gen·u·ine –adjective
1. possessing the claimed or attributed character, quality, or origin; not counterfeit; authentic; real:
How much of the web is genuine? Let’s say you are in the Internet Marketing racket. For the most part you are simply building website after website in the hopes that someone will click something so you will make money. But the websites are built using PLR which you didn’t write and the vast majority of you will not change to put in your own words. The websites are built using RSS feeds that are not yours. The websites are populated with products that are not yours.
I think of all my sites, two are genuine. The rest are built using stuff someone else wrote or makes. I modify my PLR, for the most part, before I post them to my blog. But it’s still not really mine.
It just struck me this morning how very little of the owner is in every website that is created. Many sites have so little personality. Each site is just another 400 word definition of some boring niche to make money from. Don’t get me wrong. I like making money. And I’ll churn out another PLR site this week most likely. But it’s just a means to end of making a few dollars. The sites aren’t genuine.
I received a mailer for another PLR site membership with a twist. Private Label Reviews. 10 niches a month with 10 reviews. $47 per month-shocking I know. Great idea I guess. But I hate to think that I’m going to one of these sites to get a review of something I’m interested in only to read some BS written by someone who doesn’t know a thing about the product. Or care about the product. Just another outsourced article from some cubicle drone.
The best sites are those that have the owner’s personality. Sadly it takes a ton of work to put yourself into your site each and every day. Far easier for someone else to do it for you. I just think it creates crappy sites. Private Label Reviews is just another sad commentary on how people want a piece of the Internet pie without doing their own cooking.
And yes, I feed at that trough too. Doesn’t mean it’s tasty. Just filling.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I bought Private Label Reviews. While I like Anik Singal, these reviews were awful. I asked for a full refund.
It’s a shame because it could have been a good idea.
Bryan
The only Blogs I keep are what you would refer to as “real” sites. I post to them daily and every post is in my own words. Occasionally I’ll look at PLR but it’s only to get ideas for posts…
These are sites that don’t make much money because they’re in really competitive niches and traffic has been slow to come…I think that’s why a lot of marketers just start building tons of sites…better chance of making money.
Personally, I prefer to use landing and sales pages to promote affiliate products directly through PPC to make money on the net. I’m a direct marketer by trade so it’s easier for me to work this way then to create site after site.
All of these PLR type sites are just a good example of people who have decided that “selling shovels” to poeple who are looking to make money on the net is a better alternative then making the money themselves.
Another excellent post. I have no idea why your blog is not more popular. Maybe people don’t want to hear the truth.
Keep up the good work.
Dude, thanks for the kind words. It means a lot that you would say so.
I don’t do a lot of promotion for the site. More of a word of mouth kind of thing. People may also be put off by the tone. They may not like that I don’t agree with status quo. I need big guys to say something about the site and link to it but I’m afraid the content is too toxic sometimes.
Splork, saw this site and thought of you…
http://www.reviewme.com
April
Pretty cool April. I’m going to set up an account and see what come of it. Thanks for the tip.
I agree with you that little that is written out there is done so with conviction or a desire to communicate — most is done chasing a $. Product review sites often look a lot like prostitutes with too much make-up trying to attract any kind of attention from anyone. Usually I look for something like reviews on Amazon if I want to hear from real people.
April — as for why this blog isn’t more popular, probably only the smart people read it. ha ha.
Hi as usual great post and so on topic for anyone in IM for any length of time. Can we rely on Google to clean the net
up as what the net wants is great sites and original content, but how to make this rewarding in a reasonable time scale. Guess it is down to individual preferences, my background as a vet makes me feel very uncomfortable with much of the IM hype. Keep up the great posts 
Hey Splork,
We are entering a new age online… Genuine quality is winning now. People online aren’t stupid and crap sites are going to bite the big one. There is no doubt that you have to be personally involved with a site in order to be successful. The days of garbage for profit are on the way out… without question!
I read all of your posts and I am sure that a bunch of other guys like me do as well. You have your finger on the pulse of the struggling IMer.
Keep up the good work.
- Charles