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Progress thread - Badcourses.com

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Logan Powell

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Hello everyone!

So I have recently started this project. While browsing the internet, specifically reading blogs and quora posts about Dan Lok's course and whether or not it is a scam, I had a big idea hit me.

Why is it so damn hard to find reviews on these courses that guru's offer?

Honestly. I could not find a single site that reviewed these courses. A lot of these courses didn't even have any reviews for them online.

and I think it is a huge opportunity. Consumers should have a basic idea on what they are buying. Not just 12 "buzz" words of whatever is the hot topic right now, and vague promises to absolutly change their life.

So, I decided to start up badcourses.com as part of my side hustle. Honestly, the site has just started, and I am working on grinding out more and more reviews.

I want to make sure that everyone is informed and educated on these courses before they take them. My goal is to be a successful information hub for consumers to review before enrolling in some of these godly expensive courses.

Please let me know if there are any influencers / bro marketers / guru's and their courses that you want me to cover. Also please feel free to leave some feedback. Anything helps!

**I will be updating the thread weekly as I build out the website
 
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amp0193

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I see the value in this. Lots of industries have these types of sites.

Lets say you could magically have a completed website tomorrow, that has vetted most of the courses out there and has a lot of reviews posted from the public.

Great, now what's the path to monetize the site? Have you given that any thought?
 

NewManRising

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I think it is a good idea. Maybe make your titles to reviews more creative and interesting. You end each title with "is it worth it?" Doesn't sound too good to me. Other than that, work on the look of the site. But you mentioned you were working on this already.
 

Logan Powell

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I see the value in this. Lots of industries have these types of sites.

Lets say you could magically have a completed website tomorrow, that has vetted most of the courses out there and has a lot of reviews posted from the public.

Great, now what's the path to monetize the site? Have you given that any thought?

I had 2 paths for monetization.
1) Google Adsense. I feel ads would help just "fill out" some blank spaces in the website. I am currently waiting on google to verify my site to run ads on it.
2) Affiliate marketing instead of buying the course. So for example, instead of someone buying a $2500 dollar course on finance, they can instead buy the "Intelligent Investor" recommended to them on the review from Amazon.

Is there any other common monetization streams you can think of?
 
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GWan

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Have you taken the courses you're reviewing?

Also are you planning to do reviews for courses that are actually good? I think that would be beneficial since you can build relationships with those who put out good courses, as well as partner up with them to get affiliate links for their courses.
 

SebPP

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I have checked your website, and the first thing I noticed is that it is not HTTPS.
In 2018, this is clearly a deal breaker especially for SEO.
Also more and more browsers are now showing warning to the users. This alone could drive away lots of people from your website.
With Let's encrypt, it just takes 5 minutes to install a free certificate and enable https. There is no excuse for not having one.
 

eliquid

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Have you thought of the legal ramifications of such a site?

Lets say I thought I had a good course. Good meaning, it was good for total newbies like my mom.

You come along and say its just "meh" or bad. Maybe even fake and you post it on your site.

You think I won't try to get that taken down legally?

I will say this, I am just speaking out loud. I am not sure what the laws are around this.

.
 
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SEBASTlAN

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Great idea, but since the name of the site is already called "Bad Courses" I don't really see the point of writing full reviews when its presence on the site would already indicate it's not worth the purchase. Maybe just list the main reasons its not worth the money etc. just my 2c
 

Sampath

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Hello everyone!

So I have recently started this project. While browsing the internet, specifically reading blogs and quora posts about Dan Lok's course and whether or not it is a scam, I had a big idea hit me.

Why is it so damn hard to find reviews on these courses that guru's offer?

Honestly. I could not find a single site that reviewed these courses. A lot of these courses didn't even have any reviews for them online.

and I think it is a huge opportunity. Consumers should have a basic idea on what they are buying. Not just 12 "buzz" words of whatever is the hot topic right now, and vague promises to absolutly change their life.

So, I decided to start up badcourses.com as part of my side hustle. Honestly, the site has just started, and I am working on grinding out more and more reviews.

I want to make sure that everyone is informed and educated on these courses before they take them. My goal is to be a successful information hub for consumers to review before enrolling in some of these godly expensive courses.

Please let me know if there are any influencers / bro marketers / guru's and their courses that you want me to cover. Also please feel free to leave some feedback. Anything helps!

**I will be updating the thread weekly as I build out the website

Hi There
Sorry to be rude.
What value are you bringing to people by doing this side hustle?

Has market indicated anywhere that this is required for the potential customers and they are willing to pay for your service?

Instead of looking/exposing about other gurus, can you spend your energy in using your talent/skill, understanding your strengths and come up with a product or service that would have magnanimous impact on the lives of people.

Can you offer a product or service that those gurus don't offer?

For Example: MJ talks about such people in both his books (may be not using any particular names), but MJ has proven with his service/work.

Hope it helps.
 

GregDott

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This is a good idea. Design-wise, your slider at the top should display the same size images. When the image changes and the area changes size it's not a great thing.

Given that it's called badcourses.com, I would personally make it a place where people who have paid for courses can come and complain and give the courses bad ratings (unless I'm misunderstanding your description). I imagine that should remove the responsibility from you in case any legal kerfuffles ensue.

Just my half cent. I would definitely use a service like this, but I wouldn't trust it if it was just one random dude reviewing courses. I want to hear the voices of many people.

Oh and not so sure about that brown background :/
 
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SWSSMSS

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I need something like this in my life, but it'd be better if you rated all courses so users can see what good courses are out there too.

Eventually, with enough traction, you could become a certification site. Like, you could hand out badges to the best courses and they could advertise that they're "badcourses certified", but that's probably way down the line.
 

amp0193

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Is there any other common monetization streams you can think of?

How about:

"this guy/course/guru sucks. But here's one in the same niche, that's actually awesome. Check it out via [referral link]."

or

[pop-up] - Looking for a course on being a badass? Enter your email below and we'll send you our badass course guide to our 5 favorites.

Then proceed to do an email funnel that sends out the guide, but then follows up on the different courses (that you've vetted, of course) in a more detailed pitch, all including referral links.
 
Last edited:

amp0193

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Great idea, but since the name of the site is already called "Bad Courses" I don't really see the point of writing full reviews when its presence on the site would already indicate it's not worth the purchase.

I disagree. I think the name is catchy, evocative, and will capture the attention of people looking for reviews online for a course they're considering. The branding could be done well enough to have reviews for all kinds of courses.

Case in point: rottentomatoes.com. Covers all movies, not just the ones so bad they deserve rotten tomatoes to be thrown at them.
 
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Logan Powell

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Have you thought of the legal ramifications of such a site?

Lets say I thought I had a good course. Good meaning, it was good for total newbies like my mom.

You come along and say its just "meh" or bad. Maybe even fake and you post it on your site.

You think I won't try to get that taken down legally?

I will say this, I am just speaking out loud. I am not sure what the laws are around this.

.

Thanks for the thought. Definitely, something I didn't think too much about. I wonder though, as long as it isn't slander, wouldn't it be allowed to be reviewed?
 

Logan Powell

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Great idea, but since the name of the site is already called "Bad Courses" I don't really see the point of writing full reviews when its presence on the site would already indicate it's not worth the purchase. Maybe just list the main reasons its not worth the money etc. just my 2c

Maybe a more crowdsourced approach where it gives a rough review and a pros / cons list?
 

Logan Powell

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I have checked your website, and the first thing I noticed is that it is not HTTPS.
In 2018, this is clearly a deal breaker especially for SEO.
Also more and more browsers are now showing warning to the users. This alone could drive away lots of people from your website.
With Let's encrypt, it just takes 5 minutes to install a free certificate and enable https. There is no excuse for not having one.

Thanks so much for the feedback @SebPP ! I will jump on that right away.
 
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Jeff Noel

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Hi There
Sorry to be rude.
What value are you bringing to people by doing this side hustle?

Has market indicated anywhere that this is required for the potential customers and they are willing to pay for your service?

Instead of looking/exposing about other gurus, can you spend your energy in using your talent/skill, understanding your strengths and come up with a product or service that would have magnanimous impact on the lives of people.

Can you offer a product or service that those gurus don't offer?

For Example: MJ talks about such people in both his books (may be not using any particular names), but MJ has proven with his service/work.

Hope it helps.

The value here is to save time (and money) for the readers. In the past, I've bene fighting big time with the thoughts of spending a lot to go at Tai Lopez meetings at his house and everything.

I'm glad I did not. I still learned a lot for this guy, but never paid a dime. Any video is a part of loses efficiency. The video could last 5 minutes if you'd remove all the story tales and useless blabla he does.
 
G

GuestUser4aMPs1

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Has market indicated anywhere that this is required for the potential customers and they are willing to pay for your service?

There is absolutely zero transparency in this industry,
and no single site that objectively reviews a guru's credibility.

If I wasn't so busy in the current business,
I'd jump right on creating a Guru Review site.

Posted about it here.

Even MJ wanted to potentially create one.
 

MJ DeMarco

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I hate the name.

But the NEED exists as linked above. I even own a few domains for the idea.

With a name like "badcourses" you are limiting yourself to only bad courses!

What if there are good courses!?

IMO, you should rebrand to be all inclusive on any course. Sure most of them will probably be bad, but surely there will be some that are good.
 
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kkoasdfawfqwe2

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I highly disagree that the monetization should be anything related to affiliate marketing.

The problem with the current review sites of courses out there is the fact that they have a link to the course they are reviewing and throughout that review they talk it up big time so it makes you want to buy it through their link.

Or in some cases they do the opposite where they talk a course down and suggests another one with an affiliate link to it, which to me instantly removes all trust from your review, as you have an incentive to not suggest the reviewed course and suggest another one instead.

Maybe its just my view as an ex-affiliate marketer who notices these things, but I'm sure some other people do too.

Without having another idea for monetization ready for you, I only got this to contribute at the moment.

If there isn't another suitable way to monetize I can understand, but just take it into consideration, as the reader's trust is your true advantage with the site you are building, so all the choices you make you have to think about how it affects your reader's trust for your website.

No trust = doesn't matter what you say.
 

eliquid

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There is absolutely zero transparency in this industry,
and no single site that objectively reviews a guru's credibility.

If I wasn't so busy in the current business,
I'd jump right on creating a Guru Review site.

Posted about it here.

Even MJ wanted to potentially create one.

Exactly.

I too have thought about going after this as well months ago. The only issue holding me back was the legality, which I never looked into.

.
 

Nelow

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I was thinking about this exact idea, After going through one of those discovery stages. I was looking everywhere for the "missing piece to the formula" and gurus would show up everywhere for the new information i learned. I myself did not join any courses due to my own online skepticisms. My friend on the other hand passed off over $600 to some "mentor" for drop shipping courses...

These gurus play on peoples emotions and impulses, I showed him the error of his ways with a few cross reference searches on google. These gurus like to "fluff" their social proof to build more trust, but a little deeper digging into how they rised and the companies they run and you discover they are no one, owning notting, have horrible customer service after sale and don't actually own the material they teach. After learning about digital marketing the fake only got more real, because they manipulate the top post in the search results about them. Don't even get me started on the level of fake in social media.

This is a great idea and much needed service, If i had any ideas for the site it would be to have a public space for users and potential users to chat live and share their experiences on the course your cover (promote comment section or reach out to people for their opinion to post) . This will give readers more than one review from just the site owner. More credible.
 
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Kyle T

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I agree
I hate the name.

But the NEED exists as linked above. I even own a few domains for the idea.

With a name like "badcourses" you are limiting yourself to only bad courses!

What if there are good courses!?

IMO, you should rebrand to be all inclusive on any course. Sure most of them will probably be bad, but surely there will be some that are good.

I agree with MJ. I hate the name.

As someone else mentioned above, IMO it would also be better to focus on the Gurus rather than the courses.
 

Sampath

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The value here is to save time (and money) for the readers. In the past, I've bene fighting big time with the thoughts of spending a lot to go at Tai Lopez meetings at his house and everything.

I'm glad I did not. I still learned a lot for this guy, but never paid a dime. Any video is a part of loses efficiency. The video could last 5 minutes if you'd remove all the story tales and useless blabla he does.

Don't get me wrong on adding value. Im not against the idea. I do appreciate if it is going to add value.

However, how is the value addition validated in the market (Soft proof) ?- that customers are ready to pay for the service. It is very difficult to review. Today you have a scam review site for every other person who is in the market and it depends on the background experience, capability framework and life experience of the reviewer who reviews and publishes online. There is always a bias.

I am sure even MJ may agree that there are scam review sites out there pointing at this forum as inappropriate. But only those who understands the entrepreneural path would appreciate MJ's vision in the forum. "You being the change that you want to see" is one of the most important and difficult accomplishments - MJ has proved it with his books and forum.

Any ways good luck on the project.
 

Sampath

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Don't get me wrong on adding value. Im not against the idea. I do appreciate if it is going to add value.

However, how is the value addition validated in the market (Soft proof) ?- that customers are ready to pay for the service. It is very difficult to review. Today you have a scam review site for every other person who is in the market and it depends on the background experience, capability framework and life experience of the reviewer who reviews and publishes online. There is always a bias.

I am sure even MJ may agree that there are scam review sites out there pointing at this forum as inappropriate. But only those who understands the entrepreneural path would appreciate MJ's vision in the forum. "You being the change that you want to see" is one of the most important and difficult accomplishments - MJ has proved it with his books and forum.

Any ways good luck on the project.
 
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Fox

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Great idea.

Happy to take the Pepsi taste challenge with Fox Web School content in the future if you wish.
 
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The Abundant Man

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Great idea, but since the name of the site is already called "Bad Courses" I don't really see the point of writing full reviews when its presence on the site would already indicate it's not worth the purchase. Maybe just list the main reasons its not worth the money etc. just my 2c
I'd change the name to coursereview.com. But then I might think it's also for University courses or something when Googling.
 

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