MLM News Blog: September 2006

Your Blog Has Been Splogged!

The Real Blogger Status: Splogging Bots - Do you have a blog on Blogger.com? If so, please heed this WARNING! (I'm shouting on purpose).

==> If you decide to get your own domain and host your blog yourself, your original blogspot URL will be hijacked by a splogger within a day or even less. Links you had on other sites that point to your blogspot.com page will now start to go to some idiot spammer site selling drugs, gambling, porno, and goodness knows what else.

Any work you put into building links to your site will now help line the coffers of your greedy neighborhood splogging man (or woman, I guess).

The worst part of this problem is the Google is doing nothing about it! If you go to the Google Help Group you'll see post after post about this problem stretching back for months. So it's not like Google is not aware of the problem. It's apparently just not a high priority for them.

It would be so easy for them to add a Warning to the page where you decide to change from hosting on the blogspots.com domain to your own domain. Something like:

Warning: You must create a new blog using the same name on
blogspot.com or a splogger will hijack that subdomain name and put his spammy ads on what used to be your site. Your new blog need only contain one page with a notice of your new website address, for example. By creating a new site on the blogspot.com subdomain you are leaving, you will prevent sploggers from taking it over.

In the meantime, if this has happened to you, report it to Blogger Support. They will send you an automatic email, which you must reply to or your request will disappear into Blogspotspace. Don't expect to hear back from Blogger. Just register the complaint under the theory that "the squeaky wheel gets the grease."

Thanks to Chuck at The Real Blogger Status - "What Blogger Won't Tell You" for all the excellent information he provides.

USANA Health Sciences initiated with "outperform" | newratings.com

Natural Health Trends Responds to Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit Calling Claims without Merit: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

New Vitamark Page on the MLM Companies Wiki

Vitamark Affiliate Gery Di Marco just built a very informative page on the new MLM Companies Wiki.

If you are thinking of joining the dynamic Vitamark company, be sure to review the information Gery has provided on the site.

The MLM Companies Wiki is a companion site to the MLM-News-Blog.com and Best-MLM-Opportunities.com

Free Personal Organizer Software

MLM-News-Blog recommends Oprius Foundation

One of the most frequent questions I see on mlm forums goes something like this: "Would someone recommend a contact manager to keep track of leads and help me stay organized and focused?"

I often mention the program I use, Earnware, which integrates a contact manager, calendar, to do list, autoresponder, toll-free number, fax-on-demand, and related features. But Earnware is often either too expensive ($50 per month minimum) for many people or provides redundant features, e.g., an individual already has a toll-free number and an autoresponder.

Some folks use Outlook since it comes with many PC's. But if you use a desktop and a laptop, it can be a hassle to synchronize the two versions of Outlook on a consistent basis. The same is true for other contact managers such as ACT! and Goldmine, although those are reportedly well-designed, powerful applications (both offer web-based versions but they are intended for large sales teams and are expensive).

The solution for individuals who use two computers is a web-based application. Since the software exists on the company's server you can access anytime from any computer. You don't have to synchronize because you use the same program every time.

Oprius Foundations is such a web-based personal organizer. There are three aspects of Oprius I found particularly appealing:

It is very user-friendly, with clear explanations of it's features; an aesthetically pleasing, clean, uncluttered interface; and easy-to-understand functions.
Oprius Foundations was designed for home-based and small business owners in general and for network marketers in particular.
It's free.

So if you are looking for a way to keep track of your leads, organize your schedule and tasks, and stay focused take a look at Oprius. There's a nice demo on the site and, since it's free, you can give it a try without risking your hard-earned cash.

NuSkin Joins Utah Govenor on Trade Mission to China

MLM News from KCPW.org - NuSkin was the second company to receive a license to develop a direct selling business in China. The company states it is willing to help other direct selling and network marketing companies obtain direct selling licenses in China. NuSkin Distributors

Financial Freedom Society Inc.

MLM News Blog recommends the Financial Freedom Society, Inc

One of the few quality network marketing companies to offer their income opportunity (which they call their Ambassador Program) at no additional cost is FFSI - the Financial Freedom Society, Inc. In fact, any member of FFSI can become a representative--or not.

I like the company's no-pressure approach to the income opportunity component. I also like the fact that they emphasize sales of their product--personal financial managment education, consultation, and resources--as opposed to pushing the opportunity with the product as an afterthought, as many companies do.

FFSI might be considered an affiliate program since they do not pay on multiple levels. Their compensation plan is something they changed recently. Even if it is only one level (plus a 3% bonus pool for generating 5 or more sales in a month), the compensation is generous: They pay 83% ($50) on the sale of the company's How to Achieve Financial Freedom eCourse, which retails for $59.95 and 50% ($15) on monthly membership fees of $29.95.

Thus, while FFSI might not be a way to make the "big bucks," if you find the products have value then it would be easy to recommend to friends and associates or to promote online to generate another stream of income. You can also market the program as an employee benefit to business owners with five or more employees.

Silpada Designs Representative Garners Nice Press

84 Lumber Classic hosts annual Fall Festival - PittsburghLIVE.com - An article that features Silpada Designs represenative, Andrea Kotjarapoglus. A quote from the article:

"I heard it [Silpada] was a great time and lots of people," Kotjarapoglus said. While at the festival, Kotjarapoglus sold two golf-themed items, a sterling golf pin of a golf bag with clubs and a belt attachment of a player in mid-swing.

Read the entire article here.