It's not about bashing Shoemoney.. it's about standing up to a bully, a liar, a scammer etc.
The same thing that went for Lingle and ClickBooth applies to Shoemoney and anyone else who fucks around and tries to get the best of people's trust, cash or business.
I'm not trying to be a martyr here, and I'm certainly not trying to stir the hornet's nest with anyone else, all I'm doing here is showing everyone that you don't have to be afraid of douchebags like Shoemoney and the other idiots who try and use these really lame intimidation factors.
I know this is going to sound strange.. but over this last week I've been speaking to other industry folk, outside of WickedFire, and to put an end to people who coast along and lie about pretty much everything to build a false sense of reality or reputation based on it. We're building a sort of task force to combat it. But not in the fighting or threatening to sue sense. Instead it's sole purpose is to investigate and take a much deeper look into claims certain people or businesses take, and really dig for the truth. The outcome will be an industry wide ban on those whom are deemed guilty of it. So that things like this can be prevented, and if not prevented, at least people can be warned and not led to be lied to for a long time making it tough for them to make a decision that effects their business in the future.
I really wish there was something like this around before. Something that would have prevented a Lingle or ClickBooth disaster. I actually wish I would have come out sooner and exposed Shoemoney for the liar that he is. But I was really just waiting for my timing to be right, to jump in at the right time when Shoemoney dug himself even deeper into his hole of bullshit.
I'm not going to back down from this because I am sick and tired of seeing people like him build false reputations and then going on and using it to their financial gains, thus making them even tougher to stop and defend against.
Look at Shoemoney now. His reputation that is. He's going to be speaking on an SES panel I'm sure. He still has lots of SEO/SEM related friends who are going to be jeopordizing their reputations unfortunately in the longrun for associating themselves alongside him out of loyalty as a friend. Which I don't blame them one bit either, as I have done the same with other people, and then felt totally betrayed later on. But that's what happens when there are no warning signs or when people don't speak up until it's too late. Shoemoney has said many times that he plans on writing a book. He also claims to have big plans in terms of creating a set of "infomercial style" get rich quick products. What if I didn't speak out against him? I'm not going to sit around and pretend like I give a shit about naive people being ripped off by yet another liar who built their reputation on total bullshit. But then again, as a member of this industry, and an industry I care A LOT about, which may be my weakness, that I personally have spent A LOT of time involved in and will continue to do so for as long as I can. I for one do not want to see another one of these liars get away with building up false hopes and reputation just because no one else will say anything.
So like what got this place started in the first place. I'll say something. If it comes back to kick me in the ass, so be it. But at least I won't have any regrets knowing that when I could have done something I did, instead of everyone else in a powerful position like my own did absolutely nothing until I said something.. again. Come on people, make a fucking change. Stand up for yourselves. Stop letting these assholes come in and lie and fuck up our industry!!!
If boycotting certain events or certain sites because they employ a certain known liar, then so be it.
I'll be making some announcements at the show, and it may fuck with me later on, may piss some people off, but if being the first one to stand up and say something inspires other people to do the same, then it will have been well worth the risk. I have a feeling though, that I am definitely not the only one who feels this strongly and passionately about this industry in wanting to clean it up a bit. I won't go after you because of how you do your business, or the decisions you make. Whether ethical or non-ethical, legal or illegal, it's your choice. But I will not standby quietly and take spoonfed bullshit from people who need to be called out and need to be removed for promoting themselves or their companies as these amazing places or people, because then we all look like fools for drinking their kool-aid, and I for one, have had enough.
Love WF? Hate WF? I really could care less, but at least agree, that people like Shoemoney and Chris Lingle, or a company like ClickBooth should be removed from this industry because they are based on nothing but lies.
PS - Both Shoemoney and ClickBooth have both sent ME cease and decists now. Both have no case against me or WickedFire. Both have tried their damned hardest to censor you and me on here. So don't think that this is just some petty bullshit that I'm doing for attention. I've put myself at risk.. what have you done lately?