January 15, 2007

Affiliate Bootcamp Reviewed

Affiliate Marketers Bootcamp is taught by James Martell, and let me say that it is a good class for the very new to Affiliate Marketing. If you don't know how to make web pages, if you don't know how to do web hosting, if you're not a good writer or good at making graphics … then, this is the class for you.

James shows his students how to do all of these things and how to find the people who do it, if you don't. He shows his students some tools that make it possible for a complete newbie to step into the publishing world on the Internet.

For me it was the distinction that James made clear, that he is teaching "publishing" and not "web design" that really drove home the difference between James and myself. James is a web publisher, who has learned some skills about web design through the years. I am a webmaster and a web publisher, so for me some of what James had to say would not equate to my world-view on Affiliate Marketing … but makes perfect sense in his world.

Affiliate Bootcamp had a heavy emphasis on Google ads with some affiliate programs tossed in. I had hoped there would have been more on the affiliate program side of things, but maybe that's left for an advanced class someday. Datafeeds were explained only in so much as to what one does on your website, not how to actually do it. I definitely see this as advanced information that would have been too much for this group of students.

One of the best things James did was to help these newbies understand how to make quality websites that would also convert fairly well. For most of those people, that information was worth the price of admission.

Although I was good in class and kept my mouth shut, I deeply disagreed with James on the topic of SEO. James teaches his students not to have anything to do with SEO, and that means that if they need a writer, they are to find someone who writes without SEO in mind. I don't think there are enough words for me to use to express how much I disagree with that, but considering that I was in a class with mostly newbies … I'll just express my difference of opinion on that one here.

James, if you read this … please chime in and explain why. If I understand your logic, it's basically that a well written article will do the trick without the SEO considerations; what to speak of a room filled with newbies that would only be confused by the whole SEO game.

James gave these newbies a lot of resources to go get tools and content, again that alone was worth the price of admission because he saved them years of finding out this stuff the hard way.

The classroom environment James uses is state-of-the-art and very user friendly. I do wish James had allowed us to chat more before and after classes. I also wish we could have sent each other private messages. He had all those features turned off. It could have been a great opportunity for networking of services and cross-links, but it didn't happen. Shame.

Did James reveal all his tricks? Did he reveal all the good stuff? No, I'm sure he didn't. The advanced Affiliate Marketing knowledge is still something that's yet to peek out from the safe hold. Not too many super affiliates are going to reveal how they do their thing.

James knows far more than what he shared, but his Affiliate Marketers Bootcamp is a solid series of classes for the base beginner. I will recommend it and I'm glad I went through it myself. It was a good review and good for me to see how green the new guys really are.

James Martell's Affiliate Marketers Handbook

James Martell's Affiliate Buzz

I enjoyed James Martell a lot. He's a down to earth family man with a dream, a goal and a purpose. He shares his knowledge in ways that allow you to have glimpses into his world. So, he's not afraid for you to get a sense of him. I found his teaching style to be caring and sincere. James is definately not afraid to give you his opinion on things. So, for the newbie students who seek his knowledge, James is a real find for them.

You know another thing I liked about James is that he doesn't spam my email box like some marketers do. His messages are clear and to-the-point. He only sends emails periodically when he has something new to share. I appreciate that a lot and so do most affiliates.

The level of student support I received was exceptional. As a student, me emails were answered in a very timely manner … for which I thank Arlene Martell, his wife. Students were guided every step of the journey through emails and timely autoresponders.

In closing, I'd like to thank the Martell's (and LinkConnector who sponsored me) for allowing me into the Affiliate Marketer's Bootcamp classes. It confirmed for me some of what I do as an affiliate, and I think I will walk away from the experience with some very nice friends and new-found business relationships. Now, let's look to the future!