In WA, lets keep the promises we made to each other!
Reading Simple Steves' "Newbies guide to stop being taken advantage of" I had to come to terms with what I have seen here as I have delved deep into the waters of WA.
Let me say again, well said, SimpleSteve. It is looking like a 'dog eat dog' situation. Everyone jumping to let you know how angelic they are, but in actual fact they want to solicit you for a sale or another. It doesn't seem right. It even seems like the serene waters of WA is crawling with deadly sharks in the ranks of most of the senior ranked members!
I am an example. I was almost totally redirected away from WA for a long time now pursing somethings I read, would you believe it, on WA tutorials. It tells a lot about loyalty to the WA community idea. It's hard not to want to follow such promises of help since it seems those of us who have not got a hang of things are pretty much left alone to sort things out. While you see time passing, and you know it's your money dripping away- you want to get cracking. Unfortunately, at the end of what you thought was helpful, you only know it was an abuse of confidence.
I think the two guys who started all of this (WA) should be there more for everyone, not just hanging out with the big gals and boys. We all bought what you are selling, inspite of your telling us from the on set there would be no refund. I think they should be more involved in approving what is put up as a WA tutorial. They owe us a duty not to expose us to those who are only at WA to poach/ recruit members. If am not wrong then most people who get to WA have some experience of being lied to and cheated before getting here. Promises made to people on the sales page of WA before they subscribed should be kept.
I know the intention is to let WA evolve by letting members contribute resources, but sorry to say that most of the crafty members are just redirecting people away from WA!!! Nothing seems to go for nothing after all.
In a way, I think Kyle and Carson are aware that this is going on, why they said earlier on that everything you need is at WA and that one should be careful about going for those other recommendations. Still, what do you say when a high-ranked member recommends something to you in a tutorial they wrote which amounts to negating the assertion that 'everything you need is at WA'? Nobody seems to reference WA tools. Do they not work? Or do those who make more of the outside tools have hidden agenda. Let the body speak with one voice.
WA resources should be complete in themselves and should actually take you to your desired destination when you apply them, which is make you money. Otherwise, the whole truth is not being told here; something still seems to be being withheld. Everything needed should have been in-built making them specialties of WA, if not, the statement that no experience is needed would be a lie. If you read all the 'tricks and tips' needed to get those projects making you money eventually, boy you'd have to have loads of experience!
I chose WA over SiteBuild It because I believed Kyle and Carson would personally talk me through what I would learn. Believing them, I made a full year subscription. But everything I read here points me to outside resources which I am still required to buy. Has it all been just another sales campaign?!
If no one minds, I think our two CEOs should be our trusted travel-guides here. They should be the ones to explain how on earth RapidWriter, SiteRubix or WPExpress works, not someone else who thought they have figured it out. Hey, it's your house, men! You should know better than anybody else how things work here. Don't abdicate, else why are we here! If some tool is no longer functional, please delete it from the list of tools.
Again, I think the CEOs should host their domains at WA, showing good example. If what you are selling works, I guess it makes sense that you using it will encourage others. But when in a tutorial on website development a member tells me he/she is being hosted in another place...... it gets me thinking 'why don't you trust your own house?'
Well, that's pretty much how I feel, right now. I don't want to rock anyone's boat, but I think these inconsistencies should be dealt with so that we can have our safe haven at WA that we all looked forward to when we got on board.
Recent Comments
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I agree with a little of what you said. Everyone here was a new member at one time. I felt the same way in many aspects like you stated above. In fact, if I remember correctly, I posted a blog just like the one you have written here at one time.
How do I put this.....? Joining WA is like moving across the country to put in four years at a university. You are a freshman and you don't know anybody on campus. Heck... you are not even familiar with the city or state you are in. Everything is new and those walls of trust are in front of you with every step you take. Whether it is where to buy school supplies or buy books for the classes you will be taking. In your search you find there is a book store right there on campus. Well... they are probably there to take advantage of all freshmen students just starting. You could probably find a cheaper price off campus but don't have the time to look. Only to find out 6 months later during your free time that everybody off campus sold the same books for 50% more than the store on campus. Which is where this feeling comes from. Like I said, I felt the same way when I started here. That feeling of a pool of sharks that are just waiting for you to jump in the water and take a swim, ....comes from the feeling that your trust is being threatened in some way. Why is that? Because you are still a new member and NOT really sure who you can trust yet. I think that is molded into most of us as children. DON'T talk to strangers!
As for Kyle and Carson, I am convinced these are two upstanding individuals who have been doing this for a long time. So as far as setting boundaries, don't you think they would have spotted it a long time ago and addressed the member about it if they thought something wasn't Kosher?
The point is that everybody here is part of the team. Which I would like to congratulate you on. You have become part of one of the best teams I have come across in my lifetime of 53 years. Now... K&C can't keep an eye on everything. Just like the CEO of Lowes can't watch everything that every sales associate is doing day by day. Not when you have over 2,500 stores across the country. Just remember there are "Seniors" here as well as "Freshmen" on the campus. I am convinced that if they see something that they feel is out of place they will bring it to the attention of K&C, pronto. Here is something else to keep it mind. Think about the responsibilities and weight that is on their shoulders to keep a place like WA up and running. We have all seen the complaints. "Servers down again?? Blog and Funnel keeps giving me an Error! WordPress Express won't allow me to log in." It takes a lot of work to keep this place up and running efficiently. THIS is where those other programs come in that new members point the finger at as being a shark. The members here who created these products, programs, ...whatever you want to call them, have 5% of the responsibilities that K&C have on a daily basis.
Which gives them the free time to think and create, if they so desire. That doesn't mean they rubbed their hands together with an evil laugh thinking, "Watch me put this together! When I am done I will take everyone of those naive, new members for every penny I can get." That is not the case at all. I would say that 99% of these people who put some program together did it for one reason. To help others trying to get a start in this market. As I mentioned in Steve's Blog, ...if you have clicked on one of these links and read the ENTIRE page that it takes you to, you would have read this at the bottom. That most of these programs have a money back guarantee. Most of them are good for up to 8 weeks from the time you purchase it. If you do not feel their program was beneficial to you within in that time span, they will gladly refund your money. NO questions asked! Now who can't figure out if something helped them or not in a time span of 8 weeks? If you can't, ...then I would guess you are the type who buys clothes with a credit card just because they were on sale and then never wear them. These people don't want your money! They don't make much off the program they are offering. I think the average is 3 to 5%. Why would they stick around trying to make money in here at WA only when there is a much BIGGER market out there on the Web itself? I won't say anymore because I could go on and on. The point is, you need to take a deep breath, relax, ...and give the great members here a chance to gain your trust. As far as money goes, if you are serious about this, you WILL have to reinvest some of your earnings into it to help it grow. If not, you will have a sign in the door like many you have seen today. "Out of Business."
I do agree with some of what you've said, but I think a lot of it is perspective. The people I've talked on here have been SUPER helpful, and I've learned so much. And sometimes, yes, they have their own products. I don't consider them to be sharks. I consider them to be marketers! (Perspective) I have bought some of those products. They are supplements to WA. They are not necessities, but sometimes these extra tools can make your life a little easier. That being said, I still think everything you need to succeed IS here at WA. Much success to you! :)
I agree with many of the things you've said. Some newbies have managed to put it together using WA and other resources. Others are just floundering. WA is good and useful. However, a truly superior program would leave no one behind. People join WA to launch a business. That means they want to see profit happening. Not a trickle, a sale here and there, but a flow of sales and a business that grows exponentially. There should be a way here to get members into the "flow", succeeding at IM. Don't leave them with their noses pressed against the glass window while accomplished marketers brag about their sales and prowess. I think it's down right cruel. Members are paying to "break through", not sit and wonder when and if "it" will happen. I have many thoughts on this subject, of how to make it better. These are constructive criticisms.
I Understand your feelings, yet believe me when I say that most the
members here are helpful. I belong to SBI and WA, and I learn
learn from both. Don't let the "sharks" bug" Ya! Blow 'em off and
hang with the winners! Give me a shout if I can help in any way.
I swear I won't try to sell you jack!
Larry (famousplumber)
Thanks to you all for trying to help me breathe fresh air- old mizer, cld111, famousplumber and jatdebeaune. I was just really lost and felt let down.
Lets see what the days ahead bring. Am still with you all. Am just anxious of time passing and it felt all alone. Hey guys, am gonna hold out. Fear not for me.