In response to Mr. Spirko

O.K. I gave my opinion on the topic of Izea and Google. In doing so I leveled some criticism at Jack Spirko of Comtechnews regarding this post.

There was a bit of confusion in the process, as my spam filters ate Jack’s response without giving me the opportunity to moderate it. Jack was understandably upset over this. I can understand that, as I would demand the right to defend myself if questioned as well. While this has been corrected, the comment trail has been rendered completely out of order. Not only that, but I felt that Jack’s comments deserved to be answered in their own post. So here we are.

If you’re interested in reading where this all started, read this. I put out my opinion, and I will admit that I was a bit rushed in doing so. This post is in response to the reply given by Mr. Spirko, which is quoted in full as follows:

Well you know I have always felt that a massive blog rant is just that a massive rant. Something you take the time to say because it needs to be said. You don’t do it to please English teachers.

I have also found that when people attack your spelling and grammar it is because your ideas, concepts and explanations are to powerful to challenge.

Did I go on and on about what Izea should be doing, yes and let me tell you I have their CEOs attention. The last time I got someones attention this way it was Donad Trump’s “Trump University” and my firm is now doing their Pay Per Click, Organic Search, General Consulting and in fact today their VP of Marketing publicly on his blog that my firms PR efforts where and I quote, “the first time I truly feel confident that we got what we paid for”. If you would like to read this post by Mr. Katz you can do that here,

http://www.trumpuniversity.com/blogs/marketingmaestro/index.cfm?blogpost_id=1124

Oh yea that all started when I posted at my blog saying that DT had a blog that sucked and what I picked on what that they were more concerned with grammar and spelling then real ideas and conversational tone.

So here is what I have to say to you.

First, the fact that I allowed your track back to my post will probably give your blog more traffic then you have ever had before. Perhaps you may wish to consider that before you pick on my spelling?

Second, Mr. Murphy is a good guy and I like him a lot and I do not question his character. He did respond though mostly because I had a mutual acquaintance that will remain nameless contact him and ask him to read my post. I believe Mr. Murphy read my post mostly because he was told that I have really been dead on about a lot or real messes online in the past.

Third, I would also say you may want to wait and see what my results of pointing out the massive holes in the Real Rank algo before you say I am doing harm. Bud, I think you were a low traffic blogger trying to bait my comments now that you have them, just please do me the courtesy I did for you and allow them.

Fourth, what do you want us to “unite” behind? The flawed Real Rank system? If you read my post (the concepts and reality rather then spell checked me) then you know how bad it is. Let me say I only scratched the surface. I could make a way for you to buy an elevated real rank as a commodity really easy, I won’t but I could that means if anyone every cares about real rank someone will. I know the black hat world better then most, I did a service pointing out these holes. There are much bigger let’s call them “truck sized” holes in this system.

Fifth, As you just go torched the way my blog did you may want to pay very close attention to my post that will go live on Monday morning. It will tell you what to do about it and how to prevent additional attacks by Google in the future.

Look I think Real Rank sucks and I care about people like you first, Izea second and Google well I am clear on that.

Jack Spirko

Fair enough. Now, since this asks multiple questions and gives multiple statements, I will respond to this comment one section at a time.

Mr. Spirko begins with:

Well you know I have always felt that a massive blog rant is just that a massive rant. Something you take the time to say because it needs to be said. You don’t do it to please English teachers.

Allowing that I’ve done the same as have others, I’m sure, Jack is absolutely right. Errors are made when you are writing passionately. This was also pointed out to me in comments by Opal Tribble and Amy (who pointed out some errors that I had made myself. Thanks Amy, they have been corrected.)

My point in this respect is that when a post becomes high profile but can be easily attacked by the very people you are ranting against, it can carry a more negative impact than a positive one. This holds true for anyone posting scathing comments on a topic using mostly l33t speak. These posts may even seem laughable instead of thought provoking.

Since both Jack and myself are seemingly guilty of the same thing in this case, let me just say that I’ll cast that blame on both of us. I do try to correct these errors when they are found.

I have also found that when people attack your spelling and grammar it is because your ideas, concepts and explanations are to powerful to challenge.

In this case it is far truer to say that I did not invest the time necessary to pick apart both proposed methods, nor do I have all of the data I would need to do so on hand. I’m sure that I could go through both and find points that have pro’s and cons, but at this point I have no time to do so. The point of my post was not to dissect the technical aspects of either argument, but rather to point out that attitude is important in getting a point across.

Did I go on and on about what Izea should be doing, yes and let me tell you I have their CEOs attention. The last time I got someones attention this way it was Donad Trump’s “Trump University” and my firm is now doing their Pay Per Click, Organic Search, General Consulting and in fact today their VP of Marketing publicly on his blog that my firms PR efforts where and I quote, “the first time I truly feel confident that we got what we paid for”. If you would like to read this post by Mr. Katz you can do that here,

http://www.trumpuniversity.com/blogs/marketingmaestro/index.cfm?blogpost_id=1124

Oh yea that all started when I posted at my blog saying that DT had a blog that sucked and what I picked on what that they were more concerned with grammar and spelling then real ideas and conversational tone.

I’m glad that Mr. Spirko has done such a stellar job in his work with Trump U. Mr. Katz does indeed give a stellar recommendation for the work of Jack and his associates, which is something that anyone in marketing loves to hear coming from his or her clients, especially those with this kind of name recognition.

To be completely frank, I did not once question Jack’s success in this industry, or his talents. It wasn’t really at the heart of what I had to say. The fact that jack got the opportunity by making his opinion known is intriguing to me. But having seen the attitudes with which Mr. Trump and Mr. Katz greet the world at large, perhaps not so surprising. All three men grab the day by the short hairs, and Mr. Trump himself is not known for subtlety, he is known for the ability to fail massively and succeed even more massively. Mr. Spirko and the trump camp et-al are probably a very good match in both work ethic and personality.

On his statement that he has the attention of Izea’s CEO, Ted Murphy, I do not doubt this. Ted has responded to not only Mr. Spirko, but several others directly through the Pay Per Post Blog, and has posted comments directly on Mr. Spirko’s blog. Given the fact that Mr. Spirko is also a paying advertiser with Izea, it would stand to reason that the folks at Izea would take the time to hear him out. they seem willing to listen to any member of their team, and try to give even their lowest performing “Postie” a voice in the company. This promotes a sense of family and garners nearly immediate support from anyone working directly with them, it’s one of the reasons I support Izea over many of the other options available today.

Now we get into Mr. Spirko’s direct responses to my post. Unfortunately this gets a bit personal. Nonetheless, I will address each bit in turn, exactly as it was left in comments, it’s only fair, and now it’s my turn to support my own statements.

So here is what I have to say to you.

First, the fact that I allowed your track back to my post will probably give your blog more traffic then you have ever had before. Perhaps you may wish to consider that before you pick on my spelling?

Actually, the track back totaled far fewer visitors than I’ve had at this blog for casual Stumbles on other posts I’ve written here, and I do not expect those numbers to jump any more than they already have. In any case, that wasn’t the point of the original post. The point was very much about the fact that we are often judged by our ability to communicate effectively and that failure to do so may carry a negative connotation or provide negative impact.

Second, Mr. Murphy is a good guy and I like him a lot and I do not question his character. He did respond though mostly because I had a mutual acquaintance that will remain nameless contact him and ask him to read my post. I believe Mr. Murphy read my post mostly because he was told that I have really been dead on about a lot or real messes online in the past.

I did not imply that you questioned his character, nor did I question yours. I stated that his replies to members of the discussion was a good measure of his character, or that it was in my humble opinion. I think that the more information Ted has on all sides of this argument will lead to the most positive outcome possible for the people involved in this situation. A situation that I hope can be settled among all parties in the future.

If Mr. Murphy chooses to use some or all of your advice, it will be based on the fact that he does have the information from all sides of the arguments. If so, I’m sure that it will be beneficial to everyone involved with Izea, as that is Ted’s focus, and should be.

Third, I would also say you may want to wait and see what my results of pointing out the massive holes in the Real Rank algo before you say I am doing harm. Bud, I think you were a low traffic blogger trying to bait my comments now that you have them, just please do me the courtesy I did for you and allow them.

I am waiting, jack. Actually, I’m going to be devoting a bit of time to go over both your comments and the RealRank releases, documentation and whatever else I can find, now that I find myself in this situation. I am not unversed in these topics, but have not devoted sufficient time to the facts or methods to give an informed decision at this juncture.

As to whether this blog is a low traffic blog… Yes, it is. I have just started working to add more content and generate traffic to this site. Previously it was simply something I had lying around. As to whether “I personally” am a low traffic blogger, well, I’d say medium traffic as far as my food blog goes. I receive several thousand page views per month, have good working relationships with several services and agencies, and am linked to from at least two of the most prominent blogs in my niche on a regular basis.

The fact that I tracked back to your original post was a courtesy. I don’t feel it is acceptable to mention another blog or site without giving them notice that I have done so. It’s just good manners. And since it took several emails between us for me to determine that this comment itself was swallowed whole by my spam filters, even you must admit that I am more than willing to allow your responses.

Fourth, what do you want us to “unite” behind? The flawed Real Rank system? If you read my post (the concepts and reality rather then spell checked me) then you know how bad it is. Let me say I only scratched the surface. I could make a way for you to buy an elevated real rank as a commodity really easy, I won’t but I could that means if anyone every cares about real rank someone will. I know the black hat world better then most, I did a service pointing out these holes. There are much bigger let’s call them “truck sized” holes in this system.

I would like to see a more united stand with Izea from those who use their services. The fact that RealRank has flaws is no more surprising than the fact that Google PR has flaws and has from the beginning. Then of course there is Alexa, a system so easily manipulated as to make it laughable.

I did read your post. Without more data, I can’t form an educated opinion on your statements. I have not been following all of this from the beginning. I have been working on other projects. I’m not a professional designer/marketer any more (I was from 1996-2006), so my focus has been on the sites I maintain, not the industry buzz.

All new systems will have holes, exploits and flaws. The measure of those systems is the ability at which those oversights are corrected, adjusted and sealed. I am willing to see how RR performs before I state that it doesn’t work at all. The staff at Izea are already shifting the system to meet the needs of both advertisers and posties, so I’m of the “wait and see” mindset for the moment. Time will tell where RR will be in the future of the industry, and adoption of the system is going to be a major deciding factor in its success or failure.

Fifth, As you just go torched the way my blog did you may want to pay very close attention to my post that will go live on Monday morning. It will tell you what to do about it and how to prevent additional attacks by Google in the future.

I skimmed that post just this morning, but will have to wait until later today to read it in depth, as I have family obligations this AM. From what I’ve gathered so far, there may be some generally good information there, but there are also bits that seem at first glance to follow some techniques I have avoided in the past for fear of being labeled “black hat”. Again, I’ll be sure to read the post in full, when I have time.

Look I think Real Rank sucks and I care about people like you first, Izea second and Google well I am clear on that.

You don’t have to worry about me, Jack. I’m quite comfortable. I am concerned for a lot of the bloggers that were using Izea as their primary source of income. This has to have been a devastating blow to their bottom line. In my case, I’ve seen my ability to pick opps fall off, but I almost never used my highest ranking blog for PPP sponsored posts anyway. The other two blogs I run have not been hit, yet, and I will be taking steps in the next few days to try and keep it from happening there. If so, I’ll still happily continue with lower paying opps. It’s more of a challenge to provide a relevant experience for me than a money maker.

I think that we both agree that steps need to be taken. It is perhaps true that we don’t agree on those steps, but please do not confuse that with competition or animosity.

This blog does not exist to make me famous, nor does it exist to make me wealthy. (I haven’t even bothered to add AdSense yet… I need to remember to get to that one of these days.) It’s simply a place for me to post my opinion on blogging and the business of it. In that sense, it’s successful enough for me.

Cheers!

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