Ok, I have to say right off the bat that this is not my favorite episode. In fact, I feel kind of let down because I think it was boooring. What happened to the contestant interaction scenes?
We get to hear what happened between the contestants while they were doing the challenges, but the producers chose not to show much of the action. There’s a lack of energy (or maybe entertainment) during this whole episode and it comes off as dull, dull, dull. Oh yeah, and shortening the show’s running time didn’t make things more interesting. However, I think this is totally an editing problem.
I will give them two thumbs up for improving the sound quality.
Now, having said that, let’s get on with the show.
After brief commentary from Nico and Laura telling us how relaxed and ready they are, we jump right into the Hacker Safe Challenge. Gee guys, you could give us a little build up to it. Maybe warm us up with the contestants eating breakfast or something.
This week’s immunity challenge has our contestants creating their own blog using tools from a web host called 1&1. Joshua Sloan is the company representative, don’t know his title. He tells us about how great their tools and stuff are. Joshua says they are number one and host 4 million web sites – not too shabby.
The challenge is to write a 250+ word article and put it on their new blog. The catch is they must draw their article subject from a bowl. The subjects were taken from each contestant’s biography. So most of them will be writing about one of the other contestants interest.
Right away, Nico draws the exciting topic of Visual Basic. Needless to say, Nico and visual basic don’t mix. Hot guy from South American jungle writes about boring computer language. You can already see where this episode is heading. Hmmm, maybe there’s something more interesting on TV tonight. Oh, all right, I’ll keep giving you the scoop.
Oh great. Jason H. has another opportunity to tell us about his bunny rabbits – Piggly Wiggly and Bumpkins. He misses them. I’m sure they miss you too, Jason.
The contestants get 1 hour to create their blog, and off they go.
And done.
Okay, now the critiques.
Jaime got computer repair as her topic and tells us she’s never blogged before. She scores points for putting keywords in her post titles. Hey, I think we just learned something here folks. Maybe this episode isn’t a total waste of time.
Joel says she had formatting problems. Oh well, good job, Jaime, for it being your first ever blog.
Charles Trippy wrote about illusions (magic tricks). He let’s Joel and Josh know that he’s never done a blog before because he hates them. He even hates the word “blog”. Now we know the secret to getting on his nerves really bad. Just go up to him and start a conversation. Whatever he says, include the word blog in your answer.
You: Hi, Charles, what’s up?
Charles: Not much, what’s going on with you?
You: I just posted on my blog today.
Charles: Don’t talk to me about that. I hate those things.
You: You do? Why would you hate a blog? I mean, blogs are so cool. You can blog about anything. Today I blogged about my friend who also has a blog and we read each other’s blogs and laughed about what we blogged about.
Charles: Can you please stop saying that word?
You: What word?
Charles: Blog.
You: Why? What’s wrong with the word blog?
Charles: I don’t know. I just hate it, that’s all.
You: That’s silly. It’s just a word. I think blog is a great word.
Charles: Stop it.
You: Blog, blog, blog.
Charles: Shut up.
You: Blog, blog, blog, blog, blog, blog, blog.
Charles: Ah!
Ok, back to the show. Charles does a screen shot of a person performing a magic trick and links that to a video. Joel is impressed with it.
Meanwhile, Thor thinks Charles is the best and will be calling him after the show with joint venture ideas. They could end up being the odd couple of internet marketing.
Thor: I’m a little bit country.
Charles: I’m a little bit rock and roll.
Trippy & Thor Enterprises. Kinda has a ring to it.
Thor tells us about his fashion blog. He sold men’s suits while in college so his blog focused on men’s suits, of course. Nothing fancy, but it looks nice.
Jason M. gets Costa Rica as his subject and focuses on the content. His blog title says “Welcome to Paradise!”. Joshua calls him out on not using the word Costa Rica in the title or in any links, which makes his blog very vague.
Laura writes about wake boarding, a topic she knows something about. Joel says she did better than he expected.
Unfortunately, we don’t see anyone else’s blog get critiqued.
And the winner of this week’s Hacker Safe immunity challenge is . . . Charles Trippy!
Yeah, the guy who hates blogs won the blog challenge. This proves that in spite of his laid back image, he’s a dark horse to win this competition. Why? Because it’s easy to do stuff you love, but hard to do well at things you hate.
Jason H. whines about Joel’s critique of his blog. Even though we don’t get to see it, his subject was financial advice. “I did not agree with Joel Comm’s assessment that I was too much marketing.”
Ok, here’s Thor’s gossip about this matter:
“I would love to see Jason Henderson go in the sandbox. Jason is a name dropper. He’s got a lot of knowledge . . . I could see him using that knowledge in key situations, like he did with the blogging this morning. I mean, it was all about name dropping . . . he stopped me afterwards and said, ‘I don’t understand why they thought my blog was about marketing’ . . . it’s cause you name dropped every marketer you could think of in, like, one paragraph.”
Armand Morin stops in to talk about branding.
It’s all about logos. Get yourself a logo, even if you’re small.
Armand says most internet marketing web sites look the same. Dark blue, white box with sales letter in the middle of the page and no clue as to who wrote the sales letter. Armand says this is not good enough. It’s very hard nowdays to get people to buy repeatedly from you. Branding will help customers recognize your products and services over non-distinct competition.
Armand will show the contestants how to design a brand around a product or service – this is supposedly easy to do. He mentions “obvious marketing”. A brand is much more than a logo, it’s the entire look and feel of it. He says the easiest way to make money online is to increase your look and feel. Basically, even if you haven’t got much money, you can look like you do by branding yourself with a nice logo and professional image.
The Execution Challenge: Create a brand new logo design for “The Next Internet Millionaire”
To keep the teams even in number, the BULLSEYE team gets to pick a player from the KISS team. They pick Jason M. A wise move, indeed. Team BULLSEYE calculates that without a strong presenter, KISS will be weak in presenting their concept.
Ok, let’s see how that works out for them.
They have 90 minutes. Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.
Nothing interesting is shown to us during this segment. Joel offers them more supplies to work on their logos in exchange for four e-commerce chips. For one e-commerce chip, they can peek inside his basket of goodies to see if they want to use them. Ooooo, what’s inside that basket?
All I can see is some rulers and pencils. Shrug. I’m sure this stuff will help them, but it’s nothing tantalizingly great.
Seems like picking Jason M. has paid off for team BULLSEYE. He came up with their most important element for their logo. It’s a cut out of two human sillouettes shaking hands that forms an “M” for Millionaire. Pretty clever.
Team KISS is up first. Their logo is a box representing a computer screen with a question mark [?] symbol inside. Below that is a computer mouse with a $ sign that extends from a mosaic keyboard. In big blue letters next to the image they’ve written “Next Internet Millionaire”.
It’s creative and different, but will Joel like it?
Jaime is the chosen presenter and she does a good job filling Jason M’s shoes. Alisande says she is a major contributor to this concept.
Joel likes their creativity, but thinks the keyboard mosiac is a little edgy. Armand likes their idea of using the computer as a symbol. It makes you think of the internet right away. Joshua Sloane didn’t like their statement about the show appealing to everybody. He thinks their target market is too broad.
Team BULLSEYE is up next. Their “M” made out of sillouettes is the main focus of their logo. The rest of it is the words “Next Internet illionaire.com” in bold black lettering, and some smaller red lettering on a yellow background underneath. Can’t read what it says, sorry.
Nico is the presenter for his team and I’m sorry to say that he is terrible at it. He comes off as unsure of himself and his team’s concept. There’s a moment where he takes a long pause (must of forgotten what he was going to say). There’s just no excitement or energy in his speech or body language. He seriously needs to work on his public speaking skills if he’s going to advance much further in this competition.
Thor’s gossip about Nico as a presenter:
“We spent the whole time trying to give Nico words to use, but at the end we said, you know, Nico’s gonna say what Nico’s gonna say, and no amount of programming is gonna get this into his head.”
That’s okay, Nico. Some people just aren’t easily programmable (the good news is he’ll never be taken in by a cult). No matter, your status as this show’s stud muffin is still secure.
Joel likes the “M” sillouette, but is not crazy about the script font used for the bottom text.
Armand also likes the “M” and is impressed it was cut out of a piece of paper. However, he thinks there’s a little disconnect with the M and the “illionaire” wording. Joel agrees with this point.
Joshua thinks it’s a bit formal, but overall likes it.
And the winner is . . . team BULLSEYE.
The winners receive all of Armand Morin’s software products.
Off to the judgement room we go.
Jaime feels they came up with a good design. Maybe they didn’t use all the tools available to them.
Armand criticizes them for having their lettering crooked, especially since they had rulers. He thinks they did just good enough to pass. Jaime disagrees with this assessment, but admits they realized it wasn’t straight.
Joel compliments Jaime on her leadership style. I have to say that the audience didn’t have a clue this time around who the team captains were.
Alisand was a good co-leader and impressed Joel. Too bad we didn't get to see her in action.
Steve was floating around during this task. He admits he didn’t contribute too much. He’s not used to working in a group situation. Joel questions how Steve can see himself doing a joint venture since he works alone. Steve is asking himself this same question. Joel asks Steve if he wants it. Steve says he does, but that he’s young.
Armand advises Steve to not see his youth as a hinderence.
Ok, here comes the bombshell: Steve already makes 5 figures a month. That’s $$,$$$ per month! I think he should be doing some of the coaching on this show.
Joshua notices that Steve is the comic relief of the team, which could cause others to feel he’s not pulling his weight. Steve acknowledges his not being serious enough is a problem. You can tell Steve is really smart and seems like a great guy, but he has a playful spirit. I think this is only a detriment in formal, adult-like settings. He’s gotta learn how to turn his playfulness on and off.
Joel asks Steve point blank if he’s in this to win. Steve humbly says he’s here more to learn, but does want to win and set an example. Joel doesn’t see the hunger to win inside of him.
Jason H. was semi-invisible on this task. He says he was trying to back up Laura who had the key idea about having a sillouette. The team admits they considered this idea but didn’t think they could make it look professional.
Armand says simplicity is the key with this task. Their logo was too busy – had too many elements.
Laura’s lettering wasn’t good, and Laura agrees.
Alisande says she could do the lettering, but wanted to be a team player.
Joshua tells Laura that recognizing your own weaknesses isn’t fun or easy. Don’t be afraid to get help when you need it.
Laura at first refuses to name two of her teammates that she thinks should be eliminated. She doesn’t want anyone to hate her. Finally, Joel gets her to name two people. She picks Alisande and Steve.
There’s a brief argument among two team members about agreeing on the concept for the logo. Jason H. claims he pushed for the sillouette, Alisande strongly disagrees and states he said he liked her concept.
The two people targeted for elimination are:
Laura Martin and Steve Schuitt.
They are now both in the sandbox with Carly and Debbie.
Now it’s dirt dishing time.
Jaime gets to state her true feelings about Steve and Jason H. She really likes Steve and hated picking him for elimination. Um, so why’d you do it, Jaime?
Steve says he put out the wrong vibe about not wanting to win the contest. He plans to dig his way out of the sandbox. I hope so, Steve, since I don’t think we’ve gotten to see what you can really do yet.
Back to Jaime. She says that Jason H. has disappointed her the most. She’s worked on two projects with the big guy and both times he’s been a dud. Jaime calls Jason H. out for being two-faced.
During his confessional piece, Jason H. wants us to know that he thought the sillouette idea was best and says he brought it up three or four times. He thinks Joel wants him to “take over or something” since his speaking up isn’t doing the trick.
Apparently, when Jason H. is in the judgement room he talks a good game about his so-called leadership skills, but the reality is he knows he’s talking B.S. – he privately admitted it to Jaime.
You get the distinct feeling Jaime and Jason H. don’t like each other.
I didn’t like this episode much, but I’m still going to watch the next one.
Stay tuned.
Watch Episode 2 of The Next Internet Millionaire
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Spread the Word and Win a Free iPod Video
Wanna win a free iPod video?
Go to The Next Internet Millionaire website and click on the "Win an iPod" link. Fill out the form and refer a few friends to watch the show. That's it.
Click here to win a free iPod
Go to The Next Internet Millionaire website and click on the "Win an iPod" link. Fill out the form and refer a few friends to watch the show. That's it.
Click here to win a free iPod
Saturday, August 18, 2007
The Next Internet Millionaire: Episode 1 - It's Really Simple, or is It?
We begin with the contestants being driven to the compound in this huge black limo. They make a pit stop for lunch first and get to know each other a little bit. Hard not to notice that there is a giant among them - yes, it's Jason (I love bunnies) Henderson, and wow does he tower over the other contestants. It's a little intimidating for some of them.
Charles Trippy is sporting tri-colored hair - blond, brown and
and a splash of pink in front for drama. I wonder if he does his own hair?
They are deposited in a snazzy conference room at Joel's complex and we quickly see Joel's head pop up on two seperate screens telling them that they could win $25,000 cash prize and a chance to join him on a new online joint venture project. Yippeee!
After the video, Joel welcomes the contestants in person. "It's game on."
In the first challenge, Joel breaks the group up into partnerships of two. Each contestant must give a short presentation about why they think their partner should be The Next Internet Millionaire. The best presenter wins a Hacker Safe immunity challenge t-shirt. Whoever wins the shirt will be immune from eviction.
Debbie (Do You See I See) Ducic describes herself as a team builder who likes win-win situations and is not really into the whole head-to-head competition thing. Uh oh. Her view of competition is like "stabbing someone in the back". Yeah, Debbie, this is something you should worry about since this IS a competition.
Laura Martin wants us to know that she's "very single." She also wins the award for funniest line of the show. "My family members are very excited . . . they're hoping to learn what it is I do at home in my bed all day."
Hmmm . . . we're waiting for further details, Laura.
Cresta Pillsbury (does her name remind you of toothpaste and rolls?) tells us all about the Hacker Safe product - basically, it's a quality assurance thing for websites.
Cresta and Joel critique the presentations.
Big James H. presentation was "stilted", according to Joel (haw haw).
Okay, so most do okay with this challenge, but it's obvious that one person really stands out as a pretty charismatic presenter and he's the one who wins - Jason Marshall. He gets a $2,000 one-year Hacker Safe subscription for his trouble.
Cool. Everyone gets their own new laptop computer.
First IM guru up is Mark Joyner. He introduces our contestants to his Simple-ology program. We learn that the first law of Simple-ology is the law of straight lines. No, I'm not kidding. Apparently, Mark has gone very zen in his teachings.
Listen carefuly, grasshopper.
"The shortest path between where you are and where you wanna be in your life is a straight line."
Okay, Mark, but I have problems drawing straight lines. Maybe I'll need to use a ruler to do this one.
Oh my gosh. Why does he have to use Laura's day-to-day life as his teaching example?
I mean, she seems to spend a lot of her time in bed, and then Thor shares some juicy gossip with us about Laura that he heard: "When she does get out of bed in the morning she cusses at the world."
What?
" . . . she kicks things, she mutters and she says she hates life . . ."
This poor girl has some issues.
But Thor thinks it will be fun to see what Laura does now that she's forced to get up early. Maybe Thor likes watching trainwrecks.
Now comes the Execution Challenge - maybe they could think of another name to call this? JV Challenge, Big Challenge, Main Challenge, Elimination Challenge?
In days of old, if you told people they were going to an execution challenge, it meant they had a good chance of losing their heads. "I'm sorry, Mike, you're the first one to be executed. Off with his head!"
Anyway . . .
Joel informs us that the winning team will get rewards and immunity, while the losing team will face the judgement room. Ooooo, can't wait to see who's going there.
Next, Joel explains that Simple-ology is so simple that it's difficult to explain it on a simple web page. Got it?
Each team has 2 1/2 hours to create a more effective web presence for Simple-ology.
As the winner of the first challenge, Jason M. gets to be a team captain for this challenge and he also gets to pick the other team captain. He picks Debbie.
Jason's team is named KISS. KISS members are: Jason Marshall, Alisande Chan, Steve Schuitt, Jaime Luchuck, Jason Henderson and Laura Martin.
Debbie's team is named BULLSEYE. BULLSEYE members are: Debbie Ducic, Nico Pisani, Carly Taylor, Thor Schrock, Christine Schaap and Charles Trippy.
Debbie's team choses to develop their whole concept around her target market of "gutsy women". Carly's not feeling the team love so much. Seems like team KISS is suffering from too many cooks in the kitchen.
On a side note, Thor needs to eat when he gets stressed. I think he'll be eating a lot during this show.
Jason M. is getting props from his teammates for being a good leader so far. He's good at delegating assignments. His team works on creating a video concept. Jason H. is working on some kind of mafioso character for the video, huh?
Team BULLSEYE spends a lot of time brainstorming ideas. Better get moving guys, times a wastin. One smart thing they do is actually use Simple-ology to help develop their game plan. Carly is still not feeling the team spirit and takes a back seat to the goings on.
Nico informs us that he brought along several bottles of Panama rum, which he generously shared with his fellow contestants the previous night (hint: they got wasted). He calls this networking. Hey, Nico is hot so he can call it anything he likes.
This is cool. Joel has given each team a certain number of e-commerce chips (they look like casino chips) and before their time is up, he offers to give each team more time in exchange for 5 e-commerce chips. Team KISS takes him up on his offer to get better prepared for their presentation. Probably a smart move.
The e-commerce chips will play a bigger role in the game down the line. Teams will want to keep or earn as many chips as they can, it seems.
Great move by team KISS. They purchase a Hacker Safe account. Of course, this impresses Ms. Pillsbury, one of the judges.
On to the Simple-ology presentations.
Team BULLSEYE is up first. Debbie makes a BIG blooper right off the bat. She calls it Ideology. Her team is focusing on a target market of women 40+ who are career-oriented. The team thinks that these Baby Boomer women will use Simple-ology and spread the word quickly to others.
This team opted for an attention-grabbing video for the site. (let me make it clear that these teams cannot create a real video in 2 1/2 hours. They are using drawings with stick figures to demonstrate the concept). The team BULLSEYE video would highlight the hectic lifestyle of a typical day of their target woman and then BOOM the next moment everything is organized thanks to Simple-ology.
Joel wants to know if middle-aged women are the target market of Simple-ology. In a nutshell, no. Woops. There goes their whole gutsy woman campaign.
Now it's team KISS who tries to impress the judges. Jason M. adds a magic rope trick to his opening remarks. He's talking about squeeze pages and everybody being different. What he says makes sense, but not sure the magic trick worked.
His team focused on personalizing the experience for site visitors. People wanna know who they're dealing with, etc. Their video will feature Mark talking and making folks feel comfortable. They would also use video testimonials. No mafioso character, thankfully.
Oooo, more gossip from Thor. This time it's about Jason H. "Sometimes Jason comes off as a little bit overbearing . . . he's distanced himself from a few of the contestants already . . . he asked Christine if she'd like to do a joint venture and Christine was like, sure, what's that . . . he said, well, I need my shirts ironed, can you take care of that for me?"
Ouch!
Jason H. you just lost a good portion of your non-existent fan base for that one, buddy. No wonder his closest companions are rabbits.
Joel's critique:
Team KISS: Joel thinks their presentation was very well thought out. He loves the idea of having Mark walk onto a web page using video technology. He thinks it was brilliant to use the Hacker Safe trust mark. On the downside, they had a hard time communicating what the page was all about.
Team BULLSEYE: Joel thinks their copy and visuals are on target, but there's a lack of cohesiveness among the team that came out in the presentation.
and the winner is . . . team KISS.
They win immunity and lifetime memberships to Simple-ology and all it's products.
Team BULLSEYE makes a trip to the judgement room. Joel informs us that TWO members of the team will be eliminated. First, though, we're subjected to a silly Chitika commercial. Oh, alright, so I did learn how to pronounce Chitika properly.
Okay, back to the JR action. Team BULLSEYE faces Joel, Mark and Cresta.
Christine is reserved and too defensive of her own opinions. Christine says she was frustrated for 45 minutes trying to get her ideas out.
Thor has a strong personality and stepped up to take on the leadership role when he saw Debbie struggling. However, he needs to respect that someone else is the leader and let that person lead.
Debbie is a gutsy woman who didn't meet expectations when it came to leadership. Debbie acknowledges that she has a different style, but says she learns fast from her mistakes.
Nico has a gentle prodding style when trying to get his teammates to focus. He needs to step it up and show more hustle. He scores points for being the first one on his team to approach Mark with questions.
Carly didn't live up to expectations. She kind of faded into the background during the planning stages and was terrified of reading the web page copy in front of everyone. Mark thinks cultural differences may have affected her performance.
Charles didn't impress Joel much at first, but came alive as the day progressed. He's got a lot of good creativity. Mark warns him that his success is his worst enemy.
The first two people targeted for eliminated from The Next Internet Millionare are:
Debbie Ducic and Carly Taylor
But wait!
This is not the end, folks. Here comes the twist. Debbie and Carly are not on their way home. They are going into the "Sandbox" where they can observe the teachings, but not participate in the challenges. They will have a chance to come back and redeem themselves in the near future.
Wow, this first episode was really great and I can't wait to see what happens next, so stay tuned to this site for more exciting updates.
Watch Episode 1 of The Next Internet Millionaire
Joel Comm's Adsense Coaching Club
Charles Trippy is sporting tri-colored hair - blond, brown and
and a splash of pink in front for drama. I wonder if he does his own hair?
They are deposited in a snazzy conference room at Joel's complex and we quickly see Joel's head pop up on two seperate screens telling them that they could win $25,000 cash prize and a chance to join him on a new online joint venture project. Yippeee!
After the video, Joel welcomes the contestants in person. "It's game on."
In the first challenge, Joel breaks the group up into partnerships of two. Each contestant must give a short presentation about why they think their partner should be The Next Internet Millionaire. The best presenter wins a Hacker Safe immunity challenge t-shirt. Whoever wins the shirt will be immune from eviction.
Debbie (Do You See I See) Ducic describes herself as a team builder who likes win-win situations and is not really into the whole head-to-head competition thing. Uh oh. Her view of competition is like "stabbing someone in the back". Yeah, Debbie, this is something you should worry about since this IS a competition.
Laura Martin wants us to know that she's "very single." She also wins the award for funniest line of the show. "My family members are very excited . . . they're hoping to learn what it is I do at home in my bed all day."
Hmmm . . . we're waiting for further details, Laura.
Cresta Pillsbury (does her name remind you of toothpaste and rolls?) tells us all about the Hacker Safe product - basically, it's a quality assurance thing for websites.
Cresta and Joel critique the presentations.
Big James H. presentation was "stilted", according to Joel (haw haw).
Okay, so most do okay with this challenge, but it's obvious that one person really stands out as a pretty charismatic presenter and he's the one who wins - Jason Marshall. He gets a $2,000 one-year Hacker Safe subscription for his trouble.
Cool. Everyone gets their own new laptop computer.
First IM guru up is Mark Joyner. He introduces our contestants to his Simple-ology program. We learn that the first law of Simple-ology is the law of straight lines. No, I'm not kidding. Apparently, Mark has gone very zen in his teachings.
Listen carefuly, grasshopper.
"The shortest path between where you are and where you wanna be in your life is a straight line."
Okay, Mark, but I have problems drawing straight lines. Maybe I'll need to use a ruler to do this one.
Oh my gosh. Why does he have to use Laura's day-to-day life as his teaching example?
I mean, she seems to spend a lot of her time in bed, and then Thor shares some juicy gossip with us about Laura that he heard: "When she does get out of bed in the morning she cusses at the world."
What?
" . . . she kicks things, she mutters and she says she hates life . . ."
This poor girl has some issues.
But Thor thinks it will be fun to see what Laura does now that she's forced to get up early. Maybe Thor likes watching trainwrecks.
Now comes the Execution Challenge - maybe they could think of another name to call this? JV Challenge, Big Challenge, Main Challenge, Elimination Challenge?
In days of old, if you told people they were going to an execution challenge, it meant they had a good chance of losing their heads. "I'm sorry, Mike, you're the first one to be executed. Off with his head!"
Anyway . . .
Joel informs us that the winning team will get rewards and immunity, while the losing team will face the judgement room. Ooooo, can't wait to see who's going there.
Next, Joel explains that Simple-ology is so simple that it's difficult to explain it on a simple web page. Got it?
Each team has 2 1/2 hours to create a more effective web presence for Simple-ology.
As the winner of the first challenge, Jason M. gets to be a team captain for this challenge and he also gets to pick the other team captain. He picks Debbie.
Jason's team is named KISS. KISS members are: Jason Marshall, Alisande Chan, Steve Schuitt, Jaime Luchuck, Jason Henderson and Laura Martin.
Debbie's team is named BULLSEYE. BULLSEYE members are: Debbie Ducic, Nico Pisani, Carly Taylor, Thor Schrock, Christine Schaap and Charles Trippy.
Debbie's team choses to develop their whole concept around her target market of "gutsy women". Carly's not feeling the team love so much. Seems like team KISS is suffering from too many cooks in the kitchen.
On a side note, Thor needs to eat when he gets stressed. I think he'll be eating a lot during this show.
Jason M. is getting props from his teammates for being a good leader so far. He's good at delegating assignments. His team works on creating a video concept. Jason H. is working on some kind of mafioso character for the video, huh?
Team BULLSEYE spends a lot of time brainstorming ideas. Better get moving guys, times a wastin. One smart thing they do is actually use Simple-ology to help develop their game plan. Carly is still not feeling the team spirit and takes a back seat to the goings on.
Nico informs us that he brought along several bottles of Panama rum, which he generously shared with his fellow contestants the previous night (hint: they got wasted). He calls this networking. Hey, Nico is hot so he can call it anything he likes.
This is cool. Joel has given each team a certain number of e-commerce chips (they look like casino chips) and before their time is up, he offers to give each team more time in exchange for 5 e-commerce chips. Team KISS takes him up on his offer to get better prepared for their presentation. Probably a smart move.
The e-commerce chips will play a bigger role in the game down the line. Teams will want to keep or earn as many chips as they can, it seems.
Great move by team KISS. They purchase a Hacker Safe account. Of course, this impresses Ms. Pillsbury, one of the judges.
On to the Simple-ology presentations.
Team BULLSEYE is up first. Debbie makes a BIG blooper right off the bat. She calls it Ideology. Her team is focusing on a target market of women 40+ who are career-oriented. The team thinks that these Baby Boomer women will use Simple-ology and spread the word quickly to others.
This team opted for an attention-grabbing video for the site. (let me make it clear that these teams cannot create a real video in 2 1/2 hours. They are using drawings with stick figures to demonstrate the concept). The team BULLSEYE video would highlight the hectic lifestyle of a typical day of their target woman and then BOOM the next moment everything is organized thanks to Simple-ology.
Joel wants to know if middle-aged women are the target market of Simple-ology. In a nutshell, no. Woops. There goes their whole gutsy woman campaign.
Now it's team KISS who tries to impress the judges. Jason M. adds a magic rope trick to his opening remarks. He's talking about squeeze pages and everybody being different. What he says makes sense, but not sure the magic trick worked.
His team focused on personalizing the experience for site visitors. People wanna know who they're dealing with, etc. Their video will feature Mark talking and making folks feel comfortable. They would also use video testimonials. No mafioso character, thankfully.
Oooo, more gossip from Thor. This time it's about Jason H. "Sometimes Jason comes off as a little bit overbearing . . . he's distanced himself from a few of the contestants already . . . he asked Christine if she'd like to do a joint venture and Christine was like, sure, what's that . . . he said, well, I need my shirts ironed, can you take care of that for me?"
Ouch!
Jason H. you just lost a good portion of your non-existent fan base for that one, buddy. No wonder his closest companions are rabbits.
Joel's critique:
Team KISS: Joel thinks their presentation was very well thought out. He loves the idea of having Mark walk onto a web page using video technology. He thinks it was brilliant to use the Hacker Safe trust mark. On the downside, they had a hard time communicating what the page was all about.
Team BULLSEYE: Joel thinks their copy and visuals are on target, but there's a lack of cohesiveness among the team that came out in the presentation.
and the winner is . . . team KISS.
They win immunity and lifetime memberships to Simple-ology and all it's products.
Team BULLSEYE makes a trip to the judgement room. Joel informs us that TWO members of the team will be eliminated. First, though, we're subjected to a silly Chitika commercial. Oh, alright, so I did learn how to pronounce Chitika properly.
Okay, back to the JR action. Team BULLSEYE faces Joel, Mark and Cresta.
Christine is reserved and too defensive of her own opinions. Christine says she was frustrated for 45 minutes trying to get her ideas out.
Thor has a strong personality and stepped up to take on the leadership role when he saw Debbie struggling. However, he needs to respect that someone else is the leader and let that person lead.
Debbie is a gutsy woman who didn't meet expectations when it came to leadership. Debbie acknowledges that she has a different style, but says she learns fast from her mistakes.
Nico has a gentle prodding style when trying to get his teammates to focus. He needs to step it up and show more hustle. He scores points for being the first one on his team to approach Mark with questions.
Carly didn't live up to expectations. She kind of faded into the background during the planning stages and was terrified of reading the web page copy in front of everyone. Mark thinks cultural differences may have affected her performance.
Charles didn't impress Joel much at first, but came alive as the day progressed. He's got a lot of good creativity. Mark warns him that his success is his worst enemy.
The first two people targeted for eliminated from The Next Internet Millionare are:
Debbie Ducic and Carly Taylor
But wait!
This is not the end, folks. Here comes the twist. Debbie and Carly are not on their way home. They are going into the "Sandbox" where they can observe the teachings, but not participate in the challenges. They will have a chance to come back and redeem themselves in the near future.
Wow, this first episode was really great and I can't wait to see what happens next, so stay tuned to this site for more exciting updates.
Watch Episode 1 of The Next Internet Millionaire
Joel Comm's Adsense Coaching Club
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Meet The Next Internet Millionaire Teachers - Group #1
Joel Comm - Internet Revenue Expert
Besides being the host of The Next Internet Millionaire, Joel is one of the world's foremost experts on the subject of making money on the internet. After selling a business to Yahoo! in 1997, he's gone on to launch dozens of successful online ventures, and has authored many popular books, including the New York Times Best Seller, The Adsense Code.
Mark Joyner - Marketing Legend and Best Selling Author
Mark Joyner is a #1 best-selling author of over a dozen books translated in almost as many languages. He is widely recognized as one of the early pioneers of e-commerce, responsible for inventing, pioneering, and popularizing many of the technologies we take for granted today (including remotely-hosted ad tracking, electronic books, Integration Marketing, and more . . .) One of his books (MindControlMarketing.com) shot to #1 within 36 hours of its release.
Armand Morin - Motivational and Seminar Expert
Armand Morin is one of the most well known Internet Marketers in the world today. Having started online in 1996, his personal online businesses alone have generated over $25,000,000 in online revenue since then. This doesn't include the millions of dollars his students have produced from his teachings.
Mike Filsaime- Viral Marketing Expert
Mike Filsaime was the General Manager of one of the nations largest Auto Dealers. Fourteen years in the auto business along with his education at New York Institute of Technology in Computer Science and Business Administration has allowed Mike to understand Marketing, Advertising, Sales, Customer Service, and long term Business Principles and how to use the internet to leverage these items to new successes.
The Next Internet Millionaire Main Site
Joel Comm's Premier Adsense Coaching Club
Besides being the host of The Next Internet Millionaire, Joel is one of the world's foremost experts on the subject of making money on the internet. After selling a business to Yahoo! in 1997, he's gone on to launch dozens of successful online ventures, and has authored many popular books, including the New York Times Best Seller, The Adsense Code.
Mark Joyner - Marketing Legend and Best Selling Author
Mark Joyner is a #1 best-selling author of over a dozen books translated in almost as many languages. He is widely recognized as one of the early pioneers of e-commerce, responsible for inventing, pioneering, and popularizing many of the technologies we take for granted today (including remotely-hosted ad tracking, electronic books, Integration Marketing, and more . . .) One of his books (MindControlMarketing.com) shot to #1 within 36 hours of its release.
Armand Morin - Motivational and Seminar Expert
Armand Morin is one of the most well known Internet Marketers in the world today. Having started online in 1996, his personal online businesses alone have generated over $25,000,000 in online revenue since then. This doesn't include the millions of dollars his students have produced from his teachings.
Mike Filsaime- Viral Marketing Expert
Mike Filsaime was the General Manager of one of the nations largest Auto Dealers. Fourteen years in the auto business along with his education at New York Institute of Technology in Computer Science and Business Administration has allowed Mike to understand Marketing, Advertising, Sales, Customer Service, and long term Business Principles and how to use the internet to leverage these items to new successes.
The Next Internet Millionaire Main Site
Joel Comm's Premier Adsense Coaching Club
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Meet the Next Internet Millionaire Contestants - Group #3
Thor Schrock - Lincoln, Nebraska
Thor describes himself as an idea factory . . . 80% of his ideas are garbage, but 20% are solid gold. Thor's innovation and drive has allowed him to build a highly successful computer repair business in his home town. He also has a top radio show that focuses on helping people solve their computer problems. Thor is a frequent contributor to Smart Computing Magazine.
My take on Thor - He's the average Joe of the competition. While it's admirable that he wants to donate his winnings to charity, he may end up fading into the background.
Debbie Ducic - Pueblo, Colorado
Debbie has worked in retail sales, as a financial advisor, construction company co-owner, and a multimedia marketer. She's a local community volunteer and ran for Vail Town Council. Okay, now that the boring stuff is out of the way. Here's some of the hobbies that Debbie has enjoyed: Human kite, reverse bunji, cliff jumping, slick rock mountain biking, wild mushroom eating, inlet water skiing, and something called Mykonos Moped wrecking.
My take on Debbie - Debbie is a self-described gutsy woman who sometimes causes a ruckus. She seems to have a big CAN DO spirit that's infectious in a good way. I can't wait to see what she does on this show.
Jason Marshall - Ocean City, New Jersey
Jason is a former high school math teacher who coaches a wrestling team. He's currently a one-on-one aide working with a student with muscular dystrophy. He says he's good with money and a quick learner. He has experience with computers and has a passion for marketing. He's also a youth minister. As a hobby, he enjoys performing magic tricks.
My take on Jason - Jason is a devoted Christian with a lot of energy and a good heart. We'll see if he has the competitive drive it'll take to get far in this competition. I can see him possibly running into an ethical snag that will involve a line he might not be willing to cross, or will he?
Laura Martin - Austin, Texas
I'm independent, yet personable and like doing things myself rather than having someone else do it . . . in the past couple of months I have been to 8 states and 2 countries . . . I'm still trying to find my "niche" not only in Internet Marketing but with life as well . . . I love God, my family and friends, traveleing, my laptop, helping people, photography and anything outdoors.
My take on Laura - She seems rather clueless about internet marketing and admits she's lazy. While she's a nice girl, her interest in doing the challenges could wane quickly. My prediction is that she'll either make a fast exit or be a big time floater.
The Next Internet Millionaire Main Site
Thor describes himself as an idea factory . . . 80% of his ideas are garbage, but 20% are solid gold. Thor's innovation and drive has allowed him to build a highly successful computer repair business in his home town. He also has a top radio show that focuses on helping people solve their computer problems. Thor is a frequent contributor to Smart Computing Magazine.
My take on Thor - He's the average Joe of the competition. While it's admirable that he wants to donate his winnings to charity, he may end up fading into the background.
Debbie Ducic - Pueblo, Colorado
Debbie has worked in retail sales, as a financial advisor, construction company co-owner, and a multimedia marketer. She's a local community volunteer and ran for Vail Town Council. Okay, now that the boring stuff is out of the way. Here's some of the hobbies that Debbie has enjoyed: Human kite, reverse bunji, cliff jumping, slick rock mountain biking, wild mushroom eating, inlet water skiing, and something called Mykonos Moped wrecking.
My take on Debbie - Debbie is a self-described gutsy woman who sometimes causes a ruckus. She seems to have a big CAN DO spirit that's infectious in a good way. I can't wait to see what she does on this show.
Jason Marshall - Ocean City, New Jersey
Jason is a former high school math teacher who coaches a wrestling team. He's currently a one-on-one aide working with a student with muscular dystrophy. He says he's good with money and a quick learner. He has experience with computers and has a passion for marketing. He's also a youth minister. As a hobby, he enjoys performing magic tricks.
My take on Jason - Jason is a devoted Christian with a lot of energy and a good heart. We'll see if he has the competitive drive it'll take to get far in this competition. I can see him possibly running into an ethical snag that will involve a line he might not be willing to cross, or will he?
Laura Martin - Austin, Texas
I'm independent, yet personable and like doing things myself rather than having someone else do it . . . in the past couple of months I have been to 8 states and 2 countries . . . I'm still trying to find my "niche" not only in Internet Marketing but with life as well . . . I love God, my family and friends, traveleing, my laptop, helping people, photography and anything outdoors.
My take on Laura - She seems rather clueless about internet marketing and admits she's lazy. While she's a nice girl, her interest in doing the challenges could wane quickly. My prediction is that she'll either make a fast exit or be a big time floater.
The Next Internet Millionaire Main Site
Friday, August 3, 2007
Meet The Next Internet Millionaire Contestants - Group #2
Nico Pisani - Costa Rica
An expatriot American who is a Costa Rica travel expert and a wildlife conservationist. His other business interests include: business consulting, real estate, exports, tourism, and expatriot relocation. Nico is also a former PGA golf professional, a certified trainer, and a graduate of the USMC Officer Candidate School in Virginia. He plays the guitar and drums, writes music and sings. He's fluent in English and Spanish.
My take on Nico - Nico considers himself a true Renaissance Man and I have to agree. He wants to bring the "flavor of Latin America to Internet Marketing". He's passionate, very creative and deep. Wow, look out internet marketing world, here comes Nico!
Christine Schaap - Rockford, Michigan
A mother of five children, Christine is a life transition coach who runs an organization that helps women navigate their journey through midlife. She's been married for 20 years and volunteers for organizations such as: MOPS, Habitat for Humanity, World Relief, Special Olympics, and her local pregnancy center. She enjoys writing, traveling and meeting new people.
My take on Christine - She seems like a nice person who is very capable and ready to learn. However, she might be overshadowed by some of the stronger personalities.
Steve Schuitt - Diamond Bar, California
My names' Steve Schuitt and when people ask me what I do for a living, I tell them I make sweet loven to life . . . I started messing around with this new sexy life online and went through some interesting relationships, while trying to keep it together with my old and boring life, which was going to school and working two jobs . . . I would blame all my biz opp relationships for all my failures, but didn't get anywhere, until I realized I had control of how I wanted my life to be designed.
My take on Steve Schuitt - Steve is young, funny and a little off the wall, yet, very likeable. Will the other contestants take him seriously?
Or, will he become nothing more than a loveable goofball?
Carly Taylor - Cambridge, United Kingdom
Carly is a single mom from England who says she is strong willed and thinks like a man. She has worked in marketing, sales and promotion for a large radio station. Most recently she worked in marketing and advertising for Play.com, an online entertainment website. Currently she is a consultant for her dad's business, and is looking to learn how to make other people's websites extremely profitable, as well as, build businesses.
My take on Carly - Carly seems like she will be a shrewd player and is really in it to win it. I think she'll have to be careful not to come off too overbearing - that could make her a target for elimination by her teammates. She's a strong contender for the finals.
The Next Internet Millionaire Main Site
An expatriot American who is a Costa Rica travel expert and a wildlife conservationist. His other business interests include: business consulting, real estate, exports, tourism, and expatriot relocation. Nico is also a former PGA golf professional, a certified trainer, and a graduate of the USMC Officer Candidate School in Virginia. He plays the guitar and drums, writes music and sings. He's fluent in English and Spanish.
My take on Nico - Nico considers himself a true Renaissance Man and I have to agree. He wants to bring the "flavor of Latin America to Internet Marketing". He's passionate, very creative and deep. Wow, look out internet marketing world, here comes Nico!
Christine Schaap - Rockford, Michigan
A mother of five children, Christine is a life transition coach who runs an organization that helps women navigate their journey through midlife. She's been married for 20 years and volunteers for organizations such as: MOPS, Habitat for Humanity, World Relief, Special Olympics, and her local pregnancy center. She enjoys writing, traveling and meeting new people.
My take on Christine - She seems like a nice person who is very capable and ready to learn. However, she might be overshadowed by some of the stronger personalities.
Steve Schuitt - Diamond Bar, California
My names' Steve Schuitt and when people ask me what I do for a living, I tell them I make sweet loven to life . . . I started messing around with this new sexy life online and went through some interesting relationships, while trying to keep it together with my old and boring life, which was going to school and working two jobs . . . I would blame all my biz opp relationships for all my failures, but didn't get anywhere, until I realized I had control of how I wanted my life to be designed.
My take on Steve Schuitt - Steve is young, funny and a little off the wall, yet, very likeable. Will the other contestants take him seriously?
Or, will he become nothing more than a loveable goofball?
Carly Taylor - Cambridge, United Kingdom
Carly is a single mom from England who says she is strong willed and thinks like a man. She has worked in marketing, sales and promotion for a large radio station. Most recently she worked in marketing and advertising for Play.com, an online entertainment website. Currently she is a consultant for her dad's business, and is looking to learn how to make other people's websites extremely profitable, as well as, build businesses.
My take on Carly - Carly seems like she will be a shrewd player and is really in it to win it. I think she'll have to be careful not to come off too overbearing - that could make her a target for elimination by her teammates. She's a strong contender for the finals.
The Next Internet Millionaire Main Site
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Meet The Next Internet Millionaire Contestants - Group #1
Jason Henderson - Lewisville, Texas
Jason grew up in Southern California where he was a nationally certified personal trainer, an actor and model. In 1996 he became the About.com expert on their Guide to Exercise while playing professional basketball in Australia. He is currently known as the world's leading expert in SEO for a specific shopping cart.
My take on Jason - He's a gentle giant who loves bunny rabbits, but also has a slight cockiness to him. Hmmm, does size matter in this competition?
Jaime Luchuck - Toronto, Ontario
Jaime is a former dancer and actress, who now works a cubical job in communications for the provisional government. She is also a published writer. Jaime suffered through a serious illness just after high school which couldn't be diagnosed by traditional doctors. She refused to give up and sought alternative healing , which cured her. She is passionate about learning and not just accepting what life hands her.
My take on Jaime - Jaime is a "big thinker" and has a creative mind with a fun personality. I think she has the potential to be a top contender. You'll either love her or find her really annoying.
Charles Trippy - Tampa, Florida
Charles is a college student who really enjoys all things computer and internet. "Now that I am in college, I have started finding alternative routes to accomplish some of the goals that I want to achieve with the help of a little internet networking."
My take on Charles - Quirky, smart, unfocused, unconventional, and cool. I'm not sure whether he will take this competition seriously. I think he's here for the face time, which could pay off - he could be the next internet personality star.
Alisande Chan - Port Coquitlam, British Columbia
Alisande is a homemaker who has recently embarked on a path to become an Internet Entrepreneur. She is a Jill of all trades with a fascination for figuring out how to do everything herself. Anaylitical to a fault, she also has a carefree personality. She likes to see the positive in all people and situations.
My take on Alisande - This mom with two kids is a real inspiration for other women who want to take control of their lives and get involved in life. She will be a good team player with a fun spirit.
The Next Internet Millionaire Main Site
Jason grew up in Southern California where he was a nationally certified personal trainer, an actor and model. In 1996 he became the About.com expert on their Guide to Exercise while playing professional basketball in Australia. He is currently known as the world's leading expert in SEO for a specific shopping cart.
My take on Jason - He's a gentle giant who loves bunny rabbits, but also has a slight cockiness to him. Hmmm, does size matter in this competition?
Jaime Luchuck - Toronto, Ontario
Jaime is a former dancer and actress, who now works a cubical job in communications for the provisional government. She is also a published writer. Jaime suffered through a serious illness just after high school which couldn't be diagnosed by traditional doctors. She refused to give up and sought alternative healing , which cured her. She is passionate about learning and not just accepting what life hands her.
My take on Jaime - Jaime is a "big thinker" and has a creative mind with a fun personality. I think she has the potential to be a top contender. You'll either love her or find her really annoying.
Charles Trippy - Tampa, Florida
Charles is a college student who really enjoys all things computer and internet. "Now that I am in college, I have started finding alternative routes to accomplish some of the goals that I want to achieve with the help of a little internet networking."
My take on Charles - Quirky, smart, unfocused, unconventional, and cool. I'm not sure whether he will take this competition seriously. I think he's here for the face time, which could pay off - he could be the next internet personality star.
Alisande Chan - Port Coquitlam, British Columbia
Alisande is a homemaker who has recently embarked on a path to become an Internet Entrepreneur. She is a Jill of all trades with a fascination for figuring out how to do everything herself. Anaylitical to a fault, she also has a carefree personality. She likes to see the positive in all people and situations.
My take on Alisande - This mom with two kids is a real inspiration for other women who want to take control of their lives and get involved in life. She will be a good team player with a fun spirit.
The Next Internet Millionaire Main Site
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