Category Archives: Transformers

Transformers don’t kill people, Americans do

I just heard on Sky news that there’s another public outcry trying to stop children playing with toy guns. The BBC takes a different slant on it, saying the British Government are in favour of boys playing with toy guns.

In guidance for nurseries in England, the Department for Children, Schools and Families says staff should resist a “natural instinct” to stop such play.

This has often been a source for annoyance to me, especially after the USA stopped selling the Transformer Megatron when he was reissued by Takara in Japan. The Americans don’t like the idea that Megatron is a realistic replica of a gun, a Walther PPK to be precise, yet in the stores that won’t sell Megatron in America you can actually buy a real Walther PPK.

Something’s not right there. What the yanks fail to realise is that nobody in the history of human kind has been shot and killed by a Megatron. You see, he’s a toy. Made of plastic. He turns into a robot. He does not shoot bullets.

Real guns however are not toys. They are not made of plastic. They do not turn into robots. They shoot bullets.

I’d suggest that America doesn’t ban Transformers, but instead concentrates on banning the things that actually kill people… Americans Guns.

MSN ranks me #1 for ‘Transformers the Movie’

Here’s an interesting thing, an SEO related post from me. I know, this blog is supposed to be about SEO yet I rarely mention it. Well, now I am. Shut up and listen.

The random website generator known as MSN always seemed to ignore my Transformers related websites, despite excellent rankings on Yahoo! and Google. It’s as if MSN had some odd, random element to its algorithm. You don’t say!

Anyhow, I recently moved the Transformers The Movie website I own to a new host and converted it to WordPress, and would you credit it but MSN suddenly found it? Not only found it, but whacked it at #1 for ‘Transformers the Movie‘. Just for the record it’s also #1 in Live.com’s variation.

Now is this because I’ve moved to a UK based host, or is it the more indexable (nice word that) WordPress that’s done the trick?

To be honest whatever the reason, if being #1 in MSN for a result was worth two shits I’d be really excited. As it is it’s worth sod all, while I’m glad MSN has discovered my website I wish the general Internet using public would discover MSN.

My first Affiliate Window Payout

Today I had my first payout from network AffiliateWindow, who I’ve only been with now for a few weeks. This is a very positive start because it took me months to get my first Adsense payout in 2003, and even longer to get my first Amazon payout back in 2000.

Maybe I’m better at launching with new networks, maybe Affiliate Window have better potential. Whichever the case I’m very pleased with the performance of the network and encourage anyone who’s interested in making some serious money online to give AffiliateWindow a try.

On a related note, one of my best performing merchants is Toys R Us, so if the guys at the nation’s favourite toy store are interested in keeping affiliates sweet, I’m very into Transformers and Star Wars.

Just a hint!

#1 in Google for Transformers

Less that 48 hours ago I put a new Transformers website live (www.thetransformers.net) as I finally made the switch from ASP to WordPress. This meant changing the hosting from 1and1 Internet, who are located in Germany to the new host United Hosting, who are located in the UK.

The change went smoothly, and the new site has already been indexed. What is incredible though is that the new UK hosted site has immediately shown up #1 in Google.co.uk for sites located in the UK under the keyword ‘Transformers’.

Previously being hosted in Germany with a .Net extension had excluded it from UK only searches, and it is ranked 1st page for ‘Transformers’ in a non country specific search, but now it has a UK home it’s #1.

Beat that!

Tips to save money with your online business

Scott Wainner, one of the oldest (by that I mean long-standing, not ancient and decrepit) online money makers has posted a great tip on his new blog about saving money on your travel by starting a travel reviews website and declaring all travel expenses as business expenses. Thus they are tax deductible!

Nice tip eh?

Well I’ve been doing something similar for years now. I own the website WhatDVD.Net, which reviews DVDs and Films, so naturally any movie related expenses I incur are legitimately offset against earnings as I review the films and DVDs I see and buy.

It doesn’t stop there either, as I also run 3 Transformers websites whenever I buy a Transformer, which is often, the cost of the little sucka is once against offset against earnings for tax. This is all perfectly legit as they are used for money making ventures. For example, I recently purchased the Ultimate Edition Bumblebee at a mind blowing £79.99… ouch. Thankfully, because of the review on TheTransformers.Net the money spent on him can be offset.

Nice tip huh? Remember it has to be legit, so start those websites now.

Dmoz take action against Transformers

It seems my ongoing dispute with the guys at Dmoz has taken a nasty turn for the worst. My calling them corrupt and insisting they abuse their power and take bribes for inclusions has caused them to lash out at me. How? The corrupt bastards have removed one of my sites from the directory. www.thetransformers.net has been in Dmoz for years, and is a 7 year old domain crammed with content, yet they, in their infinite corruption have decided to remove it.

I don’t mind really, it just shows how childish and corrupt they are. It won’t effect the site’s rankings one iota, so good luck Dmoz, we won’t miss you when you crumble.

Transformers released today

It’s July the 4th, Independence Day, and the day I’ve waited for for over 20 years; Transformers is released, in the USA at least.

Obviously I’ve already seen the film as I was at the premier in London 2 weeks ago, and you can read my review here.

The UK release date isn’t until July 27th so we’ve still got some time to wait, but the release today in the USA has generated huge amounts of traffic for my Transformers websites (over 85,000 page views yesterday) so it’s all very exciting.