Monthly Archives: December 2007

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate Window’s Christmas Presents

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Affiliate network Affiliate Window were running a promotion this Christmas where you could collect coins each week in exchange for a surprise present from one of their merchants on Christmas Day. I’d collected the full 8 coins but when I logged in using my HP Smartphone after 3:00pm on Christmas Day I found I couldn’t select a present because my phone couldn’t handle their JavaScript menu on the promotions page.

Gutted.

Never mind I thought, I doubt I’ve missed anything too fantastic.

Would you believe it but they were actually giving away LCD TVs and iPods? What’s more, it appears that some people were even complaining about the gifts.

I’d have been well chuffed with a bottle of champagne. In fact, the lover of tat that I am I’d have been pleased with a pen. It’s a pity then that Affiliate Window’s gesture fell on people who were largely ungrateful, and someone like myself who would have been pleased with any old dross missed out.

I’ll have to get a laptop next year. My phone’s good, but it’s cost me a shot at an LCD TV.

General

New Year’s resolutions

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I don’t usually bother with this sort of thing as I’m not one to put much weight in the whole ‘New Year’ kind of festival. However, as I’ve had one of the most turbulent year’s of my life so far (getting divorced, changing job, moving 200 miles away etc) I figured I’d pledge to take control of my own destiny. I’ve compiled a list of things I aim to do in 2008, you could call them New Year’s resolutions, you could call it a hit list.

Whatever you call it, these are my aims for 2008.

  1. Stay in credit and even save up some money
    My whole married life I was struggling financially, the reasons for that are self explanatory, but now I’ve finally managed to get into credit I aim to stay that way.
  2. Get a written apology from Royal & SunAlliance
    RSA took over a year to fix my car, it still needs the door fixing but I’m having trouble getting a quote as the garage is only open when I’m in work. Funny that. So I aim to get that fixed and to get a written apology from them.
  3. Receive compensation to the tune of a few thousand pounds from Direct Line Insurance
    Direct Line were responsible for my car being off the road for 17 months when my ex-wife committed fraud against them. Due to them I had to buy a new car and keep paying off the loan for my old one. They will pay me compensation and send me a written apology.
  4. Get a written apology from the CSA
    These guys are morons. Pure and simple. My ex has lied to them about what I have and have not paid. They will be made to understand this and I’ll get them to apologise to me in writing.
  5. Take WhatDVD to the next level
    This is the first work related one. I aim to make WhatDVD.Net the biggest online reviews website in the UK. I know what I must do, and it’s entirely achievable.
  6. Those ideas for websites I’ve got… make them!
    I’ve got a massive list of domain names and corresponding ideas for websites that I’ve been sitting on for some time. They’re not making any money the way they are, they need building. I will aim to complete all of these this year.
  7. Don’t get married
    Obvious really. I aim to not get married this year. This one’s important.
  8. Crush my enemies
    This is a bit of a vague one, but covers things such as Torfaen Council who want to charge me Council Tax for a house I not only don’t live in, but couldn’t even enter it at one stage. I have a recorded phone call where I told them I didn’t live there and I gave them my contact number. They’ve ignored that and have tried to take me to court. These are the kind of enemies I’m referring to.
  9. Make a living from Affiliates
    Over the past few years I’ve been at a stage where I’m almost able to live on my affiliate earnings. I know everyone who has done this will advocate me to take it on full time, but I really don’t want to do this from a personal point of view if nothing else. I want to continue working as my job is very related. However, I still would like an Affiliate income that could be considered a decent wage.
  10. Diversify
    This is perhaps the most important one of the lot. Over the years I’ve become far too reliant on Adsense for my Affiliate income. Should the worst happen I’d be proverbially screwed, so I need to branch out into the other networks and CPA based revenue streams.

So that’s it, my aims for 2008. There are some sub-aims, or specific details to some of them I don’t want to elaborate on here but I know what they are. Hopefully I can hit all of these in 2008, if I do I’ll be a very happy guy indeed.

General

Merry Christmas

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In the interests of offending anyone who isn’t Christian I’d like to wish EVERYONE reading this a merry Christmas. If you are Christian I can offend you too by saying that Jesus doesn’t exist and this time of year is only kept alive by ITV so they can show Bond movies on TV.

Whatever you celebrate, be it Connery, Moore or even Dalton, have a happy James Bond day.

Just for the record, I’ve written this a few days in advance. I’m probably pissed right now unable to stand, so here’s to me!

General, Internet

Visits from France

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This might be interesting to some people, well to one more likely. The last week I’ve had numerous visits from the City of Nantes, in France, as the Analytics screenshot below will show.

Nantes

(Click for a larger version)

I find this odd because the person in question (as you can see by the 0% new visitors it IS one person) has recently removed me from Facebook, MSN and generally cut all contact with me, yet they seem intent on checking this site to see what I might be up to.

Well, as you can see I know you’ve been looking at the website, perhaps you’d like to get in touch? Maybe even explain why you’ve blocked all contact with me? I’m guessing you won’t, so as you don’t seem to want to speak to me again, just check up on me via this website, have a happy Christmas x.

CSA, Direct Line Insurance, Rants

The final straw with my ex wife

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The letter I received from the CSA today saying my ex-wife had disputed I’d made any mortgage payments was the final straw. I’ve just sent this to my solicitor.

Hi Kelly and Chris.

I’ve just received another letter from Kelly that is exactly the same as one Chris has already sent. Can you guys make sure you’re not sending me the same information as I’ve received duplicate letters from you both twice now. Obviously I don’t want to be charged twice for the same letter!

In answer to ETLP’s letter this time, I would like to point out straight away that I have not ‘changed my mind’ as they have suggested. Mrs Jamieson has reneged on the agreed offer in an attempt to get more money from me for her inevitable repayment to Direct Line. We had an agreement, she changed it.

I will obviously not consider her offer as the condition of the house has changed and the time wasted has caused me to accrue more mortgage arrears.

I would consider buying the house from her if she removes all 3 references that Kelly highlighted in the offer. I require this as I fully intend to help Direct Line insurance pursue Mrs Jamieson for the money she illegally obtained from them, and I wish Direct Line to compensate me for the depreciation on my car, and the loan I paid on it while it was in limbo for a year as a result of theirs, and her actions.

I also require the amount of arrears to be deducted from the offer I made to her, which means I will offer her £10,000 for her share in the house, the furniture and everything else inside. Including the items she has removed, the two canvas paintings and the two Michael Jackson jackets.

Furthermore she has once again lied to the CSA saying that I have not made mortgage payments on the house. The CSA being the CSA have taken what she has said as fact and have refused to consider my variations form, meaning I am having too much money deducted from my earnings. She must contact the CSA immediately and inform them that I have been making the payments from January – August. In addition if I buy the house from her I will of course be paying the arrears, which takes us up to date.

If she does not agree to all of this, without exception, the house will be repossessed with my blessing.

I can’t stress enough how serious I am about this and how I am FULLY prepared to let the house be repossessed. I have had enough of her crap, if she wants to lose the house then I will allow it to go, simple as that.

Obviously with regards to the CSA I merely have to show them mortgage statements to prove I have made the payments, but as they are so painfully slow and incompetent they will take months, if not years to correctly identify what I have paid. This is why she must do it. Immediately.

Please let me know what her response is as to be perfectly honest I couldn’t care less any more either way. I’m 50/50 on letting the house go and washing my hands of her.

Thanks for your time.

Darren