Blog Commenting Tactic Benefits Trainer… NOT Students
Over the past few months I’ve seen an overwhelming increase in comments on this blog that look something like this:
Name: [guruname] Club
URL: [guruname].com(tv)Comment: Hi! Great post! I was looking around for some thing like that on the net for _____. Iām also a part of [guruname] program. So Iām still kinda new in internet marketing
The comment is usually completely irrelevant to the post on which they are commenting.
Each of these comments always includes the trainer’s name and the fact that the commenter is new to internet marketing.
“Kinda new” is right.
It’s obvious that they’ve been hoodwinked into buying a blogging or online business course that increases their trainer’s profile (and profits) more than their own.
Most of these blogs are a journal of the newbie’s personal blogging / internet marketing journey – and as they’re so new to the game, there is no valuable content that might convince a visitor to either bookmark the site or sign up for the newsletter.
Too, there’s invariably a blogroll that lists links to [guruname]’s students’ sites – under a heading that reads [guruname] Club or [guruname] Students.
This is obviously taught as a link and traffic-building technique – which of course ‘works’ because each of the students would visit each of the other students’ sites.
But how very convenient to get your students to put your name on each of their sites. Of all the sites listed, [guruname] is what visitors are most likely to remember.
I don’t know how other bloggers are handling these comments, but I now delete them immediately. The comments are completely inane, don’t add one iota of value to my readers and are ultimately a ploy to get people (who pay the trainer for instruction) to post free advertising for their course.
So, I’ll say this about that.
If you find yourself signed up for a program that teaches a blog commenting strategy that requires you to post the same comment over and over and that always includes your trainer’s name — get a refund!
Want more info?
Rosalind Gardner is a Super Affiliate blogger, author, speaker, and Internet marketing consultant.
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With so much financial ruin out in the world, it is way too bad that there are still people scamming the newbies. You tell um Rosalind!
May Mickelow
Yes I have seen some comments like that, but not as many as you I guess. But I will keep a look out for those; i dont know if i will delete them like you, but like you said they are newbies they dont know any better
That’s awful. I am a newbie myself but how can you put the same comment over and over without asking your trainer why is it so? Thanks for that, will lookout for that in my blogs.
thanks
Gawd, I love people with killer instinct. Keep it up, Rosalind. The only real way to make money is to return value. Without that one elusive factor, all the link-building, “insider secrets,” and Google tricks are nothing at all.
It’s refreshing to see someone tell the truth for a change.
Ros, I have always enjoyed reading your comments and such. With so much junk out here these days how do we separate the wheat from the chaff? I’m sure you wouldn’t want to stick you neck out and name a few of the bad ones, would you?
I doubt they’ll ever get a refund.
Hi Ros,
In Europe this technique is called trolling.Irrelevant comments and also unnecessarily provocative inane comments that are not appropriate.
Regards,
Frank
I pity the students seeing that they are just being ‘used’ by their trainers. However, I am wondering if they can really get a refund especially if the ‘guru’ is reluctant.
Anyway, this has been a helpful article for newbies in the business. Nice Job!
Haha that’s funny, it’s called spam. I get a lot of those and I delete it if it is not a relevant comment.
What bothers me more than the spam aspect is the fact that somewhere out there people actually think they’re paying for a good idea. It’s like paying someone to tell you to call everyone in the phone book and offer them a random product they don’t want…
Why would anyone put themselves though that?
Good article. Thanks for letting people know.
Hi rosalind,
You have came up with a great point here, Spammers are increasing day after day, although I do not prefer to call them spammers but people who want to rank fast and dont know how to do this respectfully.
They want to post on several sites and they dont want to read the full article or else they will waste their time.
I believe that for you to get some link juice, you should offer respect to the person who posted the article.
Cheers,
Leo
I been reviewing abunch of newbie affiliate programs online since january now.I purchased one program (won’t mention names)that had video teaching which was a good concept for me for learning,but wasn’t specific for a newbie like me.The biggest problem im reading in most forums are trying to advertise on google being beginners.I want to know if outsourcing be good for starting out and is blogging a good form of advertise for making a profit?
Can you profit from affiliate programs without a website these days?
I know of 1 or 2 “gurus” who do this. I’m absolutely sick of people who make more money by telling people how to make money than by their own advice.
I’ve pretty much had it with people who make most of their money from selling money making products.
A very good post and i truly wonder what kind of answer they would get if the student went back and asked the guru teacher why this was done like that. Way to tell it like it is. I would probable delete the comments as well.
How could trainers do this to their students just to increase their own profile. We should not tolerate this kind of tactics I would probably erase that way of commenting immediately.
It’s good to know there are honest people like you, watching our backs. Too bad newbies have to cut their teeth on this kind of unscruples!
I had to bloCK two IPs because of comment flooding on a page. Irritating.