How NOT to Build Credibility as a Blogger
October 2, 2007 – 4:45 amWe all make mistakes, we all do things that we look back on and cringe at the fact that we did them. Usually these mistakes are bigger in our minds then they really were but occasionally we do something so stupid that it basically sets our reputation back miles.
Years ago I got myself involved in something that I was not proud of, it was in my mind was something fun but I soon realized what I thought was “funny” was not to be shared by 99% of the rest of the world. The HUGE lesson I learned from that was at ALL times honestly must be first and foremost. If you are going to be serious in this market and want to make a long term business then you can NOT treat anything like a joke.
So why am i sharing this with you?
Well, the best teachers and mentors out there are those that share with you the mistakes they have made so that you can avoid them and recently something has happened that reminds me once again of what not to do!
As you know DealDotCom is an incredible site that features a new internet marketing product each and every day. They have also just installed a new “Daily Give Away” that enters all registered users in a draw to win the featured product of that day. Well on the weekend they featured a product called “Marketing Graphics Pro“, which is a product that you can purchase resell licenses from for $37. The resell license states that you can not sell the product for less then $17 but DealDotCom contacted the product creator personally and received permission to feature the product for $10. They took the proper steps to ensure they were following the rules.
Well a few hours later there was a blog owner named Anthony that owns bloggingdosh.com (they do not deserve any link love) that went to an incredibly popular blog (johnchow.com) and posted that DealDotCom was a scam and you could buy the product for only $7 at another site. Well (and this is the cool part) because DealDotCom actually asked permission to sell for less, the actual product creator got a little upset because this person was selling for $7 without permission. He took the time and uncovered some interesting facts.
1. The person who made this claim that they found a better deal, actually owned the site he was referring to.
2. Was selling the product for $17, as he was supposed to, but changed it to $7.
3. Created this lie just to create a smear campaign in an effort to get visitors to his site.
Well, as you can guess there were a lot of upset people. People that posted about this issue and then found out that the actual scam artist was the individual that claimed there was a scam in the first place.
So.. what lesson can we all learn from this?
1. Always follow the rules. The saying “it is better to ask forgiveness then permission” is a lie. DealDotCom could have just reduced the price on the product without asking but they did not and as a result they had the support of the product creator who actually uncovered the truth for them.
2. Do not lie. You may think what you are doing is harmless but no one else does. Building your business online is about building trust.
3. Do not take shortcuts. The blog owner who started this smear campaign, admitted (then actually deleted the post from their site) that they did this to stir up controversy and get readers. In other words he tried taking a short cut to get traffic to his site instead of creating valuable content that actually benefits others.
Would love your opinion on this issue!
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http://digg.com/business_finance/How_NOT_to_Build_Credibility_as_a_Blogger
One Response to “How NOT to Build Credibility as a Blogger”
Just a quick note you might want to be aware of:
(And no, I’m absolutely not suggesting the guy that accused of being a scammer was legit).
BUT….
There is one point this guy is right on, and I admit, I’m surprised that it hasn’t been commented on.
“The resell license states that you can not sell the product for less then $17″
Legally: You cannot “force” that a product has to be sold at a minimum price.
i.e., “can not sell it for less than $17″ is illegal.
It’s price fixing - and in the US and Canada (and many other countries) it’s illegal.
No one can “force” you to sell it for a minimum price, HOWEVER, they CAN force that it must be paid for.
i.e., you CAN state that it can NOT be given away free., that it can NOT be included as a free bonus, that it can NOT be bundled, etc etc etc.
They CAN state that it MUST be sold with an actual cost - but they can NOT state what the minimum cost can be.
Do some research on price fixing laws. This was a big discussion a while ago at i-Cop from one of the legal representatives.
Just wanted to help.
By Amber on Apr 16, 2008