Global Domains International
Posted by glo on 30 Jul 2005 | Tagged as: Comment Spam
Another spammy company, only they don’t send the spam, no … no, they are a reputable company, instead they encourage their affiliates to spam via email. They even have a leads list you can use for sending out their spam. Amazing! They even have an anti-spam policy that states they have Zero Tolerance toward spammers. So why do they have a email leads list? Why don’t they send out the affiliate info themselves if it’s on the up-and-up?
I had one of their affiliates try to spam my comments. Hashcash didn’t let it through but I get an email generated by the Hashcash program with a list of all the spam attempts each week, which includes the spammy urls the spammers are hustling. This one appeared to be casino spam from the look of the domain, carvinal-casino.ws. Note the .ws. Global Domains International only sells .ws domains and they are are not accredited by ICANN. All that means is that they are not subject to the same rules that govern .com .net or .org registrars, including having their personal information available to the public. So you can not find out who owns a .ws domains if they don’t want you to know. That annoys me to no end, especially if the person is doing business online and using said business to spam me with.
Global Domains International is hustling a MLM scheme five levels down for their domain and hosting services. They claim that they were named one of America’s entrepreneurial growth leaders by Inc magazine in 2002. Perhaps that was before they decided to encourage spam or started marketing their affiliate program. I don’t know and don’t care, all I know is that one of their affiliates tried to spam my comments more than once and that the IP is within the company’s range of IPs. So the spam lives on their servers.
I found the following information about Global Domains International on biz.yahoo:
701 Palomar Airport Rd.,
Ste. 300 Carlsbad, CA
92009-1028
760-602-3000
760-602-3099
CEO: Michael S. Reed President: Alan Ezeir Global Domains International, which does business as WorldSite.ws, provides domain names with the “.ws” suffix for both individual and commercial use. The .ws suffix stands for western Samoa; the company has a royalty arrangement with the kingdom of Samoa to use the top-level country code assigned to the Pacific island nation by ICANN, the Internet regulatory body for domain names and numbers. Global Domains was founded in 1999.
I haven’t payed too much attention to the Hashcash generated emails I’ve gotten in the past year or so but I think I will from now on and post a comment on the ones that are especially slimy like this one.
Thank you for this information. I just received an e-mail from them in my website inbox - thought it sounded dodgy, you’ve confirmed my suspicions. Great site by the way - only found it via Google.
You’re most welcome. If what I uncover helps others to make a choice to not do business with spammers then I’ve accomplished something that I never accomplished when fighting email spam. In my opinion, any business that will spam to get business isn’t trust worthy and no one should use their services. Unfortunately, that’s not the case and spam will continue to be a cyber plaque.
Don’t make things bigger than they really are!! I think it’s great that a company like GDI helps people find a way of making an extra bit of cash. Often these are people that really need the cash too. Also it seems great that there is a chance to promote the economy of countries like Western Samoa.
Now Americans soaking up a huge proportion of the world’s power, running around in their gas guzzling cars and producing so much of the world’s pollution … there’s a topic I can get excited/revved up about!
All the best
Laurie
Excuse me, Laurie, but are you for real or am I misunderstanding you? You think it’s okay for a company to promote spam pollution that guzzles up a large portion of cyberspaces resources because a slimmy spammer might need a buck or two? Is that what you are saying?
Just an FYI… found this information on a research website…..{Global Domains International, which does business as WorldSite.ws, provides domain names with the “.ws” suffix for both individual and commercial use. The .ws suffix stands for western Samoa; the company has a royalty arrangement with the kingdom of Samoa to use the top-level country code assigned to the Pacific island nation by ICANN, the Internet regulatory body for domain names and numbers. Global Domains was founded in 1999.}
I agree that this may be a form of SPAM which is defined as email advertising….I don’t think that because it is SPAM that it qualifies it as a SCAM. I am not for or against them mind you. I did look at their site and found that they have tons of valid legal documentation, agreement terms and conditions including IRS W-9s.
Any company that contributes to SPAM is not doing anything wrong but more so annoying. Don’t you think that unwanted advertising in your mail or even commercials on the TV or radio could be considered SPAM? If not then what separates them. People are getting paid to sell the air time on a radio for advertising, time slots on TV for advertising, and printing vendors for the number of words or page of an add for advertising.
Your site here focuses more on the fact that it is SPAM and it is polluting the sites. If you don’t want it you block, just like with mail you don’t want you throw it away. Or commercials you don’t want to watch or hear, you change the channel.
People are more concerned if it is a SCAM to get your money.
Do the research to answer that question. Have you called the phone number that you posted, have you contact the BBB? Did they SCAM you? If so, HOW?
I feel that questions should be asked and answered, more research must before you begin to throw stones.
Sorry to make this so long. Just wanted to make a point. Thats why you have this link right?
Shannon (it that’s your real name), this is typical spammer speak. Any company that has to spam me with their services/product has absolutely no credibility in my opinion and you will not change that opinion. I should not have to block spam, period, especially when they use false headers and return addresses, proxy or zombie servers or some other means to hide their true identity in order to spam me with their crap. It’s called fraud (One who assumes a false pose; an impostor.) and fraudulent (Engaging in fraud; deceitful.) practices is against the law in most countries.
As far as this company being a scam or not, well, you do the research. They are pushing their MLM scheme which looks more like a pyramid scheme and that is against the law in the US and Canada. But you are right about one thing, people should research a company before jumping in feet first and opening up their pocketbook, especially for any multi-level marketing scheme that they have to pay for in order to be a member.
I advise my readers to read this http://www.quatloos.com/mlm/mlm.htm before joining any MLM scheme. This is but one site that has information on MLM schemes, there are many others.
Tried sending a comment - didn’t work.
All first time commenter’s comments go into moderation by default. If you put more than one link in the comment field it automatically goes to the spam filters. It’s the price we pay for what comment spammers have forced upon us.
Glo,
for the most part, your link is throrough and insightful, however you go on tangents that are not verified, thanks to your insightful “exposure” of this company, and due to the following i most likely will never see this post on your link……I researched them…… joined them….. and have made $4,700 usd in 90 days and growing, no kidding….and they are a true MLM cause this is what caused me to look into them…you said they were PYRAMID, well, Glo, according to the FCC, a quote, “Pyramid is active and is illegal if the purpose of earning income is based on the sign up fee being of equal or greater value then the product or service and if the company derives more than 50% of their income from the entry fee rather than the actual sale of their service or product”…….under both issues, GDI is a true, legit and very profitable MLM……instead of complaining about them…….try joining them and then re-write your report in about 90 days…….maybe youll write from Jamaica where im presently at on Feb 1, 2006……you will take a nice vacation from the down line money you will have made by them……..thanks for the tip……actualy maybe i should send you 10% for the lead. Keep up the good work.
Martin Santiago, Chicago
Well, Martin, if you’d write a properly formatted message, you know, capitalize the first letter in the first word of a sentence and not run the whole damn message together like one l-o-n-g sentence, you might have a bit more credibility. And if you quoted me correctly, you wouldn’t have near as much to say. I never said it was a pyramid scam, I said, “They are pushing their MLM scheme which looks more like a pyramid scheme,” and then I provided a link to information on MLM and pyramid schemes. My readers can make up their own minds.
You know what, Martin, I don’t believe you. I don’t believe you made any money at all, in fact, I’m much more inclined to believe you are associated with this vile company other than just being one of their affiliates. The information is out there. Others have not done as well as you claim to have done. And why is it that this company had their BBB membership revoked? Do you have an answer for that, too? Yes, I know, the BBB doesn’t support companies with MLM schemes. Gee, I wonder why?
Having said that, my problem with this company has nothing to do with their MLM scheme. My problem is that they encourage their affiliates to spam and spamming is the only way anyone will make any real money from this MLM scheme. They prey on those who don’t know that the wonderful web site they get will never be listed in the search engines, at least not with the content the company provides and in the future they will not get listed even if they have their own content as long as they are pushing some one else’s services.
The company provides an email list of supposedly opt-in emails addresses, even though they say they have an anti-spam policy. Their affiliates have spammed every message board, guest book, and blog they can find. They have absolutely no credibility.
So, Martin, are you a spammer? Why would any sane person believe anything a spammer says? And please, do keep the 10%, you need it far worse than I do. My readers are far too smart to believe any of this crap-ola’! Thanks for posting, Martin. It’s a good representation of how well a spin-doctor can spin his tale of great success, laced with a good deal of greed.
Mind If I use this on my Blogger? Also, do you know of ANY LEGIT home businesses. Love the site and Thanks so much!!!!
GDI is a scam! Any of you people who buy into this deserve it. I’m sorry! I’ve been in the business professional for almost 20 years. What will happen when people try and buy sony.ws or abc.ws? They’ll get a nice call from the corporations lawyers. I hate cheesball companies like this.
Sorry Friend, today i receive 100 emails from Yahoo daily, does it mean that yahoo is a spam.
Spam may be for the business one tries to promote, in your case casino, so here the casino company has to take care of the spam and not the service provider. I am a memberb of GDI and i consider this company to be the most loyal when it comes to provding what is promised in terms of products, marketing and support.
Unfortunately here the extention was .ws what if the address would have been .com? Would you have concluded that all sites ending with .com are scams.
Just my 2 cents to your comments, nothing personal buddy
Regards
Huffrish
Huffrish, you comment doesn’t make sense. Yahoo or GDI can not be spam. What they can be is spammers who send “spam” and if you are getting 100 unsolicited email sent by Yahoo, then yes, they are spammers. Note that I said “by Yahoo” not “from Yahoo.” Many spammers use Yahoo accounts to send their spam but they are not Yahoo, they’re just some idiot spammer abusing Yahoo’s system.
You wrote, “Spam may be for the business one tries to promote, in your case casino, so here the casino company has to take care of the spam and not the service provider.”
What the heck are you talking about? In my case? What case? I don’t spam and I certainly wouldn’t spam with casino crap if I did take up the slimy act of spamming. There is absolutely no justification for spam, none, nadda, zilch!
Where in the world did you get the idea that I said or even implied that a .ws extension was a scam? I’ll assume that English isn’t you first language, thereby challenging your comprehension skills because I didn’t say that having a .ws domain extension is spam or a scam. I said that GDI encourages their affiliates to spam and they are marketing a MLM scheme.
Your 2 cents might be worth more had you actually comprehended what was written and responded to it instead of responding to something that’s not there. And I’m no ones buddy, especially yours.
I removed the link to your blog. There’s no need to subject my readers to a site that delivers popups and is full of unsavory marketing hype and get-rich-quick schemes. If you are doing so well with your affiliate marketing, why do you use a free service? Don’t bother answering … the answer is obvious.
M, I don’t know if GDI is a scam but I do agree that they are a cheesball company.
I’m sorry but I dont trust people who assume to know so much, but have never even tried and tested what they are talking about.
Glo, I wonder if you’ve even seen what is inside the “system”, I mean to say if you have as much access as a member of GDI has? A person will not be considered an authority over something which he himself have not gone through. And from the way you describe GDI as a “vile company” , I would have thought you were a dissatisfied Member or Affiliate. But since you are not, where does your authority comes from?
I’m considering signing up, thats why I tried to search all the information about GDI first. Most of the comments and websites (non-GDI), reviews I’ve seen are very factual and non-biased. That’s why I wondered why is your site on top of the list but your comments are very biased.
Thank you and I would assume a witty remark from you.
May, it’s okay that you don’t trust me, in fact, you shouldn’t trust anything I say here. You should do your own research and make your own decision about what’s right for you.
I would never become a member of GDI or any company like GDI, especially after being spammed by one of their affiliates. If I wanted a .ws domain, I could get it for much less than GDI sells them for and I’d never become involved with a MLM scheme. Your time would be better spent researching MLM schemes if you are looking for a way to earn money online and especially if you’re seriously considering signing up with this company.
I’m not even going to address the biased comment. It’s too subjective and a lengthy debate would not change either of our opinions.
Gloria,
I have been monitoring your website, off and on, for a couple of months. I love it . . . and it makes me laugh. You are so good with your points! I do miss our conversations.
Hope you are doing well.
Karen! How the heck are you? It’s been a long time since we last talked and it was great seeing your name in my moderation cache. I’ve been very busy, both at work and on doing a major re-design of a site that I am the Webmaster for. I hope to write a new post this weekend if I can untangle the tech-threads in my head enough to actually write something worth reading.
This particular posts has drawn a lot of interests, some comments have been, well … let me just say … too graphic to subject others to what the commenter thought I should do with myself and this post. Their vocabulary is so … so … well, predictably boorish that they caused me to crack a smile or two. I guess they really didn’t like what I wrote, imagine that!
I assume you’re still in the Bay Area with the same person? Drop me an email and tell me what you are doing. If you don’t have it, leave another comment and I’ll send it to you (if the email you used when commenting is correct). Thanks for commenting!
Hi Gloria,
Please send me your email address . . . and I will catch you up-to-date!
SPAM? I am an affiliate of GDI and I got a threatening letter because I sapposedly “spammed” them. Where do you think they get the lists of people from? They are people who TYPE IN THEIR OWN INFO on a site requesting more information. If you DO NOT request your information not to be sold or traded or it does not state that then it can be used accordingly. I will admit there is people out there that spam, but the company does not tolerate it and they shut down accounts for it. You need to understand what is spam and what spam isn’t. I used to work in collections and you sound like a card holder who did not read the agreement they signed and complaining about the policy that was spelled out for them.
Bryan F, you can’t be serious. Only a spammer or a naive I’m-going-to-get-rich-quick Internet novice would try to justify sending spam. I’m very aware of the many ways email addresses get on spammers supposed opt-in lists. I even wrote an ebook on spam and how spammers get their lists of email addresses.
The facts are simple, GDI encourages their affiliates to spam, either directly or indirectly. The worst part is that they encourage their affiliates to spam their friends and family. Give me a break, spam is spam no matter what spin you might want to put on it and GDI is a spam pusher, regardless of their anti-spam policy. GDI encourages spam then shuts down the affiliate that spams? How priceless is that and how smart are you?
Having said all of the above, I did not get spammed via email. This blog was spammed and I can assure you that my blog did not opt-in for information from GDI. Nowhere on this blog is there anything about buying or selling domain names or marketing MLM schemes or any kind of affiliate program. So, this blog did not invite anyone to drop that kind of information into the comment field, either directly or indirectly.
My advice to you Bryan, is to research MLM schemes and what the search engines are doing to weed out all the duplicate content and affiliate driven sites from their search index. Only a novice Internet user would think they could make money from the content on the site you dropped in the url field (of which I removed) when posting this comment.
Hi, I have been getting these emails and I do not know how they get my email. I am sick of getting them. From Rachel Wetzig
Hi Rachel someone affiliated with GDI might know you or your email address. I occassionally received similar emails and what I did is click the opt-out or unsubscribe link which is usually included on these kind of emails. If not delete it without reading.
J, let’s hope that GDI does offer their affiliates information on what is and is not spam according to the CAN-SPAM law, regardless of how the email addresses were acquired. But Rachel should not have to “opt-out” of something she didn’t opt-in for in the first place, nor should she have the irritation of weeding through her email in order to be sure she isn’t deleting something she does want to read.
My advice to Rachel and to anyone else that might be reading this and have gotten spam from GDI or one of their affiliates, is to turn them in to http://www.ftc.gov/spam/ if they have not followed the CAN-SPAM laws. Here are the laws spammers must comply with in order to not get fined - Spam Laws.
If the spam doesn’t include a clearly defined subject in the subject field, doesn’t include clear and conspicuous notice that the message is an advertisement, doesn’t include an op-out option, and doesn’t include the spammers physical address, TURN THEM IN! Don’t just delete it, do something about it.
Tried to leave some thoughtful comment but your paranoia patrol went ‘Bang, Bang, Pow, Bang’”Stop, or I’ll shoot…. Haha!
Paranoia patrol … too funny!
Yes, my paranoia patrol does have occasional spasms and doesn’t allow a legitimate comment past it’s paranoia but it also stops hundreds of automated comment spam from ever coming into contact with my eyes. It’s unfortunate that we need comment spam control at all.
Sorry your comment didn’t get through.
I’ll share my experience with GDI. I used to do freelance work with Flash, and someone I did work for asked me to check out GDI’s trial. This particular client of mine was very generous, so I decided to give it a shot, since I felt like I owed her a favor (even though at that point in time I had some very negative previous experience with a couple “MLM” businesses and their affiliate’s questionable methods for signing people up).
Initially, nothing happened. In fact, I didn’t do anything with it for several months. I talked to a few people about it, and eveyone seemed skeptical, including myself.
I’m not a fan of spam mail, or spamming other people for that matter, but I will admit I did at one point try it. It didn’t feel right ethically and didn’t produce results. There were also consquences for this and the cost was considerable. I certainly would advise against it.
After talking about that particular experience, someone higher up in my “upline” suggested I find offshore servers to send bulk emails from. That’s certainly an option to avoid the spam laws here in the States, but I found it to be unethical and never pursued it as an advertising method.
I tried my own method at that point. I used Google’s Adwords to advertise. This brought in lots of people, but the cost associated with it got to be a bit much, so I’ve paused the advertising account with them. (Interestingly, I got an email not long ago informing me that I’m involved in a class action lawsuit with Google over their own [potentially, court has not determined] unethical/unfair actions with the Adwords program)
Basically, I’m still signed up. I don’t take the business very seriously and I’m not out there trying to sign people up all the time. Yes, I’ve received money from them. Although, another interesting twist that I should mention is that when I qualified for a bonus, I was required to provide a picture and testimonial before they would send it. I thought this was a bit odd.
When it comes down to it, money can be made with GDI. But, in reality, most people can’t or wont find reasonable methods to do so. The business itself isn’t a scam, but the way in which it and/or its affiliate’s presents itself can certainly be a bit misleading.
I’ve tried to keep this post as neutral as possible because I don’t particularly want to get involved in any arguments for one side or the other. I simply wanted to share my experience.
Thank you, C, for sharing. At least your experience seems much more credible than those who have chosen to defend GDI here and elsewhere.
There’s always money to be made from questionable business like GDI. The question is - what does it really cost to make a few extra bucks and how many of their affiliates actually make anything worth talking about? And, how long will they stay in business with their current business plan?
I think affiliate marketing is going to get tougher and because it will, more unsavory practices will crop up, all for a buck. Greed is a very ripe fruit that never reproduced a good seed.
i am thinking seriously about joining GDI and i didn’t note any reference in the GDI video or in any other training material i reviewed at their site that encourages spam in any way.
i have opt-in lists that i have personally built that i will send the GDI video link to and that is not spam - and GDI has suggested that we should contact people in this way.
Spam is in no way tolerated by GDI that i have been able to note - so i don’t know where you are getting your information.
All i can say 100% is about myself. i do not believe in spam and will never spam in order to either build my opt-in lists or
for financial gains. There are just too many people [and more coming online every day] that vote to opt-in to receive information - so for a truly savvy netrepreneur, there is just ZERO need to spam.
So, should i join GDI, any leads or cash generated will come from 100% opt-in leads - no other way. Isn’t that how it should be?
Sincerely,
john vance
You know what, John, it’s really hard to take anyone seriously when they use a lower case i when referring to themselves. It gives the appearance of a “small” person, in more ways than one.
No one really wants to read how I feel about supposedly opt-in email lists. I’ve worked for several people with opt-in email lists and I know how they were acquired. GDI’s MLM marketing strategies do encourage spamming, regardless of what they say or do. There is no way you or anyone can make money without spamming in one form or another. But just for argument sake, let’s say that you do have a legitimate opt-in email list, one that didn’t trick people into signing up, and you send out the info for joining GDI. Are YOU going to monitor those who may sign up to be sure they have an opt-in email list? Then there are those under them, are YOU going to monitor all of their potential GDI members? If not, how can YOU be sure that any money YOU generate from those below you will not be generated from spam?
Oh, just one more thing, a savvy entrepreneur would never get involved with a MLM scheme. They would be the creator not the worker-bee making the real entrepreneur lots of money while they, the worker-bees, struggle signing up more people in the hopes of earning more money, only to find very little at the end of all their laborious spam runs.
All of you are ridiculous. Insulting punctuation is nothing more than a jab at people’s computer competency. It serves no purpose but to demean credibility implying that one’s punctuation correlates to their educational background and intelligence. Perhaps, they don’t chose to waste their time and capitalize each letter, and spell-check each word. Essentially, you are criticizing fallaciously and ignoring the content. I’ve read this entire blog and all I hear is a debate about whether Global Domains International is a pyramid scheme that encourages their affiliates to actively SPAM. I believe that’s what this blog’s main topic is, between the static of people attempting to sound intelligent and inflate their ego. Ironically, I am insulting the people that insult others. Quite hypocritical of me isn’t it. Here’s my point of view on the topic. It’s quite simple really. If you liked a product, or a movie, or a food, you would tell your friends about it quite casually, wouldn’t you? That’s the purpose of Global Domain’s Invite system. To send an email to some people you know that may be interested in Global Domains International as well. Maybe, maybe not. You shouldn’t take it so personally. I agree, and I think we all agree that SPAM sucks! I get SPAM from this mortgage company that doesn’t have any way to opt out. It’s very annoying, but I think you are confusing spam, with simply referring. Look at myspace for example. You can send invitations to your friends to join. Is that SPAM? Look at GMAIL for example. A few years ago, you could only join GMAIL if somebody invited you. That was during GMAIL’s beta version. On GMAIL, they have services to upgrade your email account to get a bigger mailbox, and therefore, are selling a service for a fee. Also, Global Domains International can be tried for free for 7 days. So I don’t know why some of you on this blog are bent out of shape.
GDI is NOT a scam and THEY don’t spam people. Some affiliates may spam but that happens in every business on the internet sooner or later and you can’t police the world. Get over it! I get sick of spam myself but I also get tired of listening to people whine about it as if someone assaulted their mother. You are NOT going to get rid of it completely anymore than you will get rid of fire ants completely. It just ain’t going to happen so please quit complaining! Just deal with it like every other annoyance in your life you have to deal with. I don’t like to listen to “phone mazes” every damn time I call a business but me complaining and whining about it isn’t going to make it go away…their here to stay! It is a MLM opportunity and yes you can make quite a bit of money with it. Instead of knocking everything you don’t understand get out of the “poverty” mentality and try something new. You MAY just be surprised!
I have been reading all of this information with interest as I was approached about joining up with GDI, just a few days ago. I asked a question from this person and have yet to recieve an answer. The question was how do you harvest peoples email addresses…isn’t it funny.. I have not heard back from this fellow..I wonder why?? Thank-you for sharing the dialogue. I can certainly understand where you are coming from. Personally when I even think about joining a company I do as much checking as I possibly can, even trying to contact the owners etc. If I am going to pay for something, it had better be worth it. Best regards Diane
Jarad, about the comments on those less than coherent writing skills some have chosen to use here. This is a writing focused blog and when trying to make a point, it had better be readable or I will be commenting on their laziness, which may or may not be a reflection of their intellectual capabilities. Take your comment for instance. Who wants to read one long paragraph with no break for the eyes, especially online? I sure as hell don’t, which is why it took me so long to approve this comment. I didn’t want to take the time to read it and make sense of your defense of GDI, especially since you were trying to insult me. Nice try but no banana.
I’d guess I have been online much longer than you and have lived many more years than you have. If you think that comparing invites from Gmail and myspace users is anything like inviting friends and family to try GDI, then you have faulty logic. Or, is that how you justify spamming your friends and family with a MLM marketing scheme, all designed to help you make money off of them? That’s just too priceless for words!
When you recommend a movie, product, or restaurant, what do you get for doing that?
Oh … and Jarad, I don’t take much of anything personal anymore, so please don’t worry about me, I’m okay with how others view me and what I have to say. It’s not a requirement for others to agree in order to comment here. But, anyone who does can’t complain when I respond. It is, after all, my blog.
Good luck with GDI, you’re going to need it.
{Edited to add that this posts and all of its comments, along with other off-topic posts, have been moved from my writing focused blog to this one after this responce to Jarad}
Kent
Get over it! I get tired of listening to people whine about how I feel about GDI as if I’ve assaulted their mother. You are NOT going to shut me up anymore than you can stop fire ants from doing what they do completely. It just ain’t going to happen so please quit complaining! Just deal with it like every other annoyance in your life you have to deal with. I don’t like to read all the GDI affiliates trying to justify a business model that will never make them rich every damn time I login to my blog but your complaining and whining about what I have to say isn’t going to make it go away…I’m here to stay! GDI is a MLM scheme and no you can’t make quite a bit of money with it. Instead of knocking everything I have to say on something YOU don’t understand get out of the “greed” mentality and try researching the validity of MLM schemes. You MAY just be surprised!
Just thought I’d play your own words back to you. It’s a game called, mirror, mirror, on the wall …. I’m not annoyed at all. I’m more entertained than anything else.
If you want to be a respectable GDI affiliate, I’d suggest marketing the website services instead of the MLM business. The product a business offers is the only real reason to pay that business your money.
If you want a website, and the package GDI offers sounds like a good deal to you, then by all means, go for it. If you happen to have a friend that wants or needs a website, then mention the company to him. I would recommend letting them discover the referral part of the business on their own, and letting them decide whether or not to engage in it on their own.
-C
I love this. Ignorance truly is bliss. First I see that someone tells you they made money on something, and you don’t believe them. So why should I believe what you say? Because you said it? I could tell you a dog crapped in my yard today, but that doesn’t make it true. There is a good possibility it’s true because, like spammers, dogs are everywhere. But to blame a company that has thousands of members as promoting spam, is ridiculous. I guess I’m the only person, after 15 years of on line activity, that can say no when asked if I want my email shared and not get emails.
You calling people who disagree with you, spammers and liars, shows that you have no credibility. Name calling gets you nowhere. The way you comment to people who disagree with you shows that your family would probably consider anything from you, as being spam. Do you call your mother a liar if you don’t agree with something she says? I would hope not. But obviously, since you say that they encourage you to spam family and friends, your family and friends must not be very trusting of you. Anyone who has a good relationship with their family, are not going to send them emails about something if they don’t believe in it. Also, the family and friends of those people are going to know that. Why? Because they have a relationship. I’m sorry if your family doesn’t like you too much. But my family and friends, and the family of most honest people, are going to know they researched it first.
The only thing about the leads that I need to say is this. Their leads are phone verified and screened. Do I believe everything I read? Well, obviously not. Especially seeing as how I don’t believe you just because you say it’s so. But until I see proof, yes proof, I will believe a company that has been shown successful rather than someone on the Internet who gives their opinions. Thanks for letting me express my opinions. Just make sure to let people know that what you say is opinion and has no basis on proof. Because you say it is true, doesn’t make it true.
John, only the ignorant “look” for financial bliss in a MLM scheme and your little fantasy about my relationship with my family is quite entertaining. I’m sure my family and friends will laugh themselves silly.
Their leads are phone verified and screened. Right, and you believe that? Why, because they said so? Interesting, especially since it isn’t true. Just re-read a few of the complaints here and I know that at least one GDI member had a problem because of spamming with their leads. Just do your own research. The information is out there. However, if you want to believe that GDI or any company that pushes a MLM scheme is a good venue for mucho long-term-revenue, then nothing anyone can tell you will change your mind.
And, John, I have always maintained that my readers should do their own research and that they should not take my word for it. So, your little tirade on whether I’m believable or not is moot. As far as my credibility goes, I wonder why you felt a need to post here? I mean, if I have no credibility, then there is no reason to comment on something that isn’t credible, no reason at all.
In regards to spamming….I get spam from the fortune 500 companies all the time. I get opted in if I pay my phone bill online, or I click on an online sales flyer or even if I inquire about lower long distance charges from Bellsouth, Home Depot, or Lowes. Unwanted emails suddenly appear from these companies in my inbox on a regular basis from them.
If the forune 100 or 500 companies can spam you, why are you worrying about the small consumer just trying to get ahead in life with qualified opt in leads with a company like GDI. At least there is an interest from them in your product.
Yes, I am in GDI after my research of thinking it was a scam, but the company offers a valid and usable product, which is a website and ten email addresses for ten bucks per month. No frontloading of any product to stockpile, this company is the american dream, impossible to lose your shirt and will not bleed your checking account, also you can quit anytime.
In regards to the topic of spamming,is that not the american way? Door to door vaccum cleaner sales? Late night telemarker phone calls during dinner? Bombardment of TV/radio ads to sell you something? Billboards on the highways promoting stores or websites? Magazine ads? All the above are spam. You can’t stop the above and you will not stop spamming!
Tell me, What’s the difference of Junk mail in your mailbox from the post office and junk mail in your email mailbox. Same difference?
Have you ever complained to the U.S. Post Office for junk mail you’ve received? I dare think NOT!
Folks, I hate to say it, but spam is here to stay, be it moral, legal or ethical, spam is here to stay….
I am not a spammer, and I hate it. But I do believe in the american dream and the right to free speach being electronic, TV or US mail.
Please correct spelling and grammer above and send me my evaluation.
Rick
You know what, Rick, I’m not often surprised at this stage of my life but this post did surprise me. Not that what you wrote hasn’t been written before, many times by every spammer willing to give an interview. What surprised me was that someone is still peddling the same ol’ BS. The only thing you said that I can remotely agree with is that spam is here to stay as long as there are people like you around. However, that does’t mean that I can’t voice my opinion about it and I can assure you that I do have a choice on whether or not I use the services of any company that spammed me. The more Internet users that get educated to how they help in facilitating spammers, the better it will become for all of us.
Door to door vacuum cleaner sales, late night telemarker phone calls during dinner, bombardment of TV/radio ads to sell you something, billboards on the highways promoting stores or websites, and magazine ads cost the advertiser money and the advertisers are who they claim to be while email and Web spammers hide in the shadows of cyberspace. Spamming my comments and email accounts cost ME money. Junk mail cost the sender not the receiver and BTW, you can stop receiving junk mail.
I just love it when a someone tries to play the right to free speech trump card and ends up making themselves look like a fool. Marketing and free speech are not synonymous, regardless of the medium used for either or both. If you believe otherwise, then I will not be the one to enlightening you.
GDI’s product by itself is worthless. Their MLM scheme is worthless, as is most MLM schemes. The people who create the scheme are the ones making the big bucks. So, go ahead and make them even richer in your quest for your idea of the American dream. But please don’t be too upset when the dream falls short of the reality. It’s impossible to lose your shirt and will not bleed your checking account? You really do need to look over you GDI account or the other product/services they offer a little closer. I know of at least one person who spent more than he earned and guess what, the owners of GDI made money. Priceless!
An internet friend of mine sent me an e-mail aboout us building a website to assist people on a spiritual level and I was just about to tell her about GDI. I have been a part of the busines for almost two years now. I never really understood how to use it, not reader friendly at all. I also wondered why I saw advertisements as low as, if I am not mistaken $1.99/month while GDI was $10 plus per month. It was always difficult to communicate with the owners. The business has some sort of system where you would call and listen to people talking about the business, they said it was live, but I doubted that. But this was not cheap, it was costing .99 cents per minute to call. I also had a problem that there were no telephone numbers on their home page, the last time I checked, so I could not contact them by phone. I think I sent an e-mail once and got a phone call, but this was not sufficient for me. I always had questions in the back of my mind about GDI. Thanks for all the comments posted here. I must say however that I did sign up as being interested in a home busines. I guess that’s how I was contacted and signed up without first checking the business. I still am interested in an internet home business. If you know of any, let me know. This time I will definitely check it out. I will definitely cancel my account until I obtain further credible information.
Ms. Bahamas
I am actually a team leader for a top producing global domains international team. Is there a chance that people can spam yes there is. Now as far as where it is coming from, that all depends on if the person who bought the .ws bought it through the site or another registrar. If they are spamming from the actual server then they can only send out a max amount per day and if they are found to be spamming their entire account gets deleted. The company itself has been around long enough to go through the regular, Oh it is an mlm make sure and stay away. Most people who are actually against any type of online business are that way because they have failed or are under the impression that the only way to feel successful in life is to do a 40 hour job for the next 40 years. The company is legit and yes within any company including walmart there can be some thieves. There will always be people who want to spamvertise their link and website until they get complaints and get their account and all earnings put on hold and or deleted. Take the time to ask people who have been scammed by this terrible company first before you just make wild accusations towards them. If you want personal experience then I have over 500 different people who can tell you their experiences. Yes some are good and some are bad as network marketing and running a home based business is not for everyone. There are too many people thinking that they can get rich quick and that is not the fact with any online business. Global Domains International is giving you the chance to run a potential 100k a year business and trust me you need the right marketing and training to succeed. Most people who pay the $10 a month and sit around wait to get rich and do absolutely nothing. When they fail they pass it off as a scam even though they did nothing to generate income. The hosting is very solid and I have not had any downtime since I have hosted my sites with them so the product is worth it.
Okay, Don, let’s have a dialog on the pros and cons of MLM schemes, in particular, one that is selling an opportunity that will only make money by selling the same opportunity to someone else. Basically, there is no product of any value. In other words, the product, if you can call a .ws domain a product, has no redeeming value. You and I both know that the real product is the opportunity, not the .ws or the hosting. But without either of those there would be no opportunity.
So, tell me Don, how did you become a top team leader without spamming? I’m very sure that the .ws domain along with the hosting and website that comes with the opportunity didn’t get you there, so what did? Come on, tell me and all my readers how you did it. And do you earn !00k a year. Forgive me but I just can’t buy it.
Now, just to be sure we are both clear on a few things - I never said this was a scam but even you have to admit that their video is misleading. The website they offer with the opportunity to sell to others is completely worthless. The search engines will not index them, viable web directories will not list them and these kind of schemes are going to get even harder to market online. And is the right marketing and training a deep dark secret or does it just cost more than most can pay? Given the probable fact that the vast majority signing up for this scheme don’t have a lot of money and/or training in marletoid hype, where does that leave them? Those who do succeed (if any), do so because of those who failed or have the biggest potential for failure. Now there’s something you and those like you can brag about!
Oh, and just because emails are limited doesn’t mean that spam isn’t sent out. It only means that they can’t spam millions in a single day. Sheesh!
BTW, Don, I removed you website link. I’m not going to advertise your crappy site for you, especially since you will never get any kind of ROI from the search engines. Anyone who would get involved with the owner of that so called product is not functioning with any level of intelligence. Don’t believe me? Read This - http://www.bbbmanitoba.ca/cgi-bin/reliability.pl?BID=12681 - and weep!
Seems to me that you are taking into a lot of assumptions when people write in. As if your hope is to find their faults and make your case all the better, for the sake of protecting and informing the masses. I am not a part of GDI and yes, of course I looked into it. I am glad their is opinions out there like yours, but you seem to step out beyond opinion. You also use the word Scheme inappropriately. It is all over the place but should be reserved for actual schemes, not all MLM systems. There are legit ones. Yes, I say that because I am in some of them, but I have done the research and it is true. You may not like my MLM so you will say it iss a scheme or you will point out all kinds of rubish and problems with it, when in fact it is only your opinion and maybe, slight maybe it is your experience. I may not present my MLM correctly and I am trying to learn the right way. I look at it this way: There are a bunch of consumers out there buying the same thing from the same places. We need to leverage that consumer power. Networks help make that possible. I too stay away from the those that want me to pay to get in because they should be making plenty off of me to buy their product and promote it to others. But that is the same for most other products and businesses. In fact, I am in an MLM that has no costs, no products or services to buy or sell, does not have to do with reading emails or taking surveys. It is something that people are doing 150,000 times per day anyway. If you could get 150,000 people together and go to 2 businesses, I know you could negotiate better deals with them than if I just walked in by myself. That is what this one seems to do. And no, I do not need to pursuade you or your readers. There is no way to prove that though so far as I know.
With all that said, I still think you are ultimately trying to do good and that is commendable. I just find your responses too judgemental.
Dan, if the only problem you had with my comments revolves around my use of the word “scheme”, let me put your mind to rest. The basic definition of scheme is a plan, design, or program of action to be followed. I believe that Multi-Level Marketing “programs” fit that definition, don’t you?
I think you view the word in a negative way because most of what I have written here does have a negative/sarcastic tone. I do not respond to anyone before doing a bit of research on the commenters Internet activities. What I don’t do is write about what I discover but my responses are certainly colored by what I find and what the commenters express and/or how they express themselves.
Everything expressed here are my opinions. And just to be very clear, no one can form an opinion without first making a judgment. Anyone reading this can do the same, make a judgment, as you have done, then form their own opinion based on that judgment.
This post did not start out with a focus on MLM schemes. It was written because I was spammed by one of GDI’s marketers and it came directly from GDI’s servers. I, personally, do not want to focus on why people should or should not sign up for a MLM scheme. There’s already a lot of information on the internet about MLM programs from those who got burned or the program did not live up to what was represented. This particular scheme fosters spamming in order to make money, whether it be email, blog, forum, directory, search engine, guest book, or referral spam. There is very little chance that anyone making money from this program has not spammed in one form or another. I’d love for someone to show me how they have become successful with this program without spamming.
I’m not saying that GDI’s owners tell their affiliates to spam. But the program has no real viable target market nor a viable way to market the so called product without spamming or spending a lot more money trying to market a product that isn’t really a product at all, it’s an opportunity to make money selling something that has no real value.
You seem like a nice guy, Dan. I don’t think that every MLM scheme is valueless. I do, however, think that none deliver what is promised in their marketing hype. Of course, if you bother to read the fine print or TOS, you will discover that they actually promise nothing. I wish you the best with your online adventures but I have removed your website link. Even though all the links on this site have a no follow tag, I really don’t want to send my users to a site marketing a product that is over represented in the world of marketing already.
Thanks for taking the time to comment and for being real with your perceptions.
with that explanation and information, I have a new opinion and judgement on you
Thanks for taking the time to clear that up.
How about this?…I could join GDI so as to get a good domain name that may not be available with other popular ones. If I get that domain name and some hosting (I do not even know if you actually get hosting) for $10 a month than it is a good deal. And, if I have the opportunity to help others get a website with the name they like than I can make money at the same time, that is even better. No problem there right? Is it just because they encourage SPAM? You mention earlier that they run their MLM scheme like a Pyramid Scheme…I just do not see that. You pay money for a product and service and if you get others to do the same you get a cut. It just seems ok to me. I would not want the SPAM aspect of it but do I have to take that with it?
Dan, you can buy a .ws domain for as little as 8 bucks a year elsewhere and you can get fairly good hosting for 5 bucks a month. In some cases, $50 for a whole year if you pay upfront. So, you do the math. It is not a good deal. And from my research, GDI will not release your .ws domain if you want to transfer to another registry or another host. I do not know that to be a fact but there is information about it on the Internet from those who have signed up with GDI.
Dan, let’s be real for a minute. The product is not the .ws, it’s the opportunity to sell the .ws. If GDI were doing well just being a registrar for the .ws domains, they would not have had to create the MLM scheme in order to get their original product to consumers. Originally they did not offer a product. They only offered the opportunity to sell .ws domains. It was changed when they were informed that what they had created was a pyramid scheme and illegal in most countries.
Other facts: There is no consumer advocate for the .ws domains like there is for .com, .net, .org, .edu, .tv and many other domain extensions. There is no accredited program or governing body that works to protect consumers from any possible shady business practices of those selling/marketing the .ws domains. They in essence, can do whatever they like and you as a consumer have no options other then trying to get your money back through your credit card company. If GDI decided to terminate your .ws domain ownership, they can and you can do absolutely nothing about it.
Buying a .ws is not the smartest thing to do given all the other, more viable, options available today.
I play this game called Final fantasy XI, and there are people who profitout of it by selling a in game currency called gil.
They are reffered as RMT ( Real money traders) beacuse they sell a in game item that has no real life value.
IS this similar to the CDI scheme and if not want is your opinion about RMT?
Jason, I know nothing about RMT so I really can’t comment on its likeness or not to the GDI scheme.
I was researching Global Domains because I wanted to join the Company. The info provided here has enlightened me. I know that I can get an internet domain for as little as $1.99 at godaddy
but I cannot find any other company that gives you marketing ability to sell like GDI does. Does anyone know a company that has a similiar marketing plan but that is not so expensive?
Hi everyone, my name is Gary Michaels, I am a Graphic Artist / Designer and a Copywriting Consultant that does Art Licensing for a number of different types of Business Manufacturers. I have an agent, and you can go to my web site. I am not posting this to sell you something, but if any of you out there get any Email that promises huge amount of money in a very short period of time for no effort or very little time input, - the answer is, they are not telling you the truth.
I signed up for GDI just to see what would happen. The amazing thing is that I had 3 other people sending me Emails with pure hype and follow up calls at night.
I hate to break anyones bubble about these people but be very careful, as they are not going to make you any money except themselves. Believe me, the only ones that make money are selling either the hype of the story or the “How To” of an information product. The dream or the illusion and wonderment of having it all.
Legitimate Copywriting is very low key and very rarely comes to you. If you get an Email from out of the Blue as though they know you or ar e your friend, ask them “Who the Hell Are You?” and where “Did You Get My Name From? .. and so on.
Ask for a Background Check, a Profit and Loss Statement, along with References.
If they balk - drop them like a hot coal. And DO NOT give out any personal information. They could be a front end operation for Identity Theft involved in Organized Crime.
Also, if anyone is really legitimate they will give you a 100% Money Back Guarantee, a Clear accessable Contact Phone number and a real person to talk too. That is how I do business and have stayed in business for over 25 years.
Real honest business people want you to win and succeeed. Scam artists that are liars and con artists that are scum. They never play fai, and they lie. Their one goal is to get money out of you and then run you around in a circle when you try to get it back.
Rememberr this: It is as old as time, “If it sounds to good to be true” then it is false and you will lose your money, your valuable time and your heart in some cases.
I admire you all for trying, because most people do not even try. But I am not saying to avoid GDI, I am saying … listen to your own gut instinct, and if it does not feel right inside of yourself then run by just saying NO!
Godd Luck to you all … Happy Thanksgiving!
Gary Michaels
I get a liberal helping of inane messages sent to my e-mail box by well meaning friends who feel compelled to share a stupid joke with everyone on their e-mail list, but this is not SPAM. If you are genuinely excited about something you are tempted to share it with friends and family; I would never consider that SPAM. Your criticism goes way beyond the scope of how this e-mail arrived in you box. It could easily have been sent to you on behalf of a well meaning friend. You could have given GDI the benefit of the doubt and just un-subscribed. Instead you have supplied false and derogatory information regarding the full scope and value of basic services provided by the perfectly legitimate Website.ws domain in your disproportionate anger over one piece of misdirected mail.
A MLM plan is only a fraud when nothing is being marketed except a marketing scheme. I signed up with GDI because I have wanted to create my own Website for some time. A few years ago I was given a domain with one year of hosting as a present, but it was wasted when I couldn’t manage to create the site. Following a one week free trial, GDI charges $10 a month, but you do not incur large upfront costs and their service can be cancelled at any time. The web hosting is part of the package, which also includes a really easy Website builder using templates and requiring no special site building skills. I guess I should be deeply ashamed of falling for such a rip off?
GDI requires me to enter first and last name as well as e-mail address to people I wish to forward the materials to. This is done to try and ensure that they are people I am already in e-mail contact with. GDI have strong regulations to prevent SPAM. Although there will always be one who tries to bend the rules they are not tolerated for long by GDI. Contrary to your misinformation the good value of the domain service sells itself without unnecessary recourse to aggressive sales tactics like Spamming. The best self-policing cannot always eliminate all transgressors immediately; this does not make me a spammer if I send information about a service I appreciate to a friend I care about.
I believe that this so called “Scheme” will work extremely well for me and people like who work as humanitarian volunteers overseas and are looking to establish a very reliable Website to keep in touch with their family and friends while on assignment. If through word of mouth to other dedicated volunteers I manage to interest a few of them in choosing this option I do not feel I have conned them or stolen their money. The commissions from just ten people, who need a similar domain name and Web hosting service, will pay for my site eliminating an expense I can ill afford while working as an unpaid medical volunteer. Any commissions beyond that point will be very welcome as they will help to cover funding my volunteer work and may allow me to establish a base to return to back in the UK.
I have very minimal expectations and feel that I am getting value for money with the service alone. The ability to reach a point where my service is covered by commissions, thereby paying for itself, is what has the potential to make my .ws Website as stable as the rock of Gibraltar. I really value such stability and sustainability. I am excited about GDI because I hope that it might at some point help to provide me with a small residual income so that I have the freedom to donate my time and medical experience overseas where the need is greatest. Perhaps I should feel horrendously guilty for taking a modest commission, but I intend to spend my “amassed fortune” wisely on supporting my “Humanitarian habit.” I suppose such selfish aspirations make me a ruthless, money grubbing, monster in your eyes?
Many of the wonderful people I met working with NGOs in Meulaboh, Indonesia after the Asian tsunami had e-mails that were linked to the NGO they were with at that time. PACTEC set up an Internet Cafe - in a tent, in a field at the UN Compound! Although Internet access might at first seem like a frivolous extra, in a disaster situation it is far from it. There was no mail in or out, no phone service except cell phones and we often felt very cut off from the outside world. This connectivity was vital to all of us, especially the under-funded local NGOs in Aceh.
After I left I lost touch with them precisely because most of them didn’t have their own stable Website address with unchangeable e-mail attached. This is not a good thing because if another disaster strikes Aceh or elsewhere in the world there will be a mad scramble to contact the right people to go in. I think that the stability of a Website that can remain in place with essential contact details unchanged for years, while being virtually self-tending cost wise is a real asset to aid workers. Just my opinion on GDI. When we are stuck in remote places it is vital for us to maintain contact with the outside world to call for supplies and allay the concerns of our families back home. Although building a residual income is important to those of us who live such a precarious lifestyles the Website is a real must have.
When I get going I will use my new medocean Website to share this good news with others who might also benefit in the same way; that does not make me a ruthless Spammer! Perhaps the e-mail that was sent to you carried the same genuine intent to share a good service plus a potential marketing opportunity that works for those who devote time and energy to it without Spamming. The service is good value for what is provided so it sells itself without spamming. Spam is self-sabotaging, but a relentless tirade from someone who has not bothered to thoroughly research the organization they seek to attack so vehemently is easily dismissed as shallow misinformation. Unfortunately your misguided opinion might prevent a few of my fellow NGO volunteers from taking advantage of a reliable “Website for Life” that could be a really genuine asset to them in their ongoing efforts in the developing world. Sad, but true.
I await the scathing criticism of your usual vitriolic response. I hope you can loose the anger long enough to be more tolerant of other viewpoints in future,
Regards, Kim.
PS: I was beaten in school for my dyslexic mistakes so I always try hard to remove errors before posting. I cut and past so that I can check for errors.
PPS: By the way there is a GDI ad at the top of your page!
Hello, Kim
First let me clear up a misunderstanding. I was never spammed by a GDI member via email. I was spammed via my blog’s comment field by a GDI member, more than once and by different people. But, if you read the other comments here and in other places on the net, there have been others who were spammed via email and by people they never heard of. How do you explain that?
As far as GDI’s web service goes, you can get hosting for much less with a good site builders if that’s what you need and a domain name for much less then the 10 bucks a month GDI charges. And did you know that GDI could take it all away in a blink of an eye and you would have no recourse? Did you know that you can not transfer the domain to another registrar? How stable is that? Should the island nation of Samoa decide to pull the .ws away from GDI, you and all GDI’s members will be without any recourse since there is no governing body to protect consumers at all! And you call it stable? I’m amazed that anyone would think it stable. There are plenty of ways to have a reliable web presence, some cost nothing while others are minimal in yearly cost, about half of what GDI charges.
If you truly believe that you can make money and asking your friends and family to join in order for you to make money is going to reap any true rewards, then nothing I can say will change your mind. Experience is the best teacher and I will leave you to yours.
I can say with complete confidence that you will not make any real money with GDI’s scheme without spamming or doing other unsavory marketing techniques. The only ones making money are those at the top of the latter and people like you are making it for them. While you choose to think that I’m somehow misguided, you also choose to go for the so called opportunity without using any common sense or doing research on this company. I have nothing to gain monetarily by writing about GDI’s services but you do, or at least you think you do. The developing world can do far better with their efforts without ever joining GDI’s MLM scheme, far better.
As far as the ad for GDI being on my site, I’m not sure I have any control over the adsense ads but if I can. it will be removed asap. Thank you for pointing it out to me. You should also know that the owner of that ad has to pay for having his/her site within adsense and it’s the only way it will ever show up in Google.
I wish you the best, Kim. The only advise worth giving is to do extensive research on this company before getting your family and friends involved. At least know what you might be getting yourself into. There are other sites talking about GDI with ex-GDI members that can help you make an informed decision. The vast majority of MLM members do not ever make money from their efforts.
This entire SPAM issue gets out of proportion when people don’t actually know what it is. SPAM is simply UNSOLICTED EMAIl, which I loath. When you are in a business, be it franchise or online or affiliate etc, and you purchase TRUE OPTIN Biz opp leads, it is legitimately OK to send them an email to find out about their interest level. Now, when someone steals emails and sends info out to that address, THAT is SPAM. The point anyway, is that you cannot hold a company responsible for a few people that break the law. You cannot try to insult a company’s reputation by what some slimy person may have done. That’s impossible to control. That’s my piece. Thanks.
Hello Glo!
I have looked into this company and I am thinking of joining them.
If I showed you my cheques in the near future would you believe that money can and has been made?Would you let me post them on your blog?
I have not signed up with them by the way.I will prove to you and your readers that money can be made with them.I am Hispanic so please refrain from criticizing my English
Thanks for the opportunity to express my views freely.
Manny
Seven, you need to re-acquaint yourself with the definition of Unsolicited Email. I don’t give a rats ass if it’s a business doing email marketing or not. Unsolicited means unsolicited, period! Biz opt leads can not be trusted to provide their customs with true opt-in leads, mostly because those who opted-in where tricked in some cleaver way to give up their email addresses. I probably know more about spam then you’ll ever know and the tricks of the spam trade. I even wrote a book about spam in 2000, well before it became the annoying cancer it is now. And yes, a company can be held accountable for it’s affiliates. They (the company) are, after all, profiting from the spam. If they can’t control their affiliates, then they need a new marketing plan.
GDI isn’t worth the bother IMO. Maybe a few years ago it was more enticing, but at this juncture all of the prime ws domains have been gobbled up by registrars everywhere. I’ve noticed that when taking advantage of the free 7-day trial, your credit card is charged before the end of the trial period and upon canceling a fews weeks ago, I have yet to see a credit to my card.
I think GDI is like anything else if you expect it to do what it says it will do it will do it and if you are expecting it to ripped you off that is what you will get.
I am sure they have very carefully worded company policies stating exactly what you can expect.
I have looked at their plan. I do not see anything wrong with the way they are doing business. I may sign up myself in the future.
I have done MLM before with certain products and not ever felt cheated. I do not make large purchases with them or over extend myself. If one buys the tools and lets them lay around and does not use them who is to blame? Do you blame a saw for not cutting the wood or a person for not picking it up?
As far as spam goes from what I have read about their policies they do not want anyone spamming. I can only take the face value of their words at this point..
I think that the Google ads on your site are generated from your content. You are quite hilarious and I have learned quite a bit from your blog alone.
I think that almost all the comments made good points. Sometimes you may have seemed unjustified with your opinions, although you do seem quite intelligent.
I dont see why everyone keeps refering to your spaming experiences as if they were via email, maybe no one took the time to read everything.
If anyone does decide to follow up on this busines adventure, then I think they should not promote it as a way to make money. I am sure that there are many other ways to create and host your website for less than $10 a month, but many people dont know about them and they end up paying even more than $10. Yahoo costs more. If you can create a spam-free network that enables you to create a web page or 10 without pulling teeth, than who is it going to hurt if you can make a dollar a month from guiding someone to a moderately inexpensive way to build their own website?
The business side of this venture probably wont make very much money for a vast majority of the people who do pursue it. It still will make money for some besides its creators. I am sorry that you have people trying to advertise something you loathe. I think they are probably spamming you sadistically out of spite.
Who knows what company is going to be shut down, or fail? You do mention a lot of good points about how this company was conceived.
I am learning web design software and html code so that I can build sites for other people in the future. I am still going to spend the ten dollars a month for gdi because I think there is no real big difference between ten dollars and seven dollars, and there is a possibility it might pay for itself.
I have no reason to argue with you about any of these topics. I will do a lot more research before I make any decisions. I thank you for giving me more of an idea about this company, and would appreciate any further comments you may have.
If anyone decides to pursue GDI, than they should locate alternate advertising methods that dont irratate the bajesus out of people. Ideas could include handing out business cards, making flyers, or inserting a link on your web page or a link in your signature on a creditable and spam-freeeee email.
Wow, a voice of reason, I’m truly amazed, even though there have been a few commenter that were a bit more reasonable than others.
To answer your question, it’s a waste of your time and money. It’s getting harder for affiliates to market a product from a main business if they can’t find a unique way to do so. Most of the people drawn into a scheme like GDI know nothing about search engines and online marketing. They just copy GDI’s marketing advice and end up not being able to get listed in the search engines because it’s considered duplicate content buy the major search engines and that is only going to get more prevalent in the future. If they manage to get listed it will be so far down the list none will ever see it.
There’s also the issue about the domain extension itself. Should GDI loose the right to sell the .ws domains or should they decide to not let you use anywhere except on their hosting servers, you have no recourse as a consumer. There is no governing body to monitor the .ws extension. Any domain extension that is not a governed by ICANN should not be considered as valuable in any form.
The problem I see with this is that the alternatives will most likely cost you more than the return you will get. In fact, that is the case for most who try it. The information is online and written by those who did fall into the GDI trap. Many more fail then succeed. GDI preys on people who want a big return on very little effort and they market their so called product on that premise. There are many more ways to earn money online that will do well than a scheme like GDI has in place but they require effort, thought, some skill and/or the willingness to learn. GDI could be a good learning tool by showing what not to do but I suspect that most just go on to the next scheme to make money without any effort.
I was researching the dot com boom, and “dot com boom” was in the summary. I am watching the propaganda now, an it is no different from the late night work from home infomercials.
This did sound dodgy from the very start, and thanks for the post.
Hello, you know I was Really entertained by this blog I think It is great that you express concern for the public with no financial gain or special interest so that alone makes your opinion more credible, I have been getting spam from so many different places and Now I am reporting it , Thanks to your advise, I can tell you that I went to the GDI website and took a look and I was Impressed, Not by the money making opportunity, but by what they are offering I thought It was a very reasonable cost, I am sorry about my grammar English is not my first language,I am retired at 35 I sold my business and paid off my house and I live in San Carlos Mexico, I have so much time on my hands I am going crazy with boredom I would like to know your opinion on what legitimate at home businesses are out there do you know of any that are? I would like to work in air conditioning for a change!! and in exchange for your opinion I will show you my business, and it dose not involve the internet or telemarketing I have Three US patents one of them was the repairing of cracked windshields on cars, and I earn a royalty from that invention and i have two more that are better.
my invention can be purchased at Autozone and pep boys and Walmart and about everywhere else too,
I dont need any more money I just want someting to do
Hey Glo, You certainly are a zealot for the cause. Your righteous is over the top. The spammers and con-artist may be terrible but you insult people too much. What does their level of English proficiency have ot do with the topic matter. What you have to say becomes totally negative and diluted with your venom. You must have been burned some where along the way for you to be so negative and mean to people who respond. If you want to exude intelliegence then start with NOT being so mean in your responses and stick to the facts and not the emotion and insults. I am confused— is your intent to educate or to spew your anger about the spamming? There will always be orgnaizations and individuals trying to play unfairly and hurting others. Take a look at corporations in the USA and the Enron scandals; do I need to mention what goes on in government. Find a way to educate without being so angry and pedantic. Here are three examples of things you say that are totally uneeded and are mean hearted:
1.
“You know what, John, it’s really hard to take anyone seriously when they use a lower case i when referring to themselves. It gives the appearance of a “small” person, in more ways than one.”
2.
“Well, Martin, if you’d write a properly formatted message, you know, capitalize the first letter in the first word of a sentence and not run the whole damn message together like one l-o-n-g sentence, you might have a bit more credibility.”
3.
“Take your comment for instance. Who wants to read one long paragraph with no break for the eyes, especially online?”
It appears that you want to do good in the world—so then do it. Just because it is “your” blog doesn’t give a reason for you to pollute with negative vibes.
“Be the change you want to see in the world”.
Leslie
Leslie, I’m sorry you have mistaken my sarcasm as anger. I’m far more amused than angry. And, yes, sarcasm can be used to insult someone. Some would say that irony is wasted on the stupid.
I would never be “mean hearted”, as you put it, to anyone who made an effort to write a properly formatted sentence when trying to communicate their opinions. It does not have to be perfect, only readable. But those I commented on did not try.
Now, you may not like how I pollute my blog with negative vibes, but there is always a place for negativity. You can not have positive without negative and I will continue to do as I please with my own blog, thank you very much.
Education comes in many different, nicely wrapped, boxes. We each get to choose which box we want to use when educating and when being educated. You may not like my way, that’s okay with me but don’t expect any changes just because you don’t see the irony in MY way.
Glo,
I received an email from this company this afternoon and watched their little “propaganda” video… reminded me of ALL the other MLM’s out there. Hopefully, they won’t dupe TOO many people out of their cash before they get shut down.
ok… i …wait I mean I (lol) would like to add a NEW point. (It\’s kind of philosophical and maybe too preachy)
Scam or no scam? is that the question?… or is there more?!?lol
I will now define very simple…yet very complex ideas.
GREED: A thirst for money and riches. money can be an addiction, just as alcohol, food, tv, video games, sex etc. When your addicted to money, you are greedy. Who wants to be greedy?
MONEY: A necessity in modern society. How you get it is one major way that you are defined.
TO BE RICH: YES! no more financial worries!…BUT it is very difficult to be rich, and to not be addicted to money or to be greedy. Be very careful with riches, because the more you own, the more they own you.
Easy methods of producing an income (short cuts such as GLOBAL DOMAINS INTERNATIONAL) don’t help your personality grow. Methods in which you create and add to the world are definitly the best ways to build an income and an interesting personality.
Try to find a job that you enjoy, and that adds to the big picture of life as a whole. try to make a difference in the world.
thnx for bearing with ME (i didn\’t want to sound small on that me… or wait… I*)lol. And I hope a good, fulfilling, and successful life to all. Peace Out.
Hello, Aaron, interesting comment on this particular issue. I don’t think Global Domains International is a scam per-say. I just don’t think their MLM scheme has any value and most who sign up will be disappointed with the eventual outcome and/or relieved of the money in their wallet.
Yes, greed is a major contributor to why many try something like this company offers. Greed is based in fear and fear drives most of us in some way or another. Some are desperate and look for the easy way to make money and GDI looks easy. This company depends on others desperation and/or greed, which I think is true of most MLM schemes.
It’s interesting that most who try to defend GDI’s scheme think that I am jealous or don’t want others to do well. That simply isn’t true but any defense is better than no defense. Some are unbelievably angry with this post and it’s comments. They do not get approved, mostly because of the language they choose to use in expressing their anger. Everyone has a point of view and they are entitled to have one but when they choose to use foul language to express their point of view, it goes in the trash. I have also decided to not approve posts that do not use proper sentence and paragraph formatting. They are just too hard to read and make sense of.
Thanks for providing your point of view.
I would simply suggest visiting MLM forums. Ask if they know any legit MLM enterprises. Strongly consider ones receiving multiple postive postings. Then check them out further with the BBB, use search engine(s)using terminology such as complaints, scams, beware, plus MLM company in question), also go to Ripoffreport and Complaintsboard. Avoid those with no phone numbers or ANY difficulties in answering questions or displaying any degree of dodginess.
Spamming to my understanding is soliciting people who’ve not previously requested info. GDI told me their leads were from telemarketing and the prople have said they would be interested in being contacted about MLM possibilities. Also consider ordering their biz cards for $50.00/thousand or their template flyer and making your flyer copies at a printer.
It still bothers me about the “.ws” thing and not being recognized by ICANN.
Most of all, go to forums where posts involve various opportunties and topics. A forum or blog heavily concentrating on negative postings regarding mainly one issue, company, or offer may surely attract false positive postings from any company receiving negative reviews. I guess my advice would be to diversify and spread your search among various sources to ferret or “smoke out” the negatives.
If anyone knows of any good MLM plans from experience, I would enjoy hearing from them.
MikeE, thanks for the good advice. There’s only two points I would question in your well thought out comment.
GDI may have told you their leads were from telemarketing and the people have said they would be interested in being contacted about MLM possibilities but that simply isn’t true. Just read some of the comments of those spammed by a GDI member here and in other places on the Web. And its not just email spamming their members do.
Also, I would not believe any complaint on ripoffreport without having other forms of validation. Anyone can write a complaint and regardless of how valid or invalid it may be, it will never be removed from their site. I understand why they have chosen to adopted such a policy but it does and has hurt innocent people/businesses, eventhough it has helped those who have been ripped off. There should be some sort of investigation of bogus reports or comment from ripoffreport’s editors when a report is questionable.