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RR151
06-26-2015, 11:18 AM
How important is the power of the written word? Why is it important to be able to craft your words not only coherently but in a timely manner?

I throw out these questions because I come across Jason Fladlien. Jason's main claim to fame is to be able to write 400 words in 7 minutes. Yep that is 400 words in 7 minutes including research by Jason Fladlien. I took this course because I was curious to see how that could be done? I am not at 7 minutes yet but at 15 to 20 minutes. I think practice is the key...

He has interesting techniques. His favourite formula: 1 sitting + 1 problem = 1 solution. To find out more Google Jason Fladlien or 400 words in 7 minutes.

I have nothing to do with Jason. It is just one of many shiny objects I have purchased during my Internet travels.

I think it warrants mention in this Copywriting forum...RR

PS: If you think this is impossible then think about this for a moment. If you: "Believe you can and you're halfway there", Theodore Roosevelt

vangogh
06-26-2015, 08:39 PM
Why is it important to write fast? If the goal is of writing is speed then you're throwing craft out the window. I'm not a particularly fast writer. I'd say I can type 40 words per minute at best. So I can write or rather type 280 words in 7 minutes. Far more than 400 words will have passed through my mind in those 7 minutes, but 280 is as many as I can type. I can easily write 400 words in 7 minutes, if I learn to type faster.

I think there's value in writing as fast as you can as an exercise toward being more spontaneous. Free writing can also help you overcome fears about putting words to paper or screen. However, I don't think the goal of writing is to write faster. I'd rather write better.

I did look up Jason Fladlien, found his blog and started to read his latest post. I didn't get far, because I thought the writing was poor. I can see how it was written by someone who's goal was to write as fast possible given the number of missing words and grammatical errors in the first two paragraphs. It's clear no one edited or proofed what was written. It's also clear Jason should not be giving advice on how to write articles to anyone. He's not a writer. He's an internet marketer who's selling a story about your dreams being quick and easy to attain. You can tell by all the links to landing pages selling spam products.

By the way, I'm pretty sure his techniques aren't new or his. I think the concept of write an X word article in Y minutes predates the internet and probably Jason.

I also notice this isn't the first time you mentioned Jason or recommended his course. Just a reminder that affiliate links are never permitted on this forum.

RR151
06-26-2015, 10:57 PM
Hey great response Vangogh...

I guess slow and steady wins the race ALL the time, right? And speed writing has no place on the Internet...that is one opinion. Haven't you just once had the ideas going through your mind faster than you can write them down. Yes I think that being spontaneous is an important tool used to get the best ideas on the blog or in an ebook and this is a technique to help that process.

On the affiliate link, ouch! I don't understand your comments. I see your signature links to webdesign, tutorials and ebooks for sale so I assume you are here specifically to make profit...right?

As for me, I have no interest in monetary gain of any kind on this forum. I have no signature, I have no links to a product. I just have a poor memory and the enthusiasm to write about things I see as cool tools used to help others.

For that I am guilty...You sir are something else...RR

vangogh
06-27-2015, 01:42 AM
Do you honestly believe the Jason writes well?

My bad for mentioning the affiliate link. I realize you aren't linking to anything. At the same time it's hard to see why this thread exists other than to promote something and we don't allow people to do that other than in signatures. Yes everyone here is allowed a signature with links as long as the links aren't affiliate links.

However, I stand by what I said about Jason and the product he's selling. If you read what he's written and still want to buy writing advice from him, you're welcome to throw away your money.

RR151
06-27-2015, 10:47 AM
Do you honestly believe the Jason writes well?

I am not a grammar expert but I do see the value in telling a good story in a timely manner. Having the ability to freely write content quickly is a process that is a well sough after skill set in my opinion. Conversational content is more about the imagination and not the knowledge of the grammar rules. Things like "the" really means "that" etc...


At the same time it's hard to see why this thread exists other than to promote something and we don't allow people to do that other than in signatures. Yes everyone here is allowed a signature with links as long as the links aren't affiliate links.

This is not a advertisement it is just me talking about things I see as a valuable tool in the process of creating solid copywriting content. I have just experienced his techniques and expressed my thoughts here in this thread.


However, I stand by what I said about Jason and the product he's selling. If you read what he's written and still want to buy writing advice from him, you're welcome to throw away your money.

I don't understand how you can make judgement on a technique that you have not even tried. What is really cool is that you didn't just delete this thread based upon your opinion of his blog writings. For that I thank you...

Enough said about Jason Fladlien...RR

vangogh
06-28-2015, 10:42 AM
I don't understand how you can make judgement on a technique that you have not even tried

My judgement is based on the quality of Jason's writing. It's not good. It's filled with errors and missing words that erode trust in Jason. Even if you can get past the errors, the writing itself isn't particularly good. I say that as someone who made about half my income writing last year. I do have a little expertise in what makes for good writing and what makes for poor writing. If someone wants to look Jason up and after reading what's on his site still wants to buy the garbage he's pushing, go for it. Fool. Money. Part.


This is not a advertisement it is just me talking about things

Funny, it reads a lot more like advertising and marketing to me, especially when you've re recommended the same person and product in another thread where it wasn't necessary. I've removed the mention of Jason in that other thread, because it had nothing to do with the topic of the thread. Say what you will, but it comes across like you dropping his name into unrelated conversations just to promote him.

If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.

RR151
06-28-2015, 12:05 PM
If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.

Too often we... enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought, John F. Kennedy

You have your opinion and I have mine and we both quack like a duck, isn't that great!!! That is what makes this forum a great medium for conversation. I would hope you would keep the channels open even if one's opinion doesn't align with your opinion.

Now, enough is enough...Yep no more slinging mud or quacking from my side...RR

Harold Mansfield
06-28-2015, 03:05 PM
Hey great response Vangogh...

I guess slow and steady wins the race ALL the time, right? And speed writing has no place on the Internet...that is one opinion. Haven't you just once had the ideas going through your mind faster than you can write them down. Yes I think that being spontaneous is an important tool used to get the best ideas on the blog or in an ebook and this is a technique to help that process.

Creating content and valuable information isn't about speed. It's about quality. Jotting down thoughts quickly is not creating quality content. Quality copy writing takes knowledge, time and fine tuning. The difference between a blog post (or writing any marketing materials) written in haste and one fine tuned to communicate the information clearly is like night and day. And they can both be the exact same amount of words.

To be successful on the web or with any marketing you're going to need to understand marketing a little more than just cramming words on a page.

The concept of speed reading, and speed writing is older than Evelyn Wood. Just because you're speaking doesn't mean you're saying anything useful.


On the affiliate link, ouch! I don't understand your comments. I see your signature links to webdesign, tutorials and ebooks for sale so I assume you are here specifically to make profit...right?
Yeah, those are his own links to his own website. Just like the rest of us. What he's talking about is the old practice of joining a forum just to create post count for your affiliate link to a 3rd party program. The reason this is frowned upon is because usually the user tends to post repeatedly to attract clicks to the link.

If you want to promote your business, please feel free. After all this is a small business forum for business owners. But if you just want to promote an affiliate link you should probably develop an actual marketing plan to promote it. This is pretty much a general rule of just about any quality forum on the web that isn't a spam or solicitation fest.


As for me, I have no interest in monetary gain of any kind on this forum. I have no signature, I have no links to a product. I just have a poor memory and the enthusiasm to write about things I see as cool tools used to help others.
We all want to make money, there's no shame or need to explain that.
We are all also here to help others and engage in meaningful discussions to teach and learn.



For that I am guilty...You sir are something else...RR
He also owns and administers the forum, and the rules of it are posted here so that there is no confusion.
http://www.small-business-forum.net/introduce-yourself/1254-introductions-please-read-posting.html



PS: If you think this is impossible then think about this for a moment. If you: "Believe you can and you're halfway there", Theodore RooseveltYeah, but the second half is the hard part and it requires actually knowing something. Not just willing it to happen.

vangogh
06-28-2015, 03:30 PM
It's a nice trick just implying we have equal opinions.

Here are some credentials to back my "opinion." I get paid to write. I've been writing and publishing for more than 10 years. I've written two books, one I self published, and one I wrote for a publisher who approached me and asked me to write for them. I'm working on third book now and once finished I'll be working on another.

I'm also an in-demand writer for a number of well done and well known sites in the industry I write about. In other words people contact me and ask me to write for them after having read something I've written. They do this even though I don't offer writing services. Again people read things I've written and then want to pay me to write for them. I expect that within a couple of years, the entirety of my income will come through things I've written.

None of that is to suggest I'm the greatest writer in the world or that I know everything there is to know about the written word. I'll be the first to admit I have plenty to learn and improve, but I do have a lot of experience and expertise in the subject we're talking about.

I haven't seen you offer an example where this method works. Why don't you share something you've written using this method? I've offered the person selling the material as an example of it not working. His writing is poor and sloppy, exactly the kind of writing you'd expect from someone who promotes speed as the goal of writing as opposed to quality.


Too often we... enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought, John F. Kennedy

I will bet anything that I have thought about this more than you have. Again I am a writer and I currently spend about 75% of my work day writing. How much time have you thought about this.

You're very good at deflecting the conversation and belittling what I've said as opposed to addressing the actual worth of the method you're promoting. For example earlier you said the following as a way to discredit something I had said.


Conversational content is more about the imagination and not the knowledge of the grammar rules

I never suggested otherwise. The only content I've criticized for having poor grammar is that of someone who is selling a book about writing. That content isn't about imagination and even if it is written in a conversational style, that doesn't excuse leaving words out of sentences. If it happens once or twice, that's understandable. I know it's easy to miss things. However, when it's throughout everything written, it's a sign of a writer who doesn't care about what he's writing.

This isn't someone writing an email to a friend or even a writing forum post. This is a person writing content that's trying to sell something. For writing like that, yes grammar is absolutely important. I'm also not talking about things like ending a sentence with a preposition. I do that all the time myself. I'm talking about obviously missing words in sentences. I'm talking about the kind of mistakes that make it clear no one ever read the writing in question before publishing it.

That is not the kind of person who you should be paying for writing advice unless your goal is to write the same poor and sloppy content.

RR151
06-28-2015, 03:40 PM
Thanks guys...RR

vangogh
06-28-2015, 04:37 PM
For someone who has nothing to do with Jason, you sure aren't shy about spreading the word about how wonderful his product is. You've started near exact threads on other forums in the last couple of months and you also promote his product in an article on your site. You know the article where you also mention how hiring ghost writers at $8 an article or even better paying $3.2 for a rewrite of a PLR (private label rights) article. You should get some high quality articles with those methods.

RR151
06-28-2015, 08:57 PM
Steve,

I am just a Raving Fan of what I have learned. Please don't try to infuse something that is not there...you have made your position very clear but really I am not that devious guy making mega bucks from these very cool techniques. ...RR

vangogh
06-28-2015, 09:45 PM
My apologies then. I don't want to characterize you as something you're not. However, you should understand that people who offer unsolicited rave reviews for a product on other people's sites are usually seen as spammy marketers, mostly because that's who typically leaves unsolicited rave reviews of products. But again, I don't want to mischaracterize you so if I have, my bad.

I won't back down from what I said about the the ebook, though. It's product that teaches you how to write crappy articles quickly. No one needs a book to do that.

RR151
06-28-2015, 10:31 PM
Steve,

No need to apologize as I was an equal participant and was trying to push my opinion. In the end I just wanted to make sure that I am not classified as a spammer selling junk at every turn. You have all my posts and I am trying to be an active participant here to help the community. That is my only objective.

Your opinion carries a lot of weight here on this forum and I understand that I can't change your mind just wish you would have given the course a try before making judgement. Some of the techniques that stick in my mind are things like learning how to reframe a client's perspective, price conditioning using sales closings like price versus value or techniques used to create 8 new articles from one without article spinning software...

Regards, RR

vangogh
06-29-2015, 12:50 PM
No worries You're not listed as a spammer. Again my apologies if I mischaracterized you as such. Let's let bygones be bygones. Sometimes we get heated around here and much of the time it's no one's fault. A word or two interpreted in a way that wasn't intended and the next thing people are arguing with each other. There is power in words. No hard feelings on my end.

I understand what the 7 minute method is about. The thing is it's just a step up from spinning articles. You're manually spinning them instead of using software. The craft of writing is not about writing short articles as fast as possible. He's teaching you how to write low quality articles quickly. A few years back SEO nirvana was pumping out low quality articles that looked unique to Google and then uploading them to sites like Ezine. So a bunch of people started selling books about how to write articles fast.

Many years ago I read a book by someone who was a freelance writer pre-internet. This writer offered advice about being more productive that isn't too far off what Jason is saying. This writer would approach researching an article with the idea that she would ultimately write several articles from the research, each written for a different magazine. However that meant spending more time on research and it also meant writing very different articles for the different magazines. It saved time overall because she didn't need to make trips back to the library or have to interview her subjects again.

Jason turns that kind of advice into spam by pushing the idea that it's easy to do and doesn't require an investment of time on the writer's part. He is trying to sell the idea that you can make money fast and easy, but life doesn't work that way. He's basically pushing people to create sloppy articles short on useful information, with the appearance of them being original. Look at the other products he promotes. There's a theme of Do X in Y Minutes. He points to one about setting up a membership site in 2 minutes and I think he was charging $97 for the advice.

Here's how you can set up a membership site in 2 minutes. The advice is free of charge.

Step 1. Install WordPress
Step 2. Install any of the dozen or so membership plugins

You won't have a membership site anyone would pay to join at that point, but you'd have a site.

All of his products revolve around the idea of making millions doing nothing. That's the hallmark of scam artists.

People recommend his products because he offers a good payout through his affiliate program. If you want to learn how to market in a sleazy way then you should follow Jason. He's done well for himself. If you want to create something valuable to real people and maintain some ethics while you're at it, you should run far from him.

What bothered me from the start in this thread is that you talked about craft, but then pointed to a book about removing all craft from writing. Again I think Jason started with someone else's solid idea and then stripped out anything that would require effort on the part of the person following the advice.

There are no formulas to success and anyone promising you one is not to be trusted.

Search a little and you'll find other X minute articles. So far I've found them for 5, 10, 12, 15 minutes. I'm pretty sure it's all the same advice. Find someone else's article and rewrite their main points. Slap an intro and conclusion and then rewrite it again in different styles. It probably borders on plagiarism, but even if it doesn't it just contributes to the low quality of writing on the web.

Dan Furman
06-29-2015, 01:50 PM
It's a nice trick just implying we have equal opinions.

Here are some credentials to back my "opinion." I get paid to write.

and that's all you really need :)

Harold Mansfield
06-29-2015, 02:04 PM
Search a little and you'll find other X minute articles. So far I've found them for 5, 10, 12, 15 minutes. I'm pretty sure it's all the same advice. Find someone else's article and rewrite their main points. Slap an intro and conclusion and then rewrite it again in different styles. It probably borders on plagiarism, but even if it doesn't it just contributes to the low quality of writing on the web.

It's as old as the term "Search Engine Optimization" and at this point is a very outdated tactic. Right up there with using forums and blog comments as some kind of page rank strategy. All of this stuff is very 5+ years ago. So much has changed since then, but if you're new and "discover" these old ideas it's easy to fall for the belief that marketing online is about tricks to manipulate the search engines because people want to believe that's all it takes.

vangogh
07-04-2015, 05:44 PM
I'm pretty sure I dowloaded one of those X minute books at some point, probably 10+ years ago when I first got online. I know I didn't pay for it so it must have been a freebie from someone.


and that's all you really need

I had a feeling you might find this thread. :)

billbenson
07-05-2015, 01:08 PM
You are kind of barking up the wrong tree on this forum. Most of the active members are both web savvy or have been in business for years or both. For all of us except the newbee's get rich quick schemes with little or no work is a big red flag.

I'm not a writer and don't want to be. But from what I'm reading in these posts...