Bad Members - Taking Advantage of WA Members
I was really in shock the other day when I noticed some Ambassadors and other members were promoting their sites and the sites are not even hosted with Wealthy Affiliate.
These Ambassadors are on here giving other members advice yet their own main sites are hosted with some other service?
If you want to ever check to see if a member you are following to get advice from is actually using the system here are the steps.
First Step:
Again feel free to pick out any of the other lookup tools in the search results.
Second Step:
Just type in the domain you want to look at and hit search.
Third Step:
If it doesn't say hosted by Amazon with the name servers ns1.mywahosting.com then they are not using the Wealthy Affiliate system.
I feel like these people who are not using the system are wolf's in sheep's clothing getting visitors to their sites only to sell them. I can understand to a point using it for traffic but when I see them giving advice and they aren't using the system for their sites that they are promoting I call into question their integrity.
I am sure some people might have other opinions but I won't be supporting these people who don't actually use the system themselves.
To be honest I can't even understand why they wouldn't switch their sites to WA to be truly part of the group.
Recent Comments
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I've read most of the comments below and I agree it really isn't anyone's business who you build a website with, but I also agree with this post as I am still trying to figure out Wordpress and read some of the posts Chris is referring to and wasn't sure how to take it. I had been with another site before WA and that's really the only way I knew what they were talking about! Otherwise I wouldn't have known what to think..It makes it confusing for the new members-so not really a bad member but a misleading one in my book..
Thanks for reading - Misleading might have been a better word you're correct.
It has amazed me now some of the members think its ok that the new members if looking at their profile that they need to ask where they made their website. I think that is a little disturbing. That if the new member don't ask its the new members problem?
I totally agree, most new members are most likely thinking as I was that all of the websites here are basically the same with personal variations on the theme. I actually was so turned off once I realized what they were talking about that I quit reading and went to another area!! Just confuses newbies and might start some on the wrong path (yes I've been on other sites that I feel were the wrong paths as I got caught up in their mess and it cost me quite a bit)..
I think you need a reality check - a member that's been doing this for years will have a much better looking website than the one they built when they were going through the training.
Then there are some members that are web-developers - their websites are probably going to look much better than those created by people with no experience. Does that mean they're misleading the newbies when they offer advice?
No, of course not.
As you seem to ignore the points made by more experienced members refuting your misleading statement and continue to try to stoke the fires of argument and divisiveness, I'm done with you.
You're clearly a troll.
Phil I can see your getting really upset with this subject and the article was not meant to get you this upset,
Can't Vsoles have an opinion?
Research on mass members?
That's great Deb your not broke and Wealthy Affiliate was your means.
it's perfectly ok to use other hosting for a wide variety of reasons, I haven't read the blogs you refer to so am not talking specifically to what you saw, but you are honing in on hosting and basically your last sentence was correct 'you can't understand' but it would have been better to find out before labelling people as bad
on the other hand some people in here really do try to take advantage all the time and break the rules, that would not be a hosting issue though, hosting is not on the spam is a no no list, bad is dropping their own affiliate links or running campaigns in here or scamming members one way or another, even then, you'd need to be careful of the facts before posting to the dash like that and take it to Kyle, who ultimately wants to keep the place safe for everyone
Thanks for the post MozMary - My wording might not be perfect on all the article but I don't think it is right to be on here posting away and then all the sites on a WA profile to be hosted somewhere else. To be honest I only see very few reasons why you would host somewhere else and if you have that much traffic for a private server you wouldn't have the time to be on WA.
Ok bad might not be perfect wording but I didn't point anyone out - I should have called it misleading.
I don't think it's about right or wrong, good or bad, black hat or white hat it's all about credibility.
I tend to see things, generally, in simple terms. Everyone has a reason for being here, and that would be (drum roll) money. Lot's of it or little bits, take what I am about to say and fit it to your own circumstances.
Somewhere along life's journey we stumble across an advertisement for WA, and we go exploring. What we see really excites us to the extent we sign up for free start the training and then with 30mins left you go Premium.
That was pretty much me and my journey so far with WA. For me where the simplicity is, is in the next bit. We agreed earlier that we are here to make money and I would assume fairly quickly.
My steps are (after going Premium):
1) Finish Stages 1 & 2 of basic training. (I will have 2 functioning web sites by the time that is done. I suspect none/not much money yet.
2) Start Boot Camp. Why you ask? Because it gives me the opportunity to sell WA membership at twice commission.
3) Continue building out original websites, finish off Boot Camp.
4) Qualify for Vegas 2020.
Rinse and repeat. Just my simple view on how to make money with WA.
So where is your credibility.
The ambassadors have got where they are by being consistently helpful, answering questions when people need help and encouraging the members when they meet success, no matter how small.
Where they host their sites is no concern of yours and you're probably the only person that felt the need to cyber-stalk them in that way.
The WA platform limits you to five plugins (you can have more but it's discouraged) and you don't have low-level file system access so it makes automated back-ups to third part services like S3 and Dropbox problematic. It's designed that way to keep it fast and secure for all the users (so one techno-user doesn't suck all the resources for his own greedy needs).
This means that if a user wants to run a full WooCommerce enabled site, they need to host it elsewhere. They're still applying the training taught here when they do so. They're still producing excellent content and the chances are the majority of them are still using Wordpress.
But here's the kicker - WA has NEVER said that you have to use Wordpress to apply the principles of the training. There's no reason that any member here can't go away and create a Shopify account, or a Squarespace account or whatever, if that works for them.
It's about the content, getting indexed, getting found and giving your site visitors the best experience and value you can. Then your visitors become your customers.
Bad-mouthing the most respected and hard-working members of the community isn't cool and poisons the positive atmosphere that many of the members pay a monthly subscription to enjoy.
So miss leading newbies is ok with you?
Let's say someone is advising a new member on how to do things. The new member checks out that members profile because they are giving them great advice.
They visit the sites promoted on the profile. They see this gorgeous site built and think wow they did all this with the wealthy affiliate system. The advising member says they can do it to its easy.
Only to come to find out the member giving advice on Wordpress and the Wealthy Affiliate System built a site with Shopify.
Is this fair to the new members? To get their dreams and hopes up?
Unless that person deliberately said to the newbie that they made that site in Wordpress, they haven't misled anyone. If the newbie looks at their profile and visits a site in their profile, thinks it looks amazing and assumes it was built in Wordpress, that's their assumption, not the owner of the profile. Many people include their Facebook, Twitter and Google+ URLS on their profiles... they're not hosted on Wordpress either.
Perhaps instead of slandering the hard working members of the community that have been here for years offering support to every newcomer you should judge them by their actions and their advice.
I can promise you one thing - as soon as my site is struggling under the load of the traffic it will one day receive, I'll be moving it to my own server. Not because I have a problem with WA or SiteRubix but because I've been successful and I need to offer my visitors the best possible experience when they visit my site.
You are clearly a passionate and driven person and your energies would be better invested in providing positive support to those vulnerable members you are concerned about. Help them with their problems and cheer them on as they succeed.
Warning them about a non-existent plot to deceive them isn't helping them - it's making them question the help that they're being given and ultimately they will lose hope and quit because you undermined their belief in the support system. They will quit because of you.
I have to disagree someone just joining this community barely knows what WordPress is they are here to learn. If they see a high-rank member they would assume the site was built with Wealthy Affiliates system especially if they're putting it on their Wealthy Affiliate profile.
I think this is misleading and dishonest in my opinion if they have those type of sites outside of Wealthy Affiliate linked.
Just my 2 cents.
I think I understand what you mean by this. Should others who host with other networks, give advice to people here at WA? right? Because it may not be the same way of doing things, and it could cause the person he/she is giving advice to, to be left in confusion.
I'm sure everyone who is dedicated enough to have multiple hosting platforms, is also dedicated enough to be familiar with the way things work around here as well.
I agree with your traffic aspect as well, but who would pay for this service to not do this training? Yea, sure, they could just be using this place for traffic, but even then, why the hell would they pay $40? or $50? a month just to use this place for traffic? For one, they make PPC's for that, and for two, even if he/she was only using it for traffic, he/she has every right to because he is paying for it.
I believe the only way this could be a problem is if this they only hosted with another platform AND wasn't familiar with the way things work around here.
But let's face it, even people who host here with WA can give out false information.
Thanks, Brandon - Your last sentence especially is so true.
I just have met a lot of great people on here. Some with big hopes and dreams some with very little to no money. I would like for them to have the truest picture possible.
Like so many others have pointed out, I agree there is nothing wrong with promoting Wealthy Affiliate when your websites are hosted elsewhere.
There are dozens of reasons someone might not be able to host their website here or it isn't the best option for their business.
To start with, I always host my own websites on Wealthy Affiliate but as they grow and I need more control to be able to access everything or I need more space then Wealthy Affiliate offers, I move them to another website hosting platform.
Just because you have a website that isn't hosted here, it doesn't mean you aren't supporting Wealthy Affiliate and using their system.
Many of the ambassadors finished the training long ago and there are a lot more features available here than just website hosting. Though not all my websites are hosted here, I use the Keyword Tool all the time. I've come back to the training time and time again.
I watch the Live Training Events Regularly and get quite a bit out of them!
Before posting something like this that makes others wary of particular Wealthy Affiliate members, try to understand why they are doing things the way they are. Also recognize that as long as they're premium members they're paying for access to Wealthy Affiliate every month/year. I'd call that supporting Wealthy Affiliate
Great input but this is my thought about the situation and hopefully have typed it out clearly:
Let's say someone is advising a new member on how to do things. The new member checks out that members profile because they are giving them great advice.
They visit the sites promoted on the profile. They see this gorgeous site built and think wow they did all this with the wealthy affiliate system. The advising member says they can do it to its easy.
Only to come to find out the member giving advice on Wordpress and the Wealthy Affiliate System built a site with Shopify.
Is this fair to the new members? To get their dreams and hopes up?
A website is a lot more than the theme or tool used to build it. You can have the prettiest, most expensive website in the world but if you don't follow certain steps and principles (given in the training here) you will never make money with it.
I've always seen Wealthy Affiliate as a place to go and learn what those steps and principles are.
WA teaches you how to provide value to others and monetize your website at the same time.
They teach the importance of keyword research and how to write posts in a way that others will want to stay on the page and keep reading. There are hundreds of small things you learn in the training (and live training sessions) at Wealthy Affiliate that help you to build a website that can be successful. For many, including me, that is why they promote Wealthy Affiliate.
Wealthy Affiliate has never been advertised as the place to go to design the most beautiful website. There are other services that do that. What you get at Wealthy Affiliate is access to a community of like-minded entrepreneurs and access to outstanding training that teaches the foundation principles necessary to create a successful website.
Another thing to recognize is, it takes a lot of time and work to be an ambassador here!
You have to write your own posts and training and publish them to your page. You have to be helping other members at WA on a daily basis. You don't become an ambassador by building an amazing website, you become an ambassador by contributing and helping other members here every single day.
The ambassadors are the ones answering questions when people get stuck. They're the ones publishing new content on their Wealthy Affiliate profile so that others here can get the benefits. They're taking time away from building their own website to help members here at WA who are struggling.
If that's not supporting Wealthy Affiliate, I don't know what is.
Good point but if I was new and fresh to building a site and saw a nicely designed site by another member I wouldn't know the difference and would think it was built here.
I just have met a lot of great people on here. Some with big hopes and dreams some with very little to no money. I would like for them to have the truest picture possible.
You are 100% correct about the training and the importance of each task.
They have their reasons to host outside WA, some services are not allowed here. That doesn't mean that they can not advice people correctly. You should ask them first, for their reason, before putting up a blog about this, you are not oblidged to host your sites at WA of purchase your domain name here.
I agree there could be reasons. The ones I saw were promoting and advertising their business on here is the only reason I pointed it out to be able to check to see if they are using the system or not.
Hi Chris. Good observation but while they should not be promoting their sites, people host with other providers for different reasons.
Some may simply need more space, the ability to create and have control over their hosting package via a cPanel.
e.g.
to create databases for other programs that integrate with the website
1 Click Applications
1-Click Installers
SSH Access
Choice of Data Center
Unlimited Disk Space, Bandwidth, and Email
cPanel...
It goes much deeper than that.
I have several sites hosted with others but I love Site Rubix if I have to keep it simple. For affiliate marketing, all that we need is here in WA but for more complex requirements for clients, then elsewhere is good too. It all depends...
David
David,
Great comment and the post wasn't directed at anyone using it for any of the above reason's you pointed out. I was just informing new Wealthy Affiliates that might not have experience building websites to check.
Thanks,
Chris
I have some sites hosted elsewhere. In fact, I have by far outgrown my WA hosting supply and have more sites hosted outside of WA. ( I have over 60 sites myself. I also host and manage sites for clients).
Does that make me have any less value here than yourself?
Does that make me a wolf in sheeps clothing?
Does that make my advice sinister?
Does this give me malicious intent?
You have it all twisted and believe it or not you are having a negative impact on this community by spreading FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt), like you are in a post like this.
Where someone hosts has no relevance to integrity. Hosting, websites etc are TOOLS. WA is an educational platform that has many tools.
Not a problem that you have some sites hosted elsewhere. Do you promote your other sites on your WA profile? So you have 25 sites with WA are those the ones you're promoting on here?
You post has more content about people hosting outside of WA than it does about self promotion.
Look at the replies, they are all talking about your issue with hosting.
I dont promote any of my sites on my profile.
There is a place I can add links to my sites or social profiles, and I have done that, but im not actively promoting it here. No point selling WA to people in WA.
I never pointed out anyone and I never looked at your profile so I have no idea about you personally. I just pointed out how people can check if the person they are looking to for advice is using the system or not.
Let's say someone is advising a new member on how to do things. The new member checks out that members profile because they are giving them great advice.
They visit the sites promoted on the profile. They see this gorgeous site built and think wow they did all this with the wealthy affiliate system. The advising member says they can do it to its easy.
Only to come to find out the member giving advice on Wordpress and the Wealthy Affiliate System built a site with Shopify.
Is this fair to the new members? To get their dreams and hopes up?
If the advice they are giving is based on wordpress experience then I see no issue.
If they were saying you can build a site exactly like mine, yet the theme they are using is only for shopify then I guess there would be an issue.
If the person looking at the profile makes assumptions of how they built that site WITHOUT asking first then thats purely on them.. Never make assumptions... Always ask questions
If I was new I would assume it was built with Wealthy Affiliates system no need to ask. Just my 2 cents.
if the site was beautiful and beyond your current skills wouldnt you ask? Especially being new? Or would you just struggle in silence?
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You recommend using a CDN in one of your posts. Last I knew WA does not allow the use of a CDN. So if someone here using the “WA System” wants a CDN does that make them a “bad member”?
You’ve only been here for a few months, to make these kind of accusations is pretty bold.
Yep, bold just helping people out to make sure and check that an apple is an apple.
You haven't been around long enough to know the difference.