It's called "Read the small print." Put somewhere on the directory "If your site changes to something unacceptable we will delete the entry without a refund." Unacceptable would of course be porn, hate, gambling etc. This is something that should have been in from day one. Then when someone changes to a shady site, bye bye and no guilt from your end. Its so simple.
I would bet this was already done. Anyone that owns a directory really should make it clear that any listing can be removed for any reason. Obviously, any reason is to cover virtually all situations, namely: spam, porn, hate, drugs, pills, poker, unrepsonsive sites, under construction sites, etc., etc. etc....
If it was done, then the fee and is a sham. They could simply remove the bad sites with a clear conscience. Furthermore, if they are that hungry for more sites and more money, they need only add more pages which will gain pr eventually.
All my directories start out as paid and only paid directories. Even if it is PR 0. Slowly I build up the backlinks and certain people who have got good results from my previous dirs (Like Mystik Media) Submit paid links to my dirs even if it is PR 0. So I think this bait and switch people would don't last long in this business.
There are 2 sayings that apply here that go~ "Be carefull who you hurt on the way up, as you might meet them on the way down" the second is "never forget where you came from and how you got where you are" I think it is fair to say that Kenni & Dre have learned these lessons. The key word here is LEARNED, because they have done just that. Kenni was under pressure, read the forum, but didn't post. he learned from that mistake. They made errors in judgement, and looked forward with the business, and failed to take into account the potential reaction. In business you have to do the following 1. decide what you want 2. decide how to get there 3. work out what the costs will be (time, reaction effort, money family etc) 4. decide if you are willing to pay that price. These are the steps that all self made millionairse admit they take, but so many small businesspeople fail to carry out #3 properly. Risk evaluation is KING in business. you MUST sit down and brainstorm EVERY SINGLE POSSIBLE OUTCOME of your actions, and put in place a system whereby you can deal with them all satisfactorily. In this case the team at IWT failed to properly evaluate the possible reaction to what was proposed. THEY HAVE LEARNED from it, and it will make them better. Here is something I have, and it has carried me through some seriously tough times. We can all carry on complaining about the past, or we can now look at the facts. 1. if your site is in breach of the quality guidelines, it will be removed (the same as any other quality directory) 2. if you are not happy, kenni will give you a refund (and months of free advertising) 3. if you ARE happy, Kenni will give you a discount on another site 4. Sites that meet the quality guidlines that entered into a permanent agree ment with kenni, will get what they paid for. I really do not think there is anything else to discuss (other than compliment CompuXp on his amazing wit, diplomacy and coherent debating skills )
I rarely like to throw insults around, but God-in-hell, CompuXP is a complete knob-end. Every one of his comments reminds me of a high school flunky, probably way too blazed up for his own good. Dre and Kenni - Grandfathering in old links was a good decision. To work on spam, you need to run a scheme, as Dre said, where your users can report spam sites. Tell all link owners that if their content subject takes a large change, it is their responsibility to contect iWEBTOOLS and inform the administration to review their link. Lastly, lose CompuXP as he is damaging your already-fragile reputation. Good luck with your business venture.
I'm surprised you're not in the red yet, compuXP. You've acted like a real dick all the way through this thread. A good example of how not to behave when faced with angry customers.
Was it a mistake or a brilliant marketing ploy? How many people will never do business again with IWT? Then consider on the flipside how many new customers have been generated with all this interest regarding IWT. Everyone shakes hands and the problem is solved... Just a thought
Interesting observation, but I'm not so sure it was a marketing ploy. Despite the corrections of errors by IWT and the olive branches being extended, they've still lost some credibility and customers who will not be returning or sending more business or endorsements their way ... I don't think that was a calculated gamble or risk they'd be willing to take. But then again ... still an interesting observation; and if it's true, I think it's backfired. It's not like someone started a controversy about a site doing kiddie porn, knowing the immature staff would do editorials about the author which only added traffic and exposure to the author's websites ....
I have nothing to do with the directory. They are not my customers. And there's a reason I'm not in the red. I rarely lose my cool like this, and usually people APPRECIATE my posts, which makes the green.
So yeah.. sure... everybody give me red reputation for having an opinion and supporting the minority You guys are GREAT
Yes, that would explain why your political debating site has a whopping 2 members ... people appreciate what you have to say - get over yourself; you did in fact act like an ass, and I too am surprised a bigger backlash didn't ensue against you. Better luck in the future.
wrmineo: You are probably right, but I wonder if sales are significantly affected either way. It would be interesting to see a before and after revenue chart to see if any publicity really is good publicity. compuXP: As an idle observer - The reason you are not in the red probably has more to do with the fact that users like myself who had no actual dealings with IWT didn't red you. I chose instead to remain idle for the large proportion of the discussion, and left IWT customers to discuss the situation amongst themselves. Personally, I think your comments added no value to the entire thread, and actually incited many of the quieter members here. Perhaps the lesson here for you is that annoying the very people who your associates are trying to placate inflames rather than resolves the issue.
Once AGAIN I apologise for his action since he's a mod at iWEBTOOL. compuXP: You aren't helping man. You've gotta stop your comments arent doing us any favours.
Come on. Its not like these guys are smart enough to think "Let's change Coke to 'New Coke' to reinforce the nostalgic American icon that is Coca-Cola." Hell, I don't even think Coca-Cola even predicted that one, but conspiracy theories will abound as always.
So kenni has now admitted (although transferring blame to an editor) that its a bad move and that some of the $5.00 lifetime listings have been removed. Its disgraceful the way that this has happened, if you are removing listings people have paid you for, you should be reimbursing them. I'd recommend anyone who purchased a link in the last month to file a complaint with paypal, perhaps get his paypal shut down.. only way some people learn.
iWebtools, do some work. If you are going to clean up the spam, then get rid of them. Don't grandfather them just because they paid the $5. Delete it, issue a refund and be done with it. Your existing customers will love your directory so much more and bring your good quality future business.
What are you on about? Kenni didn't transfer the blame to know one. We have offered a refund to any one that wants his so basically their listings would have been free. Also lifetime link will remain as stated in previous posts.