I've Traveled 2.5 Years As An Affiliate Marketer, What DO you Want to Know?

[travelhead]

Hello all,

I've traveled the last 2.5 years as an affiliate marketer (pictures ->http://www.positionleap.com/gallery2), working on my laptop or from cybercafe's, similiar to what Tim has done.

I'm writing an Ebook and I was hoping you guys could tell me what you are interested in learning about, or if you have any questions for me that I can answer.

I've got some ideas from reading all the threads on this message board. Is there anything that Tim hasn't covered that you think I should write about?

Thanks guys!

[Ibanez]

Interesting stuff. How much where you earning during your traveling?

[Vagabond]

Thats pretty amazing, I always viewed affiliate marketing as a waste of time or as something that produces very little...

Im curious about what company you were with, the types of products you sold... and other words of advice..

Up until I read this post I never really looked into it...

[Dons]

I looked at his user profile and found his website. Here's his website/blog. It looks good.

http://www.scrappybusiness.com/

Don

[travelhead]

I didn't make a lot, but I made enough to comfortably travel for 2.5 years (including food/airfare/transportation) while saving a bit of money in the bank.

It doesn't cost a lot to travel. Like Tim, I also lived in Buenos Aires for 4 months and rent was about $550/month. Next door was a $5 all you can eat buffet (including steak!).

Other places were less expensive, in fact, India you can get meals around $1.

So for example, if you have 5 affiliate websites, and you make 1 sale on each per day at an average commission of $30, that's $150/day or $4500/month. More than enough to comfortably travel the world.

[travelhead]

Thats pretty amazing, I always viewed affiliate marketing as a waste of time or as something that produces very little...

Im curious about what company you were with, the types of products you sold... and other words of advice..

Up until I read this post I never really looked into it...

Why would affiliate marketing be a waste of time? You can create passive income for yourself, and you can be away from the computer for vacations/traveling and still make money.

I incorporated my own company (S-Corp), and sell various affiliate products from insurance, business loans, dating services, internet marketing tools, etc.

[dankind]

How did you choose which affiliate programs to promote and where to promote them? (ie PPC, SEO/SEM, etc)

[ErikCox]

Hello Josh,
Great website, congratulations on being so far ahead of the rest of us on your path to NR! :)

[travelhead]

How did you choose which affiliate programs to promote and where to promote them? (ie PPC, SEO/SEM, etc)

Here are the affiliate networks I use:

azoogle.com
cj.com
shareasale.com
linkshare.com
(private/direct-relationship offers)

I like cj.com because they give you the EPC on each product. EPC means earnings per 100 clicks. This is the average EPC for the network. They also give you 7-day and 30-day EPC.

If an offer has a $200 EPC. That means, on average, you will make $200 for every 100 clicks you send, or roughly $2/click. So then you just have to figure out what you are willing to spend to drive clicks to your affiliate website.

I use PPC (pay per click--mostly Adwords/Yahoo/MSN) to drive the traffic to my affiliate website.

I give a lot of useful tips on picking affiliate offers, etc on my website: http://www.scrappybusiness.com

I pay a copywriter to write articles and then pay a web designer as well. When you hire a web designer, there's no need to design a page from scratch-- there are plenty of templates you can buy for roughly $40 which will save you a lot of money:

***please do not post affiliate links! Thanks~Marcie***

As I mentioned, I promote my campaigns using mostly PPC , any organic traffic is bonus. I also use Youtube and other types of social media.

[awaken]

Travelhead,

Did you ever run into any internet connection problems? For instance, did you ever find yourself in an area that didn't have a connection? If so, what did you do? Was your business model automated enough so you could deal with the connection "blackouts"?

Also, how about cash withdrawals? Were you able to find banks or ATM's at some of these third-world countries that would allow you to pull from say a Paypal account or something similar. Where you ever left without a way to withdraw money?

I'm really interested in getting into the affiliate market. If you have some time, please drop me a line so we can talk.

Thanks,
Awaken

[travelhead]

Travelhead,
Did you ever run into any internet connection problems? For instance, did you ever find yourself in an area that didn't have a connection? If so, what did you do? Was your business model automated enough so you could deal with the connection "blackouts"?


There were definitely periods in my traveling where I was working very little or not at all due to poor internet connections.

Specifically, Namibia (in Africa) was difficult-- there was no internet connection outside of Windhoek .

Another poor experience was when I rented an apartment outside of Cape Town, and although I was told there was internet before I arrived, it turned out that it would take up to 3 months to get it installed. I had to purchase wireless (3g) internet, which cost me about $1 per megabyte! So I was paying an insane amount each month and would never want that to happen again!

Other places in Africa such as Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique were very difficult, and I stopped working altogether, with only 1 affiliate offer running VIA PPC which was providing around $600 profit/month (which was enough to support my traveling)

Generally, I try to get an apartment with high speed internet in a city and work approx. 3-6 hours/day. Then I use that apartment as a launching pad to go other places in the area for 1-3 weeks on average. During these mini-trips, I pause or reduce the bids on my PPC campaigns.

I rarely had any problems in any of these places: India, Thailand, Argentina, Israel, Spain, Peru.

Countries with limited Internet availability:

South-Eastern (Garden Route) of Africa, Laos


Also, how about cash withdrawals? Were you able to find banks or ATM's at some of these third-world countries that would allow you to pull from say a Paypal account or something similar. Where you ever left without a way to withdraw money?


I used my Visa DEBIT card mostly. My bank (Bank of America) offers some protection against Fraud on my debit card, but actually I should be using a Credit card, because if you use a debit card, it's much more difficult to recover money if your card is used fraudulently.

Almost all of the countries I visited had ATM machines. Although, you may end up paying up to $8 US to withdraw cash. And often times the limit is like $200, so you end up getting charged a lot in fees. This is true in Europe, as well as South America and other places in the world.

Like I mentioned above, I usually pick a hub (like Buenos Aires, Jerusalem, Cape Town, etc) w/ high speed internet, and if I'm taking a side trip, I'll just take cash with me by withdrawing money from my ATM card.

Ive rarely used Travelers checks or anything else for that matter. Although, you may want to check out the Paypal Visa Debit card, which should work pretty much everywhere.


I'm really interested in getting into the affiliate market. If you have some time, please drop me a line so we can talk.


You can find my email address on my blog (I mention the URL above. Then click the 'about' page and my email is there. Feel free to contact me!

[adversary]

Hey Josh, I've got some questions for you.

What does it take to make money at this? I'd assume that this market is saturated and it takes some special skill or knowledge to make it pay. There are some products I believe in that I'd be happy to sell as an affiliate, it's just hard for me to believe I could make money at it.

Do you use mostly ppc ads like google adwords, or do you maintain websites that get traffic and suck people in that way?

Is it a matter of choosing the right products, writing brilliant ads, choosing where to run the ads, or what?

I've got ideas for a 4HWW-style muse product to sell, but affiliate marketing could be a nice add-on. Tell me more...

[travelhead]

What does it take to make money at this? I'd assume that this market is saturated and it takes some special skill or knowledge to make it pay. There are some products I believe in that I'd be happy to sell as an affiliate, it's just hard for me to believe I could make money at it.


I think the key is to enjoy what you are doing, and to be able to come to your computer each day and continue to enjoy it. If your work becomes a chore, and you work for yourself doing internet marketing, then you aren't going to be successful.

The second thing is you need to have a willingness and drive to succeed. Just yesterday, I was reading an internet marketing forum where a top marketer was saying 3 out of every 4 affiliate offers he launches is a failure! (I'd have to concur as well).

So if you are easily discouraged, then this business isn't for you.

The third key is that you need to be technologically inclined. I don't like to be discouraging, but from my experience it's much harder for someone who knows nothing about the internet to be successful doing internet/affiliate marketing.

You don't really even need to know complicated HTML/PHP or any coding. You can hire people for that. But you should be fairly quick on the computer, know how search engines work, and expect to spend a solid year learning about the business.


Do you use mostly ppc ads like google adwords, or do you maintain websites that get traffic and suck people in that way?


In the past, I've used PPC to drive 95% of the traffic to my affiliate offers. But lately, PPC advertising is becoming increasingly competitive, and I'm now looking at other avenues of marketing (Youtube, Social Services, SEO, etc) to drive traffic to my websites.


Is it a matter of choosing the right products, writing brilliant ads, choosing where to run the ads, or what?


You need to find your playground, meaning, you need to find your niche. What you love. Write down all the things you know about on a piece of paper. Then write down all the things you love. Figure out what you know and what you love. Then go to Google and type "myniche forum" and start reading the forums and see what the common problems are of people in your niche. Then figure out a solution and sell them the solution.

Remember, you're running a business. So make sure that your niche market is big enough to supply you with income.


I've got ideas for a 4HWW-style muse product to sell, but affiliate marketing could be a nice add-on. Tell me more...

You can read more on my blog. The link is posted earlier in this thread.

[avamarie]

Hi,

I am wanting to study Spanish in either Spain or Buenos Aires and wonder how you found Buenos Aires? I am currently living in NYC.

Another quick question, how long from the time you started, did it take you to get your affiliate marketing stuff going so that you could have lived in Buenos Aires? Does it take months, a year, years? I would like to go to Argentina in Feb or March.

Thank you so much!

Warmly,
Tiffani Donelli

[TimW]

I find it amusing that people read Ferriss' book, then have a hankering for visiting Buenos Aires. :)

Having been there on several occasions on business between 1994-1997, let me tell you how I found it.

I spent most of my time in the downtown area, near the port and such. An occasional foray out of the city to some nightclubs, but I couldn't tell you where they were...

The city itself is architecturally very pretty. I've never been to Europe, but folks tell me that's what a lot of European architecture is like. If you speak Spanish, or even try to, the Porteños (folks from BA) are generally friendly. However, a fair amount of English is spoken in that area if you get stuck.

I never felt unsafe in that area of town, though I did get ripped off by a cab driver, who made change using an old form of currency that was no longer any good. The shopkeepers I tried to spend it with were indignant that one of the drivers would do this, and opined that he must not have been from around BA, since no good Porteño would do such a thing. Not sure how true THAT is, but it sounded good at least, realizing I'd have to explain to my boss why I "lost" $100 on the trip. :)

I have no idea how the Kirchener administration, and his succession by his wife, will affect things...it's been over a decade since I was there. I have friends there (from grad school), and during our communication between my last visit and now I got the impression that things weren't the best, economically, and socially there were some issues, too.

Argentine Spanish is very different from what I learned in Arizona and Mexico, so I had, at times, difficulty in understanding them because it's fast fast fast and they use some verb forms that "we" don't...a quasi-holdover from Spain.

I'd go back for a visit, but it wouldn't be my first choice since there are other places I'd rather go or go back to first.

TimW
Phoenix

[avamarie]

Hi Tim,

Thank you so much for your response. I had picked Argentina because I want to learn Spanish (otherwise it would be Brazil) and I wanted a place with a city (not a huge city though, just didn't want "the country"). And I was leaning towards Latin America as opposed to Spain (but still contemplating Spain) because there Spanish is so different. So I ended up with Argentina, but not necessarily needing to be there, just didn't come up with anything else that matched this critereon. Oh, and thinking of going in February, so somewhere warmer than NYC! I hate the cold.

Have you been to Spain? Any comments on that? I live in NYC, Manhattan and am not looking for something this crowded and big. I don't know where you are from, but Brooklyn, in NY is more my style. Quieter, more of a community, but you can walk to your local coffee shop, etc.

Thank you for your feedback. I appreciate it!

Warmly,
Tiffani

[TimW]

Tiffani

Nope, never been to Europe at all. My travels have been to Latin America (Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Venezuela and Mexico) and Asia (99% Japan, Hong Kong for 2 weeks).

As you've indicated, Spain's Spanish is different from most other countries' Spanish...akin to British Engligh being different from America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc. However, Argentine Spanish is different from the "rest" of Latin America, which is both good and bad.

My Spanish is a smattering of accents and words from a variety of places, and also changes depending on who I am around. During an oral interview (in Spanish) for a federal law enforcement agency, I was asked a variety of questions, etc., as one is usually asked during interviews.

When the Spanish portion was over and we switched back to English, the interviewer asked where I'd learned my Spanish. "Mostly Mexico, but all over the place, really. I learned different phrases and words from different people from different countries: Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Chile, Uruguay, etc. Why?"

"Because you speak with a Mexican accent, but you don't use Mexican words."

Partly because of that "inconsistency" (and partly because I wasn't as good as I thought I was), I failed the exam, even though he was impressed at my language skills (they were below what that agency needed for the language waiver). Think of someone from England speaking the same way they do in Texas, but still with their British accent....not wrong, just odd. :)

Another thing is that, rightly or wrongly, Argentines are considered "stuck up" compared to other Latin Americans, so are often the butt of generic jokes and such. Personally, I found them no different than anyone else in Latin America, but that's an observation I've had from watching others speak about Argentines. Supposedly it's because they think they're European vs. Latin American, but I honestly don't know the true base for this viewpoint.

Buenos Aires is actually a large city, except when compared with NYC or LA, perhaps. According to Wikipedia, 2003 population of BA itself was about 2.7 million, with 13 million in the metro area (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buenos_Aires)

It's a pretty city, and some of the historical areas are very interesting, especially the Recoleta Cemetary, an above-ground cemetary (crypts) and such, like in New Orleans, because of the high water-table. Eva Peron is buried there and I have a snapshot of her marker somewhere. :)

While I lived in NJ for a while, I made it to The City only a couple times, and hated it. Never made it to Brooklyn. Lived in the North End of Boston for a spell, so perhaps it's like living there...I could walk most places there, and to downtown Boston if I needed to (though the T was faster to other places).

So, not sure what I am trying to say, overall. Getting a good foundation from a single place is a good thing, though unless you stay there, your language skills will likely absorb stuff from a variety of places. IMO, that's a good thing, not bad, though circumstances might wish for more "consistent" Spanish.

TimW
Phoenix

[avamarie]

Hi Tim,

Thank you for your feedback. I appreciate it. May I ask why you hated NYC? What brought you to Phoenix?

Anyway, any other Spanish speaking countries you liked the most?

Thank you again!
Tiffani

[TimW]

I hated NYC because...I just do. MOMA and the Metropolitan Museum were nice, but I just didn't like it. I don't much care for the Northeast anyway, being from the Southern California originally. I ended up in Phoenix for graduate school, left for Boston after that, then Tokyo, then Boston again, then NJ, then Arizona again, where I've been since 1992. Part of the reason I didn't like NYC was the crowding...I had recently returned from living in Tokyo and hated crowds. Can't say, however, that my attitude would have changed much.

As for cities I liked in Latin America. With the except of when I worked for a Mexican newspaper (Tucson, AZ, bureau as an ad salesman), I had friends in every place I visted in Latin America (via my old graduate school connections). Thus, I had "insider guides" for Mexico City, Caracas, Sao Paolo, B.A., Santiago and San Juan, PR.

Of all the places I went, I'd say Mexico City and Santiago were my faves, Mexico because I have a LOT of friends there and I speak "their" Spanish the best, Santiago because it's so laid back in many ways.

[avamarie]

Hi Tim,

I swear, last question. Between Caracas and PR, major differences or opinions on either?

Thank you, I will stop now.

Tiffani

[TimW]

Caracas is currently "governed" by an Anti-American socialist and is in the process of nationalizing previously private corporations.

Puerto Rico is part of the United States...entry and exit is easy. Police corruption less likely, and you are under US laws and judicial system.

However, I spoke more Spanish in Miami than I did in San Juan, PR. In fact, I had to ask the hotel staff to speak with me in Spanish. In Miami, that was never an issue.

So, for the "learning Spanish" aspect, Venezuela would be your better bet from a strictly "necessity" based viewpoint, unless you are outside of San Juan and the tourist district. However, IMO Caracas isn't the most stable/safe place to be at the moment (police shooting at students the other day) and the other parts of Venezuela have their own issues, especially if you're near Colombia.

[avamarie]

Thanks again Tim

[TimW]

No problem. If you have any other questions, just shout out....

[travelhead]

I am wanting to study Spanish in either Spain or Buenos Aires and wonder how you found Buenos Aires? I am currently living in NYC.
Tiffani Donelli

Buenos Aires is great for a few reasons:

1) High speed internet access in apartments

2) Apartment rentals in good neighborhoods for
$550-$750/month (cheaper if you want or if you speak spanish)

3) Moderate to Low Crime Rate

4) Cheap Meals/Living (under $20 for a great meal, $7 even with a buffet with steak and drink)

5) Good climate many months of the year


Another quick question, how long from the time you started, did it take you to get your affiliate marketing stuff going so that you could have lived in Buenos Aires? Does it take months, a year, years? I would like to go to Argentina in Feb or March.


When I was living in Buenos Aires, I was working with clients from the USA, helping them with their marketing campaigns. Recently, I switched to affiliate marketing so that I won't have to deal with client and communication problems while traveling.

1-2 years - If you have no experience and little internet experience.

1 year - If you have moderate internet experience and some business/website experience.

6 months if you already know HTML and have internet marketing experience

3 months if you are already a web developer or web designer or programmer.

Those are my estimates (no real basis except my own observation). That's if you spend a good amount of time reading forums and setting up your own websites to gain actual experience (reading is good, but you must also take ACTION, very important!)

Also, it would probably take an additional 1 year+ to build up your sites to the point of quitting your job. Now, if you have a mentor, you can probably speed that up).

You can take this answer for what it's worth.. Just my guess..

[avamarie]

Sorry, I just saw this post. Thank you for all the information. 2 questions:


1)Anywhere in particular to find a mentor?

2)Have you been to Mendoza and if so, how does it differ from BA?

Thank you.
Tiffani

[travelhead]

Sorry, I just saw this post. Thank you for all the information. 2 questions:


1)Anywhere in particular to find a mentor?

2)Have you been to Mendoza and if so, how does it differ from BA?

Thank you.
Tiffani

I've been thinking about starting a "mentorship" site, where people who are interested in affiliate marketing would pay a monthly fee and would get email/AIM help.. What do you think about that?

I've never been to Mendoza

[aaprime]

I've been thinking about starting a "mentorship" site, where people who are interested in affiliate marketing would pay a monthly fee and would get email/AIM help.. What do you think about that?

I've never been to Mendoza

I have been toying with a similar idea that is education and training based. I think it is a great idea. I believe that the best way to launch it is to cooperate with like-minded people and get everyone on the site making money for their experience and input. It would work like a traditional message board in the free area and everyone would post their ads and links to their websites with pricing for specific consulting/training services. Everyone sets their own prices and rules. The main rule is caveat emptor and no lawyers can join!! Experience based mentor relationships are the main goal of my idea.

[Napoleon]

Caracas is currently "governed" by an Anti-American socialist and is in the process of nationalizing previously private corporations.

Puerto Rico is part of the United States...entry and exit is easy. Police corruption less likely, and you are under US laws and judicial system.

However, I spoke more Spanish in Miami than I did in San Juan, PR. In fact, I had to ask the hotel staff to speak with me in Spanish. In Miami, that was never an issue.

So, for the "learning Spanish" aspect, Venezuela would be your better bet from a strictly "necessity" based viewpoint, unless you are outside of San Juan and the tourist district. However, IMO Caracas isn't the most stable/safe place to be at the moment (police shooting at students the other day) and the other parts of Venezuela have their own issues, especially if you're near Colombia.

Excuse me but I think I need to step in and clarify a few of the things that are being said on this thread.


Argentinian Spanish is actually considered a dialect of Spanish. It's as different to Continental Spanish as Mexican Spanish is, probably even more since its accent resembles Italian and verbs are conjugated in a different way. By the way, some people from El Salvador, Colombia and other places ALSO conjugate verbs in exactly the SAME way as Argentinians.

Argentinians are disliked by many Latins NOT because they consider themselves EUROPEAN but because they are said to BRAG a lot. I'd say this is probably a cultural feature, they don't value modesty like other Latins do.

Venezuela is NOT governed by an "anti-american", it's governed by an ANTI-IMPERIALIST. This guy has donated lots of oil to poor people in the US through CITGO. He has met with US minority leaders and has ALWAYS been willing to meet with American presidents and politicians. He had an excellent relationship with Bill Clinton. Hugo Chavez is NOT anti-american at all but US media likes to make him seem like that. In South America, he's considered a hero by most people, specially lower and middle class. Of course he has nationalized many resources. Would Americans like it if their mines or oil was owned by Mexico (just an example)? Well, Venezuelan oil was owned by Americans in the past. Today, he's firmly defending the right of the venezuelan people to CONTROL their OWN resources which I find reasonable and fair.

Police shooting at students? I think it was actually the other way around. The upper class students went crazy burning trees and police cars (yeah, with policemen inside). Then they went to a public university where the middle class and poor students go, and they (the rich students) started shooting at the poor students and tried to set the school on fire. Tim, I think you watch too much American TV.

You're right on Colombia though. That country is really messed up and they have an armed guerrilla and a drug dealing corrupt president that violated international law by invading Ecuador a few months ago. Now he's being accused of war crimes for having illegally used the RED CROSS logo on a military mission a few days ago.

Argentina went bankrupt because EVERYTHING was privatized (I believe it happened under MENEM) This situation happened BEFORE Kirchner! Kirchner has been the guy that brought economic stability back to Argentina. He's probably one the most loved and respected presidents Argentina has had in its history and YES, he's a SUPER close friend of CHAVEZ and all other socialist leaders in the region,

[Stallion]

Well, Venezuelan oil was owned by Americans in the past. Today, he's firmly defending the right of the venezuelan people to CONTROL their OWN resources which I find reasonable and fair.
The right to own, = stealing the hard work of other people. Just because you were born somewhere on the planet doesn't mean you're entitled to something, by luck of the draw. What's next? Stealing the crops of farmers?

If I was one the oil company owners in Venzuela and I knew the government was preparing to steal billions of dollars worth of infrastructure from the oil fields, I would of went Atlas Shrugged. If you're unfamiliar with what that means, it means I'd blow up all the buildings, sabotage any developed oil well making it next to impossible to develop, and if I was stuck for time, I'd light the wells on fire before I flee the country.

Most people wouldn't do that, but I'm a principled guy that doesn't entertain the idea of stealing.

I'm sorry to drag this into a political thing, but I hate socialist so much because they're some of the most dangerous people in the world. The ideology is so offensive to me because this so called desire for a "revolution", I know I'd be one of those people lynched for "thought crimes".

Chavez is not a good guy.
If a television station criticizes him, they are no longer allowed to broadcast.
If you build a business like oil, steal, etc, he'll come in and steal it from you.
Just recently a law was passed stating people HAD to spy on their citizens if told to and would face jail if they didn't.

Venezuela is NOT governed by an "anti-american", it's governed by an ANTI-IMPERIALIST.
What the hell does this even mean? Just say anti-capitalist, anti-individual freedom, anti-private property or something like that.

Everyone probably thinks I'm over reacting, but socialist is a dangerous ideal. I see people wearing Che Guevara shirts. Why not wear a shirt of Charles Manson or something? Che went around and mass murdered people that disagreed with him. What an ideology!! Kill non-believers. I wonder what would happen to me during the "revolution".

"To send men to the firing squad, judicial proof is unnecessary...These procedures are an archaic bourgeois detail. This is a revolution! And a revolutionary must become a cold killing machine motivated by pure hate." --Ernesto 'Che' Guevara

We're talking about a man that wanted to see a huge nuclear war.

If you want to get turned off by socialist, read Che Guevara's biography.

very dangerous shit.

[Napoleon]

The right to own, = stealing the hard work of other people. Just because you were born somewhere on the planet doesn't mean you're entitled to something, by luck of the draw. What's next? Stealing the crops of farmers?

Totally agree with you! The US had NO right to steal Venezuela's oil. Would Americans like it if all oil in the US was owned and sent to Mexico? I mean, Americans don't even want hardworking peaceful Mexicans doing the jobs Americans won't do. Now just imagine what would happen if Mexico owned all gas stations across America and all oil production? Would Americans be ok with that?

If I was one the oil company owners in Venezuela and I knew the government was preparing to steal billions of dollars worth of infrastructure from the oil fields, I would of went Atlas Shrugged. If you're unfamiliar with what that means, it means I'd blow up all the buildings, sabotage any developed oil well making it next to impossible to develop, and if I was stuck for time, I'd light the wells on fire before I flee the country.

I have no doubt you'd do that since you seem to be one of those people that love DESTRUCTION rather than BUILDING a better world. This is the main difference between George Bush, Uribe, Felipe Calderon and Chavez, Kirchner, Morales, Correa, Castro, etc. The first are all for destruction, war, money, drugs, election fraud and the former have established peaceful democratic governments that are leading Latin America toward real economic growth and social equality.



I'm sorry to drag this into a political thing, but I hate socialist so much because they're some of the most dangerous people in the world. The ideology is so offensive to me because this so called desire for a "revolution", I know I'd be one of those people lynched for "thought crimes".


Why are they dangerous? Is it because they don't go to war? is it because they focus on raising the living conditions of the poor majority? I do not find the ideology of peace, democracy, moral values, freedom of speech and social equality offensive. Do you prefer the American ideology of going to war to steal resources in the Middle East? Do you prefer their ideology of killing presidents they don't like? Do you prefer their ideology of using the mass media to make the people elect the candidates the elite wants?


Chavez is not a good guy.
If a television station criticizes him, they are no longer allowed to broadcast.
If you build a business like oil, steal, etc, he'll come in and steal it from you.
Just recently a law was passed stating people HAD to spy on their citizens if told to and would face jail if they didn't.


Chavez is NOT a good guy. He's the most extraordinary elected president Latin America has had in the last 200 years.

PRIVATE TELEVISION STATIONS IN VENEZUELA CRITICIZE HIM EVERYDAY AND THEY EVEN FINANCED A MILITARY COUP AGAINST HIM. GUESS WHAT? THEY ARE STILL BROADCASTING AND CHAVEZ HAS NOT EVER, EVER, EVER, SHUT DOWN A TELEVISION STATION DURING HIS PERIOD. WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IN THE US IF A TV STATION ORGANIZED A COUP AGAINST THE PRESIDENT? I THINK THOSE POOR GUYS WOULD BE WEARING ORANGE CLOTHES IN GUANTANAMO WHILE BEING TORTURED BY 'THE COUNTRY OF FREE AND THE BRAVE'.

Not true what you say about businesses in venezuela, unless you are a foreigner trying to steal venezuela's resources.

What law are you talking about? I think you're actually talking about American spying laws like no need to have a warrant to look at your email or phone conversations. That's happening in the US, not in Venezuela.

Everything else you say about Che Guevara and stuff happened like 50 years ago and has nothing to do with the Bolivarian Revolution which is peaceful and democratic like you have no idea. Chavez has even acted as a peace mediator between the FARC and the corrupt government of Colombia. Chavez succeeded in freeing lots of kidnapped colombian citizens. What you see in American TV is only a DEMONIZATION of Chavez. If you went to South America and talked to people on the street, common ordinary men, you'd learn what he represents to the masses in Latin America.

[Stallion]

Totally agree with you! The US had NO right to steal Venezuela's oil. Would Americans like it if all oil in the US was owned and sent to Mexico? I mean, Americans don't even want hardworking peaceful Mexicans doing the jobs Americans won't do. Now just imagine what would happen if Mexico owned all gas stations across America and all oil production? Would Americans be ok with that?
I don't know. Ask an American. I don't have a problem with it, but I guess that is because I'm not a racist piece of xenophobic shit.

There are a lot of privately owned freely aquired businesses in the United States, so I'd naturally assume they don't have a problem.

American oil companies didn't steal anything. Your logic is piss poor. I wonder if I buy a house in the US, does that mean I STOLE IT FROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THAT HAVE A BIRTH RIGHT TO IT?

I have no doubt you'd do that since you seem to be one of those people that love DESTRUCTION rather than BUILDING a better world.
I love production, but I love principles of freedom even more. Stealing is wrong, no matter which way you put it, and if someone is just going to steal what I've worked on, than I'd sabotage it. I wouldn't go "Oh it's for the greater good, steal from me please."

This is the main difference between George Bush, Uribe, Felipe Calderon and Chavez, Kirchner, Morales, Correa, Castro, etc. The first are all for destruction, war, money, drugs, election fraud and the former have established peaceful democratic governments that are leading Latin America toward real economic growth and social equality.
Stealing is wrong and it is violent act. Don't say peaceful when people are being locked up for speaking out. Don't say peaceful with the army is rushed into steal someone's property.

Why are they dangerous? Is it because they don't go to war?
What? Maybe you should read a little more about what you're shoveling.

I do not find the ideology of peace, democracy, moral values, freedom of speech and social equality offensive
Nor do I.

Do you prefer the American ideology of going to war to steal resources in the Middle East?[quote]
No.

[quote]Do you prefer their ideology of killing presidents they don't like?
Hitler like people? Well, I guess he was Da Fuhrer.

Do you prefer their ideology of using the mass media to make the people elect the candidates the elite wants?
Yes. The less government control on an election, the less conflict of interest.

Chavez is NOT a good guy. He's the most extraordinary elected president Latin America has had in the last 200 years.
Wow. I knew a lot of people had a hardon for him, but this tops it. I can't wait to see the concentration camps ( oh I mean, reducation camps), when he gets that far.

PRIVATE TELEVISION STATIONS IN VENEZUELA CRITICIZE HIM EVERYDAY AND THEY EVEN FINANCED A MILITARY COUP AGAINST HIM
That's paranoid Chavez talk. The guy thinks anyone that critizes him is out to kill him.

THEY ARE STILL BROADCASTING
No, they're not.

Not true what you say about businesses in venezuela, unless you are a foreigner trying to steal venezuela's resources.
They didn't steal anything though.

Everything else you say about Che Guevara and stuff happened like 50 years ago and has nothing to do with the Bolivarian Revolution which is peaceful and democratic like you have no idea.
My point was that Socialist believe the end justifies the means. It is why all socialist movements turn into dictatorships, mass murder and genocide. It becomes a central planners idealist vision of how to get to the "utopia". The collective good is put above the individuals in society. That makes individuals expendable.

Chavez has even acted as a peace mediator between the FARC and the corrupt government of Colombia.
By mediate, you must mean supply weapons to guerilla groups.

What you see in American TV is only a DEMONIZATION of Chavez.
Oh you're so elightened. I wish I had your superior brain power because I am unable to think for myself.

If you went to South America and talked to people on the street, common ordinary men, you'd learn what he represents to the masses in Latin America.
That argument is stupid. And I'll tell you why. Just because the majority approves, doesn't make it moral. See, Hitler was a well liked guy in his day. In early America, the majority approved of making slaves out of black people.

Right and wrong isn't defined by a vote.

[TimW]

In South America, he's considered a hero by most people, specially lower and middle class. Of course he has nationalized many resources. Would Americans like it if their mines or oil was owned by Mexico (just an example)? Well, Venezuelan oil was owned by Americans in the past. Today, he's firmly defending the right of the venezuelan people to CONTROL their OWN resources which I find reasonable and fair.

Interestingly, America allows many foreign companies to own resources. We have foreign mining corporations, foreign oil corporations, foreign cement corporations. Americans DO control their resources...which is what allowed them to sell the rights to allow the foreign companies to do business.

As an avowed capitalist, I have no problems with this. It was a similar situation with the Japanese buying up all sorts of real estate and businesses here during the 1990's.

Nationalization of companies owned by foreign corporations (or domestic corporations) is nothing but government-sanctioned theft.

For a long time, Hitler and Mussolini were "considered heros" by their respective countrymen. Marx and Engels are revered by Communists, socialists and all sorts of people who believe that those who are successful somehow "owe" the fruits of their labor to those who are not...who then become used to their entitlements.

Castro and Guevara were once considered heroes. I wonder how many Cubans would really describe Fidel that way if they had the chance to speak their minds without any fear of potential retribution.


Police shooting at students?....Tim, I think you watch too much American TV.

Nope. Reported to me by Venuelan friends living in Caracas.


The Soviet Union failed. The Chinese Communists realize they need Hong Kong to remain capitalist, they continue to allow for foreign investment into southern China, they have kept the casinos of Macau running. Socialism and Communism are failed concepts.

What I am curious about is how someone who appears to agree with the concept of socialism and resdistribution of wealth and the confiscation of private property is doing on a board devoted to the concept of free-market capitalism and "living the dream" of being an individual capable of lifestyle redesign.

What would Chavez think?

[TimW]

I don't have a problem with it, but I guess that is because I'm not a racist piece of xenophobic shit.

While I strongly disagree with everything Napoleon has written, this was uncalled for. Part of the problem is that people can no longer debate ideas without devolving into name calling.

Besides, I saw nothing racist in his post....I didn't know American was a race.

[Marcie]

Agreed, play nice, please, as the rules of the forum state. Thanks!

[Napoleon]

While I strongly disagree with everything Napoleon has written, this was uncalled for. Part of the problem is that people can no longer debate ideas without devolving into name calling.

Besides, I saw nothing racist in his post....I didn't know American was a race.

Very true, TIM. He just proved my point. This is exactly how capitalists think and act. They make WAR and then say the violent countries are those which have presidents that NEVER have gone to war like VENEZUELA, ECUADOR, BOLIVIA, etc.

Then they create concentration camps like Abhu Grahib and Guantanamo but they blame countries like Cuba and Venezuela for torturing people. Of course, there is torture and human rights violations in Cuba. It's right in Guantanamo but it's not the cubans who are practicing it but Americans.

The fact that the US is occupying part of Cuba without consent from the current Cuban government and people is by itself a human rights violation. What would happen if Mexico had a naval base in Miami and people were being tortured in there? Would Americans like it and allow it? Poor Mexicans aren't even allowed to enter the US to work and pay taxes, just imagine if they invaded to occupy Miami, set up a naval base, and then started torturing people.

He calls me a RACIST even though I NEVER made any RACIST comment. This is the same strategy they use with Chavez. They call him a DICTATOR even though he has been DEMOCRATICALLY elected and re-elected by a large majority through election processes that are much more transparent than those in the US. There was never suspicion of fraud like with Bush or Felipe Calderon in Mexico, who are believed to have actually lost elections.

Capitalists say Chavez does not allow FREEDOM OF SPEECH even though he's the only Venezuelan president that has allowed the media to talk against him EVERYDAY and even finance a coup against him. This is what REAL FREEDOM OF SPEECH is all about.

Now, Stallion, please tell me which TV station Chavez has shut down. He has NEVER shut down a TV station though he did refuse to renew a concession to RCTV to continue broadcasting. Closing down a TV station and refusing to renew its concession are two very DIFFERENT things. Also, Venezuelan law allows the president to do this for any reason (I'm sure US laws also give a similar right to the president).

I think someone here just watches too much American TV or probably his friends are upper or upper middle class venezuelans. Of course venezuela allows private property and foreign companies. They just control it like the US does and get rid of the ones that are ripping them off just like the US would do in the same situation.

[Napoleon]

What I am curious about is how someone who appears to agree with the concept of socialism and redistribution of wealth and the confiscation of private property is doing on a board devoted to the concept of free-market capitalism and "living the dream" of being an individual capable of lifestyle redesign.

What would Chavez think?

I do NOT agree with the CONCEPT of SOCIALISM that you seem to associate CHAVEZ with. i.e., Russian, Chinese "socialism" ("state capitalism" is a more appropriate term)

I do agree with fair distribution of wealth

I do NOT agree with confiscation of private property but would support the right of a state to nationalize some of its resources like oil, minerals, water, etc.

I do believe in free-markets with certain restrictions.

I FIRMLY BELIEVE in individuals having the right to OWN and operate their own business. I do believe that in ANY economy SMALL businesses are NECESSARY and are HARMLESS. If everyone were to stay a factory worker forever, nobody would have the motivation to be productive or do anything with their lives. I think the dream of having your own business is necessary in any society.

SMALL BUSINESS is GOOD. The real problem are LARGE CORPORATIONS because they monopolize the markets and kill small businesses. Then small business owners have to get a job at WAL-MART and become slaves. Large corporations get very powerful and then they start controlling governments (e.g., USA).

What happens when big corporations control a government? They only have one goal in mind: continue exploiting people to make MORE MONEY! Then they decide that they have to control other countries and make WAR against them, kill their people and president and steal their resources. There is no way to stop their ambition and destruction.

I think the perfect economic system is one that allows small business and prohibits large corporations. State-owned companies are good since they can generate income to be invested in social programs. I think a similar idea was tried by Castro but it failed because of the embargo and Cuba's lack of resources as well as corruption in the lower levels. It should work on a country like Venezuela though. I'm not saying Chavez is doing this. I doubt he is.

[fduijts]

Hello all,

I've traveled the last 2.5 years as an affiliate marketer (pictures ->http://www.positionleap.com/gallery2), working on my laptop or from cybercafe's, similiar to what Tim has done.

I'm writing an Ebook and I was hoping you guys could tell me what you are interested in learning about, or if you have any questions for me that I can answer.

I've got some ideas from reading all the threads on this message board. Is there anything that Tim hasn't covered that you think I should write about?

Thanks guys!

What I'd like to know...?

Thank you for this opportunity, I suspect you will use the questions for your ebook. No problem cause this benefits us all.

What I'd like to know is this: if you could do it all over, knowing what you know now. What would you do now to jumstart your business as an affiliate marketer? A second question: would you again start affiliate marketing or do you think other types of ventures are more worthwhile?

[TimW]

The fact that the US is occupying part of Cuba without consent from the current Cuban government and people is by itself a human rights violation. What would happen if Mexico had a naval base in Miami and people were being tortured in there? Would Americans like it and allow it? Poor Mexicans aren't even allowed to enter the US to work and pay taxes, just imagine if they invaded to occupy Miami, set up a naval base, and then started torturing people.

A guy calls you a racist and you reply with hyperbole just as inconducive to reasoned debate as his.

US control over Guantanamo Bay was the resul of the Cuban-American Treaty of 1903, which was signed by the presidents of Cuba and the United States.

You keep bringing up "if country X had item y in the United States, how would you feel about it?". You tried this with resource businesses and I told you that foreign companies already own these types of companies here.

Mexico will never have a base in Florida because the United States would never agree to it. If we did/had, then we would honor the treaty until such time as our government decided to remove itself from the treaty. It really is that simple.

Consent of the current Cuban government isn't needed. Just because the current government doesn't approve doesn't mean that the treaty is invalid. If Cuba wants it back, then end the treaty and take it back.

Chavez may have been democratically elected, but democracies do not attempt to change their Constitutions to allow for a perpetual presidency. Who does he think he is, Papa Doc? (François Duvalier)?

You can't have Free Markets with Some Restrictions...it's like being a little bit pregnant. Free-Markets are either Free Markets or they are not.

My opinion is that the US isn't a free market due to the government involvement, regulation and intervention in private enterprise.

Your agreement with the "fair" distribution of wealth is also at odds with your professed belief in private property. When you take something from someone without their consent, and give it to someone else who did nothing to earn it, that's theft. Because the government does it does not make it moral, even though it may be legal.

Who decides what's fair? You? Me? Barack Obama? Why should the results of my labor, ideas, blood, sweat and tears be taken from me and doled out to those who, for whatever reasons (choice or circumstance) have less than I do? Talk about a disincentive for me to put forth any effort, when the results of that effort are forcibly taken from me.

Prohibit large corporations? How decides what is "large"? Again, this belief goes againt the concept of free markets.

[webgal]

This has turned unproductive. Find your political soapbox elsewhere.