OpportunitySeekers Home Biz Blog

This won’t be anything knew to anyone who knows me, but those of you visiting for the first time will find this amusing if nothing else.

There isn’t much online that annoys me more than the self proclaimed saviors, those message board junkies and blogger boobs that are going to save all of us from the big bad home business scams online.

They are in general, all just cry babies that tried various home business opportunities which didn’t work out for them, I’ve been in 100 that didn’t work out for me, but the big difference is that I am not a little cry baby who blames everyone and everything except myself. I am a grown man and I take responsibility for my own actions, my own decisions, my successes and my failures, they cannot accept the fact that they failed and it cannot possibly be their fault, so it’s the entire industry, Network Marketing, Affiliate Marketing and other home business opportunities that are all over the Internet.

This of course ignores that fact that companies like Amway, Herbalife and Shaklee have been around for many years and are completely legal, not even on the fringe, they are billion dollar companies and have made many people very wealthy, other companies are all just trying to do what they have done, some work out, some don’t, just like any business on the street, some fly, some close, but scam shouldn’t even come into the conversation.

Same with affiliate programs, huge Internet companies like Amazon use affiliate marketing.

There is nothing bad to say about either business.

If you don’t like a product, don’t buy it. Don’t like a compensation plan, don’t join it. Don’t like the company or people involved, don’t sign up.

Those that would save us from these horrible income options are also saying, you are too stupid to know what is good for you so I’m going to tell you, keep working that job, it’s the only way. Now, whose hurting who, I haven’t had a job since 1999, oh, poor me, the Network Marketing industry has just scammed me right into a nice living.

Another thing, they act as if they are an expert at knowing what businesses are “real” and what businesses are scams, in reality, only the law can say what is or isn’t a scam and these people giving us this wonderful advice are people that have never done anything but fail in the industry, why is anyone listening to them.

Even worse is the person who says every biz opp is a scam except …. The One They Are Promoting.

Now, that’s just low, that’s just bad business, that’s someone that cannot figure any other way to market and get sign ups so they go for the lowest form of marketing. Anyone who signs up with a person like that really needs to take a long look in a mirror.

Have I joined businesses that turned out to be scams? Absolutely, but most of the time it was just good intentions mixed with bad management, not being prepared, underfunded, etc. The intent was not to scam anyone, the business just went under like many do.

Have I promoted an affiliate product that I did not feel was worth the price? Never. It may not be worth that price to everyone, but if a person read what the product was about and felt that it would be of value to them, then it’s their decision if they should or should not purchase it, to top that off, all affiliate programs that I have been involved with offer very good refund policies and most use companies like Clickbank which are very quick on the refund trigger, so if you felt the product was not worth the value, you got a refund, no harm done.

The message board junkies just thrive off each other, they enjoy being part of that community where they can all bitch and cry about how everything is a scam, everyone is trying to scam them and it’s their responsibility to save everyone else. Who on earth listens to these people is anyone’s guess.

This little post, which is really a complete waste of time since I’m not actually selling anything and it is my job after all, let’s be honest, to sell stuff, came about because of my direct interaction with one of these saviors, I normally keep my distance since you can’t win, they have nothing better to do and those actually running businesses and making money don’t have the time or the desire to get into pissing matches with this type of group or person.

I made the grave error of actually responding to a person who sent me an eMail, in response to one of my marketing eMails, “Spam” of course to this person, but in reality, I don’t buy eMail addresses, it had to be given to me and it was, when I was involved with Wowzza/WowzzaPower, this person filled out the Free Tour Form, and it shouldn’t be any surprise to anyone that any information given on a web site becomes the property of the owner of the web site, which at the time, was me.

Now, he didn’t ask for the info I sent him and I’m sure the people very into the spam issue may disagree, he filled out the form, on my web site, he was put into my customer list, prospect list, contact list, whatever you want to call it, that’s how things are done online. I’ve gotten all sorts of eMails from all sorts of people and companies and I didn’t ask for that exact eMail, but I did request info from them at one time or another or purchased something from them at one time or another and they are not exactly just going to delete me unless I ask to be removed.

And that is the big issue isn’t it, can you be easily removed, you can be from my list of course, I have no desire to market to anyone who doesn’t want to be marketed to by me. Very simple.

Anyway, he asked how I got his info, of course I have a disclaimer on the bottom of the eMail letting people know but he asked so I responded. I then removed him from the list that he obviously didn’t want to be on.

His original eMail was righteous and arrogant, in response, I was sarcastic but also direct and honest.

He has a blog. OH NO. Right there, I should have known I would wind up on that blog and of course, I did.

Nothing worse than someone with a blog that just complains about everyone else, nothing is really said, no knowledge or information is shared, nothing is gained, they cry, that’s about it.

It’s the voice they never had, now they have one.

His blog is called; Keeping The Bastards Honest, LOL, he couldn’t be anymore typical of the type of person I am talking about.

So, here is his response to my response, not to me directly mind you, that would take an adult, but on his blog, it’s so nice that the Internet gives people a voice that don’t have one in real life, there is a reason they don’t have one in real life, but the Internet doesn’t care.

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Stupid is as Stupid does.
Posted on July 17th, 2009 by philmir

Some people just don’t know when to keep quiet or just cop it sweet. I replied back in early June to a spam email from a self proclaimed “Professional Internet Network Marketer” by the name of Jim Vigilante. Jimmy was trying to flog a piece of crap called CopyNProfit and stated at the end of the email.

“You have signed up for one of my programs, you are on my customer contact list, to be rem*oved, just reply to this message and put Remove in the subject or body of the message. You are not on a lead list and your info is not being sold or shared. I did not buy your info, I don’t buy leads.”
So I wrote back and said:

Hey Jimmy

“If I “signed up for one of your programs and I am on your customer contact list” how come you didn’t use my name in the email. What, ten years of marketing and you can’t personalise an email ? Want to show me when and where I signed up?
Don’t buy leads. Yeh right !
regards

Phil ”

Now bear in mind I was just venting and like everyone else I get lots of spam. Not all of it however has so much crap at the end of it about why I am receiving it. I had forgotten about it until I received a response 6 weeks later.

“You signed up for WowzzaPower and I didn’t use your name because Group Mail makes it too difficult to import the names.

Glad you are on top of it keeping us all safe from eMail we didn’t want, can you do something about all the Drug and Software eMail I get?

I don’t think you’re making much of a dent, as unfortunate as that is.

Jim Vigilante “

Lets analyse Jim Bobs response.

I signed up for Wozza Power ? Even if it was free I wouldn’t join that piece of garbage, but it isn’t free. This from their FAQ’s
Q. Can I join the Wowzza! Social Network for Free?
A. No, all members pay our $32.95 monthly fee. This cost is for Wowzza! it is not for WowzzaPower! which we include at no extra cost.

As far as Group Mail makes it too difficult to import the names.

(Jim – There should be a picture here of a group mail screen shot, but I’m not bothering with all that, he actually did bother with all of that and I guess he gets an A for effort.)

That doesn’t look to hard to me. Then again I am not a “Professional Internet Network Marketer”.

The rest of Jimmbo’s response with regard to spam is obviously an attempt at sarcasm and displays his arrogance and lack of professionalism.

Unfortunately I can’t do anything about all the drug and software email he gets but I will give the spambots something to feed on.

jim@vigilantemarketing.com

jimmyv@opportunityseekers.com

jimv700@gmail.com

and finally

Jimmyv@forestgump.com

no regards

Phil Miranda

Disclaimer: The use of the title Forest Gump and the associated phrase is in no way meant to be demeaning in any way shape or form to the character portrayed by Tom Hanks. I am sure Forest is much smarter than your average Professional Internet Network Marketer.

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As you can see, my response, although I believe it was like 4 lines and was an actual answer to his question, gave him something to blog about and he did a nice job. It’s amusing, sarcastic, has little digs at me, plays around with my name, although I’m really not sure I get the whole, Jim Bob thing, is he making fun of people that may actually have that name or does he think I’m a hillbilly? Italian, born in New Jersey and my last name is Vigilante, hillbilly doesn’t really fit but whatever.

Here’s the problem with his post.

Should I mention all the spelling errors? I’ll give Phil a pass on those since he was probably so excited to have something to write about.

I am actually a Professional Internet Marketer, since that is how I have made my living since 2000. The term does not really mean successful, expert, or anything of the sort although I am those things, the term professional simply means that you get paid to do what you do.

CopyNProfit is a very good product and is not at all a piece of crap.

The first line, “some people don’t know how to keep quiet”. That would certainly be me and I’m not going to start with this guy. I take that as a compliment.

Listing my eMail addresses, the correct ones anyway, also listed my web sites, since they are in the eMail addresses, I appreciate that since anyone who visits my web site after visiting his will certainly be impressed, not really saying much but I’ll take it. I think his point is that spambots will pick up the eMail and I will get more spam than I already do, oh boo hoo, I’m not one of those people that screams and cries over spam, it is part of the Internet and my delete button works just fine, I can also create a new eMail address in about 5 seconds.

Group Mail, I had never used it before and my first and last names were in one column and group mail wants two, first name, last name, not sure if there is a way around this but it really didn’t matter for my purposes so I didn’t waste time on it. I waste time on things like, writing, which is a nice skill to have online, making money, promoting my web site and business, all things that Phil should probably try.

I would have never seen any of this, if Phil did not visit my blog and post a comment, nice of him, so I visited the link and found all of this on his blog, which was of course why Phil did what he did, very cute. He would not have gotten any satisfaction if I had not seen it, that’s obvious and lucky for Phil, I was just bored enough to check it out.

I posted a comment on Phils blog, but he removed it, I was not nice in it and did not feel that being nice was appropriate. If you have read this much, then you certainly deserve to see the comment:

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LOL, I see, you are just a cry baby, I didn’t realize that originally, I thought you were really asking me a question, so I answered you.

WowzzaPower certainly does have a Free option, which you signed up for and group mail and my data did not fit together nicely, so I did not waste my time on it.

However, I’m more than happy to waste my time on losers like you, especially when you post my name on your blog, and my web site which is in the eMail address.

Now, tell your readers, how you are much smarter, much more ethical and much better for them to listen to than some jerk who has made a full time living online since 2000, in Network Marketing and Affiliate Marketing, both of which are legitimate and have been for many years, especially Network Marketing, long before little sissy cry babies like you were given a voice thanks to the Internet.

The real scam is that people like you can act like they have some kind of authority, knowledge and expertise when in reality, you have none, have never done anything and never will.

I have a blog too, a few actually and I’m happy to play this game, because as you said, I’m unprofessional and arrogant. I wonder how it is though that I earn a living online and you just complain.

Jim Bob, Jimmbo, Jimmy V, Jim Gump doesn’t matter what silly little 10 year old boy names you call me, it doesn’t change the fact that you are who you are and I am Jim Vigilante and it’s so good to be me and really has to suck being you.

Jim Vigilante
Professional Internet Marketer

PS. You spammed my blog, LOL, what a goof you are.

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I’m certainly not proud of my comment, not really a showcase of my writing skills or my intelligence for that matter, the fact that I’m even in this little blog bitch fest with Phil questions my intelligence to begin with, I’ll admit to that.

Anyway, Phil removed my comment, maybe he will post it like he did my eMail, then his readers can see that both me and Phil have nothing at all better to do on this fine Friday night, how sad. However, tomorrow I have a business to run and family stuff to attend to, I’m sure Phil doesn’t, I do get a little satisfaction in that, silly I know, but that’s how it is.

Keep on crying Phil, you’re voice is needed online, save as many as you can!

Thanks for listening, it’s like therapy,
Jim Vigilante