Kimkins Summary 2008
Cleo has done a fantastic job of doing a brief yet concise summary of some of the events that have occurred in 2008 regarding the Kimkins case.
I’m so glad she took the time to put this together because I just don’t have the time right now. LOL.
Since I started Sock it to me Kimkins I can rarely keep up with all of the news stories that appeared there.
I want to personally thank those of you who did sign up and have been submitting stories of interest to the site. It is nice to see all of the information displayed on one page.
While this past year has been trying to say the least, I wouldn’t take back a single minute of it, if it meant giving up any of my new low-carb friends online. You are all an awesome group and your persistence is inspiring. You have all seen me personally through the thick and thin of the year and I want to personally thank you all for your support.
Wishing you all the happiest and best in 2009,
Sincerely,
Avenue Girl
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Goodbye Mr. Cottle?
I awoke to some news this morning. Looks like Mr. Cottle has been removed from representing Heidi Diaz in the Class Action Lawsuit against Kimkins.con. It is unclear at this time if Cottle left on his own accord, or if he was perhaps fired. I’d love to hear his side of the story. I really would.
I’m not sure what the rules are as far as attourney client priviledges, but I’m guessing he will be unable to reveal any insight or secrets he has. Unfortunately for Mr. Cottle, he is still responsible for any court actions he accrued while in the employ of Kimmer. Anything he filed that may be considered a waste of the courts time is not beyond scrutiny just because he is no longer involved. His past may come back to haunt him.
So, the big question now is what will Heidi do? Will she seek out new representation? Will anyone take the case? Will she try to defend herself? Can a simple housewife from Corona California handle John Tiedt and save her defunct diet site that was built on fraud?
It is my current understanding that because of the type of case this is, no one is required to represent Ms. Diaz. I’m anxious to see where all of this goes, and perhaps we will get some answers in January during the next appointment.
Share this Post[?] Don Fleece, Traffic Mysteries, Confessions and Reality
Filed under: affiliate marketing, don fleece, video, viral marketing
A couple of days ago I blogged about Don Fleece and Traffic Mysteries 2 – a new product and unheard of product creator in the IM world. Today is confession time. This was all part of a hoax.
It was an elaborate plan masterminded by Frank Kern to get the attention of John Reese who is the creator of Traffic Secrets. Seems Frank owed John some “payback” for a stunt back in 2006.
Don Fleece is an imaginary guru, the Traffic Mysteries product does not exist, but…
In the story I told about the marketer who did not realize the reality of Kimkins and the points made in checking out a new product and its creator – those are sincerely real and valid.
I have to confess, I was in on the traffic mysteries thing. I knew there was no product in the end or money to be taken from anyone and I have to admit – I was not going to originally add the product to this blog as I have no intentions of fooling the real readers but it tied in nicely with the real story of things that were happening. No one was going to get scammed out of their money.
I am elated that at least a couple of people did get something out of it all. One commenter on the post who I believe didn’t realize the hoax learned some additional techniques in investigating a product, and a fitness blogger was kind enough to blog on the danger to his readers of promoting 3rd party products as well as mentioning Kimkins which really is greatly appreciated.
John Reese has left a comment which I will address privately, as he seems to be a little upset but I will add a public apology here –> John I am sorry for any stress this has caused you and in reality we all love and admire you! –> and would like to assure Mr. Reese there are some really great things that have come out of this exercise.
This particular project was not only an opportunity for me to spread the word on my cause, but turned into one of the biggest networking frenzies I’ve ever seen. I was able to greatly expand my circle of contacts through this excursion and additionally I was able to release a lot of stress that had still been pent up over struggles of the past year.
Within days, a group of us had created an active looking pre-launch forum (I may have knitted quite a few socks), created a “buzz” and managed to get some people believing this was a real product. Some of the methods used to start the stir are available to every marketer out there. Hub, Squidoo, blogging, social bookmarking – all things available freely on the web.
Something that should have been a dead giveaway was the picture used of Mr. Fleece with his anti drule invention. This was in reality a feminine product hanging out of his mouth and I am ROFLMBO as I type this.
Some additional personalities were created such as Fleece’s cousin Vern who was giving video testimonials and was not amused that Wurdmess had questioned the integrity of Traffic Mysteries and Fleece.
Today I am back to another project that is real work, but I would like to thank all the posters who came by, thank you to Frank Kern for the opportunity to participate in something that I have learned and gained much from, and a really big thank you as well to John Reese for stopping by.
Share this Post[?] Kimkins – The Black Bart of the Internets Wild West Years
Papers have been filed for the Motion for Class Certification of the Kimkins case.
Mariasol has written an outstanding post on the subject.
One of the things that strikes me most was the use of some very black hat tactics including the use of tags for things that have nothing to do with a diet site.
For example, Heidi Diaz took a popular Internet topic such as the “Geico Caveman” which generated a lot of Internet activity at the time. Heidi Diaz placed the labels: “Caveman, Geico, Kimkins” together so that when “Geico” and “Caveman” would be searched, the Kimkins advertisement would appear. Heidi Diaz admitted that she prepared the graphic and text without the permission of the Geico Insurance Company. Heidi Diaz admitted that labels were also used as tags and that if a search were conducted with respect to the terms “Geico” or “Caveman,” the subject advertisement would show up in a ranking!’
Like Black Bart, Kimkins seems to have a similar MO. Black Bart was living in San Francisco under the name Charles E. Bolton when he was finally caught. Upon being booked he gave the name T. Z. Spalding – although his real name was Charles E. Boles. See any resemblances to Heidi Diaz?
The beginning legend of Black Bart tells a story of a stage coach driver who was approached by a man with a sack over his head holding a double barrel shotgun. Hiding behind the man appeared to be a back up possie revealing only their guns as they hid behind boulders. Bart told the posse “If he dares shoot give him a solid volley, boys.” Fearful for his life and the life of his 5 passengers, the driver delivered the goods on board and followed the direction of the hooded man, taking off when directed to do so. He rode off a ways, and then stopped the stage and looked back. He walked back to the scene of the incident and upon arrival realized the posse to be motionless. Upon further investigation it was revealed those guns were just some sticks pointed at him from behind the boulders.
While it appeared that Bart had supporters, they weren’t real. The same can be said for many of the exposed fake members of the Kimkins diet.
Bart never fired a real shot in his robberies. Although he never killed anyone, he did go to prison for his actions.
I hope our story about Kimkins taking place in the virtual wild west has a similar outcome.
Share this Post[?] Don Fleece and Traffic Mysteries?
Who is Don Fleece? And what is Traffic Mysteries?
I bring this up today after trying to put out some fires last night. I’m going to go off topic for a bit, but you will find it is all relevant information.
I’m going to dive back into Kimkins for this post. For those who may be seeing this blog for the first time, please to check out my “about” page. Basically, I was taken in by an internet fraud. We have been actively involved in a class action lawsuit, counter suits have been filed, and it is all about a woman Heidi Diaz aka Kimmer who used pictures stolen from a Russian brides website to portray herself and her false claims of losing 198 lbs in 11 months and then charging members to join her made up diet site only to ban them when the gig was up. Not a low carb mouthful;) She even made over a million dollars in a month last year when the diet graced the cover of Womans World magazine. WW was given pictures of a Russian bride as well and never sent anyone out personally to verify the story.
In my journeys last night I was directed to a blog were a marketer was promoting the Kimkins diet. It was quite apparent to me that this marketer was grossly uninformed. She was under the impression that Kimmer had lost weight. As we all know know thanks most recently to AmyB this is not the case. We knew it when we got the PI footage of our so called diet guru last year. We now know from court papers that Heidi Diaz has told many lies.
I am concerned for this marketer. I am actually seriously concerned. When I went to promote the Kimkins diet there was virtually no information on “Kimmer” other than the information that came from other affiliate websites which at the time was all pro Kimkins. Now, if you just google Kimkins there is the Kimkins site at the top followed by an endless stream of sites exposing the fraud in an effort to save potential buyers from falling into the trap. Did the marketer I visit not check this out? It is of the utmost importance one take the time to investigate a product and it’s creator before promoting. And after a product has been out for a couple of years this can take litterally minutes. Checking sites like the better business bureau, doing some general search engine searches, looking over at scam.com for instance. Why would anyone want to promote a woman who is a fraud is completely beyond me.
I am hopeful right now that this marketer just didn’t do a proper investigation. Otherwise it sends me the message that this marketer is willing to promote a fraud just to get 20 bucks a head.
So now I come full circle and back to my post today. Who is Don Fleece? And just what is this Traffic Mysteries? There is an increasing buzz on the internet over the past few days.
Apparently Don Fleece is a man who has been behind the scenes in internet marketing. He appears to be grossly unheard of yet there is a forum with members and everything for a pre-launch of Traffic Mysteries. Could all those people be for real?
Here is a prime example of a product one should be extremely hesitant to jump on as a marketer. So what would I do?
Here’s a simple run down list of some investigative tips to find out what you can before promoting a person and their product.
- Google Search. Take a moment to google Don Fleece and Traffic Mysteries. Look for sites discussing the product and the man and read as much as you can.
- Do a domain name check. See if the owner of the site is willing to put their name on the WHOIS. I have actually been able to call product owners in the past and get some more information. If the site is listed all as private you should be skeptical. Although I have to add even if there is convincing information provided, don’t completely fall for it. Look further into addresses and other information provided.
- Backlink check. Throw the site into a backlink checker to see if their are any articles or sites pointing to the promotional site. Look to see how old the blogs and sites are that are promoting the product. If it is a one or two page blog that is only a few weeks old, it is not necessarily a reputable source.
- Don’t just “believe” celebrity or guru endorsements. If you see a name you recognize endorsing the product you should email or contact that person and verify with them that that is them.
- Check reputable forums and just keep digging.
There are more steps you can take, but that list is a good start.
I know all too well from the case of Kimkins how easy it is to start a forum and create sockpuppets. Unscrupulous methods were used in the creation of the Kimkins diet site – including posters answering q&a on Yahoo for instance claiming celebrities had done the diet. These were all false rumors spread to further the promotion.
I have left comments for the blog of the marketer currently promoting Kimkins, but I’m waiting for them to be moderated. It just goes to show me my work here is far from finished. It is obvious to me that this marketer did not do their homework.
Before you go jumping into the frenzy, be sure to do your due diligence in finding out all you can about Don Fleece and Traffic Mysteries.
Share this Post[?] The Gauntlet is Thrown
I’m in product creation, and it will be finished by December 31st 2008.
I was inspired by a post on the Warrior Forum by a newbie marketer. She set a huge goal to make 10k in 7 days. No product, nothing to start with. In just 5 days she was able to complete making her product, getting up her site, and was on her way to sales.
While 10k is a HUGE stretch to say the least, she took some massive action in a short period and made money in a weeks time. She has inspired me to get off my keister and just get it done.
While I can market other peoples products, there is certainly something to be said in accomplishing your own products.
Will I do it?
I just pulled up 9 pages already written. I’m off to see if I’m off to a good start.
Share this Post[?] I’m Being Followed – Happy Anniversary Affiliate Scams!
Is it just paranoia? I don’t think so.
I have a hub where someone left a comment. They claimed they didn’t know anything about the subject of the hub. Later, that same person commented on a blog (not mine) using a user name of the product I was talking about on the hub.
On the hub, they linked to something different, but used the same web site address when entering their name into the other blog that was commented on. Hard to explain. Let’s just say both comments linked back to the same site which promotes a competing product.
Are you paying attention? Do you look at the comments left for you on your blog and in other places? Ever click on the links to see where they go?
It’s not stupid at all for this person to be following me – but they are silly not to realize that even when I’m not paying attention, I’m still paying attention.
I’m kinda flattered, and annoyed at the same time. The fact that someone would want to follow some tactics I’ve discovered myself.
I’ve had to wonder just how many people have been following me. Not everyone leaves comments behind on blogs they’ve visited. I personally try to leave comments where I’ve found helpful information.
How does one determine what to give away and what should be freely handed out? I have possibly explained and exposed some things too well on this blog.
Do I need to go around and mop up some of my digital footprints? Hehe, that would take a long time.
A couple of days ago I was struggling with a thought. I was thinking back to pen names and how marketers use them in an attempt to market different niches and not come across as a Jack (or Jill) of all trades expert of none. I was thinking about this, as I got an alert in my mail from Hub pages. Someone I follow there has done so many different topics under the same name. Why shouldn’t I promote everything under the same name? Walmart has a lot of things in their store. Why couldn’t I just do everything under my name?
I’ve felt somehow deceived in the past when finding other marketers using multiple names, and yet I understand so many more reasons for that now – other than just creating an identity to appear as an expert.
Even the scam I have followed has had me taking on multiple identities of my own just to try to stay undercover with some smaller operations. I was ripped into at one point for this – but it was by an anonymous commenter and I believe whole heartedly it was an attack by the enemy camp.
On a side note, I have to say I am amazed at the abilities of the ducks. They have picked up so many skills. It is downright scary at this point. They all know the dangers that lurk online in leaving footprints behind in the enemy camp.
How much thought do I give to this?
In my efforts to expose one scam in particular and show what is going on, I fear I have revealed too much to the enemy. It’s possible to be on the team for the good guys and unknowingly give things away to the wrong team.
I have just passed my one year anniversary of the day I proclaimed “I think I’ve been banned.” Could this anniversary be bringing up all these questions and feelings from within?
I’ve been doing a bit of redecorating on this site. My support is still here of the anti-KK crowd but I am ready to head on into another direction. I’ve detached myself from the blog ring and it is such a strange feeling! Like I was part of a giant space station and I’ve been let go into the rest of the universe. I’m floating, in a most peculiar way.
It’s been a long year. I have been trained, and feel like it has all been some preparation for some things to come. I’m going to be moving in a new direction. I know there are still a few weeks left of 2008, but I’m ready to take 2009 and make some changes. They are long over due.
Share this Post[?] Where to Find the Free Video Lunch
I’m still waiting on word from Justin and Chaunna Brooke on the results of the contest.
I got a little wound up over something going on.
The challenge was to create a video on the importance of list building. I submitted an initial video, but a message went out that something was missing. This kind of thing makes me kooky, and I’m sure I’ll be slapping myself silly when I figure it out if I didn’t already.
Anyway, that is not what got me the most wound up. One of the contest entries used some materials that they didn’t have permission to use. I could have just ranted and left it at that, but I actually offered some solutions that this opponent could have used.
When making video on the web, there are tons of ways to be creative without taking materials that aren’t yours to use. Public domain is highly under rated and easily forgotten. It is one of the best kept secrets on the web for those who need something.
I wanted to kick my own head when I realized I could have used public domain for this project. I recently had to use some public domain materials in a political campaign project and it was not only successful, but saved me literally thousands of dollars it would have cost to get the images and clips I needed if I hadn’t been directed to some great resources.
I probably would have done a completely different video if I had thought about it. I’ve seen some footage of JFK and MLK that would have been hysterical when paired up on a speech about list building. Next time I guess.
I had submitted a second video to the contest, but not sure if it got in on time. I really need to go figure out what time zone the Brooke family lives in. I got an email saying there was time left, but I thought it was over all ready, so I took their word for it or thought maybe they decided to extend it a bit further. It wasn’t going to hurt to try.
There is no excuse not to find free materials to make your videos on the web.
Share this Post[?] Smoke This
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Sign by Dealighted - Coupons and DealsDid you visit while I was away?
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