tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26059030115411043112024-02-19T01:26:22.511-08:00The Big PictureAll about life, being vegetarian, environmental and life issues. Trying to have a sense of humour about it all... and make a penny or twoGloryBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607481395187073431noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605903011541104311.post-74927922516713850002010-03-20T18:26:00.000-07:002010-03-20T18:29:01.478-07:00eHow Scam- Using Google Image to Steal Traffic From its Own WCP Writers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLAltNDKEiQrT2so3EhIAVgS1ofURuClZQhYuRpX4aqNjzO7oo9S-u53F03YX2vsvB-RgcDYCu7lOYtaIGGWrePcNkf_nyPTpZ8GX6lfkokvTyjq-UxqimsoWfLWamG9adqcqMi6ru8rLD/s1600-h/ehowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLAltNDKEiQrT2so3EhIAVgS1ofURuClZQhYuRpX4aqNjzO7oo9S-u53F03YX2vsvB-RgcDYCu7lOYtaIGGWrePcNkf_nyPTpZ8GX6lfkokvTyjq-UxqimsoWfLWamG9adqcqMi6ru8rLD/s320/ehowl.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><strong>eHow's Newest Scam- Stealing Traffic by Using eHow WCP's own Photos Against Them in Google Image Search</strong><br />
<br />
I have had some niggling thoughts lately about eHow's use of US WCP writer's profiles to artificially prop up their faux UK site, but even more so, I've been thinking about all the recent photo bugs writer's have been experiencing. Not being able to publish articles with photos, photos disappearing from articles... while at the same time being told by Julie in management that one of the components of the secret eHow WCP algorithm pay is photos. Think, think, think, I told myself. Follow the money.<br />
<br />
eHow management gave me a clue when they quoted part of their TOU when a writer asked about their profile image, avatar or photo.... and that part of the TOU states eHow can use any 'material' including photos, pretty much as they see fit. But, I really couldn't find any examples of eHow using my photos on anyone else's articles. I asked point-blank in a forum if eHow felt they had the right to use my photos on other people's articles, but got no reply.<br />
<br />
So, I looked at it from a different angle.<br />
<br />
<strong>Google Image Search</strong><br />
I'm not sure how many people use Google Image search- I'd guess quite a lot. I use it a lot. When I am searching for a particular term, it's so much easier to sort through visuals than to have to read each article to see if it's what I was looking for. For example, if you search the term <a href="http://www.myspace.com/sparklejet">'SparkleJet'</a> on regular Google, the first link to come up is a link to my fiance's band's discography. Please don't click on that- they get no residuals if you buy from there! However, 2 slots down is his band's Myspace page. Click there if you'd like. But, let's suppose you were not interested in my fiance's band. Or in web designers. Or most of what appears on front page Google. Let's say you want to read about Sparklejet Gretch Guitars? If you look up in the left-hand corner where it says 'web, image, video', etc., and click on 'images', it will take you to the Google Image pages where you can see pictures of guitars and find the page you were really looking for.<br />
<br />
What does any of this have to do with eHow? Glad you asked. Using that same type of search, follow me here....<br />
Let's say I wanted to find out how to lose weight by drinking vegetable juice. If you type the term 'lose weight vegetable juice' into regular Google, in the 6th slot is an article called 'How to Lose Weight with Vegetable Juice'. Yay- that's my article! But, don't click on that, click on the little button at the top of the page that says 'images'. See that 5th picture, the one with the veggie juice and the celery? That was taken in my kitchen. But, it's not titled correctly. In my article it is titled '8oz of vegetable juice'. If you click on it, it takes you to my article. Good. But wait.... there's my pix again, in slot 7. This picture has been resized, and is bigger, though. And, again, it's not titled correctly. When you click it, it takes you to an article ON eHOW titled 'How to Understand If Vegetable Juice Can Help You Lose Weight'. Whoa..... I didn't write that article! How'd they get my picture?<br />
<br />
Hmmm. if you change the search terms to 'how lose weight vegetable juice' I'm now in the Google #3 front page slot, but when you click 'images', my picture is now in #6 slot. But, it's the bigger resized pic, and it leads to the other writer's article. Now I can't find my article at all! WTF?<br />
<br />
If you Google 'how clean pond filter', my eHow article is #1 on Google front page. Dang, all that work promoting and backlinking has paid off! Then I click 'images'. Yay! My picture is the very first one. I click on it, and for some reason it leads to a different article I wrote for eHow. That's ok, though, because it's about cleaning pond filters as well. Wait... that second picture, the larger resized picture? That's mine, too, even though it has the wrong title! Why is it that when I click that picture, it takes me to a different article written by a DS flat-rate 'contributing writer' instead of my article? <br />
<br />
If I search Google for 'fat koi', my article is the number one listed! When I click on 'images', I find my picture of my poor bloated fish as #9, and it's titled correctly. But it's larger than the picture I remember. Hmmm. I click on it, and no surprise, it's a link to "How to Determine the Correct Depth of a Koi Pond", written by a 'contributing writer'. Why do all my pictures link to 'contributing writers? Oh, yeah- they're the Demand Studios eHow writers who got paid a small (5-$15) one time writing payment for their articles. My actual picture that links to MY article is on page 2, in the #28 spot.<br />
<br />
<strong>?????????????</strong><br />
<br />
eHow/Demand Studios couldn't possibly be using my Google Image links to divert traffic away from my articles, could they? If someone clicks on ads on MY article, eHow has to pay me a secret magical amount, but if someone follows a link from my picture to a 'contributing member's article, and that reader clicks on an ad, eHow keeps all the money. That couldn't be it, could it?<br />
<br />
For 'perfect hash browns', my article is #4 on front page Google. In Google Images, my picture is in slot 4 and 5. The first, resized, larger image is not titled correctly. It leads to a video on eHow that I did not make. What are the chances that if someone liked the picture, they'd click the first, larger picture? The second picture is also using someone else's title, but it does lead to my article.<br />
<br />
I have spent all day checking out my photos on Google Image, and other eHow writer friends as well. What I've seen is that eHow has resized our photos and is using them to provide links to other people's articles, most often to articles written by flat-rate DS writers. Often, that picture link appears before our picture linking to OUR article. Sometimes I can't even find my picture being linked to my article at all. I've also found my Google Image search bringing up unrelated photos, articles, titles of mine, as well as articles, videos and articles of unrelated writers and topics. It appears eHow is using our pictures to create a massive spiderweb of backlinks that don't neccessarily help us at all, but rather help eHow to direct traffic to articles where they do not have to pay residual income.<br />
<br />
<strong>When is Stealing Not Stealing?</strong><br />
Now, it does appear to be true at this time that eHow/Demand Media is not specifically taking OUR pictures and POSTING them on other people's articles. But, is it really any better for them to be posting them on Google Images and using them to take traffic away from our own articles, essentially stealing our traffic and our revenue? It appears to be purposeful, since all of the photos being used (and every one of my photos is being used) have been resized.<br />
<br />
Please let me know what you think.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.vegan-o-rama.com</div>GloryBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607481395187073431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605903011541104311.post-73360211372846917112010-03-11T10:02:00.000-08:002010-03-11T10:07:21.188-08:00Suicide Food<strong>Using Images of Animals Happily Telling You to Eat Them</strong><br />
<br />
I thought I was the only person bothered by commercials and ads using pictures of animals saying "EAT ME!".<br />
<br />
Exploitation much?<strong> </strong>It's actually not that much different than having ads of women holding baseball bats saying "Beat Me!". Which, this website, <a href="http://suicidefood.blogspot.com/">SUICIDE FOOD</a> details in all its horrific glory. They show ads of animals exhorting you to eat them, sadistic ads of certain animals offering their friends up for the eating, and of the undercurrent of sex and death in the advertising of meat.<br />
<br />
It is a VERY interesting and disturbing site. Visit it.<br />
<br />
SNL also did a really good parody covering all those same issues- <a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/2317/saturday-night-live-cluckin-chicken">CLUCKY CHICKEN</a>= he even eats himself!<br />
<br />
That said, this morning when I was taking Z to school, I didn't see any prostitutes on the way (surprise, surprise), but I did see an interesting sign. It was at the same place I'd bought coffee before, and had a drunk black man with yellow eyes approach me and ask if I wanted to 'party' with him. (I had declined). It's good that Z is in the gifted program, and his school is in a good area, but you have to drive through a pretty dicey area to get there.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I saw this sign for fish and chips. It was hand drawn, and featured a pretty mean, scary looking fish with a huge mouth full of red razor teeth. And then here's the kicker- the 'artist' had given it a <em>Blow Hole, </em>as in <em>Whale. </em>Are we to presume that they are serving Whale meat? Or does the artist think that all fish have big scary red teeth and blowholes? Have they ever seen a fish? Maybe the artist was the guy who asked me to party with him at 8am?<br />
<br />
Who knows. I thought it was strange/funny. But, you should check that site out.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.vegan-o-rama.com</div>GloryBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607481395187073431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605903011541104311.post-27191670492224710412010-03-08T14:28:00.001-08:002010-03-08T15:25:42.945-08:00Demand Media Announces $80 Plan For eHow Writers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlHAY3C0p8MiFV4XSaoWUG1pO-NxI7YWC1G_Cy_xTKl9B5Jxk4ZxTuSjDLcq10bINd2DrBGuD_nCiWtSypALLnJ0hY8Z0y8QqDe6ZkxMB1Xo79u0T-GIaG6ZqxEaDRb3FTa6nwnBPPz89/s1600-h/DMS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlHAY3C0p8MiFV4XSaoWUG1pO-NxI7YWC1G_Cy_xTKl9B5Jxk4ZxTuSjDLcq10bINd2DrBGuD_nCiWtSypALLnJ0hY8Z0y8QqDe6ZkxMB1Xo79u0T-GIaG6ZqxEaDRb3FTa6nwnBPPz89/s320/DMS.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<strong>Demand Media Announces New $80 Per Article Plan For Writers</strong><br />
<br />
Demand Media, the parent company of Demand Studios and eHow, as well as other companies, has come out with a couple of announcements recently. They announced they were actively <a href="http://glorybug-thebigpicture.blogspot.com/2010/03/new-ehow-scam-canada-and-uk.html">seeking UK and Canadian writers</a>, and have also announced they are planning to pay eHow writers $80 per article.<br />
<br />
<strong>Now, What Could Be Wrong With That?</strong><br />
<br />
Well, part of the problem with that, the announcement, is that it's a bit misleading. <br />
<br />
<ul><li>eHow has two writing divisions, Demand Studios writers who write for eHow as 'Contributing Members' at a low flat rate per article, and eHow Writer's Compensation Program writers, who write for residual-only earnings, and are called 'Users'. (Who else calls their writers 'users'?) This plan was not offered to the WCP writers, even though they are called eHow writers.</li>
<li>This plan also wasn't offered to the majority of the CMs, either. Somehow, Demand Studios hand-picked 50 lucky writers to participate in this program. How those people were picked is anyone's guess, kind of like the secret algorithm used by DM to pay the WCP writers. They've hinted that maybe they'll pick a few more writers at a future date... maybe.</li>
<li>This plan is supposedly for 'featured' content. Which CMs already have published on front page of eHow, for a low flat rate. It makes no sense to pay $80 for a featured content article that last month was being written for $15 or so.</li>
<li>This plan supposedly will require more words and more research to create 'higher quality' articles, and need to have expertise in the topic (the eHow directory already claims that CM writers are experts, and that WCP are just 'regular people') - yet eHow spokespeople consistently give interviews claiming their CMs have high quality articles, and that they are sweeping or weeding out the low quality articles written by WCP writers. Why should they offer to pay more when they already claim to be producing high-quality articles at $15? Essentially, it appears they are admitting their featured CM articles are low-quality, and they are now going to pay more to fix that perception?</li>
<li>How much space is really available for 'featured content'? Even with a pool of 50 writers, how much featured content can really be fit on eHow front page each day? 5 new features each day for a year is less than 2,000 articles a year. (Demand Media claims to produce 4,000 articles per day- none of that is high enough quality to be featured?). Why in the world would they suddenly decide to pay a select group of 50 people to write 6-7 new articles a month at $80 a pop, when those writers were supposedly chosen for being 'the best' already, and from a business standpoint, should be expected to continue writing for the pay they were already getting. Why not just give them a bonus? Why announce that they're going to be paying 'eHow writers' $80 per article?</li>
<li>How did these 50 people get picked? Are their names going to be released so that people can see the quality of work they were chosen for? Are any WCP writers on that list? Employees? Moderators?</li>
<li>Why was this announced at about the same time as the announcement that Demand Media is opening up eHow to writers from the UK and Canada, neither of which will be able to participate in the WCP, and supposedly will earn about $3-10 per article? (And is that pay in American dollars? Who knows.) Could it be to counteract the bad press Demand Media received for using eHow WCP articles on a mirrored UK site without paying for use of their articles?</li>
</ul>How much more likely is it that this $80 plan for eHow writers is just a publicity stunt to get lots of UK and Canadian writers to sign up and write for pennies on the dollar? <br />
<br />
Here's an example of the high quality articles Demand Studios has been paying flat rate for, from an author they claim is an 'expert', rather than just the 'average person' CWP writers---<br />
<br />
<blockquote>How To Remove the Wax Coating from an Orange<br />
Step 1-<br />
Warm running water can help remove surface dirt.Rinse the orange thoroughly under warm, running water to remove any surface dust or dirt.<br />
<br />
Step 2-<br />
Gently rub the the entire outer skin of the orange with a soft-bristle or vegetable brush, as you hold it under the warm, running water, to help remove the wax.<br />
<br />
Step 3-<br />
Rinse the orange again before turning off the water. Dry the orange with a clean towel.</blockquote>Is this really the kind of expert that is in the pool of 50 CM writers chosen to get paid $80 for featured articles?<br />
.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.vegan-o-rama.com</div>GloryBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607481395187073431noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605903011541104311.post-14824227786223138652010-03-07T03:16:00.000-08:002010-03-07T03:16:43.233-08:00The New eHow Scam - Canada and the UK?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLAltNDKEiQrT2so3EhIAVgS1ofURuClZQhYuRpX4aqNjzO7oo9S-u53F03YX2vsvB-RgcDYCu7lOYtaIGGWrePcNkf_nyPTpZ8GX6lfkokvTyjq-UxqimsoWfLWamG9adqcqMi6ru8rLD/s1600-h/ehowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLAltNDKEiQrT2so3EhIAVgS1ofURuClZQhYuRpX4aqNjzO7oo9S-u53F03YX2vsvB-RgcDYCu7lOYtaIGGWrePcNkf_nyPTpZ8GX6lfkokvTyjq-UxqimsoWfLWamG9adqcqMi6ru8rLD/s320/ehowl.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><strong>Is Canada and the UK Next on the List for eHow?</strong><br />
<br />
eHow is getting a lot of negative buzz on personal blogs and even on their own eHow forums lately. Based on the discrepancies between how Demand Media (the parent company for Demand Studios and eHow) pays its flat-rate eHow writers and supposed revenue sharing eHow writers (WCP) are paid, and the drama that has ensued after Demand Media mirrored the US eHow site as a UK site without the benefit of paying its writers, many writers are understandably not that impressed with Demand Studios integrity.<br />
<br />
What's surprising is that Demand Studios appears to be forging ahead with plans to hire flat-rate writers in the UK and Canada, when you'd think what happened with the UK fiasco in the last 6 months would have made them think twice. If not, it certainly should give writers in the UK and Canada who are considering writing for Demand Media pause.<br />
<br />
Here's just one recent comment left on the eHow WCP forum- I can't claim to have written it, but I think it sums up well what UK and Canadian writers may have to look forward to, and why they (and the general media, frankly) should take a serious look at what eHow has been doing the last year.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Forums » eHow General » eHow Feature Feedback & Suggestion... » Here's the Deal, eHow. <br />
posted at 3/7/2010 1:21 AM PST <br />
<br />
gottareeson <br />
<br />
My suggestion is that you turn your corporate attitude around, and recognize and respect your members' rights as consumers to make informed decisions about our investments on eHow, and begin to act accordingly in good faith. <br />
<br />
Your actions to date have demonstrated nothing but chronic bad faith by consistently stonewalling, ridiculing, and censoring your members' persistent, legitimate questions and concerns.<br />
It doesn't matter if you plan to sell eHow tomorrow or go global in "UK, Washington." Because each and every eHow representative may ultimately be held liable for his or her actions in a court of law, and most certainly in the court of public opinion. <br />
<br />
No one who represents Demand Media or eHow to the members of this site has given one sign in a year or more that they understand or care one bit that there are human beings who are being significantly harmed by the continued lack of good faith here. Everything about eHow is a complete waste of time for its members, and a joke to its reps. <br />
Bernie Madoff laughed too, eHow, but there comes a time when the public says enough is enough. And I don't expect your humor will play well with your Brit and Canadian audiences when they wake up and smell the switch you plan to pull on them.<br />
<br />
You know that your corporate actions are not legal. Your CEO went to law school. Unfair competiton, corporate conflicts of interest, fraudulent inducement, and bait-and-switch tactics have been illegal for decades. You just figure you're slick enough to get away with it. And you might be right, but then again, you might not.<br />
<br />
So go right ahead and delete this post, as you have all of the other posts that hit too close to home. It's already been documented that it was posted, and therefore seen, by your staff. <br />
<br />
This fight is going off your turf, since you clearly don't have the decency to fairly address it on your own. <br />
<br />
</blockquote><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.vegan-o-rama.com</div>GloryBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607481395187073431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605903011541104311.post-55079667934485935512010-03-03T00:14:00.001-08:002010-03-06T20:49:00.209-08:00The eHow UK Fiasco- All Primary Questions Have Been Answered!<strong>eHow Writers- You can all rest easy now</strong>. <br />
<br />
According to Rich, the eHow Community Manager, all of your primary questions have already been answered. According to him, anyway. I know there have been a lot of questions about the WCP, about eHow not paying US writers for using their articles on the cloned UK site, about their 'generously estimated' compensation, about the articles being redirected instead of removed, and about their declining earnings. <br />
Which made me curious, so I searched through the 65 plus pages in the eHow UK site and US member articles forum thread, to see how many answers I could find. I have posted a list of the most commonly asked questions by members at the bottom of this post, so you compare. See if you can find how many of the questions have actually been answered. I've only been able to find a couple, and they aren't the answers originally given.<br />
<br />
Let me know if you think these questions have been answered! Also, please let me know if I have missed any 'answers', because I know a lot of the forum comments have been deleted.<br />
______________________________________________________<br />
<br />
3/2/2010 2:26 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked to address a list of compiled questions from the 65+ page thread- Questions at end of page)</span><br />
<br />
Hi Guys,<br />
It would be appreciated if everyone plays nicely on the forums. We are alll grown ups here and it's really unnecessary to step out of line. However, at this time <strong><span style="color: red;">I believe I've answered all the primary questions that many have asked and I'm referring to people not only on this thread, but outside of this thread as well.</span></strong> If I do have any updates, I'll be sure to clue everyone in. The one I'm particularly focused on getting resolved is the lag in profile updates on the UK site. I've heard that some people have seen updates made, but I'm wondering how many other folks are still experiencing this issue? Thanks.<br />
-Rich<br />
<br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked about profile and article removal, with several writers providing screenshots proving that articles have UK URLs)</span><br />
In Response to Re: 01/22/2010-- UPDATE on eHow UK site and US member articles <br />
<span style="color: red;"><strong>Articles are not housed on the UK site anymore. If they were on the UK site, then they would have a UK URL and they do not have them</strong>.</span> And, thanks for flagging inappropriate posts and maintaining the quality of the site.<br />
-Rich<br />
<br />
2/25/2010 11:07 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked WHY profiles were still on the UK site, why profiles remain on the UK site, and why there is a delay in the redirect for people with slow computer connection- they are dropping off and not redirecting at all.)</span><br />
Really guys... let's keep it down a notch. If you see an inappropriate post, please flag the post and we will investigate and remove. I see two questions that some of you keep asking, and here are my answers.<br />
<br />
a) <span style="color: red;"><strong>Profiles will remain on the UK site.</strong></span> I've stated this before. <strong><span style="background-color: red;"><span style="background-color: white; color: red;">I'm looking into the issue to see why there is a profile update delay </span></span></strong> Ideally, whenever you make changes in your profile, it should update on eHow, no matter if it's US or UK. In the meantime, I will ask you to be patient in this matter while the tech guys are reviewing this slight glitch.<br />
<br />
b) <strong><span style="color: red;">Re-directs are a non-issue</span></strong> whether whatever connection you are using. It maybe a little bit slower to process if you're on a 56K connection, but generally speaking that's what happens when you don't have high-speed internet.<br />
-Rich<br />
<br />
posted at 2/22/2010 11:14 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked why he asked US writers to become a part of the new 'Global Community', and what reason anyone in another country who is not getting paid to write would want to either.)</span><br />
In Response to Re: 01/22/2010-- UPDATE on eHow UK site and US member articles:<br />
<br />
The WCP is not necessarily the only feature available on the site. <strong><span style="background-color: white; color: red;">There are other features, which the greater community--writers and non-writers alike can enjoy</span>,</strong> whether they are in the US or the UK or any other country. However, <strong><span style="color: red;">we will ensure to accomodate our US writer community</span></strong> as we continue to grow. Thanks.<br />
-Rich <br />
<br />
posted at 2/21/2010 11:45 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked whether eHow planned to continue the WCP, whether it would continue to pay as is, and whether it is planned to eventually stop it.)</span><br />
<br />
Yes, <strong><span style="color: red;">we will make sure to accomodate to our writers' needs</span></strong>. However, I must clarify and say that today's WCP payment algorithm is not based on "ad clicks." We do not disclose in detail how our algorithm works, but we do indicate in our writer resource page as well as our TOS that many variables are considered when payments are issued. Thanks.<br />
-Rich <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
2/18/2010 6:16 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked why UK profiles cannot be updated, as some writers avatars are still wearing Christmas hats.)</span><br />
In Response to Re: U.S. PROFILES TO STAY UP ON THE UK SITE :<br />
<br />
The fix I was referring to is to be able to update your US profile and have that reflect on the UK site. It's weird that's it not doing that, so <strong><span style="color: red;">I'm seeing what can be done.</span></strong> Thanks.<br />
-Rich<br />
<br />
2/18/2010 1:18 PM PST <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked why the UK profiles cannot be updated, why the profiles have not been removed, and if not, why the profiles are there at all, as they are not listing member's articles.)</span><br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <br />
In Response to Re: 01/22/2010-- UPDATE on eHow UK site and US member articles:<br />
<br />
To answer your question, <strong><span style="color: red;">profiles will not be removed from the UK site</span></strong>. eHow.com is growing and as a result, we're expanding to international markets and audiences. As we expand, we want our community to grow with us-- therefore, we're inviting each member to truly become a part of a "global" community. However, the bug you mentioned has been noted and <strong><span style="color: red;">I'm seeing what can be done to get this fixed</span></strong>.<br />
Thanks.-Rich <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
2/16/2010 3:01 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked why UK articles were not being redirected, and why articles were not removed as originally stated, but were redirected instead.)</span><br />
<br />
Hey Guys,<br />
So, <strong><span style="color: red;">re-directs should be working</span></strong> optimally and all user-submitted <strong><span style="color: red;">articles that show up on the UK site should be re-directing</span></strong> to your US articles. Thanks.<br />
-Rich<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
2/13/2010 1:25 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked if the WCP was going to end, and if so, when.)</span><br />
<br />
Hey Guys,<br />
<strong><span style="color: red;">At this time, there is no plan to stop WCP</span></strong>. Also, smiley28, not to knit picky, but please follow the forum guidelines when it comes to site quesitons and bug related inquiries-- you need to clearly state in the title post what your post is about and you violated that rule. <br />
I would urge everyone read the forum guidelines before posting because when you don't follow them, they can be deleted without warning. Thanks.<br />
-Rich<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
2/10/2010 3:37 PM PST <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked a multitude of questions about why articles were not removed, why they were redirected, and why the redirection was not working.)</span><br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <br />
<br />
Keeping everyone in the loop here... <strong><span style="color: red;">we're still working things out</span></strong>. I'll let you know when the fix is released. <strong><span style="color: red;">It'll be real soon</span></strong>. Thanks.<br />
-Rich<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
2/9/2010 7:42 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(Same questions as above.)</span><br />
<br />
Just wanted to make sure I keep everyone in the loop. We're <strong><span style="color: red;">still working out the fix</span></strong>, but I'll have more details for you soon. Thanks for everyone's patience.<br />
-Rich<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
2/9/2010 3:49 PM PST <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked why articles were not redirecting)</span><br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <br />
Look guys... if I didn't care, then I wouldn't be here and I wouldn't be proactively wanting examples, so this issue can be rectified. <br />
-Rich<br />
<br />
<br />
2/9/2010 3:17 PM PST <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked why articles were being redirected instead of removed, and why articles were not redirected.)</span><br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <br />
In Response to Don't shoot messengar but if you aren't following the Site News -.UK thread then maybe you should:<br />
<br />
Before you start going on a rampage and creating unnecessary drama, I haven't seen a single link that shows me what you're claiming. In order for me to tackel the issue, I need an example versus having you making multiple posts on something I can't even see for myself and help the broader community on. If you can direct me to the right direction, that would help a alot.<br />
-Rich<br />
<br />
<br />
2/8/2010 12:21 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager (<span style="color: blue;">Same questions as above.)</span><br />
<br />
Okay, I don't know how this thread became a topic on forum moderation, but going back to the UK site. I'm working closely with the team and <span style="color: red;"><strong>we will get the "articles not re-directing to the US" error fix in today</strong></span>. I'll keep everyone posted when it gets done. Thanks, eHow peeps!<br />
-Rich<br />
<br />
2/7/2010 11:26 AM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked why new articles were being published on the UK site after being told the old ones had been removed, and then told they were redirected instead.)</span><br />
<br />
Hey Everyone,<br />
I've read the threads, and some of you have made some valid points. <strong><span style="color: red;">I'll provide an update early this week</span></strong>. Thanks for everyone's patience on this and I do apologize on behalf of eHow as to what has happened this weekend with the newly published articles not re-directing from the UK to the US site. I want to make sure this gets sorted out as quick as possible. <br />
-Rich<br />
<br />
<br />
2/6/2010 10:30 AM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked various questions.)</span><br />
In Response to Re: 01/22/2010-- UPDATE on eHow UK site and US member articles:<br />
<br />
Design,<br />
I understand your frusturation, but there is no need to pick on, Julie. However, we're doing our best to handle this one thing at a time. Anyways, please be patient as I will have more answers to the community's questions. Thanks.<br />
-Rich <br />
<br />
<br />
1/25/2010 8:31 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked why it was said that articles were redirecting when they were not.) </span><br />
In Response to Re: 01/22/2010-- UPDATE on eHow UK site and US member articles:<br />
<br />
Posh, <br />
Which articles are you referring to? <strong><span style="color: red;">eHow articles created by members have been re-directing to the US site.</span></strong> Please specify where they are showing up? Are you referring to the ones on your profile? Thank you.<br />
-Rich <br />
<br />
<br />
posted at 1/25/2010 8:44 PM PST <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked why the UK site is actually based in the US and is on servers in the US.)</span><br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <br />
In Response to Re: 01/22/2010-- UPDATE on eHow UK site and US member articles:<br />
<br />
Actually <strong><span style="color: red;">we have an office in the UK</span></strong>. <br />
<br />
posted at 1/25/2010 9:17 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked why it appeared traffic was down, why profiles were still on UK site if articles were being redirected, why they were being redirected if they'd supposedly been removed, and asking to have personal pictures removed from the UK site.)</span><br />
In Response to Re: 01/22/2010-- UPDATE on eHow UK site and US member articles:<br />
<br />
Well, even if your profile is on the UK site, <strong><span style="color: red;">it doesn't take away traffic</span></strong> to your articles. With the re-directs in place, readers are going to your original articles. As for your photo, I believe you should <strong><span style="color: red;">read section 5 of the terms of use</span></strong>. As for any other questions you've asked, please wait patiently. Thank you.<br />
-Rich <br />
<br />
1/24/2010 3:15 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked why the US articles had not been removed from the UK site as promised.)</span><br />
<br />
If I don't have answers for you right now, I'll be sure to have them later. I just need everyone's patience for now. Especially now, since I'm not even at the office at the moment and it is the weekend. Thanks :)<br />
-Rich<br />
<br />
1/22/2010 5:08 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(Same questions as above.)</span><br />
<br />
Get the up-to-date scoop on the UK stuff here (some good news!):<br />
<a href="http://www.ehow.com/forums.aspx?plckForumPage=ForumDiscussion&plckDiscussionId=Cat%3aeHow+GeneralForum%3a100Discussion%3af7351708-e40d-4cf3-b8ce-8d448de8303d">http://www.ehow.com/forums.aspx?plckForumPage=ForumDiscussion&plckDiscussionId=Cat%3aeHow+GeneralForum%3a100Discussion%3af7351708-e40d-4cf3-b8ce-8d448de8303d</a><br />
Best,<br />
Rich<br />
<br />
1/22/2010 5:08 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager (On being asked what would be done about US writers articles appearing on the UK site without pay.)<br />
<br />
Hi eHow Peeps, <br />
<strong><span style="color: red;">As promised,</span></strong> <strong><span style="color: red;">we finally removed all US member articles from the UK site as of yesterday</span></strong>. However, some are still claiming that they are seeing their articles show up on the UK site, which is somewhat correct, but please make note of the URL structure of those articles before jumping to any conclusions. If you click on the US member article on the UK site, you'll see that <strong><span style="color: red;">it will be re-directed to the US version of the article</span></strong>. <strong><span style="color: red;">Our tech team made sure that all traffic will go to your US article and there should be no possibility of traffic going to a UK version of your article.</span></strong> We will need to wait until Google or any other search engines re-index those article pages as well as the UK site map, so once that happens, they shouldn't show up on the site search results as well as search engine results as UK articles. Until then, you may see your articles in the search results as UK articles, but when readers click on the link, it will take them to the US version of your article. <br />
Example: <br />
An article that may show up as this: http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_5284237_freeze-yellow-squash.html on the search engines or on eHow UK will be redirected to here: http://www.ehow.com/how_5284237_freeze-yellow-squash.html. Basically, any indication of a UK article created by a US member will be re-directed to the US version of that article.<br />
Once the search engines re-index those article pages, you will gradually see your UK articles removed from the search results. Just know that all traffic to your articles from here on out will be going to your US article and won't be going to a UK version of your article. <br />
Thanks!<br />
Best,<br />
The eHow Team <br />
1/20/2010 4:13 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <br />
<br />
Just wanted to ensure everyone that I haven't forgotten about this issue, but we are coming very close to getting the articles removed. Wait for a follow up notice from me when it actually does happen. Thanks.<br />
-Rich<br />
<br />
1/18/2010 9:21 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked when US articles would be removed from the UK site as promised.) </span><br />
<br />
I've already stated what the next action is. I rather not sound like a broken record, but if you want to know what I said... I clearly stated that <strong><span style="color: red;">I will update the community once I get better idea of when articles will be removed from the UK site</span></strong>. And, again, thanks for everyone's patience.<br />
-Rich<br />
<br />
posted at 1/17/2010 8:37 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(When asked when US articles would be removed from the UK site.)</span><br />
In Response to Re: 01/11/2010-- eHow UK website and WCP participants:<br />
<br />
I didn't say "eventually." Eventually is pretty much too open ended in my eyes. <strong><span style="color: red;">This is going to happen real soon.</span></strong> I want to make sure I get an accurate date before telling the community. I'll provide more details this week. <br />
Thanks for everyone's patience.<br />
-Rich <br />
<br />
1/17/2010 8:28 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked when US articles would be removed from the UK site, and whether new articles would still post there unpaid.)</span><br />
In Response to Re: 01/11/2010-- eHow UK website and WCP participants:<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: red;">Once we remove all the member articles that process will stop</span></strong>. As stated before, the setup process takes some work and once we do the execution, <strong><span style="color: red;">the articles should be removed and also make a stop to any new articles from posting on the site</span></strong>. Thanks.<br />
Rich <br />
<br />
posted at 1/17/2010 8:31 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(Same questions as above.)</span><br />
In Response to Re: 01/11/2010-- eHow UK website and WCP participants:<br />
<br />
I hope people are reading my posts, but as I stated in my previous post that the execution process is not a flip of switch, <strong><span style="color: red;">it does require some set up time</span></strong>. I'll be sure to follow up with everyone once we are in full effect. Thanks.<br />
-Rich <br />
<br />
1/17/2010 4:43 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="background-color: white; color: blue;">(On being asked when US articles will be removed from the UK site.)</span><br />
<br />
Hey Guys,<br />
Leave the speculation at the door because I'll make sure to inform the community the progress of when then articles will be removed. As stated in the initial thread post and this is how we are dealing with this issue, <strong><span style="color: red;">we will be removing member articles from the UK site.</span></strong> There is preparation involved to get the articles removed, so it's impossible to get it done in a heartbeat (I've stated this in a past post). Just know that<strong><span style="color: red;"> it will get done soon</span></strong> and I'll will keep everyone posted on the progress. <br />
If you want any information on the UK website, please make sure to get the answers from the actual source who can give you the right answers and that would be me. Any other information, should be read with caution. <br />
Thanks,<br />
Rich<br />
<br />
1/15/2010 4:29 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked why removed articles were showing up in search engines, and whether the UK site was a US clone- it was later admitted it was a mirror site)</span><br />
In Response to Re: 01/11/2010-- eHow UK website and WCP participants:<br />
<br />
Well, Lovinglife... you don't really ask me with respect and half the time you're just making smart remarks. I don't treat anyone in the community that way, and I would appreciate you would treat me with equal respect. <br />
But going back to your question... <strong><span style="color: red;">if your deleted articles still show up on search, then you need to blame Google</span></strong> because we have no control over how articles are indexed. However, <strong><span style="color: red;">eventually those articles will be removed from the Google search</span></strong> and any previous search results associated to eHow will not exist. <br />
As for your concerns about the UK being a cloned site. <strong><span style="color: red;">It is not a cloned site. It is actually a UK site</span></strong> as we are in early stages to go international and UK is our first project. We are still in the process of getting the site together, and you will see that our priority will be to make the site more localized to the UK audience. This can't be done overnight and will be a work in progress. We'll keep everyone posted.<br />
As for the removal of member articles on the site, as stated before... I will keep you posted. <br />
Thanks,<br />
Rich <br />
<br />
1/15/2010 1:34 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked why UK versions of US articles were showing up on Google, often at a higher ranking.)</span><br />
In Response to Re: 01/11/2010-- eHow UK website and WCP participants:<br />
<br />
Once again, when you place quotes around search phrases, that is not necessarily how people search truly search. <strong><span style="color: red;">The results will be a little out of place if you do searches in an unorthodox way</span></strong>. <span style="color: black;">People will more than likely not search in this manner.</span> Thanks.<br />
-Rich <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
posted at 1/15/2010 12:10 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked what was being done about US articles being on the UK site, and why comments from certain people/subjects were being deleted.)</span><br />
In Response to Re: 01/11/2010-- eHow UK website and WCP participants:<br />
<br />
I agree that everyone has the right to speak up, but I do not agree with posting for the sake of stirring up chaos, which is sort of the impression I'm getting here. You've stated your point and I've noticed you've been arguing with some of the members who don't agree with you. This is not what I would like to see on the forums. Your point was loud and clear and please make sure to read the forum rules to get an idea of how to behave on here. Furthermore, as promised, <strong><span style="color: red;">I will follow up with the community on the progress of the UK article takedown.</span></strong> Thanks. Best, Rich <br />
<br />
I have to keep civility on the forums... that's my job. Forum posts get deleted because <strong><span style="color: red;">there are multiple posts on the subject</span></strong> and it just makes our job harder or it could've been a post made somewhere where it shouldn't have been. The bottomline is I've deleted posts in a manner that has been stated on the forum guidelines. I wouldn't just delete a post without good reason. And, <strong><span style="color: red;">I think I've been fair</span></strong> on the posts being made on here, Posh. I just don't appreciate it when people are only here to create a chaotic environment. Thank you.<br />
Best,<br />
Rich <br />
<br />
1/15/2010 11:46 AM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="background-color: white; color: blue;">(On being asked why earnings were down since US articles were posted on the UK site, and about writer compensation.)</span><br />
In Response to Re: 01/11/2010-- eHow UK website and WCP participants:<br />
<br />
At this point, people making <strong><span style="color: red;">claims that the UK site was the cause of the dip is an assumption</span></strong>. I've been looking outside of eHow.com, and I'm kind of disheartened by the few erroenous comments being made about the site. I mean, we can't please everyone and that's quite evident (even though we would like to), but the attacks being made by the few are quite caustic and untrue. I can promise you that we do indeed care about our members. However, working on the site for 3 1/2 years and seeing this community grow into what it is today, it makes me want to reflect a bit. If you look back at what we've accomplished, I believe we were able to deliver on many requests the community had asked for in the past and we did this within means. All I'm saying is we will do our best to get things situated and for those of you who are anti-eHow now, I'm sorry that you feel this way. But, I would like you to look back and see that there were many times we came through for our members and whether you appreciated those moments or not is really up to you. For those of you who are moving forward with us and still showing support, we really do appreciate it and love you all for sticking with us. I'll keep you updated on any UK website related news-- whether it be information on how it affects you as a member or just our progress in expanding to international territories. Thanks!<br />
Best,<br />
Rich <br />
1/15/2010 10:42 AM PST <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <br />
<br />
Posts: 5702<br />
<br />
First: 4/11/2007<br />
<br />
Last: 3/5/2010 In Response to Re: 01/11/2010-- eHow UK website and WCP participants: <span style="color: blue;">(EHow is STILL putting my new articles up on the UK site! Crap! Almost a full week into the 'we're taking the US articles down over the next few weeks. Crap!)</span><br />
<br />
Guys,<br />
There are a lot of articles on the site and it will need to be done in batches. Thanks for your patience. <span style="color: red;"><strong>I'll let you know when every single member articles have been taken down.</strong></span> Thanks.<br />
Best,<br />
Rich<br />
<br />
1/12/2010 9:24 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked why it appeared only comments that were critical of the US articles posting to the UK site without payment. were being deleted)</span><br />
In Response to Re: 01/11/2010-- eHow UK website and WCP participants:<br />
<br />
Actually, <strong><span style="color: red;">I've been deleting comments that are irrelevant to the topic at hand and any comments that are for the soul purpose of instigating a commotion.</span></strong> This is not a free for all forum, where you can just say anything you please and get away with it. The site is welcome to all, and we welcome feedback, but I will not allow people to be uncivilized on the forums nor anywhere else on the site. We enjoy everyone being on the site, but if you don't want to be part of the community and only here to cause trouble, please do not post here because your post will be removed. Thanks.<br />
-Rich<br />
<br />
1/11/2010 8:31 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked how eHow could have published US articles on the UK site without compensating US writers.)</span><br />
In Response to Re: 01/11/2010-- eHow UK website and WCP participants:<br />
<br />
Please <strong><span style="color: red;">review section 5 of the terms of use. It clearly states that we have the right</span></strong>. However, one of our priorities is to make sure we are looking out for our members and maintaining a relationship with our community goes beyond a contract. Thanks.<br />
-Rich <br />
<br />
1/11/2010 1:38 PM PST <br />
<br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <br />
In Response to Re: 11/11/2010-- eHow UK website and WCP participants: <span style="color: blue;">(So by the end of January or beginning of February all of the WCP submitted articles will be off of the UK site? Or is eHow going to start the process in a few weeks, but the process may take a while? Please do keep us updated, thanks.)</span><br />
<br />
We should start the process shortly. <strong><span style="color: red;">What I meant was that NO member articles will exist on the UK site in a few weeks.</span></strong> We have to take them down incrementaly, since the number of member articles is quite large. <br />
Thanks,<br />
Rich<br />
<br />
1/11/2010 6:19 PM PST <br />
<br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <br />
<br />
Hey Guys,<br />
Another thing, I just want to <strong><span style="color: red;">make sure that no one thinks that the UK site is a mirror site or a cloned site.</span></strong> The UK and the US site are different in the sense that UK people do not necessarily search on the same article topics as the US folks do. It'll be one of our priorities to make sure that the content on the UK site will cater to the UK audience. The UK site is quite new and it's our first attempt to expand internationally and we still have long ways to go. I think there is this slight misconception that the UK site is growing at an exponential rate. However, like with any birth of a new business, it requires a lot of tending and this is our first effort to go international and our mission is to localize the site to meet the needs of the UK visitors. Bottomline is the site is still new and we're still figuring things out.<br />
-Rich <br />
<br />
<br />
1/11/2010 5:12 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(Same questions as above, plus, what will be done to compensate US writers for the use of articles that are paid on in the US.)</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: red;">We do reserve the right to repost content on our related websites</span></strong>. But, we truly value our members' feedback and have closely listened to your comments regarding the UK site. <strong><span style="color: red;">Since we’re unable to compensate writers for their participation with the international property, we will be removing the articles.</span></strong> Thanks.<br />
-Rich<br />
<br />
1/11/2010 9:06 AM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked whether US writers would be paid for eHow using their articles on the UK site.)</span><br />
<br />
Dear Members,<br />
We’ve noticed the buzz around eHow’s new UK website and specifically the questions of whether WCP participants are paid for their articles shown on our sister website. We appreciate all the comments, as our community is what makes us special, and wanted to clearly address your concerns. <strong><span style="color: red;">At the moment we do not have a system to pay writers for their articles hosted on eHow.co.uk.</span></strong><br />
We’ve listened to your voices and <strong><span style="color: red;">since we are unable pay WCP participants in the UK, we’ll be removing your articles from eHow’s UK website within the next few weeks.</span></strong> We’ll keep you posted on our progress and thank you for your patience and commitment to eHow.<br />
Best Regards,<br />
The eHow Team<br />
<br />
1/8/2010 8:11 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked whether US writers would be paid for their articles being posted on the UK site.)</span><br />
Thanks for doing this, guys. Just so you know that many of the decisions we make are really heavily dependent on your feedback, so I'm trying my best to come through for everyone. Thanks for your patience.<br />
-Rich<br />
<br />
1/8/2010 7:36 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked why comments from people critical of the UK clone site and lowered earnings were being deleted, and about UK earnings.)</span><br />
In Response to Re: UK clone site earnings issue:<br />
<br />
Things get deleted <strong><span style="color: red;">when there are one too many similar posts on a topic</span></strong>. That's why we urge people to post on an existing thread, so that'll help streamline the responses and help us see the largely discussed issues within the community. However, <strong><span style="color: red;">some members can be quite unruly and any posts they have made will be deleted as well</span></strong>. As long as you're being civil and not trying to stir up chaos, then we can have a mature conversation on the forum. Thanks.<br />
-Rich <br />
<br />
1/8/2010 7:26 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(Same question as above.)</span><br />
Hey guys,<br />
Just to clear things up...<br />
a) it's never good to post pertinent inquiries in the community chatter. The community chatter is your guy's lounge area and if you want official word from the staff on certain issues, PLEASE post them in the approrpriate places.<br />
b) I've seen a few multiple posts on this issue. I would be prefer to streamline what I read, so I can look through a series of posts rather than jumping around to different posts at a time on the same topic. This would also help the staff out so they can do the same and it does bubble up the issue at hand.<br />
c) I've already made a few comments on this issue, and I've said that we are looking into this issue and we will have a resolution on this matter shortly. We do listen to you guys and take your feedback seriously. It just doesn't really help much when the few who jump to conclusion start seeding assumptions that only breeds chaos within the community.<br />
Once again thanks for everyone's patience and please wait for an answer from us soon. <br />
-Rich<br />
<br />
posted at 1/8/2010 7:31 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(On being asked why there needed to be a cloned UK site at all.)</span><br />
In Response to Re: UK clone site earnings issue:<br />
<br />
Believe it or not, but <strong><span style="color: red;">there are subtle differences in language use and of course every piece of content doesn't apply to them,</span></strong> like for instance-- "How to Celebrate Independence Day" wouldn't work for those guys in the UK.<br />
-Rich<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Re: Am I paid for the UK site? When do links come down?</span><br />
posted at 12/29/2009 12:56 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <br />
<br />
Hey Guys,<br />
This is a great question, but <strong><span style="color: red;">the UK site is barely new and it's not even in full force</span></strong>. Once we start fleshing out the UK site, we'll have more answers for the community. For now, please be patient as we expand the site. Thanks.<br />
Rich<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Re: Has anyone elses earnings dropped off considerably?</span><br />
posted at 12/14/2009 7:34 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <br />
<br />
Okay, guys. As I've stated before, I've already looked into this because a few folks have brought it up on the forums and <strong><span style="color: red;">there is no issue with earnings</span></strong>. And, if there ever was, we do catch those. Regardless, like I said, <strong><span style="color: red;">I've checked with finance and everything is good</span></strong>. This conversation always spreads like wild fire and when person complains then some newbie thinks that something is wrong with earnings, when that's not the case. Bottomline, <span style="color: red;"><strong>I've checked and everything should be fine</strong></span>. It could just be a slow month for some. Thanks.<br />
-Rich<br />
<br />
12/14/2009 7:23 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <br />
<span style="color: blue;">In Response to Questions about our articles/videos on eHow UK: </span><span style="color: blue;">(Regarding pay for content on the UK site, and why earnings were down.)</span><br />
1. <strong><span style="color: red;">We have our own algorithm so it's based on that.</span></strong><br />
2. If you delete articles on the US site, yes, indeed your articles will be removed from the UK site.<br />
May I remind you that <strong><span style="color: red;">the UK thing is not what could be attributed to your decline in earings</span></strong>. Some folks are not even complaing about this, but you should remember that it is the holidays and usually earnings tend to drop during this period. Thanks.<br />
-Rich <br />
<br />
12/10/2009 3:51 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager (<span style="color: blue;">On being asked why earnings were down.)</span><br />
<br />
Okay, guys. Just as I thought... <strong><span style="color: red;">it's just a slow month probably</span></strong>, but our system is functioning properly so <strong><span style="color: red;">there shoudn't be any issues with earnings</span></strong>. Thanks.<br />
-Rich<br />
<br />
12/10/2009 2:58 PM PST <br />
Rich - eHow Community Manager <span style="color: blue;">(Same question as above.)</span><br />
<br />
Hey guys,<br />
I'm looking into this, but I'm sure <strong><span style="color: red;">earnings should be working fine</span></strong>. I'll let you know. Usually, <strong><span style="color: red;">it does start slowing down a bit at the end of the year.</span></strong> Thanks.<br />
-Rich<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
-------------<br />
<strong><span style="background-color: white; color: blue;">Here is the question list I compiled after going through the thread- These are questions that have been asked repeatedly for over 65 pages, and to which I believe Rich is claiming have been answered.</span></strong><br />
2/25/2010 2:14 PM PST <br />
glorybug <br />
<br />
I guess I'll go first-<br />
Why was it first said that our articles would be removed from UK, and later changed to 'redirected'.<br />
Why is it that some people claim their articles are not being redirected, or that because of computer issues that the redirects are slow or aren't working.<br />
Why are our profiles still on the UK site when there is no obvious reason for not removing them.<br />
Why can we not change our profiles.<br />
What is the real reason for loss of earnings by those who think it is due to the redirect.<br />
Why were we told US writers could not be paid for use of their articles on the UK site, but there are UK writers who are being directed to the US site, implying they are being paid.<br />
What is really meant by 'accommodating' writers.<br />
What is meant by encouraging US writers to join the global community.<br />
What benefit can there be for encouraging people in other countries to join this 'global community' if they won't get paid.<br />
Why does it appear that admin swoops in to delete posts, admonish people, and to write posts that do not answer questions, but merely adds more questions.<br />
Does eHow plan to do away with the WCP, and if so, when.<br />
Is eHow planning to use writers' articles in the 'global community' without paying, like they did with the UK thing.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: blue;">Here is what the questions list has morphed into after being edited/added onto-</span></strong><br />
thirdstone <br />
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS TO DATE!<br />
<br />
Why was it first said that our articles would be removed from UK, and later changed to 'redirected'.<br />
Why is it that some people claim their articles are not being redirected, or that because <br />
of computer issues that the redirects are slow or aren't working.<br />
Why are our profiles still on the UK site when there is no obvious reason for not removing them.<br />
Why can we not change our profiles.<br />
Why did so many writers earnings slow or stop once the redirects took effect?<br />
Why have many of our articles fallen so far in Google searches of them right after the redirects?<br />
What is the real reason for loss of earnings by those who think it is due to the redirect.<br />
Why were we told US writers could not be paid for use of their articles on the UK site, but there are UK writers who are being directed to the US site, implying they are being paid.<br />
What is really meant by 'accommodating' writers.<br />
What is meant by encouraging US writers to join the global community.<br />
What benefit can there be for encouraging people in other countries to join this 'global community' if they won't get paid.<br />
Why does it appear that admin swoops in to delete posts, admonish people, and to write posts that do not answer questions, but merely adds more questions.<br />
Does eHow plan to do away with the WCP, and if so, when.<br />
Is eHow planning to use writers' articles in the 'global community' without paying, like they did with the UK thing<br />
<br />
WHY did you (Rich) say in the very first post on 1/22, "As promised, we finally removed all US member articles from the UK site as of yesterday." ...when in fact they were not removed at all? That certainly appears to be on outright lie!<br />
A DAY AFTER THE REDIRECTS - Most articles just stop earning, articles begin to vanish off google searches or can only now be found on google by adding my name to the article search, and my earnings are no longer climbing - all happened right after the redirects. Please read this several times, slowly, so you finally begin to understand the redirects ARE AN ISSUE.<br />
TOO MANY LOST TOO MUCH and the 10 bucks is not compensation when people lost hundreds because of google redirects on the UK issue... WILL EHOW RECONSIDER AND ANALYZE the ACTUAL losses and start addressing those losses?<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.vegan-o-rama.com</div>GloryBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607481395187073431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605903011541104311.post-22075140990170141352010-02-24T01:59:00.000-08:002010-02-24T02:06:15.276-08:00eHow Earnings and Algorithyms<b>Earning Money Writing for eHow Just Keeps Getting Harder</b><br />
<br />
Anyone familiar with writing for eHow knows that the pay is a secret. That all by itself is weird. It's based on some magical algorithym that only the Man Behind The Green Curtain knows. It is supposedly based on a recipe of views, adclicks and 'secret spices', while at the same time not based on those things at all. Sometimes it's claimed that it's based on 'popularity and quality' and 'usefulness'. Whatever. <br />
<br />
One thing that IS clear is that somehow it is based on adclicks. I know this, because I don't have so many articles there that I can't watch how many views each article gets, and how much at any one time an article gets paid. Therefore, I know that either eHow or an advertiser is paying me more for one article than another, and since the ads that run for the higher paid article feature more expensive products, it's clear that the advertiser plays some role in how much is paid. I should note at this point that because the algorithym (who gets paid by 'algorithym', anyway?) is secret, in truth, it could in possibility be changed every day, or be different for each person. Meaning that if Campbells Soup pays $1 per click, you could get .25 one day, and .17 the next. Or maybe .35 if you are deemed 'popular' (whatever that means!). That gets me back to the ads.<br />
<br />
<b>How Can You Make Money on eHow if There Are No Ads to Click On?</b><br />
<br />
I am going to dissect my article <a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_5889373_make-vegan-gnocchi.html">"How to Make Vegan Gnocchi"</a> first. <br />
<br />
When I look at the article, front and center is my title. Good! However, just to the left of that is a listing of other eHow articles that are essentially competing already. This is good for eHow, especially if they are articles written by Demand Studios, because they are paid a one-time flat rate instead of having to pay residual earnings to an eHow CWP (Writer's Compensation Program) like me. If they moved that down the page a bit, maybe someone would be tempted to actually read my article!<br />
<br />
Next, I see on the right hand side that there are listed 6 'related ads'. The problem is, they're just listed. No tempting pictures- but at least they are on topic with my article. Moving further down, I see a large picture ad for losing 'inches off your stomach' on the left side, which is not related to my article. On the right side of my text is an ad for losing weight with 'LiveStrong.Com' (owned by eHow's parent company, Demand Media). It's large, and also off topic. Under that is another large ad for LiveStrong.Com Tools. It looks like it's daring you to stop smoking (it's also daring you to click on it instead of reading my article!).<br />
<br />
Under that, is the same list of 'related articles' from other people, albeit formatted differently- larger and with video options. On the fip side, under the display ad for 'losing inches' is another picture ad (but smaller)urging me to 'dare to lose weight'... with LiveStrong.Com!<br />
<br />
Finally, AFTER my article, right underneath, there are 4 Google ads, 1 of which is relevant to my article. Off to the side of this is a random listing of other articles I've written, which may or may not be relevant.<br />
<br />
<b>So, What Is My Point With All of This?</b><br />
<br />
Well, I didn't begin writing with eHow just because I like to see my name in print. I've been writing for over 20 years, in full-time paying jobs, so I don't need that. I started writing with eHow because I was promised pay for that. When I first started, I was very pleased, and could see how if things continued, I could do quite well. The problem is that it didn't stay that way. There have been many things that have played into that, not the least of which is the mess eHow made by mirroring the US eHow site into the UK, and allowing their own articles to compete against themselves- with no pay. But, I am going to guess something else might be a part of it lately, especially after eHow began their Garden Blog and started developing their own 'departments' that use flat-rate articles.<br />
<br />
What I do know is that ad-clicking plays SOME part of eHow WCP earnings, so it stands to reason that I would be wanting some good ads on my articles. It isn't good to have large display ads that are off topic taking up the best real estate on my articles. Now, normally, this would occur if you had a poor title or didn't keep a focus on your keywords... but this is occurring because eHow is placing their own ads in those positions. It also appears that having two large ads about losing weight has affected the other Google ad topic as well, considering that most of the smaller Google text ads are on topic. I'm not sure what to think about that, but I have heard Google and eHow are quite cozy, so who knows.<br />
<br />
What this tells me is that eHow has determined that it is better financially to fill up most of the compelling ad space with redirection to their other sites/projects than it would be to share any earnings made if there were other ads there that I could earn from. I am pretty sure that clicking on any of their ads does not figure into our pay algorithym. The ads for 'eHow's Home and Garden Blog', 'LiveStrong.Com', 'LiveStrong.Com Tools', 'LiveStrong "Dare to" series', 'eHow Get Your Degree' and the rest of the lot are recent additions--- what was there before? Is it possible that the re-working of the layout and the amount of redirection eHow is adding back to itself in the articles is adding to the loss of earnings so many writers are reporting?<br />
<br />
I am going to go through all my articles (I note that some of them have not had all the eHow ads stuffed into them- maybe they haven't created their own eHow network for those genres yet?) and get an idea of which articles are performing best for me, and what the ratio of eHow-driven advertisement is on those pages. Please do the same, and let me know what you come up with!<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.vegan-o-rama.com</div>GloryBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607481395187073431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605903011541104311.post-3589507451825773042010-02-23T04:47:00.000-08:002010-02-23T04:47:19.763-08:00Keywords Matter in Ways You Never Think<b>Keywords- do they really matter?</b><br />
<br />
I recently started a new blog that I plan to use to detail all of the cats I have adopted or rescued over the last 20 something years, which I named <a href="http://catadoptionstories.blogspot.com/">'Cat Adoption Stories'</a>. It seemed like a perfect name for all the cats I've adopted or rescued, and I hope other people post their pictures and stories as well.<br />
<br />
The problem is, the only relevant word the ads were seeing on my page was 'adoption', meaning that all of the ads were about adopting overseas children, adoption options, blah blah. Nothing that has to do with cats or any other animals. I do have to say that as an adoptee, I really didn't appreciate all those 'adopt foreign children' ads on my page. I'll probably get paid back for that here by having a ton of those Google ads on this page. Sigh. <br />
<br />
Anyway, I carefully went through and slowly removed each reference to that word and replaced it with 'rescue' or 'pets', and I checked the ads every time I removed the words. I can say I did not get appropriate ads until I removed every reference to the 'A' word except for the original title. It appears that Google ads does not recognize the link between the 'A' word and animals, pets or cats. So, I have replaced every reference to the 'A' word except in the blog title. Which I think is sad, as so many wonderful people 'A' or rescue cats all the time!<br />
<br />
It is sad for cats or rescue groups, that they cannot use a perfectly acceptable word on their websites because it has been 'monetised', but I think this is proof you can get around it.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.vegan-o-rama.com</div>GloryBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607481395187073431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605903011541104311.post-58104215979517358172010-02-22T03:16:00.000-08:002010-02-25T12:32:39.480-08:00Music Scams- GLightFirm & Afton<b>Music Scams</b>First of all, I should clarify why I am calling these companies scams. They may have valid services, but the way they market or approach people is, in my opinion, scammy.<br />
<br />
This week, poor VvonV was contacted on his <a href="http://www.myspace.com/sparklejet">Sparklejet</a> Band's FaceBook and MySpace pages with two different solicitations.<br />
<br />
The first one was from a company called <a href="http://artists.aftonlive.com/">'Afton</a>'. They sent a note from a woman who claimed she gets paid to 'browse' MySpace for bands. She states that she liked the music and thought the band would be a good fit for a gig set up for Feb 19 at some venue (named the venue, but not the town or state). I got deja vu, because a couple of years ago I got contacted by someone with almost the same wording regarding my band.<br />
<br />
That kind of perked my ears up, because while it's true that I used to have a band, and I had pictures posted on my MySpace, I did not have any links to my actual music. So I knew that whoever wrote it was scamming, because they couldn't possibly have listened to my music and thought it would fit in with some show. Turns out THAT company turned into what is now Afton. I don't like the misleading comments they send in their notes. I don't believe for a second that anyone from their company listened to Sparklejet's music at all. Researching brought up many google pages titled 'Afton Music Scam'. Apparently, many musicians feel that whatever setup Afton has regarding ticket sales and payment is a scam. Thankfully, we don't personally know, because we did not sign on with them. Check them out carefully before you decide to.<br />
<br />
The second music scam solicitation he got was from a company called <a href="http://glightfirm.com/">GLightFirm</a>, and it also was presented as a note from someone trying to make it sound like they were a recording or publishing company. After checking out their website, it becomes apparent they are nothing of the sort. What they are is someone who 'qualifies artists through production evaluation'. WTF? I read the whole site, and as far as I can tell, it's just some people who want your band to pay them to critique you. I'll do that for $5!<br />
<br />
What's interesting is that one of their tabs gives information about their 'referral' program. Yep, an affiliate program. So the person who sent VvonV that misleading note most likely doesn't even work for GLightFirm, and was just throwing out random notes to every band they could find on MySpace for the sleazy affiliate link money.<br />
<br />
That's the problem I have with these companies, and why I call them scams- because they are not up front or honest about what they are, what they do, what they cost... or even whether or not they've even really listened to your music. I have nothing against affiliate links- I use them myself. But I do not solicit people I don't even know in a misleading manner just to make a sale. That's sleazy.<br />
<br />
Please, bands, especially young ones, be very wary when approached by anyone about your music. It's flattering, but 99/100 times it is some shark wanting to make money off of your desire to produce music, not by helping you produce, market or sell your music.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.vegan-o-rama.com</div>GloryBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607481395187073431noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605903011541104311.post-67601984056662314612010-02-07T06:20:00.000-08:002010-02-22T03:35:52.808-08:00The eHow UK Fiasco- What is Up with eHow's Backlinking?<b>IF IT LOOKS LIKE A SCAM, SMELLS LIKE A SCAM AND TASTES LIKE A SCAM, IS eHOW UK A SCAM?</b><br />
<br />
I am going to post what I wrote on US eHow's Community Chatter Forum Boards today, just in case it manages to get 'disappeared'.<br />
<br />
(I'll be filling in some backstory on the whole thing tomorrow).<br />
<br />
"I'd still like an answer to why ALL of the US articles were not just taken down from the UK Site as originally promised? Why all the extra work to redirect instead? And, will the 'fix' for the newer articles still ending up on the UK site be to just 'redirect' them as well? That makes no sense, and has not been addressed ONCE. Why the complicated redirected 'fix', when simply removing all US non flat-rate eHow articles could just have been removed and coded not to be listed in UK thereafter?<br />
<br />
Obviously, I am not stupid, and there MUST be a reason a choice was made to deal with it the way it has. If it was losing eHow money, no doubt they would have been removed immediately. Which suggests it is beneficial to eHow to approach this the way they are, by continuing to post them there and redirect them back.<br />
<br />
When I Google 'eHow UK' and click on the site, first thing I noticed yesterday was that many of the featured articles were from the US. Going into eHow article search and typing in 'California' pulled up many articles that were not redirected to the US site. In fact, the first one I clicked on, "How to Sell a Used Car in California", did not redirect... and based on the comments, the article has been up since 2007 in the US. In the sidebar are 5 more articles by the some author, none of which redirect, but clicking on the author leads you to a blank page with no articles or comments. Other authors I clicked on had articles listed but no personal info, and some had a variation of one or the other. A few of the US authors articles did redirect. Obviously there is quite a lot of mess going on, and quite a lot of 'splainin' to do.<br />
<br />
Also, when I click on the third link on Google when I search for eHow UK, it comes up with Garry Crystal, eHow UK<br />
, and clicking on that I see that this person is a UK writer who somehow although being a novice with only 110 points (I have 2240 points after 8 months and 19 articles, and many comments) wrote about 80 articles, about 70 of which were supposedly written on 08/01/07. Only 4 of them have any comments, and even though he is described as a published author, there are no affiliate links or personal links in any of the articles, only 1 pertinent link to a non-paying info site in each article. Now, how could anyone write/publish 70 articles in one day, and if the UK writers were never getting paid, why would anyone write them or not put backlinks into the resources? And if they were getting paid residuals, why no backlinks? And only has 2 friends and 4 comments after 2 1/2 years? <br />
<br />
Now, why do all of Garry's articles, since he claims he lives in the UK, redirect to the US URL? It seems to me pretty obvious all of the US/UK problems have occurred purposefully in order to build up huge backlinks for the UK site. Or eHow is flat-paying US writers to write UK articles, post them in the UK, backdate them, and then redirect them back to US?<br />
<br />
SOMETHING REALLY STINKS. "<br />
________________________________<br />
<br />
It's getting all over... I'll compile all the links I've found tomorrow- for now, here's a <a href="http://www.passivefamilyincome.com/passive-income-ehow-updates-january-2010"><b>link</b></a> that's been following it as well- You'll notice I haven't removed my eHow sidebar... partly because I don't know what to do with it, and partly because they are holding some of my articles.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.vegan-o-rama.com</div>GloryBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607481395187073431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605903011541104311.post-6420750030289725022010-02-02T01:31:00.000-08:002010-02-22T03:36:14.160-08:00The Prostitutes and Whores in Fresno, California<b>The Blackstone Prostitutes<b></b></b><br />
<br />
<br />
I'm not all that keen on prostitution, especially when it gets the eye of my two boys. As in, why is that lady on the corner wearing shorts when it is raining?<br />
<br />
And my answer is a lie- maybe they are waiting for the bus?<br />
<br />
Because I don't want to tell them the real reason, which is that some people are so desperate for money that they will trade money for sex.<br />
<br />
I find it sad. Sad that people are able or want to to fuck random people, and that some people are willing to pay to fuck strangers.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.vegan-o-rama.com</div>GloryBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607481395187073431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605903011541104311.post-84651567711417754332010-02-02T00:56:00.000-08:002010-02-22T03:37:07.575-08:00Letterman and Tiger Should Become Friends<b>Celebrity excuse?<br />
</b>I get that Letterman is a celebrity, and that he has some issues we ordinary people don't. <br />
But in his personal life he shares something all of us common people do- the fallout of cheating.<br />
<br />
At first, people complained a lot, claiming that he hadn't cheated on his wife of a few months, because they were not married at the time. I would disagree with that criteria. I personally think you shouldn't sleep around on your partner even if you aren't married, unless you both agree to it beforehand. <br />
<br />
But I didn't need to worry, because facts came out showing that he'd actually cheated on his wife while they were married for a few months. as well as before.<br />
<br />
I used to ditch high school and go to Bobby's house (Who was only 16 but had his own apartment) and watch David Letterman when he first started. I thought he was funny, but not in an obsessive way.<br />
<br />
I understand that he was tempted by having semi-attractive interns, but please. I don't even feel that sorry for his wife, as she was an intern while he was involved with another woman. People rarely change, and she no doubt knew what he would do, considering that he did it with her. Most people (and men specifically) are able to have exclusive relationships with people. Maybe celebrities think their lives are somehow different?<br />
<br />
Funny how the wife hasn't made any statements at all? Maybe she has some class. Or likes his money?<br />
_________________________________<br />
<br />
<b>Tiger isn't any Better!</b><br />
<br />
Tiger cheats. Tiger likes Whores and prostitutes. Does anyone care?<br />
I don't think so.<br />
<br />
I'm guessing his wife feels otherwise.<br />
<br />
I had a relationship once where I found out the person was cheating on me (as far as I know, of my 30 year experience with relationships have not involved cheating) and the first thing I did was to go to a clinic to check out whether I'd 'Caught' anything, even though I'd heard that condom use (which I am a huge supporter of) would make that possibility rare. I luckily came out clean.<br />
<br />
I am not a stupid person, and I have read things from female pimps who have said that Tiger requested 'Bareback', meaning no condom.<br />
<br />
What kind of jerk does that, and what kind of idiot prostitute does that? I would never have sex with a celebrity without condom use, because they are all essentially whores. <br />
<br />
His wife has kept her mouth shut. I can't imagine how humiliating it would be for everyone to know (she's had 2 kids with him) that your husband was having unprotected sex with prostitutes while they were having sex with you. That is so low.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.vegan-o-rama.com</div>GloryBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607481395187073431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605903011541104311.post-66081058262769921922010-01-30T01:45:00.000-08:002010-02-24T04:57:14.318-08:00Why I hate Craigslist Pet AdsI hate Craigslist. Mostly because they are popular, and more specifically, because they are popular for advertising pets for sale. Craigslist COULD be a great resource for shelters wanting to rehome animals instead of killing them, but instead, <a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_5741603_avoid-pet-ad-flagged-craigslist.html">Craigslist pet ads</a> are swamped with sleazy backyard breeders.<br />
<br />
It draws the most stupid of the stupidic, because on the pets page it specifically states " no pet sales or breeding please -- rehoming with small adoption fee OK"<br />
<br />
Now that is stupid. Because 50 times a day someone with 6 inbred pups posts an ad stating that they are 'SELLING' and 'rehoming' the pups for 50-400$ each.<br />
<br />
Every single one of those backyard breeders are aware that they are breaking the rules by advertising the sale of animals, but Craigslist does nothing about it. <br />
<br />
Any check of the flag help forum reveals multiple people every hour whining about why their ad was flagged off- even people openly admitting to selling animals. The majority, however, claim that they aren't. Boo, hoo. Why did my ad get flagged? Often there are ads that say 'Glad you flagged me- now me and my backyard bred pitbulls can repost right at the top of the pet pages!'<br />
<br />
The forum can be pretty harsh, and they call out backyard breeders and irresponsible people, but Craigslist really does nothing to support them. Some of the people on the flag forum are jerks, but can you blame them for having to work with such a**holes?<br />
<br />
The only power anyone has is to log into Craigslist daily and flag off the backyard breeders, and the people responsible for the glut in shelters having to kill animals. <br />
<br />
I hate how Craigslist forces it's members to police the ads and enforce the 'no pet selling' by flagging them off- enough to have written a specific article giving all the details of <a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_5741603_avoid-pet-ad-flagged-craigslist.html">How to Avoid Having Your Ped Ad Flagged Off Craigslist.</a>I think it covers a lot of things. If you think it doesn't, please let me know.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.vegan-o-rama.com</div>GloryBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607481395187073431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605903011541104311.post-20301018901561117642009-10-11T17:25:00.000-07:002010-02-22T04:09:52.339-08:00Radio Surfing<strong>Anywhere The Wind Blows, Doesn't Really Matter</strong><br />
<br />
I never bothered to get a CD player for my car. I've never seen the need. One less thing for people to steal.<br />
<br />
That said, I treat the car radio like many people treat their channel changer on their TV. I jump, hop and skip.<br />
<br />
Some of the songs I came across today while out doing chores and picking up the boys-<br />
<br />
S&G "I am a Rock". This really has to be one of the saddest songs there is. <br />
"I have my books<br />
And my poetry to protect me;<br />
I am shielded in my armor,<br />
Hiding in my room, safe within my womb.<br />
I touch no one and no one touches me."<br />
Sad.<br />
<br />
And then there was Elton John and Kiki Dee (has anyone ever heard of Kiki Dee since?) and the duet "Don't Go Breakin' My Heart".<br />
"Don't go breaking my heart<br />
I couldn't if I tried<br />
Honey if I get restless<br />
Baby you're not that kind"<br />
<br />
I got a kick out of imagining me and VvonV recording that duet. Just for cheesiness.<br />
<br />
Moved on to Pink Floyd-<br />
"So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell,<br />
blue skies from pain.<br />
Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail?<br />
A smile from a veil?<br />
Do you think you can tell?<br />
Very short, very sad song. But one of those songs where it's completely linked to the album, in your head, to where when it's over, you expect the next song on the album to start- which doesn't happen on a radio station.<br />
<br />
Then on to SuperTramp-<br />
"So you think your schooling's phoney<br />
I guess it's hard not to agree<br />
You say it all depends on money<br />
And who is in your family tree"<br />
<br />
I do have to say that among all of the concerts I saw in my teens, SuperTramp has to be one of the very best. Their songs are 'crisp'. Stellar.<br />
<br />
Then there was-<br />
<br />
"Wake up Maggie, I think I got something to Say to You"..<br />
In my mind, a perfect example of a solo/wank that works. Generally I hate solos, because they are usually just wank-a-thons with no redeeming purpose. But in this song, it's integral, and it just plain works. If it wasn't there, you'd miss it.<br />
<br />
That's just a sampling of the songs I heard today. Thinking about it, it'd be kind of funny if VvonV and I recorded 'Muscrat Love', too. Cheese factor.<br />
<br />
I would be remiss to not give this link to what I consider to be a genius song- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Exr-DOWJ3A0&feature=player_embedded#">Lake Marie</a><br />
This one is close- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y_BCQ9xMwM">Jupiter and Teardrop</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.vegan-o-rama.com</div>GloryBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607481395187073431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605903011541104311.post-1655776647005496652009-10-01T13:41:00.000-07:002010-02-07T06:54:50.474-08:00Why Jury Duty Sucks<strong>Who Can Afford to be on Jury Duty?</strong><br />
<br />
VvonV has recently been scheduled for Jury Duty. He got the mailed order, and had the option to lie in order to get out of it, but he didn't.<br />
<br />
So, yesterday morning he had to report downtown at court for Jury Duty. Meaning, that he missed work. Most people don't know that if you do Jury Duty, your employer has no obligation to pay you while you miss work.<br />
<br />
Meaning, that VvonV missed a day's work, and will not get paid for it. <br />
<br />
There are all kinds of ways to get out of Jury Duty. The most obvious of these would be making statements that show you are racist. There are a ton of other commonly known ways. The thing is, VvonV didn't resort to any of those things. It's one of the million reasons why I love him to death. <br />
<br />
But, he's been brought back again today. Which means another day with no pay. As far as I know, the only reimbursement you can get for Jury Duty is parking fees, which for VvonV would be about $7 a day.<br />
<br />
It doesn't look good, in that he hasn't been sent home yet today- I hope he's not going to be signed on. We cannot afford for him to not get paid for days/weeks/months of him being on a Jury, just because he is an honest person. <br />
<br />
I can't count the times I've gotten screwed over because I was honest. I understand why a lot of people are dishonest- you get rewarded for it. For some people, I'm guessing myself and VvonV, it's just impossible not to be honest, even when you are aware of what being honest will entail. What it will cause.<br />
<br />
I just hope whoever he's being kept on for will plead guilty or have their case dismissed, because we absolutely cannot afford for him to not get paid while he's serving as a juror. And it's not likely he'll be dismissed, because he's the perfect combo of being a minority (spanish) as well as being destructively honest. He's an attorney's wet dream.<br />
<br />
<b>UPDATE</b><br />
He ended up losing over a week on this jury duty. For which he had to pay for lunch everyday down by the courthouse... with a reimbursement of about $80 for his mileage and gas. It was about some Indian (from India) gangster who'd assaulted another by using some Indian bracelet as 'Brass Knuckles' on his face. Guilty, but got no time even with prior convictions. WTF? I wish selfish people like that would think of other people. The judge, prosecutor, lawyers all get paid, but all the people on that jury (and their families) suffered lost wages, just to see them get convicted... and then slapped on the wrist and let go. I can see why people lie through their teeth to avoid jury duty- we really needed that week of VvonV's pay that he didn't get because of some selfish criminals.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.vegan-o-rama.com</div>GloryBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607481395187073431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605903011541104311.post-40502376384917436222009-10-01T12:51:00.000-07:002009-10-01T13:30:12.793-07:00Dogs on Chains<strong>If There's Anything I HATE, it's Dogs on Chains</strong><br /><br />Today, on the way to driving Z to school, I saw a little puppy stuck on a four-foot leash attached to a fountain in the front of someone's yard. Puppy yelping and all that.<br /><br />I live in one of THE best neighborhoods in town. So good, in fact, that I will probably shortly not be able to financially continue to live here. Suffice to say, it's not a barrio.<br /><br />I drove past slowly, and the homeowner came out and stared at me aggressively. I didn't say anything, I just shook my head.<br /><br />Later this morning, I drove past again, and the puppy was still there. Again, the homeowner stared/glared at me. This time I stopped. The guy approached my car and said- 'Do you have a problem?'<br />To which I said, yes. I do have a problem with people who chain their dogs.<br /><br />But here's the key, and it might help other people who care about animals- I did not say it in an aggressive way, even though I was approached aggressively. I said it in a sympathetic way... and added that I used to have an animal welfare organization in Santa Barbara years ago.<br /><br />So how it turns out is this- (his story) He found this abandoned puppy on his worksite and took it home. He was working in the yard, and wanted the puppy to be near him, but didn't want him running in the street, since he'd recently had a hit and run on one of his cats.<br /><br />Context is everything. <br /><br />Having a dog restrained, but near you, such as working in the yard, is a really good thing. Eventually they will learn to shadow you while you work, without running into the street. The fact that the puppy was yelping was not because it was being restrained needlessly, it was yelping because it was not near enough (in it's opinion) to it's new owner. Those are all good things, if the owner deals with them correctly.<br /><br />End being- his work entails things that VvonV and I might need, so it's a good resource. People are less likely to cheat or screw people over when they live down the block from each other.<br /><br />Rich people and poor people alike, good neighborhoods and bad neighborhoods alike- you never know what people are doing with their pets. You can't assume just because you live in a good neighborhood that people are not abusing their pets. The key is whether or not you will confront what appears to be pet abuse, and how you approach it. If I had approached this in a confrontational attitude, I doubt I ever would have found out what the real situation was. I probably would have been told to fuck off. And I would have left thinking that this was an animal-abusing person.<br /><br />I think this is a flaw that a lot of animal activist and vegetarian people have. That they get confrontational when there's no need to. I can't think of any situation that's ever been resolved peacefully when approached aggressively. There are a lot of people who have been long-term vegetarians because of their association with me, and it was never confrontational. Providing free vegetarian food without a sermon seems to me to be pretty effective. Telling people that 'Meat is Murder' might be true, but it will only isolate the people you are trying to reach. Cooking vegetarian food, and being generous with it will make better of an impression. People rarely change their viewpoints when they are put on the defensive. I have no doubt this applies to many other topics than animal rights or vegetarianism.<br /><br />Being involved with animal concerns or vegetarianism often sucks, because you are constantly being bombarded with reports of cruel things that just break your heart- but there are other things that happen once in a while that make you feel better. Today was one of those days for me. It was nice to hear that someone was doing something to allow their pet to be near them while they were working.<br /><br />All that aside- Yes, I do hate the chaining of dogs. I can't think of a better way to develop a neurotic, aggressive, unhappy dog that will happily bite your child's face off. If you have to chain your dog, you do not need to have a dog. I doubt that chaining your husband or wife (which is also pretty common, though it rarely involves physical chains) would have better results.<br /><br />Bottom line, in my opinion, is that chaining of dogs is cruel. If you have to chain your dog in order to force it to stay with you, then you are better off not having dogs. And they'd certainly have a better life not being around you. Give them to someone who doesn't chain them.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.vegan-o-rama.com</div>GloryBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607481395187073431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605903011541104311.post-69975417089790291092009-10-01T11:28:00.000-07:002009-10-01T12:08:33.844-07:00Microsoft XBox Live Billing Practices<strong>Does Microsoft XBox Live engage in Shifty Billing Practices?</strong><br /><br />One of the sucky things about having Fibro and CEBV is that it makes it very difficult to be organized. I used to be massively OCD- I knew my bank balance to the penny on any given day, planned grocery shopping and menu planning a month in advance, had all of my Christmas presents purchased AND wrapped by the summer before. Luckily, I didn't have the constant hand-washing type. Any drawbacks I might have had were overshadowed by my extreme organization.<br /><br />After having Fibro and CEBV, not so much. What I'm left with is the need to have all labels on all products in my house (including pantry, medicine cabinet, fridge and freezer, cds, books) facing forward. Like most Fibro sufferers, my short-term memory is for shit. Meaning, that I often give out my phone number from 10 years ago instead of the one I've had for 6 years. Or my previous address. Or the ones from Santa Barbara from 18 years ago. Somehow I store information, I just don't have access to it until at least a year later. That sucks.<br /><br />What is my point? Well, in researching the crack-head billing that VvonV has gotten from Virgin Mobile (that's going to be a separate entry), I realized that I have been charged all kinds of fees from Microsoft XBox Live. Years ago, I would have noticed the same day I was charged, since I was on top of every bill or speck of dust that appeared.<br /><br />As it stands, I realize that over the last 3 months, I have been charged over $125 in billing from Microsoft XBox Live. It started on 7/15 with an $49.99 charge, and follows with 7 more charges in the amounts of either $6.25 or $12.50. I did not authorize any of these charges.<br /><br />I have purchased other Microsoft downloads, to which I submitted my credit card info. I signed my son up for XBox live, under the impression it was free. Since my son has no access to my credit card, I'm guessing Microsoft used my CC info from my previous orders in order to process these charges.<br /><br />I'm also going to guess that while my son was playing his XBox, he was presented with options of further game-playing, and that he clicked 'yes' to those, not knowing (how could he.. or me?) that they were not free, and would be charged to my credit card. And that they were automatically charged to my stored CC information. That's my guess now, anyway.<br /><br />Obviously, I am going to contest these charges. It seems crazy that a game geared towards children should allow them to charge things to their parent's CC.<br /><br />Solutions? I think having a password would be helpful. That would mean that when XBox tries to solicit a child into racking up charges, their parent would have to punch in a password agreeing to those charges, since the are the ones paying for it. Alternately, if they would send an email confirming a supposed 'charge', it would alert the parent that a charge has been made, so they don't discover it by accident 3 months later.<br /><br />Just last month I had to contest a 900 charge on my phone bill. Seems that my youngest son was playing RuneScape, and someone came on and promised him some great weapon if only he would call 'x' number. Well, that 'X' number somehow captured our telephone number, and charged my ATT phone account two charges of 9.95. For nothing, as my son obviously was not given what was promised. He is too young to understand that people generally suck and are exploitive. Contacting ATT, I was able to reverse the charges, as their check showed that the number called was not a business, it was a number capture site. We were lucky it was reversed, and that it was only for $20 and not $200 or $2000.<br /><br />So- I'm not liking the charges from XBox, and am now going to have to talk to my son about them- even though I can't find any info online about how to contest them, or even what they are for. <br /><br />The practice of businesses stopping sending 'real' invoices or statements out gets hyped by how they are saving so many trees, but that's really worthless if they don't send email invoices or statements. I am an 'out of the closet' treehugger, yet I disagree with not getting a paper or email invoice or statement.<br /><br />Virgin Wireless is guilty of this as well. I only found out about these charges by researching excessive Virgin charges, which I didn't see because my credit union has stopped sending paper statements.<br /><br />Whatever happened to just running an honest business?<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.vegan-o-rama.com</div>GloryBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607481395187073431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605903011541104311.post-11085506654731246902009-09-21T15:20:00.000-07:002009-09-21T17:14:41.588-07:00Teenaged Twitter Rocket Wasteland<strong>Hannah Montana, er, Solo has Once again Dignified this Site to ..? Not Sure What She Intended to Do</strong><br /><br />I remember being a teenager. It wasn't like how everyone else describes it, how they think they're invincible and smarter that their parents and all that. I had a very harsh beginning, and grew up early. I started working as a waitress when I was 14, and got out of high school early and into college my Junior year. I moved out of my parents' house, and using money I'd saved waitressing and modelling, opened my own licensed and bonded Modelling and Talent agency when I was 17.<br /><br />I now have 2 children who are in the "GATE" programs, and the last thing I'd like them to do is listen to spoiled teenaged brats who don't know how to work, and who in their blogs encourage children to just drop out of school to 'blog' for a living. I sincerely hope my children don't do poorly on their college entrance tests like the people who advocate that did.<br /><br />That said- it's all well and nice that Miss Hannah has decided to hop my site. She sure hasn't been blogging on her site for pretty much forever, even though she claims to be a 'blogger'. However, I will humour her, much as I would my own children, when they talk about things they thing they know something about, but really don't. I call it 'real life'.<br /><br />So forgive me for being Snarky, but as an adult and a parent, when I hear teens trying to talk all grown up, it brings out the snark in me.<br />________________________<br /><br />Here's Miss Hannah's commetns-<br /><br /><em>Since you've calmed down a little maybe it's time to clear the air with some reasoned argument.</em><br /><br />I don't personally care enough about 'get rich quick' schemes (whether they work or not, to have ever been 'not calm'.<br /><br /><em>Your review makes it obvious that you still haven't purchased a copy. Which means you were probably given the fake copy that the SWBN were hawking around last Friday night, for around 10 minutes before they got shut down.</em><br /><br />The reason it might seem obvious that I have never purchased the Twitter Rocket is because I have said in my posts over and over that I have not. Doesn't take a genius to figure that one out. I do not personally know anyone from the SWBN- but if I'm not mistaken, either them or that guy from the Phillipines were the first people to sound the alarm about the Twitter Rocket, not me. I don't take claim for sniffing that out first.<br /><br /><em>The truth (and you can believe me or not, I don't really mind) is that SWBN never had Twitter Rocket and were taken off line for passing off there own little creation.</em><br /><br />If you have sold as many Twitter Rockets as you all claim, I don't believe you could know whether you or the millions of affiliates sold a copy to them. Unless you have a 'blacklist'.<br /><br /><em>350,000 followers from distributed sources all aimed at an account has a big impact.</em><br /><br />I don't recall myself or the SWBN claiming otherwise. But that is not something you can review in an eBook, which is what we essentially have reviewed.<br /><br /><em>Registered users are the only ones who can access it - that's why the reviews written by people who didn't pay for it (like you, I'm guessing) don't mention it.</em><br /><br />And that might be problematic, since I can't find one review of anyone experiencing the little social network y'all are wanting to talk about now.<br /><br /><em><strong><strong>That is all there is to it. Sure, there are instructions on how to do a few things to make your account more attractive and to optimize it but the part that all the bogus reviews (done by people who aren't registered users) miss is the network push.</strong></strong></em><br /><em>You can't really argue with numbers either.</em><br /><br />I could argue it, but I tend to avoid trying to argue with teens. I do find it a little disconcerting that you dismiss the eBook so easily, as if it was 'nothing'.<br /><br /><em>I have been using it for 3 months and have around 20,000 followers. I got every single one with Twitter Rocket. I didn't pull them out of thin air, I didn't use any tricks. </em><br /><br />I have no doubt that you have followed 20k people, and have gotten 20k anonymous people to follow you. No matter how it was gained, Twitter shows it. I would have to be a moron not to acknowlege that. But...What I wonder about is how that helps you or anyone at all. As far as I've heard, you have no business. You haven't created any product to sell. So why would it matter if you had 20k or 100k followers?<br />If you really think marketing the Twitter Rocket is going to be a lifetime job for you, then I'm speechless. Much like I often am when I hear teen logic.<br /><br /><em>I use the automated ad script to send out advertisements from time to time. Certainly nothing that would cause any TOS problems.</em><br /><br />And I think the SWBN touched on that- that you have to be careful not to bee 'too<br /> abusive with your ads.<br /><br /><em>And yes I make money from it. A lot of money. Because there is a lot of interest in the product - both negative and positive - which makes it very easy to sell.</em><br /><br />And that's great for you, honey. I was kind of worried when I read some of your posts about wanting flashy cars and big houses. Because any 'smart' person of any age always invests their money in tangible property that keeps it's value- not impressive crap that loses 3/4 of it's value in a month.<br /><br /><em>The SWBN ran their article and got caught telling lies. It was obvious. Their review claimed to be about one thing, defamed that one thing, and then proved that they never had it in the first place by failing to mention anything genuine about the real product.</em><br /><br />I read their review, and I am of the opinion that they 'stated their opinion' but did not lie. If fact, I did not find it to be as harsh of a review as they could have done. They were fairly even-handed.<br /><br /><em>Their supporters sprang into action, crying foul, but the fact that what they had revealed wasn't a reveal at all. It was, as you have found out, just a bunch of stuff that anyone could get from the internet.</em><br /><br />I am going to guess you really didn't mean to say that all the info from the eBook was easy stuff you could get from the internets. Did you? Because that would mean the eBook should have been given away for free *from a marketing standpoint* and people only charged for the automated feed and the luxury of the internet friendship of the likes of you and AM.<br /><br /><em>You can't copy and give away something that requires personal verification and registration. That's what makes review like this one a little comical because, as I already mentioned, registered customers just roll their eyes and see straight through it.</em><br /><br />You are right that you cannot give away some little scheduling program that needs an authorization key. But you can certainly give away eBooks. And it appears people have been giving those away since they began to be sold. Of course, it would be snarky of me to point out that there are other free programs out there that also will schedule and post Tweets. For free.<br /><br /><em>Your attack on Upstart Blogger (not the Upstart Blogger or the people behind Upstart Blogger as you keep calling him) is pretty silly as well and shows that you know nothing about what he has achieved, and the respect he has earned, since he launched that blog in 2004.</em><br /><br />I have never once said anything bad about the Upstart Blogger or it's founder. In fact, I stated I had been reading the blog. Of course, now I'm realizing I was probably reading back posts when it belonged to someone else, but the site itself did have some useful information on it. You can claim whatever you want. Until you come up with proof that I ever have written anything personally about Ashley or the Upstart Blogger, then you should keep your little mouth shut, Missy.<br /><br /><em>Writing a bad review is not something that should attract such violent outbursts and I honestly don't see why your previous outbursts ended in such ridiculous conflict. </em><br /><br />I have no clue what that babbling was about. I wuold have to personally care about the TR in order to have 'violent outbursts'. How exactly does one 'think' one thinks another person is doing that in cyberspace? Make up your mind- did I or did I not write a previous 'bad review'? You know the answer is that NO, I never wrote any review at all up til now.<br />I have been very honest in that I have never previously written a review about the Upstart Blogger... but when 7 of you diehards spam Tweets- most of them clones of each other withing minutes, I've really had to hold my tongue about the claim it was not 'spam'. It's like gum wrappers and aluminum cans on the highway. You could at least get together and agree to stagger your auto tweets.<br />Oh wait, yes I do, it was because a bunch of people allowed themselves to get into a mono syllabic fight which soon degenerated into something much much nastier.<br /><br /><em>I'd also like to take this opportunity to reach out to you, GloryBug (see, I did it again, just for you) on my Twitter account @blogginghannah so you can watch Twitter Rocket being used. No commitment, if you want a tour I'll give you a tour. If you don't, if you want to keep relying on fake stuff that you get from websites that get closed down for passing off, then that's cool too.</em><br /><br />Or, Hannah, you could stop being a self-absorbed teenager and watch other people, like me, do what they do on Twitter. Which is to try to raise money for charities that adults care about. Or to discuss their children. Or to talk about what would probably be the biggest change you could ever do in your life, or for the world, which is to go vegetarian or vegan. I am an artist, writer and musician, as well as a mother (which is THE most important thing), and my beloved VvonV is a writer and musician who is currently recording his 5th album. I seriously doubt that any 'teenager' could give me a tour about anything. I am pretty sure we both have been there, done that with our respective bands and tours.<br /><br />How about we turn this around, and I give you some tips on your 'tour' in life that you pretty much even haven't started yet? I'd say stay in school. I'd say, no matter how much money you claim you're making- get a job. Be an adult. Learn some responsiblility. Stop telling other people's children that all your teenaged knowlege qualifies you to tell them to drop out of school and 'blog'. That's teenaged idiocy at it's finest.<br /><br />I'll leave your little backlink here to your account on my blog, but only because the TR people have made it clear they will call conspiracy theory on anyone who doesn't. So- if you have any intention of contacting teenaged Hannah (please forgive me if you've turned the ripe age of 20 since your last reported age), contact her here. <br /><br />I'd like to reassure you, Miss Hannah, that all the men who will take you up on your Twitter offer only want to get next to your magnificent brain. Because men really respect and listen to business advice given by teens who've never had a real job. If it looks like they're looking at your tits, don't worry- they're just looking for our name tag.<br /><br /><br /><em>Same goes for any of your readers. If you want to see Twitter Rocket at work visit me at my twitter account http://www.twitter.com/blogginghannah and I'll happily connect with you and give you a tour / answer any direct questions etc. et.<br /><br />See. We're not all that bad. Rich, maybe. Nasty, no. Life's too short.</em><br /><em>One more thing. The real ebook that accompanies the Twitter Rocket system doesn't mention money at all. More proof that you haven't got / see / purchase the real thing.</em><br /><em>But, since a lot of you want to read numbers, in my experience some people make a little money, some people make a lot.</em><br /><br />Now, see, that's one thing you and your friends always forget to say. That I never said the e-book claimed to make big money. It didn't. It's the 3 post a year bloggers, and the no website posters that keep garbaging up Twitter with their repeating tweets. Have you even searched "Twitter Rocket" on Twitter? If you have, it will be clear it's being tweeted hourly with canned messages that link back to no real websites. It's all affiliate links.<br /><br />You Twitter Rocket people need to synchronize your advertising tweets so that y'all don't say the same empty affiliate linked thing every hour. Maybe Twitter Rocket "4" could work on that... snynchronizing the auto-tweets to vary the canned messages and stagger them throughout the day.<br /><br /><em>My earnings are probably about average.<br />The only Twitter / Income equation I have ever used myself is that 10,000 followers can easily be turned into $1,000 a week. But that is my own experience and not something that was taught or suggested to me.</em><br /><br />Well, I think that's funnier than shit, since you are selling 4-5 Twitter Rockets a day. You'd think SOMEONE else besides you would come forward and show proof of earnings. Maybe some of the 4-5 people a day you've claimed to have sold to in the last couple of months? And not the kind statement that you originally showed, where it was obvious someone had photoshopped something about the statement.<br /><br />My bottom line is this- I am going to stick by my review. I said it did not appear to be a fraud, pyramid scheme, MLM ar scam. I just didn't think the script or the 'friendship' with certain people was even worth $97.<br /><br />I absolutely believe that if you want to accumulate 10k followers on Twitter using this program, according to the eBook I saw, you can do it. Unless you have a specific niche that isn't called 'get rich quick'. What you want to do with those 10k followers is your own business- if you actually have a business.<br /><br />As far as trying to be nice to me on my own blog here- I don't need it. You already called me old and ugly, bitter, and? and? just because I questioned your photoshopped earnings. I have not felt the need to post on your blog, because you don't write. You aren't a blogger. You write on average once in a couple of months when you got your knickers in a twist- and this is what you advise kids to drop out of school for? I am an adult woman, and I don't need your immature teenaged girl support at all.<br /><br />I understand that you are all confused about the fact that I didn't write a horrible review as you were anticipating, but you'll get over it.<br /><br />In fact, it will give you time to ponder what marketing brainfuck went wrong by having all the Twitter Rocket people cybernet gangbang people they 'thought' were a threat.<br /><br />I can say that if my website were shut down, even temporarily, for the GENERIC review that the SWBN did, I would not be as nice about it. I'd probably go to small claims to make you pay any fees I incurred. I can also say, I have no respect for pansy-asses who cry wolf every time someone says something about them that they don't like, and has to report it to the teacher. Are y'all adults, or are you grade school children? Get over yourselves.<br /><br />And like I said before, I can guarantee that the typos I have seen in the 4 eBooks I've been sent for review will match those put out by the UB. It is the same hugely widespaced, white spaced eBook.<br /><br />You can't threaten or sue or shut down my site for me saying I think the product does the minimal that the PRODUCT (not the Tweeters) claims to do. And you can't claim anything else, because I have not and would not ever want to make a dime off your mediocre product. In fact, I'd like to be repaid for the time I've had to spend moderating all the NASTY things your people have posted on my site= against me, and trying to impersonate me and slander me.<br /><br />As it stands, I'll call it even. I have to. I have my beloved VvonV and my children to attend to- and I'm not trying to be rude, but they are more important than you.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.vegan-o-rama.com</div>GloryBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607481395187073431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605903011541104311.post-18617683479105794772009-09-21T09:28:00.000-07:002009-09-21T11:03:27.734-07:00Twitter Rocket Review<strong>Don't Mess with the Zohan... eh, I mean the Twitter Rocket</strong><br /><br />As I have said previously, I have never tried to review the Twitter Rocket myself, because it would be silly for me to if I hadn't actually bought a copy.<br /><br />Thing is, that within the last few weeks it isn't true that I have never seen the product, because now I have received 4 different copies of it.<br /><br />I was going to wait, after opening a special Twitter account just for that, in order to review it. But now that they've gotten so aggressive about a website for just telling the truth, I am going to come forward and back them up.<br /><br />I have a different way of reviewing things than other people may. I am not going to link to anyone's page that has reviewed it positively or negatively, but you can find them on the internet yourself. I don't review products step-by-step on the product's terms- I review them in my own way. Saying that, and having read the SWBN review, I cannot disagree with anything they said, even though I would not have approached it that way.<br /><br />____________________________________________________<br /><br /><strong>Here's the skinny about the Twitter Rocket, acoording to me</strong><br /><br />The Twitter Rocket marketing on Twitter and on people's personal web pages, where they claim boundless income, is not reflected in the eBook. If I'm not mistaken, the only time the eBook mentions possible income, they claim you 'might' be able to make $1000 a month.<br /><br />While the eBook itself does not push selling the product as the 'main' moneymaking venture, nor does it push website posting on ANHosting (which a lot of the websites were doing) it doesn't really give any information about how a huge increase of Twitter followers will make you more money. So while the majority of the TR websites I have followed have not posted any original content or appear to exist for any other reason than to resell the Twitter Rocket, the eBook does not focus on that much, other than tell you how to do it yourself without a website.<br />_________________________<br /><br />I do agree with the SWBN in that it isn't just an eBook. It includes a auto-script which I will concede could be claimed as a 'product'. I can say that I don't get why the eBook was broken down into different days, other than to spread the effort out a little, and to give the impression that it's a 'system'. There was nothing in the eBook that a person could not find on the internets within a couple of hours... other than the auto-script Twitter feature. But other variations of that are on the internets right now as well.<br /><br />I agree with the SWBN that some of the suggestions are borderline abuse of Twitter TOS, and that the eBook recommendations detail how to push that envelope without being banned for spam or TOS violations. <br /><br />I do think it's funny that the website that created the Twitter Rocket, as well as a couple of the higher ups in that group really shouldn't complain about people questioning the Twitter Rocket, when by their own boasts, their claim to fame was discounting, discrediting, badmouthing and calling spammers of people who essentially are doing nothing more than they are.<br /><br />Based on what I read, do I believe if you follow the very basic guidelines the eBook suggests (it's a bit scant, and there was a LOT of white space in the eBook), you could achieve 20k followers in 6 months? Yes. But I think that would be more likely for younger or teenaged people who are not marketing or selling anything, and who are only interested in having MORE followers than their peers. Because I think it would be difficult if your niche was anything other than 'make money quick' fellow followers, that you would achieve those numbers.<br /><br />I know that for my specific niches, it would be unreasonable to even have 10k followers who shared the same interests as myself. <br /><br />I honestly was not impressed with the eBook. It took me less than 5 minutes to read (granted, I am a pretty talented speed-reader), because it had a lot of white space. But the info it provided was nothing a cursury search of the internets could have provided. I am not going to comment on the auto-script thing that came with them, because I did not try to access them. I don't know how the auto-script thing would compare against the available auto-scripts being offered for free on the internets. I would question whether it would be worth more than low-end shareware.<br /><br />I guess that's where the marketing comes in. That is where I've really had my problems. I do not like at all the spamming/littering and duplicate/multiple posts every day by TR affiliates who are not even follwing the eBook by essentially spamming- because you are not offering unique or interesting info. You're just Tweeting about how great the TR is, and providing a direct ordering link with your affiliate number to te Upstart Blogger. I have a problem with the marketing, which was why I was so surprised to see that the eBook did not reflect at all what all the Twittering people keep spamming about. I can honestly say the eBook (as far as I remember) did not once claim grandiose income, unlike the people on the internet promoting it.<br /><br /><strong>In My Opinion</strong><br /><br />Is it an MLM Marketing plan? No. The eBook does not claim to pay you a percentage of your recruits (after your first $47 cut), nor does it ask you to recruit others in order to get paid commissions on their sales. (I have not bought the 'product', but the eBook does not emphasize that).<br /><br />Is it a Ponzi Scheme? No- because it does not appear they are using first secondary investory's money to pay previous investor's interest.<br /><br />Is it a scam? In my opinion, (according to only the eBook, and not what the TR spammy promoters who are claiming specific dollar amounts of earnings say) the eBook does not qualify as a scam. It does qualify as a waste of money, since the information contained within is easily available on the internets if you can take the time to research it. I'm going to guess that the script component is not a scam, unless it does not allow you to automate your tweets as it claims. I'm going to guess it does, though I am uneasy about how long Twitter will tolerate that type of usage. I think the SWBN was right in their different TOS violations Twitter might find with it eventually. I also wonder how enforceable the 'lifetime support' could be. I do think that it's possible that any Twitter Rocket social networking would result in generic Twitter follwers, though I still maintain I can't see the point in it, nor that it's worth $97. I would never in good consconsience sell this product to any family or friends.<br /><br />I think it's closest to a dead-end product, in that it does not sell a re-ordering or consumale product, and after a while the market will be saturated with a product nobody wants. At that point, once everyone starts pulling out, it will resemble a pyramid scheme.<br /><br />I also wonder if the Twitter Rocket hasn't shot themselves in the foot by some of their more rabid promoters being so abusive on people's websites, claiming all kinds of conspiratorial theories... since I can't see how a business that called themselves the 'Twitter Rocket' would not attract attention of attorneys for Twitter for copyright infringement. It seems a self-destructive move to accuse other people of anything that would draw the atention of people you were personally illegally using the copyrighted name of.<br /><br />Lastly, for anyone who doubts that I've been given 4 copies over the last 3 weeks, of the Twitter Rocket, I proofread the eBook, and can provide a statement of exactly which words were incorrectly spelled, as well as inproper syntax, punctuation and generic language errors, which, if I truthfully received copies of the Twitter Rocket, one check will match the errors in the copies of other people who have bought the 'system'.<br /><br />I can also say that if people do not stop posting libelous things on my website, filling them with racist spam and anonymous bile-spewing, including that I am somehow posting under other names on my own comments section, I will break with my standard, and I will post every date-certified email post that I have received over the last 3 months from all kinds of Twitter Rocket people regarding the Twitter Rocket. I'll post every single personal email address, since the Twitter Rocket people have been exspecially nasty about purposefully posting my real life name again and again as harrassment- and then everyone can sort out who's email address IPs are from who. As I've said before, I'm not interested enough or computer savvy enough to be bothered to have done that myself before now.<br /><br />But- when you have a good product, you don't need a bunch of abusive people to essentially 'piss' on other people's websites. I won't personally look into the personal background of every Twitter Rocket person who has emailed me, but I'm pretty sure since this is not the only website they've harrassed, there are more than a few other people who would be interested in finding out who YOU are, and posting YOUR real name on the internets as you've done mine.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.vegan-o-rama.com</div>GloryBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607481395187073431noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605903011541104311.post-49074285718284179082009-09-21T08:25:00.000-07:002009-09-21T09:28:04.085-07:00Twitter Rocket Bullies?<strong>If Rust Never Sleeps, then I guess the Twitter Rocket never Naps</strong><br /><br />I take a few days off while I'm tweaking my new Studio laptop up (yes, I got a new one, and VvonV got a replacement Studio14z, both of which I'll review soon), and pandemonium appears to have broken loose.<br /><br />Not like it wasn't headed that way anyway- the Twitter Rocket Advocate people have been some of the most aggressive and least tactful promoters of a product I've seen in quite a while.<br /><br />The latest debacle is that it appears they've made copywrite claims against the SWBN, a website that dared to review their product. Claims that resulted in the website and apparently their FaceBook site being suspended.<br /><br />The content of what had been posted is no longer available on their site, but I was able to access it on cached Google pages.<br /><br /><strong>The Breakdown</strong><br /><br />From what I read, it appears they simply went over each of the steps provided without plagarizing or claiming credit for the 'product' in the eBook and gave their personal opinion about them. I did not see anywhere where they slandered the Twitter Rocket or anyone involved with it- nor did they seem to be able to prove the main core of what the Twitter Rocket claims- that the product might be able to increase your Twitter followers numbers to not be true. I refuse to use the term 'grow your followers', because it seems grammatically incorrect.<br />The did question how relevant 'autofollowers' might be for any particular niche, which is something I had questioned.<br /><br />They did mention that there was a 'script' for automation along with the eBook, which my experience has shown is true. I have thus far received 3 copies of the Twitter Rocket package, and what they stated in their review matches each of the copies I have received, as far as content.<br /><br />It is very common to review products online, and as long as you do not claim their copywritten items were yours, or slander them, or reveal trade secrets, it really would be foolish for anyone to get aggressive and report your site for copyright infringment. Having an opinion is not copywrite infringement. It is not the opinion of anyone's products or ideas that constitute infringement, but the theft of those ideas and the making money from that and/or slander that would be the problem.<br /><br />I have not seen that the SWBN tried to make any money off the product, but I did read that they reported the'd bought it, and if they did, they were entitled to make money off it just like anyone else who bought it does. As far as some of the TR people claiming they've made money by increased traffic to their websites, I'd have to beg to differ.<br /><br />I have had an increase in traffic to my website since becoming interested in the Twitter Rocket- amost completely negative, as it appears to be only TR people, and their posts to the comments are at least tedious, and at most, borderline slanderous. I have actually seen a loss in the small amount of income I'd been getting from marketing on my sites since I started covering the TR marketing campaign. Not just in the main site that posted about it, but in my other, non-related sites as well. With nasty comments to ALL of my sites.<br /><br />I've also been accused of removing or not allowing comments, even whilst the comments on the posts about the TR are bloated. According to the TR people in their comments, I am smart enough to know how to block and edit comments, yet too stupid to know how to set my comments bar up properly; smart enough to post under my own comments under at least 7 various names, (by people who have posted anonymously)including being accused of being a man from the Phillipines, yet stupid enough to 'accidentally' post in my own comments as 'other' people under the same IP address. Stupid enough to anonymously post babbling, cussing, things. I've been accused in my own comments sections of being a liar, racist, promoting rape.. of people claiming they have personally emailed me when they have not, of just plain everything including the kitchen sink.<br /><br />I've been called 'old, ugly, bitter, jealous', amongst the myriad of accusations made by the TR people. <br /><br />At this point I'd like to ask that all of the anonymous people accusing me of posting as other people than 'glorybug', provide proof of it. Because claiming that with no proof is pretty much slander. That you personally post your 'so-called' proof publicly. Because one thing I know about life is that even though it sucks sometimes waiting for it, the truth always wins. And the truth is I only post under the name of 'glorybug', because I have underaged children. <br /><br />The one thing that a couple of Twitter Rocket promoters have gotten correct is that it's true that I've never reviewed the product or claimed that it did not work, because I had not purchased it. The not having reviewed it part is true, as it the never claiming it didn't work.<br /><br />But- not having a copy of it is not true. Because I do.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.vegan-o-rama.com</div>GloryBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607481395187073431noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605903011541104311.post-83663872754318125182009-09-17T14:21:00.000-07:002009-09-17T14:55:19.582-07:00Good Guys Lose<strong>Why Good Guys Lose</strong><br /><br />Um, they don't. That's really a misconception. I have met many guys who considered themselves to be 'good guys' who just plain weren't. <br /><br />I have met rude attractive men, and rude, unattractive men. There is no difference. Maybe some women want 'bad boys'? I've heard that, yet I have never met a single woman in my life that has told me that's what she wanted. All the women I've known seem to want people they can have a good relationship with.<br /><br />People who crave conflict? Eh- I don't know what to do with them.<br /><br />My Dad told me a long time ago--- Never marry anyone you don't have to stand on tiptoe to kiss. I'm not going to tell him this, but he's right. Having to stand on tiptoe means you have to work at it. You have to make an effort. Which you will do if you love someone. The part I won't tell him is that, yeah, regarding sex, it just works better if the male person is a little bit taller.<br /><br />He also said that men should always open the car door for the lady, or they are disrespectful. And, than men should always walk on the side of the street that has traffic. He actually wrote a book about his life, that I read to VvonV when we first got together. In over a year and a half, VvonV has not once ever not opened my car door. He has actually taught by example for my boys to open my car door. I remember being pregnant each time, and standing in the rain because my ex did not open my car door.<br /><br />But, my Dad went further- he said that any 'lady' who did not unlock or open the car door after she got in did not deserve the guy who had opened the door for her.<br /><br />Which I totally agree with. I make an effort to show VvonV and my boys how much I appreciate the respect they give me. I make an effort to do things that show respect for them. But, it never fails- we can be in a parking lot and people will stare when VvonV opens my car door.<br /><br />Summing it up- no... nice people don't always finish last. It just might take a while to get there. I've known VvonV for over 20 years- through other marriages and divorces, and I never thought of him personally because of the circumstances we were in. He is an incredibly good man, and I am lucky to have him. But, he's also nice. So it just isn't true that nice people finish last, or that nice people lose.<br /><br />You will notice that I don't claim that I am 'nice'. I think that I am, but experience has shown me that I am not deferential enough to be considered 'nice'. I have a brain, have opinions, and am not 'wishy-washy' enough to be considered a 'nice' girl. Which, according to VvonV is exactly why he likes me.<br /><br />I guess my point is- stop making excuses for why you don't have a relationship. Either change yourself to fit the shallow stereotype of who you want, or find the kind of person that you want. I am an artist, music player, and vegetarian, so it's a no-brainer that VvonV is all of those things and more. But the bottom line is that we both share an idea of no conflict. Above all, I'm guessing it's our conjoined idea of low conflict that gets us along. That, and the fact that I love him to death.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.vegan-o-rama.com</div>GloryBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607481395187073431noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605903011541104311.post-77425991916866304652009-09-17T14:00:00.000-07:002009-09-17T14:21:09.694-07:00Economic Stress Causes Rape<strong>According to the Fresno Bee, a Poor Paycheck Equals Rape</strong><br /><br />No joke. I wish I was kidding. The Fresno Bee has on it's front page a story about how rape is up 30 something percent, and they attribute it to 'economic stress'.<br /><br />I have a problem with that. It implies that generally 'women-loving' men will turn to rape if they have to cinch their belt a little tighter. I like men. In fact, except for 3 in my whole life, almost all of my friends and lovers have been men. I cannot imagine any of them raping people because they were short of money.<br /><br />I get that the Fresno Bee is hard up. All the conglomerate newspapers are now that people get most of their news on the internets. They've also scaled down it's size so that the paper is smaller than it used to be. And, obviously, they've cut down on reporting the news.<br /><br />I understand that there are some very bad people in the world. Like most of the people 'in charge' of the USA.<br /><br />Although I am a fairly girly-girl (and for those commenters who LOVE to use my real name as if it's insulting me, Colleen means 'girl' which I am really happy with, since I happen to be a girl), I have been accused at times (by men- go figure) as thinking too much like a man. Which I guess is because I genuinely like men. Not the stupid, crude, hormonal ones- the smart, critical thinking ones. They have their flaws, just like anyone else.<br /><br />Maybe I've just always hung around with non-rapist kinds of guys? I don't know. What I do know is that none of the men I've ever known would rape people because of economic hardship. I don't think any guy I've known has ever been in the 'rapey' kind of mood. Yeah, they complain about not having any sex, but they are always wanting a relationship (even when they think they are saying they don't)that includes sex. Don't we all? They all shut up real quick once they get a girlfriend.<br /><br />Are they all potential 'rapey' people? If the money doesn't roll in? I don't think so, and I think it is irresponsible and degrading to men that they had a front page article claiming just that. Yes, women get trashed on all the time, and degraded. But since I had my two boys, it opened my eyes about how often men get trashed about stuff that only a minority or their sex even commits. Essentially, in my book, men are good people. And my two boys are even better.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.vegan-o-rama.com</div>GloryBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607481395187073431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605903011541104311.post-54085831704838256302009-09-17T13:30:00.000-07:002009-09-17T13:58:40.146-07:00Growing Followers<strong>Growing followers- How often should you water them?</strong><br /><br />Maybe it's just me, but it's like nails on a chalkboard every time I read about someone 'growing' their business or their followers. Something about the syntax just bothers me.<br /><br />That said, my newest website is in production, and I'm hoping it turns out well. I understand that some people want a hands-off turnkey website, but I know from my experience that those kind of websites turn me off.<br /><br />From the research I've done regarding creating a website, I have now learned about and am painfully aware of when some website I surfed onto has 'canned' information. I know that my instinct was right, because on several occassions I have checked on the internet and found the exact same text on another site. Usually you can tell because it's horribly written, contains typographical errors, and usually makes no sense. I'm guessing it's because the owner hired some person to 'write' content for their site.<br /><br />I worked as a copywriter for a couple of years in Santa Barbara, and yes, it can be boring. But I would never put my name on a piece of crap that made no sense. I worked as an editor for a number of years, and it was always obvious when someone was hired for personal reasons rather than their literary skills. I always hated having to edit the work of someone that the higher-ups wanted to sleep with, because their writing was always appalling. And it made more work for me.<br /><br />So, whether anyone likes it or not- I write my own stuff. I'd like to make some money from it, but I certainly never want it to 'grow' my income. I prefer to 'grow' plants. Like tomatoes.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.vegan-o-rama.com</div>GloryBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607481395187073431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605903011541104311.post-28180777751009224732009-09-16T12:28:00.000-07:002009-09-16T13:58:45.845-07:00Controversy as AdvertisingEven Bad Publicity is Good Publicity?<br /><br />Not sure I really subscribe to that theory, but it appears a lot of people do.<br /><br />One thing I have learned to do (Because Fibro and CEBV and CMFPS are not a whole lot of fun to deal with) is have a sense of humour. About myself and others.<br /><br />So it is kind of a little bit funny that on my poorly read blog, the most comments have been made to my post stating that I should probably retire my interest in the Twitter Rocket.<br /><br />Which I was obviously wrong about. Not so much because the product is showing much gain, but because of how interesting it is see how emotionally people react to the topic.<br /><br />I can say a few things- It doesn't take a rocket scientist to have easily researched my real name, or for kind of angry sorts of people to try to dig at me by using it on my own blog. You'll notice I haven't removed any of those posts, if only because they are ill-intentioned but not threatening in any personal way.<br /><br />Also- I only post here- and almost anywhere else, as me- glorybug. I don't have alter-egos, and I am certainly not someone named Mary. Although I am now very curious what "the South will rise again' means in context to the topic. As a Californian, I must just not get the meaning of that. <br /><br />"Peter"- I agree with you absolutely. I have no problem with people trying to earn a 'living' for their family (I have one..I know)- what I have a problem with is people chasing money for money's sake. Obscene amounts of money that could help so many other people. Or animals. Or whatever charity you believe in- if you have a charity. And it is true that $15k could support a lot of families. It just won't buy them all a brand new flashy car.<br /><br />"Toby Anselm"- I have not received an email from you, as you and several others claim. I will go back over and post the names of the people I HAVE received emails from (and replied to), if it would make you happy. I find it a little low to claim you've sent email to people and they've ignored you, when that just isn't true. I have received a few emails from people using nicknames, all of whom I've replied to. Perhaps that might have been you. <br /><br />It is interesting, psychologically, that it bothers people that someone would like to make enough money to care for their family, but have no interest in being obscenely wealthy. I really don't know how to respond to that. It's my values, and this is my blog. Anything written on this blog will reflect those values. If or when I find what appears to be a solid way for people to make 'Just enough to support your family', I'll probably push the heck out of it.<br /><br />Being 'rich' does not make you prettier, or hunkier, more intelligent, more kind or considerate, more generous, or have a more likeable personality. It just allows you to buy more things, and if you make enough, to be able to buy shallow people (until you lose your money). Who wants that? Obviously some people do, and they aren't happy that I don't.<br /><br />I really have posted nothing inflamatory about this product, so it's kind of amusing that people have responded so vociferously to my mere questioning of its practicality and marketability longterm.<br /><br />Go figure.<br /><br />I have other things to do right now, such as pick up the boys from school, do homework, cook dinner- normal stuff. Maybe after I'm in bed I'll have time to research all of the names of the people who have commented here and/or emailed me, and see if I can even find a Twitter account for them. I have a feeling it will be difficult. Since they claim to be using Twitter Rocket to grow their followers, it should be easy, but (wink wink) I think it will be hard.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.vegan-o-rama.com</div>GloryBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607481395187073431noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605903011541104311.post-71891584478833048932009-09-13T01:57:00.000-07:002009-09-13T04:09:22.844-07:00Potawatomi- Genealogy- Zoe BrunoI am quite a big fan of genealogy. In years past, I used to do it somewhat infrequently for adoptees, as a sort of second income. It used to be interesting, though intensive work. You had to be able to think. Then came the constriction of the internet as a source of information. Everything that used to be free, like birth and death records became private information that you had to pay for.<br /><br />That was back when it was somewhat free to search on the internet. Now, even if you can locate some internet file with your family tree in it, some internet website 'owns' that information, and you have to pay to view it, because the people who posted it paid a fee to belong to the site, and essentially gave the rights to their genealogy to some website. I doubt the people who posted that information intended for some third party to make money off their research, but that's the way it appears to work now. Do any search for a family tree, and you will no doubt be faced with being asked to pay to see your own family tree.<br /><br />As an adoptee myself, I have done extensive research for other people, other adoptees, and myself, as I think my children deserve to have a clear idea of where they have come from, and what their lineage is.<br /><br />In doing that research, I have come to a roadblock, as many people do, with one person in my family tree. My research has shown me that a lot of other people who share Potawatomi lineage have come to a roadblock at this point as well.<br /><br />The Zink/Immel Ukrainian/Alsace connection has been pretty well documented back to about the 16-1700's, but the Bruno/Rhodd Native American side is harder to document, even though it is one of the supposed founding names of the Potawatomi tribe.<br /><br />What I do have at this point is this- <br /><br />At about Jan 04, 1812, Antoine Bruno (Brunow, Bruneau) was born in Maskingnonge, Quebec, Canada. His father was Jean Baptiste Bruno (Brunow, Bruneau), and his mother was Constance Blanchette.<br /><br />He married a Blackfeet Indian woman named 'Julia' who was born in 1823. She is described variously in different documents as being "Blackfeet", "sauvagesfe" and "Sansagrafe". (Sauvagesfe being some translation of French meaning 'Savage', and 'Sansagrafe' being a French translation meaning 'without staples, or without fasteners'- not sure if the meaning applies to clothing or lifestyle/location).<br />Antoine was married to at least 3 other white women, and had somewhat in the area of at least 19 children (whose ages overlap), so it's likely he wasn't really married to Julia at the time, but was doing some 'common law' type thing while possibly married to one of his other wives.<br />He had 3 children with Julia, one of whom was Zoe (Zoa, Zoie). At least one of the siblings, I think Jean Baptist, died on the trail with a French explorer. <br /><br />The three children are documented as being baptised, with their mother not being named as other than 'sauvaesfe' or 'Sansagrafe'. They were described as being very attractive, and their mother being very attractive. At this point I'm guessing this would make them 1/2 Blackfeet and 1/2 French Canadian.<br /><br />Zoe went on to marry Alexander Rhodd, in 1873. As far as I can tell, Alexander was born in 1850 and had a brother named Charley who married someone named Hellen(Helen). Alexander is on the Indian Rolls as full Potawatomi. On June 25, 1890, he marked his "X" on an agreement with the US. The Rhodds thereafter show up on census records as Potawatomi. If anyone has genealogy taking the Rhodds back further, I'd love to see it. Zoe also appears to have been married at least 2 other times, having children with familiar Potawatomi names such as Jacob DeLonais(DeHoney, DeLony) as well as Francois Bourbonais.<br /><br />Zoe and Alexander had Peter Albert Rhodd, who married into the Zink/Immel Ukrainian line with Julianna, who had Wendelina Rhodd- one of their children being Joseph Alexander Rhodd who married Anna Vietenheimer (Veidenhuener? also from the Ukraine), who had Gene LaVerne Rhodd, who eventually had me. I lose Anna at some point because of the proliferation of the 'Franks' or 'Franz' from Ukraine that could be her father, though it appears likely that they intermarried French or Alsace as well. Online records show the Rhodd brothers (and possibly cousins) as being drafted for WW1.<br /><br />I have come across something referring to 'Granny Zoa' or 'Granny Bruno', describing her as someone knowlegeable about herbs and medicine, but it was on restricted pages that I could not access. If anyone has that information for me, I would appreciate it.<br /><br />One thing that has come up in my personal research, as well as the research I've been paid to do, is that the fact that prior to the last 100 years, it was common for brothers and sisters and cousins to intermarry into the same families, and to then name their children after their parents, brothers and sisters. Which means you can end up with 4 different 'Zoe's' born within 15 years of each other. I've also learned that the Ellis Island documents are sketchy at best simply because it appears they sounded out people's names rather than transcribing them correctly. Ergo, Immels are documented as 'Imhels' and 'Immals' and Veitenheimers become 'Veidenheuners'. It appears that the majority of the Immel/Zink/Veitenheimers were of French/Ukrainian descent, and that they ended up in Canada and eventually Utah and Texas, (eventually eventually Oklahoma or Kansas reservations) depending on whether they linked with Native Americans. They appear to have liked Native Americans quite a bit!<br /><br />On the matrilineal side, I haven't gotten as far. I've only been able to trace substantively to a Robert Lee Ogden born 1918, married to a Lola (Iola?)Humphreys born 1922. There are obviously hints to prior Ogdens, as well as a Minnie Mary Errans(Arons?), Harley G. Humphreys (Humphries?) and Lutes. If I recall correctly, the Ogdens or Errans on that side were Kickapoo, Sac or Fox. Anyone with information about this would be highly welcomed as well.<br /><br />I would like to get somewhere with my matrilineal research- without paying websites for the privelege. I am at a point where I feel I may have to pay for birth/marriage records for the Ogden/Humphreys in order to pull it back further, but I'm ok with that. I'm not ok with paying to view internet family histories of those same people.<br /><br />And, if anyone has more information about the Bruno/Rhodd or Immel/Zink line, I would be more than happy to post it here, for free, for anyone to look at.<br /><br />It really annoys the shit out of me when people restrict information for money. Doing a service, which is what I do when I research adoptions or genealogy that other people don't know how to do, or don't want to take the time to do is in my opinion worthy of charging a fee for. It takes no effort or work at all to withhold information, so people who do that should not get paid for it. <br /><br />Everyone deserved the right to access to their own family history. Public documents should not be ownable. Just my opinion.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.vegan-o-rama.com</div>GloryBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607481395187073431noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2605903011541104311.post-60665769185216440922009-09-05T03:40:00.000-07:002009-09-05T04:44:45.435-07:00Retiring the Twitter Rocket<strong>Time to Stop Beating a Dead Horse</strong><br /><br />Now that's a strange thing for a vegetarian to say!<br />Over the last week I've been working on topics I'd like to post on here and on my other sites. I can't do much about it here until I get my new laptop, since I can't work very long in front of the big computer.<br /><br />But of those topics, I've realized that the whole Twitter Rocket thing has become tedious. There's never any news or developments to report. It isn't really news to say 'The same 10 people posted the exact same non-news twitter linking back to the Upstart Blogger (with their affiliate commission link, no doubt). And although there was the 'human' side to it at first, it's become clear that most of that is very negative. Which is kind of against my whole perspective in life. I usually try to avoid negative things.<br /><br />Plus, to be honest, it annoys me to no end that one of it's promoters advocates that teens drop out of high school to engage in internet fads, especially when (by their own admission) they now can't get into a decent college because of their bad grades. I'd rather die poor and educated than rich and stupid. Which is a good thing, because I probably will. Which is ok with me and VvonV, because we're both musicians, and I'm and artist and writer, so we really shouldn't expect much more.<br /><br />Among the millions of things I love about VvonV is that he has a curious mind. He is like me in that way, though he keeps his interests to physics and music, whereas mine often strays into politics and business. But, he is curious and open-minded, and he listens when I talk. More importantly, is probably that when he talks, I am genuinely interested in what he has to say. Those are all positive things. <br /><br />The thing about the Twitter Rocket and it's incessant promotion by it's 15 followers is its emphasis on being rich. Its' promoters criticise me as being jealous of their 'richness', among other things more petty. Or they imply that I don't think a 'person like them' should be rich. That's kind of psychologically telling, since I personally have no opinions of whether anyone deserves to be rich or not, so they must think they aren't.<br /><br />But the funny thing is that I have been "rich". Not all my life. My early childhood years were probably harsher than most, but after that I grew up in a pretty exclusive area- I chose for most of my adult life to be working middle class. For ten years, I was RICH. Richer than rich. Over $15,000 a month rich. Rich meaning I could buy anything I wanted. Anytime. I was pushed to buy expensive things, and I was given outrageously expensive things. Literally, nothing was too expensive. After a certain point when you live like that, nothing has any real value. Nothing has meaning- you just buy things.<br /><br />I have now been what would probably be called 'poor' for over 3 years now, and I can say with experience that those expensive things were garbage. They didn't last any longer than cheap things. I realize now that my unhappiness was not just the person I was with, but the lifestyle we led. He NEEDS to buy things to fill some empty void in his personna, but I don't. I don't have that hole. I have found a wonderful person to spend my time with, but he has not. I hope for his sake that someday he meets as shallow of a person that will appreciate being rich as he deserves. I can now go to movies and use a coupon to get a discount, which would have been a cardinal sin before. I can actually have a 'budget'. The things my fiancee does now actually mean something to me, because HE did it, and not some person who was paid to. My ex still has a housekeeper and a nanny (because he can't actually care for our children while they are with him), and a gardener, pool person, and a laundry service among all the people he pays to do everyday life things. We don't. We don't need to. We actually wash our own dishes, and we really don't ever have dreams that someday we'll be rich enough to pay someone else to. So the little jabs about jealousy are pretty stupid. And in my opinion, anyone who wants to be rich enough to pay people to wash their dishes are stupid and shallow.<br /><br />Any Google search will tell you that the majority of millionaires became so not out of spending, or earning, but from saving. That has always been my mindset, and it was very uncomfortable the years I spent being 'rich'. Because no matter how rich you are, there is nothing saved at the end of the month. Because VvonV and I are frugal, we will probably end up being millionaires just from saving- but it's not a goal. Our goal is to be happy with our lives and my kids.<br /><br />So, I have a problem with any product (and it could have been any I'd stumbled across- the Twitter Rocket just caught my eye) that promises 'riches'. I have been there and done that, and it does not fix the emotional holes in your life. It doesn't fix your grades and allow you to go to college, and it does not help you find the love of your life.<br /><br />I think I'm going to dump the Twitter Rocket and try to find some marketing idea to follow that only promises that you can make a living and support your family. Something where the 'followers' are positive and helpful. People who don't spam the same twitters all day long. I have a feeling those people will be more successful in the long run.<br /><br />In a year, we'll see who's been more successful overall. Me, or the core Twitter Rocket promoters.<br /><br />It's pretty sad when one of your few admitted users actually writes about their success with your product and you dog them. Ego problems? Just asking.<br /><br />I can't end this without commenting that I find it interesting that there is now a 'new' take on the Twitter Rocket that's 'only available to a few people' thing. I think I've said repeatedly that I think they'll have to push a new product right away.<br /><br />So, for anyone who wants to report their success with the Twitter Rocket- I will still post or link to your progress- but I think I'm going to stop writing anything about it. I'm going to try to focus on more positive ventures.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.vegan-o-rama.com</div>GloryBughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607481395187073431noreply@blogger.com88