a little argument with myself

image from Wikipedia
image from Wikipedia

[audio:littleargumentwithmyself.mp3]

this is the argument i have in my head:

upstart blogger has been around for a while. he’s established trust with his honest representation of things. he approaches topics reasonably. he’s also exposed a few twitter scams and pyramid schemes. he’s built a good reputation. also, he makes a lot of money blogging: a lot more than i do (which is none). the only money-making links he has on his site are his affiliate program with AN hosting and, now, Twitter Rocket. Twitter Rocket, therefore, must be like a gift from god, given all the reviews…

really? what’s so special about it that’s different than the scams he’s exposed? the language he (and his following) uses about it make it sound exactly like other twitter scams.

surely you can’t fault someone who’s discovered something worthwhile for trying to profit from it. that’s what any product is. you’re paying for something that someone (multiple someones) finds valuable. that’s not a scam.

the self-perpetuating cycle of twitter rocket -> affiliate links -> twitter rocket sales feels pretty scammy.

that’s just using the system.

seems to me thatย @blogginghannah abuses the system. her twitter stream is littered with twitter rocket aggrandizement, and she’s purportedly the top seller. as glorybug posed the question: is it possible to make money with anything else?

sure it is….in theory. but if it’s a great product, and you’re using it, and you think it’s great, you become the perfect salesperson. it’s just part of the system.

that kind of system will break, won’t it? i mean, if it was really so awesome, everyone would eventually either be using it, or refusing to use it.

we’ll see, i guess. ย however, there are enough twitter users that that won’t happen for a very long time.

what about all the upstart blogger wannabe’s? luke davis’ (akaย @sixfigureluke‘s) comment over here uses almost the same language as upstart blogger when dealing with people who haven’t used twitter rocket but make claims against it. even @blogginghannah occasionally uses the same voice inย her blog.ย mondo dynamo is no different. and they both use wordpress themes that are based on ashley’s own (or at least an older version of upstart blogger). could it be that they’re all just characters ashley morgan has created to sell his product?

occam’s razor: it’s easier to believe that they are actual people than to believe the web of intricacies necessary for them to be fictional. plus, it would sell his product a lot better if it actually worked.

that doesn’t mean it’s not true…

no. just highly, highly unlikely.

it would appear than that twitter rocket is without fail. so, what’s the holdup?

i can’t see it.

excuse me?

i can’t see it. when i go to best buy and buy a game, i’ve read reviews of it. the reviews talk about what the game is like, who it was made by, what the gameplay is like, what other games it resembles, and rates it accordingly. when i go to the store, i look at it, check out the graphics, read the description, and then decide if i want to shell out fifty bucks for it. since i don’t know the details of how twitter rocket is so great, and so much better than everything else, and completely NOT like those other twitter scams (although we’re not sure exactly why), i distrust it. it feels scammy. moreover, it feels exactly like all those other money-making schemes where there’s this great thing, but we can’t tell you what it is until you buy it:

what i have in this box is the most remarkable thing you’ve ever seen. once you see it, you’ll wonder how you lived without it.
what’s in the box?
i will reveal it to you after you pay me $97.
i just want to know what’s in the box.
i can’t tell you what’s in the box. i can only tell you that it is so very valuable, that you could potentially make that $97 back in a matter of hours.
um. great. what’s in the box?

that’s true. but what if it is true? what if i really can make that money back quickly? if it pays for itself, and then some, isn’t it worth the investment?

it depends. i hate being a salesperson. if using twitter rocket means all i ever do is tweet about how great twitter rocket it like hannah does, i would hate myself, passive income or no.

but twitter rocket claims that it can support any kind of revenue. and anyway, it’s just the method to get followers, it’s not a money-making tactic in itself.

no, but i’ve yet to see much evidence to the contrary.

…and so on. it drives me completely nuts. or at least, was driving me completely nuts until i decided to just try to figure out my own method. and that’s the thing: since revealing (sort of) twitter rocket, ashley morgan has polarized his followers. they’re either in the “yay twitter rocket yay” camp, or they’re in the “you self-centered hypocrite — you’re selling the same crap that you just revealed as a scam” camp. and i’m smack in the middle, swinging from one pole to the other.

that’s why i’m revealing my process. and that’s why, if my process results in enough sales (through my two, count them, two affiliate links on my blog — twitter rocket and 1and1 hosting), then i will check out twitter rocket myself and see how it works. and maybe i’ll become one of the people shouting to the masses what a wonderful tool it is. or maybe i’ll just be a tool for having spent money on something i could have figured out on my own.

(p.s. you can help “sponsor” the project by buying something, you know. ย just click on the link and sign up for one of those two things. ย i wouldn’t put them there if i didn’t think they were worthwhile.)

Comments

28 responses to “a little argument with myself”

  1. Kate Avatar
    Kate

    That's so funny. I've been going back and forth with myself with many of these same questions since hearing about Twitter Rocket. I also noticed the similar language used on the blogs, as well as the style, and even how they Tweet the same Upstart Blogger links. (I even went so far as to look up a few of the blogs via WhoIs! :D ) But, in my mind, I've actually begun to think it might not be so bad. While many seem to just use it to sell the product itself, (which is profitable, apparently), others use it to promote services as well, such as IMYJ did. In addition, when I e-mailed Ashley w/some questions, he was very prompt to respond and open about what I asked.

    I'm curious, if you don't mind me asking: have you sold any copies yet? I'm thinking of buying TwitterRocket, but am curious as to whether you'd had any success.

  2. Kate Avatar
    Kate

    That's so funny. I've been going back and forth with myself with many of these same questions since hearing about Twitter Rocket. I also noticed the similar language used on the blogs, as well as the style, and even how they Tweet the same Upstart Blogger links. (I even went so far as to look up a few of the blogs via WhoIs! :D ) But, in my mind, I've actually begun to think it might not be so bad. While many seem to just use it to sell the product itself, (which is profitable, apparently), others use it to promote services as well, such as IMYJ did. In addition, when I e-mailed Ashley w/some questions, he was very prompt to respond and open about what I asked.

    I'm curious, if you don't mind me asking: have you sold any copies yet? I'm thinking of buying TwitterRocket, but am curious as to whether you'd had any success.

  3. jazzs3quence Avatar

    hi kate. thanks for your comment. i tend to side with the occam's razor argument — that it is just simpler to believe that it is what it is. that doesn't make me less suspicious, though, because it feels scammy (even if it's not actually a scam), and, having read "The Gift of Fear" (by Gavin DeBecker), I know that our instincts and gut feelings are there for a reason — they're telling us something, and when we choose not to listen to them, we end up getting ourselves into bad situations.

    to answer your question – no, haven't sold any yet (you could be my first! :), but then, as i said, i haven't pushed it hard. part of the "schoolbus" experiment is to grow my followers organically and, once it's at a sizable level, test ashley's theory that once you have x number of followers, you can start making money with your blog. i have so many valid arguments going on in my head; on the one hand, my instinct tells me "there's no such thing as a free meal" but Chris Anderson's FREE says exactly the opposite: "actually, sometimes there is."

    i'd be interested in hearing your reactions if you do decide to purchase it.

    1. Kate Avatar
      Kate

      Thanks for the response. I'll keep you posted when/if I decide to get it. Take care.

  4. jazzs3quence Avatar

    hi kate. thanks for your comment. i tend to side with the occam's razor argument — that it is just simpler to believe that it is what it is. that doesn't make me less suspicious, though, because it feels scammy (even if it's not actually a scam), and, having read "The Gift of Fear" (by Gavin DeBecker), I know that our instincts and gut feelings are there for a reason — they're telling us something, and when we choose not to listen to them, we end up getting ourselves into bad situations.

    to answer your question – no, haven't sold any yet (you could be my first! :), but then, as i said, i haven't pushed it hard. part of the "schoolbus" experiment is to grow my followers organically and, once it's at a sizable level, test ashley's theory that once you have x number of followers, you can start making money with your blog. i have so many valid arguments going on in my head; on the one hand, my instinct tells me "there's no such thing as a free meal" but Chris Anderson's FREE says exactly the opposite: "actually, sometimes there is."

    i'd be interested in hearing your reactions if you do decide to purchase it.

    1. Kate Avatar
      Kate

      Thanks for the response. I'll keep you posted when/if I decide to get it. Take care.

  5. James Fielding Avatar
    James Fielding

    Interesting stuff. I too have been watching this unfold and here is what I have found. Please excuse the slightly bullet point format of this, it's just easier to get my thoughts down this way.

    Ashley responds to his emails, as Kate has no doubt found out, never pushes, never "sells", and always answers any questions you ask.

    Ashley gave me an example of a current Twitter Rocket user who uses Twitter Rocket to promote their band's online record sales. The band have a reasonably Twitter following of around 4,000 and sell around 5 albums a day just through Twitter. They don't use the affiliate program, they just use Twitter Rocket quietly and successfully in their own little corner of the web.

    And yes, before you ask, I know Ashley is a musician, and I know that he is involved with the band he uses as an example. But why see this as a negative? Shouldn't it be a positive sign that the people closest to him professionally are using the product successfully? After all, say what you like about him, but he's not going to con his friends!!

    Sure, I've notices similarities in what Luke and Hannah and some others write but I think I've figured that out. They are asking for help (since Twitter Rocket offers full support) and he is giving them help, advising them on what to write. Plus, they are young and they are almost certainly copying him. And anyway, doesn't Ashley "manage" Luke as part of the competition he won?

    Aren't the arguments that ask "Is Ashley Luke?" pretty academic? Ashley isn't Luke but Ashley is managing him and almost certainly suggesting that he do certain things and write certain things.

    If you look hard enough you will find an outburst by Luke that certainly isn't in Ashley's style!

    Recently more and more bloggers have been jumping on the "let's take a shot at Ashley, or his affiliates, and see what happens" bandwagon. I've seen one woman be exceptionally nasty (she doesn't use her real name but goes under the alias Glory Bug) and also exceptionally inaccurate.

    In the space of 5 days she has spouted some of the most vicious nonsense I have ever read. She called Hannah (the affiliate you mentioned) fat. She went on to claim all sorts of things that are absolutely untrue and that are deliberately crafted to bait a response and create problems for Ashley and his affiliates.

    Worse still, she prevents people from replying to her by "breaking" her comment form.

    Currently she is telling people on Twitter that eating pork will give you swine flu!

    There is no end to her lies and crap.

    But I think you are missing the biggest point. The only people throwing rocks at Ashley and his affiliates are the ones who haven't purchased the product.

    Someone posted a Tweet last night saying "I tried Twitter Rocket and it made no difference". They were then promptly exposed by one of Ashley's affiliates as a liar who had never purchased the product.

    I've purchased it and I am enjoying myself, building a good following in my very small niche (I make custom ink for fountain pens) and in the 2 weeks that I've been a Twitter Rocket user I have used it to attract the attention of a handful of new customers.

    But I don't write about it, so I don't show up in the results. As Hannah said in her recent blog post, the people showing up in search engine results for Twitter Rocket are either the hard pushing affiliates who are making money or the nay sayers who are throwing rocks.

    Sorry this comment was so long but I hate to stand by and watch a good guy get trashed. I would love to post this comment on the Glory Bug blog but she continues to block all comments. Very telling, don't you think?

    1. jazzs3quence Avatar

      hi james. thanks for your comment. i'm really enjoying the debate and discussion that has been going on since i started talking about this topic. i definitely appreciate your comments about your own experience with twitter rocket.

      i know glorybug and i've been watching the glorybug vs. hannah feud unfold with some amusement. to be fair:

      – hannah is, 18? 19? and she acts it. i personally find the way she uses twitter, twitter rocket and the affiliate program, and her blog a bit distasteful, because it ends up sounding like the scams ashley has exposed in the past. but, it's exactly the kind of thing an 18 year old girl who found a way to make a lot of money really fast without a lot of work would do, so i can't be too judgmental. it does, however, color the appearance of the product indirectly.

      -glorybug has been by and commented on an earlier post on this blog, so i'm familiar with her blog and her arguments. while it's true that she made some comments about hannah, luke, and ashley that were untrue, in my opinion her comments are a bit more objective than you are hinting at (not completely objective, mind you, they're definitely colored, but, like me, she's just trying to find out what's underneath the hype, and you have to admit, there's quite a lot of hype. she's probably a bit more skeptical than i am, and less willing to give the major TR players the benefit of the doubt.) if you go to her blog, you'll see that she responds to hannah's recent lashing on her blog gracefully, without lashing back. i don't think she's trying to attack anyone (well, maybe except hannah, but even then, she was given a perfect opportunity and didn't), she's merely skeptical of the get-rich-quick quality that twitter rocket has when used to promote itself through the affiliate program.

      -hannah accused glorybug of deliberately "breaking" her comment system. this is ridiculous.
      let me explain: i am a web designer. glorybug is using the free blogging network BlogSpot. there are lots of premade templates available for free to download from various sources. BlogSpot uses a weird XML template that's half css, half html, and half proprietary XML (okay, that's 3 halves, still…). the template she's using in particular is a port from a Revolution theme by WordPress designer Brian Gardner. which is to say, it's a WordPress theme that has been converted to use on blogspot. when things like this are done (especially by inexperienced programmers, or programmers that, since they are releasing something for free, have no incentive to fully quality check their products), there are often problems like this.
      i noticed the bug, but knowing how these things work, i was able to submit a comment myself by selecting and dragging down on the text to get to the captcha input box. she recently tested the comment system and said she found no problem. so, from what i can tell, if you have a blogspot or google account, you see a different comment submission form than if you are using the Name/URL option from the dropdown (which invokes the broken CAPTCHA function). i don't think this was intentional, i think it's the byproduct of using a free, ported theme.

      -i saw the swine flu tweets and i think it's unfair to use that to judge her character. she's a vegan. i'm a vegetarian. we're often lumped into the "bunch of crazy people" category for our views on meat and how they affect the environment, our bodies, etc. i have no idea if what she says about pork is true or not, but given that, as a self-proclaimed vegan, she's critical of meat-eating, i don't think that justifies throwing everything she says about everything as just being a bunch of lies.

      in the end, my hesitation is mostly derived from the too-good-to-be-true and get-rich-quick qualities i see in Twitter Rocket. i've said in the past, i have no doubt that it works. i know it does, because it's easier to believe that than to believe that all of the users have somehow been conned. and i don't believe ashley to be a conman. i'm not one of the people who is going to jump on the "let's bash ashley" bandwagon. i have a lot of respect for him and his success for what he's written about in the past. recently upstart blogger has become a huge ad for twitter rocket, and the whole topic drives me crazy with the argument i talk about in this post. it's exploded rapidly, and i'm skeptical, and wary of the sudden jump in income that its' creator is receiving and i'd like to see if i can figure out a process for myself that works in the same way. going the long way around? perhaps, but i can feel good that my discoveries are my own, and that i'm not relying on someone else's success, and adding to it, to find my own method.

    2. Kate Avatar
      Kate

      Didn't get to read jazzs3quence's response yet, but just wanted to say that one of the points you made was another I considered but forgot to mention: The naysayers don't seem to have purchased it!

      Thanks for the examples you mentioned of people, including yourself, how are using it. Take care.

  6. James Fielding Avatar
    James Fielding

    Interesting stuff. I too have been watching this unfold and here is what I have found. Please excuse the slightly bullet point format of this, it's just easier to get my thoughts down this way.

    Ashley responds to his emails, as Kate has no doubt found out, never pushes, never "sells", and always answers any questions you ask.

    Ashley gave me an example of a current Twitter Rocket user who uses Twitter Rocket to promote their band's online record sales. The band have a reasonably Twitter following of around 4,000 and sell around 5 albums a day just through Twitter. They don't use the affiliate program, they just use Twitter Rocket quietly and successfully in their own little corner of the web.

    And yes, before you ask, I know Ashley is a musician, and I know that he is involved with the band he uses as an example. But why see this as a negative? Shouldn't it be a positive sign that the people closest to him professionally are using the product successfully? After all, say what you like about him, but he's not going to con his friends!!

    Sure, I've notices similarities in what Luke and Hannah and some others write but I think I've figured that out. They are asking for help (since Twitter Rocket offers full support) and he is giving them help, advising them on what to write. Plus, they are young and they are almost certainly copying him. And anyway, doesn't Ashley "manage" Luke as part of the competition he won?

    Aren't the arguments that ask "Is Ashley Luke?" pretty academic? Ashley isn't Luke but Ashley is managing him and almost certainly suggesting that he do certain things and write certain things.

    If you look hard enough you will find an outburst by Luke that certainly isn't in Ashley's style!

    Recently more and more bloggers have been jumping on the "let's take a shot at Ashley, or his affiliates, and see what happens" bandwagon. I've seen one woman be exceptionally nasty (she doesn't use her real name but goes under the alias Glory Bug) and also exceptionally inaccurate.

    In the space of 5 days she has spouted some of the most vicious nonsense I have ever read. She called Hannah (the affiliate you mentioned) fat. She went on to claim all sorts of things that are absolutely untrue and that are deliberately crafted to bait a response and create problems for Ashley and his affiliates.

    Worse still, she prevents people from replying to her by "breaking" her comment form.

    Currently she is telling people on Twitter that eating pork will give you swine flu!

    There is no end to her lies and crap.

    But I think you are missing the biggest point. The only people throwing rocks at Ashley and his affiliates are the ones who haven't purchased the product.

    Someone posted a Tweet last night saying "I tried Twitter Rocket and it made no difference". They were then promptly exposed by one of Ashley's affiliates as a liar who had never purchased the product.

    I've purchased it and I am enjoying myself, building a good following in my very small niche (I make custom ink for fountain pens) and in the 2 weeks that I've been a Twitter Rocket user I have used it to attract the attention of a handful of new customers.

    But I don't write about it, so I don't show up in the results. As Hannah said in her recent blog post, the people showing up in search engine results for Twitter Rocket are either the hard pushing affiliates who are making money or the nay sayers who are throwing rocks.

    Sorry this comment was so long but I hate to stand by and watch a good guy get trashed. I would love to post this comment on the Glory Bug blog but she continues to block all comments. Very telling, don't you think?

    1. jazzs3quence Avatar

      hi james. thanks for your comment. i'm really enjoying the debate and discussion that has been going on since i started talking about this topic. i definitely appreciate your comments about your own experience with twitter rocket.

      i know glorybug and i've been watching the glorybug vs. hannah feud unfold with some amusement. to be fair:

      – hannah is, 18? 19? and she acts it. i personally find the way she uses twitter, twitter rocket and the affiliate program, and her blog a bit distasteful, because it ends up sounding like the scams ashley has exposed in the past. but, it's exactly the kind of thing an 18 year old girl who found a way to make a lot of money really fast without a lot of work would do, so i can't be too judgmental. it does, however, color the appearance of the product indirectly.

      -glorybug has been by and commented on an earlier post on this blog, so i'm familiar with her blog and her arguments. while it's true that she made some comments about hannah, luke, and ashley that were untrue, in my opinion her comments are a bit more objective than you are hinting at (not completely objective, mind you, they're definitely colored, but, like me, she's just trying to find out what's underneath the hype, and you have to admit, there's quite a lot of hype. she's probably a bit more skeptical than i am, and less willing to give the major TR players the benefit of the doubt.) if you go to her blog, you'll see that she responds to hannah's recent lashing on her blog gracefully, without lashing back. i don't think she's trying to attack anyone (well, maybe except hannah, but even then, she was given a perfect opportunity and didn't), she's merely skeptical of the get-rich-quick quality that twitter rocket has when used to promote itself through the affiliate program.

      -hannah accused glorybug of deliberately "breaking" her comment system. this is ridiculous.
      let me explain: i am a web designer. glorybug is using the free blogging network BlogSpot. there are lots of premade templates available for free to download from various sources. BlogSpot uses a weird XML template that's half css, half html, and half proprietary XML (okay, that's 3 halves, still…). the template she's using in particular is a port from a Revolution theme by WordPress designer Brian Gardner. which is to say, it's a WordPress theme that has been converted to use on blogspot. when things like this are done (especially by inexperienced programmers, or programmers that, since they are releasing something for free, have no incentive to fully quality check their products), there are often problems like this.
      i noticed the bug, but knowing how these things work, i was able to submit a comment myself by selecting and dragging down on the text to get to the captcha input box. she recently tested the comment system and said she found no problem. so, from what i can tell, if you have a blogspot or google account, you see a different comment submission form than if you are using the Name/URL option from the dropdown (which invokes the broken CAPTCHA function). i don't think this was intentional, i think it's the byproduct of using a free, ported theme.

      -i saw the swine flu tweets and i think it's unfair to use that to judge her character. she's a vegan. i'm a vegetarian. we're often lumped into the "bunch of crazy people" category for our views on meat and how they affect the environment, our bodies, etc. i have no idea if what she says about pork is true or not, but given that, as a self-proclaimed vegan, she's critical of meat-eating, i don't think that justifies throwing everything she says about everything as just being a bunch of lies.

      in the end, my hesitation is mostly derived from the too-good-to-be-true and get-rich-quick qualities i see in Twitter Rocket. i've said in the past, i have no doubt that it works. i know it does, because it's easier to believe that than to believe that all of the users have somehow been conned. and i don't believe ashley to be a conman. i'm not one of the people who is going to jump on the "let's bash ashley" bandwagon. i have a lot of respect for him and his success for what he's written about in the past. recently upstart blogger has become a huge ad for twitter rocket, and the whole topic drives me crazy with the argument i talk about in this post. it's exploded rapidly, and i'm skeptical, and wary of the sudden jump in income that its' creator is receiving and i'd like to see if i can figure out a process for myself that works in the same way. going the long way around? perhaps, but i can feel good that my discoveries are my own, and that i'm not relying on someone else's success, and adding to it, to find my own method.

    2. Kate Avatar
      Kate

      Didn't get to read jazzs3quence's response yet, but just wanted to say that one of the points you made was another I considered but forgot to mention: The naysayers don't seem to have purchased it!

      Thanks for the examples you mentioned of people, including yourself, how are using it. Take care.

  7. James Fielding Avatar
    James Fielding

    Here's the thing that really amazes me and makes me get angry with Glory Bug. She must know she is wrong, but she doesn't retract what she has said.

    Consider these points…

    1. Glory Bug refers to Ashley as "the people behind Upstart Blogger" and "the start up blogger people" clearly showing a total lack of understanding.

    2. Glory Bug claims that to use Twitter Rocket you need to sign up for hosting through Ashley. This is completely false as I'm sure everyone reading this already knows. Twitter Rocket is a stand alone ebook product. It doesn't require hosting and it never has required hosting. Glory Bug even admits to not having purchased Twitter Rocket. If she hasn't purchased it how can she write about it?

    3. We know from what Ashley has already written that someone, a man from the Philippines, is or was trying to blackmail him. We also know that Ashley has told them to shove it where the sun doesn't shine. We also know that the Philippines person set up a number of blogs using deliberate google bait such as "Twitter Rocket scam" and "Twitter Rocket lies". It's been proved beyond doubt that this person acted and continues to act in a dishonest and underhand way. Ashley himself has made it clear that he never had any dealings with him, nor did he sell nor give him a copy of Twitter Rocket, yet the blackmailer continues to bait, even though he is largely being ignored. The only person supporting the blackmailer (by effectively copying his misinformation and google bait tactic) is Glory Bug.

    4. Glory Bug linked to one of the blackmail websites which was run by a women in the Philippines (seeing a pattern here yet?). The blog titles were all "Twitter Rocket ……." where ……. represents a negative or SEO bait word. That blog was clearly part of the blackmail attempt yet Glory Bug still linked to it. Even now that that particular blog has been taken offline (apparently after a number of complaints) Glory Bug still quotes it, links to it, and attempts to validate it.

    5. As soon as Glory Bug starts receiving negative comments (from Luke for instance who appeared exactly as he is – a 17 year old hot head flush with new and easy money) she suddenly uses a different theme that apparently blocks all outside comments. Come on, don't tell me that wasn't a deliberate move!

    6. Glory Bug then swipes out at Hannah who is acting in exactly the way you would expect a girl with a sudden influx of money to act. She calls her a liar and takes shots at her weight. When Hannah reacts she is simply brushed off as a silly little teen.

    During all of this Ashley stays calm, doesn't react, doesn't comment on the offending blogs. Instead he posts a clear statement informing people of the blackmail attempt.

    Why oh why oh why is Glory Bug still so convinced that she is in the right here? Virtually everything she has said has been proved false yet she still continues to bait.

    Chris, you say, both here and in your comments on Upstart Blogger, that you have a lot of respect for Ashley. I think you have an opportunity to here to educate one of your friends.

    Finally, Glory Bug keeps demanding an interview with a Twitter Rocket user. I've contacted a number of users all of whom are happy to take part in a public interview or debate sharing their success stories. All she needs to do is open up her comments and let them speak.

    But I bet the shirt on my back that she won't open up her comments.

    1. jazzs3quence Avatar

      all great points. and i agree with you on most of them. i'm not going to fight someone else's fight. and i didn't go to glorybug's site until after she put up the design that's up there now, so i didn't know about that part. i'm certainly not going to get involved in someone else's flame war. from my perspective, it just looked to me like there was a bit more objectivity involved, granted, there is a lot of misinformation, especially on her earlier posts about twitter rocket.

      i linked back to her because she posted a comment on my blog and i read through her thoughts, and some of the ideas mirrored my own reflections. that's pretty much it. and once her comment form is fixed (which hopefully it will be), i would be interested in seeing how the debate unfolds.

      in all honesty, hearing from you has brightened my perception of twitter rocket quite a bit, but i'm still interested in letting my own experiment play out to see how that goes before purchasing ashley's.

      i am curious about one thing, though: ashley's followers seem to be incredibly loyal, jumping to his defense and helping him out like in the extortion situation. why is that? certainly most bloggers don't obtain such a devoted following, do they? i think most would probably kill for a following like that. is it just that he's a cool guy, and has established trust by blogging honestly in the past?

  8. James Fielding Avatar
    James Fielding

    Here's the thing that really amazes me and makes me get angry with Glory Bug. She must know she is wrong, but she doesn't retract what she has said.

    Consider these points…

    1. Glory Bug refers to Ashley as "the people behind Upstart Blogger" and "the start up blogger people" clearly showing a total lack of understanding.

    2. Glory Bug claims that to use Twitter Rocket you need to sign up for hosting through Ashley. This is completely false as I'm sure everyone reading this already knows. Twitter Rocket is a stand alone ebook product. It doesn't require hosting and it never has required hosting. Glory Bug even admits to not having purchased Twitter Rocket. If she hasn't purchased it how can she write about it?

    3. We know from what Ashley has already written that someone, a man from the Philippines, is or was trying to blackmail him. We also know that Ashley has told them to shove it where the sun doesn't shine. We also know that the Philippines person set up a number of blogs using deliberate google bait such as "Twitter Rocket scam" and "Twitter Rocket lies". It's been proved beyond doubt that this person acted and continues to act in a dishonest and underhand way. Ashley himself has made it clear that he never had any dealings with him, nor did he sell nor give him a copy of Twitter Rocket, yet the blackmailer continues to bait, even though he is largely being ignored. The only person supporting the blackmailer (by effectively copying his misinformation and google bait tactic) is Glory Bug.

    4. Glory Bug linked to one of the blackmail websites which was run by a women in the Philippines (seeing a pattern here yet?). The blog titles were all "Twitter Rocket ……." where ……. represents a negative or SEO bait word. That blog was clearly part of the blackmail attempt yet Glory Bug still linked to it. Even now that that particular blog has been taken offline (apparently after a number of complaints) Glory Bug still quotes it, links to it, and attempts to validate it.

    5. As soon as Glory Bug starts receiving negative comments (from Luke for instance who appeared exactly as he is – a 17 year old hot head flush with new and easy money) she suddenly uses a different theme that apparently blocks all outside comments. Come on, don't tell me that wasn't a deliberate move!

    6. Glory Bug then swipes out at Hannah who is acting in exactly the way you would expect a girl with a sudden influx of money to act. She calls her a liar and takes shots at her weight. When Hannah reacts she is simply brushed off as a silly little teen.

    During all of this Ashley stays calm, doesn't react, doesn't comment on the offending blogs. Instead he posts a clear statement informing people of the blackmail attempt.

    Why oh why oh why is Glory Bug still so convinced that she is in the right here? Virtually everything she has said has been proved false yet she still continues to bait.

    Chris, you say, both here and in your comments on Upstart Blogger, that you have a lot of respect for Ashley. I think you have an opportunity to here to educate one of your friends.

    Finally, Glory Bug keeps demanding an interview with a Twitter Rocket user. I've contacted a number of users all of whom are happy to take part in a public interview or debate sharing their success stories. All she needs to do is open up her comments and let them speak.

    But I bet the shirt on my back that she won't open up her comments.

    1. jazzs3quence Avatar

      all great points. and i agree with you on most of them. i'm not going to fight someone else's fight. and i didn't go to glorybug's site until after she put up the design that's up there now, so i didn't know about that part. i'm certainly not going to get involved in someone else's flame war. from my perspective, it just looked to me like there was a bit more objectivity involved, granted, there is a lot of misinformation, especially on her earlier posts about twitter rocket.

      i linked back to her because she posted a comment on my blog and i read through her thoughts, and some of the ideas mirrored my own reflections. that's pretty much it. and once her comment form is fixed (which hopefully it will be), i would be interested in seeing how the debate unfolds.

      in all honesty, hearing from you has brightened my perception of twitter rocket quite a bit, but i'm still interested in letting my own experiment play out to see how that goes before purchasing ashley's.

      i am curious about one thing, though: ashley's followers seem to be incredibly loyal, jumping to his defense and helping him out like in the extortion situation. why is that? certainly most bloggers don't obtain such a devoted following, do they? i think most would probably kill for a following like that. is it just that he's a cool guy, and has established trust by blogging honestly in the past?

  9. James Fielding Avatar
    James Fielding

    Here's why I'm so loyal. Ashley was the only pro blogger who was happy to answer my emails when I was a clueless newbie. He helped me when all the others ignored me. Rowse, Chow, Shoemoney, all the famous pro bloggers completely ignored me but Ashley took the time to listen to me and reply to me.

    Ask anyone – Ashley talks to his readers if they email him. And he doesn't sell to them.

    When I aksed Ashley if Twitter Rocket was right for me he gave me some examples of people who had used it to push a small business in a small niche like mine. I lost count of the emails we had. But at every step he helped me.

    When I purchased Twitter Rocket Ashley continued to help me (since support is ongoing – hence my frustration when I see people trying to pretend to have used Twitter Rocket) and my business has grown. In my own little niche (and custom ink making is a very small niche) I have used Twitter Rocket to reach new customers.

    As Kate mentions, when she emailed Ashley he was prompt and open in his replies.

    Because I feel that Ashley is my friend I get very angry when people tell lies about him (and Glory Bug / Mr. Philippines) are telling lies – there's no doubt about it.

    Ashley is a cool guy, and has established trust, but I defend him because I feel it is the least I can do to help defend someone who has helped me build my business.

    I can't speak for the other people who seem to jump to his aid but I would imagine their stories are similar to mine.

    Just for the record – Glory Bug still hasn't opened up her comments.

    1. jazzs3quence Avatar

      Thanks James. That's a better character reference than I could have hoped for. And I'm sure Ashley would appreciate your comments. With so many scams and pyramid schemes, especially on Twitter, it's hard to believe that there are things out there that are actually legitimate. But that doesn't mean it's impossible. Thanks again, James, I appreciate all your comments.

  10. James Fielding Avatar
    James Fielding

    Here's why I'm so loyal. Ashley was the only pro blogger who was happy to answer my emails when I was a clueless newbie. He helped me when all the others ignored me. Rowse, Chow, Shoemoney, all the famous pro bloggers completely ignored me but Ashley took the time to listen to me and reply to me.

    Ask anyone – Ashley talks to his readers if they email him. And he doesn't sell to them.

    When I aksed Ashley if Twitter Rocket was right for me he gave me some examples of people who had used it to push a small business in a small niche like mine. I lost count of the emails we had. But at every step he helped me.

    When I purchased Twitter Rocket Ashley continued to help me (since support is ongoing – hence my frustration when I see people trying to pretend to have used Twitter Rocket) and my business has grown. In my own little niche (and custom ink making is a very small niche) I have used Twitter Rocket to reach new customers.

    As Kate mentions, when she emailed Ashley he was prompt and open in his replies.

    Because I feel that Ashley is my friend I get very angry when people tell lies about him (and Glory Bug / Mr. Philippines) are telling lies – there's no doubt about it.

    Ashley is a cool guy, and has established trust, but I defend him because I feel it is the least I can do to help defend someone who has helped me build my business.

    I can't speak for the other people who seem to jump to his aid but I would imagine their stories are similar to mine.

    Just for the record – Glory Bug still hasn't opened up her comments.

    1. jazzs3quence Avatar

      Thanks James. That's a better character reference than I could have hoped for. And I'm sure Ashley would appreciate your comments. With so many scams and pyramid schemes, especially on Twitter, it's hard to believe that there are things out there that are actually legitimate. But that doesn't mean it's impossible. Thanks again, James, I appreciate all your comments.

  11. James Fielding Avatar
    James Fielding

    Chris, you mentioned that you were able to get around the commenting issue on Glory Bugs site. Can you tell me how you did it? She has gone completely insane and needs to be stopped.

    1. jazzs3quence Avatar

      well 1 of 2 options really, although one is more obnoxious.

      The more obnoxious (but potentially easier) way is to create an account with blogspot/blogger. If you're in the network, i'm fairly sure it does away with the CAPTCHA thing which is causing the problem.

      the way i've successfully posted comments is:
      post the comment as you would normally. when the preview window comes up, highlight the text starting with Preview and drag all the way down. You'll see that the area inside the box will scroll down to below the CAPTCHA code and allow you to put in the verification code and submit your comment.

  12. James Fielding Avatar
    James Fielding

    Chris, you mentioned that you were able to get around the commenting issue on Glory Bugs site. Can you tell me how you did it? She has gone completely insane and needs to be stopped.

    1. jazzs3quence Avatar

      well 1 of 2 options really, although one is more obnoxious.

      The more obnoxious (but potentially easier) way is to create an account with blogspot/blogger. If you're in the network, i'm fairly sure it does away with the CAPTCHA thing which is causing the problem.

      the way i've successfully posted comments is:
      post the comment as you would normally. when the preview window comes up, highlight the text starting with Preview and drag all the way down. You'll see that the area inside the box will scroll down to below the CAPTCHA code and allow you to put in the verification code and submit your comment.

  13. Mike Danes Avatar
    Mike Danes

    Glory Bug is way out of line. WAY out of line. Thanks for suggesting the way around her comment blocking, Chris, but I've tried it and I can't make it work. I opened a blogspot account and was still given the captcha code. I then tried to select and scroll and it wouldn't budge.

    Any other ideas?

    1. jazzs3quence Avatar

      hmmm…that's worked for me every time i tried it, in fact i tested it right before i posted the comment. if you're using the name/url option and scrolling to below the captcha code, i dunno what else to try. she DID just post her email address, so you could always email her…
      *cringes away from the flames*

  14. Mike Danes Avatar
    Mike Danes

    Glory Bug is way out of line. WAY out of line. Thanks for suggesting the way around her comment blocking, Chris, but I've tried it and I can't make it work. I opened a blogspot account and was still given the captcha code. I then tried to select and scroll and it wouldn't budge.

    Any other ideas?

    1. jazzs3quence Avatar

      hmmm…that's worked for me every time i tried it, in fact i tested it right before i posted the comment. if you're using the name/url option and scrolling to below the captcha code, i dunno what else to try. she DID just post her email address, so you could always email her…
      *cringes away from the flames*

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