Whether you’re a fan of football or not, you were probably one of the estimated 100 million strong who tuned into watch last night’s Super Bowl. Parties pop up all over the world to watch this event.

Some even tune in to watch a football game.

Obviously Saints and Colts fans were watching to cheer for their respective teams. Old rockers like myself wanted to see if “The Who” could still make it through a set without suffering cardiac arrest. (The Super Bowl has come a long way since “Up With People” huh?) But the vast majority of the water cooler talk this morning I would imagine are the Super Bowl commercials that advertisers invested millions per spot to create brand recognition and buzz.

One of those advertisers the last 23 years had been Pepsi. But Pepsi decided to opt out this year not because they couldn’t afford the $12 million it would cost to air two spots during last night’s game. They opted out because they’re betting that “the days of mass-market media as the sole vehicle to reach an audience are officially over”.

Yep, you read that right, and an article forwarded to me last week lays out a whole new strategy for Pepsi that will focus on Social Media instead of Mass Media. For Pepsi, the Social Media platform is a much stronger and longer lasting medium for a yearlong initiative and their “Pepsi Refresh” campaign.

Granted, people still talk about Cindy Crawford’s appearance a couple years ago during the Super Bowl. (My personal favorites happen to be the E-Trade Babies that are absolutely hilarious!) The new Pepsi initiative however, in order for it to work, requires far more than a laugh, brand buzz or Monday morning water cooler talk.

“This is such a fundamental change from anything we’ve done in the past,” says Lauren Hobart, chief marketing officer for Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages. “It’s a big shift. We explored different launch plans, and the Super Bowl just wasn’t the right venue, because we’re really trying to spark a full-year movement from the ground up. The plan is to have much more two-way dialogue with our customers.”

The plan for Pepsi is to create a “charitable initiative that can build goodwill”. Pepsi wants to give away $20 million in grant money to fund projects in six categories: health, arts and culture, food and shelter, the planet, neighborhoods and education. You don’t start an initiative like that by spending $12 million in advertising dollars during the Super Bowl. It defeats the purpose, especially when there’s a better – more powerful medium that enables interaction between the company and the consumer who will guide this money to worthy projects.

Will this goodwill initiative spawn new customers and help Pepsi’s bottom line? It may not be enough for a Coke fan like myself to switch, but I do find Pepsi’s initiative refreshing enough to write about it – which could lead others to switch. (For the record, it does shed a whole new light on Dr. Pepper, which is a Pepsi brand I do drink.) For some it could tap into brand loyalty in a way that Mass Media could never do – especially during an event like the Super Bowl that’s designed for entertainment and not social change. That’s why I think Pepsi hits the mark with their choice to opt out of the Super Bowl this year and move to Social Media instead.

In my opinion, it’s a perfect marriage for goodwill and social change.

Social Media is just that – “social”. We’re social beings and the platforms available such as Twitter and Facebook enable big name companies to interact and promote not only their brand, but their cause. You’d be hard pressed not to find a company in this day and age who doesn’t have either a Facebook fan page or Twitter account, or both. Not to say some still don’t have one, but if you’re looking to build your company both mediums appear to be a top priority because they enable the company to interact with their customers in ways never thought possible before.

Like this story – Re-Tweet it. Something you find interesting or strikes a chord with you – write about it and link to it on your Facebook wall. Both platforms can do far more than announcing to the world you’re getting ready to get ready to go out next Friday night. And the thing is – people and companies are beginning to see the power these social platforms have. They’ve quickly turned into tools that promote meaningful change and perhaps, for companies like Pepsi – a better bottom line.

Aside from talking about all those over the top and extremely entertaining Super Bowl commercials there’s really very little value for me or you after that. Not that I have anything against brand buzz or hype. I buy into it just as much as the next guy – especially if it technology or travel related. But this shift Pepsi is taking this year takes a strike directly at this long standing medium and makes a very bold statement that there is another way – a better way to get your message and brand out to the masses.

I think about the ZamZuu video that’s on our Rep Accounts, and I see those quotes about the internet, Facebook, old ways of doing business, and traditional advertising being dead.

Couple that with what Pepsi is doing?

Do you think both could be dead wrong?

Possibly. But I don’t think the odds are that overwhelming when you have big names like Pepsi jumping from Mass Media to the Social Media bandwagon. You don’t just stop doing things after 23 years without some very close and careful analysis.

It’s certainly a very bold move. But those of us in YTB, know all about being bold don’t we?

Can’t wait to see how both shake out. ;-P

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I did a phone interview about a week ago with my good friend Samuel over on Traffic Is King. We talked at length about blogging, Social Media, creating your niche, finding your voice, and how to become an authority on the internet.

Some of the topics we covered:

• How I got started in the travel niche
• How to be viewed as an authority in your niche
• How to have readers hungry for your content
• Using relevant social media tools at appropriate times to connect with your readers
• Silencing your toughest critics and getting them to send you traffic
• Remaining the Top Dog in your niche and maintaining your readership

This was a really fun interview for those that have been following me over the years.

Listen to the call over on Traffic is King.

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I’ve written about a company called PhoCusWright here before which measures online travel sales. I’ve also written about BurstMedia as recently as a few weeks ago, which looked at consumer research for travel related spending. Another company that measures on-line spending is a company called eMarketer who came out with a report last week which forecasts some significant growth once we get past this recession.

The Retail E-Commerce Forecast reports and tracks current online sales and then forecasts what will happen in the future based on the data collected. The current forecast indicates that online sales will begin to rebound in 2010 and hit full stride in 2011. A trend in greater spending by online buyers is the key to eMarketers forecast of continued e-commerce growth. Currently some 152 million individuals will shop online in 2009.

The report also goes on to state that many consumers opt to buy online for convenience, price and broad product selection. It also states that over 80% of online shoppers are also online buyers. According to PriceGrabber.com, the tough economy is driving consumers online to compare prices, look for retailers that do not charge sales tax or shipping fees, seek discounts and avoid impulse buying.

It should be noted that PhoCusWright and eMarketer specialize in two separate segments of online sales. Online travel sales are so large and significant in this day and age that it’s broken out into its own category of B2C e-commerce. The remaining group of sales, whatever that may be, is left in the hands of eMarketer.

We’ve heard Coach, Scott and Kim this year quote that $0.42 out of every dollar spent online is spent on travel.  YTB brought Aisle 19 on board at the beginning of the year to capture the other $0.58 of that dollar. If you have ever wondered where that statistic comes from you now know it comes from PhoCusWright and eMarketer who work together to bring you and me a complete picture of the online shopping market. In 2008 $95.3 billion of the total sales volume spend online ($227.6 billion) was spent on travel.

Yes, I know that traditional travel agents want to stake a claim to the $95.3 billion in travel that’s spent online in an attempt that they are changing with the times. The claim; they too book online. Mind you, Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity and Priceline take up more than half of the $95.3 billion with $50.1 billion on their own. (As documented in last weeks 2009 Power List rankings.) If you’re wondering if this is nothing more than a desperate attempt to keep traditional agents in this changing and evolving game you can bet on it.

A few weeks ago I documented BurstMedia’s findings with how consumers are using the internet for travel research and spending. That article got a considerable amount of attention from various massage boards, forums, and blogs. (As noted in stat reports I read that document not only what people are reading, but where they are coming from.) The findings from the BurstMedia research upset many traditional agents, and the excuses started to mount. One traditionalist went as far as personally attacking YTB and myself in some feable price match to show that booking with him would prove to be a better value. I’m not sure how that one example will change the entire scope of consumer research and spending, but I will tell you that the traditionalist who spent days ranting over the issue has successfully relieved himself from any anxiety he once had.

If someone wants to point out that people still value traditional travel agents, they are free to do so. I’m fairly certain that there are independent reports out there that they can use. I’d certainly find an independent source far more credible than some self generated price match consisting of one obscure flight to prove my point however. Yet a simple copy and paste price match appears to be all some need to keep their dream alive that they’re still wanted or needed. Or even better, that they use an age old excuse that they too use the internet to purchase travel for thier customers which factors into the large online booking numbers we’re now seeing in the reports that are documented here.

I’ve yet to generate enough interest in proving this point, but I’m fairly certain from past reports that PhoCusWright puts out that it’s not calculating B2B as it would be in the case of a travel agent booking with suppliers, but B2C with suppliers booking directly with consumers online. B2C after all is what this and many other reports document rather than the other way around.

I’ve been shopping online for years because of it’s convenience and ability to search for the best price I can find. Three years ago I was in the market for a brand new digital camera and went to the internet for a match of what I was looking for. I already knew the specs I desired, already had a budget in mind, and was already willing to purchase the camera online. What I found was the Fuji FinePix S9000 and it’s been one of my most enjoyable investments I’ve ever made.

When I do get a call from a client (as opposed to a booking just showing up in my back office) these clients already know the dates, times, and have a budget in mind because of the research they’ve done online. Some still refrain from buying online due to security and privacy concerns or the inability to touch and feel products. Others will go ahead and book or purchase themselves because they’re comfortable with the medium.

With almost nine out of 10 Internet users browsing and researching to compare products online this year as documented in this report, it’s yet another example via independent research of the bright future of online retail.

And YTB appears to be right in the thick of it. In more ways than one. ;-P

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I don’t know if you saw one of the headlines on the front cover of Travel Weekly’s Power List issue on Monday or not. If you didn’t because you were too caught up in the Power List rankings, I certainly can’t blame you. Regardless of whether you saw the headline or took the time to read the story, it’s another example of why we need to conduct our own due diligence when making any decision.

I’ve told people for years “don’t believe a word I say, unless you can verify it on your own to be true”. I wish I could take credit for such an insightful quote, but I have to give credit where credit is due from individuals who are far more successful than I. I first read this quote at the beginning of “Secret’s of The Millionaire Mind” by T. Harv Ecker, and while I have not listened to Neal Boortz and his syndicated radio show in quite a while, he also quotes this same phrase continually.

With the advent of internet information and the ability to find reviews and opinions on just about any subject you can imagine, it’s not all that difficult finding something you can trust as truth these days. Long before I got involved in YTB I would frequent and post on Cruise Critic. I found it a great resource to ask questions and obtain information about a particular ship, a port of call, or things to do and see while enjoying my favorite form of vacation. Back in March, Cruise Critic and Royal Caribbean came under fire for what Tripso called “paid cheerleaders” who manipulated the board for personal and financial gain. The entire ordeal caused such an uproar that one blogger went as far as calling the Royal Champions “shills” and Royal Caribbean “puppet masters” in his blog.

Now TripAdvisor is facing some of the same issues about the integrity of some of its consumer hotel reviews. It may or may not be of interest that Cruise Critic is a subsidiary of TripAdvisor, but to find this type of manipulation out in the open once again should be noted. News broke about TripAdvisor in early June when another blogger found the following notices, posted in red type above the flagged property’s TripAdvisor rating.

“Message from TripAdvisor: TripAdvisor has reasonable cause to believe that either this property or individuals associated with the property may have attempted to manipulate our popularity index by interfering with the unbiased nature of our reviews. Please take this into consideration when researching your travel plans.”

In all, 92 such notices where found on TripAdvisor, and it has stirred questions concerning how many more reviews have been compromised on the site. When TripAdvisor uncovers hotel employees writing glowing reviews, trashing competitors, persuading guests to remove negative reviews or providing incentives for customers to write positive reviews, it posts the notices. In addition, Travel Weekly reports that TripAdvisor posts this notice regardless of whether TripAdvisor and the property have an advertising relationship.

Both Cruise Critic and TripAdvisor have gained considerable notoriety and respect over the years for its unbiased reviews and opinions when traveling. (Even from me.) Regardless of all the fuss and attention over YTB and claims about being uneducated, untrained, and unqualified to promote destinations, sites like Cruise Critic and TripAdvisor have been regarded as viable sources to collect information to form opinions. Truth of the matter is, people value other peoples experience and the relationships they form either with a site or a person. I’ve participated on a number of forums and sites like Cruise Critic and have used sites like TripAdvisor when researching any subject.

What this all boils down to is integrity. I’ve sat here for several minutes in an attempt to communicate just how we as readers can pinpoint and sense integrity or the lack thereof. It’s a gut instinct that most anyone should be able to ‘out’ when reading. (At least I know I do.) While participating in any forum or blog, I can quickly form opinions on who I can trust and who is blowing smoke simply to manipulate my own beliefs and opinions. If you truly need to understand how all this works, head over to Scam.com or over the NoTravelMLMs and in about two seconds you’ll know what I mean.

Both sites are full of doting parents who need to save you because they don’t believe you have the capability of finding or forming your own opinions. Unlike Cruise Critic or TripAdvisor, if you do form an opinion that differs from theirs…about all I can tell you is good luck with defending it. (Been there, done that, and have a T-shirt they gave me that says so.)

There are many oddities in the Travel Industry and being a doting parent appears to be one of them. While I can appreciate the concern, the way this industry gets all wrapped up in saving everyone goes beyond anything I’ve ever seen. Far too much focus and attention is geared on what’s wrong here, instead of what TripAdvisor has done in attempts to correct the issue.

We are after all adults, and adults should be able to make thier own choices and decisions be it an occupation or a vacation. If the wrong choice is made, we should take responsibility for that choice instead of playing the role of victim. It’s sad to see, especially in a country such as ours that was founded on freedom of expression. Yet there are those who spend all thier time and energy being a watchdog for everyone else and manipulating how you should think and act.

You as an individual have every resource and ability to form your own opinions and choices, especially in this day and age. If it differs from others, so be it. Who’s to say that they’re right and you’re are wrong? (Or vice versa) It’s your life and your choice and that’s what matters most.

I’m okay with that.

Are you?

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You’re well aware by now how much I appreciate the internet and the information that flows on this puppy. I can find information on just about any subject I care to look into. This technology has become so ingrained into our culture we’re tweeting about subjects we find interesting and important to us. We’re able to communicate with people from all over the world instantly at all hours of the day and night.

We hook up with “tribes” on the internet, and share our experience and knowledge. We read blogs, newspapers, and even prefer to watch news and sports clips on the internet rather than TV.

I was an early adopter of the internet and have been using this medium as a source to gather information and educate myself on a variety of subjects. Today, one of the first places most people go to research is the internet.

There are a number of companies that specialize in gathering information about internet use and combine statistical data based on what they find. I’ve written about PhoCusWright a number of times on this blog, and love how it corrects the many many myths and misconceptions that others put out there. I don’t know why a few stragglers spend thier time twisting and spinning, or why they’re so afraid of the truth. Some do spend a considerable amount of time trying to distract you with thier own perception and opinions rather than sticking with the facts. I guess it works for them.

Me, I like facts from independent sources. Travel Weekly has done a terrific job in documenting for us the last couple of years. I found another company yesterday while reading the trades that has once again corrected the myths about self service travel. Travel Agent Central did a piece on Burst Media who publishes Online Insights which highlights emerging trends in online media and eCommerce. One of the most recent being summers travel plans.

Would it surprise anyone in YTB that 80.3% of “summer travelers” say they will use the Internet to help plan their summer vacation? Maybe because that’s a lot higher than what we’ve discovered in the past. (Even from PhoCusWright) But once again, we find statistical data from independent companies who don’t have any motives to bend or twist the truth for personal gain.

I also find in rather interesting that the higher the income, the more likely they are to use the internet for research. (As depicted in the graphic in the article.) Right or wrong, many correlate income with how smart someone is, and based on that belief, (or meme) the smarter someone is the more likely they are to use the internet for planning their summer vacation. The most popular features among the respondents was destination information and the ability to check flight, hotel and car rates and availability.

Respondents were asked what features and content of a travel website make them return they specified destination information (46.3%), the ability to check flight, hotel and car rental rates/availability (45.2%), and travel promotions and specials (44%) as reasons. Quite honestly, I can see this as a huge benefit for most consumers who are planning because a good portion of the Traditional Travel Agents are spending more time posting on blogs and message board forums than they are answering phone calls or talking with walk-ins who visit thier establishments.

You also have to wonder, with so many “consumers” researching rates, promotions, and destination information on thier own quite comfortably, why there’s a need for all the specialized training we wrote about Monday. Based on this report, most consumers don’t need no stinkin’ Travel Agent because they’ve been able to find all the information they need on thier own via the internet.

Which brings us back to the beauty of YTB. For someone like me who’s been a pied piper of sorts on the features, advantages and benefits of cruising for over a decade now, YTB gave me the opportunity to get paid when I told someone about why “a cruise was the best vacation money could buy”. It’s not rocket science folks, it’s travel and vacations. Travel is something that everyone does, and vacations are something that everyone loves.

All I have to do is open my mouth and tell someone that I we own an Online Travel Agency and the very next thing out of thier mouth is “Really, can you get me a deal too ______________?” We would more than likely talk about it what we have to offer, but the vast majority of the time, I simply hand them a business card with my website address, and if they find my prices competitive, I’ll find a booking in my back office without doing anything further.

Why, for the very same reasons Burst Media pointed out in their report.

Consumers are actively using the Internet as an information resource and a place to make travel purchases. Take advantage of the Web’s ability to target specific travel audiences – such as families and the affluent – with content that is highly meaningful and engaging to the viewer. Also, take advantage of the Web’s ability to deliver information by utilizing advertising creative the user can interact with, draw information from, and possibly complete a travel transaction.

There you have it. Another independent source with practical information and data you can use to build your business that documents stats and facts, not a bunch of hype and spin. It’s rather simple to implement if you know how to do it.

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I wrote on Monday about Paul Henderson, who like me is getting just a little tired of the nonsense filling our in boxes, and the witch hunt that’s going on in our industry right now. There are those who believe that we as a group of MLM’ers can not call ourselves “Travel Agents”. The reality of the issue however is that not one association or group has been able to outline for us what type of qualifications are necessary to provide us with the proper definition or qualifications to be considered a “Travel Agent”.

IATA enables you to carry their card with a paid commission level of $5000. CLIA just upgraded their qualifications with training and a minimum of 25 cruise sales.  Others have their own hoops to jump through such as a business license, or an approved host that you need to align yourself with.

Yet we are still left without one clear definition as an industry that everyone can agree on (or at least reference too) to become a real live “Travel Agent”.

Over the last couple of years YTB has made many changes in order to legitimize it’s model in the industry and become a respected member of the industry. We’ve listened to and responded accordingly. Some call it “reactionary” and that’s okay, because it’s the first step for some in noticing that changes ARE being made. Before any of this mess erupted back in October of 2007 with Royal Caribbean terminating it’s agreement with YTB, during a Funshine “Travel” Trade Show no less, YTB rolled out E-Campus, a course designed by one of the industries leading educators, Marc Mancini. YTB also revamped it’s certification program to First Class Training, and with that, changed both the level of commission percentages, and qualifications to book directly with vendors with it’s First Class Training Program. When you enter the industry with YTB you are an Affiliate, and without the proper training via either YTB or an indsutry associations no title of “Travel Agent” is bestowed upon you.

In addition to training, the company has made numerous changes in the way it actually books travel and helps customers secure the services we offer. The Convergentware upgrade with direct connections to GDS, suppliers and vendors has eliminated the need to “glean” numbers, and since we have enough staff now to handle our own calls in our expanded Home Office, the primary number in the help section is now directing customers to our own support center instead of pawning the responsibilty off on vendors.

In addition to the changes YTB has made, we’ve seen changes from suppliers such as Carnival Cruise lines, who implimented a minimum booking policy in eary 2008 before enabling anyone to enjoy a discounted cruise with them. We’ve also seen changes from Assoications such as CLIA who now requires not only training but actual production in order to have the privilege of carrying their card. While I’ve heard of rumblings of a loophole with this, YTB as a company, nor do I support or promote such a loophole.

This above snapshot of changes should provide for many that both YTB and the industry is serious about being a player in this industry. I for one am pleased with the response both the industry and the company has made. There are a select few however who either don’t want to talk about the issues or are incapable of communicating effectively what the real issues are.

I was amused this morning to find a comment, which I approved. In a very roundabout way, this TA finally got to the bottom of his issue after several days of comments and an entire post yesterday.

The real phobia for him and for the rest of this small group is “recruiting”.

I don’t know why it took so long or why he needed to go off on a tangent about Delta Airlines being the first to start cutting commissions in 1995, or that online companies such as Travelocity, Orbitz, Expedia and Priceline have call centers to support their initial design of self service booking. My guess is that he needed to show how smart he was and attempt to point out how little I know, thus disqualifying me as someone who is worthy of recruiting anyone into the industry the right way. If he feels that works for him, I have no problem with it, but he could have saved himself a couple days of ranting and badgering, and needless reading by me and just come right out and told everyone that he can’t stand the recruiting aspect and we need to dispose of it in order for him to personally accept me or YTB into the fold of brethren.

I suspect however that he certainly feels better now that he’s been able to vomit on two separate blogs.

Now that he’s fianally been able to get the real issue of the matter, he’s asked me to participate in a webinar that’s coming up at the end of the month. While I’m not sure if he’s cleared this with those who initially set this puppy up, but regardless if he actually has or not, I politely declined the offer to join the group and have chosen to participate instead in a Sail-a-thon with Princess Cruise Lines later that evening.

Be that as it may, I have to wonder why he feels this would benefit me or anyone else in the Travel Industry resolve the issue of “qualifications” and finally be considered a “Travel Agent”.

Here’s the outline of this little seminar and you tell me if this looks like it’s designed to talk about qualifications or if it helps the industry resolve the real issue here.

Card Mills.  Instant Agent Programs. MLM Travel Companies.  These entities spring up relentlessly, convincing consumers that anyone can be a travel agent. Card Mills disparage the professionalism of traditional travel agents and misrepresent industry “benefits” as a reason for joining.

Too often, travel agents are left without the tools necessary to successfully educate consumers and market effectively against the Card Mills.

No longer.

Join Richard Earls, publisher of Travel Research Online, in a webinar that will turn the tide by providing traditional travel agents with effective strategies, press releases and marketing tools to educate their clients on the fallacies of the card mill phenomenon.

You will receive materials after the webinar that will assist you in combatting Card Mills in your own communities.

A panel of experts will assist travel agents with arresting the Card Mills in their tracks.

By the way…the emphasis here is not mine, it’s theirs. This seminar is nothing more than the “witch hunt” that both Paul Henderson and I both abhor. Why on God’s green earth would I have any interest learning how to spew negative propaganda about a company that I support? There is nothing about this recruiting message that talks about the issue of qualifications, training, or customer support to enable me to be a better travel agent.

What it does appear to teach however is how belittle me in press releases, marketing tools, and seminars. (Something that I’ve grown quite accustom to, and expect as a rebuttal to what I write here.)

Oh Joy!

According to some, I’m the one who doesn’t offer “value”, and I’m being ridiculous for not wanting to spend my afternoon rolling in this very large pile of horse dung.

I do find it serendipitous that while this group of professionals attempt to educate the world that all we do is focus on recruiting so anyone can be one of these Travel Agents, the lead company they will be talking about and slandering is actually doing what they should do…selling travel and supporting the hand that feeds them.

Now there’s a novel idea!

I’m sorry gang, but I have to state for the record once again. I don’t find this “get together” the least bit productive, or see how it answers any of the issues we talked about on Monday.

The answer is still “no thanks”.

But that just me.

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One of my favorite hobbies is frustrating our critics. It’s not all that hard to do when you know the right buttons to push. Exposing the truth with third party documentation typically does the trick. All that’s required is finding the patients and the time to let the truth bubble up to the surface. But when it does, I write about it and it always gets massive attention and criticism from a few of the better known critics. I just sit back and watch the traffic and the boards light up with excuses, justification, and spin.

By no means do I claim to be a psychologist, (I haven’t been able to find an MLM that will allow me to break into that market yet), but you should know that when someone gets defensive or emotional about a subject there is a level of truth (although most of the time at a subconscious level) that what is being said is true about them or the subject their trying to defend. Nobody, including me, likes to be proven wr…wroo…wrrrrr… (Dang Gummit) Likes to be “mistaken” about their beliefs or their stance on a particular subject. For some unknown reason, there is a belief that if they talk about the way things should be long enough, it will magically create a reality for everyone, including me. That’s why you see idiots posting on blogs every day for the last year, along with a thread on scam.com with well over 10,000 posts just on YTB proclaiming how things are in their own little world.

If they claim it’s true loud enough or long enough somehow that will make it true. Problem with that idea is that it’s like me trying to tell you the sky is purple. No matter how loud or how many times I post that the sky is purple, it doesn’t change the color from blue to purple. 

A big reason why I’m talked about and linked to on both sides of the fence is because I provide the truth about our company (YTB) and our industry (MLM). One side of the fence expresses it’s gratitude, while the other side expresses it’s frustration and anger, along with some really obscure illusions about what they “think” our model should be, yet none of these critics have any practical experience in working with MLM’s or Direct Sales.

As a side note: for those of you who want to find out a little more about our critics and why they think the way they do, you really need to read “Secrets of the Millionaire Mind“. This book totally transformed my thinking and beliefs about myself and gave some incredible insight on why people like our critics have these very strange and dysfunctional beliefs about business, wealth, and money. It was a real eye opener for me. I’ve received a number of comments about a post I did years ago about this book and what it teaches. The question is always asked how anyone can claim to know someones financial blueprint based on what they say. Unless you read the book, (and go to one of his free seminars) you couldn’t possibly realize how simple it is. Today, even I can spot someones financial blueprint based on a few comments in a few posts. (Even if they jump up and down claiming that everything’s peachy.)

All this victim talk about how YTB is ruining “their” reputation and “their” industry is nothing more than a bullhorn that life controls them, not the other way around, and until they shut up, take responsibility for their own actions and their own business, nothings going to change for them. And while they wear the mask of knowledge and arrogance they they know better, under the mask lies fear, anger, resentment, and bitterness that they have no idea how to control or get rid of because they were never taught a better, more productive way to think or act.

Which oddly enough brings me back to point.

Back in December YTB rolled out new “Terms and Conditions” for it’s Travel Store Owners. In the terms and conditions one section was found by our critics, which brought upon an onslaught of e-mails and links sent into the Home Office in Wood River.

3.5 – BLOGS, CHAT ROOMS, SOCIAL NETWORKS, ONLINE AUCTIONS, AND
OTHER ONLINE FORUMS
Travel Site Owners shall not use online blogs, chat rooms, social networks, online auctions
sites, or any other online forum to market, sell, advertise, promote, or discuss YTBTN’S
products or services.

What our critics saw was an opportunity not only to shut this blog down, but anyone who is involved in YTB. This policy hands over the keys to the inmates providing them free reign to do and say as they please. And since our critics have such a huge fondness for my style and comments here, who do you think got most of the attention?

As an alternative, I decided to do the following;

Why not open up a dialog with those who are responsible for making the decision and discuss the pro’s and con’s like an adult?

Now there’s a novel idea! With a couple quick e-mails, a phone call and a trip up to Wood River, a dialog has been opened to review this policy and come up with an alternative that could make both sides of the fence happy. Well, maybe not one side, but you have to realize that nothing other than total destruction will suffice for critics who need to blame others for any issues they have.

You remember my friend “No Moron Here” right? Why do you think he was told in so many words to go pound sand from his employer? Do you think based on what he’s written his employer finds his ideas productive? Does it make his employer money? Do his comments solve anything? Do you think acting like a child brings about respect and admiration? No, but he sure feels better about himself, now that he’s sufficiently cried enough times, deflecting and distracting everyone to take the focus off himself and laying blame on someone or something else which enables him to continue standing on a soapbox that screams “I’m a victim”.

Me, I went in the opposite direction, and decided to take ownership and responsibility to come up with ideas and solutions that were constructive; therefore finding a company, and a business model, that is not only open, but willing to listen to new ideas and alternatives. What’s even more insightful and promising is that this isn’t the only subject that the company was willing to accept ideas and constructive input on. Imagine that? A Company, Founders, and Executives that is willing to admit that they might not have all the answers and is willing to accept new ideas and alternatives from others.

What a concept?!

It’s certainly not what you would expect from a bunch of scam artists that only want to fatten their wallets with your money.

There was however one requirement in order to pull this off. You had to act like adult instead of a child. And for those of us who understand the basics of communication and negotiation now have an inside track to create and produce a company we believe in that will not only solidify their dominance in the industry, but mine as well. A win-win.

I know all about the dark skies looming from the critics and the myths they perpetuate not only concerning the Home Office, but myself. While they’re busy writing and thinking about ways to spin and distract everyone, I get a call from the Home Office to provide input on the Convergentware upgrades we’re experiencing as part of the “Travel Products Steering Committee”.

Not exactly the color our critics have been trying paint the sky now is it? Why do you think my favorite phrase to our critics is “Thanks for sharing”? Sometimes it just better to let them rant and rave about thier own illusions. I have better things to do with my time and energy.

No matter what they do or say, it’s not going to change my blue skies.

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