Comments on: Parasites in the SEO Biz http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/ Grow your business with TopRank Online Marketing tips, articles, & experts interviews on social media, digital PR & search engine marketing. Sun, 21 Mar 2010 16:32:35 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Lawyers Cost Money But SEO is Free? » Online Marketing Blog http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-64124 Lawyers Cost Money But SEO is Free? » Online Marketing Blog Fri, 19 Jan 2007 23:35:37 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-64124 [...] Was I completely out of line? How would you handle this differently? I’m sure he’ll find some stooge to give the free advice. I’ve been stooged plenty of times by information suckers and SEO parasites on the phone. However, I think you have to value your time and services and just say no in situations like this. [...] [...] Was I completely out of line? How would you handle this differently? I’m sure he’ll find some stooge to give the free advice. I’ve been stooged plenty of times by information suckers and SEO parasites on the phone. However, I think you have to value your time and services and just say no in situations like this. [...]

]]> By: Stuey http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-28983 Stuey Tue, 03 Oct 2006 22:08:27 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-28983 I agree entirely. Sometimes you feel that you will be giving away all information just to get a knock back. There needs to be an element of trust and if I feel that I've been called in for a fact-finding experiment I'll let them know and walk. Sometimes I feel that I should optimize anyhow to prove a point, but that idea soon wears off ;) I agree entirely. Sometimes you feel that you will be giving away all information just to get a knock back. There needs to be an element of trust and if I feel that I’ve been called in for a fact-finding experiment I’ll let them know and walk. Sometimes I feel that I should optimize anyhow to prove a point, but that idea soon wears off ;)

]]> By: Josh Garner http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-27484 Josh Garner Tue, 26 Sep 2006 19:04:46 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-27484 I think you should take it as flattery...lol. I don't have this problem at all. I think that it is perhaps because I am not as much an authority as you. So, congratulations. I think you should take it as flattery…lol. I don’t have this problem at all. I think that it is perhaps because I am not as much an authority as you. So, congratulations.

]]> By: Andrew http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-27188 Andrew Mon, 25 Sep 2006 16:43:03 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-27188 These posts make interesting reading, particularly for those of us new to blogging and looking at it as a marketing communications vehicle. Surely though the point of blogging is to share information and wisdom that others may take value from. By giving away some real value this should enable you to foster an open relationship with prospective clients. After all, you are the experts and it will take your talent and skills to turn text and descriptions in to business results. These posts make interesting reading, particularly for those of us new to blogging and looking at it as a marketing communications vehicle.

Surely though the point of blogging is to share information and wisdom that others may take value from. By giving away some real value this should enable you to foster an open relationship with prospective clients. After all, you are the experts and it will take your talent and skills to turn text and descriptions in to business results.

]]> By: Starked SF, Unforgiving News from the Bay » Blog Archive » Talk of the Town: Monday, September 25 http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-27157 Starked SF, Unforgiving News from the Bay » Blog Archive » Talk of the Town: Monday, September 25 Mon, 25 Sep 2006 14:19:54 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-27157 [...] Parasites in SEO business. [...] [...] Parasites in SEO business. [...]

]]> By: Greg http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-27125 Greg Mon, 25 Sep 2006 11:30:02 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-27125 I've had similar concerns with respect to how much information to put online. I decided to simply go ahead and try listing things like pricing and see what happens. Sorry people are wasting your time. I’ve had similar concerns with respect to how much information to put online. I decided to simply go ahead and try listing things like pricing and see what happens. Sorry people are wasting your time.

]]> By: fibbia http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-27064 fibbia Mon, 25 Sep 2006 06:29:22 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-27064 :-) Regards Lee :-) Regards Lee

]]> By: Dwight Stickler http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-27011 Dwight Stickler Sun, 24 Sep 2006 22:35:19 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-27011 Lee, You have to expect this sort of activity in any business where there is great revenue to be made. Well before there was an internet there were knock-off artists who made a living stealing product ideas, service ideas, marketing ideas, etc. I understand your pain. It is a painful thing to deal with the fact that if your ideas are good, your information is valuable and you can communicate this effectively online; somewhere someone is likely going to use it to their own benefit and enrichment. I agree that I too would love to have a better way of dealing with this problem. I toyed for a while with the idea of a blog subscription model. Make people pay for the content I produced on my blogs. I decided against it because the notion of a blog subscription for pay closes off any hope of building a community within the blog. I also for a season refused to speak with anyone about communicating on the internet without a small retainer. This has also been phased out as it was too off putting to potential clients online many of who are used to free initial consultations. Regarding the monitoring of your own content and doing something about it when it matters; I am not sure I have the time to do this. Do you have any suggestions about an efficient and effective way of doing this that is not going to cost me too much time or money? Lee,
You have to expect this sort of activity in any business where there is great revenue to be made. Well before there was an internet there were knock-off artists who made a living stealing product ideas, service ideas, marketing ideas, etc.

I understand your pain. It is a painful thing to deal with the fact that if your ideas are good, your information is valuable and you can communicate this effectively online; somewhere someone is likely going to use it to their own benefit and enrichment.

I agree that I too would love to have a better way of dealing with this problem. I toyed for a while with the idea of a blog subscription model. Make people pay for the content I produced on my blogs. I decided against it because the notion of a blog subscription for pay closes off any hope of building a community within the blog.

I also for a season refused to speak with anyone about communicating on the internet without a small retainer. This has also been phased out as it was too off putting to potential clients online many of who are used to free initial consultations.

Regarding the monitoring of your own content and doing something about it when it matters; I am not sure I have the time to do this. Do you have any suggestions about an efficient and effective way of doing this that is not going to cost me too much time or money?

]]> By: Michael Brito http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-27004 Michael Brito Sun, 24 Sep 2006 21:47:32 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-27004 Hey Lee...this rant wasn't because I asked you what your opinion was about linking strategies, was it? http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/link-building-advice-from-the-best/ Hey Lee…this rant wasn’t because I asked you what your opinion was about linking strategies, was it?

http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/link-building-advice-from-the-best/

]]> By: steve Mistretta http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-26965 steve Mistretta Sun, 24 Sep 2006 16:06:31 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-26965 Lee for all of those reasons especially "Prospects that try every trick in the book to suck how-to information out of you in the name of Lee for all of those reasons especially

“Prospects that try every trick in the book to suck how-to information out of you in the name of

]]> By: Bill Kelm http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-26923 Bill Kelm Sun, 24 Sep 2006 11:47:17 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-26923 Good rant, Lee. As someone implied here, Search Marketing is still in in its infancy. This has many implications as I spoke about in "Implications Of "Infancy" of SEO-SEM Industry": http://www.brokerblogger.com/brokerblogger/2005/12/implications_of.html You have some great suggestions on what to do about your specific rant points, and I have one "to do" about your rant on "# Prospects that try every trick in the book to suck how-to information out of you in the name of Good rant, Lee.

As someone implied here, Search Marketing is still in in its infancy. This has many implications as I spoke about in “Implications Of “Infancy” of SEO-SEM Industry”: http://www.brokerblogger.com/brokerblogger/2005/12/implications_of.html

You have some great suggestions on what to do about your specific rant points, and I have one “to do” about your rant on “# Prospects that try every trick in the book to suck how-to information out of you in the name of

]]> By: Tom Bailey http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-26892 Tom Bailey Sun, 24 Sep 2006 09:06:11 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-26892 Lee: I think everyone trying to make a living in this medium feels your pain. When your product is knowledge and information it is too easy for people to steal from you, expecially if you are open and willing to help. As blogging becomes more and more a "business," this is going to happen with greater frequency, regrettably. Ethics is always second to the might dollar or shekel or ruble or yuan. Copyright your knowledge, get on sound legal footing with your Intellectual Property, and make anyone you deal with sign a Confidentiality Agreement. If these are violated then hit the first offender with a sledgehammer and blog about it to the masses. Would that cause any change? Takes away the whole community feel doesn't it? Sadly, that is business. Gird up and get ready. The ride is just starting for all of us. Lee: I think everyone trying to make a living in this medium feels your pain. When your product is knowledge and information it is too easy for people to steal from you, expecially if you are open and willing to help.

As blogging becomes more and more a “business,” this is going to happen with greater frequency, regrettably. Ethics is always second to the might dollar or shekel or ruble or yuan.

Copyright your knowledge, get on sound legal footing with your Intellectual Property, and make anyone you deal with sign a Confidentiality Agreement. If these are violated then hit the first offender with a sledgehammer and blog about it to the masses. Would that cause any change?

Takes away the whole community feel doesn’t it? Sadly, that is business. Gird up and get ready. The ride is just starting for all of us.

]]> By: Lee Odden http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-26781 Lee Odden Sat, 23 Sep 2006 22:21:52 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-26781 Hey Tony, you caught me in one of my very rare "rants". The people already in the search marketing business are actually a collection of the <strong>smartest, most innovative and collaborative bunch</strong> I've ever had the priveledge to work with. It's the occasional entities that are <strong>outside</strong> of the search marketing industry that go about things in a parasitic way that gets me going. As far as repackaging information, I'll certainly take a look at posting something more about that. Particulary on full vs partial feeds, full vs partial posts and limiting the amount of detailed how-to information. I do think if you post something to the web, you've decided that it's open and available to all, so there shouldn't be any complaining (by me or others) if someone decides to create an AdSense site out of content grabbed from an RSS feed. I don't have as much of a problem with that as I do when someone "legitimate" takes our content or tools and presents them as their own. Thank you for the comment. Hey Tony, you caught me in one of my very rare “rants”.

The people already in the search marketing business are actually a collection of the smartest, most innovative and collaborative bunch I’ve ever had the priveledge to work with.

It’s the occasional entities that are outside of the search marketing industry that go about things in a parasitic way that gets me going.

As far as repackaging information, I’ll certainly take a look at posting something more about that. Particulary on full vs partial feeds, full vs partial posts and limiting the amount of detailed how-to information.
I do think if you post something to the web, you’ve decided that it’s open and available to all, so there shouldn’t be any complaining (by me or others) if someone decides to create an AdSense site out of content grabbed from an RSS feed.

I don’t have as much of a problem with that as I do when someone “legitimate” takes our content or tools and presents them as their own.

Thank you for the comment.

]]> By: Tony Valle http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-26768 Tony Valle Sat, 23 Sep 2006 20:23:45 +0000 http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/09/parasites-in-the-seo-biz/#comment-26768 Lee, Good post, although I'm sorry it sounds like there are a bunch of crappy people you have to deal with in your business. That doesn't quite sound fair. I wonder, would you mind maybe expanding on your first bullet point "be smarter about how you package..." maybe in a future post? It sounds to me like you might be getting at something that could really apply to all bloggers in terms of how we dispense our knowledge over our blogs. Thanks for the good work. Keep it up! Tony Lee,

Good post, although I’m sorry it sounds like there are a bunch of crappy people you have to deal with in your business. That doesn’t quite sound fair.

I wonder, would you mind maybe expanding on your first bullet point “be smarter about how you package…” maybe in a future post? It sounds to me like you might be getting at something that could really apply to all bloggers in terms of how we dispense our knowledge over our blogs.

Thanks for the good work. Keep it up!

Tony

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