Profits of Doom / Discussion

This is the discussion related to the wiki page Profits of Doom.

To Those Who Are/Were Offended I Apologize

"Dr" Joshua Wood (guest) 18 Oct 2009 12:39

Hi, I come across this post from the twitter account '2012mythorfact', I just wanted to come here and give my voice, as I think is fair and valid. There are ALWAYS 2 sides, no matter what.

Firstly, I have spent some time reading this website, and I really like it, and agree with 99.9% of the items on it. I too am sick of the hyperbole and straight up lies perpetuated by idiots and scammers, playing on peoples intrinsic fears. It IS DISHONEST and I DO NOT agree with it. I know this may come across as an oxymoron of sorts, but it is the truth.

The blogs in question and associated twitter account were/was for testing, and gathering qualitative and quantitative data for methods and effects of both blogs and twitter on website traffic, and whether the quality of said traffic has an effect on sales/conversion rates of advertising. YES I am a marketer, NO i am not drenched in snake oil. I do both offline and online marketing, mainly for clients. I combine my expertise in neurology and human behavioral studies, and apply them to solid marketing principles. I do have a few projects of my own, but try to shy away from the hype products. (read: 2012, Y2K, Princess Di and Aliens) The same applies to working for clients.

I wanted to research the data behind 2012, because like the poster of this…..post, I abhor 2012 and the hysteria around it. Y2K all over again, S**T's me. So I decided to make a blog about it, but research both sides of the story, put up two faces then make the 'real' blog and write up my findings and thoughts.

That being said, if someone wants to sell a product related to 2012, who says they can not? It is a free world and in the end EVERYONE is responsible for their own choices. It is not 'Mr Sayers' fault if someone is gullible enough to buy into the hype and hysteria.

For the record, the strange comparison between the fonts no matter how obscure, is no basis….well for anything at all. To set the record straight though, I am NOT Mr Sayer, I do know who it is though, and NO Mr James Sayer is NOT his real name.

My Name is Joshua Wood, with or without the 'Dr' Title. I am 27 Years old, and Shona Kelly is NOT a GoDaddy admin, but actually my wife.

I DO NOT appreciate the incitement for people to "give Dr. Wood a piece of their mind:" it has too much of a negative connotation. I DO invite those who want to to SIMPLY email me for a discussion (sounds nicer doesn't it?) My emails are as Follows;
- moc.recruostuo-mi|nimda#moc.recruostuo-mi|nimda
- moc.liamg|312doowauhsoj#moc.liamg|312doowauhsoj (also gtalk)
- moc.liamtoh|romaarbac#moc.liamtoh|romaarbac (also MSN)
- moc.ua.gnitekramrettiwt|nimda#moc.ua.gnitekramrettiwt|nimda (BlackBerry Email)
- moc.ua.auhsojrd|nimda#moc.ua.auhsojrd|nimda (o2 Atom)
and about 40 others.

I have removed the offending twitter accounts, so I do not offend anyone else, but do maintain a personal twitter;

@bitchsmacked

There are a couple more 'spammy' marketing twitter accounts that I run also;
@PhDaffiliate (BEWARE Full of 'Spammy' Marketing)
@imoutsourcer (Related to my Outsourcing Business)

If you really want to, send me a snail mail;

Unit 7/24 Trumble Street
Eaglehawk, Victoria, Australia
Zip/Postal: 3556

My Phone Number too: [phone]

I have TOO MANY domains to list, but if anyone wants to know that stuff too, then ask. I am NOT hiding anything, nor pretending to be something (or someone) that i am not. This is all publicly available information, so to save everyone the hassle of more searches, here I am.

//"…What this means

At this point we feel it is fair to express our utter contempt and disdain for "Dr. Wood". A person who at least claims to be a medical professional is spamming twitter with links that claim that there will be catastrophic events in 2012, promoting fear and potential suicides in society. This is particularly reprehensible when one of the sites being spammed is being advertised as a way to make money through ClickBank. The cynical disregard for public health and safety displayed by this behavior is disgusting.

"Dr. Wood" should turn in his medical license and PhD…."//

You, and anyone else are entitled to your opinion, I can NEVER take that from you. I am NOT like that, and I stand behind it. The so called 'spamming' of twitter was trusting someone else to setup an autoblog for me. I did not think that the settings would be that bad, as I had given clear instruction as to what I wanted, but that is the risk of hiring from china…..

I concur that my spelling IS atrocious, INDEED!! I have 2 kids, 5 pets and ALL live on my desk. They spill things (honey was the latest) and it causes a sticky keyboard, which makes it difficult to type. i also drag my fingers a lot, hitting other keys, but who gives a s**t really.

Again, and essentially, I am very sorry If I angered ANYONE for it was not my intention to do so. I agree with the concept of this whole website.

Thanks For Your Time
Josh

(P.S: I have brought my point across in a rather unassuming and neutral way. I feel that the OP has every right to feel the way he/she does (and I agree with you), but would have liked it if their opinion was brought across in a more positive and constructive way. I am open to discussion, but am NOT a fan of negativity. Personal @ messages on twitter warning me I was going to get my account banned by the OP (in a profane way), and this post all combine to leave a nasty taste in my mouth, and I didn't appreciate it. Respect.)

Re: To Those Who Are/Were Offended I Apologize

2012hoax 19 Oct 2009 05:07

First of all, let me thank you for coming here and giving us your side of the story, and for your apology. In a gesture of appreciation I have edited the page to remove the personal information, and the statement that you found most objectionable.

I will admit that I am angry about 2012 doomsday rumors. Several of us have been battling this modern myth for quite a while, several years in some cases. I personally have been dealing with it for about 4 years now. I have been confronted by otherwise reasonable adults who absolutely believe it, because they "saw it on TV" or on YouTube.

That doesn't bother me as much as the kids.

By "kids" I literally mean children, in grade school, some as young as eight years old who have heard about this from other, older kids, and are scared. Why they don't ask their parents, I don't know. Maybe they did and did not get the kind of attention to the answer that they needed in order to feel confident.

So, yes, I get mad. I literally shake with anger when I read things like Kat's Story. It makes me want to find one of the people pushing this nonsense and wrap my hands around their neck.

So, I will ask your forgiveness in return for the tone and demeanor with which I approached you. People here will tell you that profanity is not my typical style.

However, your apology, as welcome as it is, is not complete. You qualify it by first stating that the blogs and twitter accounts were for testing purposes, then by playing a "blame the victim" card (i.e., it's their fault for being gullible), and then by passing the buck to someone that you hired in China. You are still ultimately responsible for everything that happens under your account, unless you can claim that someone hacked into it and posted the information in question against your wishes.

I don't care about the spamming (at least not in this instance). Go ahead, sell all of the herbal viagra and weight-loss supplements you can. Those things are in a completely different class than the 2012 hoax, simply because of the danger of suicide in vulnerable populations.

If you are truly contrite, I would ask only one thing: Take the next step, and begin actively opposing this hoax. If you will use your connections and marketing to actively oppose the 2012 hoax, I will not only thank you, I will beg your forgiveness for misjudging you and remove you as the primary subject of this page.

After all, there are a lot of people promoting the 2012 hoax. The ultimate intent of this page is not to focus on a single person but to illustrate examples of the 2012 hoax being used to scam people.

tick tock (guest) 18 Oct 2009 16:32

"I too am sick of the hyperbole and straight up lies perpetuated by idiots and scammers, playing on peoples intrinsic fears. It IS DISHONEST and I DO NOT agree with it. I know this may come across as an oxymoron of sorts, but it is the truth."

followed almost immediately by:

"That being said, if someone wants to sell a product related to 2012, who says they can not? It is a free world and in the end EVERYONE is responsible for their own choices. It is not 'Mr Sayers' fault if someone is gullible enough to buy into the hype and hysteria."

If someone wants to sell a product related to 2012, I, too find it dishonest and I, also, do not agree with it. I don't recall suggesting making it illegal to do so, but just as selling Anti-Tsunami Charms to people in the South Pacific is distasteful, you have to agree that selling books with titles like "Surviving the End of the World" cannot be a good thing. An expert in human behavioral studies has to suspect that the purchasers of these items may have some difficulty dealing with reality. Feeding on this is hardly ethical.

As to the "please don't send me negative feedback"… what did you expect? You claim to be in marketing and don't want feedback? Are you sure you know what "marketing" is?

"Dr Joshua Wood, a Neurologist since 1999"

and then:

"I am 27 Years old"…

Which suggests you became a neurologist at the age of 17?

Please, I cannot imagine anyone associated with this website engaging in abusive emails or twitters or whatever, as the sole purpose seems to be to educate. The 2012hoax people take rightful pride that they are not selling anything. Take the criticism as offered. Some people are going to find selling 2012 items to people buying into this hoax as distasteful.

I know I certainly do.

Sorry to hear about the honey on the keyboard. You could try a dishwasher on cool or invite in some ants. Cover the plugs first, though.

PoshNinja 18 Oct 2009 17:11

I'll have to agree with Tick, on this.

Marketer or not, there's one simple thing that you and the other people trying to sell junk by fueling the 2012 paranoia seem to not understand— There's something more important here than money.

"It is not 'Mr Sayers' fault if someone is gullible enough to buy into the hype and hysteria."

It's not a person's fault either that they've been frightened by a rumor that's pieced together with poorly concocted facts.

You have kids, yes? Would it be their fault if they were scared the thought of Aliens abducting children? Or would it be the fault of the person spreading the lies?

That must be the best thing about being a marketer, everything is everyone's fault but their own.

A marketer or reseller could pull out a gun, shoot someone in the head and then say "Oh but of course! It wasn't my fault, he wasn't moving enough to get out of the way!"

How ever, I'm not here to babble on and on about meaningless nonsense concerning E-Mails, money and marketing crapola.

My main concern is the mental and physical safety of the people who are scared by this farce and if anyone wants to throw a childish temper tantrum because I'm here to protect children and teenagers and help adults to educate themselves as well as their own children then so be it. I'm not going anywhere, nor is anyone else who is here to help others.

If someone wants to buy a book of 2012 and they aren't frightened before they buy it then great, that's their choice, I'm sure it makes for a fantastic science fiction novel. But when books are purposely being pushed to fuel the 2012 hysteria to make genuinely frightened people buy survival kits and books and other bull that they will never use, then that's when it becomes a problem.

It isn't about the money it's about actually caring about how your novel, your products or your website may effect others.

Do I offer respect for openly apologizing? Yes, I do.
But I won't sit by while someone blames ignorance on other people instead of taking responsibility of their own actions in making everyone that much worse.

beware

guest (guest) 28 Jan 2010 20:36

we're onto you clickbank, we'll drive you into bakruptcy for defrauding the entire public