3.21.2009

Site Build It Vs. Steve Pavlina: Which Is the Scarier Cult?

Recently, there has been a big flap in the Internet marketing sphere about a product called Site Build It! No, I'm not excited about this, the exclamation mark is part of the name. The post in question is by Lis Sowerbutts, and is called Site Build It Scam Review. Now, you're thinking, why would this be on a site about personal development? Well, it seems our favorite Cult leader, Steve Pavlina is currently endorsing this product. In fact, here's what Steve had to say about it:
Building a good distribution network isn’t that hard these days. I think the best way to do it is by building a website because online solutions are very cheap compared to the alternatives. My speaker friends have to fly all around the world to distribute their value. I just click “Publish.”

The current solution I recommend for most people looking to build a website is Site Build-It. Follow that link if you wish to read my review of the service and why I recommend it. If you’re very technically savvy, you won’t need this service, but it’s great for those who don’t understand the ins and outs of Internet marketing and want someone to guide them through it step by step.


In the review, he states that the Creator of Site Build It! Dr. Ken Evoy, ran into a "problem" where no matter what he did to teach people how to create a website, they would still screw it up, so he created SBI to do it for them.

Just wait a second here. If you can't wrap your mind around how to get a website started, or hire (most likely for free) someone to help you. You have already failed in your Internet business. I can't emphasize this enough. I didn't know where to start either, but signing on to blogger.com was super easy. Later, when I took a website to the self hosted route, I ran into a few difficulties, but what was still super easy ( and remains so to this day) is finding people willing to do what you need done for free. They ought to charge $100 bucks an hour or more, but they do it totally free.

Do you know how hard it is to find a person like this? What exactly is required? A casual acquaintance with someone. Seriously. All you need to do is find someone that knows a little about coding, web design, or whatever, have a few casual interactions, and they'll be willing to help. Short of that, drop a comment asking for help at virtually any popular blog or forum, and help will swarm upon you.

You can ask to be taught what you need to do, or simply have it done for you. No charge. If you can't figure out how to get that far on the Internet, you will NOT have a successful web based business. Not now. Not ever.

This is Steve Pavlina, once again at his finest, making blogging for dollars sound easy. I can't help but wonder how many people have found themselves homeless after having the delusion that they should quit their job and start a website to collect passive income because Steve Pavlina said it was a good idea. Steve knows his stuff, but what he doesn't do is share HOW, or emphasize that it is NOT easy. It is not a good business model at all for most people, in fact.

As a side note, I find it amusing that he has a post about "15 Second Marketing" that is 3719 words long. Irony anyone?

So this is why Site Build it is the topic of discussion. I have listed many reasons why I see the followers of Steve Pavlina as being a cult. The thing that is scary about the response to Lis's critical evaluation of SBI is that the comments in support of Site Build It! are way over the top. I had not initially observed it as cultish, but once a few people decided to label it as such, I began to consider the idea.

I am starting to think there is something to this, based on certain comments. On SBI user named Anna states:
The only reason we sound cultish is because you’re driving us mad your false accusations about SBI.

My God Lis, wouldn’t you have defended something you truly believed in yourself? What if someone made false accusations about a person or something you really cared about?


Hit the brakes! "Truly believed in?" "Really Cared about?" She's talking about a fucking website platform. Holy crap. I really like Wordpress as a publishing platform, but I would not say that I "truly believe in" it, nor would I say I "really care about" it. It's a blogging platform. Do you understand this people?

SBI is a TOOL. Feeling strongly about it is a absurd as "truly believing in" a hammer or screwdriver. I like my cordless drill, but I don't "Really care about it." For fuck's sake. Get a grip on reality. I really like my reciprocating saw, but I feel no need to defend Ryobi against "False accusations" and certainly don't work myself into froth about it.

Another commenter said:
I’d bet if GoDaddy’s founder had a forum and actually participated and personally ASKED their customers what they’d like to see more of - you’d see a ton of people defending “GoDaddy”, too
.

?

...

What?

I can't even respond to this. It's so utterly stupid, that I am literally dumbfounded. Perhaps there would be a few people that are a little to fiercly loyal, but for the most part there would be two sides to any given debate. If not 3 or 4 or 5 viewpoints on an issue. They would not be zombies marching in lockstep, reciting affiliate sales scripts like they have memorized them during their bible study every morning.

So, back to the original question. Which is the scarier cult, Site Build It! or Steve Pavlina?

Check out the Site Build It review video from Allyn Hayne where he states like I did that you have no business running a business you know nothing about. Great video, Allyn.

7 comments:

  1. Hi
    Nice place you've got going here ! Do you find many dummies signing up for the personal development experience ? You would think dummies would need it more than smart people, but then again maybe they're too dumb.
    Is that trademark thing real or did you just put that there for fun ?
    VicW

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  2. Hiya Lis here - yeah I had a few WTF moments with the comments - its a bloody hosting platform and support people not religion ROTFL

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  3. VicW, actually this is more of an anti personal development site. The "How to's" I have planned are going to be more like a "why do you want to?" That, and a heaping helping of ridicule for cult leader Steve Pavlina.

    Lissie, I just couldn't even wrap my mind around the idea of feeling strongly for a crappy web tool. Amazing what people will develop a devout following for.

    Thanks both for stopping by.

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  4. Nice site! I wrote a review of SBI back in February, it's actually quite in-depth. I think it's the best one out there: A Negative Review Of Site Build It (SBI)

    I posted it on Pavlina's forums to try to get him to stop selling SBI, but I got banned (which, given what I wrote, hardly seems warranted). I'll let you interpret that. I'll just say this: his actions speak louder than his words!!

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  5. Regarding your question, it is a rather irrelevant one as both things are exactly the same thing.

    I just got banned from the Steve Pavlina cult forums, why? Two days ago I was posting in this thread:

    http://www.stevepavlina.com/forums/business-financial/32583-avoid-sbi-thread-nothing-but-game-get-huge-commission-2.html

    I made a post that was just before the "So you're not sure? S" post, it basically was me saying "I am still not so sure... It looks more like paying 300$us for a piano book that you can buy for free." The 'so' and 'sure' words contained links to a negative review of SBI and a blog that included a whole lot of free instructions on how to do what SBI does for much less money...

    The post got deleted. But not only that, the forum began acting completely weird on me, until it was just giving blank pages. I thought it crashed or something. But I figured out that clearing my cookies would make the forum magically work again...

    Every time I logged in, it would give me a blank post. So I thought it was a bizarre bug and so made a second account to make a thread to explain that I made a new account, what my old account was and also reported the bug a mod was supposedly trying to help me and find out what happened, though about 7 minutes after that, I got BOTH accounts banned the reason was that double accounts are "against the rules"

    I wanted to make a new account to see some clarification, but they changed the site into paranoid mode, all new users now go into an approval queue, and they are not approving new users anymore.

    I think the first bugs were a sort of sneaky attempt to keep SBI opposers out of the forum without publicly banning them. Just in case they find out that it is fixable by making another account, they can ban you for 'double accounts'. How love-based and lightworker-ish of Steve Pavlina.

    The thread in which I made the bug report, got deleted:
    http://www.stevepavlina.com/forums/general-introductions/33097-couldn-t-access-forums-had-make-new-account.html

    ReplyDelete
  6. Absolutely a cult, I just had an interaction with a passionate SBIer, and I even admitted that the product had value to the right type of person, although I myself would not use it.

    He went absolutely ape shit, the only acceptable view of SBI is that it is the best thing EVER! Nevermind that WordPress is free and can do everything that SBI can do better, except search keywords, as SBIers love to argue. Why would I pick which website platform and lock myself into $300/yr. for a free keyword tool.

    I challenge any of you SBI mental midgets to come debate me.

    http://insidersmind.com/is-site-build-it-a-cult-fighting-with-agressive-affiliates/

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  7. i personally know a SBIer running about 4 successful sites, with a new 5th one on recent development. if you observe how her new site is growing successfully from bottom down with regards of time, you people wouldn't say all this crap about a service that you didn't even try. GET A LIFE PEOPLE

    ReplyDelete