What is Plug Into Green Profits?

The landing page isn’t much. A video of Paul talking pops up and he offers some small talk about your struggles and how he can help. Paul even offers to send you $135 just for signing up and will send it your way before you even get started. A bit sketchy, yes, but even more intriguing. The biggest point the site makes is that it’s all about being green. (Quick prediction: the whole green part is about doing work at home instead of commuting and has nothing to do with buying, selling, or promoting green products.)

The next page offers a 40-minute presentation I watched for a few minutes and skipped around the video. It was a lot of talk about setting up automated income and having his team do all the work for you. Why don’t they just do the work themselves and cut you out of the picture? Well, I’ll address that in a minute. At this point, everything is pointing to affiliate marketing and there’s nothing wrong with that. Paul seems very upfront about most things and even offers a 60-day money back guarantee, which I like to see.

My Plug Into Green Profits Prediction

I haven’t signed up yet, but here’s my best guess as to what Paul’s course has to offer. Paul Birdsall is going to be teaching a basic affiliate marketing course, probably featuring Plug Into Green Profits as the main program to promote in order to make money. The biggest giveaway was that he says over and over that his team will be doing most of the selling for you. If he already has a specialized team of expert marketers to make money for him, why does he need you? Well, because he needs you (and people like you) to sell the program to.

Finally, the free $135? I think there’s one of two possibilities here. It could be $135 worth of Paul’s old products (which is unlikely) or you could have to sell a few things first and then you get a $135 bonus. My money is on the latter. He says over and over his team will make the $135 for you. You will definitely have to do work also because there’s no way Paul is handing out $135 just for signing up to his $37 program. That doesn’t happen.

Again, this is all speculation at this point. I’m signing up for the program now and will give an in-depth look at what Paul Birdsall and Plug Into Green Profits has to offer next week.

Stay tuned.

I need a way to figure out a way to warn the world about fake check scams. I had the following email come in earlier this morning…

Hi Steve,

I have one that I thought I’d pass on to you and see what you think. My husband received this email and I answered it that I was interested. We are both out of work and the money would be great, but it seems almost too good to be true. Maybe you could check it all out. I’m attaching all the emails I’ve gotten.

Thanks in advance. Keep up the good work.

Attached to the email were the following emails.

First Email

Job For You

Do you have 20 hours a week free? Be part of our team of professionals at STA Travel Technologies Inc. We currently have a vacancy for an Assistant Cashier. The Assistant Cashier helps the Senior Cashier fulfill minor orders. This is an excellent opportunity to earn extra money without leaving your home. Even if you have no experience in this field, you will quickly learn all the skills required for the job. Senior Cashiers are there to guide you through the work process and give you a helping hand.

To apply send resume to: Kevin.Hoffmann@sta-travel.net

Second email

Dear xxxx,

Let me introduce myself: My name is Kevin Hoffmann, and I am a
personnel manager of the STA Travel Technologies, Inc. Thank you for
expressing interest in the vacant position at our firm; I hope our
further cooperation will be pleasant and interesting for you. If you
have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask me at any time.

First of all, let me briefly explain to you the nature of the
assistant cashier position. The assistant cashier works in
cooperation with a senior colleague who prepares small and
uncomplicated tasks for the assistant cashier to perform. There are
many kinds of tasks, but primary responsibilities include salary
payments to regional managers (via Money Gram or Western Union), and
the accepting, processing, and posting of correspondence (via USPS
or FedEx).

WORK SCHEDULE. You can choose the most convenient times for you
to work between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. You can choose how many and
which days you work per week without any limitations. Your
schedule can be changed at any time, but you must inform a senior
cashier about such changes three days beforehand. You will prepare
your schedule during the training course.

CALCULATION OF SALARY. The amount of money you earn corresponds to
the time you spend fulfilling the tasks given. 25$ will be accrued
to you per each hour of working time, which is determined
according to a table. The table indicates the average time for
fulfillment of each type of operations. For example, the operation
of mails processing takes four hours. So, for fulfillment of this
task you will get 4 * 25 = 100 USD. Notice: if you spend three
hours on fulfilling this task, you will receive the fee for four
hours of work. You will have a chance to examine the working time
table in greater detail throughout your training.

PAYMENT PROCEDURE. Salary payments are made once every two weeks,
in whatever manner is acceptable for you. During your training,
you will get 100% payment for all operations fulfilled.

I hope the main details of the position are now clear to you. I will
attach a more detailed description of activities hereto; you can
find it in the file: “job_description.rtf”.

Please examine the attached documents and review all the
information. If you have any questions feel free to ask me. If
everything is clear and you have no questions, please fill out the
employment agreement, and return it by e-mail.

–
Kevin Hoffmann,
Human Resources Manager

STA Travel Technologies
271 Newport Ave
90803, Long Beach
CA, United States
Phone: 718-473-0689

Accompanying the emails are three legitimate looking documents outlining the job duties, how much you would get paid, and an employee agreement. The documents look very convincing and official. It’s a big step up from the typo-ridden, near impossible to decipher emails that often come out of Nigeria.

To the unsuspecting user, this job opportunity is a dream come true. $25 from home would definitely be the answer to someone’s prayers. Unfortunately, this is a scam and just one little line gives the whole thing away. That line is, “there are many kinds of tasks, but primary responsibilities include salary payments to regional managers (via Money Gram or Western Union), and the accepting, processing, and posting of correspondence (via USPS or FedEx).”

Do Not Work for STA Travel Technologies

The “job” is just another payment processing scam. These criminals use you and your bank account to launder money. They ask you to “process paychecks” by depositing checks into your bank account and then have you send a portion of that money over seas. The check you receive will either be fake or stolen. However, you can still deposit it into your bank account and have access to the funds immediately. Before the check bounces, you are asked to send 90% of the money back to the scammer via Western Union or via money wire. At this point, you just sent thousands of dollars overseas and the fake check they sent you will bounce leaving YOU responsible for recovering the missing funds.

Payment processing or check cashing jobs are ALWAYS SCAMS. Even worse, they’re illegal. Not only will you lose thousands of dollars, but you could also land a criminal record for receiving fraudulent or stolen funds. Never ever agree to a job where your primary duty is to process payments. If you receive a fake check, tear it up immediately and cease communication with the scammer. Do not cash it!

A few of my readers have been unfortunate to fall for the scam and have sent away $197 +$15 shipping and handling for auction processing “training materials” whatever that means. After searching around a bit, I’ve found that they are offering refunds within 60 days of your order and you will have to ship their training materials back to them first.

HomeJobPlacement Refund Information

To request a cancellation of your program, please contact your Customer Care Center at 866.261.5415.

To contact our Customer Care Center
Please call 866.261.5415.

Customer Care Center Hours
Mon- Fri 9am – 9pm EST
Saturday 10am – 5pm EST

Mail-in Inquiries:
www.homejobplacement.org
16781 Chagrin Blvd., Suite 281
Shaker Heights, Ohio 44120.

Contact form here: http://www.homejobplacement.net/contact/

Does anyone else find it funny that they’re located on Chagrin Blvd?

If you have had any experiences with this company and have gotten a refund, please leave a comment below.

Today’s post comes from Celeste who lost only a few bucks to Michael Cohen and DoublingStocks.com. She writes…

This company scammed me and many others. This fellow rarely ever provides a stock pick and WILL NOT REFUND YOUR MONEY PERIOD. If you try to get your money back they will either ignore you completely or increase their emails to you explaining why there is no stock pick this week. I have asked for my fifty dollars back on twenty eight occasions and either got no response or got one of the latest excuse emails. The very few stocks he recommended, I lost money on because they were what are called “pump and dumps” and unless you are aware of when to get out, you never, ever make money on them. This fellow never let us know when to get out and by the time he notified us of his great deals, he had evidently already offered them to his premium members (the poor saps who paid a fortune for his system) and they had already made any money there was to be had from the pick. I was completely new to the stock market and believed all his hype. Please, don’t fall for it…the guy is a great blowhard but that is it. Below is the latest of his emails, with the latest excuse he offered….

“Michael Cohen” "I've received several hundred emails lately, all asking one question: "When is your next stock pick?"
I have no firm answer. It could be a few weeks. It could be a few months.
I am exhaustively searching the market. Here is the 4 criteria I demand:
* A newsworthy company on the brink of success. * Little-known and currently overlooked by investors. * Small market cap (sub 100m)
* Management dedicated to raising the profile of the company.
These 4 criteria have proved hugely successful in the past. And I will not compromise on any of them.
Best Regards,
Michael Cohen
P.S. If you believe you know of a stock which matches the above criteria.
Please get in touch."

There is one website I found that was interesting and his newsletter is free. It is called The Stock Gumshoe. I found that he can often tell who these people are and what stock it is they are promoting by deduction. While he has what he calls 'Irregulars" that are members who pay a small fee and can get access to greater amounts of information, his free newsletter provides a great deal of info about these stock promoters who will fill your email with 'great deals'. Please take a look at his info and maybe sign up for the newsletter if you want to know more details about some of these great deal stock offerings. His is the most accurate and complete resource I have found about these scam artists. Too bad, I found him AFTER I ran into Michael Cohen and he talked me out of my fifty bucks.
Best Wishes,
Celeste

Peter Leeds at PennyStocks.com did some awesome research on Stock Picking Robots. If you sent money to these guys through Clickbank and you want to get a refund, simply fill out the form here: http://www.clickbank.com/orderDetail.htm?clear=true&locale=EN

Other than that, stay away from any type of program that will automatically make you thousands of dollars. It’s never that easy.

Ever since my post on Monday regarding my trip to Vegas and my experiences as an Internet Marketer, my inbox has been flooded with questions about Wealthy Affiliate. I decided to compile a list of the top five most frequently asked questions and answer them directly on the blog.

Read through them all and if you still have questions, there are instructions on how to email me at the bottom.

#1 – I am a complete beginner to Internet Marketing, and don’t have any experience – can I still succeed with Wealthy Affiliate?

Absolutely!

Everyone has to start somewhere right? Wealthy Affiliate can be the starting point for you.

Most of the training, resources, and tools at Wealthy Affiliate are targeted to complete beginners. One of the main focal points of Wealthy Affiliate is the 8-Week Action Plan which is a complete step-by-step walk-through that takes absolute beginners like yourself and sets them on a path to making money as an Internet Marketer.

And when you have questions, you can ask them in the private forums. Every member of Wealthy Affiliate is given an account on the forums and I have NEVER seen a single question go unanswered. The members at Wealthy Affiliate are among the most helpful people I’ve ever come across online.

If all else fails, you can go to Kyle and Carson, the owners of Wealthy Affiliate, and ask them for help directly. They have both helped me personally in the past and worked with me until every question I had was answered. Again, I’ve never seen this type of support anywhere else on the web.

Remember, when you join Wealthy Affiliate, you join a community. This isn’t a typical training program. You’re given quality training and access to tons of support. Most other websites out there will sell you an eBook and leave you to figure everything else out on your own. Wealthy Affiliate is not like that. They are invested in your success and will do everything they can to help you succeed.

#2 – What exactly does an Internet Marketer do?

Here is internet marketing broken down to the basics: there are thousands of companies online that will pay you commissions to drive visitors to their websites that sell their products or services. You make money every time one of the visitors you referred makes a purchase. Basically, you help online customers find the products their looking for and you get paid to do so. Again, you don’t need to know how to do this beforehand. Wealthy Affiliate will train you.

#3 – Why does it cost $39 a month to join? Are there any hidden fees?

First, there are NO hidden fees. You pay $39 per month and you have complete access to everything at Wealthy Affiliate.

Second, when you join Wealthy Affiliate, you’re paying for an education. If you wanted to learn how to become a doctor, you would pay for medical school, right? You can’t just walk into a hospital and start performing surgery. Internet Marketing is no different. You can’t just sit at a computer and get paid. You need an education first and Wealthy Affiliate will teach you everything you need to know.

#4 – How quickly can I make money? How much money can I make?

This question is near impossible for me to answer. This all depends on YOU.

I can tell you that I have seen people join Wealthy Affiliate and started making money on the same day. I have also seen people take a few weeks before their first dollar comes in. In any case, if you follow the training really work at it, you can become a successful Internet Marketer. The training is there; YOU need to put it to good use.

#5 – I don’t know how to make a website and I don’t have anything to sell. Can I still make money?

Absolutely.

How can I make a website? This is the biggest fear most Internet Marketing beginners have. If this is what’s holding you back from joining, well, knock it off! For starters, included in your Wealthy Affiliate membership is a tool called Site Rubix. Site Rubix builds websites for you. If you know how to use Microsoft Word or even create an email, you can build a website with Site Rubix. All you need to do is pick out a layout and fill in the content. It’s seriously that easy. Plus, there are a lot of other ways to make money as an Internet Marketer without running your own website.

I have nothing to sell. Me neither and I’m a full-time Internet Marketer. As an internet marketer, you help sell other people’s products. You send traffic to THEIR websites and get paid when the people you sent make a purchase. You don’t have to sell something of your own. You don’t have to worry about shipping products or accepting returns. And you most certainly do not have to do any type of customer support.

Ready to join Wealthy Affiliate?

I hope this post cleared up a few questions you might have had. If you have more questions, just send an email to Steve@IveTriedThat.com and I’ll be more than happy to answer every question you have.

All that’s left for you to do now is click here and sign up for Wealthy Affiliate now! I’ll see you in the member’s area once you join! My username is IveTriedThat. Add me as a friend!

Steve,

You’re not going to believe this.

I checked my mail today as I was walking into my apartment, and I got a letter in a plain envelope with no return address located on it. Curious, I opened it, thinking – no, knowing – it was junk mail of some sort. The handwriting was so neat it was ridiculous, and I immediately realized why there were advertisements for people with neat handwriting to write out addresses on envelopes all over Craigslist. I don’t know if it’s savvy or sad that I no longer trust my mailing system.

I cannot read the stamp from the postmark on the envelope. I can only tell you it was postmarked Feb 23, 2010. That being said, on the inside I found a “newspaper article” from Columbus, Ohio printed on real newspaper. The date on the newspaper is February 9, 2010. The newspaper has no name; in fact, in the center where the name of the paper would be, it just says “Special Report.” Count that as clue number 2 that something is wrong.

There’s a sticky note attached to the paper in very neat handwriting. It says “Kinya, you gotta see this…it sounds really cool! I thought you might be interested too. J.” Do I have to tell you I don’t know anyone that goes by that letter? Just in case you were wondering, I don’t. Nor do I know anyone who would mail me a piece of newspaper with no page numbers located on it anywhere.

Starting to see the picture?

Getting to the point, the newspaper article is about a company located at www.homejobplacement.net. They claim to be able to place you at a job at home where you can make a ridiculous amount of money a day. Yawn, bore. You know the drill. It’s a scam. But what got me is that they went through the effort of actually making this look legitimate – or at least trying to. First off, it’s printed to look like a real newspaper article. Quite impressive. Secondly, the article states testimony from a woman named Sally who warns “Watch out for those sites that promise you’ll make millions overnight. With Home Job Placement you’re NOT going to make millions. Who else is going to tell you that? But you are going to get certified fast, be offered a real position immediately, and make a great income with much less work. And you’ll never have to worry about getting laid off or looking for a job ever again.” By the way, the capitalization is theirs, not mine. Which brings me to my third point: what journalist would capitalize a word in the middle of a sentence for emphasis? That’s what italics is for. Even a student journalist knows this. Tacky much?

Attached are pictures of the paper. The quality is quite crappy, as my Blackberry Curve only pretends to be able to take good pictures, but rest assured that the evidence is solid. You can clearly see I am not making this up. Does anyone see a consistent problem here? If you do, you get a Scooby Snack.

[Steve edit: here are the attached pictures: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six.]

Please note that the article states the following, and I quote (grammatical errors are conveniently included for your amusement):

• “The placement company, Home Job Placement, is one of the most successful online job placement firms in the U.S. They have helped over 16,493 people find legitimate work-at-home jobs.” Really? They have? How come nobody’s ever heard of them?
• “Sally proudly showed us one of her most recent checks from the job she got through Home Job Placement.” (Picture is attached.) Why is the check dated back in August of 09? If that’s recent then the author of this article has a Delorean he needs to share with the rest of the world.
• “When we found out how how easy it was to become certified as Auction Listing Specialists, it took away all the stress and worry, and showed us exactly how to make tons of money every day just by posting simple listings on eBay for companies like Microsoft, Compaq, IZOD, Calvin Klein, and Apple.” If these companies are hiring and job placement is so easy then why is unemployment still at an all-time high?
• “The fact that you’re working with eBay means a lot. You can never get fired by such a big company. And this is something you can do part time, even if you only have a few hours to spend a day.” Raise your hand if you quit buying stuff off of eBay when the recession hit. Raise both hands if you stopped doing it before then. And if you think eBay is hiring anybody to list auctions on their site, you might as well be drunk on the couch laughing at reruns of Bud Light Superbowl commercials. Go grab a beer.
• “From our research, Home Job Placement is the best of the best. In just four steps anybody can secure a home job and start earning.” Thank you Staff Writer George Liechty Finance & Jobs. I know who you are through reputation, since you have written for dozens of other nameless newspapers throughout the nation. I trust you based on this one simple fact alone.
• “Since it takes only 3-4 minutes per posting and the provide everything you need, you can begin making up to $75 an hour immediately! And you get paid fast!” You’ve got to be either high or gullible to believe that statement. Or both. If making $75 a hour was that easy, everyone would be doing it, and there would be no recession.

My intelligence feels so insulted. It is literally banging its head against the walls of my skull, weeping for the fate of mankind. Or it would, if I weren’t laughing so hard. Seriously? You expect to sell me a scam through a newspaper article mailed to me by a person who’s only known by a letter? Last time I checked, Division 6 wasn’t supposed to exist. And speaking of not existing, I’m going to go flashy-thing myself. When I wake up, I’m going to be just as I was before: sleepy, happy, freelancing and counting the days until “Alice in Wonderland” comes out in theaters.

Just five more days.

Thanks Kinya for sharing.

By the way, how was Alice in Wonderland?

Every day, American consumers decide how and where to spend their money. Their decisions have far-reaching effects for both their financial well-being and our Nation’s economic stability. National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) gives all Americans an opportunity to become better-informed consumers.

This year, NCPW focuses on the importance of being a careful consumer at every stage of life, from grade school to retirement. To help our children grow into financially responsible adults and avoid frauds and scams, we must help them understand the marketplace. Parents and educators can play a role by teaching them about advertising and marketing, smart financial practices, and keeping personal information safe and secure.

So what exactly does the NCPW mean for you?

Well, the FTC has put together a rather nifty website breaking down several topics ranging from banking to health costs to mortgages and how you can protect yourself (and your wallet) from getting scammed.

There’s one particular section that I do insist you read over is the Scam Watch category. The FTC does a rather good job breaking down some of the most popular scams out there today. They cover topics like fake check scams, fake computer security warnings, job scams, and consumer scam prevention tips. I highly suggest you click here and read the scam watch page and forward this article along to your friends and family to help keep them protected as well.

The 2010 Consumer Action Handbook

In addition to NCPW, the Federal Citizen Information Center has issued the 2010 Consumer Action Handbook. The handbook is a lovely 172 page guide covering how to be a savvy consumer, to preventing identity theft, to filing a formal complaint. The guide is absolutely free for you to download and should answer all of your common consumer questions. Click here to look through the Consumer Action Handbook now.

You probably landed on my blog while researching some sort of work at home or make money online type program and found out it was a scam. I assume you’re interested in finding some way of making money from home and that’s great! I can help you get started. Keep reading because the following post is my story of how I went from losing money to scams to working at home full time for myself.

Who is Steve?

I realized that despite having run this blog for almost three years now and talking to a few of you on a regular basis, most of you don’t even know who I am. Yes, I’m Steve from I’ve Tried That, but I haven’t really shared much beyond that point. I suppose it’s time to tell my story.

Let’s start with the basics. My name is Steve (that’s me on the right.) I’m 23 years old. I live in beautiful Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. I graduated with a BA in Information Sciences and Technology from Penn State, and I am a full time Internet Marketer. I play racquetball as often as I can and I love to travel. In the past year, I’ve been all over the US, the Caribbean, Taiwan and I have travel plans to visit Australia in the summer and Vancouver shortly after that.

It was during college when I first started making money for myself. I created a few websites, made a few dollars, and I was hooked. I loved the idea of making money strictly for me, but I never saw it as anything other than a hobby.

During my senior year of college, I spent a lot of time interviewing with companies, sending out resumes, and attending career fairs. I hated every single second of searching for a job. Nothing about finding a conventional job felt right to me. I couldn’t wrap my head around being miserable for 50-60 hours a week for the next 30 years of my life but I kept looking because I was told that I NEED a fancy high-paying job in order to SUCCEED in life.

After one particular day of stressful phone interviews and cover letters, I was ready to relax and enjoy the company of two of my old roommates who had since graduated and started their careers. We ended up talking mostly about their jobs and these people actually started BRAGGING about how much UNPAID overtime they were working, as if it was a good thing and they were doing their company a favor! It was at this was the exact moment that I decided 9-to-5 job would never be for me and that I was going to start my own online career.

I spent a few days lamenting over how I was going to tell my parents that I was stopping my job hunt and going in business for myself. Ultimately, they were not happy. (“You’re throwing away your education FOR THE INTERNET?! You NEED a job with BENEFITS.”) But there was little they could do to stop me from at least trying first. I graduated, jobless, but determined to make an online career work.

At this point in the story, I’ve Tried That was just getting started. The website was making some money, but not nearly enough to live off of. I had to find another way to bring in money and embarked on one of the scariest (and possibly stupidest) decisions of my life. No, I didn’t start selling drugs. I turned to Craigslist and started offering computer repair services. Now, most of my clients were normal, sane folk but there were quite a few times where I found myself alone with a stranger in his or her cold, dark, damp basement, working on an ancient Windows 95 machine, all the while plotting my escape if said stranger tried anything funny. There were honestly a few times where I found myself scanning the room looking for an object to use in case I needed it for self-defense.

I continued to do freelance computer work while trying to make it online for about 6 months. My online efforts were beginning to sink and my computer repair business was quickly taking over my life. This was NOT the direction I wanted to go. I wanted a way to make a living online from home, but my efforts were being diverted elsewhere. I needed to cut back on the computer repair business and focus my efforts on my online business. That’s when I decided to stop trying to figure this out on my own and seek out help.

How Wealthy Affiliate Changed My Life

During this time, we had conducted a review of the Wealthy Affiliate University here at I’ve Tried That. My old partner, Joe, had done most of the work on the review and I had briefly glanced around the site to make sure everything was up to scratch but that was it. I let my account sit dormant for quite awhile. One day, I was talking with a friend who was also a member at Wealthy Affiliate and he linked me to a discussion going on in the Wealthy Affiliate forums and thought I could benefit from the conversation and use some of the practices being discussed on my blog.

I logged in, read through the topic, finished it, and kept on reading. I read post after post and training article after training article until I thought my head would explode. Here I had access to one of the greatest online training programs in the world and I was just letting my account go to waste.

The key thing I took away from my first real in-depth look through Wealthy Affiliate was a scope for my new career. Before I was simply looking to make a money online, but now I had a title and goal: I wanted to become a full-time Internet Marketer and I turned to the training at Wealthy Affiliate to make this possible.

Internet Marketing is the Work at Home Job For You

First, let me explain what Internet Marketing is. As an Internet Marketer, you’ll be connecting people with products or services and then you make a commission everytime one of your referrals makes a purchase.

Here’s an example of basic Internet Marketing. Let’s say your old TV broke and you want to buy a fancy new 60 inch flat panel TV. You head to Google, and start researching which TV is the best value for your money. One of the search results is a review of the new Samsung Mindblower 5000. After you finish reading the review, you click on a link that takes you to the TV for sale at Amazon and you make a purchase. The person who originally wrote the review and provided you with that link will make a commission on your purchase. Let’s say the price of the new TV is $2,500 and the reviewer makes 6% commission on each sale. The reviewer just made an easy $150 off of ONE review only. There is a lot of room out there for anyone to make a lot of money. Now, this is just one small example and Internet Marketing is by no means limited to reviewing TVs and Amazon.

The best part about Internet Marketing is that you need no prior experience to get started. You don’t need to know how to create websites; Wealthy Affiliate has to tools to create websites FOR YOU. You don’t need to know how to get a website listed in Google; Wealthy Affiliate will show you the EXACT STEPS you have to follow in order to do so.

My Trip to Vegas

I started this post talking about spending the past week in Las Vegas and I think it’s time to get back on track.

I was invited to go out to Vegas by Kyle and Carson, the two owners of Wealthy Affiliate, for a four-day all inclusive trip to talk Internet Marketing. I was one of ten people from the entire Wealthy Affiliate community invited out to Vegas. It was easily one of the greatest experiences of my life. Here I am, still a beginner and a Wealthy Affiliate member for only 8 months, and I’m getting flown out to Vegas to discuss Internet Marketing with some of the top marketing minds in the world. It was surreal.

The trip started off with a meet and greet Sunday night. Monday followed up with a full-day group discussion on the topic of Internet Marketing followed by free tickets to the new Viva Elvis Cirque du Soliel show. Tuesday, I got to sit down with Kyle and Carson and discuss MY future in Internet Marketing one-on-one. They personally offered feedback and advice to help me build my online business. Tuesday night we had a farewell party and I left Vegas on Wednesday morning.

Looking back, I still find it hard to believe that I even attended this conference. It was a great honor to be invited and an even better learning experience.

I Need to Make a Few Things Clear

I’m not some sort of Internet Marketing genius and I don’t have millions of dollars. I still live in the same small two bedroom apartment and I drive the same 1997 Honda Civic I bought out-of-pocket in high school. What I do have is a comfortable lifestyle and a growing career in Internet Marketing.

So, how did I go from a complete beginner to being invited to a personal conference in Vegas less than a year later? Proper training and a will to succeed. I knew that if I couldn’t make it, I’d have to go back to either searching for a real full-time job or back to stranger’s basements to fix their computers. I wanted no parts of either.

How Wealthy Affiliate Can Help You

My story is not all that uncommon. Everyday new posts fill the success section of the Wealthy Affiliate forums. You can see people talk about the thrill of making their first commission online and later see the same people talk about quitting their full-time to pursue a full-time Internet Marketing career. The point is that anyone can get started with Internet Marketing. You don’t need prior experience; you just need help and I truly believe Wealthy Affiliate is the answer you’re looking for.

To make things easier for you, Wealthy Affiliate has a feature called the 8-Week Action Plan and I would have been completely lost without it. They break down the basics of Internet Marketing in a step-by-step system and they show you exactly what you need to do to make money online. I can attribute most of my success to the 8-Week Action Plan as it’s the same system I used to get where I am today. Prior to completing the plan, I only had a vague idea of what Internet Marketing actually was and here I am, less than one year later, and Internet Marketing is my full-time job.

A quick breakdown as to what Wealthy Affiliate has to offer

I wanted to briefly show you everything you get with a Wealthy Affiliate membership vs. the average “make money online” type products that are out there.

What You Need to Know

• There is NO SECRET to making money online. You need three things: a good work ethic, a good training program, and a good support group.
• You need a good work ethic. Most people who set out to build an online career quit because they expect to use the Internet and get rich quick. This is not possible! Just like any other job, this is hard work and if you stick with it you CAN SUCCEED.
• You need a good training program. You can’t reasonably expect to sit down at a computer and make a full-time living without some sort of guidance. Now, good training doesn’t have to cost thousands of dollars. The cost to join Wealthy Affiliate is only $39/month and they will teach you how to make over 6-figures a year. Good training is such a worthwhile investment.
• You need support. A good community makes a world of difference. If I didn’t have a group of people I could pitch ideas or ask questions to, I would have never made it this far. The Wealthy Affiliate community if filled with both new and old members and you can even contact the owners Kyle and Carson for support directly.
• I NEVER make a recommendation just to make a quick buck. I’m recommending you join Wealthy Affiliate because I honestly believe that what they have to offer can HELP YOU better your life.
• I do want to help you succeed. I’m here to help answer any questions you might have. All you need to do is email me.

Do you still have questions?

I’ve compiled a list of the top five most frequent questions I get regarding Wealthy Affiliate. If you have a question or just want to learn more, click here and read the questions and their answers now.

Finally, there’s one last thing I want you to take away from this post.

The big difference between Wealthy Affiliate and every other product out there is that when you join Wealthy Affiliate, you’re joining a community. You aren’t being sent an ebook and left to figure things out on your own. You’re given full access to tons of Internet Marketing training programs and a thriving support forum that every member of Wealthy Affiliate is a part of. You can even ask questions to the owners Kyle & Carson directly and they will personally help you. The point is that you have real live people to turn to when you have problems. These people were all once in your shoes, know exactly what you are feeling and are now there to help you.

Wealthy Affiliate costs $39 per month to join and there are no hidden fees or upsells. $39 will give you full access to all of the training and support at Wealthy Affiliate.

Now, I know exactly what you’re thinking. Why do I have to PAY to join!? Believe me, I was entirely against paying money to join at first too. But, when I broke down the cost of a membership and saw it was only about $1 per day, I figured I could find a way to make this work. To be honest, when I first joined Wealthy Affiliate, I cut back on the amount of takeout food I ordered to help cover the costs. I saved a ton of money on food and was able to have access to the top Internet Marketing program in the world. And to think, I almost let $39 stand in the way of who I am today. Don’t make that mistake.

Well, this just about wraps up the longest post I’ve ever written here. It’s been long overdue though. I hope I was able to shed some light for you on my personal life as well as how you can get started with a career in Internet Marketing as well. I do hope to see you around the site. Remember to add me (my username is IveTriedThat) as a friend once you join!

I wanted to keep sharing deals I found and decided to create an extension for Google Chrome to do just that. (If you’re unfamiliar with Chrome, it’s another free Internet browser like Internet Explorer or Firefox, except it’s much faster and more secure. You can click here to learn more about Chrome and download it now for free.) My extension for Chrome is a plugin that displays an instantly updated list of deals right in your browser.

If you’re interested in receiving Amazon deals and you use Google Chrome or want to try it, click here to download my Amazon extension for Chrome. There are a few screenshots there and more detailed information.

So, with that said, here is the final list of deals.

The deals are formatted as such: Item Sale price $Off + extra details

Amazon Deals for 2/25/10

Deal of the Day
Rocky: The Undisputed Collection [Blu-ray] $37.99 $61.99 off

TVs & Equipment
Viore LED24VF60 24-Inch LED 1080p HDTV $291 $108 off
Samsung LN32B460 32-inch 720p LCD HDTV + Roku HD Player $346 $353 off
Panasonic VIERA G1 Series TC-L32G1 32-Inch 720p 120Hz LCD HDTV $469 $280 off
LG 42SL80 42-Inch Seamless 240Hz 1080p LCD HDTV $948 $651 off
Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote $178 $71 off
LG BD570 Network Blu-Ray Disc Player $249 $30 off

Movies & Video Games
The Mel Brooks Collection [Blu-ray] $55 $84 off
The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy [Blu-ray] $63 $35 off
Metro 2033 (XBOX 360) $49 $10 off

Netbooks
MSI U135-204US 10-Inch Black Netbook $309 $24 off
HP Mini 210-1010NR 10.1-Inch Black Netbook $299 $96 off
ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005HA-MU17-BU 10.1-Inch Netbook $294 $54 off

Everything Else
KitchenAid Artisan 5-Quart Stand Mixers $218 $131 off
AAA 77 Piece Warrior Road Assistance Kit $55 $44 off
Zune HD 32 GB Video MP3 Player (Platinum) $249 $40 off
Samsung HMX-U10 Ultra-Compact Full-HD Camcorder $97 $81 off
Pentax Optio W80 Waterproof 12.1MP Digital Camera $174 $75 off
Garmin nüvi 260W 4.3-Inch Widescreen GPS $119 $110 off

What is Niche Blitzkrieg?

The Niche Blitzkrieg system was developed by Michael Brown as a way to teach others how to make money online. The focal point behind Niche Blitzkrieg is that you will be researching popular trends and niches in the world today and then building a website to cater to this trend or niche. In doing so, you will attract visitors from search engines and then make money through advertisements placed on your website.

Did the idea of creating a website scare you? I know you’re probably thinking this is a bit out of your reach and expertise, but you’re entirely wrong. The truth is that running a website these days is very, very easy. In fact, with the Niche Blitzkrieg system, all of the hard work will automatically be generated for you. If you can manage to type on a keyboard, you’re more than capable of starting your own website. Honest.

With Niche Blitzkrieg, you’ll be able to quickly create a bunch of minisites that will continually generate income for you long after you’ve created them. This allows you to build multiple streams of income quickly and efficiently. Here are a few more reasons Niche Blitzkrieg is highly recommended…

• Success is easily repeated. Once you create your first profitable website, you’ll be able to take the techniques used and repeat them as many times as you possibly can. You’ll find yourself with multiple websites that are working 24/7 to make you money.
• Support comes free. If you ever need any help or assistance, you can talk to Michael Brown directly for support. There is no extra fee to do so either. There are also support forums where you can collaborate with other members of Niche Blitzkrieg for help or to share ideas and success stories. The quality of customer service offered at Niche Blitzkrieg is among the best I’ve ever seen online.
• Work done online from home. This is an opportunity for you to make some extra money from home. It’s a great way to make some supplemental cash on the side.
• No previous skills required. Niche Blitzkrieg was designed with the beginner in mind and assumes you have no prior marketing skills. Every lesson has detailed step-by-step instructions with images and videos to help you along the way.

Now for the good stuff…

Niche Blitzkrieg has been one of my most recommended programs for about a year now. It really is one of the easiest ways for beginners to get started with making money online.

I’ve since asked Michael Brown to lower the price for my readers and he agreed to do so! Usually, the system costs $77 to buy, but he took 25% off of the usual cost meaning, you can join Niche Blitzkrieg today for just $57. This is a special discount exclusive to I’ve Tried That readers only.

If you’re trying to make money online, then I highly suggest you take advantage of this special pricing and join Niche Blitzkrieg today.