The eHow UK Fiasco- What is Up with eHow's Backlinking?

IF IT LOOKS LIKE A SCAM, SMELLS LIKE A SCAM AND TASTES LIKE A SCAM, IS eHOW UK A SCAM?

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'.

(I'll be filling in some backstory on the whole thing tomorrow).

"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?

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.

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.

Also, when I click on the third link on Google when I search for eHow UK, it comes up with Garry Crystal, eHow UK
, 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?

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?

SOMETHING REALLY STINKS. "
________________________________

It's getting all over... I'll compile all the links I've found tomorrow- for now, here's a link 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.

Preliminary Questions for Twitter Rocket users

Twitter Rocket Interviews

I have received a few replies from Twitter Rocket users stating that they'd be willing to be interviewed about their experience with the Twitter Rocket. I did ask all of them for suggestions of questions they'd like asked, but did not get any responses. So until then, I thought I'd go ahead and post the questions I'd like answered.

How did you hear about the Twitter Rocket, and when?
Did you hear about it from people who were known to you, either through the internet or in person?
Do you personally know anyone directly responsible for the development of the Twitter Rocket?
Have you personally purchased the Twitter Rocket for the full advertised price?
If you did, do you have receipts of proof of purchase?
If you did not purchase the eBook, how did you receive the eBook?
How soon after your purchase did you receive the eBook?
Was it complete and were you able to understand it?
How soon were you able to implement the steps in the eBook?
Did you already have an established website or blog of at least a year before your purchase?
If not, how soon after the purchase did you start a website/blog?
How many posts does your website blog have now?
How many did it have before the purchase?
Do you have affiliate links or adsense or any other marketing income from your site besides the Twitter Rocket?
How often do you post on your site, and how many of your posts are content driven, and how many are affiliate driven?
How many of your posts are related to the Twitter Rocket, and how many are not?
Are you using AN Hosting as your host?
If not, who is your host?
Are you using a variation of the Upstart Blogger website style?
Are you a musician?
Has your previous website been shut down for any reason?
What is your blog/site about?
Do you sell products or provide a service other than promoting the Twitter Rocket?
Did you sell products or provide a service before you bought the Twitter Rocket?
Are you promoting the Twitter Rocket without having a website or blog at all?
If you had a preexisting business before your purchase, how were you marketing your product?
Have you followed the eBook and done the steps required, when required?
How long does this take you daily/weekly?
Do you use Twitter to promote the Twitter Rocket?
If not, how do you promote it?
How many Tweets do you do a day/week to promote it?
If you do not use Twitter, how do you promote it?
How many sales a day/week have you made from the Twitter Rocket, at $47 commission each?
How many total sales have you made?
How many of those sales would be willing to take this survey?
How can you prove how many sales you claim?
How many of the sales you've made have posted on the internet about their purchase and their success?
How many of those sales are people who aren't going to sell the Twitter Rocket, and are just using it to get more sales for their products?
How many of those people are willing to take this survey?
How many affiliate sales have you made for AN Hosting?
If you are not promoting the Twitter Rocket or AN hosting, how has the Twitter Rocket helped your business sales?
How can you prove those sales?
What were the numbers of your Twitter followers and who you follow before you used the Twitter Rocket, and how have those numbers increased by day/week?
Do you believe it not possible to get Twitter followers any other way?
Do you use Twitter to drive sales to your site, or use Twitter directly for sales?
Hve you heard of any coverage of the Twitter Rocket other than the Upstart Blogger, people advertising as affiliates, or people questioning the eBook?
If you initially purchased the eBook at $97, and the AN Hosting, have you made your money back yet?
How many sales of the Twitter Rocket and An hosting would you need to achieve to call the eBook a success for you?
How few in order to consider it a failure for you?
How long do you imagine it will take you to determine whether it has been a success or a failure for you?
Would you sell this eBook to a family member or a friend?
If you believe in this eBook, how long do you think it could be a successful marketing tool?
Do you believe the Twitter Rocket will still be marketed a year from now?
Or longer?
What do you think of the people who express concern or skepticism about the Twitter Rocketor it's longterm viability?
What do you think their motivation is?
Why do you think they have not purchased the eBook?
Do you think people expressing criticism of the Twitter Rocket have the freedom of speech to bring up questions about it, or does it make you mad?
How long do you anticipate using the Twitter Rocket, in weeks, months or years?
How much money do you anticipate you will make?
Do you believe you can make money while you sleep?
Do you consider yourself a hard worker?
Are you working fulltime in a 9-5 job?
If not, what combination of working do you do?
Would you feel bad if you made money selling the eBook, but the people who bought it from you did not?
Because it is an intangible one time purchase, do you think there might be a time when the Twitter Rocket becomes too saturated in the market to sell?
What has been the best part of your Twitter Rocket experience?
What has been the worst?
How long do you think you will continue using/marketing the Twitter Rocket?
_____________________________

These are just preliminary questions I've come up with. If you have better questions, please email me at vegibug AT gmail.com

Twitter Rocket- Debunked? Scam?

I had no idea I had been debunked, or was a 'scam'.

On Twitter, however, someone appears to think so, as they dismissed this blog as being a scam that had been debunked to someone who'd brought it up.

As that made no sense, I looked up 'scam' and 'debunked' on Merriam-Webster...

Scam
Main Entry: 2scam
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): scammed; scam·ming
Date: 1963
1 : deceive, defraud
2 : to obtain (as money) by a scam

— scam·mer noun

Main Entry: 1scam
Pronunciation: \ˈskam\
Function: noun
Etymology: origin unknown
Date: 1963
: a fraudulent or deceptive act or operation
an insurance scam

Main Entry: de·bunk
Pronunciation: \(ˌ)dē-ˈbəŋk\
Function: transitive verb
Date: 1923
: to expose the sham or falseness of
debunk a legend

— de·bunk·er noun
______________________

Since I do not sell anything, I can hardly be a scam. And I'm not attempting to deceive in order to gain financially- in fact, I'm more interested in the truth of what the setup is. My curiousity has been piqued by the fact that it appears to be a twisty, looped deal. I have been honest about the fact that it does not appear that the hype is backed by any real tangible numbers.

As far as 'debunking'? I've made it pretty clear what questions I've had. Nothing false about it. And I'm not so grandiose that I think 'debunking a legend' applies to me.

I am pretty sure I'm not selling anything, that I'm not a 'scam', and that I haven't been 'debunked'. I'm not really sure what I think about why anyone involved in a rock-solid business would waste their time claiming otherwise. Not very professional.

_____________________

But every day I learn something new. Today I learned that non-private tweets can be viewed by other people. They can also be saved by other people and printed even after you've removed your tweets. Everything leaves a trail. So be careful about who-what you tweet about. One of the banes of social platforms.

In other news, it's been suggested that people have not been able to post comments here if they are not a Blogspot user. I am trying to fix that problem. Until then, if you are realy dying to make a comment- why not just get a free Blogspot account? That would make more sense than claiming that I am blocking comments, when I am not.

Catfight, Anyone?

Mrwroooowr! I think someone has slapped me with their cyber-gloves!

What fun! And highly entertaining!

Thank you so much for the tip about my comments form. You are right, I wouldn't have guessed about that at all. So thanks again for that-now I can work on fixing it.

I'll have to decline your generous offer to have a smack-down, though. That's not really my style.

I will take you up on your offer to be interviewed. As I have told other people who offered via email, I am open to suggestions about particular questions people would like to be asked about the Twitter Rocket, in addition to questions I already have.

I think that would be more interesting than a silly catfight.

Twitter Rocket Update

As a divorced parent of 2 boys, I try to work my online posting and writing ventures around the custody time with my kids. Meaning, that days can go by without having time to do anything online. But sometimes, like tonight (because of the Fibromyalgia insomnia) I'm up late (or early?) and will research some things.

That said, I am still interested in doing an interview with anyone associated with Twitter Rocket. I just haven't put the right questions together yet.

I do think it's kind of funny that people who have left comments on The Upstart Blogger somehow think that I am somehow related to some alleged blackmailer from the Phillipines, and that I'm now targeting 'Hannah'. Ummm, what?

Being all night owl-y tonight, I checked out all of Hannah (of the Twitter Rocket promoters) Twitter 'tweets', and it was interesting.

Since the end of this original post got cut off for some reason, I'm just going to start again.

She has a few tweets referring to some Twitter programs she was promoting- but the links are now dead, implying that she later removed those pages from her website in order to promote the Twitter Rocket. I find it interesting that she is one of the poster boys of success for the Twitter Rocket, when she doesn't even really have a website. Having a website that has pretty much nothing but posts about the Twitter Rocket is questionable. How does that make someone a blogger?

Some random thoughts...
Considering that she really only has a handful of short posts (most of them about the Twitter Rocket), it is really hard to imagine why Ashley from The Upstart Blogger became interested in her to begin with. I get that one of her few posts was a dressing-down of one of his competitors, but lots of people do that. For someone who uses the word 'blogger' in her blog title, it's kind of funny that she doesn't really do much blogging.

I like how she addresses the question of why there is absolutely NO claims of people using the Twitter Rocket to grow their business by saying

"any search for Twitter Rocket, either in a search engine or via the search facility on Twitter, will only bring up 2 kinds of people. People who are promoting Twitter Rocket and people who are trying to get traffic by using Twitter Rocket as a keyword."

I'm pretty sure that if I bought a system that would increase my customer base and let me sell a lot of widgets, I'd mention it somewhere.

I find it highly questionable that she is making $20,000 a month. I'll even give credit that maybe that's her gross, not profit. Even with $10,000 a month in sales of the $97 eBook ($47 profit), it means she sold over 200 Twitter Rocket eBooks a month. For a couple of months? That many people have bought it, and none of them have felt the urge to let the internet know how amazing it is? Nobody tweets about it? Not believable.

I also like her take on people who fail to see the numbers add up-

And that drives the skeptics insane. They search for Twitter Rocket and they see a bunch of young bloggers like me making loads of money online without doing any real work. And then some of them get all angry and jealous and start posting nasty comments about how people like me are lazy, or that I should go back to school.

Jealous? Well, she is a teen, and teens often mistakenly think other people are jealous of them. Yes, a lot of adults think it is lazy to sit on your ass and do nothing. Especially if what little they are doing appears sketchy. And, there are a lot of people who value education. Not just to get some high-paying job, but to actually exercise your brain. So, it makes for good fun when a teen advocates that other kids should quit school in order to blog.

And then I’ll buy a house. And when I’ve got more money next year I’ll by an even bigger house. And then a nice sports car.

Well, it's nice that she has goals, even if they are quite shallow. It's called conspicuous over-consumption, and there are actually people like me who don't respect it much. Or get jealous of it, since we have different goals.

Interestingly, there still isn't any proof given, other than what appears to be a doctored earnings receipt, of any real earnings.

I have some advice for Hannah. Take all that money you're claiming to roll in and enroll in college. Or a junior college if you don't have the grades. Find a charity you support, and give them 10% of your earnings a month. Giving is a great thing. And then, since you tweeted about wanting to lose some pounds and dress sizes quickly, go vegetarian. You seem to like doing everything the easy way, and losing weight by going vegetarian is very easy.

I've been given the heads-up about another funny post she has, so I'm going to trot on over there and check it out.

Mistaken Identity?

Since Luke has posted several comments alluding to some 'site' that I supposedly had shut down, I feel the need to address that.

I have never had any site of mine shut down. And I certainly have no other websites where I do 'bad' reviews. In fact, this is not a review site, either. It is a site detailing my thoughts and experiences in the online money-making world, hopefully from an ethical perspective. I touch on other topics as well, especially if I think they're inspirational.

All of my sites have a certain underlying 'green' theme because I am a vegan and have a vegetarian family. The only straight 'opinion' writing I do is for the OEN, and it's usually about Potowatomi politics (I am Indian and Ukrainian) or the environment.

So, I think you have the wrong person, and should stop embarrassing yourself in the comments by suggesting otherwise.

The only time I have had any of my sites down was when my art site had it's domain lapse because I was ill for a couple of months and did not update the auto-billing when my credit union issued me a new CC because the old one was expired. Having to type in a new CC# is hardly like having your site removed. But it's a funny thought, that somehow my art site was yanked! Thanks for the laugh.

I continue to check out all of the links I'm provided regarding the Twitter Rocket, and I have yet to see any verifiable info. For example-

I GOT 1000 SOLID TWITTER FOLLOWERS AND MADE $1000 IN JUST ONE WEEK WITH THE TWITTER ROCKET! CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW!

Now you can add me to your list of people saying that they have made a fortune with the Twitter Rocket.

BTW, I now have 13 rock-solid followers on Twitter, done the old-fashined way... by working at it. If this keeps going, I'll have 195 in a month. Without paying a dime.

I think the antagonism factor that comes into play here is a competitive thing. I'm not offering a competitor to the Twitter Rocket. I'm pretty sure the same results can be had for free- with a little thing called 'working' at it.

Twitter Rocket Interviews

Twitter Rocket Interviews

I think it sounds interesting to interview people who have purchased the Twitter Rocket eBook and are using it to further their businesses.

Several people have offered to be interviewed, so now I just have to think of the format of how to accomplish this.

Unless anyone else has a better idea, I think I will post a list of questions here, and then provide a link for people to forward their responses to. If anyone has ideas for specific questions that should be asked, please leave them in the comments.

I would like to note that I have checked out the website Luke pointed me to in one of his comments. I'm not sure why he thinks the person makes $400 (a day, week, month, year), because the person does not state or show proof anywhere on their brand-spanking new site (with only a couple of posts)of making any money at all.

They do, however state this- "Right now I make a few sales here and there with The Twitter Rocket system, and when I say a few, I mean that I make a part time income actually selling the system as an affiliate, using the methods I picked up right out of the system".

Obviously 2 of the questions in the interview need to be-
Do you know the other people marketing the Twitter Rocket personally or through the internet?
Have you made any money from the Twitter Rocket eBook that did not involve selling the eBook or getting commissions from AN Hosting referrals?

I should have my list of questions ready sometime late this evening.

Offer to Twitter Rocket users

Ah, the poor 'Hannah' that I dissed on so badly...

One of the 15 few people trying to market this lead biscuit says this-

"(UPDATE: The top affiliate doesn't do one of the tips mentioned, because she already has a blog. Anyway, I will make tests in the coming weeks using the "I don't have a blog yet" approach.)"

There is only one top 'she' affiliate, and that's 'Hannah'. And, yeah, she doesn't really have a blog or a site. Because Twitter Rocket doesn't need you to have a site because the whole deal is just you pushing the non-existent non-millionaire-making non-business.

I challenge ANYONE to show proof here that anyone has made money with this eBook.

I will interview you, and I will be nice. I already know I will not be taken up on the offer.

Twitter Rocket Scam? Maybe not!

It just occurred to me- there can't be a scam if nobody has been scammed!

I have a background (among other things) in investigation, specifically in adoption resolution, so I'm good to go on the whole investigating and getting the hard facts on different topics.

But it just occurred to me- if nobody has bought the Twitter Rocket eBook, then nobody has been scammed. And there's no proof anyone had atually bought the eBook. Just about 15 poeple saying how rich you COULD be if you'd just buy it.

But nobody has bought it.

Twitter Rocket Comments

Luke Davis said...
It works for me. I make money with it. There are plenty of people using it successfully. I know because I've met them online as part of the support network that Ashley Morgan offers with the product.

You take a potshot at Hannah claiming she doesn't have a website and then later in your post talk about her blog which has been online for over a year.

If you approve this comment I'm happy to show you many other examples of bloggers, and non bloggers, who are using Twitter Rocket.

People like you can throw stones all day long but it doesn't stop the fact that there are two kinds of people in this world. Those who make money and those who bellyache about the ones who make money.

Looks like you are in the latter category.

Well, surprise. I'm not in the last category. But I'm glad you gave me the opportunity to address a couple of things. Namely-
________________________________________________________________

"It works for me. I make money with it."

I'm not doubting you. I'd just like to see proof. Since pretty much anyone can get thousands of Twitter folowers if they take anyone, how can proof be shown that the followers are specific to YOUR business? Or that it has helped you make sales in your business if you are not trying to sell the TR? And the business thing... what business are you in, and how has Twitter Rocket helped you get more sales?
_________________________________________________________________

"There are plenty of people using it successfully"

That's very possible. However, the internet shows no proof of that whatsoever. About 15 people who claim they are on their way to millions, but no proof.
_________________________________________________________________

"You take a potshot at Hannah claiming she doesn't have a website and then later in your post talk about her blog which has been online for over a year."

This is not true. I said the internet shows she made a few posts for about 6 weeks in late 2008, and then disappeared. She then showed up a couple of months ago with a new blog, and of the few entries she's written, they are about the Twitter Rocket. Having a couple of nondescript posts in late 2008 and then no posts until pushing the TR in late spring does not qualify as having a recognized blog or site.
__________________________________________________________________

"If you approve this comment I'm happy to show you many other examples of bloggers, and non bloggers, who are using Twitter Rocket."

I do approve of this comment, and I'd love to see real proof that anyone has made a penny off of the Twitter Rocket. In fact, I'd like proof that anyone has bought the eBook at all. I find no proof of that on the internet at all.
___________________________________________________________________

"People like you can throw stones all day long but it doesn't stop the fact that there are two kinds of people in this world. Those who make money and those who bellyache about the ones who make money."

Actually, I don't like bellyaching. I have Fibromyalgia and Epstein Barr, so bellyaching just makes the symtoms worse. I like hearing about people who make an honest living, who work hard and get something out of it. Ethically. That is my goal, too. I draw the line at making money at the expense of other people, which is what happens when you sell an intangible or an idea. I have no problem when people provide a service or sell an item that people want.
___________________________________________________________________

In fact, I would be interested in interviewing you, since you've been open enough to post here. I could submit a set of questions to you and you could reply to them or not, as you deemed. What do you think? I will be the first person in line for you or any other user of the Twitter Rocket to prove how they used it to become 6-figure gurus.

Let me know.
__________________________________________________________________

While this website focusses on money-making ventures, I never forget my main focus, which is that it has to be ethical. If it is not ethical, no matter how much money I could make, I am not interested.

Twitter Challenge

I give up!

I have been resisting the whole Twitter thing. Probably because I am not an extro-vert, and I'm not always on the prowl for new 'Friends'. Also, I have a different interpretation of 'friends'. I do have the nominal myspace for keeping in touch with real friends, but I do not use it to promote any of my sites or businesses. That's probably why those people are still my friends!

However, this Twitter Rocket thing has pushed me over the edge, and now I'm curious.

I opened up my first Twitter account yesterday, under the name of veganorama. I'll be posting here regularly with stats on how well I can develop followers without the use of MLM schemes or eBooks. In fact, I'm going to approach it the old 'How to Win Friends and Influence People' way.

In addition, I am going to make sure that not only do I develop 'quality' followers, but that I figure out something useful to do with them. What good is it to have a bunch of followers just to be popular? It can't be something scammy, because then you'll go through followers like used toilet paper. No- it has to be something where I give them a reason to go to my sites, and to (as a result) guide a few extra bucks my way. So I'll also be trying to track how my Twitter account affects my web traffic and any revenue. I'm pretty sure I don't need an eBook to figure out how to connect with people who share the same interests with me.

I started yesterday, and within a short time had 6 people following me. I did one tweet- about a baby squirrel I found. That website had an increase in views by 25 yesterday. Today I have 9 people following me. Most have sent me email messages, and all appear to be my perfect target audience.

We'll see. I'll try to update on this daily- while I'm juggling everything else. Whooo.

Twitter Rocket - Scam Update

Is the Twitter Rocket a Scam?

I asked this very question in a previous post. Sad to say, I am really pretty sure that it is. If it isn't, then it's just a poorly designed 'get-rich-quick-scheme'.

I had previously thought maybe it could be a new 'Pet Rock' kind of flash-in-the-pan, but now I don't even think it will rate like that. It's outlook appears dismal.
Here's why-

Any new venture needs lots of buzz. Meaning lots of people are talking about it. And there aren't very many people talking about it, no matter how the few people talking about it are trying to hype it. As far as I can tell, only about 15 people are writing about it on their blogs or on Twitter.

Of those 15, about 5 are located in the UK, and really appear to be related. Friends, perhaps? Three are in Canada and appear to be accounts by a husband/wife team, and 2 are from one guy in Germany. Only 2 people appear to be from the US.

The Twitter Rocket hype is that using this eBook will result in tons of relevent Twitter followers. That would be a cool thing. The problem is, that I have been folowing the Twitter accounts of the people tweeting about the Twitter Rocket, and their claims of Twitter followers, and the math does not add up. For instance, they make claims that their followers have gone up 500-100 in a week, yet their numbers do not show that.

All of the people tweeting about the fantastic numbers of followers they've gotten have from between 200-1750 followers, with most below 700- except for two...
The founder of the Twitter Rocket, MorganZero (at following 9539 and being followed 8731 respectively) and BloggingHannah (at following 12,181 and being followed 11,570). Those are some strange numbers, especially since BloggingHannah is an under 20 girl with no viable or meaningful website. MorganZero has a long-term website, so that makes more sense.

Then, you look at the websites of all the people hyping the Twitter Rocket. The majority of them are brand-new, started within the last 2 months or so. Looking through all their posts (the few they have) it becomes clear that they were started in order to promote the product, and that their first couple of posts were filler. While they all make unfounded claims, only one bothers to provide any proof. They have little to zero comments or feedback on any of their sites.

BloggingHannah claims to be making over $1000 a day. Even if it was $1k a week or even a month, this is unlikely simply because of the nature of the eBook it's based on. If even 10 people a month were buying this eBook from her, and the eBook essentially tells you how to get more followers on Twitter in order to send tweets to and sell the eBook to, there would be at least 10 new people tweeting about the eBook they bought, and trying to get people to follow them and buy it. But there aren't 10 new people. There is a core group of 15 people trying to make it look like there tons more. I also find the BloggingHannah persona interesting, as she claims to be a teenaged girl. She blogged for 6 weeks in late 2008 before getting kicked off her host for lying about her age. One of her posts recommended teenagers quit school to make money online. Not very responsible, so she may in fact be a teenager. Reading through her few posts, it is hard to see how she could have 11,500 followers of ANYTHING, as she hasn't done or said anything of importance, other than criticise some other marketing guru. Yet supposedly, she immediately caught the eye of the owner of The Upstart Blogger? I don't see that, unless she was starring in 'Girls Gone Wild'.

And, as far as criticising marketing gurus, I'm doing that here, and it hasn't brought me much of anything. Which is all well and good, since that's not my point. My goal is to learn how to make a living the best way for ME, and to report about the funny things I come across on the way. The Twitter Rocket has been very entertaining for me so far.

Twitter Rocket Scam?

Is Twitter Rocket a scam?

That's what I keep asking myself. I have learned enough in life that when that little voice in the back of my head tells me something's fishy... well, that something is indeed fishy.

So I've done some internet searching, and have come across quite a few reviews of Twitter Rocket. Considering how new it is, it's surprising how jazzed everyone is about it. So jazzed that they are already promoting it themselves, and their websites conveniently have a link for YOU to order your own Twitter Rocket. Some even provide screenshots showing proof of their thousands of dollars earnings in less than a week.

Sounds good so far... so what's fishy about it?

The Twitter Rocket is the newest 'Pet Rock' that is being promoted by a site called 'The Upstart Blogger'. I read and reread all the hype that was being pushed there for it, and a few things stood out to me.

The first thing was that it basically looks like most of the money is made just by getting other people to buy the Twitter Rocket from you for $97. You keep about half and The Upstart Blogger people keep the other half.

Then, there's the thing about promoting it by Tweeting about it constantly- how you've gotten thousands of new followers and made so much money. You need a website for all those new Twitter people to go to in order to give you your $47 share. Which is convenient, because the Upstart Blogger people recommend that your blog be hosted by 'AN Hosting'. Which is who they use as host, and they've conveniently provided a code, 'UpstartBlogger' in order to get 3 months free hosting.

Now, when you sign up with AN Hosting for your service, The Upstart Blogger gets $85 commission. But that's ok, because when all those thousands of new Twitter followers of yours will be told that you recommend that they use AN Hosting, and when THEY sign up with AN Hosting, you'll get a $85 commission. I'm getting dizzy already.

I Made Thousands With the Twitter Rocket!

I'm no math whiz, but here's the numbers I came up with-
For every person you convince to buy the Twitter Rocket from you, and also host a site with AN Hosting, you'll make $132! So, if only 10 people a day buy you'll make $1,320... and if a hundred people a day buy, you make $13,200! Every DAY! (And, respectively, the good folks at The Upstart Blogger will make $50, $500 or $5000 from your sales).

Am I the only person that can smell the obvious breakdown in this process? Like market saturation? Does it seem likely, considering that this is not a re-order product, is not linked to a tangible product, will eventually have no customer base? No doubt, a handful of people will make good money before it falters- namely, The Upstart Blogger people.

While it isn't exactly a pyramid scheme, it is similar. It's not even trying to pretend it's very different. And when it finally peters out, there will be people at the end of the chain with nobody to sell the e-book to in order to break even. If you purchase that ebook for $97 and a years AN Hosting at about $100, you would need to sell either 4 ebooks, or 2 An Hostings, or some combo just to break even. But, The Upstart Blogger will have earned anywhere from $97-$182 from you if you sell nothing, and another $200 from you if you sell 4 e-books and you only break even.
I can see the marketing genius in that! A guaranteed money tree from you of anywhere from $97-$382 to them. But no guarantee that you will make any money or that the people you sell to will make any money. The Startup Blogger people and AN Hosting will be sitting pretty, though.

All for a little 'e-book' that tells you that you can make money by sending out uninformative, annoying Tweets telling people to buy the e-book that teaches you how best how to send out annoying Tweets! Which, of course, should NOT be considered SPAM.

Someone else has actually researched all of this and more in a much clearer and more detailed way. She even shows side-by-sides of how it appears some people are manipulating the graphics of their earnings 'proof' to make it appear they've made more than they have. I'm not sure, a small tag line makes me think that The TwitterRocketReview has some non-Twitter Rocket-type program up their sleeve, but as of now they don't, so I don't mind telling you to check that site out.

As of now, I'm having fun watching this new 'Pet Rock', and I'll be interested in seeing how it eventually crashes. I don't want to get in on the 'ground floor' as I'm sure many will- because I just don't like scammy things.

Twitter Rocket

In my efforts to educate myself in my endeavor to get my (now) approximate 5 websites to be more professional, informative, and more financially productive, I have read quite a bit of "The Upstart Blogger". It has some good information. One of his posts made me think I should register and save my children's .com names on the internet, although the editor himself didn't say that, one of the comments to his blog did.

Some of the latest posts are promoting a 5-step program called the "Twitter Rocket".

I read all I could about it on the website, then I Googled it.

There were a couple of Google hits where it was obvious that the people had taken The Upstart Blogger up on the 5-step Program, and had purchased the $95 some-odd dollar program.

Not one of them had any hard stats to say what the program did for them financially.

The Sell

The thing about Twitter Rocket is that it is supposed to really help you tweak your Twitter traffic by using it consistently. But what it consists of, as far as I can tell, is:

1: Information. A 5 step approach to managing your Twitter contacts in a financially positive way.

2: An Affiliate program. You buy the program for about $95, and then you make links to it on your site and promote it on your site with the hopes that people will sign up for Twitter Rocket and you'll get a %50 commission.

Nothing wrong with that.

I'm just having a hard time figuring out what's so special about it.

I have written journals, blogs and websites for years now, in the past for fun, lately for more focussed financial reasons, and I've avoided using Facebook, MySpace and other marketing tools to artificially pump my readership. Yet I've always had a pretty decent readership.

I don't have a Twitter account. And I am ambivelent about getting one. I'm just not that keen on social platforms that remind me of high school popularity contests.

I guess it just sounds like a ton of other repackaged popularity contests. At this point I'd rather be less popular and have people read my sites because they like what I write.

The exception to this, of course, is the 'get rich quick on the internet' thing. People who are willing to shell out $95 in order to be able to get 1/2 of all of the $95 their site will bring to Twitter Rocket are a different story. It's a valid way to make a living- until the next best thing comes along. It's good for people who want to make money on the internet while putting in the minimum they need. That's ok.

But, I'm not that person. I'm slower, and more introspective. And, I'm a writer and an artist. So, essentially I'd like any money I make to somehow relate to that. Making a million on generic internet enterprises would make it difficult to claim that I am an artist, a musician and a writer.

It's all personal taste, I guess.

What I am going to do is follow this Twitter Rocket, and report any results that show up in Google regarding actual financial rewards for buying into it. It's hard to believe it can last for any long term. We'll see. Good thing I have a curious mind, eh?

Oh- I wanted to add, a few of the Google links I saw already had the website people tacking on their own fees or manipulating the so-called program. And it hasn't been out of the turnstile very long at all.

I am fully aware of the fact that plenty of people will not be happy about this post and may have negative things to say about it, but I will say the same thing that the editor of Upstart Blogger himself has said- I don't care. I am going to be honest about my opinions.

c