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<rss xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title>Disqus - Latest Comments for sylviefortin</title><link>http://disqus.com/by/sylviefortin/</link><description></description><atom:link href="http://disqus.com/sylviefortin/comments.rss" rel="self"></atom:link><language>en</language><lastBuildDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2014 11:56:19 -0000</lastBuildDate><item><title>Re: Bellevue woman makes progress in cancer battle with all-natural regiment</title><link>http://wkrn.com/2014/12/12/bellevue-woman-makes-progress-in-cancer-battle-with-all-natural-regiment/#comment-1754759462</link><description>&lt;p&gt;See, this is what I was talking about. You appear to be "doing it right". You are using both conventional treatments (listening to professionals) AND you are looking at ways to improve your results. THAT is what I can personally support.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And may I add here... I am SO sorry you are also going through this. Cancer sucks rocks, and I don't wish it upon anyone.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now back to the topic at hand...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What you are doing makes sense. Each type of complementary treatment is carefully investigated for how it could help or hinder your personal situation. You are finding out exactly what I discovered when I did the same thing... almost all of them are either falsely lauded as the "ultimate panacea" or "cure"... or they have some small early stage evidence that it "may" help in some types of cancers. As you discover the new data, you are willing to alter your original perspective on that particular treatment. Good stuff! THAT is all science is. It is exploration of what may or may not be effective. Ditch that which does not work and keep that which works. Science doesn't care if it is "natural" or "chemical". It will explore whatever works.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What I sadly see in this case, as in many other cases, is that some people decide very early on, while armed with very little information, what they are "going to do" for themselves, and they base their decision on how they "feel", instead of on what works or doesn't work for them personally.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They usually make this decision when they are early diagnosed, when your emotions are at their highest. This is the worst time to make a permanent decision about their treatment for the coming years. In the early stages, we are terrified of everything happening to us. We are highly vulnerable and emotionally charged, and if someone comes along and proclaims that they have the magic cure, it is way too easy to fall for it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I have sadly seen so many friends die too early from cancer, precisely because they fell for quackery and walked away  from their doctor's suggestions. Worse, they died broke, having spent their last pennies on whatever woo they read about. They eagerly joined forums where the moderators delete ANY dissenting comments, so all they could see was the "supportive" comments, patting them on the back, telling them they were on the right track and that they were clearly healing. Even when their cancers ulcerated and broke outside the skin, they were told that this was a sign that the woo was working, and that the cancer was "leaving the body". This was towards the end of their "journey".&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And when their horrified family members logged on to inform the groups that their loved one had passed away, and that their suggestions caused the early demise of their loved ones, they were summarily banned and dismissed, without a single tear shed for the life of someone who could have lived longer, in some cases, MUCH longer, if they had simply done what their doctors told them to do.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chemo sucks, yes. But letting cancer go untreated sucks much harder. It is so hard to watch someone die untreated. And yes, treating with only untested "alternatives" is the equivalent of being untreated.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I am personally emotionally invested in this, because I am an empathic person. I feel for others, no matter whether they are close to me or not. My heart goes out to Lauren, because I fear for her. I fear she is choosing to shorten her life, and it bothers me so much. She may very well be shaving previous time off her life, time she could spend with her sweet baby, making memories for him to carry through his whole life.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But I am MAINLY concerned for the future cancer patients who will one day read this article. I guarantee that this article will be linked to by multiple alternative sites, as "proof" that the alternatives work brilliantly. People reading this in the future will believe it without investigation. And I (and a few others) comment here so that long after Lauren's passing, long after MY OWN passing, someone can actually see the other side and rethink their decision to walk away from "conventional" treatments. Perhaps someone out there will  think "maybe I should check to see if Lauren is still alive. Maybe I should search for "Lauren Ewing" online and see if her treatment worked, before deciding to do what she did. heck, maybe someone will search for "Sylvie Fortin" and see if I'm still kicking around, too."&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please know that I was originally diagnosed in 2006 and was given ONE YEAR to live with my specific type of breast cancer. It is currently 2014, and the only reason I am still kicking today is because I listened to my doctors and did everything they told me to do. You may be surprised to learn that my local oncology center has a nutrition center as well, where they give amazing advice on herbs, supplements, and foods that are safe to take/inject while doing treatments. I have had an incredible experience with my oncology team, who have done wonders for me and gotten me access to advanced meds that were not available ten years ago. I am alive today, but I also don't expect that my doctors can "cure me". They can't. They can, and do, extend my life, and that is all anyone can do.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I won't blame them when my time comes. I blame cancer. Because cancer is highly aggressive and it doesn't care who it wipes out. It doesn't care if you are a happy or a grumpy person. It doesn't care if you eat well or not. It is a stupid, eating machine. When people say "chemo kills you", they are simply WRONG. Chemo is not a miracle drug, and it can't save everyone, true. But statistics do not lie, and if you follow a professional doctor's advice, and do what he or she tells you to do, you can extend your life and live it more fully than if you let cancer overcome you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And Apophenia, I think what you are doing is a really great example of doing it right. You take time to actually investigate each thing you are considering. You ditch that which does not work and you embrace that which does have some evidence. You are doing what I call, "stacking the deck in your favor". I wish you the best in your journey, too! :)&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sylvie Fortin</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2014 11:56:19 -0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Re: Bellevue woman makes progress in cancer battle with all-natural regiment</title><link>http://wkrn.com/2014/12/12/bellevue-woman-makes-progress-in-cancer-battle-with-all-natural-regiment/#comment-1747644613</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Mine was one of the comments that were deleted. I contacted the news site to ask why it was deleted. They informed me that "someone" flagged it, and their system deleted it because of a false claim that my comment was "spam".&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thankfully, the news site does not support this type of abusive behavior, and they have reinstated the deleted comment. I have a renewed faith in the site for handling it professionally, and a renewed sense of sadness for the person who felt the need to lie to try and suppress opinions that differ from theirs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please feel free to disagree with my comment. I'm ok with that. But lying to the site owner so that you can suppress anyone who disagrees with you is unethical and immoral. Clearly, your opinion is not strong enough on its own if you feel the need to censor anyone whose opinion differs from yours. I would never lie about you that way. So please, reconsider your approach to dealing with people whose opinion you disagree with. Having a healthy and respectful debate is always a good thing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So again I say... to anyone reading this at a future date, please do not presume that Lauren's decision is the right one for you, or that her choices are right for anyone with cancer. There are far too many variables, and there is no such thing as a "cure all" for any disease. Please consult medical professionals before deciding what to do for your own health. Cancer can be highly aggressive, and it needs real medicine to keep it at bay and under control.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Again, as stated in my earlier message...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;"If you want to complement your treatments with natural stuff, that is wonderful, and wholeheartedly supported. Whatever helps you improve your life, improve your health, assist your immune system while going through chemo, helps you relax, whatever it takes. Do it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There is a BIG difference between "alternative" and "complementary" medicine. Complementary helps you deal with the side effects, and can help improve your overall health so you can be stronger and deal with the treatments better, but alternative is NOT real medicine. Please talk to a real medical professional. Not "Google doctors"."&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I am not against using natural treatments to complement your medical treatments. Just make sure it doesn't conflict with real medicine. Your doctor can help you decide what is right for you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These days, there are more and more "Integrative" treatment centers. These places can be a wonderful resource to help you deal with the side effects of treatments, because they use holistic methods to work WITH your oncologist to best help you. So if this is what you need to do for yourself, then please, by all means, do whatever you need to do to take personal control over your health.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* Eating healthier and eating less junk food is always a wonderful idea.&lt;br&gt;* Taking the right supplements can help you stay strong.&lt;br&gt;* Doing meditation and relaxation exercises will help your mood and positive attitude.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So go for it! Do what you need to do in ADDITION to following the medical advice of a competent doctor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And above all, please don't let "Negative Nellies" and Charlatans sway you from  doing what you need to do to save your own life.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sylvie Fortin</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2014 19:04:21 -0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Re: Bellevue woman makes progress in cancer battle with all-natural regiment</title><link>http://wkrn.com/2014/12/12/bellevue-woman-makes-progress-in-cancer-battle-with-all-natural-regiment/#comment-1744126892</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Is there a reason you felt the need to mock me? No, I do not think that my cancer recurrence is "funny" in any way. My cancer is not "always coming back". If you are a Stage 4 cancer patient as you claim, then you must know that once you are Stage 4, there is no such thing as Stage 5, nor do you revert to Stage 3, 2, or 1 ever again. You continue to be Stage 4 until the end.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I have a VERY aggressive form of breast cancer that, in 2012, after 6 years of remission,  spread to my liver, lungs and bones. It is only because of my doctor's quick action and giving me the right chemo treatments that I am still continuing on and having the ability to have this conversation. I am on chemo continuously to keep the cancer from overwhelming my body or growing further. It is not meant to be curative. It is meant to help keep the cancer dormant for as long as possible, and it is working beautifully.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Because of it, I am currently enjoying wonderful and precious time with my first grandson... a boy I would have never met had it not been for my oncology team. In 2006, I had less than 1 year to live. As I said, my particular type of cancer is highly aggressive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If anyone claims to have "the cure" they are lying. Always. Whether or not they mean to lie. Sadly, it is a comforting lie that desperate people want to hear. Perhaps you are one of those types of people that prefer the comforting lie. I do not know you, so I do not judge.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But I do not understand why you felt the need to be rude to me. I would never speak to you that way, nor would I ever mock your health situation. I wish you well with your own recurrence, and I sincerely hope that you continue to feel well for as long as possible, no matter what method you personally choose for yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Have a wonderful life... Truly.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sylvie Fortin</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2014 17:40:50 -0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Re: Bellevue woman makes progress in cancer battle with all-natural regiment</title><link>http://wkrn.com/2014/12/12/bellevue-woman-makes-progress-in-cancer-battle-with-all-natural-regiment/#comment-1740631048</link><description>&lt;p&gt;As a fellow Stage 4 cancer patient, I am begging you, Lauren... please please please reconsider. Please look at the real statistics about the chemo, which can, and DOES substantially improve the lives of patients like us.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you want to complement your treatments with natural stuff, that is wonderful, and wholeheartedly supported. Whatever helps improve your life, improve your health, assist your immune system while going through chemo, helps you relax, whatever it takes. Do it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There is a BIG difference between "alternative" and "complementary" medicine. Complimentary helps you deal with the side effects, and can help improve your overall health so you can be stronger and deal with the treatments better, but alternative is NOT real medicine. Please talk to a real medical professional. Not "Google doctors".&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please reconsider and talk to your doctors about the statistics of increasing your life span with adjunctive chemo. You already did the surgery... which is GREAT, and is the main reason why your tumour markers are down. Congratulations for that! But please give yourself and your son a fighting chance to live longer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There is no cure for Stage 4 cancer. I'm sorry to be the bearer of scary news. Please do not fall for the lies that charlatans tell you, when they say they can cure you. There is NO evidence of anyone ever being cured. If someone says that to you, they are either ignorant or lying to you so they can reach for your wallet. What you can realistically expect is to extend your life. Prolong it so you can be there for your son as long as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Because of my oncology team, I am alive today, and am here to see my first grandchild be born. These extra years are wonderful and I love every minute of it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Trust me... chemo is not nearly as awful as you think. I've been doing it for YEARS (since 2006), and am alive today directly because of it. My life is fantastic and I do not have awful side effects at all. Your doctor will work with you to come up with a manageable treatment regimen that works for your specific case. Cancer itself is horrible, and whenever I am not on chemo, my cancer aggressively takes over.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That's why I am on a daily chemo regimen and I feel fantastic. Really! It isn't as horrible as people think.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yes, I've had bad days. I've lost my hair at times, but it comes back. The immune system bounces back easily. Your nails get better. But most importantly, you will live longer than if you ignore your doctor's advice. The decision is yours, but please rethink this course of action you are taking. What you are doing is actually harder than chemo. I've seen many friends die using the exact same regimen as you are using. It makes me so sad to see it. Please. Please. Please. Talk to your doctor again. HUGS!&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sylvie Fortin</dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 13 Dec 2014 15:21:47 -0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Re: Jelly Bean Winners Announced!</title><link>http://www.actionuser.com/blog/how-many-jelly-beans-are-in-the-jar/#comment-621164517</link><description>&lt;p&gt;1167&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sylvie Fortin</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 16 Aug 2012 11:59:27 -0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Re: On quack cancer cures, and "alternative medicine" as&amp;nbsp;religion</title><link>http://boingboing.net/2012/08/15/on-quack-cancer-cures-and-a.html#comment-620237391</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Thank You!!! This is exactly what I went through, and I think Armchair Physicians, though well meaning, do far more harm than good. I wrote a blog post about it when I went through breast cancer: &lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://breastcancervictory.com/some-common-side-effects-of-telling-the-world/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" title="http://breastcancervictory.com/some-common-side-effects-of-telling-the-world/"&gt;http://breastcancervictory....&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Great job with this post. There are lots of us out here who feel the same way&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sylvie Fortin</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 15 Aug 2012 13:51:24 -0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Re: The Secret to Online Business Success Is&amp;#8230; Being Single?</title><link>http://www.ryanhealy.com/online-business-success-secret/#comment-111177311</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Just a quick correction here, Ryan. :)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Michel Fortin had one grown child when he and I got together. I had 3 kids in their older teens. Now that we're married, he and I have 4 grown kids between us.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But for the record, I was the single mom raising 3 kids with no help from anyone, while building my business from scratch. It is possible to become wildly successful no matter how many people share the household, but you have to be creative in scheduling quiet focused time to work. For me, that was after 10 pm and before the kids woke up for school when they were little. It wasn't easy, but I did what I had to do to make it work. :)&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sylvie Fortin</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 13 Dec 2010 13:48:31 -0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Re: Naming Names vs. Calling Names</title><link>http://www.ryanhealy.com/naming-names-calling-names/#comment-31422638</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Great post, Ryan! And great points. :)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It's important to note the distinction between one person vs another speaking out against specific individuals as well. One person naming names is going to have a very different reason for doing so over another.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Journalists must name names when reporting on issues that are connected to people who commit certain bad behaviors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Competitors should not try to become "journalists" who are reporting on their peers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And if you are a competitor to someone else, and you do speak out against them, you are taking on the risk of being perceived as having bad blood between two competitors, each trying to mud sling at each other so they win the business for themselves.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That's why political mud slinging happens. They are competitors, and if they speak ill about each other, it has the ring of discontent associated with it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Journalists or reporters who have nothing to personally gain by speaking up against bad behavior is perfectly fine, and highly recommended, as Ryan pointed out.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But competitors can only be seen as "truth seekers" if they stick to the issue without pointing to specific people they are competing with.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;See the difference?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Salty Droid is a Journalist, and has nothing to gain by speaking out and naming names.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Michel and I are "competitors" (or can easily be seen as such) and therefore could not, would not, should not, name any specific individual who "sinned". Otherwise, we cannot maintain any semblance of objectivity. We're human, and it could easily be perceived that we're mud slinging, instead of speaking out about bad practices in the niche we are part of.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The difference is that a journalist has NO conflict of interest and can freely research, fact find, collect data, and protect their sources. They are merely reporting on what they discover.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A competitor would never be able to be truly objective or impartial. There's too much chance of infecting the story to be slanted in one's own favor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thus, the sins report focused solely on the bad marketing practices, not the people, because no matter how good my intention, it would have been too easy to degrade the purpose of the report into a mud slinging battle royale between us and our competition.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hope that helps clear things up. :)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bottom line? Journalists can and should name names. Competitors shouldn't without risking the fallout.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sylvie Fortin</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:06:55 -0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Re: Nominate Your Favorite Internet Marketer</title><link>http://www.ryanhealy.com/nominate-internet-marketer/#comment-31077448</link><description>&lt;p&gt;I'd like to nominate Armand Morin.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the interest of full disclosure...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Michel and I now work with Armand and his team, and the reason we decided we wanted to work with Team Morin is precisely because of his deep rooted integrity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We've listened closely to how marketers talk about their customers in the "back of the room", when they don't think anyone's listening, and Armand has always been respectful and caring when speaking about his customers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He genuinely cares about delivering rock solid training, and doesn't "follow the herd".&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He tells people what they NEED to hear, not just what they want to hear.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And for those primary reasons, as well as his deep knowledge of business strategy, I nominate him to be added to your list of "unusual suspects". :)&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sylvie Fortin</dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 24 Jan 2010 15:39:52 -0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Re: Nominate Your Favorite Internet Marketer</title><link>http://www.ryanhealy.com/nominate-internet-marketer/#comment-30972278</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Hey John. You've hit the nail on the head, when you noticed that entertainment value seems to trump quality content.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Why is it that people seem to flock to those who use smoke and mirrors, dog and pony shows, and magic tricks instead of actually teaching solid business strategy?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you showed up in college and saw the professor acting this way, would you trust him/her to teach you anything valuable?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the past couple of years, I've seen videos featuring surfboards, paid "models", rock music, booze, beaches, boats, and even more paid "models".&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Has there been real substance? Hardly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Just a never ending stream of nauseating show-offs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;How about we make 2010 the year we ALL get back to what people actually need us to do for them? Which is to deliver solid, actionable education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What a novel concept! :)&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sylvie Fortin</dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 23 Jan 2010 09:25:38 -0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Re: Nominate Your Favorite Internet Marketer</title><link>http://www.ryanhealy.com/nominate-internet-marketer/#comment-30881605</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Yep, and I think you'll also find that this post, and the one you create that lists the "good guys", won't be nearly as popular as the "bad guy" post.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sad, but unfortunately true.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As for your proposed solution?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yep, sounds like a plan. Make it your own. Your experiences with said marketers. What you know based on experience. With tons of disclaimers that you can't take any responsibility for what happens to others when they choose to buy products from any of them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When you publicly take on the mantle of responsibility for stating who is good or bad, you take on all the rest of the pain that goes with it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Just ask Santa. I wouldn't want his job either. :)&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sylvie Fortin</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 22 Jan 2010 11:16:19 -0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Re: Nominate Your Favorite Internet Marketer</title><link>http://www.ryanhealy.com/nominate-internet-marketer/#comment-30878046</link><description>&lt;p&gt;And now you see why we kept names out of the Sins report. :)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It always opens up a fresh new can of worms, the moment you start a list like this.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Problem #1: The risk of accidentally putting a bad guy on a list of good guys...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In cases like this, you risk inadvertently putting a bad marketer's name on the list of good guys, because his or her bad deeds might not yet be publicly known. Later, this one turns out to be a shmuck, and you're known as the one who says he was a good guy. Now, people blame you if the "bad guy" later scams them, or if they have a bad experience.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Problem #2: The risk of omitting a good guy...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What if you omit someone whose name should be on the list, simply because he or she isn't well known enough to merit attention?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Or because he or she isn't part of the "usual suspects" list and is just quietly doing their thing without fanfare?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Would someone who is investigating that person, and in the process of evaluating whether or not to do business with them, scan your list, fail to see that person's name, and make a decision not to do business with them?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thus, the problem.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I feel for you, Ryan. It isn't easy doing something like this and take on the burden of responsibility for what others may do with this information.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sylvie Fortin</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 22 Jan 2010 10:36:11 -0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Re: Internet Marketing on Life Support</title><link>http://www.ryanhealy.com/internet-marketing-life-support/#comment-30736607</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Well hello there Mr. "Angry Marketer"&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I've gotten the title "Little Miss Firecracker" myself. LOL&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sylvie Fortin</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:36:31 -0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Re: Internet Marketing on Life Support</title><link>http://www.ryanhealy.com/internet-marketing-life-support/#comment-30736481</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Oh, I couldn't agree with you more, Ryan. This one has bugged me since the first time I saw it. It's very simply, both deceptive AND stupid, all at the same time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It teaches people not to buy the first time, close their browser, and hope for a better deal.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But most importantly...It also teaches people that the seller is not a person of honor, and when the site owner says "Buy it for __X__" they actually mean... "only the first suckers pay full price, and I'm desperate for money"&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ridiculous idea, taught by people who don't have the right to call themselves "teachers"&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sylvie Fortin</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:35:08 -0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Re: Internet Marketing on Life Support</title><link>http://www.ryanhealy.com/internet-marketing-life-support/#comment-30269332</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Greg (and Ryan)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As you know, Michel and I are not what you'd call "chickens" and I, for one, was surprised to be labeled this way, simply because the report was focused on recognizing the SIN, instead of people-bashing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If I had named names, the focus would have excluded others who I may not have known about, those who only arrived at "guru" status after the report came out.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Would you have preferred I have to go back and edit repeatedly, to keep adding new names?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Would it have been better if a consumer (the main focus of the report is for consumers to protect themselves) to read the list of names and think "well, my favorite guru isn't on the list, so he/she must be a great person"?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I'm a big fan of not handing out fish, but teaching people how to fish for themselves. Handing out the fish (names) can easily lull people into a false sense of security, which is the exact opposite of what I was trying to do.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But, after all is said and done, if the worst thing anyone can say about me is that I published a scathing report about bad marketing principles, and didn't point to specific people as an example, then I'm fine with that.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sylvie Fortin</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:56:52 -0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Re: Internet Marketing on Life Support</title><link>http://www.ryanhealy.com/internet-marketing-life-support/#comment-30259162</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Ryan. You can well imagine how much I am doing a dance of joy right about now. :)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When I published the Internet Marketing Sins report, I wasn't surprised when so few "big names" supported it. I was astonished though, how many people outright argued with me, whenever they had the chance, about what I was saying.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now, Visa/Mastercard have stepped up to the plate and hit where it hurts the most...the merchant's wallet, and I am so thrilled!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now, perhaps they will finally LISTEN to what their customers have been saying for so many years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Vindication is sweet, sayeth Sylvie. :)&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sylvie Fortin</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:06:53 -0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Re: The Google Sidewiki Controversy</title><link>http://marketersboard.com/google-sidewiki-controversy/#comment-21033165</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Will Bontrager has kindly tracked the actual percentage of traffic that comes to his websites that has Google Sidewiki installed.&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.willmaster.com/blog/contentprotection/sidewiki-stats.php" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" title="http://www.willmaster.com/blog/contentprotection/sidewiki-stats.php"&gt;http://www.willmaster.com/b...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For those of you who may still be saying that this isn't a big deal and that "no one will end up using it anyway", think again. Currently, the statistics are showing that over 14% of traffic is using it. 14%!!!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do you not understand what this means?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;14% have adopted this "feature", and the tool has only been launched about a MONTH.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wow. Even for Google, that sets a record.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sylvie Fortin</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:21:42 -0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Re: The Google Sidewiki Controversy</title><link>http://marketersboard.com/google-sidewiki-controversy/#comment-20623654</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Don't worry, KonaGirl. When I get this mad, I'm like a pit bull and won't stop biting until someone pries my jaws open. LOL&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sylvie Fortin</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:12:03 -0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Re: The Google Sidewiki Controversy</title><link>http://marketersboard.com/google-sidewiki-controversy/#comment-20623576</link><description>&lt;p&gt;True, my days don't normally consist of fist waving and slogging through mountains of sleazy comments. I'm also much more peace-loving on any given day. But this issue is well worth the battle, if there is even the slightest chance that the Google Gods will listen to our pleas. :)&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sylvie Fortin</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:09:53 -0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Re: The Google Sidewiki Controversy</title><link>http://marketersboard.com/google-sidewiki-controversy/#comment-20623444</link><description>&lt;p&gt;That is an excellent suggestion, Dan. Much appreciated!&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sylvie Fortin</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:06:45 -0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Re: The Google Sidewiki Controversy</title><link>http://marketersboard.com/google-sidewiki-controversy/#comment-20557105</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Exactly! The assertion that "people will know it isn't your website" is patently ridiculous. Google knows damn well that people will use it instead of our built in commenting system.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But here's the real rub.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You do not need Sidewiki installed in order to view comments that people have posted. Google has already proven this by including Sidewiki comments as fully indexed and searchable on their own engine.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When anyone clicking THAT link (a &lt;a href="http://google.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" title="google.com"&gt;google.com&lt;/a&gt; link, not your own URL), they will definitely be confused, and Google knows it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here's an example (I found this while searching on Google for the keyphrase "stop sidewiki"):&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.google.com/sidewiki/entry/105909042526949522800/id/M5AsyB2TyvmR1O7udjUULU3YuKc" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" title="http://www.google.com/sidewiki/entry/105909042526949522800/id/M5AsyB2TyvmR1O7udjUULU3YuKc"&gt;http://www.google.com/sidew...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sylvie Fortin</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:09:21 -0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Re: The Google Sidewiki Controversy</title><link>http://marketersboard.com/google-sidewiki-controversy/#comment-20527657</link><description>&lt;p&gt;And more shocking news...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thanks to LB in the Warrior Forum for spotting this PRINT AD that Google placed in a newspaper, advertising for Sidewiki. &lt;a href="http://twitpic.com/kml4q" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" title="http://twitpic.com/kml4q"&gt;http://twitpic.com/kml4q&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I want you to pay close attention to how they chose to word the ad.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Headline: "Every page on the web is missing one crucial voice. Yours."&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Excuse me? What did you just say? Did you just say that EVERY page on the web needs/requires/craves opinions from every Joe Blow who has the urge to post whatever they damn well want to?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Really?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Every page on the web?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pardon the language, but...&lt;br&gt;HOLY CRAP!!!!!!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Who the hell died and made Google the boss of the internet? When did they win the Gods of the Web Award?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What makes them think they have the right to decide what appears anywhere on or near our websites!!!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They have only ONE right. That is, they can choose which sites THEY POINT TO in their search engine. I have zero right to tell them how they should serve traffic, and I have steadfastly abstained on the issue for many years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But they think because they own over 90% of our eyeballs that this gives them the power to decide what our visitors may or may not do while on OUR SITES?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(Can you tell I'm steamed?)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(breathe, Sylvie, breathe)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;OK, now, take a look at the illustration they use to show how it works.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Look closely.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do you see my point?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;OK, let me clarify...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The illustration clearly shows that they know full well that Sidewiki is viewed as (and will be used as) the MAIN METHOD for social interaction while viewing a webpage.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Meaning (for those who insist that Google means no harm to anyone with this) they are deliberately trying to sidetrack users AWAY from using our website's primary communication medium, and instead, use THEIRS.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!!&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sylvie Fortin</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:40:20 -0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Re: The Google Sidewiki Controversy</title><link>http://marketersboard.com/google-sidewiki-controversy/#comment-20508239</link><description>&lt;p&gt;You got my vote, John. (and for the record, my deep dark shameful secret is that I am a big fan of Failblog, so I can tell a good Fail from a dumb one) LOL&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sylvie Fortin</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:39:02 -0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Re: The Google Sidewiki Controversy</title><link>http://marketersboard.com/google-sidewiki-controversy/#comment-20499665</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Oh, man, you have GOT to read this...&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;John Varley graciously permitted me to use his personal horror storm with Sidewiki as an example on this website, as shown in the above screenshots.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Today, I noticed he has updated his rant against Sidewiki, and I have got to tell you, I am still wiping the tears of laughter out of my eyes. This guy truly understands the problem, and for those of you who are still in doubt about how horrible this is, please read John's updated commentary. (Strong Language Warning)&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.varley.net/Pages/VarleyNews/The Sidewiki Abomination.htm" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" title="http://www.varley.net/Pages/VarleyNews/The Sidewiki Abomination.htm"&gt;The Sidewiki Abomination&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;And while you're there, if you're a fan of science fiction, or if you aren't sure what to get for someone you know who is a Sci-Fi fan, please consider buying one or more of John's books either from Amazon, or from your local book store. I am personally planning to buy one of everything he has ever written, as my personal show of support for a guy who isn't afraid to speak his mind.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;His books are listed here:&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://varley.net" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" title="http://varley.net"&gt;http://varley.net&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;And no, please do NOT use Sidewiki to communicate with him, even if you want to post something nice. He makes it quite clear that he does not want any commenting on Sidewiki, and we should respect his wishes please.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;If you want to talk to him, he reads all his email and will respond if he chooses. Yes, he really does want to hear from his fans. :)&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Another update:&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Our friends at iCop posted a very interesting newsletter issue today. You will definitely want to read this!&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Apparently, Google has shown quite clearly that they do not intend to listen to any of us, ever. Period. Read the saga for yourself, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on their obvious self serving interest in this matter:&lt;br&gt;Read their latest issue: The Finger Raising Ceremony&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://onlinebusinesstradejournal.com/10-19-09.htm" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" title="http://onlinebusinesstradejournal.com/10-19-09.htm"&gt;http://onlinebusinesstradejournal.com/10-19-09.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Shocking stuff!!!&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sylvie Fortin</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:56:58 -0000</pubDate></item><item><title>Re: The Google Sidewiki Controversy</title><link>http://marketersboard.com/google-sidewiki-controversy/#comment-20490689</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Hey John. Yep. I'm afraid that I will be following suit myself, and for the first time since Google was born, I will be actively using an alternate search engine. I know it ain't much, but it's my own personal boycott.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sylvie Fortin</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:22:39 -0000</pubDate></item></channel></rss>