He did this because his obsession with me, and the fact that I would not be bullied into silence about his behavior here, drove him to try (no doubt in conjunction with Quad initially, who I'm sure first got him involved in this) to dig up dirt on me and then try to use it to intimidate and and smear me.
Here are the facts:
I have a number of different businesses going. (all legal and legitimate) I have a consulting business; I work with small business owners in the Bay Area to help them with a variety of needs; marketing, website development, licensing, dealing with government bureaucracies, etc. (These are primarily foreign born folks who are good at doing their core business, but who need help in a variety of areas. All of them have been well satisfied with my work, and many have provided referrals.)
I also have several online businesses. I develop websites in various business niches and then sell them. (Again, nothing but satisfied customers.) I also market a variety of products and services on line, through websites, pay per click, and an extensive double opt in data base of email subscribers I have developed over the years. (NONE of these are "scams" that have ever "bilked" a single soul out of one penny.)
In the course of conducting these businesses I had a lot of folks asking me for help to get them started trying to make money online. I am well aware that there are many many scams (and also programs that aren't strictly speaking scams but that don't deliver what they claim, or require more skill or investment then they tell you about) out there online, and I certainly would never steer anyone to any of them. (I got taken in myself when I first got started.)
I found a program that required zero upfront investment, and also provided anyone who signed up with a mentor to help them get started. (I did this myself, for no fee whatsoever, with many) I decided to set up a website to promote this program, and also to provide general on line marketing advice. (I will provide you with an example of the kinds of articles I posted; I still have this one on my Facebook page)
Andrew has attempted to make this sound like :
A. A scam (which it manifestly was not)
B. My primary or exclusive source of income. (Which really had me laughing my butt off; it was more a charity project than anything else)
Several months back I hired a guy to do some part time work for me. (A relative of Kelly's who I thought I could trust.) The work I had him doing required that I give him C-Panel access to one of my web host accounts. Unbeknownst to me, he set up his own little side business (this wasn't a scam either, he was marketing Tee Shirts) and used the mail server on my host to send out unsolicited emails.
This resulted in the account being suspended, and frankly since the project was more work than it was worth and didn't represent anything significant to me in income, (I picked up a little cash with Google Adsense ads, and some commission for some services ...like Aweber's autoresponder service...that were advertised on the site) I haven't bothered with it since.
That's it. The whole story. This is what this sleazebag has now skirted perilously close to a lawsuit over, by falsely, publicly accusing me of "bilking" people and running a 'scam".
Those are serious accusations, fuckwad. If you have any proof whatsoever that I have ever bilked or scammed anyone out of so much as one penny, then produce it.
If not, I will expect a prompt retraction of those allegations.
Here's an example of the type of articles on that site that supposedly show what a "scam artist" I am:
Tired Of Home Business Scams? Here’s How To Avoid Them.
More folks today than ever before are interested in starting there own home businesses. According to the latest US Census figures the number of people who are self employed, working exclusively from home rose by over 25% in just the six years between 1999 and 2005. With the uncertainty in the job market of the past few years, today the numbers are even higher.
Five years ago, I was one of the folks to make that move. I was an experienced successful sales manger, but I was putting in a huge number of hours, and with a young child who I was missing a lot of time with, I was ready for a change. I decided that I would try to put my marketing experience to work for myself, earning a living online.
At first I made a lot of mistakes and “drilled a lot of dry holes”. I knew the dynamics of sales and marketing, but I had no experience in how to apply this expertise to the online business environment. I put in a lot of time, “went to school” on internet marketing, and today I have several successful online businesses running. I started out basically from scratch, and now I’d like to help those who are interested in giving this a try by sharing some of the things I’ve learned about how to make a go of a home based business opportunity. This is the first article in a series I will be writing designed to do this. Today I’m going to start with three fundamental points:
1.Use Your Common Sense:
That may sound like a no brainer, but sometimes it’s easier said then done. If you’ve already started looking for a home business opportunity, and signed up for some information, you are no doubt being inundated with all sorts of offers promising pie-in-the sky results, where you’ll get rich practically overnight doing practically nothing. The emails come with subject lines like, “Make $20,417 Dollars Your First Month While You Sleep!” or “ You’ll Make 300K In Three Months With Our Miracle Six Click Software!”.
It can sound very tempting, (particularly if you’re really anxious to start making money) but like I said, use your common sense. Do claims like that sound remotely possible? The old saying is true: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
2. Avoid Big Up-Front Or After a “Free Trial” Charges:
No one, especially with little or no experience, should get themselves involved with a business opportunity that’s going to involve a lot of expense. (There are some good ones out that don’t) There are a lot of scammers out there (and a lot that aren’t strictly speaking scams, but that don’t offer much of value for what they charge) who will be more than happy to separate you from as much cash as you are willing to part with. They’ll load you up buying some product that nobody wants;
They’ll tell you that they’ll provide “everything”, all you have to do is market the product. (Never explaining of course, that it is the marketing that is 90% responsible for the success of the business.) Another technique that’s frequently used is to offer a “free trial” of the business opportunity, (usually a week or two) after which they start charging hefty fees to your credit card if you don’t jump through a bunch of hoops to get them to cancel your account with them. Letting folks in on the opportunity for little or nothing and then engaging in high pressure “upsell” tactics to try and get you to pay more and more in fees in the hopes of getting better results is another favorite. You need to be wary and completely avoid these sort of approaches.
3. Be Sure You Can Count On Good Support
This is absolutely critical especially if you’re just starting out. You may wonder, “how can I know this in advance of trying the business?” but there are some ways you can get a good indication. Before you sign up, communicate with those offering the program. Ask questions; see if they respond in a timely manner. Are they interested in answering your questions and concerns or just on pushing you into a decision?
In my own case, I was lucky enough to hook up with some experienced, knowledgeable folks who were enthusiastic about helping someone who was interested in making a serious effort. It made all the difference. Even with a good program, it’s a huge plus. (Today, I provide free personal training and coaching, both by email and over the phone for anyone who signs up with a program I recommend. I’m also always happy to answer any questions from people before they sign up, who might have an interest. The way I look at it, the more questions a person asks the more serious they are about making the effort to succeed; and the more they know about an opportunity before they start, )
These are just a few of the most basic things you should be on the lookout for when you decide that you want to get involved with a work from home business. Obviously there’s a lot more involved, but these are fundamental and should help you get a good start, and avoid a lot of grief.
) There have been a few occasions over the years where folks have PM'd me or emailed me asking for some advice related to what I do, and I have always given it, (at no charge of course).