Speaking, Bullsh*t, and Billionaires: Post-#Shine Wrap Up pt 2

By Elizabeth Potts Weinstein on November 11, 2009 in Events and Adventures

(this is part 2 of the Post-#Shine Wrap Up … check out part 1: Do It With Your Eyes Open & Be Awesome)

More of what I learned after 5 days in Las Vegas:

I might be a real speaker.

I have a complex. (Okay, I have a few complexes, but let’s just deal with one at a time.)

I don’t think I’m a real speaker.

Yes, I regularly speak at live events. And I tell stories, make people laugh, teach them amazing content, and hopefully inspire them to take action on what they have learned.

But I’ve never been paid to speak.

You know, the person who gets paid $3K or $20K or whatever the heck people get paid to keynote an event. I’ve just done the free speaking, where you are supposed to be happy to be there so you can share your information & maybe add people to your list or sell stuff from the back of the room.

I have friends who are real speakers. They get paid actual checks (Do people still get actual checks? Either way, they get paid actual money.).

And I thought you magically get tapped to be part of the club once you become really good. Or maybe after you are President of the United States or save kittens from dying in Antarctica.

But as I was sitting in the audience listening to the keynote on Thursday, I realized that dude, I’m better than this chick.

I mean, yes, she started a company that she sold for millions and has a compelling story about her journey with cancer. But this woman’s success was based upon a lie, a bit of luck, and selling her business before the market changed. Her presentation was devoid of reproducible content, lessons that people in the audience could apply to their own business today.

And just like back in 2003 when I was inspired to start my financial business after I realized that I’m smarter than Suze Orman (there’s another blog post waiting to happen), I realized after watching this woman that I am a pretty good speaker already.

The only reason I’m not getting paid to speak is because I don’t think I should get paid to speak. Because I believe I’m not real.

Wow, as I wrote that last sentence I started to cry. Frak me. Well, at least now I know one thing I’m working on in 2010.

If it worked yesterday does not mean it will work tomorrow.

There is a business theory that reproducing what was successful in the past is a way to be successful in the future.

Now that’s not a completely insane idea, and in a slower moving world, it probably (maybe?) worked.

So today we go to events and listen to people who were successful yesterday, and they tell us the secret strategies & tactics of making their millions (or ahem, billions).

And tell us that if we do not follow their advice, then we are fools.

Bullsh*t.

If the only way to success was modeling tactics that worked in the past, we’d still be riding horses, taking ships to europe, sending checks via airmail, and turning on the news to find out what happened yesterday.

Cold calling would still work. Brand advertising would still work. People would still click on banner ads.

Technology & tactics change. And today, they change at exponential speed.

Even more so, the strategies that worked yesterday don’t necessarily work today, because technology has changed the sophistication of the customer.

People no longer respond to the push. They respond to building a relationship. Especially in a service based, personality based business.

Sorry to break it to you, billionaire, but twitter and facebook are not a waste of time.

Building relationships is never a waste of time. And twitter/facebook/blogs/social media are powerful tools to build those relationships.

Can you waste time on social media? Obviously, just like you can waste money on branding and printing fancy business cards.

Do we have something to learn from what worked yesterday? Yes, because some principles of business & how humans work still apply today.

Telling an audience of 450 entrepreneurs that twitter & facebook are a waste of time is a gross oversimplification and a violation of trust.

Psst … twitter & facebook relationship building leads to 90%+ of my revenue. What a waste.

Bullsh*t does not work on social media.

Now we are getting into pet peeve territory.

If you follow me on twitter, you know that my style is hands on. No automation. No assistants tweeting for me.

Why not outsource? Think of it this way: would you pay a virtual assistant to go to a networking event on your behalf?

Would you pay the assistant to dress up in your clothes & put on a wig and pretend to be you?

No, of course not. That would be total bullsh*t. Fraudulent. Creepy. And would totally not work.

Then why would you have someone pretend to be you on twitter?

Now there is a way you can use staff to manage your social media, answer questions for you, or even have their own accounts to handle customers service. That’s a brilliant way to leverage your time & provide even more relationship building opportunities with your community.

Having others tweet as if they were you is just gross.

So when Ali was on stage on Friday morning and this tweet allegedly from her came across my iPhone, I called bullsh*t.

(in case you can’t read the graphic, the tweet from @alibrownla reads: “@barbaracorcoran so excited to meet you today and have you speak to my audience at #Shine. We have so much to learn from you!” and it is dated 9:25 AM Nov. 6th)

Ali was obviously not tweeting that as she was on stage. Either she had an automatic service tweet that out (somewhat lame) or her staff was pretending to be her (ick!).

So here I’m sending a message to Ali’s team (that they probably will not listen to, since Ali’s mentor thinks twitter is a waste of time):

You. Are. Doing. It. Wrong.

And that is why you are getting mediocre results from your social media efforts.

Leverage Ali’s time, yes. Use staff to answer customer service issues, yes.

But either Ali tweets out as herself, or she shouldn’t do twitter.

And … the CEO of a personality-based business who wants to be big must engage her audience. The most simple & inexpensive way to engage is through twitter.

#thatisall

(stay tuned for part 3 of the post-#shine wrap up, including: “The real magic happens outside of the seminar room.” & “It is possible to be married for more than 10 years and still have sex every day.”)

building relationships, community, model, networking, relationship, shine, social media, speakers, speaking, twitter

← Do It With Your Eyes Open & Be Awesome: Post-#Shine Wrap Up, pt 1

Magic, Energy & Ecstasy Outside the Seminar Room: Post-#Shine Wrap Up pt 3 →

http://www.AskTheWealthSquad.com TheWealthSquad

Wow. Very impressive post and very impressive set of comments. I have nearly always found that the people you meet at an event are the true value. Social media is a tool just like any other. Some businesses will never run infomercials. Some will never advertise on TV or radio. Some only use network marketing. Some use Twitter/Facebook/Linkedin as part of their connection. Would we say that any one of these wouldn't work? Each business has its way of connecting and communicating.

Tools like social media get complicated for most old school marketers because they don't control the message all the time. Do you need social media to be successful? Nope. Can it help many businesses? Yep. The only way to find out is to use it and build a relationship with your potential customers.

Being honest should be non negotiable in business. Do I expect someone to have never lied? Ahh I don't have that high a hope for people. Do I expect them to work to be honest and strive to reach it every day? Oh yea. Would I do business with someone who admits they lied to be successful? Not in a million years.

I wasn't at Shine though I think the ratio of men to women makes me want to consider going next time I have only the reports of people who were there on what was spoken. There is no ONE way to create a business. There is no ONE way to be successful. There are lots of rules that can help. The biggest one.. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It's often referred to as the Golden Rule. It pretty much covers everything you need to be successful in life. The rest is just tactics and strategies.

Mindset – I think that is the biggest limiting factor for most people in being successful. They don't think they are worth it. Once you decide you are, it is pretty amazing how easy the rest comes. Change your mindset and the world changes with you. Based on your writing, you will do well as a speaker
susan

Wow and thanks for setting the example of owning your stuff and speaking up. I’m no where (like way way no where near and just figguring out where I “fit”) the level you have in your work but – yeah! me too! I often see others who have made it huge and think the same things. thanks for being the first brave soul to say it out loud!
http://www.AskTheWealthSquad.com TheWealthSquad

Wow. Very impressive post and very impressive set of comments. I have nearly always found that the people you meet at an event are the true value. Social media is a tool just like any other. Some businesses will never run infomercials. Some will never advertise on TV or radio. Some only use network marketing. Some use Twitter/Facebook/Linkedin as part of their connection. Would we say that any one of these wouldn’t work? Each business has its way of connecting and communicating.

Tools like social media get complicated for most old school marketers because they don’t control the message all the time. Do you need social media to be successful? Nope. Can it help many businesses? Yep. The only way to find out is to use it and build a relationship with your potential customers.

Being honest should be non negotiable in business. Do I expect someone to have never lied? Ahh I don’t have that high a hope for people. Do I expect them to work to be honest and strive to reach it every day? Oh yea. Would I do business with someone who admits they lied to be successful? Not in a million years.

I wasn’t at Shine though I think the ratio of men to women makes me want to consider going next time I have only the reports of people who were there on what was spoken. There is no ONE way to create a business. There is no ONE way to be successful. There are lots of rules that can help. The biggest one.. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It’s often referred to as the Golden Rule. It pretty much covers everything you need to be successful in life. The rest is just tactics and strategies.

Mindset – I think that is the biggest limiting factor for most people in being successful. They don’t think they are worth it. Once you decide you are, it is pretty amazing how easy the rest comes. Change your mindset and the world changes with you. Based on your writing, you will do well as a speaker
http://www.karen-keller.com/ Karen Keller, Ph.D. MCC

Elizabeth – great post! You tell the truth that I heard many SHINE attendees saying during the entire event. I agree that people are entitled to their opinion and how sad that it had a destructive effect on so many women just starting. When I got home I compared the pre-SHINE material and promises to what was actually delivered and found large gaps. I didn't get what I came for. My experience with other seminars has been quite the opposite, so I was disappointed. I enjoyed the speakers, their frankness and entertainment. One thing that was unsettling was the, not once but twice, request that people put away their business paraphernalia. That is very contrary to what I thought networking was. In fact, prior the event I emailed the SHINE staff inquiring about the proper etiquette for handing out any material including business cards. I received an email telling me to bring my materials, that there would be plenty of time for networking. I brought a Tip Sheet in the form of a bookmark which people loved. I was difficult watching people exchange material for fear of getting 'caught.' Anyway, hats off to you for speaking your mind and providing much needed feedback for the SHINE event people. Hopefully, they are reading!

Karen Keller, Ph.D., MCC
Real power for the owman who wants it
http://twitter.com/karenkeller
http://karen-keller.com/ Karen Keller, Ph.D.

Elizabeth – great post! You tell the truth that I heard many SHINE attendees saying during the entire event. I agree that people are entitled to their opinion and how sad that it had a destructive effect on so many women just starting. When I got home I compared the pre-SHINE material and promises to what was actually delivered and found large gaps. I didn’t get what I came for. My experience with other seminars has been quite the opposite, so I was disappointed. I enjoyed the speakers, their frankness and entertainment. One thing that was unsettling was the, not once but twice, request that people put away their business paraphernalia. That is very contrary to what I thought networking was. In fact, prior the event I emailed the SHINE staff inquiring about the proper etiquette for handing out any material including business cards. I received an email telling me to bring my materials, that there would be plenty of time for networking. I brought a Tip Sheet in the form of a bookmark which people loved. I was difficult watching people exchange material for fear of getting ‘caught.’ Anyway, hats off to you for speaking your mind and providing much needed feedback for the SHINE event people. Hopefully, they are reading!

Karen Keller, Ph.D., MCC
Real power for the owman who wants it
http://twitter.com/karenkeller
Pingback: If You Want to Go Up, You Gotta Show Up: Top 10 A-Ha’s From SHINE
http://twitter.com/MimiMeredith Mimi Meredith

So glad I found you through Escaping Mediocrity. This post resonated with me in every way. Speaking. Relationship Building. Authentic content. Authentic people. I think you and I would meet for coffee and leave hours later knowing we'd met just the right person! I'm grateful for this cyber meeting regardless of the fact you weren't here to tumble along this thought journey with me; and that my coffee came from the pot in the kitchen and is not a soy latte.
http://twitter.com/MimiMeredith Mimi Meredith

So glad I found you through Escaping Mediocrity. This post resonated with me in every way. Speaking. Relationship Building. Authentic content. Authentic people. I think you and I would meet for coffee and leave hours later knowing we’d met just the right person! I’m grateful for this cyber meeting regardless of the fact you weren’t here to tumble along this thought journey with me; and that my coffee came from the pot in the kitchen and is not a soy latte.
James Wedmore

Whew! Brutal! But I LOVE it!
http://twitter.com/carolbrowne Carol Browne

The only reason I’m not getting paid to speak is because I don’t think I should get paid to speak. Because I believe I’m not real.

Oof. That's how I feel about my photography a lot of the time still. But didn't realize until you wrote that I think the exact same thing. Thank you.
http://www.MarketingQi.com/blog Ellen Britt, PA, Ed.D.

Love your honesty Elizabeth! While I certainly respect and admire Ali for what she has accomplished, I do agree that no matter how “big” one gets…relationships are THE key. And social media is absolutely essential for building those relationship.

I have benefited immensely from both Twitter and Facebook and consider them indispensable to my business.
James Wedmore

Whew! Brutal! But I LOVE it!
http://www.VivaVisibilityBlog.com NancyMarmolejo

Wow! You drank a quadruple mug of courage on that one and I salute you! That is some of the most powerful truth telling I've seen… anywhere. No “culo-kissing” as we call it, you spoke your truth. You basically took the hallway talk to the public sphere and it's appreciated because there is way too much HYPE out there and people betting their life saving's on big money coaching sold to them with dreamy imagery, lame NLP techniques, and BS… oh i can go on and on.

Can i just say that you, ElizabethPW, are now so way at the top of my list of people I want to hang with. Not to dish on internet marketers or glitz marketing, but to connect as truthful human beings. Love this, love the discussion here, love seeing the support (and a few f-bombs!) from the crowd.

I wasn't at Shine, but I'm glad you were. Whether you liked the content or not, it gave you the gift of being royally pissed off to the point that you took amazingly courageous action. And look what you've created!

keep at it!

applause, applause, applause!
http://twitter.com/carolbrowne Carol Browne

The only reason I’m not getting paid to speak is because I don’t think I should get paid to speak. Because I believe I’m not real.

Oof. That’s how I feel about my photography a lot of the time still. But didn’t realize until you wrote that I think the exact same thing. Thank you.
http://allisonnazarian.com/ Allison Nazarian

EPW, I thought I commented on this but I guess I did in my head. Or maybe in an email/text/skype marathon to you.

From the beginning of our great ride together, I have been attracted to you on so many levels (calm down, guys). And above all, perhaps selfishly, I feel so grateful to be learning so much from you. And the beauty is how much we thrive off e/o when together. (Tissue moment…) Honestly, before you and Sarah, I was experiencing some less-than-truthful girl stuff.

Speaking your truth, at the end of the day, is NOT always easy. Which is why most people make up their “truth” an then live the lie — some very, very well. What this year, and you as such a big part of it, has taught me is that we ALREADY HAVE ALL OF OUR ANSWERS INSIDE. We can busy ourselves absorbing someone else's truth (or their fake version of the truth, as the case may be) or we can bask in our own and be OK with the fact that not everyone will love us, or jive with us or “get” us.

I am sure hitting “publish” made you sweat more than a little (and I know your deo has been giving you trouble lately…) but you know what? Next time, even if you reveal something scarier and bigger (and you will), it will be that much easier. Because you have been flexing your truth muscle a whole lot, Lady.

Love you,
Alli
sharonmc

Well said Elizabeth. I think it was about 2 weeks ago you *tweeted* a comment about not liking automation in social media. My PP as well. But what put you on my A list was that you responded to me in a real, conversational way. We're all busy and I understand some more than others, but if you're on twitter and people show an interest in your business or your ideas it makes sense to use the medium for what it's for – *social* networking. If you only have time to issue automated tweets – why bother?
http://www.MarketingQi.com/blog Ellen Britt, PA, Ed.D.

Love your honesty Elizabeth! While I certainly respect and admire Ali for what she has accomplished, I do agree that no matter how “big” one gets…relationships are THE key. And social media is absolutely essential for building those relationship.

I have benefited immensely from both Twitter and Facebook and consider them indispensable to my business.
http://www.VivaVisibilityBlog.com/ Nancy Marmolejo

Wow! You drank a quadruple mug of courage on that one and I salute you! That is some of the most powerful truth telling I’ve seen… anywhere. No “culo-kissing” as we call it, you spoke your truth. You basically took the hallway talk to the public sphere and it’s appreciated because there is way too much HYPE out there and people betting their life saving’s on big money coaching sold to them with dreamy imagery, lame NLP techniques, and BS… oh i can go on and on.

Can i just say that you, ElizabethPW, are now so way at the top of my list of people I want to hang with. Not to dish on internet marketers or glitz marketing, but to connect as truthful human beings. Love this, love the discussion here, love seeing the support (and a few f-bombs!) from the crowd.

I wasn’t at Shine, but I’m glad you were. Whether you liked the content or not, it gave you the gift of being royally pissed off to the point that you took amazingly courageous action. And look what you’ve created!

keep at it!

applause, applause, applause!
http://loveyourmessbook.com Allison Nazarian

EPW, I thought I commented on this but I guess I did in my head. Or maybe in an email/text/skype marathon to you.

From the beginning of our great ride together, I have been attracted to you on so many levels (calm down, guys). And above all, perhaps selfishly, I feel so grateful to be learning so much from you. And the beauty is how much we thrive off e/o when together. (Tissue moment…) Honestly, before you and Sarah, I was experiencing some less-than-truthful girl stuff.

Speaking your truth, at the end of the day, is NOT always easy. Which is why most people make up their “truth” an then live the lie — some very, very well. What this year, and you as such a big part of it, has taught me is that we ALREADY HAVE ALL OF OUR ANSWERS INSIDE. We can busy ourselves absorbing someone else’s truth (or their fake version of the truth, as the case may be) or we can bask in our own and be OK with the fact that not everyone will love us, or jive with us or “get” us.

I am sure hitting “publish” made you sweat more than a little (and I know your deo has been giving you trouble lately…) but you know what? Next time, even if you reveal something scarier and bigger (and you will), it will be that much easier. Because you have been flexing your truth muscle a whole lot, Lady.

Love you,
Alli
sharonmc

Well said Elizabeth. I think it was about 2 weeks ago you *tweeted* a comment about not liking automation in social media. My PP as well. But what put you on my A list was that you responded to me in a real, conversational way. We’re all busy and I understand some more than others, but if you’re on twitter and people show an interest in your business or your ideas it makes sense to use the medium for what it’s for – *social* networking. If you only have time to issue automated tweets – why bother?
patriciasimoneau

Elizabeth, I am with you 110% Honey! I'm a country gal and I know bullsh** when I smell it, and you definitely picked up the scent too!

THANK YOU for clicking 'publish'… it's refreshing to have some from-the-heart, no-holds-barred, to-hell-with-kiss-ass-pc-talk HONESTY in our online world.

No wonder you and @unMarketing are quickly becoming my new faves to follow! Keep it up girl!
http://www.grassrootsmarketing.ca Patricia Simoneau

Elizabeth, I am with you 110% Honey! I’m a country gal and I know bullsh** when I smell it, and you definitely picked up the scent too!

THANK YOU for clicking ‘publish’… it’s refreshing to have some from-the-heart, no-holds-barred, to-hell-with-kiss-ass-pc-talk HONESTY in our online world.

No wonder you and @unMarketing are quickly becoming my new faves to follow! Keep it up girl!
dupped and disappointed

Thanks for your honesty, Elizabeth, and the comments and honesty all of you who joined in the discussion. I thought I was the only one who left Shine feeling I did not receive what was promised or what I expected from the event. It is definitely one of those events that overpromised and under delivered!

Ali promised Shine would “establish a new standard for entrepreneurs, uniting purpose, passion, and self-discovery along with a strategic plan to build a successful and secure business model that can provide for years to come. …You’ll attain the clarity and certainty you've been searching for, and discover exactly what you want, why you want it, and how to get it – to be more fulfilled while you accomplish more than you ever thought possible” Talk about over-hype! Me bad for falling for it!

There was way too much fluff and not enough substance. This probably sounds catty but perhaps Ali was too busy making “costume” and hair changes to stay focused on her purpose. I found the speakers to be poor selections for the event. I assume they were the only “celebrity” speakers they could book. I would have preferred to listen to people we had not heard of who had something to teach us. Although Marlee Matlin was endearing, she had no business message to relay. I was surprised at how uninformed Julie Clark was for being a “successful” businessperson. Barbara Corcoran was entertaining but I did not learn anything from her.

And then there is the whole branding issue – OK girlfriends, if the truth be told, I cannot be the only one who has noticed that the cover design of the Ali mag is an exact copy of Oprah’s O mag. Anne is a very smart successful woman but not a deity. I think it is unfortunate that so many women took what she said as gospel and went so far as to throw away their business cards!
dupped and disappointed

Thanks for your honesty, Elizabeth, and the comments and honesty all of you who joined in the discussion. I thought I was the only one who left Shine feeling I did not receive what was promised or what I expected from the event. It is definitely one of those events that overpromised and under delivered!

Ali promised Shine would “establish a new standard for entrepreneurs, uniting purpose, passion, and self-discovery along with a strategic plan to build a successful and secure business model that can provide for years to come. …You’ll attain the clarity and certainty you’ve been searching for, and discover exactly what you want, why you want it, and how to get it – to be more fulfilled while you accomplish more than you ever thought possible” Talk about over-hype! Me bad for falling for it!

There was way too much fluff and not enough substance. This probably sounds catty but perhaps Ali was too busy making “costume” and hair changes to stay focused on her purpose. I found the speakers to be poor selections for the event. I assume they were the only “celebrity” speakers they could book. I would have preferred to listen to people we had not heard of who had something to teach us. Although Marlee Matlin was endearing, she had no business message to relay. I was surprised at how uninformed Julie Clark was for being a “successful” businessperson. Barbara Corcoran was entertaining but I did not learn anything from her.

And then there is the whole branding issue – OK girlfriends, if the truth be told, I cannot be the only one who has noticed that the cover design of the Ali mag is an exact copy of Oprah’s O mag. Anne is a very smart successful woman but not a deity. I think it is unfortunate that so many women took what she said as gospel and went so far as to throw away their business cards!

Beth

After reading both the amazing post and all the insightful comments regarding Shine, I am glad I chose not to go. I am about to start an internet business, have been following several people for a couple years, and there were a lot of events and programs I had to choose from. Clarity for getting started was priority for me. I am spending over $1000 for an online program with advanced training at the end offline. It’s just week two and so far this course I selected based on my gut feeling is everything I had hoped for and more. Following my intuition has paid off. I didn’t need to network yet, just wanted useful content and a plan to follow that fits me. It sounds like very few who attended ended up with a written plan or strategy laid out.

Elizabeth, you are really “coming into your own.” I’ve been excited watching you grow in peeps so quickly by speaking your truth. I am also one of those extroverted introverts so your posts have really been resonating with me. Paid speaking you should honestly consider to add to your multiple streams approach of income ince you are good at it.

Tweets scheduled to post at a certain time have their place, such as to remind followers of your teleseminar about to start. I’m just thinking that maybe putting PT in front so folks know it is a pre-tweet would be helpful. Then they wouldn’t expect a reply if they tweeted back.

Lastly, I am probably considered part of the older generation, but social media, the internet, and so many more new technologies and ways of doing business are absolutely exciting for me to be able to choose from to use! They have levelled the playing field due to their low cost and being able to develop those relationships. I believe there is room for old and new.

Pingback: How an Offline Event Helped Me Experience a Major Breakthrough
http://moregspinsights.blogspot.com gspinsights

Well done for speaking out your truth in a world that is rather small in many ways and where there must a temptation to keep quiet and not ruffle anyone's feathers.
I wasn't at Shine – but I am where I'm at today because I discovered Ali Brown in her Ezine persona almost two years ago and I did buy her Beyond the Blueprint which I found very helpful (give credit where credit is due as my mum always says). Having said that, the thing that has always bothered me about her (and a few other 'gurus') is that they do not produce their material themselves – their business background does not equip them to do so. Me, I produce all my own materials because my business and academic background enables me to do that and I teach a lot it on an MBA program but …… no-one is going to rush to invite me to speak or hear me speak, or sign up for a Gillian Pritchett workshop on Generating and Evaluating business ideas because I am not known, not glossy and glitzy and showbizzie – I just share my knowledge.
I do take comfort though from the thought that if tomorrow the internet vanished and we were back where we were 15 years ago I would still have a professional career. What would Ali and her ilk be doing ……
http://moregspinsights.blogspot.com gspinsights

Well done for speaking out your truth in a world that is rather small in many ways and where there must a temptation to keep quiet and not ruffle anyone’s feathers.
I wasn’t at Shine – but I am where I’m at today because I discovered Ali Brown in her Ezine persona almost two years ago and I did buy her Beyond the Blueprint which I found very helpful (give credit where credit is due as my mum always says). Having said that, the thing that has always bothered me about her (and a few other ‘gurus’) is that they do not produce their material themselves – their business background does not equip them to do so. Me, I produce all my own materials because my business and academic background enables me to do that and I teach a lot it on an MBA program but …… no-one is going to rush to invite me to speak or hear me speak, or sign up for a Gillian Pritchett workshop on Generating and Evaluating business ideas because I am not known, not glossy and glitzy and showbizzie – I just share my knowledge.
I do take comfort though from the thought that if tomorrow the internet vanished and we were back where we were 15 years ago I would still have a professional career. What would Ali and her ilk be doing ……
eleanoreduyndam

This is a great discussion. I wasn't at Shine, but heard from others that were.

I do want to say that I agree with Melanie. I do my own tweeting, but find I am more productive with “time blocking”, so I occasionally pre-tweet. Many of the people I tweet with are on the opposite side of the world from me and with the 12 hour time difference I sometime need to rely on twitter tools.

Anyway, I want to chime in and say that I'm really enjoying your blog posts and you have another new fan…egads! I hope you can handle it ; )
Beth

After reading both the amazing post and all the insightful comments regarding Shine, I am glad I chose not to go. I am about to start an internet business, have been following several people for a couple years, and there were a lot of events and programs I had to choose from. Clarity for getting started was priority for me. I am spending over $1000 for an online program with advanced training at the end offline. It's just week two and so far this course I selected based on my gut feeling is everything I had hoped for and more. Following my intuition has paid off. I didn't need to network yet, just wanted useful content and a plan to follow that fits me. It sounds like very few who attended ended up with a written plan or strategy laid out.

Elizabeth, you are really “coming into your own.” I've been excited watching you grow in peeps so quickly by speaking your truth. I am also one of those extroverted introverts so your posts have really been resonating with me. Paid speaking you should honestly consider to add to your multiple streams approach of income ince you are good at it.

Tweets scheduled to post at a certain time have their place, such as to remind followers of your teleseminar about to start. I'm just thinking that maybe putting PT in front so folks know it is a pre-tweet would be helpful. Then they wouldn't expect a reply if they tweeted back.

Lastly, I am probably considered part of the older generation, but social media, the internet, and so many more new technologies and ways of doing business are absolutely exciting for me to be able to choose from to use! They have levelled the playing field due to their low cost and being able to develop those relationships. I believe there is room for old and new.
http://twitter.com/TabithaDunn Tabitha Dunn

Great post, Elizabeth. I respect you for hitting publish (and I'm not even fortunate enough to know you… yet?) If you are real, I'm far more willing to read your thoughts and listen to you. This blog was my first read of yours and a good introduction. Thank you.
http://twitter.com/TabithaDunn Tabitha Dunn

Great post, Elizabeth. I respect you for hitting publish (and I’m not even fortunate enough to know you… yet?) If you are real, I’m far more willing to read your thoughts and listen to you. This blog was my first read of yours and a good introduction. Thank you.
prosperitygal

WOW thanks and praise whoever you pray to giggle.

I just heard about what happened at Shine last night, so I am late for this party. I will be very transparent (always been so even when it was not called that) I have not been impressed with ALI from the get go. Do not misunderstand my statement. I am all about supporting and raising up women.

I am grateful for Elizabeth being willing to be the town crier for the “empress has not clothes” (one of my favorite stories).

Girl you have given me reinforcement to state what is obvious (like hiding and acting like it didn't happen ever works).

I see a trend and have for a while that WE women who are talking here could be joining forces and creating powerful workshops together like SHINE and even better and more powerful ( hint hint Elizabeth and Leesa, let's talk)

There is an emptiness in many workshops, bootcamps, conferences whatever you call the damn things that leaves one hungry. Why do we go, pay them just to find each other to network and build relationships with one another.

Social Media only works when you are being SOCIAL. When the first thing out of someones mouth is “How can I monetize social media” I want to smack them. They do not take that attitude when they give referrals or use other forms of word of mouth DUH!

Social Media is another platform for you to express who you are so folks do not have to pull it out of you-so to the extent you SHOW UP is to the extent you build that “know, like and trust factor”.

I also believe in seeing the lesson in every situation. What is the opportunity here? (yes, asking better questions is important to me too) We have opportunity to learn from Ali's mistakes and to also step up in a more powerful way.

I encourage my fellow sisters to PLAY BIGGER. Why would you not think you deserve to be a paid speaker in your area of expertise? Why do we make excuses for not clearing out our limiting beliefs?

Someone reminded me of a great comment-quote today-not sure who's it is:
“how far you are down right now is how far along you'll be when you spring out of this, and you will”

I am all for being honest and calling it when it strikes you wrong as well as offering up love and forgiveness when we each stumble and fall.

So thank you Elizabeth for calling it and now let's send Ali and her speakers love and forgiveness while being willing to STAND in our own power and walk forward with confidence at the same time reaching back to bring along someone with us.
http://womeninbusinessradio.com Michele Price

WOW thanks and praise whoever you pray to giggle.

I just heard about what happened at Shine last night, so I am late for this party. I will be very transparent (always been so even when it was not called that) I have not been impressed with ALI from the get go. Do not misunderstand my statement. I am all about supporting and raising up women.

I am grateful for Elizabeth being willing to be the town crier for the “empress has not clothes” (one of my favorite stories).

Girl you have given me reinforcement to state what is obvious (like hiding and acting like it didn’t happen ever works).

I see a trend and have for a while that WE women who are talking here could be joining forces and creating powerful workshops together like SHINE and even better and more powerful ( hint hint Elizabeth and Leesa, let’s talk)

There is an emptiness in many workshops, bootcamps, conferences whatever you call the damn things that leaves one hungry. Why do we go, pay them just to find each other to network and build relationships with one another.

Social Media only works when you are being SOCIAL. When the first thing out of someones mouth is “How can I monetize social media” I want to smack them. They do not take that attitude when they give referrals or use other forms of word of mouth DUH!

Social Media is another platform for you to express who you are so folks do not have to pull it out of you-so to the extent you SHOW UP is to the extent you build that “know, like and trust factor”.

I also believe in seeing the lesson in every situation. What is the opportunity here? (yes, asking better questions is important to me too) We have opportunity to learn from Ali’s mistakes and to also step up in a more powerful way.

I encourage my fellow sisters to PLAY BIGGER. Why would you not think you deserve to be a paid speaker in your area of expertise? Why do we make excuses for not clearing out our limiting beliefs?

Someone reminded me of a great comment-quote today-not sure who’s it is:
“how far you are down right now is how far along you’ll be when you spring out of this, and you will”

I am all for being honest and calling it when it strikes you wrong as well as offering up love and forgiveness when we each stumble and fall.

So thank you Elizabeth for calling it and now let’s send Ali and her speakers love and forgiveness while being willing to STAND in our own power and walk forward with confidence at the same time reaching back to bring along someone with us.
http://andywibbels.com/ Andymatic

Glorious rant-age! I always worry when I teach a class or give a talk that is my success reproducible for others. I also hate hate hate hate content-free talks that always start with the 'I was once like you…' thing (notice how everybody but you has lived out of their car – WTF). If I want to juice up my happy-glands I've got much more exciting ways to do that. Tools, tactics and tips!

p.s. Be sure to link to Part 2 from Part 1.
http://andywibbels.com/ Andy Wibbels

Glorious rant-age! I always worry when I teach a class or give a talk that is my success reproducible for others. I also hate hate hate hate content-free talks that always start with the ‘I was once like you…’ thing (notice how everybody but you has lived out of their car – WTF). If I want to juice up my happy-glands I’ve got much more exciting ways to do that. Tools, tactics and tips!
I just assume everybody is lying about their success all the time.
p.s. Be sure to link to Part 2 from Part 1.
karenfrank43

Oh. MY. G – O – D!!! THANK YOU for calling this one. You rock!!!!!
karenfrank43

Oh. MY. G – O – D!!! THANK YOU for calling this one. You rock!!!!!
karenfrank43

Oh. MY. G – O – D!!! THANK YOU for calling this one. You rock!!!!!
Guest

I can understand why that was scary, but I agree, I don’t like automated messages that are calculated to appear like they are real-time. It is a little fraudulent. Yesterday I un-followed a fairly big name (I guess) in the Twitterverse after they sent out a tweet that said something like”Doesn’t it bother you when people don’t respond to you on Twitter?” This name runs tweets mostly through API and automation. Occasionally, they will send out a tweet that looks live. After replying and receiving no response, I could not help but be struck by the irony. Why ask that question (or schedule it to be asked) and then not send out a single response to any of your followers? If you want a topic aggregator, I guess that’s OK. Something about this just rubbed me the wrong way this day however.

Looking forward to seeing the post about how you are smarter than Suze O.
http://twitter.com/FriskyBoy JohnnyFrisk

I can understand why that was scary, but I agree, I don't like automated messages that are calculated to appear like they are real-time. It is a little fraudulent. Yesterday I un-followed a fairly big name (I guess) in the Twitterverse after they sent out a tweet that said something like”Doesn't it bother you when people don't respond to you on Twitter?” This name runs tweets mostly through API and automation. Occasionally, they will send out a tweet that looks live. After replying and receiving no response, I could not help but be struck by the irony. Why ask that question (or schedule it to be asked) and then not send out a single response to any of your followers? If you want a topic aggregator, I guess that's OK. Something about this just rubbed me the wrong way this day however.

Looking forward to seeing the post about how you are smarter than Suze O.
http://wowisme.net/ Adryenn Ashley

You rocked my world with this post! Seriously earned big time bonus points for calling it out.
http://wowisme.net/ Adryenn Ashley

You rocked my world with this post! Seriously earned big time bonus points for calling it out.
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Info

I really enjoyed your post. I was just told about Shine and was researching it to see some reviews of the 2010 event. Your honesty was so great and I knew immediately that this event was not for me. I too have done a great deal if free public speaking and often thought I could do a better job than many “professional” speakers.

Thanks for your candor and for keeping it real. I am now following you on twitter and hopefully you will follow me too.

Julie (@wedding runners)0
Info

I really enjoyed your post. I was just told about Shine and was researching it to see some reviews of the 2010 event. Your honesty was so great and I knew immediately that this event was not for me. I too have done a great deal if free public speaking and often thought I could do a better job than many “professional” speakers.

Thanks for your candor and for keeping it real. I am now following you on twitter and hopefully you will follow me too.

Julie (@wedding runners)0
Robyn

Brilliant post. I haven’t been to shine but was kicking myself for not booking in time for the early bird discount for shine 2011. All I can say is thank god I didn’t book. I have lost trust in Ali. She launches a new product every month and most of them are exactly the same but with different titles. There is very little substance to the materials she is creating and there are terrible typos is some of her newsletters and grammatical errors – not good for a copywriter. As others have said she doesn’t write much of her own material any more and she has so many adoring fans she’s stopped trying. Aside from the networking I think shine would be a waste of time. I also think she is way behind on technology. I listened to the info product preview call and it was rubbish. It was all e books and videos. There’s so much more to info product creation.

I think that example of the person who kept ringing her VA with all the latest insights is indicative of her ideal client. Someone who is brainwashed into doing what Ali says without questioning whether it is right for her business. It is becoming cult like and I have lost interest in her waffle. The shame is I used to love her but after investing in two courses that were almost identical and dealing with her less than stellar customer services team I’m over the love fest
Robyn

Brilliant post. I haven't been to shine but was kicking myself for not booking in time for the early bird discount for shine 2011. All I can say is thank god I didn't book. I have lost trust in Ali. She launches a new product every month and most of them are exactly the same but with different titles. There is very little substance to the materials she is creating and there are terrible typos is some of her newsletters and grammatical errors – not good for a copywriter. As others have said she doesn't write much of her own material any more and she has so many adoring fans she's stopped trying. Aside from the networking I think shine would be a waste of time. I also think she is way behind on technology. I listened to the info product preview call and it was rubbish. It was all e books and videos. There's so much more to info product creation.

I think that example of the person who kept ringing her VA with all the latest insights is indicative of her ideal client. Someone who is brainwashed into doing what Ali says without questioning whether it is right for her business. It is becoming cult like and I have lost interest in her waffle. The shame is I used to love her but after investing in two courses that were almost identical and dealing with her less than stellar customer services team I'm over the love fest
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