure that out a few
years sooner! 

        
          "Don't wait.  The time will never be just right."  - Napoleon Hill

...Back to getting some money in your pockets and the priceless
freedom that comes with it:

So you want to select a program that has the best track record of
"graduates."  But how do you measure that with internet marketing
programs?  Good question. 

Well, I have good answers for you.  With specific numbers.

But first, I want to let you in on a couple more quick, but important 
things related to selecting your program...

And that is:  No two programs run by the Gurus are alike.  And that's
good, but you should probably give some thought beforehand as to
what type of program you really want.  This will help you narrow down
your choices:

Do you want an A to Z Guide, taking you step by step from concept
to income-producing websites?  (A complete study guide....including
video tutorials.)

Or do you want an A to Z Guide that includes products to sell with a
marketing program already setup to sell them? (By the way, except for
maybe a CD or DVD here and there, all of the "products" are digital--so
no need for inventory or drop-shipping physical products.)

To me, it makes more sense to join one of the complete programs that
includes quality digital products to sell.  However, what I ended up
doing, personally, was buying a step by step program.  Reason is that
the person that produced this program was someone I could
understand easier than any other guru in internet marketing...

...I would rather he had a complete line of products with new products
being produced monthly or weekly like some other systems.  But I could
understand him better and you can't beat that!  I can't stress how
important this is.

     Summary - there's two main things to remember
                         (noted by Roman Numerals I & II below)...

I.  You don't need to buy every script, software, 
         ebook, and other crap that you don't need. 

Because the big, main program that you will join will have all that
you will ever need.  Not only that, it will be much higher quality and
proven to work.  Leave the time and money-consuming selection and
filtering of all that stuff to someone else.  Someone who knows what's
good and what's not.

Do not reinvent the wheel!  It takes too long and won't roll very 
well!

Because you will save yourself a ton of money--but more importantly,
a ton of time.  The wasted money---regrettable though it may be---
can be replaced.

Time, however, once it's gone---it's gone forever.  You simply can't
put a price on time because it's priceless. 

          the Vortex...it's insidious...it creeps in unannounced...
 
This subject is so important that I'm going to list some of these time
bandits that comprise much of a typical internet marketing vortex...

1.  Reading sales letter after sales letter.

2.  Downloading and installing software.

3.  Configuring software and learning how to use it properly.  (which
often results in you finding out that you didn't need it, didn't really
want it, or--more likely--it didn't deliver on all promises....surprise!)

4.  Downloading and reading ebook after scattered & disconnected
ebook.

5.  Organizing all your scattered and disconnected ebooks, info-emails,
software, DVDs, PDFs, manuals....Creating folders, folders within folders,
and sub-folders within sub-folders on your desktop or wherever....All in
a valiant but hopeless effort to organize your piles of information.

6.  Scanning or actually reading dozens of emails that you're afraid to
delete because they may contain some important news or update
about something you've already spent money on.

7.  Reading new emails from related sites that may have something
better than what you've already bought...."this new software seems
much better..." you optimistically think.

8.  Etc., etc, ad nauseam...

...But it's not easy to resist the diabolically-crafted sales letters
whose authors will stop at nothing nowadays to get you to click the
"Pay Now" link.  "This price is only good until midnight," or "only 25
copies left (note: it's digital! there's an unlimited number left, and you
aren't privy to the actual number--if any--they're limiting the sales to!),
this offer is only good until, blah, blah", lies, lies, deception...

...all this reading of long sales letters does nothing but waste your
time.  Actually, you can get something out of them:  If one seems to
really draw you in, then it's probably a pretty well written ad.  So print
it out and put it into a folder on your desk made specifically for
storing sales letters.  Then, when you want to write one yourself,
just look in your folder and pattern your sales letter after the one
you like.  Or combine the tactics from two or three different sales
letters...

      Otherwise, resist a potential "suck-you-in" sales letter 
                    like a teetotaler saying "No" to a drink!

          (Makes me shudder at the thought, but whatever works for you;) 
   
II.   Sign up with the mentor/guru of your choice. 

Stick with him.  Stick with him.  Stick with him.  Stick with him. 
Don't ever give up.  Don't ever give up.  Don't ever give up.  
Read and study like your guru directs.  Read and study like your
guru directs.  Follow his guide. Follow his guide. Follow his guide. 

                          

By the way, if you want to know who I recommend to guide you
(your "guru" or mentor) then simply read the first few Product Reviews. 
They're generally written with the best of each category reviewed
first, in descending order.  At least it's true of the first two categories
of reviews, Roman numerals I & II.

And I've said it before but I'll say it again, "I don't pretend to be the
guru of which you should seek."  But I know the ones that are proven
winners.  And it's a very short list.  And the list is comprised of the
Product Reviews.

However, if you are brand-new, or you're unhappy with the program
that you're currently with, it's a no-brainer to recommend Site Build It!
(It's what the banner ads are about like the one below.)

SBI! is so easy to recommend; there's absolutely no shame in
recommending a program that has the undisputed best record of
success--it's everything that HonestySellsBest.com is about. Ken
Evoy, the creator of SiteSell, is second-to-none in integrity and
attention to this incredible company.  See the SiteSell review or the
SBI! review.

        
 "What comes out of you when you are squeezed is what is inside of you."
                                                                                               - Wayne Dyer

But, as I said before, it really should boil down to the one with the
writing style, personality, or other intangible trait that you just feel
is better about that person or that system.  Even a big "system"
carries the personality of its creator...

Just be sure to make a decision and STICK WITH IT!!

Yep, it really is that simple.  Don't make it any harder than it is. 

If you have any questions after you leave, don't hesitate to email me
at charles@honestysellsbest.com

But you're welcome to stay as long as you like.  The sunsets are great
here.