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7:37 am
February 20, 2012
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Financial Samurai
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Post edited 8:37 am – February 20, 2012 by Financial Samurai
As this comment has been deleted, here it is for those who hate or don't fully understand. I do welcome dissension as it always helps to see both sides and keep up the motivation to continue. If nobody hated or criticized you, it means that nobody really cares. Just know that there will always people who dislike you, no matter what you do. You just have to accept this fact and push on. Know that if you follow your own principles, everything will be alright.
I'll write a more detailed post on Yakezie.com in the future. Thx, Sam
************
Nelson,
I don't know who offended you, or what happened to cause you to lash out, but I'm disappointed in your choice of words. You compare us to Bernie Madoff, a man who bilked his clients out of $50 billion and who is serving a life sentence? That is cold and slander.
The Yakezie is about gathering with a group of friends who like to blog, hang out and support each other. I went through a difficult time when I first started out, and figured there must be other blogs out there experiencing the same difficulties as me who might want to unite and help each other out. Goodness knows I've been rejected and ignored plenty of times before. It's competitive out there. I promised myself that if I was ever in a position where people asked me for advice or help, I would do everything possible to be attentive, respond, and help.
Like what you've experienced on your own site, advertisers come out of the woodwork without us even asking, and that is a side benefit. Other Members have gone through dark times with their personal finances, or relationships with loved ones and have found comfort and support with their fellow Members to get them through. A couple Yakezie Members lost their jobs, and the Network instantly reached out to offer online jobs to help make ends meet. And further, several other Members have managed to quit their jobs over the past 12 months thanks to their blogging initiatives. That, to me is incredible, and the power of the Network.
Do you really think I wrote this post more than 2 years ago for the sake of money?
http://www.financialsamurai.co…..challenge/
Read it a couple times and read it again for good measure. At the time of the post, the Challenge was a call to arms to propel my own initiatives, and the initiatives of others to keep up the consistency in our content writing, and break 200,000 in Alexa since that was what landed you in the Top 100 of Wisebread. I just wanted to get better. Why do anything at all if we aren't going to give it our best?
My Alexa Ranking on FinancialSamurai.com was around 78,000 when I wrote the post, and I wanted to see if I could get below 50,000. My ranking wasn't sky high as you may think to get below 200K or 100K, it was already there being in the Top 25. I just wanted to help others get better as well, given how gratifying it was to see progress.
The Challenge has evolved much more than that today and is not about the Alexa ranking. The essence of Yakezie is to simply make lasting friendships online and put others before self. It's the way I've governed my life off-line, and the way I want to proceed online. Some of us may have new books we''d like the Network to promote. No problem buddy, we'll help you out. Others might want to gain insights from older Member regarding what to do at work in a tough situation eg bad boss. No problem, a Member may have some good advice because she''s been there and is a manager herself. The benefits of a Network and having mentors, big brothers, and big sisters is very powerful. It is one of life''s great mysteries when you do something just for the love of it, other good things happen as well.
Everybody is free to join the Challenge or not. We don't ask anybody to join as it is an open system based on merit and one's own initiatives. The only rule we have is be a good person by thinking of others first. If you have had a personal altercation with a Member, perhaps I can help smooth things out. And if you are having troubles with your site, or the online world in general, let me know, and maybe I can help you out.
Regards,
Sam
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Regards,
Sam
Financial Samurai - Helping you achieve financial freedom sooner, rather than later.
Yakezie Network Founder
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7:49 am
February 20, 2012
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jaicatalano
| | New York | |
| Member | posts 846 |
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Of course I am curious to see what Nelson wrote but then again it isn't about that it's about staying focused on why you have done what you have done so far. The world has points of view and we all don't see eye to eye and for that there will be HUGE differences. I can't stress enough how tough it was for me to accomplish a ton of things I have done and the countless days of depression and therapy sessions. I say that with pride and not shame because I will go to F***ing bat who have been there for me. So far Yakezie has only showed me love and respect and gaining an AR of under 200k is totally irrelevant compared to the friendships and network I have started to build on here. The money falls short too because there isn't a blogger on this site who wants money over happiness and that is the true power of what Sam Dogen has created.
Hats of to you my friend. 
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7:56 am
February 20, 2012
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Melissa (Mom's Plans)
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I agree with Jai. Perfectly said. In the early days of blogging, it may have been easy to reach out to other bloggers to get help, support and reciprocally advantageous assistance, but now many of the more seasoned bloggers are understandably too busy to help smaller blogs just starting.
I love that Yakezie members are willing to selflessly help one another and appreciate this community more than I can say.
Thank you, Sam, for developing this network. It is a valuable resource in the personal finance community, and it also allows members to give back in so many ways.
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8:01 am
February 20, 2012
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jonrhodesuk
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| Member | posts 277 |
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I have only been a member of this forum a few weeks, and about 2 weeks ago I took up the challenge. I like the challenge because it has really given me something to shoot for. This is definitely the best forum I have ever been on. I've not seen any spamming or back biting or anything like that. Just people helping each other out with intelligence and integrity. That spurs me on the help others out. You're doing a great job, and have created something very valuable to many people.
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8:22 am
February 20, 2012
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WorkSaveLive
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While I'm really new here, I do love what I've seen so far from Yakezie, it's members, and the Challenge.
Frankly, I originally thought that Yakezie was just a few people that were buddy-buddy with one another, but the more I searched the forum the quicker I realized that wasn't the case. (To be fair, I made that assumption when I first started looking at blogs 6 months ago and noticed the Yakezie badges popping up…it's not like it was a warranted judgment).
From reading what other members post, I believe you're going to reap what you sow in this challenge and throughout the network.
If you work hard, selflessly help others, take time to read/comment on others' posts, and build a few relationships along the way, then I don't see how people can fail or get upset with Yakezie.
I'm really excited about the opportunity the Yakezie Challenge represents, and I'm very thankful to Sam for setting it up and for all of the members that continue to help us newbies (and long-standing members) along the way.
There are so many great ideas here and wonderful feedback…how can you not appreciate it?
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8:29 am
February 20, 2012
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retireby40
| | USA | |
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I joined the Yakezie challenge without know anyone in the network. After a year and a half, I've made a lot of great friends. We all help each other and are very selfless (mostly  .)
Yakezie is a great place to collaborate with like minded individuals. In any group, there will be some conflicts, but I think that problem had been kept to the minimal at Yakezie. It's a great group and you just need to be open minded and selfless to enjoy the companies of the challengers and members.
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8:38 am
February 20, 2012
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Untemplater
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I am so proud to be a Yakezie Member! Sam what you have built here is priceless. Those of us who truly understand Yakezie's message and support system know that the network goes way beyond Alexa. People who hate will get nowhere in life. There will always be people who chose to be unhappy, put others down, and complain non stop and it's their own *$&^ fault they are miserable.
The Yakezie spirit is about positivity, helping others, and being a part of a supportive community!
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8:48 am
February 20, 2012
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Jason@LiveRealNow
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| Member | posts 727 |
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Wow, that was an impressively stupid post(not yours, Nelson's).
He made two points, each more worthless than the last(but only if you line them up that way).
1. It's all about the Alexa rank. Crap. Alexa's an arbitrary metric. It could have been moz, DA, PA, PR, or anything else. It's just something to show that there is improvement. Don't care.
2. It's also all about the cultish hero-worship we have for you, Sam. I don't hero-worship you. Sorry. I only sacrificed 1 pig in your name last night, but that's not a cult, that's dinner.
Lame.
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8:53 am
February 20, 2012
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MoneyBeagle
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Any improvement in Alexa is a secondary benefit, actually anything is with the primary benefit: The awesome people I have met and built relationships with here. Without Yakezie, I would have given up blogging entirely by now, and while I'm sure there are those out there who would have been all in favor of that outcome, I am thankful every day that I stuck with it. Yeah, I check my Alexa ranking reguarly, but what I check 100x more often and what means 1,000,000x more to me are the blog posts, forum posts, and other means of communicating with my fellow Yakezie bloggers.
If Nelson doesn't get that, well his loss.
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9:01 am
February 20, 2012
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Watson Inc
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I've made so many connections since joining Yakezie that I'm surprised that anyone would minimize it to AR gaming. We all know of low ranking AR sites without a community. The focus on community is so evident on Yakezie member blogs that all you have to do is look at the comment section or the tweets, and you will have a portrait of their online friends…. their "tribe." There are many people who are selfless and truly embrace the spirit of the organization, I believe most members and challengers have a wonderful experience. Also, hero-worship and respect are two different things!
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9:04 am
February 20, 2012
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Briana @ How's Married Life?
| | Los Angeles | |
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I'm never impressed by anything Nelson says to be honest, and have learned that even being offended by what he says is what he's looking for. To me, he thrives on negativity, and that's no one I want supporting me anyways!
Yakezie is more than Alexa ranking. It's just something we could all work towards. Just like Jason said, it could've been anything! We could've worked toward Twitter followers, Facebook fans, RSS subscribers, PR, moz, anything! And as for worshiping Sam, it just doesn't work that way. We have a respect for you PERIOD because without you, there would be no Yakezie. It's simply a respect. Anyone who can't see that probably can't see much at all. Again, negativity blinding him.
I personally have a love for Yakezie simply because you guys rallied around for me in a time of need. It brought me to tears how thoughtful and compassionate and willing everyone was to help me out. Maybe I'm biased by that alone won my loyalty. Even before that, I loved how everyone was willing to help everyone, whether your blog was 5 years old or 5 days old.
I know no matter how long I'm gone, Yakezie is always here with open arms. I'm willing to help as much as the older members have been willing to help me. I won't say Nelson is jealous, but it's gotta get lonely making an enemy out of such an amazing group. His loss, not ours!
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9:13 am
February 20, 2012
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Edward Antrobus
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To be completely honest, I was hesitant to join the challenge at first because of you, Sam. From the comments we've shared back and forth on various sites, it should be apparent that we don't see eye to eye on a lot of things. I respect that you have different opinions, but you can come off as arrogant-sounding at times, like in your intro to your retirement savings post on Untemplater.
But at the end of the day, I've come to realize that Yakezie is so much bigger than just you and in fact, you seem to take more of a laissez-faire approach to running things. And why I really joined was the community. Alexa ranking is nice, but to me, it's just a number.
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I'm looking for editors, beta-readers, and some demographic research for my upcoming novel, Once Upon a Saturn Moon. If you like reading soft sci-fi thrillers, maybe with a touch of romance thrown in, you can find more information at http://seampublishing.com/once…..aturn-moon
If You Can Read, You Can Cook – http://www.ifyoucanread.com | Think you can't cook? If you can read this sentence, then you can.
SEAM Publishing – http://www.seampublishing.com | eBook formatting and publishing service
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9:48 am
February 20, 2012
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jaicatalano
| | New York | |
| Member | posts 846 |
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Jason@LiveRealNow said:
Wow, that was an impressively stupid post(not yours, Nelson's).
He made two points, each more worthless than the last(but only if you line them up that way).
1. It's all about the Alexa rank. Crap. Alexa's an arbitrary metric. It could have been moz, DA, PA, PR, or anything else. It's just something to show that there is improvement. Don't care.
2. It's also all about the cultish hero-worship we have for you, Sam. I don't hero-worship you. Sorry. I only sacrificed 1 pig in your name last night, but that's not a cult, that's dinner.
Lame.
Jason number 2 almost made me do number 1 on myself.
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10:08 am
February 20, 2012
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seedebtrun
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| Member | posts 327 |
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You are doing a great service here..
Don't let the haters get you down (I know you won't).
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10:39 am
February 20, 2012
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maria@moneyprinciple
| | Manchester, UK | |
| Member | posts 679 |
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Wow, I miss a day on here because of bad connection and what do I find?
I would like to just in here and say that finding the Yakezie network was one of the best things to happen to me since I started The Money Principle. I joined without knowing anybody (well, was reading some of the blogs but this doesn't count, really) and since have made connections and friendships that I hope will last. Never found anything than support and good feeling. In fact, I was telling somebody that the Yakezie community reminds me a bit of what the academic community used to be – before in academe we forgot that by supporting each other to become better we all, and each of us, becomes better.
Yep, my AR went below 200k on January, 1st; I am not going to undeplay it – it felt great. But anyone who think atht thismis what it is about is making a big mistake – it is still about using a different medium to develop what I believe in and co-create.
Thank you, Yakezie and thanks Sam.
Maria
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11:16 am
February 20, 2012
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The Single Saver
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Sigh. These are the kinds of things I hate encountering on a Monday. I debated about responding, but ultimately did in the hopes that my response will at least give a few of his readers a varied point of view on what Yakezie is all about.
Here is the comment I posted to his article:
I am proud to be a member of Yakezie. To me, it is no different than any other professional association where professionals with similar interests form a group to share knowledge, industry trends, support, and contacts. I care little about my Alexa ranking. I do, however, care about the great support group I have encountered through Yakezie. These are people I would have never crossed paths with had I not gotten involved with the group. How is this any different from a local Rotary's members supporting each others businesses, a group of professional doctors referring patients to fellow members who they personally know and can vouch for their abilities, or a group of HR professionals gathering to discuss the latest industry trends? Stop looking at Yakezie as an exclusive club and instead think of it as a professional association that helps us all grow as personal finance bloggers.
And for the record, I link to all sorts of blogs, not just Yakezie Members. I do not follow a herd mentality. Few people that I know do.
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11:30 am
February 20, 2012
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Edward Antrobus
| | Fort Collins, CO | |
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If nobody hated or criticized you, it means that nobody really cares.
Chalk it up to watching too much tv lately, but I did just hear a quote similar to this in the past week. But now I can't remember where.
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I'm looking for editors, beta-readers, and some demographic research for my upcoming novel, Once Upon a Saturn Moon. If you like reading soft sci-fi thrillers, maybe with a touch of romance thrown in, you can find more information at http://seampublishing.com/once…..aturn-moon
If You Can Read, You Can Cook – http://www.ifyoucanread.com | Think you can't cook? If you can read this sentence, then you can.
SEAM Publishing – http://www.seampublishing.com | eBook formatting and publishing service
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11:39 am
February 20, 2012
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The Financial Blogger
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I understand a part of his point though: when people are artificially boosting metrics (several comments, alexa ranking, huge number of links), it is causing some distortion in the market. Since web metrics are still pretty vague (it's hard to determine which is the biggest site in this or that category), it's easy to "fool" the system and ask for higher advertising rate when, in the end, most visitors to your blog are your friend and your advertising potential as a publisher is much smaller than it shows in the metrics. Having 30 comments a day from the same people over and over is like having a TV channel seen by your friends and family. It doesn't have the same value for an advertiser to advertiser on your channel than on Fox News or CNN.
On the other side, he completely pass through the real goal of being part of the Yakezie (helping each other).
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12:33 pm
February 20, 2012
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Nick
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| Member | posts 247 |
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I'm pretty new here, but I'm really glad I finally joined. Nothing wrong with similarly-minded people getting together, IMO. What better place for bloggers to talk shop than online, right?
By the way, Sam, it looks like your comment is now there… 3 times… :)
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12:42 pm
February 20, 2012
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MoneyIsTheRoot
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FIRST OF ALL, too much emphasis is being placed on us "gaming the system" with Alexa… a blogger with no visitors at all can have a 100k Alexa if he checks his own site enough! So what if our network reads, supports, and comments regularly on each others blogs…that is what we are supposed to do. Advertisers rarely give a sh*t about Alexa anymore, and I dare anyone to challenge me on that! If Sam and the Yakezie were all about advertising money and falsifying rankings, then we would only be boosting PA, DA, PR, Moz, etc. Alexa is merely an indicator that we are continuously trying and working towards something…
Sam's built, and we've helped nurture a thriving community of bloggers… I wouldnt be here if I was coerced, or silenced in any way. I've made a decent amount of money off my blogging activities… and I've also inspired friends and family to do the same. I've used my blog as a therapeutic outlet. I might have even helped a reader or two…and I've certainly educated myself along the way. Would I have stuck with blogging if it wasn't for the Yakezie? I don't know. I could have gone a year or two and not made a dime blogging, but I don't know that I would've had the staying power without encouragement and visits from my blogging friends… Im not an SEO expert….so chances are my first 6 months of blogging would have been spent with no traffic, visits, comments, or interactions with anybody…who wants that??? I wanted people to read what I had to say, so the Yakezie filled that need perfectly. To me this just seems to be common sense…
Financial Uproar needed a controversial post to boost traffic, and his own metrics…and im sad to say that it is probably working all too well. A bubble is something that when popped, will cause some sort of economic decline… and I dont see where a blog bubble is going to do that! Is it going to send a rift through the discover card and adsense community? lol. Be realistic…
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