Internet Marketing Strategies and Marketing Tips by Neil Shearing

I plunked down $70 for a two-year registration of the ScamFreeZone.com domain waaay back in 1997 because the number of money-making scams online was burning me up. Even back then there were rip-offs.

When I see a scam today it STILL burns me up.

So, here’s a failsafe way to spot a scam.

Check the website’s “terms and conditions” for lines like this…

I understand that my purchase of [deleted] is not refundable and I agree in advance NOT to request a refund or file a chargeback for these products.

See what they did there? You agree to NO REFUNDS AND NO CHARGEBACKS… IN ADVANCE!

The “deleted” part mentions a specific product name… but, as another tip that you’re going to be pumped for cash, it mentions THREE products, the basic, then the workshop, then the coaching. Hmmm, if you pay for the basic product (NO REFUNDS, NO CHARGEBACKS), what do you think will happen next? Do you think you’ll be pitched the workshop (NO REFUNDS, NO CHARGEBACKS)… then the coaching (NO REFUNDS, NO CHARGEBACKS)? I wonder what they cost? Hmmm.

Don’t forget… NO REFUNDS, NO CHARGEBACKS!

Some things don’t change.

In a shocking announcement, Amazon.co.uk (and only .co.uk, as far as I’m aware), have banned Pay Per Click advertisers.

Here’s the announcement…

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Dear Associate,

We’re writing to let you know about some changes to the Amazon.co.uk Associates Programme.

After careful review of our Associates programme, we have made the decision that as of February 1, 2010, we will no longer pay referral fees to Associates who send users to www.amazon.co.uk, http://astore.amazon.co.uk or www.javari.co.uk through keyword bidding or other paid search on Google, Bing, Yahoo!, or any other search engine, or their extended search networks.

In connection with this change, as of February 1, 2010, we will no longer provide Associates who engage in such paid search activities with access to our Product Advertising API or datafeeds. If you are currently enrolled in the Associates Programme as a Paid Search Placement Associate and wish to continue to participate in the Programme after February 1, 2010, you must choose a new category that most accurately describes the method you will use to send users to the Amazon.co.uk or Javari.co.uk site. Of course, just choosing a new category is not sufficient – you will also need to stop sending traffic via paid search links, as you will no longer be paid for such traffic starting on February 1, regardless of what category you choose. You may change your category by writing to us using the Contact Us form available on Associates Central or by following this link:

If you are enrolled in the Associates Programme as a Paid Search Placement Associate and you do not contact us to modify your category on or prior to March 1 2010 your Associates account will automatically be closed.

In addition, as of February 1, 2010 we will no longer pay referral fees on purchases made by customers who are referred to www.amazon.co.uk or www.javari.co.uk via Free Search Results. Free Search Results are links containing an Associate’s tag displayed in a search engine’s free, natural, or organic search results in response to a search query which send customers directly to an Amazon site without the customer first being sent to an Associate’s site and the customer clicking on a link to arrive at the Amazon site.

These changes do not prohibit you from purchasing paid search advertisements or submitting links to search engines so long as the links that appear on the search engines send customers to your site. If customers arrive at the Amazon.co.uk or Javari.co.uk site by clicking on Special Links displayed on your site (ie, links on your site pointing to Amazon.co.uk or Javari.co.uk with Amazon Associates tags), you will continue to earn referral fees in accordance with the Associates Programme Operating Agreement. There are a number of tools available through Associates Central to assist you with integrating Special Links into your sites, such as aStore by Amazon, various customisable widgets, and the Product Advertising API.

These changes apply only to the Associates Programme in the UK. If you are conducting paid or free search activities in connection with one of Amazon’s Associates Programmes outside of the UK, please refer to the applicable country’s Associates Programme Operating Agreement for relevant terms and conditions.

For a summary of these changes please visit this page See what’s changed, and to review the Operating Agreement please visit this page Operating Agreement. If you’re not sure if these changes affect you, please visit this page for FAQs.

Best regards,

Your Amazon.co.uk Associates Team
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Wow. Not exactly a “change”, more like a “bombshell”.

I hope all you advertisers sending clicks directly to Amazon.co.uk have a backup business plan!

If you can’t reach www.scamfreezone.com, it’s because the DNS services of the domain registrar (enom/bulkregister) are kaput (polite word!).

I found out from Twitter that many other people are upset and frustrated.

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AndroidSPIN: Not that it helps, but everyone on enom is down… http://twitter.com/#search?q=enom

half a minute ago from web elliothaughin: I often forget how much I rely on companies till they let me down, as the current enom situation as reminded me!

half a minute ago from TweetDeck davidmoffitt: Pro tip: If your DNS service (for millions of sites) is down, you might want to update your Twitter feed w/ status (yes @enom I mean you).

half a minute ago from web laurabetterly: Extremely frustrated #enom is down, so are we, so are all our clients
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Best Of The Web (BOTW), has announced a new promotional coupon for January 2010. For the last few years we’ve been bringing you these coupons because they’re very popular. People love money-saving coupons, especially ones for getting listed in a web directory that Google seems to trust more than most others. Here’s what BOTW say about this latest coupon..

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Twenty-Ten is upon us, and with each New Year, most of us feel the need to establish new goals and resolutions. Here at BOTW, the goal is pretty much the same – supply and grow our relevant and comprehensive collection of websites and local businesses. With more than 20 million listings spread across the Web Directory, Blog Directory, UK Directory, and BOTW Local, BOTW is a proven platform for driving more traffic and better rankings for your business. We are pleased to now offer our valued members a fantastic promotion good through the end of January: SAVE 20% on All NEW BOTW Submissions and Sponsorship Advertising.

When prompted, enter the following Promo Code: NEWYR

Get Started today and Save 20% on new:

Directory Submissions - Discount the annual or the one-time review fee and get listed in the Internet’s Oldest Directory.

Monthly Sponsorship Ads – Save on the monthly rate for all new sponsorship ads.

Blog Directory Submissions – Feature your blog and save on the annual review fee.

Blog Advertising – Discount on all new sponsorship ads in the Blog Directory.

Premium Local Listings – Discount the monthly and annual rate for your Local Business Profile listing.

Bundled Marketing Package – Get your US Business listed in BOTH the Web Directory and BOTW Local for a fraction of the cost. Save 20% on the yearly fee!

Be sure to enter the Promo Code: “NEWYR” during the sign up process and you will instantly save 20% on ALL Best of the Web products and services.

The promo code may be used multiple times for multiple products and services during the month of January. Remember – the code will expire on January 31, 2010 so be sure to jumpstart your marketing efforts and take advantage of the 20% discount before it’s too late!
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Enjoy!