Web Initiative Archive
September 1, 2006
Allan Tui is a Fraud
Posted by QBlog
I don't mind criticism but if you're going to dish it out, at least have the decency to be honest about it.
A guy calling himself Allan Tui made a comment on Robert Scoble's blog recently criticizing some of the things I've done. Fine. No biggie right?
In fact, I think it's great that he wants to criticize me and examine my work. But I also think it's great to do the same to Allan Tui. Let's examine his comments and I'll add my own comments in bold.
Allan Tui says - My only experience with blogs was the last presidential election and I concluded blogs were no different then people standing in the town square hurling insults at each other.
That would have been the 2004 elections, nearly two years ago. Ok, so no blogs in two years.
I have a good friend who obviously excels in his efforts based upon the people who have hired him who convinced me to read your book.
Even though it was difficult for me to admit I may have been wrong, the logic and clarity in your book made complete sense.
Classic ego-stroking. It's a good tactic but it's more of an audience play than anything in this case. Or maybe it's genuine, but read on and the BS gets easier to spot.
Tonight, to celebrate his victory, he decided I was ready for the next step and took me to your blog.
What a celebration! A visit to Scoble's blog. The guy obviously can post a comment on a blog, visit political blogs and form an opinion but he needs his "friend" to take him to Scoble's blog for a "celebration?" Wha?
There were some obviously emotional comments about Quixtar and a long post from a Quixtar consumer advocate named Eric Jannsen. My tutor showed me how to go to his site and the front page talks about a Quixtar web strategy to drown out the other side.
First of all, spell my damn name correctly. Try this - select, copy, paste. Thanks. Secondly, his "tutor showed me how to go to his site?" Who calls their friend tutor and who the hell has to be shown how to get to a damn site? I'll tell you who. Nobody except people who are pretending to be web newbies to earn a little "outsider's perspective" street cred. Puh-leeze!
After a five minute lesson on Google bombing we went to Quixtar’s home site and then spent the next hour on other corporate sites affiliated with Quixtar.
Spent an HOUR on corporate sites affiliated with Quixtar? Like what? BWW? Team? WWDB? All those require a login. How does Allan Tui and his "tutor" spend an hour on restricted sites? Maybe they're on really slow dial-up?
I discovered they were part of a multinational company that sells billions of dollars a year in product that appeared to be mostly consumables with an emphasis on their nutrition line. They appear to have a good standard in consumer protection via a substantial return and refund policy for those that are dissatisfied. Quixtar is actually a successor company to Amway in North America while Amway operates in most of the rest of the world. In short, if I was interested in purchasing or involvement I could find the information.
Really? It took Allan and his "tutor" an hour to find all that out? Some tutor. Took me 30 seconds. And why does Allan, who's learning about Quixtar for the first time from my blog, write about it like some press release? Hmmmm? Not a shred of skepticism.
My expert explained to me SEO and showed me how Quixtar and the other sites optimize for better search engine ratings but said he could see nothing they were doing that was not industry accepted.
So now the "tutor" is an expert? Great. And that expert obviously didn't spend that hour of research reading Mark Glaser's article about Quixtar.
We then went back to the site that represented themselves as a Quixtar consumer advocate and waded through the blogs. After thirty minutes I realized I was back in the town square again. Most everyone is screeching about Quixtar with little of no substance and it appears a few Quixtar people trying to respond rationally and getting trashed for their temerity.
Really? Those poor little Quixtar people trying so desperately to have a nice, civil conversation are getting screeched at by the mean Quixtar critics. Sure, those critics can be total assholes but some of the nastiest comments ever posted on my blog came from alleged "Quixtar people." Shall I remind you of Qrush?
I realize corporate sites only give us corporate speak. I wish they didn’t but everyone understands that is what we wade through. What is the premise for the belief that there is more value in acquiring information by wading through people’s rantings on blog sites, such as the one I visited, rather then a corporate site. Neither is transparent but as least I can recognize the corporate site for what it is and it is also has legal obligations that don’t extend to blogs.
Did Allan really just say what I think he said? Even after reading Scoble's book? Me thinks he didn't really read the book. The value of blogs is that they aren't edited, controlled and filtered by the gatekeepers. There's lots of crap but there's also real power which is exactly part of Scoble's point in the post that Allan Tui was commenting on. Did he read the post I wonder?
Also, what legal obligations do corporations have that bloggers don't have? Suddenly corporations are required to tell the whole truth about their business and bloggers get to lie? Bah! Corporations were built on PR spin and truth distortions. It's the American way. And yes, bloggers get to do the same thing but where's the inequity here? Doesn't it seem odd that Allan Tui is running to the defense of corporate America on his very first, and only, blog post?
I apologize for the length of this. My “coach” is telling me this is improperly lengthy for a blog. Your book is the only thing I have read that made sense to me and while I believe in the value and power of word of mouth discussion I don’t think I am the only person who doesn’t know how to discern where to get accurate information from blogs.
So now the expert is a "coach." And Scoble's book is the only thing he read that made sense to him? What kind of statement is that?
So, yeah. I absolutely believe that Allan Tui is a fabrication of some rabid Quixtar defender who's lying about his connection to blogging and the business to convince others that he's providing a glimpse into what the average Joe American perceives from blogs like this one.
I call them like I see them and Allan Tui's whole comment reads exactly like the poorly written copy that Quixtar churned out during its Google Bombing heyday. I say Allan Tui is a fraud!
BS Meter Broken
The reason I even made this post is because one IBO's BS meter appears to be broken and he latched onto Allan Tui's comment like it was the benchmark for a Gallup Opinion Poll. Now, I admit my BS meter is a little over-sensitive but come on, can anyone read Allan Tui's comment and really conclude that it's some pristine, unsolicited insight into the mind of those unfamiliar with blogs, Quixtar or the raging Quixtar controversy played out on blogs like this one?
And as an aside, doesn't it seem odd that Allan spent at least two hours with his friend-expert-tutor-coach at the computer learning about blogs AND Quixtar? Together! I can see it now:
"Hey Allan, what are you doing tonight?"
"Not a thing friend-expert-tutor-coach. Want to come over and learn me something?"
"Sure, I'll be right there. And I'm bringing an extra mouse this time so we can both use the computer at the same time. Last night was great wasn't it?"
"It sure was. I learned all about the great business opportunity known as Quixtar which enables regular people like you and me to make some extra money!"
"Yes, that was great fun. Tonight I thought we could learn all about Dick DeVos."
"Who is Dick DeVos? He sounds like a really great guy who would do a wonderful job leading a group of people, maybe even an entire state, into prosperity and bliss."
"Don't jump ahead Allan. You're going to spend the next four hours sitting in my lap at the computer desk while I show you all about Dick DeVos. And I'll even let you post a comment."
"Thanks friend-expert-tutor-coach!"
June 24, 2006
Casey Combden Joins Task Force
Posted by QBlog
Someone recently sent me a voice message reportedly from Casey Combden of Quixtar's InterBiz motivational business. The message describes an integration between Combden's business and Orrin Woodward's Team business. It also explains an Internet task force built to "eliminate negative not only on the Internet but to eliminate negative period."
Such information seems to confirm the "Web Initiative" that I've written about previously and that Mark Glaser described in his Online Journalism Review article about companies subverting search results to squelch criticism. In the interest of public debate I'm including the message as it was sent to me in a special edition of QBlog Radio. I'm distributing it in a podcast format to increase awareness and to provide my own commentary.
I've also transcribed the entire message which you can read below. I may have misspelled names and any corrections are appreciated. And of course you can listen to the message in a variety of ways.
The player below will stream the audio in your browser and is available at Odeo or you can get the episode from iTunes or download the audio (mp3 at 13 MB) onto your computer.
MESSAGE TRANSCRIPT
Hey guys this is Casey [unintelligible] to all the business builders, hope you guys are doing great. I just want to let you know that since Orrin's come in we've had some really positive things been happening at an administrative side. I wanted to give you guys a quick "heads up." We have been getting closer and closer to partnering with Orrin. As you know he's obviously got some incredible things going on and thousands, tens of thousands of people attending his functions. His standing orders are going through the roof. And he's just got the whole power player process nailed down. And the momentum that you know we look to develop and certainly succeed with and I have you know asked him obviously if we could just learn as much as we can to plug into his system.
Couple of real big positives is that he is sending us some audios that we will be integrating into the InterBiz business system here in the next several months and Rod is receiving some of the titles. In fact one of the speakers that we're going to be getting in that has partnered with Orrin is Billy and Peggy Florence. And that's a huge opportunity for all of us. Course for those of you who know Billy and Peggy, Billy has been the president of the IBOA International board, he is an Executive Diamond. Guys very, very successful. Very wealthy. Wonderful people. Some, some of my dearest friends over the years and so it's just been a real pleasure to know them.
And so we are going to be receiving not only a combination of all the Team's audios which is Chris and Terry Brady, you know Orrin and Laurie, Tim and Amy Marks and Larry and Marsie Van Buskirk. I mean we're also going to be getting Billy and Peggy.
So, our objective is just to start integrating as quickly as possible into the InterBiz business system and adding to it. So, so that's a huge opportunity.
Second thing is, is that we have partnered with Orrin. We got into a conversation about the negative on the Internet and Orrin said that they built, specifically built a task force to eliminate their nega... to eliminate negative not only on the Internet but to eliminate negative period by doing what I'll refer to as strategic Web hosting. And they use something known as a blog. A blog is where people write articles about their day-to-day transactions. It's a journaling that's online that you just do and you kind of make notes about things that you believe or that you're positive about et cetera.
I have a very important email that Rod has sent me that I would like to send to all of you. I'm going to use Lou to manage this because obviously I can't manage all of your names and everything. But I'm going to give you Lou's Kate number here and what I want you to do is not answer me back but just send a message off to Lou to make sure that you've got the email that you want to use to produce the highest and best results.
Second thing is this, is that please pick one of the subjects there's a ton of topics there. We're going to start what we call linking between all the blog sites and ourselves just to produce a more positive appearance on the Internet. It's just an attempt to kind of push down the negative about Quixtar and specifically about either myself or InterBiz so that we have a bet... a better chance of producing a higher result.
So, so this is just our first attempt at organizing everybody and doing so in a way that can really service, you know service to obviously help build the business so that we don't have to deal with the people who get, who we lose from you know checking the Internet for either InterBiz or Casey or, or whatever it happens to be Quixtar. Quixtar is going to be tough to push down but the more positive we push up forward about Quixtar the more potential we have.
So, so things are going great and I just want to let you know obviously we're going to continue to work as closely as we can with Orrin. He has been very gracious, very generous in his time, in his energy and his staff. He's actually really pushed a lot of resources forward so that we can be blessed by it. He was really turned on and very, very excited about what we're all doing and you know there's obviously a chance for future you know collaboration together. So, this won't be for a long time but you know as we start to build more closer to their culture. Obviously that's our objective is to build towards their culture, not them towards us. So that we can obviously start seeing some greater and better results.
So, hope you're all doing great. Lou's Kate number is 866-***-****. In fact what I will probably do, Lou if you get this message you know send a message directly to everybody so that they can actually get the message. Guys we just need to have everybody, all you have to do is write a paragraph. I'd like every single person, that means husbands and wives independently I really need your support on this.
So husbands and wives independently you know if every just write three-four sentences you know, "I think InterBiz has been an incredible way for me to be a great mother. It's blessed my children. My children producing better results. I have more free time to be a mother with them. And I'm excited about the personal growth I've experienced and Casey and Jeannie have been wonderful friends." Like that's the article I need you to write. I mean something as simple as that. Or the power of the system or the power of particular CD or book. You'll get, you'll get the email from Rod and we'll make this thing fly.
So, love you guys. I really need your help on this one and we really need every single person to step forward and do this with...
A few observations about the message:
- Casey never mentions Quixtar success. He talks about the attendance at motivational functions and that Woodward's standing orders are going through the roof. But where's the mention of how many Diamonds Team broke this year or how many new Emeralds are in Billy Florence's group?
- Casey says "you know" a lot.
- Seems like there's a lot of partnering and communication going on with some of these Lines of Affiliation. Interesting.
- Giving a script to your downline to blog about is lame with a capital "L."
So, what do you think about this message? Is it newsworthy or just business as usual?
UPDATE: The Quixtar leaders seem to be emailing each other about this post. My site stats show email links from Total Production's webmail. Total Production is the company that builds a lot of Quixtar leader sites, particularly for Jody Victor and Orrin Woodward.
The person who clicked the link appears to be using the email address "jerry@totalproduction.com" which is the same address used by Gerald Smith in the Whois information for the Total Production site. Interesting that the administrative contact for the company the built Jody Victor and Orrin Woodward's sites might be getting emails about this message from Casey Combden.
June 8, 2006
Qrush Ads Return
Posted by QBlog
The anonymous defamation artist known affectionately as "Qrush" has resumed his advertisements with Google's Adwords program.
What's interesting is the keywords he's using to promote his messages of hate and deception. I've discovered that he's purchased the following:
- Brad Duncan
- Larry Winters
- Bill Britt
- Dexter Yager
- Orrin Woodward
Who's paying for those Google Ads? Who paid for them in 2004? If a strategically crafted subpoena were to be submitted in Flint, Michigan I bet we could find the answer to those questions.
May 5, 2006
What is considered unethical?
Posted by Truth
The blogging world has exploded so to speak with quite a few new blogs about Quixtar opening up. Many are still in their very early stages, and it will only take time to find out how many stick through. Back on April 11th, I made a post in my blog questioning the ethics of what one paticular blogger had wrote out at myspace.com about this new blog initiative.
Well it appears that another paticular blogger has taken exception to my post, thinking that it is basically the pot calling the kettle black, he writes:
P.S. Some critic bloggers (who post negative opinions of Quixtar and training/motivation organizations and sprinkle their blogs liberally with keywords that bring attention to searches for those keywords) appear to be a bit disgruntled over an effort of self-driven individual IBO bloggers (who post positive opinions of Quixtar and training/motivation organizations and sprinkle their blogs liberally with keywords that bring attention to searches for those keywords.)
Not surprisingly, these critics consider this activity of their counterparts to be "unethical." Pot, meet kettle. (For the record, I do not consider either of the parties unethical, just opinionated.)
First of all, I am not disgruntled about this, I am confused. I don't know why someone would have to tell other bloggers to "Use terms like Quixtar, BWW, WWDB, etc liberally so that they may be found by the search engines." I have never had to consciously think about putting any kind of Quixtar or MO related term into my posts. You would think, if that is what your blog is about, and that is what your posts are about, those words would eventually make their way into your posts without any conscious effort on your part.
After reading many of these new blogs however I see things being done that are very confusing. They all seem to be obsessed with the idea of getting links. It would appear that this is an effort to move up the Google search engine rankings, since links is one of the pieces to that formula.
The blogger who had written the post in myspace came to my blog to comment. What was puzzling is that his main concern was that I did not link his blog, and he made no effort to answer anything directly from the post. Other blogs I have been to are linking words that don't make any sense. One blog had linked the word "free" twice. Once to Quixtar, and the other to "thisbiznow".
Now I am all for linking whatever you want in your own blog, but I always thought the purpose of the link was to give more information. So I am even more puzzled when another blog links the word "system" to a pro-Quixtar opinion blog. Also, the blog that took exception to my post did not link back to my blog. Really, I think they are taking this whole linking thing a little too much to heart.
In the end though what does this say about this recent explosion of Quixtar/System friendly blogs? Are they really out just to share the positive stories of Quixtar, or are they on a mission to drown out other people's opinions. As far as I know there has never been a coordinated effort by critical bloggers like this, they simply set out to tell others of their experience and what they saw wrong with the Motivational Organizations of Quixtar.
Questions
So what say you? What is considered unethical? Is it wrong for me to question the ethical behavior of these new blogs when clearly their actions are puzzling at best? One blogger says that he doesn't think either side is unethical, just opinionated. Granted, everyone has their opinion, and I leave it up to the readers to decide whether the Motivational Organizations are a good thing or not, and welcome the other side.
Matter of fact I have a standing invitation to any IBO, or pro-Quixtar person to come on my podcast and explain their position and tell me where I am missing the point. To date I have had not one IBO take me up on this. But you tell me, where do you draw the line on having an opinion, and having an agenda?
Side Note: Any IBO, or pro-Quixtar blogger or individual wanting to come on the podcast you can send me an e-mail, or call 1-775-908-9383 and leave a message.
February 28, 2006
Spotted At SES - NYC
Posted by QBlog
At least two Quixtar, Inc. employees were spotted at the Premier Conference for Search Engine Marketing & Optimization in New York this week. Maybe they'll actually learn something... like DO NOT Google Bomb!
The Quixtar folks in attendace are Erik Toth and Jay Benda. Jay is reportly an IT manager and Erik is a young web developer. Hope they're having a blast learning about Search Engine Marketing!
;o)
September 6, 2005
Bobble Is Beth Dornan
Posted by QBlog
Who is the author of the Quixtar Success blog posting under the pseudonym, Bobble? After "Outing Kia" I suppose it's time to do the same for Bobble.
Who Is Bobble?
Bobble is the pseudonym for Beth Dornan, Director of Communications for Quixtar. Dornan started the Quixtar Success blog last summer, around the time other Web Initiative blogs were launching.
However, Dornan's blog was refreshingly different from many of the Web Initiative blogs (like the Billy Florence blog, Fred Harteis blog and "Real Quixtar Blog") because it allowed trackbacks, comments and gave hints about the author's true identity:
Yes, I really do work at Quixtar headquarters near Grand Rapids, Michigan. I'm part of Sales & Marketing Division.
I really like Dornan's blog, even if it frequently shows its PR roots. Posts like "Growin' Up" give a genuine, blogger-like tone to a site that's obviously designed to boost Quixtar's image. And the fact that Dornan responds to comments engages the readers and gives them a reason to return again and again.
Anonymous
What I don't understand is why Dornan decided to post anonymously. I tried to get an answer to that question and received the following respons:
I'm anonymous by choice -- not by design. I'm very intrigued by blogging but have no interest in plastering my name all over the Web because of my commitment to my and my family's privacy.
While I understand Dornan's commitment to privacy, that has nothing to do with operating a corporate blog. I run a blog (not this one) for my employer and I use my real name on that blog. Is that compromising my family's privacy? No. Not any more than posting Dornan's name on a Quixtar press release.
We live in an era of instant, global communication and just because our name is attached to something public, doesn't mean we're endangering our family's privacy. Is Jim Payne endangering his family's privacy when he signs some public memo? Does Jeff Jarvis show a lack of commitment to his family's privacy because he blogs as himself? What about Scoble? You get the idea.
Here's what Michael Hyatt, the President and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers (the largest Christian publishing company in the world), has to say about Corporate blogging:
Write as yourself. In other words, please use your real name. We don't want people writing anonymously or under a pseudonym. Your name should be prominently displayed on your blog's title or subtitle. This will add credibility with your readers and promote accountability within our company.
Credibility
I tried to raise the credibility issue with Dornan, and others, to no avail. For some reason Quixtar PR thinks that running anonymous blogs is more credible than the alternative. Or, maybe there's another reason? Maybe there's an accountability issue here? Could it be that Dornan, Luymes and others don't want to be held accountable for what they say on their very public blogs? I'd love for someone at Quixtar to post a comment here explaining the rationale for such behavior.
Anyway, I hope the Quixtar Success blog takes this opportunity to improve. It's a good blog that really has a chance to be great.
UPDATE: Beth Dornan has responded to this post:
Who am I? I'm Beth Dornan with Quixtar Communications. How will this change my blog? Not a lot. I'll still express some personal opinions about a wide range of topics, from the food in the cafeteria to the latest concerts coming to Grand Rapids, but I'll focus a bit more on what we're doing here at Quixtar Communications. Web sites we're working on. Catalogs we're producing. Cool stuff we're doing. And when what we do isn't so cool, what we didn't do so well.
Kudos to Dornan! I know I'll keep reading Quixtar Success and look forward to the increased focus on Quixtar Communications. Aren't blogs grand?
August 30, 2005
Kia is Robin Luymes
Posted by QBlog
At long last, I can complete the Quixtar Web Initiative Roster! Kia (aka "The Rooster") is Robin Luymes, Manager of Public Relations for Quixtar.
Who is Kia you ask? Well, Kia is the pseudonym Luymes uses as the publisher of the "Real Quixtar Blog," an official Quixtar "blog." His identity was revealed after my "Outing Kia" post last Saturday.
What's funny is that I actually spoke to Luymes in May regarding the "Yahoo Incident." Who knew that I was also talking to Kia, the formidable RQB wordsmith?
Well, now that the mystery's been solved you know exactly who's responsible for the drivel content on the so-called "Real Quixtar Blog." Next week we'll find out who's behind the Quixtar Success blog.
August 27, 2005
Outing Kia
Posted by QBlog
Last summer Quixtar launched a massive, online reputation initiative. Dubbed the "Web Reputation Task Force," the initiative employed a variety of tactics designed to improve the visibility of websites favorable to Quixtar while diminishing the visibility of so-called "Quixtar-hating Internet zealot" websites (read Companies subvert search results to squelch criticism - OJR).
One aspect of Quixtar's reputation initiative involved operating several blogs run anonymously by employees. The cleverly titled "Real Quixtar Blog" (not to be confused with the parody site, Fake Quixtar Blog) has persisted as an enigmatic participant in that anonymous blogging effort. I say "enigmatic participant" because it's not really a blog and I've never been able to figure out the name of the author — until today.
What's Kia's Name?
The "Real Quixtar Blog" is run by a man using the pseudonym Kia. I recently discovered one of Kia's personal photo sites which includes pictures of Quixtar, vacation spots and of course, Kia! To determine Kia's true identity I simply need some helpful individual to attach a name to the handsome face featured in this post. Can you help?
Why?
In the past I've been critical of Quixtar's decision to blog anonymously and feel that blogs, like David Ellyatt's, benefit from being identified with a specific employee (Ellyatt is Quixtar's Web Marketing Manager). I believe that such disclosure lends some much-needed credibility to the blog and allows the author to speak more candidly as a representative of Quixtar.
I'm not suggesting that anonymous blogs have no credibility, just that blogs run by a corporation, for a corporation and with the tacit approval of that corporation, suffer when run anonymously. It's bad Public Relations and we all know how important PR is to Quixtar.
A Summer Outing
But, I must make it clear that I'm not really "outing" Kia, he "outed" himself. His photo is posted on a public site along with lots of other photos that link him to Quixtar and to the "Real Quixtar Blog." Apparently he wants to be identified and I won't disappoint.
UPDATE - Clues & Guesses
Scott Larsen sent me the following email:
I'd guess it is Robin Luymes.
Anyone else want to chime in?
June 2, 2005
The SEO House of Cards
Posted by QBlog
The Online Journalism Review has just published a article by Mark Glaser that looks at search engine optimization "gone bad."
» Companies subvert search results to squelch criticism
It's not illegal, but it's SEO gone bad. Companies such as Quixtar are using Google-bombing, link farms and Web spam pages to place positive sites in the top search results -- which pushes the negative ones down.
It's a solid article from a skilled reporter. See what other bloggers are saying about it at Technorati.
May 24, 2005
Google Bombing and Quixtar
Posted by QBlog
The world is slowly, but surely, realizing that the Quixtar leadership has been using blogs to Google Bomb. Juicee News Daily asks What is Google Bombing? The answer is lengthy but thorough.
Here's an excerpt:
As of 2 February 2005, many have noticed changes in the Google algorithm that largely affects, among other things, Googlebombs. As evidence of this, ponder that only roughly 10% of the googlebombs listed above work as of 15 February 2005. This is largely due to Google refactoring its valuation of PageRank, mostly in an effort to keep up with the encroaching result relevancy of the Yahoo and MSN search engines, which many people claim are not nearly as easy to "hack" as Google.
In 2005, multi-level marketing giant Amway Quixtar began a "Quixtar Web Initiative" to manipulate Google results. The project was deemed a clear and flagrant violation of Google's Quality Guidelines.
Amway Quixtar leaders told members that the company had "hired geekoids who were spending their time Google bombing positive info about Quixtar so that the negative sites would be buried way down at the bottom of the Google list when a prospect types in Quixtar [in a search engine]. Nobody will even be able to find the negative sites anymore."
Actually, the Quixtar Web Initiative (aka Web Reputation Task Force) began in 2004 after the spring IBOAI meeting. And the "positive info about Quixtar" is more like complete nonsense filled with Quixtar keywords.
May 17, 2005
Justice Prevails at Yahoo
Posted by QBlog
In case you missed it, the Yahoo Incident is officially over. This site is once again appearing in Yahoo's search results thanks to email complaints sent to Yahoo by concerned readers. I sincerely appreciate your show of support and without your efforts this injustice may have continued indefinitely. The good news is that your voices were heard and because of your actions a bold message was delivered to Quixtar — We Will Not Be Bullied!
A Brief Summary
For unknown reasons, Quixtar contacted Yahoo and asked them to remove this blog from its search results. Quixtar gave Yahoo misleading information about my site and Yahoo acquiesced. After I was alerted to this injustice I contacted Quixtar and Yahoo to correct the obvious error. Last Sunday that error was corrected.
My Thoughts
I'm proud of this site. Proud of the Quixtar BLOG and webraw.com. For over three years I've gladly poured my energy, time, talent, love and passion into this site and done so without expecting anything in return. When I launched webraw.com I wrote a manifesto that expressed my "lofty goals" and described my vision of the "free-Web," a culture of sharing. That vision is as clear today as it was then.
During the last three years the popularity of webraw.com (and Quixtar BLOG) has grown tremendously. That growth didn't result from Google Bombing, Spamming, Link Exchanges or artificial SEO techniques. I attribute the growth to my fundamental Web philosophy — Build a website with fresh, compelling content and maintain it with care and integrity and it will eventually get the attention it deserves.
Part of that attention comes in the form of search engine rankings. A site that has a high rank gets preference over lower ranked sites for relevant keyword searches. I guess you could say that webraw.com has earned its search ranking through hard work, building lasting relationships, producing compelling content, publishing with integrity and following the "free-Web" philosophy on which it was founded. And that's why I was enraged to learn that Quixtar had misrepresented my site to Yahoo and encouraged them to de-list it. Instead of spending the time and effort to develop their own site, Quixtar sought to indirectly destroy the visibility of mine.
I honestly don't care about search engine rankings. You may find that hard to believe but it's true. My anger isn't directed at Yahoo for de-listing my site, it's directed at Quixtar for misrepresenting my site and trying to suppress a voice it can't control. As soon as Yahoo understood what happened, they corrected the error as I expected. However, Quixtar has yet to apologize.
And answer me this — why is it that the so-called "Quixtar critic" takes the high-road while the billion dollar corporation resorts to deceit, vandalism and anonymous personal attacks? That's a damn good question isn't it? Anyone at Quixtar care to answer? I know you read this blog. Don't be shy.
May 9, 2005
Yahoo De-Lists Quixtar BLOG
Posted by QBlog
UPDATE: It appears that Yahoo may be changing their search results to restore this site to it's proper location (wherever that may be). Which is good, if it happens. And yes, I realize that I look like a paranoid conspiracy theorist if this all just ends up being one giant Yahoo SNAFU (rhymes with Shamoo). Oh well, let's see what happens.
UPDATE II: After calling Quixtar yesterday I'm now convinced that my "paranoia" is totally justified. I had a very brief conversation with David Ellyatt, Quixtar's Web Marketing Manager, who indicated that he asked Yahoo to de-list my site. He refused to explain why and so I'm left to make my own assumptions.
If you'd like to ask Quixtar why they lobbied Yahoo to remove my site then call Robin Luymes, Quixtar's Manager of Public Relations, at (616) 787-6338.
UPDATE III: I spoke with Robin Luymes on Wednesday and he claimed ignorance about any efforts to get Yahoo to de-list my site but also wouldn't deny that such an effort exists. I asked to speak to someone who would know and he got my number and promised to get back to me. I'm holding my breath.
UPDATE IV: Robin Luymes sent me the following message:
Eric: As promised, I'm following up on our phone conversation of yesterday.Quixtar, as a Web-based business opportunity, provides a number of Web sites designed to provide easy access to information about the company, its products, and the business opportunity it supports. We are continually refining our online presence but do not release specific details about our plans, strategy, or actions.
Instead of speculating about the reasons for actions Yahoo! has taken, I would suggest you follow-up with them directly to determine why your blog was "delisted."
Thanks Eric!
My response to Luymes was simply, "Why do you assume I'm speculating?"
UPDATE V: Yahoo has corrected the error. This site is once again listed in their search results. Thanks to all of you who complained to Yahoo, your voices were obviously heard. Quixtar ends up looking like a total ass and gains nothing from its underhanded actions. Justice prevails. Once again Quixtar commits a miserable Web blunder. I'm beginning to think Quixtar's Web division is run by restless monkeys instead of competent professionals.
Go to Yahoo. Search for the following Keywords:
No matter how hard you try, you won't be able to pull up this blog at webraw.com/quixtar. In fact, Yahoo has virtually de-listed the webraw.com domain (which is where Quixtar BLOG is hosted) from their search results.
And typing "webraw" (which is a very unusual word and pretty much only used on the Web in reference to my site) does not pull up my site (webraw.com) until the last page of search results — page 32 in Yahoo and result number 311 (webraw on Yahoo). Contrast that with Google, MSN and Lycos which all list some variation of webraw.com as the top result for the "webraw" search word.
I did a little Googling to see if there is some Yahoo de-listing trend that I needed to investigate and I didn't find any solid evidence of such an effort. I ended up at Yahoo's "Search Spam & Deletions" page and reviewed their guidelines. My site is wholly compliant with those guidelines and I've done nothing to justify such action.
Weirder still is that the sites Yahoo lists when searching for "Quixtar Blog" have been identified as participating in a search engine manipulation scheme.
Why Did Yahoo Do That?
There's speculation about why Yahoo has virtually de-listed this site. My guess is that they caved to pressure from Quixtar or were presented an offer they couldn't refuse ("Here's a boatload of money, now get rid of Janssen's site!"). It appears to be an attempt by a giant corporation to silence independent voices. Do I have the "smoking gun" proof? No. Not yet.
What Can You Do?
The best thing you can do right now is boycott Yahoo. Don't use their search service. Tell your friends about this and encourage them to boycott it as well. Google's a superior search engine anyway and there's really no reason to use Yahoo's search so I recommend that you simply avoid it altogether.
You can also complain to Yahoo. Let them know that you're appalled that my site has been treated in such a manner. Contact Yahoo's Customer Care and make it clear that you don't appreciate such behavior.
Clearing The Record
I know what some of you are thinking. "It serves you right. Your site supplanted Quixtar.com on Google's search results and now you're getting payback." I understand that mentality but you're wrong. I never asked for Quixtar to be removed or even de-valued, just notified Google about their actions. And Google didn't de-list Quixtar, just moved it down slightly in the search results.
I concede that there's a remote possibility that Yahoo believes my site deserves to be de-listed but I challenge anyone to find where I've clearly violated Yahoo's guidelines. And then show me where the sites Yahoo does list aren't in violation.
Thanks.
April 27, 2005
Fake Quixtar Blog
Posted by QBlog
Holy Cow! Look what Technorati just dragged in!
You've heard of the "Real Quixtar Blog" right? You know, the blog run by some Quixtar employee named "Kia" (Know It All). Well, now there's a spot-on parody site that is simply hilarious. Guess what the new blog is called. Go ahead, guess!
If you guessed Fake Quixtar Blog then you're right... and you can stop guessing.
This parody blog is authored by "DKJ" which stands for "Don't Know Jack." It apes just about every aspect of the "Real Quixtar Blog" and ventures towards the bizarre with a photo of a man-dog thing on the "vacation page."
If there was ever a time for a solid parody of Quixtar's blogging shenanigans, that time would be now.
» Visit Fake Quixtar Blog and let the giggling begin.
Oh yeah, meant to add that the Fake blog has permalinks and archives so — ironically — the Fake Quixtar Blog is more of "real blog" than the "Real Quixtar Blog." Now that's funny!
April 5, 2005
Thumbs Up Quixtatic
Posted by QBlog
I've been openly critical of various "blogs" run by Quixtar, and now I think it's time I gave a few compliments to blogs that deserve some praise. After all, not every Quixtar-run blog is worthless PR pabulum and at least one is showing signs of being something very special.
Quixtatic is one of Quixtar's employee-run blogs that has recently distinguished itself by providing relevant and insightful commentary about corporate blogging, Quixtar and how to communicate naturally. The blog, authored by writer/editor Kathleen Vandervelde, is a breath of fresh air amongst the horde of Quixtar's so-called Google Bomb Blogs (that's what I call them).
One recent post, Guidelines For Corporate Bloggers, seems to propose some simple guidelines for Quixtar's Corporate (employee run) blogs:
In my last one-on-one with the boss, we talked a little about employee blogs (Quixtar has five), including the possibility of publishing some guidelines should our blog numbers increase. I mentioned my earlier post linking to guidelines from Sun Microsystems as a reference...
- Write as yourself. Using real name adds credibility.
- Own your content. These are your opinions. A short disclaimer to that effect is offered for use.
- Write Relevant. Write Often. It's how you get readers coming back.
The post mentions a few more points but what is really cool is that Kathleen seems to "get it" in ways that most of the other Quixtar bloggers don't. She seems to grasp that to publish a successful and link-worthy blog, one must produce actual content. What a revolutionary concept!
I've watched the Quixtatic blog for some time and it's always been very readable but even more so since the author abandoned her odd Macintosh mission. I never quite understood the mission but the writing was solid enough to keep me coming back, sporadically at least. Now, however, I check the Quixtatic blog every day, eager to discover new insight. If Quixtar is smart, and I have my doubts, it will use the Quixtatic blog as a model for all its blogs and abandon the nonsense that floods my Technorati searches almost daily.
Honorable Mentions
I would be remiss if I didn't mention two other Quixtar-run blogs that are quality publications. Quixtar and Beyond, run by Quixtar's Web Marketing Manager, David Ellyatt and Inside Quixtar run by someone known only as "Bobble." Both blogs are decent and sometimes quite good and I enjoy reading them from time-to-time. I suggest you check them out as well.
March 9, 2005
Quixtar PR Scorecard
Posted by QBlog
The Quixtar Public Relations team is a busy group. They work night and day to publish scintillating articles press releases with headlines like "IBOAI endorses Quixtar's exclusive Artistry skin care line says Orrin Woodward" or "Fred Harteis, IBOAI Endorses Artistry, Quixtar's Prestige Brand of Skin Care and Cosmetics." Wow. I can't wait to read those exciting stories!
Of course the Quixtar PR team does much more than just write cool stories about cosmetics. They're constantly devising new and wonderful ways to relate to the public, which is generally what happens in a Public Relations Department. Sometimes those plans work brilliantly and sometimes they fail miserably. Today I thought it would be neat to rate the performance of the Quixtar Public Relations Team with something I call the "Quixtar PR Scorecard."
The Quixtar PR Scorecard functions just like an elementary school report card. Grades are assigned with an "A" being the best and an "F" being the worst. And because this is my scorecard, I assign each grade based on my own opinions. No, it's not very scientific but I have an excuse — I'm not a scientist.
F - For the Quixtar Google Bombing campaign
Filling the Web with bogus blogs run by Web lackeys who repurpose poorly written PR copy filled with keywords and misleading links is bad form and a bad PR move. It's too "Spam-like" for an organization that loves the phrase "High Tech and High Touch." My advice, ditch the Google Bombing and publish some valuable content that other folks will want to link. That's what I do.
F - For "vandalizing" Wikipedia
What could Quixtar possibly hope to gain by removing all critical commentary from the beloved Wikipedia? It looks suspicious and begs the question, "What are they hiding?" There's also the potential backlash that could result from being labeled as a bully within the quintessential open source community.
F - Trying to suppress The Blakey Report
The Blakey Report was a moderately interesting document expressing the opinion of one man. Had the folks in Michigan decided to ignore the report, it probably would have slipped away unnoticed. However, because they decided to pursue it and tried to suppress it, the report quickly became the court document du jour.
B+ - Not trying to suppress The Postma Memo
Possibly learning a lesson from The Blakey Report fiasco, the folks in Michigan decided to let the Postma Memo ride and publish a spin page. It's not a bad strategy. Hint. Hint.
C - For not putting Ken McDonald on camera for Dateline
I understand that it's sometimes best to decline an interview but I think it was a mistake in this situation. Giving an actual face to Quixtar (Ken's face may not be the one they want but I've seen worse mugs) would have connected with viewers in ways that a letter can't. I know why the Quixtar chose to avoid face-time, I just think it was probably a mistake.
D - For a poor job of informing IBOs about the new Non-Compete Rule
Quixtar did post the info on it's "What's New" page but that's not the best way to communicate important rule changes that can affect an IBO's business. Too many IBOs found out about the rule from my blog. Not good. Contrast that with the effective methods used to inform everyone about the P & G supporting homosexuals rumor.
F - Plays Well With Others
Quixtar is too serious. It should lighten up, get a sense of humor and join the Web revolution instead of trying to control it. Relax. Chill out. Start more blogs like Quixtatic. Start a forum like the one Proctor & Gamble runs. Don't be afraid of public feedback. Sometimes a few criticisms help a company's image more than a thousand gloating press releases. Read The Cluetrain Manifesto. Start a dialogue. Show the world that you're human. Be real. Play well with others.
January 19, 2005
So Busted
Posted by QBlog
Every time I think I'm done commenting on the ineptitude and clumsiness of Quixtar's Google Bombing Blogs I run across something so ignorant and incompetent that I'm forced to stop everything and stare. Like driving by that car wreck, I don't want to turn and look but I... can't... resist.
So Quixtar's latest Web "car wreck" is a clear and unambiguous violation of Google's Quality Guidelines. One of the Google Guidelines is "Don't create multiple pages, subdomains, or domains with substantially duplicate content."
From January 12, 2005, on the "Quixtar - Becoming Quixtar Diamond Distributors: Quixtar Diamond Terminate Business As Usual" blog we see this post (Google cache):
Quixtar Diamond Distributor Facts for today - Don Wilson: ConcentratesDon Wilson Quixtar Nutrilite Notes - Concentrates
Quixtar Diamond Distributors Facts for today!
Quixtar Nutrilite Notes from Don Wilson: Plants & Concentrates
Don Wilson Quixtar Nutrilite Review: Plants to Concentrates
Quixtar & Nutrilite have the know how. The science of turning plant materials into nutrient rich contrates is an amazing amount of work. It requires special processing and state-of-the-art equipment. Did you know that within hours of harvesting, the Nutrilite plants are dehydrated using carefully controlled temperatures and an airflow that protects the heat sensitive nutrients?
Don Wilson: The dehydration process does two things. (1) It kills microbes that could multiply while (2) locking in the natural vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other phytonutrients. What's next? The dehydrated powered is milled into a fine power and mixed to create the unique Nutrilite concentrate blends
Quixtar and Nutrilite combine the best of nature with the best of science.
Quixtar IBO Don Wilson is a member of the IBOAI
And from January 9, 2005, on the "QUIXTAR BUSINESS IBO" blog we see this post (Google cache):
Quixtar IBO Updates: Product Feature - NutriliteQuixtar Nutrilite Notes from Don Wilson: Plants & Concentrates
Don Wilson Quixtar Nutrilite Review: Plants to Concentrates
Quixtar & Nutrilite have the know how. The science of turning plant materials into nutrient rich contrates is an amazing amount of work. It requires special processing and state-of-the-art equipment. Did you know that within hours of harvesting, the Nutrilite plants are dehydrated using carefully controlled temperatures and an airflow that protects the heat sensitive nutrients?
Don Wilson: The dehydration process does two things. (1) It kills microbes that could multiply while (2) locking in the natural vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other phytonutrients. What's next? The dehydrated powered is milled into a fine power and mixed to create the unique Nutrilite concentrate blends
Quixtar and Nutrilite combine the best of nature with the best of science.
Quixtar IBO Don Wilson is a member of the IBOAI
Of course from January 12, 2005, on the "Quixtar - Florence: Billy Florence Quixtar Amway Business Analysis" blog we see this post (Google cache):
Florence Quixtar Update: Don Wilson Quixtar Nutrilite Notes – ConcentratesQuixtar Nutrilite Notes from Don Wilson: Plants and Concentrates
Don Wilson Quixtar Nutrilite Review: Plants to Concentrates
Quixtar & Nutrilite have the know how. The science of turning plant materials into nutrient rich contrates is an amazing amount of work. It requires special processing and state-of-the-art equipment. Did you know that within hours of harvesting, the Nutrilite plants are dehydrated using carefully controlled temperatures and an airflow that protects the heat sensitive nutrients?
Don Wilson: The dehydration process does two things. (1) It kills microbes that could multiply while (2) locking in the natural vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other phytonutrients. What's next? The dehydrated powered is milled into a fine power and mixed to create the unique Nutrilite concentrate blends
Quixtar and Nutrilite combine the best of nature with the best of science.
Quixtar IBO Don Wilson is a member of the IBOAI
And finally from January 10, 2005, on the "Ron Puryear WWDB Quixtar" blog we see this post:
Quixtar Nutrilite Notes from Don Wilson: Plants & ConcentratesDon Wilson Quixtar Nutrilite Review: Plants to Concentrates
Quixtar & Nutrilite have the know-how. The science of turning plant materials into nutrient rich contrates is an amazing amount of work. It requires special processing and state-of-the-art equipment. Did you know that within hours of harvesting, the Nutrilite(R) plants are dehydrated using carefully controlled temperatures and an airflow that protects the heat sensitive nutrients?
Don Wilson: The dehydration process does two things: (1) It kills microbes that could multiply while (2) locking in the natural vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other phytonutrients. What's next? The dehydrated powered is milled into a fine powder and mixed to create the unique Nutrilite concentrate blends.
Quixtar and Nutrilite combine the best of nature with the best of science.
Quixtar IBO Don Wilson is a member of the IBOAI.
So why am I wasting my valuable blog space boring you with this stupid post duplication? Well, let's just say that I'm compiling evidence both publicly and privately to present to Google. I've been in contact with Google and they're very interested in what Quixtar is doing because it ultimately erodes the value of their search engine results which translates into BAD NEWS for Google. Google makes their money from search results and if those results are worthless, they don't make money. And if some billion dollar corporation is funding a campaign that could ultimately result in significant revenue losses for Google, well they wouldn't be very happy with Quixtar.
You can help me collect this evidence. I have a list of 35 42 blogs that I believe participate in Quixtar's Google Bombing campaign. Here is the list:
- http://quixtarbusinessanalysis.blogharbor.com/blog
- http://billyflorence.typepad.com/
- http://billyflorence.blogharbor.com/
- http://harteisinternational.blogharbor.com/blog
- http://quixtarblogbob.blogharbor.com/blog
- http://esourcenews.blogharbor.com/blog
- http://quixtar-mlm.blogware.com/blog
- http://amquix.blogharbor.com/blog
- http://ron-puryear-wwdb-quixtar.blogharbor.com/blog
- http://quixtar-business-ibo.blogware.com/blog
- http://quixtarandamway.blogharbor.com/blog
- http://quixtar.blogharbor.com/blog
- http://jodyvictor.blogharbor.com/
- http://fredharteis.blogharbor.com/
- http://biznetproductions.blogharbor.com/
- http://teamofdestiny.blogharbor.com/
- http://brettdeimler.blogharbor.com/blog
- http://dexandbirdieyager.blogharbor.com/
- http://jody-victor.blogcreek.com/blog
- http://e-quadnews.blogharbor.com/
- http://deimlerinternational.blogharbor.com/blog/
- http://chrisbrady.blogharbor.com/blog/
- http://chuckgoetschel.blogcreek.com/
- http://harteis.tripod.com/blog/
- http://quixtar-greg-duncan-wwdb.blogware.com/
- http://emarine.blogspot.com/
- http://diamond-d.joeuser.com/
- http://bizowner.joeuser.com/
- http://whatibosaresaying.blogharbor.com/blog/
- http://jeff-granger-team-of-destiny.blogharbor.com/
- http://lifesadventure.typepad.com/
- http://nikpalomaki-teamofdestiny.blogharbor.com/blog/
- http://don-team-of-destiny.blogspot.com/
- http://orrin-woodward-team.blogharbor.com/
- http://orrinwoodward.blogharbor.com/
- http://team-orrinwoodward-team.blogharbor.com/blog/
- http://orrin-woodward.blogspot.com/
- http://harteisinternationalincorporated businessownerprofiles.blogharbor.com/
- http://biznetproductions businessownerprofiles.blogharbor.com/
- http://joeland.blogcreek.com/blog
- http://dexteryager-quixtar-amway-ibo-blog.blogware.com/
- http://dexandbirdieyager.blogharbor.com/
It is incomplete. If you know of other blogs that are not on this list, please email me a link to the blog along with the reasons you believe it should be added to this list. Things to look for are outlined in Google's Guidlines:
- Make pages for users, not for search engines. Don't deceive your users, or present different content to search engines than you display to users
- Avoid tricks intended to improve search engine rankings. A good rule of thumb is whether you'd feel comfortable explaining what you've done to a website that competes with you. Another useful test is to ask, "Does this help my users? Would I do this if search engines didn't exist?"
- Don't participate in link schemes designed to increase your site's ranking or PageRank. In particular, avoid links to web spammers or "bad neighborhoods" on the web as your own ranking may be affected adversely by those links.
- Avoid hidden text or hidden links.
- Don't load pages with irrelevant words.
- Don't create multiple pages, subdomains, or domains with substantially duplicate content.
- Avoid "doorway" pages created just for search engines, or other "cookie cutter" approaches such as affiliate programs with little or no original content.
Lastly, if you're an IBO and you've personally witnessed your upline saying that Quixtar was Google Bombing or anything similar to that please let me know via email. Or if you have any documentation that you can give me (emails, memos, etc.) discussing the Web Reputation Task Force please send that to me as well.
Thank you,
QBlog
November 3, 2004
Quixtar Admits Google Bombing
Posted by QBlog
Quixtar is waging an aggressive Google Bombing campaign in an attempt to manipulate search engine results. The primary component of the "Quixtar Web Initiative" is specifically designed to exploit blogs in an unprecedented manner. Unlike businesses that utilize a few blogs to communicate with employees, associates and customers (NY Times and Search Engine Guide), Quixtar has hired "geekoids" to manufacture hundreds of blogs designed to confuse (rather than inform) information seekers.
And while most businesses would try to distance themselves from such spam-like activity, the Quixtar Leadership boasts about its Google Bombing efforts. I received the following message from an IBO who recently attended a Free Enterprise Day rally where Greg Duncan was one of the featured speakers.
A significant part of Greg Duncan's talk to the entire crowd at this FED was about Google bombing! I didn't record his talk, but here's the gist:Yes, I believe it is embarrassing. Why would a "billion dollar company" want to confuse instead of inform? Why would a "billion dollar company" behave like a couple of mischievous Web hooligans? Why doesn't Quixtar build a phenomenally dynamic and informative Web site that is so compelling and engaging that people will naturally look to it as "The Source" for quality information? QuixtarFacts.com and QuixtarResponse.com seemed like a good start but they simply stalled and are now nothing more than static reference sites.Greg said that "since our Diamonds, Emeralds, and Platinums are out there busy showing the plan, building our businesses and raising our families, we don't have time to spend on our own websites promoting all the great things that are happening in Quixtar. Therefore, when a prospect or new person 'Googles' Quixtar, they get a list of negative websites put together by 'geekoid' (yes, that was his word) losers who quit and who have nothing better to do than spend 5 hours a night writing negative stuff about Quixtar.
"So, we (he didn't specify "we," but now we know he had a part, I would assume that "we" is the IBOAI board) now have hired our own geekoids who are spending their time Google bombing (yes, he said "Google Bombing") positive info about Quixtar so that the negative sites will be buried way down at the bottom of the Google list when a prospect types in 'Quixtar.' Nobody will even be able to find the negative sites anymore."
(Giant eruption of applause and happy shouting throughout the coliseum followed this announcement. Of course 95% of the people in the room probably had no idea what he was talking about except that Greg Duncan was saving them from the "negative" on the internet!)
So, there it is, a public admission of what we reading Quixtar Blog already knew. So amazing that he was proud to be filling up the internet with bogus sites that have no real information. Doesn't he know it's embarrassing?
If the Quixtar Leadership were smart about their approach to the Web, they'd develop an enormous and robust online community that's honest, candid and informative. They'd work to engage everyone, not confuse information seekers. But the Quixtar leadership doesn't seem to think like a "billion dollar company," at least where the Web is concerned. They still have a lot to learn.
October 29, 2004
Monkey Dance
Posted by QBlog
"Mommy, why is the monkey dancing?," little Timmy inquires.
"Well, because that's all the silly monkey knows how to do sweety," mother replies.
DISCLAIMER: Technically that's a dancing chimpanzee, which is an ape, not a monkey.
October 20, 2004
Character Assassin Backpedalling?
Posted by QBlog
It's generally bad form for a blogger to yank posts without explanation. However, one active blogger (and vocal critic of this blog) has removed an especially vicious and possibly libelous personal assault against Quixtar Critic Scott Larsen and for that I'm grateful. I usually don't like to see content of any sort removed but when that content crosses the line, as it clearly did in this situation, then I'm glad to see it gone.
The post in question came from a guy calling himself "Qrush" and he's basically critical of anyone who doesn't share his extremist ideology. His now-missing August 28 entry was titled "Scott Larsen Sadomasochist Pinko Sicko?" and it began by discussing communists and quickly degenerated into a hate-filled diatribe about sexuality. I was disgusted.
But I wasn't always disgusted with the Qrush blog. When it first appeared, I said that I loved it and I wasn't lying. I admired the guy for being "candid" and saying what a lot of IBOs were probably thinking. However, the "Sicko" post that forced me to reevaluate my original assessment. Is the "Qrush" blog really just the honest (if not misguided) rantings of an angry IBO or is it part of some larger, coordinated smear campaign?
Smear Campaign?
A smear campaign is a systematic attempt by an individual or group to malign another individual or group's reputation, usually to undermine the confidence the public holds in the target. Smear campaigns rarely address the issues, preferring rumors to facts and anonymity to accountability. Several facts about the "Qrush" blog seem to indicate that it's part of a coordinated smear campaign.
- Each month an estimated $100-500 is being spent to advertise the blog on various search engines.
- Billy Florence, a leader in Quixtar's Web Initiative, has voiced his support of "Qrush" on various blogs and in alleged emails.
- The "Qrush" blog is totally anonymous.
- The character attacks are primarily focused on at least two of the four individuals named in Quixtar's Response to the Dateline show, Bo Short and Scott Larsen.
So why did the "Qrush" guy yank the "Sicko" post? I have no idea. Maybe his conscience kicked in or maybe someone at Quixtar ordered him to remove it. Who knows. I'd ask the guy but he doesn't to respond to emails. Whatever the reason, I'm just glad it's gone.
October 14, 2004
The Quixtar Web Initiative
Posted by QBlog
Earlier this year the Quixtar leadership developed a Strategic Web Initiative.
Their Initiative is specifically designed to improve the reputation of Quixtar,
its leaders and their respective organizations. The primary goal of the Initiative,
headed by Jody Victor, Fred Harteis and Billy Florence, is to impact search
engine results (especially Google) so that links to so-called "Quixtar Negative"
sites are replaced by links to "Quixtar Positive" sites. The implementation
of their Initiative is a multipronged assault on the Web utilizing Quixtar Product
Information Pages, Blogs, Personal Home Pages, IBO Controlled News Outlets,
Advertisements and Web Reputation specialists.
How Does It Work?
In this Internet Age, people commonly turn to search engines when seeking information
about a particular topic. Search engines, like Google, often assign a type of
relevance ranking to every Web page and then pages with a higher ranking will
be listed first in the search results. I'm grossly oversimplifying this ranking
process but just understand that one of the key factors used to determine that
relevance ranking is measuring the volume and quality of links pointing to a
specific page.
While the Page Rank process
is brilliantly effective, it's not without its flaws. Organizations, businesses
or loosely joined groups of Web site operators can work together to exploit
those flaws and artificially increase the relevance ranking of a Web page. The
most notorious example is the "Miserable
Failure" prank in which many sites linked the words "miserable failure"
to George W. Bush's biography page at the White House Web site. Such antics
are referred to as "Google
Bombing" and some efforts have been more successful than others. Keep
in mind that Google does not like "Google Bombing" because it diminishes
the value of its search results.
The Multipronged Assault
Quixtar's Strategic Web Initiative is a sophisticated attempt to exploit search
engine flaws and artificially increase the search engine placement of sites
they either approve or control. The Coordinated Exercise utilizes several tactics
(including Google Bombing) which I'll carefully examine.
» Tactic 1 - Personal Home Pages
In February (2004) I noticed that the Quixtar.com home page added links to Personal
Home Page (PHP) directory sites. Those links did not exist in January (archived
page). Each of four directory pages contained links to the personal Web
sites of qualified IBOs (Q-12 and
above). The reason for the link additions is unclear. One could argue that
the PHP links were added to simply showcase Quixtar successes but then why are
dozens of separate domains required for such a showcase? Why not put all those
profiles on one page or on one domain? And why does each spouse have their own
PHP domain? Those with Web experience would probably conclude that the move
was a calculated attempt to improve the search engine status of the PHPs by
capitalizing on the enormous status of Quixtar's home page.
» Tactic 2 - Product Information Pages
During the summer I noticed that Quixtar's Product Information Pages
(miniature informational sites) added links to the Web sites of Quixtar leaders.
The inclusion of those links was specifically designed to improve the search
engine status of Quixtar leaders (examples: Jody Victor at quixtar-us.com and
Fred Harteis at quixtarpage.net) and was presented in the context of a "testimonial"
about some Quixtar product. The Product Information Page (PIP) link strategy
works and the Quixtar Web Initiative continues to employ this tactic.
» Tactic 3 - Blogs
The most innovative and complicated tactic used in this Initiative
is the exploitation of the blogging community. Quixtar's blog effort is so extensive
and aggressive that it's difficult to keep up with its numerous (and frequent)
developments. To simplify things I've categorized the Quixtar blog effort with
four distinct labels:
- Adoration Blogs
- PR Blogs
- Google Bomb Blogs
- Character Assassination Blogs
Each unique blog type works with the others to create a complex, yet effective, impact on the search engine rankings.
Adoration Blogs
The Adoration Blogs are more or less legitimate blogs run by people who simply love Quixtar. Most are authored by Quixtar employees and at least one is directly owned by the Corporation itself. Adoration blogs are not new and they do a fine job of extolling the virtues of a business, product or service. Most of the Quixtar Adoration Blogs allow comments and trackbacks which indicates an openness to diverse opinions about the business they love. This rings of legitimacy and an embrace of the "spirit of blogging" even if effecting search engine placement is a secondary motivation.PR Blogs
The Press Release (PR) Blogs are the most numerous and possibly the most interesting. Interesting because they're virtually unprecedented in scope and design. To my knowledge, no company of Quixtar's size and stature has so aggressively exploited blogs in such a manner. The PR Blogs are plentiful and new ones pop up almost daily. However, they are easy to spot by identifying the following traits:- Comments and trackbacks are disabled
- The author is anonymous
- The content is generally duplicated on other blogs or Web sites
- Many posts are made at one time, indicating a massive copy/paste
- The blog lacks any personal flair
- Each post contains multiple links to "sister" blogs or to Quixtar
- Many of the PR Blogs themselves are duplicated across various blog tools (TypePad, Blogger, BlogHarbor, etc.)Alone, each trait means very little. Yet when all traits combine within one blog, the intent of the PR Blogs becomes apparent — to manipulate search results. Sure, blogs can take many forms but Quixtar's PR Blogs have more in common with "comment spam" than with blogging.
Google Bomb Blogs
The Google Bomb Blogs are easy to spot because they are filled with links and devoid of real content. The most obvious example is the "Quixtar Blog: Bob's Quixtar Reviews" blog (quixtarblogbob.blogharbor.com). This blog uses the classic "Google Bombing" tactic of linking words to unrelated sites (ala "Miserable Failure").There's nothing illegal about "Google Bombing" but it does present serious problems because it diminishes the value of search engine results. Similarly, the porn industry negatively impacted the reliability of search engine results by misusing keywords in Web page Meta Tags.
Character Assassination Blogs
Last but not least are the Character Assassination Blogs. These anonymous blogs attempt to intimidate the so-called "Quixtar Critics" by spreading fabricated rumors designed to smear their reputation. While the Character Assassination Blogs can't be directly tied to the Quixtar Web Initiative, there is mounting evidence that the Quixtar leadership endorses and supports (either directly or indirectly) such anonymous attacks. This support is manifested in the form of Google Ads, supportive links and encouraging emails.Additionally, the posts on the Character Assassination Blogs are often optimized for search engine consumption, probably to manipulate search results.
The total number of blogs participating in the Quixtar Web Initiative is unknown
but their numbers are increasing almost daily. The Quixtar Leadership takes
this project seriously and believes that blog exploitation is the primary component
of that task.
» Tactic 4 - Controlled News Outlets and Web Reputation Specialists
Ebuzz.biz is the IBOAI owned "news
outlet" linked from the Quixtar.com home page. Most of its e-commerce focused
content comes from wire services, unnamed authors (typical of press releases)
and the Kamaron Institute (more on that later). EBuzz.biz tries to look like
a real news site but is missing several elements shared by virtually all legitimate
news outlets. There is no "about" page explaining the purpose of the
site, who's behind it or who's editing the content. There is no visible way
to contact anyone at EBuzz. The "Resources" page (linked from the
bottom of the home page) is primarily links to password protected IBO sites,
not other news resources.
The second "news outlet" linked on the Quixtar home page is eSource-news.com.
This site is owned by Margaret
S. Ross of Atlanta, Georgia. Ross is the president of the Kamaron
Institute, a business consulting, executive training, and leadership development
group that specializes in Web Reputation. It's clear that Ross has relationships
with Quixtar leaders like Billy Florence, Orrin Woodward, Jody Victor and Fred
Harteis. A brief review of the eSource-news site reveals that most of the content
(except for wire feeds) is written by either Quixtar leaders or Margaret Ross.
Some believe that Ross was hired as part of the Web Initiative to advise and
assist in implementing the strategy. This cooperation seems to include using
her eSource-news site to improve the search status of the Quixtar leaders.
» Tactic 5 - Advertisements
While claiming that it "doesn't
advertise," Quixtar has dramatically increased its online advertising
efforts. Those efforts by themselves aren't unusual, companies commonly use
ads to improve public perception, but what is unusual are the keywords used
in the advertising blitz. A quick Google search of the name "Jody Victor"
yields no less than eight advertisements apparently funded by Quixtar, the IBOAI
and Victor himself. Similar results can be found for other Quixtar leaders.
Why would a business use the names of its leaders as keywords in an advertising
campaign? Do any other businesses employ these tactics? Does the Quixtar leadership
have a flagging reputation and if so, why?
The Battle For The Web
Those participating in this Strategic Web Initiative believe that they're waging
a battle against the so-called detractors. The Quixtar leadership has said that
this battle is the biggest challenge they will face all year. They are determined
to win and with their resources, capital and organization, they will achieve
their goals of search engine dominance. My objective is not to stop their Web
Initiative but to expose it. I want to shed light on their actions and let people
draw their own conclusions. This is America and if Quixtar wishes to manipulate
search results, then I won't stand in their way (though Google
might not be too happy with their actions).
I believe (perhaps naively) that if I regularly produce compelling content then others will eventually find that content and reward my efforts with a link from their site — a sort of Web karma if you will. I don't have any interest in Google Bombing (though I could do it if I chose) or pimping my site (I've only asked for a link maybe two or three times) to manipulate search results. Every bit of Page Rank bestowed on this blog was earned. While there's nothing specifically wrong with the actions of the Web Initiative, I don't personally approve of its methods. The Initiative seems "spam-like" and misleading. I'm especially concerned with the blog exploitation because blogs are very dear to my heart. It grieves me to see them used in such a disingenuous manner but I guess that's the nature of doing business. A sad reality.
September 2, 2004
Dwighty Loves Rush Limbaugh
Posted by QBlog
I just got off the phone with Dwighty (of The Dwighty Show) and briefly talked to him about Hurricane Frances (he lives in Florida) and the latest post by QRush. The reason I mentioned the post (titled Quixtar, Bo Short, Scott Larsen & Homosexual Psychology?) to Dwighty is because QRush quotes his blog (IBlogO, the last "O" is capitalized) as part of some effort to question Larsen's sexuality.
While Dwighty has yet to read Qrush's post (he was fleeing the danger of the Hurricane) I feel it's fair to say that he does not appreciate QRush using his post to support any allegations about Larsen's sexuality. In fact, Dwighty (who stands by his criticisms of Larsen) does not believe he's gay nor that it really matters if he were.
Dwighty went on to say that QRush never made any attempt to contact him about Larsen and that he's had no communication with him about anything. He also made it clear that he's never met Scott Larsen and has only exchanged "maybe a couple" of emails with him in the past. QRush's post leaves the impression that Dwighty intimately knows Larsen ("has had first person contact") which simply isn't true. But rather than research the matter, QRush rushed to assumptions.
Dwighty continued, saying that he doesn't approve of QRush's methods and was especially critical of the way he compares himself to Rush Limbaugh. You see, Dwighty is an avid Limbaugh fan and listens to him daily. He's been a Rush 24/7 subscriber for years and balked at the notion that QRush even remotely resembles the great Maha Rushie!
"QRush is entirely not in the character of Rush Limbaugh. He does not reflect my impression of Rush at all."Typical Quixtar Advocate?
It is my belief that QRush does NOT represent the typical IBO or Quixtar Advocate. People like Dwighty might disagree with some of the Quixtar Critics, and may even disapprove of their actions, but their integrity demands that they speak out against the viciousness displayed by QRush and his kind. I know such IBOs. They're good, honest, hardworking men and women who love their God, their families and their country. It's those IBOs who are appalled at the despicable character assassination being waged by QRush. They understand that the tone set by people like QRush erodes the Quixtar reputation and provides their critics with both ammunition and motivation.
After all, Quixtar is a diverse family with many different beliefs, political affiliations, races and ethnicities. Isn't that why the Right To Differ is such an important policy? It enables IBOs to "invite all people to participate in this great business, no matter their background." Where exactly does QRush and his homosexual-obsessed blog fit in with that policy? Do you have an answer? Does Quixtar?
August 19, 2004
Yellow Qrush
Posted by QBlog
yel-low
adj. - Slang meaning cowardly.
You remember Orange Crush right? No, not THAT Orange Crush. The yummy soda of the same name.
Well, it looks like there's a new soda out that captures the essence and flavor of fellow blogger QRush.
I'm drinking a Yellow Qrush right now and it's sooooo refreshing with only the slightest after-taste. Be sure to pick up a case at your local grocer today!
August 4, 2004
Qrush-ing the Quixtar Critics
Posted by QBlog
There's a new blog on the Web and I absolutely love it. It's called QRush The Quixtar Critics (pronounced Crush) and its author is a self-described cross between Rush Limbaugh and Rich DeVos on a mission to "expose the left wing conspiracy plot to overthrow the Quixtar business." And guess what? According to QRush, yours truly is part of that liberal conspiracy plot. Wow!
Why do I love this blog so much? Well, probably because it's honest and raw. It pulls no punches and says what is probably on the minds of a lot of IBOs. It defines the debate in quasi-political terms — as conservatives against liberals, free enterprise lovers taking on commie traitors. QRush adeptly constructs the "us versus them" scenario and is off to a bombastic start. My only criticism is the blog's lack of comments. I think enabling comments would add another dimension to this polarizing discussion.
QRush and I may disagree on some things but I admire him/her for being candid. The first post asks "Why me?" and concludes with "Ok, I accept. Let's go." I can relate to those sentiments with my Quixtar BLOG. Those "why me?" questions plague me. And yet I continue, driven my some hidden instinct to keep on demanding answers, sharing my perspectives and searching for the truth about Quixtar.
I can relate to the anger evident in QRush's posts. The desire to lash out and attack those perceived enemies. That's very real and I respect that. I understand how genuine this blog is and for that reason, I am thrilled by its existence.
I also realize that QRush's blog is partly constructed as an attack on me (and this blog) and some assumptions are made about me and my motives. I try to avoid assumptions and will only reply by saying that when one makes assumptions about me, one is often wrong.
And for the record, I have no loyalty to anyone in this Quixtar conversation. Unlike some, I'm not trying to "save" anyone from anything. I don't want to see the destruction of Quixtar and I certainly don't want any IBOs to fail at their business. I'm simply searching for the truth about Quixtar and its related businesses. Some view that search as an attack and nothing I say will convince them otherwise.
Anyway, go check out QRush The Quixtar Critics. Love it or hate it, I think you'll agree that it's the "real deal."
A Request: If you love QRush's blog and want to leave comments about it, you may do so here but please send QRush an email requesting the same type of access on his/her blog that you receive here.