Register |
Posts Comments

Happy 20th Birthday Photoshop!

Posted on Feb. 22nd, 2010 by The Affiliate Marketing Undergrad

Adobe celebrated Photoshop’s 20th Birthday on 19th February 2010 and here at The Affiliate Marketing Undergrad, I thought I’d give a shout out to the creators on this popular software. Some fun facts about Photoshop:

  • Photoshop was invented by a University of Michigan PhD student named Thomas Knoll. Knoll’s brother John worked for Industrial Light and Magic and encouraged Thomas to continue developing the software—apparently the imagery-manipulation gene is strong in the Knoll family.
  • Despite the widespread prevalence of using “Photoshop” as a verb, Adobe strongly discourages it.
  • The use of Photoshop in advertising is so widespread that fairly frequently a photo-editing mishap leads to a humorous outcome. Photoshop Disasters is a popular blog that catalogs mishaps in advertising like phantom hands, missing fingers, and super models with no navels.


    • - Image take from Photoshop Disasters
    *Hint: Check out the reflection*

    It is a known fact that many famous internet marketers make use of this illustrious software to create some of the best quality graphics for their website, products and advertising banners. And I can safely say that Adobe Photoshop is an indispensable tool for many of us.

    In this documentary, the founders of Adobe Photoshop – John Knoll, Thomas Knoll, Russell Brown, and Steve Guttman – tell the story of how an amazing coincidence of circumstances, that came together at just the right time 20 years ago, spawned a cultural paradigm shift unparalleled in our lifetime. Visit Adobe.com for a more detailed history of Photoshop.

    More Photoshop history news:

  • Evolution of Photoshop Splashscreens over 2 decades
  • The creation and recreation of Photoshop App Icons
  • For Photoshop tips and tricks, visit http://lifehacker.com/tag/photoshop/


    • If you like this post, please consider buying me a beer!

    Popularity: 20% [?]

    • Share/Bookmark
    Permalink 0 Comment
    filed under: Uncategorized

    The Shoemoney System Review

    Posted on Feb. 19th, 2010 by The Affiliate Marketing Undergrad

    We’re 3 weeks into the Shoemoney System program now and I think it’s finally time for me to drop the procrastination and do a comprehensive review on it.

    First a quick summary on the ShoeMoney System. The 12-month program was founded by multi-millionaire Internet Marketer, Jeremy Schoemaker, who was famous for being heavily overweight, depressed and a big-time loser even in his own league and eventually turned his situation around by selling ringtones on his website, and his team. For more information on Jeremy, visit http://www.shoemoney.com/shoemoney-biography/ . When you first purchase the ShoeMoney System, you pay 197USD for the first month and 197USD every subsequent month for the remaining 11 months. That is, you’re paying 2, 364USD for the entire coaching system.

    The question is – Is the ShoeMoney System worth 2, 364USD?

    The first thing that caught my eye about the ShoeMoney System was how Jeremy creatively twisted his name around – Schoemaker to Shoemoney – it still sounds ridiculous but at the same time, it’s etched into your memory because it sounds like fun! And then there is his famous tagline, “Skills to Pay the Bills” – not exactly your average Internet Marketer tagline but it works. It captivates audiences and I think that is really important in branding your business.

    Next to that, what I found really impressive about the ShoeMoney System was it’s simplicity, stripped down to almost completely idiot-proof. The system works like this. Jeremy and his team uploads about 2 to 3 videos each week with a task at the end of each for you to accomplish. In each video, Jeremy teaches his internet-idiot student, Jamie, how to make money on the internet. Now, Jamie knows shit about the Internet – she doesn’t even have an email account and through his coaching, Jeremy shows that even a clueless newbie can make money on the internet. It’s not that difficult.

    And that is what I love most about his program, even though the first few videos can get a little boring. He doesn’t dwell on theories and internet shenanigans. Instead, he explores the practical steps you can take to actually make your first dollar on the internet. He doesn’t tell you that you CAN do this and this and that, instead he shows you that you SHOULD do this and this and that and really go do it after the video is done so you can catch up with the next video. He makes making money on the internet sound like writing A-B-Cs. As long as you get the hang of it, it’s gonna become natural to you.

    Another awesome component of the ShoeMoney System is the bi-weekly webinars where you can email questions to the ShoeMoney team prior to the webcast and Jeremy answers your questions on top of inviting celebrated Internet Marketers onto the show. And not forgetting to mention over a thousand dollars worth of advertising coupons given to you for free upon signing up for his program. Jeremy’s strong relations with Google, Facebook, and AZoogle Networks, just to name a few, makes it easy for Internet Marketing students to gain a strong foothold in the industry.

    Now for the cons. The speed of delivery can be improved upon. Sometimes a 10-minute video is delivered after a two-day wait from the last video and then there is another two-day wait till the next. That leaves a long gap in between with nothing to learn from. Well Jeremy did express his intention for the intervals, I believe there are many students who would like to have videos delivered faster. Though, I reckon the intensity of the program’s gonna get alot higher from the 5th week onwards (and Jeremy did say that that is when his students will start making money from the program) and this speed of delivery might do everyone good as the program progresses.

    Downloadable mp3s and mp4s should be incorporated into the system. From the last webinar, Jeremy said the team was gonna work on it.

    I would say something about the feedback channel but I haven’t exactly used it yet. The last time I sent a contact form to the team they didn’t reply but they might have a reason for that, I’m not sure but I’ll give it another shot some time soon.

    We’re only 3 weeks into the program and so far so good, I’m loving every bit of it and learning alot from it. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to learn the A-Zs of making money on the internet and I strongly urge those with a strong desire to get yourself out of a financial situation to get yourself in to the program ASAP. Seats are limited to only 500.

    Click here to get yourself on the waiting list
    As a student of the ShoeMoney System, I have an automated affiliate link to the ShoeMoney System and if you do purchase from this link, I will be paid a 50% commission.

    And so the verdict – Is the ShoeMoney System worth 2, 374USD? Well, I honestly think it’s too early to pass a sentence so we’ll wait and see.

    If you like this post, please consider buying me a beer!

    Popularity: 7% [?]

    • Share/Bookmark
    Permalink 0 Comment
    filed under: Uncategorized Tagged with:

    The 411 on Affiliate Marketing

    Posted on Feb. 8th, 2010 by The Affiliate Marketing Undergrad

    What is Affiliate Marketing?

    Ever since the dot com boom about a decade ago, the value of the Internet as a place for low-cost start-ups increased rapidly. Stock markets saw their equity value rise rapidly from growth in the Internet sector and related fields. This period is more commonly known as the “dot-com bubble” or the “internet boom” and companies were witnessing an increase in stock prices by simply adding an “e-” prefix or a .com at the end of the company’s name.

    Now at this point in time, many people, not only the big boys in their relative industries, saw the potential of the internet. That was when the affiliate marketing model to precedence as one of the hottest home business opportunities around. Affiliate marketing techniques a decade ago were different from what they are today. Today, affiliate marketing is a proven system and made almost too easy with the advent of Web 2.0. With some comprehensive training, you can easily set up an affiliate business and get started in a couple of weeks.

    Bu what exactly is affiliate marketing? In layman terms, affiliate marketing literally means to promote and sell a product that is created by someone, or a company, whom you are associated (or partnered, in a sense) with, and that really is all there is to the explanation. This model of internet marketing has been coined the fastest way to make a fair amount of profit online for anyone who is just starting out.

    Finding Affiliate Programs

    With affiliate marketing, you first need to find affiliate programs to promote. Affiliate programs are the best ways for you to sell someone else’s product or service and get paid for it. One of the benefits of selling through an affiliate program is that you can earn massive amounts of commission without getting knee-deep in the product.

    You market the product or service online (that includes websites, emails, forums, blogs as well as paid advertising). The company then is responsible for the product; they process the payments, ship the merchandise, and handle any complaints. All you have to do, essentially, is to master the various forms of online marketing techniques and get the commission. Brilliant!

    Say, for example, you own a website that provides people with information about Jazz music. You could place links to products related to Jazz music, CDs, download sites, etc. on your website. When your visitors click on your links, they will be directed to the product or website you are promoting. If they buy, you will be paid a commission. Not bad for providing information huh?

    Affiliate programs are just about everywhere these days and as of date of writing, affiliate program networks are evolving rapidly. A good way to find programs you’d like to join is by doing a search on your chosen topic and see what your competition is doing for a place to start. The best places to search for affiliate programs are affiliate networks such as ClickBank and Commission Junction. These networks offer a huge array of digital products, even though CJ do offer others as well, and digital products are a good stepping stone for anyone to market as they’re starting out on the internet.

    Another great way to find affiliate programs is to be alert while you shop online. Check the web sites for the words affiliate or partners. You’ll soon see there are almost no merchants online today who don’t have some sort of affiliate program. Ideally, if you’re going to have a website or blog, you should definitely have affiliate links.

    How do Affiliate Programs Work?

    When you register for your chosen affiliate program you will receive your own personal ID number. For example, when you decide to apply for a product’s affiliate program via CB, you will receive a hoplink with your own unique affiliate ID, which is your username when you signed up for CB. When you place this link on your website, anyone who makes a purchase via your personal link racks up commissions for you. These commissions are paid based on the pay schedule of that particular program.

    The Affiliate Marketing Undergrad Recommends…

    There are a number of products that show you the ins and outs of starting your affiliate business but here is one I highly recommend. This affiliate marketer’s name is Ewen Chia and if you don’t know Ewen Chia, you don’t know affiliate marketing. Ewen started his internet business a decade ago during the internet boom and then, things were different from now. But with the rapid changes of the internet world, Ewen kept up-to-date with trendy strategies and techniques and continues to be the Internet’s #1 Affiliate Marketer. Ask anyone who’s been poking around the internet marketing niche for awhile and he/she is bound to know Ewen.

    I strongly recommend Ewen because he truly teaches what is needed to kick-start your internet marketing business and he specializes especially in affiliate marketing. After all, he became a millionaire through selling other people’s products before he built his own team and started crreating his own products. His popular courses include the Secret Affiliate Weapon One and Two. S.A.W 1.0 is not available in the market anymore.

    What is most important, however, is that you get an entire 7-day coaching by Ewen without spending a fortune. That’s right. I was shocked myself when I first joined his program. It was “Heck, why not? It’s free!”

    This course is none other than the Super Affiliate Trainer.

    Okay, truth be told, no free lunch in the world can compare to something you’ve paid $197 dollars for. Ewen’s Super Affilate Trainer is not as comprehensive a course as say, Michael Rasmussen’s Affiliate Launch Blueprint but it covers in detail all of the fundamentals of affiliate marketing and this information alone is enough to get you started. So if you’re on a tight budget and you’re looking for a coaching program to get you started, you’ve found yourself a high-quality, free training program.

    Inside the Affiliate Center, which you will have access to the minute you surrender your email details to Ewen (which he has solemnly pledged to never spam you or give out your details to anyone or if you hate him, you can unsubscribe anytime), is a 7-Day training video program that gives you a step-by-step, day-by-day action plan. It covers everything from choosing profitable niches to picking out good keywords to free promotional strategies. With the complete tech-idiot in mind, Ewen has also included videos on internet marketing basics, setting up autoresponders, creating wordpress blogs, creating your redirect page, looking for a good webhost, what is a good domain name and many more.

    The first awesome benefit of the Super Affiliate Trainer is that you get trained by the World’s #1 Super Affiliate for free. Now, the second benefit is you get to be a Super Affiliate yourself and promote all of Ewen’s top-selling products after you’ve gone through the course.

    So there you go, the World’s #1 Super Affiliate wants to train you free. You sure gonna pass on it? Here’s the link again: Take me to the Super Affiliate Trainer.

    If you like this post, please consider buying me a beer!

    Popularity: 27% [?]

    • Share/Bookmark
    Permalink 0 Comment
    filed under: Affiliate Marketing

    Major Facelifts

    Posted on Dec. 16th, 2009 by The Affiliate Marketing Undergrad

    Hey guys, The Affiliate Marketing Undergrad’s going through some major face-lifts and will take awhile to be functionally online again. I will keep posting updates in the meantime, stay tune!

    If you like this post, please consider buying me a beer!

    Popularity: 27% [?]

    • Share/Bookmark
    Permalink 0 Comment
    filed under: Announcements

    3 Simple Ways To Drive Massive Traffic To Your Blog

    Posted on Oct. 15th, 2009 by The Affiliate Marketing Undergrad

    #1 – Content Is King

    This rightly deserves the #1 spot in any blogging guide. Content is king. If you’ve been lurking around the internet marketing scene for a while now, this is the mantra you want drilled into your head. I cannot stress how important it is for you to create unique and original content that is far from similar to the rest of the blogs and articles in your niche. The problem with this is Private Label Rights. While many internet marketers sell PLR as a main component of their online business, some PLR materials are horrendous in quality. The articles either have no substance or it’s a complete re-spin of some PLR material they bought off some other guy. Now there is nothing wrong with PLR but when you want to use PLR material in your blog posts, always re-write at least 40% of the article so it doesn’t look like a rip-off of some other site. Even better if you can create your own content. One easy way to do this is to gather 2 to 3 PLR articles that are related to your topic, speed-read through them, open up a word document and start writing immediately. This way, the information you’ve just read is still fresh in your head and you’ll be able to create some very unique content out of it.

    #2 – Show, Tell, Deliver – “Show them what works, Tell them what to do and then Deliver your incentive”

    In short, that really means to Pre-sell your product or service, if you’re into affiliate marketing, have a Call To Action and then give your readers an Incentive to carry out your Call to Action. Very much like salesletters, you have to have a Call to Action in your blog posts and articles. Tell your readers what you want them to do. Is it to visit this certain site? Or maybe to check out this product you’ve just recommended. The best, and I do mean THE best, way to sell a product, for example an affiliate product, through blogs is to give your readers a plan that they can follow and implement straight away and give them the EXACT resources to do that with.

    Your post could sound something like this:
    Using Jason Gazaway’s Bloggers Payback as example

    [Preselling your product / service - Listing benefits of purchasing Bloggers Payback]


    Are you growing insanely frustrated because your blog is not converting to cash? And you’re probably sick and tired of people telling you that blogs are the easiest way to make money online. If this is true, then why are you still in this exact state as you were in before you started? Because, my friend, these people are not telling you the whole truth. Sure, it is plain easy to monetize your blog but ONLY if, and ONLY if, you know exactly what you’re doing.

    You see, making money online is very similar to driving a car. The car’s engine, its accelerator, the brakes, the steering wheel etc. are all that you need to maneuver the speed and movement of your car. But have you wondered how some cars can accelerate faster than others, drift a corner and even make one of those jaw-dropping 360 turns into a parking space? If you’ve got a few answers running through your head, one of them’s probably right.

    Is it the McLaren Mercedes or is it Lewis Hamilton? Sure, the car’s engine can be modified to something with stronger horsepower and all that technical jargon but exactly WHO controls the movement of the car? The driver of course. The driver knows how the car works. He/she knows what buttons effect what kinda outcomes when pushed. And in this very same vein, knowing exactly how the blogosphere works will give you the flexibility and power to push the correct buttons that will have your car flying in mid-air (your blog raking in thousands). You see, there is a system in place that makes money blogging easy and once you’re in the know-how of how this system works, I bet you’d be able to 360-turn your blog into any money-making niche there is out there in the online market.

    And this is what Bloggers Payback does for you. It gives you the blueprint of how the online money-making system works, exactly where you can cash in in this system and the exact methods you can use in these major cash-wells.

    Try to visualize with the analogy of the car and all its technical jargon again. Imagine the Bloggers Payback blueprint to be like the engine of the car. It comes with a manual that documents how you can manipulate the engine – when you should pull your handbrake or slam your foot brake to achieve that perfect drift. It even starts to explain to you, with illustrated diagrams, what happens in the engine when you’re messing around with the brakes. And this is only 20% of your path to becoming a successful drifter, whatever you call. The 80% is magic, magic that happens while you’re in the driver’s seat, pulling and releasing your brakes INTUITIVELY.

    Are you following me? Bloggers Payback tells you exactly how you can manipulate the system and where in the system lies the most profitable cash-well. This is easily the most comprehensive blogging guide you’ll ever need. Its content runs from choosing the right niches to choosing the right blogging platform; from generating desirable blog content to free blog traffic; from SEO optimization to getting massive backlinks in a day.

    How is this beneficial to you? If you’re sick and tired of setting up blog after blog, jumping from niche to niche and still not making your ends meet, then this is for you. If you have been told again and again that all you have to do is to drop keywords all over your blog, then you’ve been greatly scammed and this is for you.

    Jason has literally left no stone unturned when compiling Bloggers Payback, it was simply a matter of dumping every ounce of knowledge and experience into writing. Now when you purchase a copy of Bloggers Payback, you get 9 other exclusive extra modules and bonuses. I will not review all the extras here but I want to let you in on the most powerful module in this product.

    Module 5 is a highly-coveted blueprint of Jason’s own step-by-step formula, which he uses to set up all of his blogs and to monetize them. It is everything Jason has documented in Module 1, Bloggers Payback, but compressed into a step-by-step guide, and that means it tells you specifically to do this today and do that tomorrow and in 30 days, you will definitely be making money or you can have your money back. If you’ve been to any internet marketing seminar and listened to any webinar by any renowned internet marketer, he or she would say that the only thing he/she wished he/she could have when he/she started out a decade ago, was to have someone, a mentor or a coach, tell him/her EXACTLY what to do. It would firstly, eliminate all the tedious amount of research and truckloads of information that does nothing but overwhelm them and, secondly, it would not have been necessary to have spent thousands of cold hard cash on products that’s promised to teach you everything but not exactly.

    [Tell them what you want them to do]


    So, exactly how frustrated are you?

    Right now, I want you to give yourself a budget. Tell yourself how much of your hard-earned money you would spend on Bloggers Payback. I have no damn clue what your figure is but if what I’m about to reveal is more than what’s sitting in your head, you can simply navigate away from this page.

    Okay, you ready?

    How does $4.95 sound? Was that lesser than you imagined it would be?

    You must be thinking, “Hey, you gotta be kidding me. With that amount of information, why would anyone sell it at $4.95?” I’m serious, no kidding. I am almost tempted to tell you to go check it out now BUT I want to drop another nuclear bomb on you.

    In all seriousness (this time I don’t want you to doubt me), Jason is giving away 10 copies of Bloggers Payback including all upgrades for LIFE, for FREE! All you have to do is to click on the link I’m about to give you, subscribe for a free copy of “Bloggers Pitfalls And Solutions”, and follow the instructions on the thank you page.

    That’s all you need to do really. It’s that simple!

    On a side note, if you want to be part of this giveaway, you can sign up here.


    [Deliver Your Incentive]


    Remember I told you that Bloggers Payback is only going for $4.95? If you decide to purchase a copy of the course on launch day, 20th Oct, 12PM EDT through my affiliate link, I have a bunch of bonuses lined up for you. I have divided these bonuses into time-saver components and profit-booster components, all of which have been specially hand-picked to value-add to the amazing amount of information you’ve already possessed with Bloggers Payback. One of it is an exclusive interview with product creator, Jason Gazaway, as he tells you how you can squeeze maximum profit out of Bloggers Payback. These bonuses are free, no strings attached. All you have to do is to purchase through my affiliate link, perform 4 stupid-easy steps and I’ll get the download link to you in a jiffy.

    Again, if you are interested, here is the link to the bonus page.


    WOAH, what a long point. What I’ve just typed-out, literally, is a demonstration of the Show, Tell and Deliver technique. I Showed my readers the benefits of Bloggers Payback, Told them what I wanted them to do and Delivered my incentive to them, something that they can implement straight away. It’s not that tough, really. I took all of 20 mins to get that down. Now the above copy is not perfect and there are many other things you can add into it but the Show, Tell and Deliver formula is a good habit to get into.

    #3 – Your Money Is Where Your Visitor Is, So Write For Them

    Alot of bloggers tend to write for search engines because they have been deceived to believe that this would get their blogs listed in the #1 spot in major search engines as quickly as possible. While this might work in the short term, it will not work in the long term. Search engines today are getting smarter and when you’re writing your blog posts, you will want to have Google as your #1 target when in comes to S.Es. The way Google indexes blogs today is not according to keyword density as it was previously but instead, google rewards unique content that provides quality information instead of plain hard-selling and dumping a couple of keywords all over the place.

    Therefore, you want to write for your visitors. Always have them in mind so they will come back for more. Once they see that you are providing good quality information, for free, they will want to subscribe to your post and follow your blog. This way you get to build up a large following and with a large list, selling affiliate products will come as a breeze to you. About two weeks ago, I purchased Michael Cheney’s Delta Squadron and in one of his video lessons, he said that when you (your blog) have a sizable following, other people will come following in droves. The keyword to remember here is Droves.

    How does that work? Okay, I’m going to use a personal example here. I am no gamer and I absolute hated gaming. I would refuse to hang out if my friends were going for a long night of DOTA. Gaming to me was just pointless and draining and I didn’t see what was so luring about it, especially DOTA! And the funny thing is, I have never played any of these games in my life. I didn’t have first-hand experience, I couldn’t explain why it was not attractive to me I just didn’t like it. So within this group of friends, 90% of them were crazy DOTA friends. They would talk about DOTA when we were out for drinks and I’d feel really left out because I had no idea what they were talking about. Well, to cut the long story short, I caved in one day and joined my friends for a game of DOTA and well, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I probably wouldn’t mind going for another game or two but definitely not on a weekly basis.

    The point here is, DOTA has a strong following and about 90% of my friends belong to this hardcore groupie fan club right? I was influenced, peer pressured, curious about what exactly was there is this game that got my friends so addicted. So their loyalty got me recruited into this DOTA fan club thing (no, I’m not a fan, yet). Fine, one person isn’t exactly droves but think about what got my friends hooked onto it in the first place. It’s viral! Their friends talked about it, they hated it at first as I did, but got recruited, thought it was fun and recruited someone else. That is Droves, man! VIRAL!

    So back to writing for your visitors. If you want to have a constant influx of visitors to your blog, you gotta give them a reason to firstly, build a fan club for you, and secondly, give them a reason to recruit their friends into your fan club. There are two ways to do this. The first way is to let your personality shine through your writing. Everyone’s got a distinct writing style and blog writing isn’t exactly something you’ve got to engage a professional copywriter for. If you’re inherently crude, sarcastic, or have a particular theme song you have to listen to before you begin your day, translate them all into your blog. Use crude humor, poke fun of people, whatever. Give people a reason to like you. The second way is to write like you’re talking to a friend. You reader has to feel like you’re giving them some godly advice, sprinkled with a dash of humor, over a pint of beer. Imagine hanging out with a friend in a bar after a shitty day at work. You gotta give your extremely exhausted friend a reason to order his/her second mug of beer. If you’re going to be all formal and boring, he or she would rather go back and hit the sack, right?

    Do you want to ace your copywriting skills? I am offering “Effective Copywriting 101″ and “Words That Make You Money” (this is a VERY special report that reveals some of the most powerful writing techniques that will boost your conversions) as bonuses with your purchase of Bloggers Payback. To find more, visit the bonus page here.

    SO there you go, 3 simple ways to drive massive traffic to your blog. Well, you might think that, “Hey, this isn’t exactly gonna drive me traffic. I want the EXACT sites to go to to get visitors to come to my blog and start buying off me!” C’mon, take off those cloud shoes and come back down to earth. Making money online is easy but not that easy. You want people to buy, you gotta get into the buying mindset of people. I can give you a bunch of links where you can start advertising your product but if you don’t know the importance of the above 3 tips, your visitor are going to navigate away from your site almost immediately. You have to understand people’s desires and what triggers off that emotional hot button. It really is not Snap, Snap, Abracadabra and you have a million bucks in your Clickbank account. If you have thought it was this all along, you’ve been greatly scammed! (I wouldn’t even use the word deceived here.)

    But then again, it is not rocket science, really.

    Here’s another tip, mastering any skill all starts from re-conditioning yourself.

    Talk soon, Beers!

    If you like this post, please consider buying me a beer!

    Popularity: 67% [?]

    • Share/Bookmark
    Permalink 0 Comment
    filed under: Affiliate Marketing, Blog Promotion Tagged with: , , , ,

    Twitter: The Social Influence Tool

    Posted on Oct. 15th, 2009 by The Affiliate Marketing Undergrad

    Can Twitter be used to trigger spontaneous social change?

    That’s what I’m trying to find out. Here is a new experiment I just conducted and my “observations from the front” thus far.

    (This is a follow up to my earlier experiment outlined in Twitter: the Psychotherapeutic Tool.)

    First, a little background …

    It’s relatively easy to increase the C-Rate of an information-virus with any of the following methods:

    • spreading bad news or sniping at people
    • creating false epidemics or catastrophe
    • causing undue worry or fear

    But is this a good idea? Well, if your only measure of a “good idea” is “does it work” then you bet. If, however, you want to take a bit of responsibility for the impact your words have on people, then maybe not …

    Side note: many marketers not only deliberately weave those elements into their marketing to increase its effectiveness, but advise others to do so as well. How about we stop that?

    It’s not hard to understand why negativity tends to have a higher C-Rate (rate of viral transmission) than positivity: if something threatens you, it’s of more immediate importance than something that “could be useful.”

    Which story are you going to read first?

    • Tornado warning.
    • How to make your kids smarter.

    And which one are you more likely to pass on to your friends? Of course the tornado warning because you want your friends to be safe.

    “So, all you have to do is give your message the importance of a tornado warning and you’re golden!”

    OK, but is this the world we want to live in? Where everyone is running around in a constant state of stress and fear?

    It would seem that we’re all participating in the fear fest. Marketers, politicians, and reporters create false fear to hypnotize us into a receptive and docile state. The recipients of these messages accept them without filter and willingly pass them on.

    What if we stopped participating in that process?

    What if instead we decided to stop spreading messages that …

    • tear people down
    • rant
    • complain
    • hate
    • gossip
    • spread rumors

    …. and instead spread messages that focused on the things we want?

    Why not, instead of complaining about the people who are behaving in a way we don’t like, notice and praise the people we admire?

    Now, I’m not saying “ignore evil and it will go away.” Sometimes that works, but not always. There is a time and place for shining a light on darkness as well. But instead of freaking out and dwelling on it, let’s simply present the facts and move on. Then begin giving our attention and support to people who are actively engaged in making the world better.

    So, this brings us to my latest experiment …

    Can we trigger this positive temperament in the minds of others?

    The “I love you” experiment was great, but this time I wanted to go a little further. Instead of just triggering a sense of euphoria and happiness (which is useful in its own right) I wanted to get people consciously thinking about peace.

    It started out with a rather overt attempt that was re-Tweeted 20 times:

    Let’s see how many people on twitter we can get 2 think about peace at the same time. Go! pls RT (pass it on)

    Since I’m using ping.fm to simultaneously broadcast my tweets to my Facebook account, I got a bit of feedback about it on my fan site.

    Thom Quinn an entrepreneur who just read The Irresistible Offer handed some of my own advice back to me …


    Try again on Monday, not Follow Friday. I’d re-craft the 140 characters as well to make it an irresistible offer to promote peace on twitter. Perhaps we should start “Twitter Peace Day” and try to generate support so a million people talk about peace on a single day.

    I then tried this approach which was re-Tweeted around 30 times …

    Today is tweeting for peace day. Pass it on.

    And then this approach which as of today has spread in various forms 200+ times and is still going …


    @reply this to 3 people – it’s tweet for peace day – I love you – pass it on #tweet4peaceday

    Why was the last approach 10 times more successful? Several things, but here are a few to notice …

    First, asking people to send it as an “@ reply” made it more likely to catch people’s attention. The chances of a single tweet being seen at all are quite low. This is especially true for those who are following many people. If you send your tweet as an “@ reply” it will almost certainly be seen by them as they check their replies. (Of course we’re more interested in a reply directed to us than in a random tweet in the tweet-stream.)

    Next, the #tweet4peaceday hash tag gave it an air of officiality. Is there a “tweet for peace day?” There wasn’t before Thom and I made it up. (Heavy truth to ponder: everything “official” and important was once “made up” by someone like you.)

    Finally, the trend was championed by two avid Tweeters: Realestatetips8 and Iconic88. (Nice work, guys.)

    How far will this one go? No one can know … What kind of impact will it have? Equally impossible to predict.

    While the future of this experiment is uncertain, I like the idea of enrolling people in the task of actively altering people’s consciousness for the better. Maybe someone reading this blog will spread the campaign further. Maybe they’ll start thinking about the impact of their words on others – on Twitter and in person.

    Maybe that someone is you.

    Related links:

    Twitter as a Marketing Tool

    The Rise of the Author

    Follow Me on Twitter

    Follow Me on Facebook

    Go to Source

    Can Twitter be used to trigger spontaneous social change?

    That’s what I’m trying to find out. Here is a new experiment I just conducted and my “observations from the front” thus far.

    (This is a follow up to my earlier experiment outlined in Twitter: the Psychotherapeutic Tool.)

    First, a little background …

    It’s relatively easy to increase the C-Rate of an information-virus with any of the following methods:

    • spreading bad news or sniping at people
    • creating false epidemics or catastrophe
    • causing undue worry or fear

    But is this a good idea? Well, if your only measure of a “good idea” is “does it work” then you bet. If, however, you want to take a bit of responsibility for the impact your words have on people, then maybe not …

    Side note: many marketers not only deliberately weave those elements into their marketing to increase its effectiveness, but advise others to do so as well. How about we stop that?

    It’s not hard to understand why negativity tends to have a higher C-Rate (rate of viral transmission) than positivity: if something threatens you, it’s of more immediate importance than something that “could be useful.”

    Which story are you going to read first?

    • Tornado warning.
    • How to make your kids smarter.

    And which one are you more likely to pass on to your friends? Of course the tornado warning because you want your friends to be safe.

    “So, all you have to do is give your message the importance of a tornado warning and you’re golden!”

    OK, but is this the world we want to live in? Where everyone is running around in a constant state of stress and fear?

    It would seem that we’re all participating in the fear fest. Marketers, politicians, and reporters create false fear to hypnotize us into a receptive and docile state. The recipients of these messages accept them without filter and willingly pass them on.

    What if we stopped participating in that process?

    What if instead we decided to stop spreading messages that …

    • tear people down
    • rant
    • complain
    • hate
    • gossip
    • spread rumors

    …. and instead spread messages that focused on the things we want?

    Why not, instead of complaining about the people who are behaving in a way we don’t like, notice and praise the people we admire?

    Now, I’m not saying “ignore evil and it will go away.” Sometimes that works, but not always. There is a time and place for shining a light on darkness as well. But instead of freaking out and dwelling on it, let’s simply present the facts and move on. Then begin giving our attention and support to people who are actively engaged in making the world better.

    So, this brings us to my latest experiment …

    Can we trigger this positive temperament in the minds of others?

    The “I love you” experiment was great, but this time I wanted to go a little further. Instead of just triggering a sense of euphoria and happiness (which is useful in its own right) I wanted to get people consciously thinking about peace.

    It started out with a rather overt attempt that was re-Tweeted 20 times:

    Let’s see how many people on twitter we can get 2 think about peace at the same time. Go! pls RT (pass it on)

    Since I’m using ping.fm to simultaneously broadcast my tweets to my Facebook account, I got a bit of feedback about it on my fan site.

    Thom Quinn an entrepreneur who just read The Irresistible Offer handed some of my own advice back to me …


    Try again on Monday, not Follow Friday. I’d re-craft the 140 characters as well to make it an irresistible offer to promote peace on twitter. Perhaps we should start “Twitter Peace Day” and try to generate support so a million people talk about peace on a single day.

    I then tried this approach which was re-Tweeted around 30 times …

    Today is tweeting for peace day. Pass it on.

    And then this approach which as of today has spread in various forms 200+ times and is still going …


    @reply this to 3 people – it’s tweet for peace day – I love you – pass it on #tweet4peaceday

    Why was the last approach 10 times more successful? Several things, but here are a few to notice …

    First, asking people to send it as an “@ reply” made it more likely to catch people’s attention. The chances of a single tweet being seen at all are quite low. This is especially true for those who are following many people. If you send your tweet as an “@ reply” it will almost certainly be seen by them as they check their replies. (Of course we’re more interested in a reply directed to us than in a random tweet in the tweet-stream.)

    Next, the #tweet4peaceday hash tag gave it an air of officiality. Is there a “tweet for peace day?” There wasn’t before Thom and I made it up. (Heavy truth to ponder: everything “official” and important was once “made up” by someone like you.)

    Finally, the trend was championed by two avid Tweeters: Realestatetips8 and Iconic88. (Nice work, guys.)

    How far will this one go? No one can know … What kind of impact will it have? Equally impossible to predict.

    While the future of this experiment is uncertain, I like the idea of enrolling people in the task of actively altering people’s consciousness for the better. Maybe someone reading this blog will spread the campaign further. Maybe they’ll start thinking about the impact of their words on others – on Twitter and in person.

    Maybe that someone is you.

    Related links:

    Twitter as a Marketing Tool

    The Rise of the Author

    Follow Me on Twitter

    Follow Me on Facebook

    If you like this post, please consider buying me a beer!

    Popularity: 51% [?]

    • Share/Bookmark
    Permalink 0 Comment
    filed under: Affiliate Marketing, Blog Promotion, IM News, SEO

    Immediate Opportunity for Two Ambitious Marketers

    Posted on Oct. 15th, 2009 by The Affiliate Marketing Undergrad

    As the Construct Zero organization grows, more opportunities for more people are arising.

    As our intrepid new CEO, the mighty Brad Semp, takes the reigns more and more, my involvement in the company is rapdily decreasing.

    This opens up the opportunity for two immediate positions:

    Director of Marketing
    You’ll oversee the entire marketing program for all of our different companies. The scope of this role would increase dramatically over time.

    Product Launch Coordinator
    You’ll coordinate all of our product launches. Over time you’d be in charge of multiple product launches across many vertical markets.

    Location: anywhere.

    Your compensation: during your first month or two you will only be compensated by the training and experience you’d earn. I ask $5,000 an hour for consultations – you’d be working closely with me every day for the first two months. After that a generous compensation package (to include profit sharing) would be negotiated.

    You’ll be reporting directly to our CEO and COO, but would be trained personally by me during the first two months.

    If you’re serious about working with a company that is changing the world, have the skills we need, and are committed to a long term contract, please contact Teresa immediately at: teresa AT markjoyner DOT name.


    Bookmark

    Share this post by clicking on the title or the permalink below. Then, click on this nifty button to submit the link to your chosen site.

    Go to Source

    As the Construct Zero organization grows, more opportunities for more people are arising.

    As our intrepid new CEO, the mighty Brad Semp, takes the reigns more and more, my involvement in the company is rapdily decreasing.

    This opens up the opportunity for two immediate positions:

    Director of Marketing
    You’ll oversee the entire marketing program for all of our different companies. The scope of this role would increase dramatically over time.

    Product Launch Coordinator
    You’ll coordinate all of our product launches. Over time you’d be in charge of multiple product launches across many vertical markets.

    Location: anywhere.

    Your compensation: during your first month or two you will only be compensated by the training and experience you’d earn. I ask $5,000 an hour for consultations – you’d be working closely with me every day for the first two months. After that a generous compensation package (to include profit sharing) would be negotiated.

    You’ll be reporting directly to our CEO and COO, but would be trained personally by me during the first two months.

    If you’re serious about working with a company that is changing the world, have the skills we need, and are committed to a long term contract, please contact Teresa immediately at: teresa AT markjoyner DOT name.


    Bookmark

    Share this post by clicking on the title or the permalink below. Then, click on this nifty button to submit the link to your chosen site.

    If you like this post, please consider buying me a beer!

    Popularity: 87% [?]

    • Share/Bookmark
    Permalink 0 Comment
    filed under: Affiliate Marketing, Blog Promotion, IM News, SEO

    Construct Zero Begins Now

    Posted on Oct. 15th, 2009 by The Affiliate Marketing Undergrad

    After several years of planning and preparation, Construct Zero is now fully under way:

    http://www.ConstructZero.ORG

    “Mark Joyner, Inc.” is no more and has been replaced by Construct Zero (of which I am remaining on as Chairman and CEO).

    If you are a fan of the original Construct Zero document that started it all, you’ll see immediately how this will begin to actualize the ideas presented there.

    This is a new type of organization.

    It is a philanthropic research center (www.ConstructZero.ORG), the funds for which will be provided by a sister commercial technology incubator (www.ConstructZero.COM), supported by a global social network (www.ConstructZero.NET).

    We are now hiring in the following areas:

    Executives
    Managers
    Marketing an Advertising Professionals (All Disciplines)
    Scientists (All Disciplines)
    Engineers (All Types)
    Inventors

    The people in our organization are upbeat, and energetic professionals. If that’s you, send your resume and video cover letter to anne@markjoyner.name

    Even if you don’t work at our research center or technology incubator directly you can still get involved by joining our social network and sharing ideas.


    Bookmark

    Share this post by clicking on the title or the permalink below. Then, click on this nifty button to submit the link to your chosen site.

    Go to Source

    After several years of planning and preparation, Construct Zero is now fully under way:

    http://www.ConstructZero.ORG

    “Mark Joyner, Inc.” is no more and has been replaced by Construct Zero (of which I am remaining on as Chairman and CEO).

    If you are a fan of the original Construct Zero document that started it all, you’ll see immediately how this will begin to actualize the ideas presented there.

    This is a new type of organization.

    It is a philanthropic research center (www.ConstructZero.ORG), the funds for which will be provided by a sister commercial technology incubator (www.ConstructZero.COM), supported by a global social network (www.ConstructZero.NET).

    We are now hiring in the following areas:

    Executives
    Managers
    Marketing an Advertising Professionals (All Disciplines)
    Scientists (All Disciplines)
    Engineers (All Types)
    Inventors

    The people in our organization are upbeat, and energetic professionals. If that’s you, send your resume and video cover letter to anne@markjoyner.name

    Even if you don’t work at our research center or technology incubator directly you can still get involved by joining our social network and sharing ideas.


    Bookmark

    Share this post by clicking on the title or the permalink below. Then, click on this nifty button to submit the link to your chosen site.

    If you like this post, please consider buying me a beer!

    Popularity: 100% [?]

    • Share/Bookmark
    Permalink 2 Comments
    filed under: Affiliate Marketing, Blog Promotion, IM News, SEO

    Codename GG – and Making You Famous

    Posted on Oct. 15th, 2009 by The Affiliate Marketing Undergrad

    On the 4th 10th of February I’ll be launching a new company: Codename: “GG.”

    In the process, I’d like to make you famous.

    Do you think you’re an Internet wiz?

    Well bucko, let’s put you to the test and find out …

    Step 1: Shoot a 2 to 3 Minute Video

    Answer this question in the video:

    “If you could give people one piece of advice to boost sales on their website, what would it be?”

    Keep the location of the video secret.

    Step 2: DM or @Reply Me the Link to Your Video Via Twitter

    I’m on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/markjoyner

    Step 3: Get Famous – Maybe

    The best answers will be getting some serious exposure as we build up to this historic launch.

    A service like this does not yet exist – and it will have huge ripple effects throughout the Internet. It’s a game changer.

    ADDENDUM: To watch the launch of this new company unfold please visit: http://www.codenameGG.com

    Go to Source

    On the 4th 10th of February I’ll be launching a new company: Codename: “GG.”

    In the process, I’d like to make you famous.

    Do you think you’re an Internet wiz?

    Well bucko, let’s put you to the test and find out …

    Step 1: Shoot a 2 to 3 Minute Video

    Answer this question in the video:

    “If you could give people one piece of advice to boost sales on their website, what would it be?”

    Keep the location of the video secret.

    Step 2: DM or @Reply Me the Link to Your Video Via Twitter

    I’m on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/markjoyner

    Step 3: Get Famous – Maybe

    The best answers will be getting some serious exposure as we build up to this historic launch.

    A service like this does not yet exist – and it will have huge ripple effects throughout the Internet. It’s a game changer.

    ADDENDUM: To watch the launch of this new company unfold please visit: http://www.codenameGG.com

    If you like this post, please consider buying me a beer!

    Popularity: 44% [?]

    • Share/Bookmark
    Permalink 0 Comment
    filed under: Affiliate Marketing, Blog Promotion, IM News, SEO

    How to End the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict

    Posted on Oct. 15th, 2009 by The Affiliate Marketing Undergrad

    I’ve been studying the Israeli/Palestinian conflict for a good many years now.

    My perception of it when I was younger was based on very limited information, I came to discover. If you live in the U.S., it’s quite likely yours is as well.

    Rather than get into that here I’ll let you do your own research if you are so inclined. (There are many good documentaries on the topic – of course most with a particular slant in one direction or another. A great resource is Robert Fisk who has lived in the region as a correspondent for decades and seen it all from both sides – and criticized both sides.)

    I won’t make any comments on causes or “faults” here, either. That kind of discussion only forces us to regress when we should be moving forward.

    And here’s the disclaimer we all somehow feel we must make when commenting on such matters: I actually do have dear friends on both sides of this conflict. My only agenda here is to ensure there is peace and security for everyone. I love people. All people. No group is more deserving of human rights than another.

    To all my lovely Israeli, Palestinian, Jewish, Muslim, Arab, and Iranian friends: please read the last three sentences again.

    So, down to business …

    How to End the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict

    1. The UN should demand an immediate end to violence (pundits: don’t tell me “the other side won’t agree” – keep reading).

    2. We immediately send an international peace-keeping force into Gaza and the West Bank, ending any occupation by the Israeli military. (What about the Israeli settlers in the West Bank? What about who gets what land? We’ll get there.)

    3. The peace keeping force will be there to provide security for everyone.

    4. We ask both sides to agree to an immediate armistice for a period of 6 months – no matter what. Give diplomacy a chance. Bombs launched by either side? Don’t retaliate. Give it 6 months. Let the peacekeepers retaliate against the individual culprits.

    Armistices can work. Anyone who says they can’t need only look at the Korean Peninsula. Yes, they are still technically at war, but at least the South has been given a chance to develop into an economic powerhouse.

    4. Once the peace-keeping force is on the ground, we immediately hold a multi-national hearing to establish a permanent two state solution. This may take several years, but the deal points can then be hashed out while civilians are given a chance to thrive in relative peace.

    We can establish a Palestinian state almost immediately without knowing what will happen with each piece of land. An interim government will then eventually be replaced by an elected one. The elected government must be given immediate recognition by the UN and Israel. And in return it must recognize Israel.

    5. Once the Palestinians have statehood, we keep peacekeepers there for a minimum period of 5 years to ensure they have a chance to develop economically.

    During that period, initiatives of Unifying Social Dynamics between Israeli and Palestinian people and businesses must be carried out with great haste.

    There are already plans for such initiatives in place.

    …

    Now, let’s fend off some of the arguments against this plan:

    “So and so won’t agree” …

    We don’t know that. Let the international community establish peace and let’s see what happens.

    Even if there are international peacekeepers there will still be (terrorist attacks, aggression, oppression, etc …)

    First of all, let’s stop using terms about violence that paint a frame around the violence. If someone kills someone else, let’s call it that. If we put another name on it, it makes the act something that it’s not. Killing is killing.

    If we call it killing, people will begin to question if its necessary. Shouldn’t we? (all of us)

    Now, I’m sure I’ll get cries in response to this statement of “moral equivalence” and the like. So be it.

    It doesn’t really matter. The labels only make one act of killing morally justifiable and another not. We need a 3rd party to step in and stop the killing. Both sides have done their fair share. Call it what you will.

    The label sends us backwards when we should be moving forward. The other side does not agree with the labels used by the other. So what? Let’s just stop the killing. All of it.

    Only a well-balanced peace-keeping force can bring an end to the suffering of civilians.

    There will still be violence. Let the peacekeepers keep establishing peace (by force when necessary) until the futility of any attack from either side is clear. Let the earnestness of the world’s desire for peace be felt by everyone. The sense of hopelessness that is causing the violence can be replaced by a sense of security – which is what we all need to express our full humanity.

    What about the extremists on both sides?

    Let the international peace-keeping force respond if they become violent.

    It’s ______’s fault. How dare you not recognize that.

    Recognizing fault is not important. Establishing peace is.

    Saying otherwise only reveals an “agenda other than peace.”

    This plan is flawed – what about _______.

    No plan is perfect.

    This is all nothing new! It won’t work!

    In my experience, those who have studied this conflict deeply tend to agree with the general sentiments I’ve expressed above – even many of those who have deep ties with one side or the other.

    This sentiment may have been expressed before in different forms. It simply hasn’t been tried (pundits: please don’t remind me about Oslo, etc – we have never put international peacekeepers in place in Gaza and the West Bank – ever).

    Let’s band together as people and influence our governments to support it.

    If we give up, what are we saying about ourselves?

    Are we saying that if we close our eyes it will go away?

    Are we saying it’s not our problem?

    Is that what we actually believe?

    …

    In closing I’d like to say that I know I will anger some people with this article. I don’t mind.

    I invite anyone who feels angered by these words to explore why they feel that way. (If that’s not you – please read the following in the 3rd person.) Is the anger motivated by a true desire for peace or by hatred toward a group of people? Do you feel you are “more chosen” than another human being who is not in your group? If so, just be aware this disqualifies you from being a humanitarian. It makes you a sectarian … a nationalist … a zealot …

    The good news is, we all have these feelings from time to time. We cling to our group identities when we’re feeling threatened. Sometimes this results in violence.

    We can all change.

    When reading responses to this plan: try to examine the responses with this lens: is the response making a contribution to forward progress toward peace or pushing us backwards? Is it focused on faults or solution? This tool will help you to spot the propagandists. (Some of them are quite good, I must admit. But their days may be numbered.)

    Ultimately, I recognize that this proposed course of action is only a band-aid where deep healing is required. As I’ve outlined before and will do so more extensively in the future, we need to address the root causes of conflict: primarily human suffering. (Extremist views are not the problem – they are only one of the many carrier waves for suffering.)

    I’ll be revealing more of the plan very soon and invite the willing to join with me. Watch this space for details.

    ADDENDUM: 6 January 2009 Folks, we’re starting to build momentum. The community is taking action and a site with a petition is being created. I’ll add to the above plan the following: along with the peacekeepers a contingent of reports and bloggers should be allowed in as well. Who, with nothing to hide, could find fault with that? If it’s “the other side’s fault” then let the peacekeepers and bloggers in and you will be vindicated.

    ADDENDUM 2: 9 January 2009 One of the members of the community, Igor Mujdrica, has turned this proposal into a petition. How far can we take this? (It’s not perfect, but it’s a start.)

    Go to Source

    I’ve been studying the Israeli/Palestinian conflict for a good many years now.

    My perception of it when I was younger was based on very limited information, I came to discover. If you live in the U.S., it’s quite likely yours is as well.

    Rather than get into that here I’ll let you do your own research if you are so inclined. (There are many good documentaries on the topic – of course most with a particular slant in one direction or another. A great resource is Robert Fisk who has lived in the region as a correspondent for decades and seen it all from both sides – and criticized both sides.)

    I won’t make any comments on causes or “faults” here, either. That kind of discussion only forces us to regress when we should be moving forward.

    And here’s the disclaimer we all somehow feel we must make when commenting on such matters: I actually do have dear friends on both sides of this conflict. My only agenda here is to ensure there is peace and security for everyone. I love people. All people. No group is more deserving of human rights than another.

    To all my lovely Israeli, Palestinian, Jewish, Muslim, Arab, and Iranian friends: please read the last three sentences again.

    So, down to business …

    How to End the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict

    1. The UN should demand an immediate end to violence (pundits: don’t tell me “the other side won’t agree” – keep reading).

    2. We immediately send an international peace-keeping force into Gaza and the West Bank, ending any occupation by the Israeli military. (What about the Israeli settlers in the West Bank? What about who gets what land? We’ll get there.)

    3. The peace keeping force will be there to provide security for everyone.

    4. We ask both sides to agree to an immediate armistice for a period of 6 months – no matter what. Give diplomacy a chance. Bombs launched by either side? Don’t retaliate. Give it 6 months. Let the peacekeepers retaliate against the individual culprits.

    Armistices can work. Anyone who says they can’t need only look at the Korean Peninsula. Yes, they are still technically at war, but at least the South has been given a chance to develop into an economic powerhouse.

    4. Once the peace-keeping force is on the ground, we immediately hold a multi-national hearing to establish a permanent two state solution. This may take several years, but the deal points can then be hashed out while civilians are given a chance to thrive in relative peace.

    We can establish a Palestinian state almost immediately without knowing what will happen with each piece of land. An interim government will then eventually be replaced by an elected one. The elected government must be given immediate recognition by the UN and Israel. And in return it must recognize Israel.

    5. Once the Palestinians have statehood, we keep peacekeepers there for a minimum period of 5 years to ensure they have a chance to develop economically.

    During that period, initiatives of Unifying Social Dynamics between Israeli and Palestinian people and businesses must be carried out with great haste.

    There are already plans for such initiatives in place.

    …

    Now, let’s fend off some of the arguments against this plan:

    “So and so won’t agree” …

    We don’t know that. Let the international community establish peace and let’s see what happens.

    Even if there are international peacekeepers there will still be (terrorist attacks, aggression, oppression, etc …)

    First of all, let’s stop using terms about violence that paint a frame around the violence. If someone kills someone else, let’s call it that. If we put another name on it, it makes the act something that it’s not. Killing is killing.

    If we call it killing, people will begin to question if its necessary. Shouldn’t we? (all of us)

    Now, I’m sure I’ll get cries in response to this statement of “moral equivalence” and the like. So be it.

    It doesn’t really matter. The labels only make one act of killing morally justifiable and another not. We need a 3rd party to step in and stop the killing. Both sides have done their fair share. Call it what you will.

    The label sends us backwards when we should be moving forward. The other side does not agree with the labels used by the other. So what? Let’s just stop the killing. All of it.

    Only a well-balanced peace-keeping force can bring an end to the suffering of civilians.

    There will still be violence. Let the peacekeepers keep establishing peace (by force when necessary) until the futility of any attack from either side is clear. Let the earnestness of the world’s desire for peace be felt by everyone. The sense of hopelessness that is causing the violence can be replaced by a sense of security – which is what we all need to express our full humanity.

    What about the extremists on both sides?

    Let the international peace-keeping force respond if they become violent.

    It’s ______’s fault. How dare you not recognize that.

    Recognizing fault is not important. Establishing peace is.

    Saying otherwise only reveals an “agenda other than peace.”

    This plan is flawed – what about _______.

    No plan is perfect.

    This is all nothing new! It won’t work!

    In my experience, those who have studied this conflict deeply tend to agree with the general sentiments I’ve expressed above – even many of those who have deep ties with one side or the other.

    This sentiment may have been expressed before in different forms. It simply hasn’t been tried (pundits: please don’t remind me about Oslo, etc – we have never put international peacekeepers in place in Gaza and the West Bank – ever).

    Let’s band together as people and influence our governments to support it.

    If we give up, what are we saying about ourselves?

    Are we saying that if we close our eyes it will go away?

    Are we saying it’s not our problem?

    Is that what we actually believe?

    …

    In closing I’d like to say that I know I will anger some people with this article. I don’t mind.

    I invite anyone who feels angered by these words to explore why they feel that way. (If that’s not you – please read the following in the 3rd person.) Is the anger motivated by a true desire for peace or by hatred toward a group of people? Do you feel you are “more chosen” than another human being who is not in your group? If so, just be aware this disqualifies you from being a humanitarian. It makes you a sectarian … a nationalist … a zealot …

    The good news is, we all have these feelings from time to time. We cling to our group identities when we’re feeling threatened. Sometimes this results in violence.

    We can all change.

    When reading responses to this plan: try to examine the responses with this lens: is the response making a contribution to forward progress toward peace or pushing us backwards? Is it focused on faults or solution? This tool will help you to spot the propagandists. (Some of them are quite good, I must admit. But their days may be numbered.)

    Ultimately, I recognize that this proposed course of action is only a band-aid where deep healing is required. As I’ve outlined before and will do so more extensively in the future, we need to address the root causes of conflict: primarily human suffering. (Extremist views are not the problem – they are only one of the many carrier waves for suffering.)

    I’ll be revealing more of the plan very soon and invite the willing to join with me. Watch this space for details.

    ADDENDUM: 6 January 2009 Folks, we’re starting to build momentum. The community is taking action and a site with a petition is being created. I’ll add to the above plan the following: along with the peacekeepers a contingent of reports and bloggers should be allowed in as well. Who, with nothing to hide, could find fault with that? If it’s “the other side’s fault” then let the peacekeepers and bloggers in and you will be vindicated.

    ADDENDUM 2: 9 January 2009 One of the members of the community, Igor Mujdrica, has turned this proposal into a petition. How far can we take this? (It’s not perfect, but it’s a start.)

    If you like this post, please consider buying me a beer!

    Popularity: 44% [?]

    • Share/Bookmark
    Permalink 0 Comment
    filed under: Affiliate Marketing, Blog Promotion, IM News, SEO
    Page 1 of 41234»