DISQUS

My pleasure, Michael... thanks for coming on and sharing your views!

Sam

I've got no problem deleting comments that are spam, off topic or troll like in nature.

Have you ever read my blogs? Half the comments there disagree with me. But, they are well thought out and contribute to the conversation. It's my blog and I can experiment with the "delete comments" feature just as Chow can experiment with his plugins and features.

Let's show more respect to Jim and stay on topic since this is his blog. If you'd like to draw more linkbait, feel free to call me a hypocrite again on your blog.

And for the life of me, I don't see how Jim's common sense post on optimizing a blog (use better headlines, title tags before headlines and use tags) even remotely compares to Chow's posts on cookie stuffing, juicing your RSS stats for one day or having people pay you to use no-follow to share the google juice. Seems like you're reaching to make your point, Mark... but what's new?

You should have directed that @jim, Mark. I'm not going to speak for Jim. I don't use paid reviews or optimize my blogs (which is just plain dumb in today's environment... but I write my content for my readers and not the SERPS).

I don't "despise" the "new blood," as I'm sure you don't despise the old blood. So let's not fall into generalities about either side of this perceived split.

Instead, let's look for ways to learn together and move the industry forward in a positive and profitable direction. My general point in getting involved in this discussion here on Jim's blog is that I don't see what Mr. Chow is doing as positive or profitable for the industry or individuals just getting involved in the industry.

Here's my point of view as succinctly as I can make it... blogging is a wonderful and valuable tool for growing a brand or even making direct revenue in the long term. You can make short term gain on your blog by various methods of acceptable and less-than-acceptable means. It's a choice you have to make about your own future and brand.

However, if you do choose to go down the path that John travels, you'd probably want to do it with a domain other than one in your real name (johnchow.com or samharrelson.com or markwielgus.com) because of the long term ramifications.

If someone wants to hack through the old paths again that were created years ago and disregarded as harder ways to climb the hill of success that we all are looking to climb, then so be it. Have fun, and I hope you all learn as much as the "old timer, do-gooders" did when we were running around the hill trying to figure out the best path to the top.

None of us are there yet, but you can certainly learn a lot if you go back and look at resources like Shawn's built up library or Jim's archives or even conversations on the forums from 2002 and 2003. We weren't discussing blogging yet (well, some were), but we were hitting on these same discussions about gaming systems, short term profits and the place of full disclosure.

It's easier to stand on the shoulders of giants rather than trying to invent the wheel all over again.

Blogging is wonderful and you can definitely make some money doing it. I do, both directly and indirectly. I could make a lot more money in the short term with my blogs, but I don't think that money would be worth the tradeoff to the amount of money they will bring in over the long term... especially with a blog in my own personal name.

Blogging is ultimately most valuable when it is set up to last the long haul. That means looking for ways to create better communities and content on your blog rather than better short term rankings or using RSS hacks to get more subscribers in one day.

What concerns me the most is that there is a growing rift between the next gen of "online marketers" and what you and others are calling the old crowd. We're not communicating with each other because of a number of reasons and faults on both sides. That's ultimately damaging to our industry because we're doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over again.

I've got no problem with Chow experimenting on his audience and finding new ways to monetize the people that continually choose to read his blog. More power to him.

What I do have a problem with are the sketchy-at-best "evil tactics" (as he calls them) that he recommends to new affiliates who read his words as gospel. Our industry went through a period of experimenting with all of the "new tricks" he rehashes years ago.

There's a growing divide in affiliate marketing between the old folks and the newcomers, and it's we old folks that let Chow and other "gurus" spew their tactics without stepping up to confront them and show the new affiliates that there are other (and better) ways to make a buck than reusing five year old ideas that were bad ideas then.

Nice post, Jim.

This is a neat concept, but I think the coolest part is that Microsoft is using Adobe Flash on the surface.com site to promote Surface instead of its own new Silverlight.

Oops.

Thanks, Pranav!

I honestly hadn't checked the stats before I saw your post, but I'm excited that the blog has had such a warm reception. It took me about 2 months to hit the 100 subscriber mark with CostPerNews, so I'm quite happy with the progress so far.

Thanks also for the kind words... keep up the great blogging here yourself. You're definitely one of my daily reads!

Sam

Thanks so much for the kind words, Vlad!

While I won't be "blogging" at CostPerNews per se, it will still be around but in a little different format after June 1.

I'm really excited to be working on the new site. My vision for it is to provide a place for helpful hints and tips that have to do directly and indirectly with affiliate marketing. So, some posts will be about efficiency and some will be about hardcore CJ strategies, etc.

Should be a fun ride!

Thanks again-
Sam

Thanks so much for the kind words, Vlad!

While I won't be "blogging" at CostPerNews per se, it will still be around but in a little different format after June 1.

I'm really excited to be working on the new site. My vision for it is to provide a place for helpful hints and tips that have to do directly and indirectly with affiliate marketing. So, some posts will be about efficiency and some will be about hardcore CJ strategies, etc.

Should be a fun ride!

Thanks again-
Sam

Would love an invite: sam@affiliatefortunecookies.com