The Industry Review

The Affiliate Summit (Affiliate Summit East 2009) begins tomorrow. Although I’ve participated in a number of academic conferences (and presented in most), I have to admit I’m particularly excited for this one, as I’ve never been to this type of conference.

 
As a silver pass member, unfortunately I won’t be able to attend many of the lectures I would’ve liked. But it almost doesn’t matter: there are so many people I wish to meet, and have set up meetings with, and there are going to be plenty of networking events and parties (Missy Ward’s party list). This is definitely unlike any academic conference I’ve attended!

 
Since I won a ticket to MarketLeverage’s VIP Yacht Party, it’s obvious I’m particularly looking forward for this social event!

 
I’ll try and provide the highlights of every day from my perspective. Hopefully I won’t be too thrashed after a long day of networking and excitement!

 
Here’s the summit’s agenda, and in PDF version.

 
If anyone outside of town hasn’t seen my list of things to do in NYC, you may want to check it out.

 
This is going to be short so I’ll finish now. Can’t wait for the summit to start! And the coolest thing: unlike most visitors, since I’m a local – I get to sleep in my own bed at home every night. The hotel is about 15 minutes away by Subway from my home 😉

 
P.S. If you read this and see me in the summit, come say hello! I’d be very happy to meet you.

 

 

I’ve been using StatCounter for site statistics tracking for several years now. It’s free, it’s simple – it’s great! I know some people must be rolling their eyes (I know because I also saw this in person), why not use Google Analytics, these people are asking? Well, for starters, I used it, and didn’t like it. It just.. wasn’t convenient for me. I like Statcounter. Secondly, it sends tons of information to Google that I don’t need it to have (I think it’s this article that discusses it).

 
But that’s not my point.

 
Today I noticed someone is accessing my website – this website – through a statcounter menu that is not mine.

 
Unless I’m mistaken, this can only mean someone has some statcounter code hidden somewhere in this WP installation. I searched quite thoroughly and couldn’t find anything. I looked for encoded sections, usually the likely culprits, but couldn’t find any (in general I try and stay away from themes that have encoded sections for this very reason).

 
That being said, the fact is, someone gets my statistics without my knowledge (or consent). And since I’m using an open source piece of software, it’s obviously related to that. Clearly similar issues are the disadvantages (with the advantages being that it’s open, free, upgradeable, flexible, and much more).

 
I find this very disturbing. If they can view my stats, who knows what else they can do? Is this specific to my theme? or all of WP? (that might be too paranoid, but you never know). I’ll probably end up changing my theme (which is a pity since I really like it). So my word of advice: keep this in mind when using WP!

 
One last thing: if the mysterious person who gets my stats reads this, please contact me: udi@IndustryReview.org. I won’t be mad (I promise). I just want to know how you did this. When I was a teenager I used to dabble in similar things but that is long gone. Call it professional curiosity. (I’ve also done such things in a significantly smaller scale – when I was a teenager, there was no WWW! This might be a good time to mention I’ve been using the internet since 1988).

I’ve taken my share of classes during my time. With 3 degrees it would be surprising if I didn’t, wouldn’t it?

 
When I started doing affiliate marketing, I realized there are many topics I need to learn how to tackle (PPC, Quality scores, CPA, SEO, SERPs, Traffic, Landing Pages, Keywords, Social media, Article directories, RSS feeds and the list goes on and on). None of it is rocket science, but there’s just a lot to know. I learned a lot of it on my own, but figured I may as take a shortcut in the form of a class or two – particularly since most of them have 30 to 60 day money back guarantees.

 
One thing I learned is that there is a great variation in the way the classes are being taught. I was expecting every class to be very similar in the approach taken, but it’s far from the case.

 
So here are 10 aspects I think every online class should have. If you’ve ever considering creating a class, pay attention. I classified them in three ways: Crucial (most classes actually do this), optional (can’t hurt to have), and subtle (many classes don’t do this, and yet it’s so important).

 

1. (Crucial) Organization: Provide students a clear map of what you’re supposed to be doing every week, where you are headed, and what you’re supposed to learn. You’d be surprised how often this is not the case.
   
    

2. (Crucial) Stored videos of classes: This is essential since it’s likely you’re going to miss some. I’ve actually never seen a class that doesn’t have this feature.
   
    

3. (Crucial) Original content: many classes simply offer the same regurgitated content you can see elsewhere and present it as their own. Not only this is unethical, but it pretty much guarantees you’re never going to buy a class from that person again. People sometimes ask me: is affiliate marketing any good? This is one reason I sometimes find it hard to answer, because so many classes offer the same ol’ same ol’.
   
    

4. (Optional) PDFs summaries of every lesson: At times, particularly a while after you’ve watched the class, it’s just easier to read a summary rather than go through an entire lecture again.
   
    

5. (Optional) Bonuses: it’s nice to buy something and get a related piece material you have not paid for. Normally I would not mention this, but it almost feels standard nowadays since almost every class has this.
   
    

6. (Optional) Forums: forums offer a way for you to interact with other course members who are going through the same process as you, and have similar interests. This is not crucial, but very important. Most classes I’ve participated in had a forum system.
   
    

7. (Optional) Live webinars: not only the occasional live webinar gives the feeling it’s a “living” course (and not something that was created 2 years ago), but it also allows asking live questions, or examining students’ own work (such as websites).
   
    

8. (Subtle) Standalone: Some classes expect you to have to buy another piece of software to successfully do the class. Sometimes this is unavoidable (like the need to register domains, etc – that’s part of the game), but other times it’s just not the case. For example, I’ve taken a class which was pretty cheap, but the lecturer kept using a software that – surprise surprise – costs more than $1,000. As far as I know, he also was involved with that piece of code as well. Since I couldn’t afford that software (nor did I want to buy it), and half the course depended on it, I ended up asking for a refund. This just feels like a cheap and dirty way to sell other items (give the course for not much, sell the tools for a lot).
   
    

9. (Subtle) Availability for personal questions: When you take a university class, there are office hours, professor emails, and you can always physically approach them. Some online classes do their very best so that you will not be able to contact the lecturer. When you think about this, this is downright rude (particularly since some classes cost thousands of Dollars!) One class I took has several layers “protecting” the lecturer. I wanted to ask a personal question (inappropriate for the forums). So I had to ask support to get the lecturer’s email. They asked me to contact his personal assistant. Which I did. The assistant asked me what it’s about, so I sent my question to him – and he said he’ll relay it the lecturer. I assume he did – but after going to all this effort, I never even got a response. That’s unprofessional. Note that naturally, this was after the 30 day money back deadline passed. It makes class takers feel like the lecturer only cares for their money. In this specific case, the lecturer said in the sales pitch that he’s trying to build his brand, so he wants our testimonials once the class ends. Regardless of the quality of this content, I guarantee you this attitude would eliminate many of the positive testimonials he could’ve gotten.
   
    

10. (Subtle) Availability for public questions: although this may sound identical to the previous item, it’s not. What I mean here is that there should be a way for students to post a question (to a forum or a mailing list) and for the lecturer, the authority figure, to give a definite answer. You’d think this is obvious, but many classes simply do not have this option. The lecturer is “somewhere up there”, and the people who answer comments are the other class members. Don’t forget: they’re students too and they are often wrong. This is irresponsible, and in this case the class does ill service to its students.

 
What do you think? Have you had similar experiences? Better? Worse? Please do let me know.

Last month many AdWords accounts were banned for life for allegedly promoting scams (“Google Money Tree”). Although I’m sure many of these people were in fact promoting scams that preyed on the innocent, many others did not promote “Google Money Tree”. In fact, many of those were not even associated with anything related. If you have a doubt of this, check out this interesting thread on Google’s own forums. There are many other articles online about this topic.

 
Full disclosure: my own AdWords account has been banned despite having to do nothing with “Google Money Tree”. I promoted a “make money from home” offer once, for a single night, which I thought is perfectly legitimate (hey, *I* make money from home!), it passed Google’s editorial approval and there was nothing wrong or immoral with it in my opinion. Had Google told me that I shouldn’t be doing this, I would’ve immediately stopped. However, one day I get an email that informed me my account, and any other I ever create, is banned from this moment on. A phone call and three emails did not help, and in fact clarified that banning accounts is not limited to “Google Money Tree”. I’ve been promised no AdWords account, ever. Fine, it’s Google’s right. I was barely using my account anyway (I’m doing primarily SEO).

 
Two weeks ago significant Google changes were made that appear to have a major effect on affiliates running review sites. Here’s Perry Marshall’s excellent article about this.

 
Quick change of topic: Lately I’ve been receiving a lot of emails about the new product Zero Friction Marketing. I won’t go through the sales letter, though one point in particular drew my attention. “…No Google Ads, no experience, no selling…”. “A few short months ago I stumbled onto a Google-free method that created instant money streams so fast and so insanely powerful…”.

 
Is it my imagination or not using Google is actually being touted as a good thing? As one of the major selling points?

 
(Note: yes, this was an affiliate link in case you were wondering. Hey, if I’m introducing a product and it sounds good to you, I may as well get some credit 😉 Though the goal of this blog is NOT affiliate advertising and this has not changed).

 
This makes me wonder: have some people decided that Google is simply too capricious, and even though it offers superior tools and it is the market leader, maybe it’s better to focus on the softer, more easy going, competitors? Are we going to see many more products whose selling points are being “Google-Free” from now on? I’m wondering whether this is the beginning of a trend… of drifting away from Google. Only time will tell, I guess.

 
Personally I find this fascinating and am really curious where we are going. We shall see soon!

 
Please leave a comment if you have something to say, or just tweet me. I’m curious to hear your opinion.

 

Since the Affiliate Summit takes place next week, I figured that as a local I should create a list of place that may be of interest for people coming to the summit from out of town. If you have any suggestions, feel free to comment or to send me on twitter (and I’ll add it).

 

Places to see in NY and things to do

First, in my opinion, the best thing to see in NY is New York itself! Just walk the streets. These are, by far, better than any other local attraction – and they’re all free!

1. Walk down Fifth avenue
2. Go to Wall Street,
3. Go to Times Square (and watch the famous naked cowboy 😉 )
4. Go to Central Park
5. Go to Rockefeller Center
6. Go to Chinatown and Little Italy.
7. Visit Ground Zero.
8. Go see Macy’s (the biggest shop in the world!) – thanks PrincessHu.

 
Second, another thing that is great about New York is that there are so many restaurants, and the vast majority of them are very much affordable. I used to live in London, and there were some good restaurants over there – but they were way out of my budget.

 
Third, another great thing about NY is Broadway shows. Though I’m sure you are familiar with this.

 
Fourth, You can catch a Yankee’s game (thanks David Ramos!).

 

As for attractions

1. The Empire State Building – a must!
2. Statue of Liberty – personally I’m not sure it’s worth it, as I’m still traumatized by the unbelievable lines. I don’t think this has changed.
3. Brooklyn Bridge
4. Ellis Island – I’ve never actually been there myself, but I hear it’s an interesting place to visit, particularly the Ellis Island museum.
5. Madame Tussaud’s New York – if that’s your thing. I went with my mother and she loved it.
6. Bronx Zoo – good if you have kids.
7. You can also take the Big Apple Bus Tour (which I’ve never done).
8. I would also take a ferry ride from downtown Manhattan. Gives you a good view of the city and of the statue of liberty. My parents recommended the Staten Island Ferry (which I’ve never taken myself)

Museums:

1. The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Fantastic Museum.
2. Whitney Museum of American Art – Highly recommended.
3. American Museum of Natural History – fantastic.
4. Guggenheim Museum – Highly recommended.
5. The Frick Museum – I’ve been there, but I can’t recall anything about it. I guess it’s not my thing if I can’t remember. Still, it’s considered worth visiting.
6. The Children’s Museum of the Arts – I haven’t been there myself, but intend to go there with my son.
7. Sony Wonder Technology Lab – I’ve never been there but intend to go with my son very soon.
8. The Tenement Museum – haven’t been there myself.
9. Museum of Sex – I’ve never been there, but heard a lot…

 
That’s what I can think of. Feel free to add more!

Since this is the first post on this brand new blog, I’m basically going to repeat what I wrote in my ‘About Me’ page.

 
This is my first attempt of having a blog on ‘serious’ matters. In the past I’ve had several personal blogs, and not only really enjoyed it, but was quite successful as well (one of them was the #1 blog for a small website for a period of several months).

 
Who am I? My name is Udi Schlessinger. I’m currently trying my luck as an entrepreneur. After working for several years as a software developer and a team lead, I realized that pure programming isn’t for me. So I went ahead, moved to London, and did a Ph.D. in Computer Science (specifically, biologically inspired computing: I created agents that have neural networks as brains and get smarter through evolution. You know, very sci-fi stuff, matrix-like evil-AI thingies).

 
Unfortunately, I graduated exactly when this recession started (Oct’ 2007 – which is a bit funny considering I finished my M.Sc. in May 2000 – when the previous recession started. In fact, I’ve never worked in a period that was not a recession!). So not only I was ‘fresh’ out of school in terms of my academic background, NY isn’t particularly a good place for people who want to work in areas that relate to my Ph.D. That is, unless you’re willing to work for a financial place that likes this sort of thing. Fortunately for me, I actually like finance (that was my focus at college). So I found myself working for a huge investment bank, which was a new experience for me, and yet unfortunately, one I did not like.

 
Therefore, in April I decided that I’m going to pursue my own thing. I set a 5-stage multi-year plan, and started. I won’t elaborate much on this, but I will say the first stage consists of getting enough passive income using affiliate marketing & website creation to survive on, and the second stage consists of creating tools for affiliate marketing (a market I think is far from mature). I’m still at stage 1 but hopefully will move past that soon.

 
After doing this for several months I realized I need to voice my opinions. I learned so so much. I met numerous interesting people in the NY affiliate meetups. I learned what to do and what not to (still remember my first Google slap). Since there’s only so much one can write in Facebook status lines or say to friends, I decided to create this blog!

 
My goal is to discuss various issues: affiliate marketing, SEO, Google vs Yahoo vs Bing, the market, Artificial Intelligence in affiliate marketing (and elsewhere) and basically everything I can think of. I hope you’ll find this interesting!

 
If you feel like sending me a note, please, by all means go ahead. My email is Udi at IndustryReview.org. Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/uschles