So, I have decided to make this post in order to clear some things up.

FIRST – Understand that I am just an internet marketer, not a lawyer.

Alright, now that we have that out of the way, lets get into this!

Is cookie stuffing legal or illegal?

I have watched some heated debates unfold over the years concerning the legality of stuffing cookies, almost as brutal at the abortion topic… some people say that since the feds bust people for stuffing cookies, it is most certainly 100% illegal, others stand on point saying it is their right because that person may have interacted with them, then bypassed their affiliate link to make the purchase (this does happen).

In reality however, cookie stuffing is just like any other marketing method… it can be legal or illegal, depending upon how it is used.

Examples of ILLEGAL cookie stuffing practices:

You go to ebay and post a listing for an item that you know will get a lot of traffic, and within that posting you link to an off-site location and ask potential bidders to go there to see pictures or something.

Once they get there, they get cookied (of course they dont know it) and the pictures makes it clear to the potential buyer that he does not want to bid on this item.

So, they return to ebay and ultimately bid/win some other (valid) auction…. but you cookied them, so you get a commission.

This is illegal because you did not in any way entice that person to use ebay, they were already using ebay, so you have effectively stolen money from ebay, which is of course illegal.

Next example we’ll use amazon…

Lets say you decided to use the image stuffing method…. so you go signup at several high traffic forums that discuss products that you know amazon sells, and with your stuffing tactic, basically everyone who loads any page you have posted on is going to get your cookie onto their computer.

So now you are going to get paid by amazon for every single person who you cookied that ultimately buys that item …… and what makes this illegal is that you didnt engage them or interact with them in any way… you planted your cookie and split.

you had no influence on those sales at all – therefore, you created a crime against amazon.

One more example – lets use clickbank for this one:

A hot new product hits the market and its being heavily discussed over on warrior forum…. so you do a little creative cookie stuffing, and next thing you know, your clickbank account is sitting at $40,000 over a 3 day period.

This again is illegal – this is a public place that you are using tactics on that cause you to earn commissions from sales that you in no way had any part in.

I could go on and on with these examples, but you should have the point by now.

So now lets look at how and when cookie stuffing is completely legal…

First example is if you join an affiliate program and you tell your affiliate manager that you want to stuff cookies and ask if his company allows this activity…. if he replies to you and says yes it is allowed, (as long as its documented via email, chat or something else… never just a phone call) then it is completely legal… the company who has to pay the money is in agreement, so there is no crime.

Second example: (lets use commission junction for this one)…

if you build a website designed to promote commission junction product offers, yet you do not want to use the ugly affiliate links or redirects, or pretty url scripts, its fine to cause a stuffed cookie on your own page that is talking about the product you are in some way promoting.

so, if you promote your page (seo, ppc, whatever) and people arrive at your site, its fine to cookie them as long as they are arriving on a page that has something to do with commission junctions offers.

See? Stuffing cookies can be legal or not – it all depends on how you do it.

As for myself, if i was going to stuff cookies, i would do it in what i felt was the legal way, but i would also notify my site visitors of my actions and even tell them how to remove the cookies. That may be a bit extreme and uncalled for, but i would still do it just so that i knew beyond a doubt that i was not doing anything wrong.

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How I managed to build up to, and generate $30,000 per month…. In 1996, and I am still a full time Internet marketer today.

1- List building.

2- Not being a douche

3- Adapting.

Let me go ahead and break those things down for you.

List building – it isn’t difficult. People (who are selling list building courses) make it sound difficult, but really it’s very simple and quite natural.

How did I build my lists? I simply gave people a reason to join me. Really. Sometimes it came in the form of solid advice, other times it came in the form of software or scripts, but every time, it was really a simple matter of giving people a valid reason to join me.

Most people don’t realize this (and no other major marketer on the net does it) but I delete my entire list once and sometimes twice per year and start completely over from scratch.

How and why would I do this…

First the WHY….

I do it because I want to stay relevant. I don’t want to be a “me too” and never have. I actually make it so that if you want on my list, if you want to hear what I have to say, you actually have to search me out and take action (join me).

As for HOW I do it… I just click on the delete button.

And oddly enough, even after all of these years, I still ask myself if I am doing something stupid (right after I click the delete all button, and year after glorious year, I quickly realize that I did exactly what I needed to do.

-PAUSE-

Every year I end up meeting some hot and spicy new guru of the year, and as we talk, the subject of what I do to my lists always comes up… and as I look at the bewildered look on the face of this hot new guru, knowing that he will be around maybe a year or two longer, I know that I am doing the right thing for me.

The agument they use always comes up quickly… “Hey man, keep your lists and just build upon them and soon you’ll be as big as i am!”.

Good lord, this amuses me! Of course I always look thoughfully at my host and tell him that this just works for me and that we should just agree to disagree, but it never does any good.

Here’s how I see it – A list is comprised of people who are interested in a specific topic at a specific time. Nothing more or less. In general those people are looking for ways to make money online. But there are many ways to make money online, and different people are interested in different things at different times.

So, why would i keep a list interested in method “A” when I am interested in and talking about method “B”…. get me?

My point is that people tend to progress in different ways at different times, so for the most part, I always gravitate toward people who are thinking about and moving toward the same things I am… Seems simple enough to me.

Seriously, I am still getting spam in my email accounts from people that I had very slight interactions with YEARS AGO…. I am not interested in buying what they are selling, so the end result is that they are simply wasting time and resources by mailing me… but they keep doing it, because “I’m On Their List!”…. pfffft.

So, here’s my method of list building….

I express what I am interested in and working on, and I post it publicaly, and then I just let nature take control.

People who are looking for information of my type will find me, and people who are not, wont. Does this approach seem laxidaisical to you because the gurus have told you to be agressive?

I have never been agressive, yet year after year I continue to earn more per month than the avergae person earns per year… An accident? Come on, after almost two decades of success, I don’t think so.

So, how do I do it? I simply write about what I am doing at the moment, and ask people to tell other people.

Let me give you an example…. If you find this post viable, please just take a moment and tell other people about it, your list, your twitter followers, facebook, whatever, just tell people so that I can help.

See? That wasnt so bad was it?

I am providing you with something of value and asking that you tell other people. I am not forcing an optin, or promising some amazing bonus in exchange for your email address, I am simply providing you  value and asking you to share it.

I build pretty nice lists this way, and the old “everyone on your list is worth a dollar per month” thing… Stupid in every respect.

People on my list are worth a lot (A LOT) more than that per month… Why?… Because they want to be there, they are getting some value… instead of just getting an email wanting to sell them something. Get me?

Not being a douche-

This part comes easy for me. All I have to do is simply not be a money hungry asshole.

I give you something of value, I answer your questions personally, and you in turn respect and trust me. So now, when I tell you its a good idea to buy something, you instinctively know that I am not just trying to get into your wallet, but instead I am actually trying to help you achieve your goals of financial freedom.

See? A complete lack of douchebaggery.

Adapting – This is easy… The internet changes constantly as it evolves, and I simply evolve with it. I adapt. I don’t toss out anything as silly until I have tried it in some form or fashion.

It would astound you to know the number of nobody’s that I have met over the years who sat at my table unable to afford a meal… Yeah, seriously. Spent all of their money in order to come to “the event” with the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of meeting someone who would give them what they need in order to “make it”.

Yeah, manyt of them have sat at my table and I have paid for their meals…. Many faded into the sunset, and a few have ended up as “somebodies”.

So, why not ask your favorite guru a simple question…. “Has bishop Anders ever bought you a meal?”.

The moral of this portion is that no matter how far you go, you probably had someone help you in some way, so by proxy, instead of being an arrogant ass, you should help someone else along the way.

-Note: Those of us who started in the mid 1990′s had no one to teach us, we had to be mavericks, but then again, the game was much easier in those days.

Okay, I’m pretty much done with my rant and I hope it has help someone in some way. If it helped you, sign-up to my list and join me, and then connect with other people you know are looking for the internet lifestyle and ask them to join us as well.

Untill next time.

Bishop.

P.S.: Just so that you know. The last product I released online made money. Yes, it made money for the people who used it. Not all liked it, but all made money… Just something for you to think about.

.

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As i started going through all of this, showing/teaching my son and getting a full tutorial put together I ran into a STOP.

Here’s the reality… It seems nice and easy to me because I already have a steady cash flow to work with from it…. The money required to do it how i do it is pretty extensive, and in my opinion really not suitable for most people.

Just wanted to let you know – this is something that will likely never come to market because most people just can’t financially afford to use my method…. Sorry guys.

You know me though.. I dabble in all sorts of things looking for ways to make money out of them, so when I run across a new and relevant idea and have time to test it out, i’ll share that with you.

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I’ll likely have that part completed over the course of the next couple of days and will be able to begin component 2.

I have been talking with my son extensively about this entire project since in reality, it was his idea in the first place, and when I told him that my plan was to create an ebook for it along with inserts, he scoffed at me.

His idea was a little more robust than mine, and I haven’t entirely made up my mind on it, but I was very impressed with his enthusiasm on this project, so I’m going to share his core idea here…

What he wants to do is create the ebook, then create the ebook in video format, then create the ebook in video lecture style, and then break it all down into tiny chunks and place each chunk as a members blog post so that people can come in and ask questions about specific parts that they may need help with.

He really doesn’t understand the volume of work required to pull something like that off, but his heart is certainly in the right place. He reminded me that this whole thing isn’t about how much work we do to make it happen, it’s about the affect it can have on the people who absorb and use the information provided to them.

Have I mentioned how proud this kid makes me?

That’s it for now – I’ll update again once I have something more to share.

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Exclusivity is really a pretty big deal – I personally like to be a part of exclusive projects and I know that other people do as well, so I woke up with an idea just screaming in my head this morning.

People have already started telling me that they are excited to see that I will be publishing my Local SEO complete business model (thanks, I appreciate that!), and others are already telling me that they would love to see some hard core internet marketing related tutorials and information.

So, what I am thinking is that over the coming days/weeks I’ll change up this site to highlight the Local Seo model (or just get a new domain for it) that will be there for general public consumption, but on the back side, for the people who are on my “insider” list, I’ll chronicle the steps and actions I am taking from the internet marketing perspective to grow the Local Seo presence.

If I am thinking right, this will allow me to provide both sets of people with exactly what they want… One small set of people will get the Local Seo model that I have developed and currently using, and the other small set of people will get a step-by-step internet marketing live tutorial as the whole process unfolds.

The ultimate result should be that those who were wanting the Local Seo model with end up with a business that grows so fast they will have to start putting clients on a waiting list soon (this happened to me in my Local Seo business!) and people who are interested in internet marketing will get an insiders look at the entire flow from start to finish on how to introduce a product to the market and continue through to launch and after care.

Fair warning though… Internet marketing has no exact set formula. So, as I update you on what I am doing at any particular time, you’ll see that some things I will abandon quickly, and others I will push hard, as well as my reasons for doing both or some variation in between.

This seems to be the most powerful method I can imagine for getting both sets of people exactly what they want, all at the same time.

Let me know what you think… You can post here on the blog, or just email me. Either way is fine.

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Those who know me also know that I am pretty much the “anti-fluff” guy, so you know that my instructions will be concise and direct. Many have purchased other instruction manuals and software from me over the years and know that when I ‘release’ something, IT WORKS.

So, here’s the deal… I am not going to be using my Internet Marketing Mailing Lists to let people know about my local seo business model… In order to get in the loop on this, you are going to have to register exclusively for it because I do not want to spend time or resources on people who have no interest in local seo.

So, if you want to get in on what is making over $27,000 per month from a small city of 200,000 population, you’ll need to enter your email address in the box over on the right side of this screen. I don’t need your name, phone number or anything else… Just enter your email so that I know you are interested in cashing in on local seo and I will keep you in the loop as I develop the instruction manual.

Some of you might even get lucky and get a copy of the secret custom software I use that shows me exactly where the easy money is so that I am able to just swoop in and pluck profits on an at-will basis!

Just enter your email over on the right and lets get you up to speed asap… Local seo is a breeze if you do it right.

Bishop.

P.S.: Just like my other stuff, this will end up being a pretty exclusive deal. Get yourself registered and get your personal friends registered asap because we all know that one morning I will wake up and decide to close the doors on this so that I am only working with the people who got in fast.

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The plain and simple fact is that any mediocre marketer who wants to look important can make wild income claims and sell you a set of instructions.

Here’s the fun part… It’s so much easier than they make it sound. How do I know? Because I just spent the last year doing it…. Not talking about it, not making ebooks or software about it… No, I just abandoned my other online businesses and focused completely on local seo (getting local businesses to the front page of google places to be exact.)

I found a few interesting things along the way…

1- There is a free software program that will give you all the “intelligence” you really need for local seo. – Drop dead simple.

2- The steps you have to take are all pretty simple and do not require any truly special skills.

3- You can outsource all of your local seo.

I started out doing it all myself, then over time as the company grew and I continued researching, I eventually found a reliable source to get the job done 100% of the time.

Watch this video on YouTube.

Don’t ask me for contact details about who I’m using – I’m not interested in sharing that information.

Here’s the formula I am using now in my own local seo business…. This is the result of almost a full year of continual (in the field) testing…

Local Seo Flow…

1- I decide what business type I want to work with.

2- I find 3-4 good keywords for their local market using google keyword tool.

3- I gather a list of all of the businesses listed in the local listings for those keywords below page 1 results.

4- I put together a little package consisting of my offer to get them on the first page of google, as well as screen shots to show them that their competitors (the businesses listed on the first page) are indeed getting business because they are listed there.

5- I mail (regular mail) the packages out to all of those businesses.

6- Within 3-5 days I receive anywhere from 3-15 calls from businesses wanting to hire me to get them onto page one in google.

7- Once they pay their $300 (I charge a flat rate $300 per month to get them to the top and keep them there), I go to work on getting their listing moved up in the search results. (it usually takes no more than 2-weeks to get them to page 1).

8- Once I get them listed on page 1, I send them an email alerting them to the fact that their listing is now visible on page 1, and remind them that their competitors are trying to get that same position, and if they “keep-fighting” for that first page position, they will lose it as quickly as they got it (it’s my way of making sure they keep paying me for my service).

9- Usually, once I have someone there, I don’t have to worry about them falling backwards… Yes, there is some competition, but not that much in the cities I work in.

10- The sweet part of this whole setup now is that I simply outsource 100% of the work and pay a small monthly fee per client… Get it? Client pays me $300 per month, I pay considerably less per month. I am able to take on as many clients as possible, and there is no real work-load.

That my friends is the true raw beauty of local seo!

Seriously – Local SEO is about as simple as it gets.

So, whats stopping you from entering the local seo niche yourself?

Don’t be afraid… Step out on faith and the willingness to learn the curves of local seo and you’ll do just fine.

Local Seo – Local Seo Google Places – Local seo google maps – local seo google listings … Yeah, I do that!

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I went into off-line (google places) marketing for “local” businesses as just another little thing to get into. But it exploded.

It took me almost the whole year to get everything flowing smoothly and completely outsourced to the point it is now.

Also over the past few months I went back into my true passion (Internet marketing) and I am reaching list levels that I have never even dreamed of before. (If you were on my old aweber lists, I deleted those and went back to self hosting my lists…. I could just never feel comfortable letting someone else have so much control over my lists).

So, if you want back on my personal “Insider” list again, just use the form on this page.

Anyway, just wanted to give you a quick heads up on everything and let you know that I am in the process of doing a complete rebuild on my site so that you can more easily see the power of what I am doing these days and of course the income associated with that.

Bishop.

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