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The Jig is Up!

Jonleehacker

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Hi Russ and BFLbob,

Thanks for the welcome and nice to find you guys again (and the rest of the crew). I see there's another meetup in the works. I found out about the forum when I was asking Erin if we were going to get together again.

I hope it happens, I've really enjoyed the last 2.

Also, nice to find MJ again as I missed your posts on the RD forums. It wasn't hard to tell you were the real deal, so I was disappointed when you left.

Jon
 
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Russ H

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JonLee-

Interesting points. I think we all left AZ this year asking ourselves why RK had acted the way he did.

I guess I came up with a different conclusion:

That the RK who writes the books is not exactly what he is like, in person.

The book writer is sanitized-- open, ecumenical, non-prejudiced, and warm.

The guy we met was bitter, angry, and very insulting to all kinds of different people.

*********

Here's the thing:

I've met my share of celebs, billionaires, and indian chiefs in my life (I worked with them on projects). Almost to the last, these were folks who would get blasted in a Tabloid magazine at least a few times a year, or (even worse), papers like the New York Times or the Wall St Journal.

Millions of people fed on these articles, gobbling up all kinds of lies and twisted truths.

It was normal for me to meet someone who the media had painted as an ogre and find them to be not only charming, but incredibly big-hearted and kind. Deep-down good people, to the core.

So I often asked myself why? Why did these people have such nasty things written about them?

I even asked a few of my clients, once I felt that they knew me well enough to know I wasn't going to peddle their story to the press.

Their answers amused and delighted me: What bad press? (wink) They preferred to look at all the positive things out there, and pretty much kept the negative stuff off the radar.

When I told one of them that I was going through a similar hard time, and needed advice, he said, "Russ, sometimes you've got to grit your f***ing teeth, put your head down, and work through it. And don't take it personally."

I can't tell you how many times that advice came in handy in my quasi-famous life.

In my industry, there were a select few folks in power who, to put it mildly, hated my guts and wanted to see me out of business. These people had learned early on that destroying was so much easier than building/growing. So they kept their precarious positions of power by destroying others.

Sick, but there you go.

I had a choice: Become a bitter, embattled mess, struggling to keep my business alive.

Or, rise above it, dwell on the positive, wink at the negativity, and keep my focus: working to help others.

I'm sure Robert and Kim have had their share of vicious criticism and pain. And I'm sure that some of it has affected them, even if just a little bit, on a personal level.

But that's no reason to attack and demean people you *know* are your supporters. In my professional life, I've never met anyone who has succeeded to RK's level who returned kindness and admiration with the vitriol we were subjected to.

Kindness and respect cost nothing. A little of each can bear much fruit.

A good investment, if you will.

But that's just my opinion. I don't expect others to embrace it.

But I can tell you that I choose to hang around those that do.

It makes for a much more fulfilling and joyful life. :)

-Russ H.
 

Jonleehacker

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Okay guys, I've been watching the RDPD website rankings drop like a Led Zeppelin since March (coincidence...what do you think Russ?) and scouring the web to find y'all.

Well you're officially found :)

A lot of familiar faces here and I'm looking forward to reading some more. For those that don't know me I'm a full time Internet business guy. I have focused on personal finance topics and helping people setup WordPress blogs.

Let me know if I can help out, and I'm looking forward to learning a lot here.

Jon Symons
Edmonton, Canada
 
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MJ DeMarco

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Hola Jon and thanks for joining. Nice to have another web guy.
 

Russ H

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Welcome Jon! :D

I think the drop for RD.com in rankings is exactly what RK wanted us to do:

Spend less time on the internet (specifically, his website). :smxB:

Be careful what you ask for . . . *

-Russ H.

*Not like it makes a difference-- I doubt RK's even seen his internet rankings, or knows what to do w/them, since he considers any time spent on the web a waste of time.
 
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MJ DeMarco

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Jonleehacker

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Hey MJ I was referring to Alexa.

It was about mid March when Robert made his views about Internet losers known to a room full of us.

If this was a stock chart, I'd say something fundamentally changed about Mid March.

graph
 

SteveO

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Welcome Jon.
 

biophase

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...And we specifically told Erin not to tell Jon!


:)
 

biophase

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bflbob

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Hey MJ I was referring to Alexa.

It was about mid March when Robert made his views about Internet losers known to a room full of us.

If this was a stock chart, I'd say something fundamentally changed about Mid March.

graph

Jon:

I'm confused with the chart.
Even though the lines drop down, the vertical axis shows higher numbers at the bottom.

What does it show?
 

LightHouse

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Jon:

I'm confused with the chart.
Even though the lines drop down, the vertical axis shows higher numbers at the bottom.

What does it show?


these are my same thoughts it appears to be rising according to the vertical numbers
 

MJ DeMarco

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If I recall how Alexa works, it ranks the POOL of websites from 1 - 5,000,000 (not sure of the upper limit).

For example, Google or Yahoo probably has a 1-10 rank. That means Google is the #1 visited site.

According the the chart, RD was #15,000 on that list in popularity. Think of it as being in 15,000th place on the web in terms of traffic and use. Now it is in 60,000th place.

Generally, an Alexa ranking under 10,000 is pretty substantial.
 
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Jonleehacker

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MJ is correct. It is a ranking system so the lower your number the better, or at least roughly, the lower your number the more traffic your website is receiving.

Alexa is not that great at comparing traffic levels from site to site, but it is very good at illustrating trends on one particular site like richdad.com.
 

Jonleehacker

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Hey Steve O

Bio...you're setting yourself up for some more heckling at your next ballgame. Rent-a-crowds can turn ugly :)
 

SteveO

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Shannon and I are on his team now. So, I get to heckle him every Friday.
 
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AroundTheWorld

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I have been saying for a year that RDPD is going down. (Hubby makes fun of me for saying this) but I really think it is true. I believe that they are going to lose business because of:

  • RK's apparent lack of respect for his audience
  • The relationship between RDPD and Russ Whitney

I also believe (MJ) that this will leave a big void in the personal finance industry. There is going to be room for the next guy to come along (MJ) and take the "fastlane" information - package it well - in bring it to the public in a respectful, socially responsible way..... (MJ)....
 

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First of all, it is great to see you all. Seeing everyone together, in a different environment, is a testament to the fact that nothing can break good friendships. My goal, as most of you know, is to support the individual to become the best he/she can be. Regardless of where or with whom that occurs.

Second, a challenge (for once I am giving the challenge instead of receiving it... a new thing for me). Jon, submit a proposal, if your heart desires, for getting richdad.com into the top 10,000 on Alexa. I will do everything in my power to make it happen.

I don't think it is any secret (I am sure I made this clear when we all sat down together last year) that I am not an expert in everything, possibly anything. My job is to stack my team with the best in their individual fields. If I am, or I think I am, the smartest person on my team, then we are in bigger trouble than even I can imagine.

So, there you go. If there is any desire to do anything having to do with Rich Dad (there may not be), then let's do it.

Much respect -

Seif
 

MJ DeMarco

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I have been saying for a year that RDPD is going down. (Hubby makes fun of me for saying this) but I really think it is true. I believe that they are going to lose business because of:
  • RK's apparent lack of respect for his audience
  • The relationship between RDPD and Russ Whitney
I also believe (MJ) that this will leave a big void in the personal finance industry. There is going to be room for the next guy to come along (MJ) and take the "fastlane" information - package it well - in bring it to the public in a respectful, socially responsible way..... (MJ)....

Thanks Sonya ... :notworthy: I agree with your points.

First of all, it is great to see you all. Seeing everyone together, in a different environment, is a testament to the fact that nothing can break good friendships. My goal, as most of you know, is to support the individual to become the best he/she can be. Regardless of where or with whom that occurs.

Second, a challenge (for once I am giving the challenge instead of receiving it... a new thing for me). Jon, submit a proposal, if your heart desires, for getting richdad.com into the top 10,000 on Alexa. I will do everything in my power to make it happen.

I don't think it is any secret (I am sure I made this clear when we all sat down together last year) that I am not an expert in everything, possibly anything. My job is to stack my team with the best in their individual fields. If I am, or I think I am, the smartest person on my team, then we are in bigger trouble than even I can imagine.

So, there you go. If there is any desire to do anything having to do with Rich Dad (there may not be), then let's do it.

Much respect -

Seif

I prefer not to have the proposed improvements of the RD site discussed here. Obviously, since I am a soon-to-be author targeting an identical audience as RK, that makes RK my competitor - I'm sure not much of a threat in RK's perception since I am internet based .. we all know, the internet is for losers.

Welcome to the board Seif.
 
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andviv

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johnseif, I have a lot of respect for the situation you have to deal with... it is a tough sale the one you have to do over there. I have dealt with similar situations in the past, where the company's vision is not compatible with your own work values.

SteveO and Bio in the same team? Jon, I think we will get a higher bonus this year for the rent-a-crowd session, yeah!
 

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I prefer not to have the proposed improvements of the RD site discussed here. Obviously, since I am a soon-to-be author targeting an identical audience as RK, that makes RK my competitor.

MJ:

I'm far from an expert on marketing, especially the internet version, but it seems to me as though this would be win-win. If we discuss RD here, and we discuss Fastlane there, won't everyone get more traffic? I mean, where did most of the current membership on this board come from?

Just because someone is an RK fan doesn't mean they won't buy your book. In fact, I would think the connection would give it more weight. You car guys should know that's why all the auto dealerships build next to each other.

My two cents....
 
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MJ DeMarco

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MJ:

I'm far from an expert on marketing, especially the internet version, but it seems to me as though this would be win-win. If we discuss RD here, and we discuss Fastlane there, won't everyone get more traffic? I mean, where did most of the current membership on this board come from?

Just because someone is an RK fan doesn't mean they won't buy your book. In fact, I would think the connection would give it more weight. You car guys should know that's why all the auto dealerships build next to each other.

My two cents....

Bob,

I think you are misunderstanding. I'm not asking people to stop talking about the RD concepts. Go ahead. That's not what I am saying. However, I'm not gonna use this place as a sounding-board to discuss what is wrong with the RD site. That is the RD organization's job, not mine, nor my board.

As for RK discussions (Cash flow, E, I quadrants, et. al) you all can continue to discuss that freely. :thumbsup:

MJ
 

Russ H

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Bob-

I can't speak for MJ, but it also feels a bit weird to me to be asked how to improve another website's rankings on this site, when the two websites/forums have competitive overlap.

We don't spend any time on the RD forums brainstorming about how to make the fastlane forums a better/more popular place.

It'd be like my B&B competitor down the street coming to me and saying "I'm issuing you a challenge! My sales are down, and I want you to tell me how to improve them!".

Not sure if I'm explaining how I feel here . . . :confused:

(and no offense to you, Seif-- I was delighted to see you posting here, and hope you join in on our discussions!) :)

-Russ H.
 

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It'd be like my B&B competitor down the street coming to me and saying "I'm issuing you a challenge! My sales are down, and I want you to tell me how to improve them!".

Not sure if I'm explaining how I feel here . . . :confused:

Russ:

I sort of understand what you're saying.:iagree:

But I thought that was what we were here for.

Suzy doesn't understand buying mortgages...REIPro steps in and helps her.:chatter:
I don't understand stocks...someone else helps me.:3some:

I don't see how REIPro helping Suzy hurts him.
It isn't a zero-sum game.:nonod:

While I realize the internet and book writing are different than REI, the principle is the same to me.

Sort of like when you did "Trading Spaces: B&B".
Did it hurt you or help?:smx3:

I guess my main point is that if anyone else on this board had asked for help with improving a site's ranking they'd have been met with open arms and plenty of suggestions.:cheers:
I wish we could do the same with John.
 
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AroundTheWorld

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I guess my main point is that if anyone else on this board had asked for help with improving a site's ranking they'd have been met with open arms and plenty of suggestions.:cheers:
I wish we could do the same with John.

Certainly we are here to help one another and form a place where we can look for education and resources...... in somewhat general terms.

Starting and participating in a thread to talk about internet marketing techniques is great. Starting and participating in a thread to talk about marketing Rich Dad is another....
 

Russ H

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Perhaps it's just bad blood. I don't know.

For the past 4 years, I've been shouting from the rooftops what was wrong w/the RD forums, and what needed to be done to correct the problems.

Most of the time I was ignored. Then I was told that my approach wasn't how things were done around there.

That's cool. I was just seeing a consistent fall off in quality, and wanted to try and stop the slide.

Then I got to meet RK, and he went out of his way to tell me what a dope I was for wasting my time on the internet (since you were there, you know he wasn't that polite).

So now that these forums are taking off, and the rd forums are falling, the admin comes here and asks us how to improve their internet rankings.

It just seems a bit disingenuous to me (hey, I haven't used that word in years!). ;)

When I look at Alexa, it seems like the graph started trending downward in 2nd Quarter, 2006.

-Russ H.
 

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Perhaps it's just bad blood. I don't know.

The way I see it is that we were all there contributing to the RD forums. Then the forums were going downhill. A few people complained for a long long time and nothing was done, nobody was listening. Add to that that the owner of the forums insulted many of its caring members.

MJ starts a new forum which is everything that RD isn't. We all came to a new forums and left RD.

Then the RD forums went downhill and someone from the RD forums comes here asking for help.

I would expect the reaction to be lukewarm at best.

It's like 1000 people have a crappy mp3 player and keep emailing the company feedback and even offer to help them improve their mp3. The company says, f-u all, our mp3 player is fine. Then the 1000 people form a company and invent an Ipod. Sales for the crappy mp3 hit the toilet and now that company wants to hear what the 1000 people have been telling them. It's just too late.

I'd like to point out that this is not directed at Darth Seif personally. I think we know know now that his hands were tied.
 
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Jonleehacker

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Aren't y'all glad I showed up and stirred up the beehive?

I'd like to point out that it was me that John Seif was requesting the proposal from...he may have been thinking more in terms of Internet marketing and search optimization than on how to "fix" the forums, since I did start, very briefly, having some dialogue with them along those lines in March.

That said, I'd like to share a story/hypothesis about the whole RK Internet loser topic.

After I first read Robert's book, I was so blown away that I just had to share my enthusiasm about the fantastic revelations about money that I was having. To say he opened my eyes would be the understatement of the century.

Still now even 3 years later, in my house, it's rare that a single day goes by that my wife or I don't quote our favorite line when facing some kind of dilemma, "How can I?"

So in my quest for passive income, I created a blog and began to share all my Robert revelations with the world. I became one of the founding members of the "Carnival of Personal Finance"

But I soon learned that not everyone wanted to hear Robert's ground breaking ideas about financial freedom and getting rich. And money being the powerful and highly charged topic that it is, I found myself being routinely attacked. Occasionally these attacks were highly personal and very insulting.

They hurt me deeply. And that's just me. A newb blogger who didn't know anything, spouting someone else's ideas. I began to wonder what it would be like to be Robert. The guy actually holding the torch of, what I believed was, financial enlightenment in the faces of the masses.

I began to explore some of the many many sites where people had written extremely vengeful and even hateful (often even citing the Bible) things about RK and his books. My jaw dropped on many occasions and I was confounded by how hurtful these people could be towards someone who didn't seem to present anything other than a constructive roadmap for increasing wealth.

I couldn't help but feel the pain that these types of public insults must have caused Robert and Kim; they broke my heart.

For the weeks after Robert's outburst at the meet-up in March as I reflected on what had happened, I started to believe that there was probably a connection between Robert's attitude towards "loser's wasting time on the Internet" and all the insults he has suffered via the web. Insults that none of these people would likely ever have the guts to speak to him face to face.

That's my take on the whole event that happened in March. To be honest I think that it's great that we "talk it out." It was always clear to me that it wasn't anything related to Russ or what was said in the room that day.

It seems likely to me that Robert's lack of interest in the Internet as a marketing tool could be related to the negatively he has suffered due to the powerful anonymous courage that the web can provide to his detractors. Of course, that is no excuse to take it out on a bunch of people who are his biggest fans...but that's often how life works.
 

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