Mike Filsaime Just Told Me Off
I’m a great believer in reading other internet marketer’s blogs and particularly commenting on them if I feel there’s anything I can add.
Well, Robert Plank has a blog that I enjoy reading and I often drop by, make a comment and think nothing of it.
A few days ago, 23rd July to be exact, I left a comment about Robert’s latest question. He’s wondering whether to ditch Clickbank since they’ve given him a hard time, apparently. There doesn’t seem to be much of a reason why they’ve done that and he’s, quite rightly, very annoyed about it.
He’s considering using PayDotCom and I made an opening remark about it before making some other suggestions. Seems that Mike Filsaime didn’t like my comments and he told me off in a comment he posted on the same blog entry.
Now, everyone has the right to an opinion and the fact his is different to mine is no problem. But here’s the thing: if you’re a big marketer with thousands of new customers joining you every day, do you really need to be sarcastic to one of your customers if you don’t agree with him?
What do you think? How would you feel if I were sarcastic to you because I don’t agree with your point of view?
It’s an over-reaction on his part, it seems to me, because if I’m wrong in what I said he can simply point out the facts as he sees them. Which he did. But doesn’t it seem a bit overly defensive, or just plain rude and aggressive, to be personally sarcastic? That’s certainly how his comments came across to me.
Anyway, whether he was right in what he said, or he was rude with no good cause, it doesn’t touch the fact that I see complaints about Clickbank and PayDotCom. And right now I don’t see a huge difference between them. I certainly earn money from both of them so I have no intention of abandoning either one any time soon.
But I do wonder why any very successful marketer would need to go straight to sarcasm when they could, instead, do a wonderful job of putting their case just by being very professional.
I’ve asked Mike that in the original blog post. I’m looking forward to seeing his reply because I really love getting my commissions earned via PayDotCom every month - and I stick up for them when I see some of the complaints that people make!
Have any big time marketers attacked you personally? What about small-time marketers? I’d love to hear your comments.
EDIT: please read the comments to this post because I think I took Mike’s comments more to heart than I should have done. I suppose when a very big name appears to have a go it can be a bit disconcerting.
It also shows why you should think before you post anything. My reply to Mike Filsaime is permanently out there for all to see. In hindsight I don’t believe my reply was the best example of how I think and what I believe. As such I don’t believe it’s the best advert for me. Too late to do much about that reply now, beyond being brutally open here.
Like your site some very useful information 
Hello Richard
I see you've started your comment with an insult to me. No problem, I don't take offence easily and ...
Hiya putz.
I follow on to your comment on another post. I don't intend on getting the top post, but see ...
Reminder to self: must be more controversial in blog posts and replies! ;] 
Hey Amin,
Long time.Before I go check what the fuss is about,I just want to thank you and let you know ...
Hi Amin,
Just popped over to Plank's blog and left a comment. I do not think you are over reacting.
Seems to ...
Comment by John Wilkes on 27 July 2008:
Hi Amin,
Just popped over to Plank’s blog and left a comment. I do not think you are over reacting.
Seems to be just a little bit touchy, obviously stressed.
Do not worry though, I think you got the sympathy vote.
Best wishes
John
Comment by admin on 27 July 2008:
Hi John
Thanks for stopping by and for your comments.
I’ve just read a few threads at the Warrior Forum and I see a lot of people are doing those awful ‘Scam’ reviews. A lot of them are using Mike’s name. I can understand why he’d be annoyed about that so maybe he is a little stressed. I think I would be too, under the circumstances.
I don’t know why the whole world jumped on that “Product X is a scam” type of advertising. Well, I do know why and it’s an awful shame.
Funny thing, I get a reasonable slice of my monthly income via PDC so I wouldn’t leave it under (almost) any circumstances!
Amin
P.S. I just took a look at your blog and apart from the shock of seeing the same theme in use (well, it’s a good theme!) I enjoyed this post you made. I’ll be looking for the full details when you finally reveal them!
Comment by peter on 28 July 2008:
Hey Amin,
Long time.Before I go check what the fuss is about,I just want to thank you and let you know I have setup your adsense site.though am not done with the site yet,you could see how am doing for a newbie.you said rewriting the articles will do good,so I will do so soon.thanks
P.S. please I still need your advise.
Comment by Matt Garrett on 28 July 2008:
Hi Amin,
I was just reading the comments on Robert’s post and spotted the trackback to hear so had to come take a look at what else you said..
now I’m hereI guess I’m gonna have to leave some sort of comment (I’ll blame it on the vodka tomorrow morning). ;]
to be fair, as you admited in your reply, your “legendry problems” comment was a bit open to be taken the wrong way and possibly spark a reaction, although I’m guessing you weren’t expecting Mike to turn up and reply in person, let alone take it the wrong way, apparently.
I think without the “legendry” part Mike would probably have read it differently, as I’m sure he would admit that any affiliate program system that deals with the kind of numbers we’re talking about is bound to have some problems, that’s life/business.
In fact I think he does in his reply, or at least he mentions everything has pros and cons, and PDC has had some bumps along the way. It’s unavoidable when you’re building a business as big as PDC1 is becoming.
In fairness to Mike, his reply is even handed and reasonable in the most part and his “sarcastic” retort at the end may have also been a missplaced (”throw away”) comment, in the same nature as your original “legendry” comment.
after all, he too puts his pants on one leg at a time (I assume), just like the rest of us, and has “off” moments.
it’s also always worth remembering that the written word is not a perfect form of communication and it’s easy for missunderstandings to occur, smileys help, but it’s still not perfect. I believe he did sign off with a “smile”.
I hope that he’s had chance to read your reply and perhaps he’ll turn up here to post a reply…
Cheers,
Matt Garrett
[note: spellinfg mistakes sponsored by Smirnoff]
Comment by Matt Garrett on 28 July 2008:
Reminder to self: must be more controversial in blog posts and replies! ;]
Comment by Amin on 28 July 2008:
@Peter
Hi again
If you send me a personal message on my support desk with your domain I’ll take look at what you’ve done with the site and see if there’s anything I can suggest that might make it better.
When you’ve had the chance to read the post over at Robert’s please pop back and let me know what you think. I’d be glad to hear your opinion.
@Matt
Thanks for dropping by. I’m absolutely certain that the term ‘legendary’ was the wrong word to use. In the context I meant it a more appropriate word would have been ’sometimes’.
Every payment processor hits problems sometimes and that’s still the same now. Not one of them, that I have personal awareness of, has yet reached a state of perfection. It would be unrealistic to think otherwise.
Your comments about Mike being human, like the rest of us, is a good point. But here’s the thing: I’m a minnow compared to him (actually, I’m a minnow compared to a lot of marketers) so his ‘off the cuff’ remarks about me have a great deal more power to hurt me than any carelessly chosen word I use could hurt him.
That’s why I felt it important to respond.
But I’ve taken your assessment of his reply and looked at it again in the cold clear light of morning. What’s very interesting to me is that I think I agree with you 100%!
I think maybe I took it more seriously than I should have done! In fact, I think I reacted to his remark the same way he reacted (so I thought) to mine. How embarrassing is that?
The lesson: Mike Filsaime and I appear to react the same way to perceived slights. So it is possible to think like a guru.
Imagine that. I wonder if I could turn that into some kind of post?
“Mike Filsaime concurs with Amin Motin on response tactics in blog posts”
Think that one will fly?
I don’t think I’ll try that though: it might be going a bit too far!
Guess I should really go over and add something to Robert’s blog to indicate what I think now I’ve had time to think.
Comment by Richard McLaughlin on 8 August 2008:
Hiya putz.
I follow on to your comment on another post. I don’t intend on getting the top post, but see that you are sad that you will not. This month you are only listed as the second highest poster didn’t show.
I’m trying to get this right, you are going to fight so hard for the first posting position that you have to insult people? Any comment I make, you will reply to?
Childlike, no?
Comment by Amin on 8 August 2008:
Hello Richard
I see you’ve started your comment with an insult to me. No problem, I don’t take offence easily and I’m not a putz so we won’t fall out over that.
As you can see I’ve approved your comment here, on this off-topic thread.
Since you’ve raised this point so directly I am going to expand on my view to clarify it for you.
The problem with those post comments you made is that they added no value to the original blog post. Short posts along the lines of “I like these posts” or “Good comments everyone is making” generally look very spammy. And frankly your comments, coming as they did right after each other, did not look considered and valuable.
Blog comments can be a very valuable source of extension to a blog post, but yours appeared to have no discernible intrinsic value. At least I couldn’t discern any.
As I said in the other comment I made, that’s my personal take on it and I can be as wrong as the next person. I’m not a mind reader and I make no claim to know for a fact what was in your mind when you made your commments.
I just think inane comments that look like a beginner splogger has made them are a waste of time for everyone concerned.
Does that make my position clearer?
Wouldn’t you agree with me that considered debate and comment is of more value?