This has been a most interesting dramatic week in TBB land and I have several thoughts spinning in my head. My therapist tells me it is perfectly fine to ‘let go what’s inside”. And who I am to argue, she keeps me sane…I think. Things have built up so it is time to write what’s in my head. Actually, I don’t have the time to dig through the TBB comments to find the gems so I think this may take less time instead 🙂
TBB Blog Mission: To Entertain. Educate. Inspire. In That Order
You can support TBB by clicking/forwarding any of our Referral Links and starting your online shopping at our Amazon affiliate link . Or click on the Amazon Banner on the right, thank YOU!
Since I always like to help newbies here is a tip for you: Yes this travel hacking can be lots of fun and can be very lucrative. It can also be addictive too, you have been warned! But don’t fall for the trap that everything is free. It can be but you still need to do the time. Let me give you some hints:
1) If you are carrying a balance in your credit cards,
2) If your first thought when learning you need to open online accounts at airlines/hotels/banks is “omg, I need to keep track of yet another username/password”,
3) If you are one those weird people who do not care about traveling at all,
4) If you are so terrified about flying in a metal tube you avoid it like the plague,
5) If you think all debt is evil including every plastic card and you get by in life only using cash and not getting any loyalty rewards (noble choice, who am I to judge?…Ok, I am kidding, WTF is wrong with you?),
6) If you think Chris Elliott is God and you have a poster of him by your bed, well then:
THIS HOBBY IS NOT FOR YOU, STAY AWAY!
Ok, I am at Panera Sunday morning. Love the coffee, the wifi, the free refills and the people here. Unless it is the grief support group that always comes to sit next to my table, sometimes I feel like crying with them when I read some of the blogs I read in Feedly!
I have wanted to do something about this hobby of mine for a very long time. I have been thinking about a blog for many years. What kept me from it was that it would likely be a time suck. Oh boy, I was right!
TBB reviews blogs, that’s my niche. Critics are unique people. They give praise and they criticize. They do not and can not please everyone by nature! This is what I do here. My aim is to piss off every blogger at least once (preferably more). If not, I would not be a critic and could be yet another carpet bagger like so many “experts” in this space who have started their own blogs to help “family and friends” travel for free blogging about crap that has been blogged a zillion times and expecting to get paid for their time because it is “hard work”.
Speaking of hard work, holy crap! My blog got about 150 comments in its last post. And this is WITHOUT the deranged trolling attacks by former TBB blog resident Rick (ingy) of Frugal Travel Guy (the blog)! UNBELIEVABLE! Just reading the comments I can use a template for that, let alone replying to comments and emails! So spare me the BS about hard work for blogging about the latest promotion like everyone else and then presenting your affiliate credit card link to compensate you for your time. We know you appreciate it. Your blog still sucks!
I am down to following 344 blogs in Feedly. It was nearing 600 until about a week ago. Then I did the GRAND PURGE like that movie out in theaters. It felt GREAT purging so much crap out of my life and it has made a difference of keeping this baby manageable.
I have always said do not take things personally. Critics have haters, passionate ones too! My biggest haters are Delta Points and Rick (ingy) of Frugal Travel Guy. I don’t hate them. Hate is too strong of a word. I love people deep down. But let me just say I can not “get along with them” 🙂 I have nothing personal against any other blogger! Nobody else has said despicable things or threatened me with lawsuits. I may dislike other blogs too and some of their blogging practices make me cringe but I think I can have a decent conversation with them….I may even shake hands too! I would love to have a picture of me between Daraius and Emily pointing at the bow tie! Just kidding, come on!
If you are blogging and can not take criticism well perhaps blogging is not for you. Cherish any feedback, especially the negative one because you can learn more from it more than the positive one. Ignore trolls, they come with the territory. If you delete the negative comments and only keep the positive ones congratulating you or speaking fondly of you I think you are a douche bag!
If I hurt the following: Miles Professor, Travel Summary, Frequent Miler. I am sorry. I may do it again. The only way to avoid it is to stop blogging 🙂 This applies to every blog in my Feedly list. If you think this is bullying may I refer you my therapist…maybe I can get a referral commission!
I try to be fair in my blog reviews. I have biases because I am a human and not a dog. A few think I am a dog. Woof!
I am sensing a strong and growing movement building to nuke all MS “trick” talk in blogs. Based on what I am seeing in the landscape and how it has developed…I agree! This little quirky space has grown too much nowadays and something can be killed in the speed of light.
I read the August issue of Inside Flyer. I kept the subscription mainly because I like reading about this stuff. But the only section now that I do not know by the time I get to the magazine is Randy Petersen’s Opening Remarks. Everything else is stale info that has been out there. So, sorry Randy, time to do what is inevitable with this paper publication. Give me a reason to keep it.
If you are thinking about starting a blog please don’t. You have no idea of the time suck. NO IDEA!
There is something liberating not being accountable to any banks or affiliate companies. Not having to type (or do templates) and having to comply to language that has been approved by their Compliance departments. Blogland is so full of servants who do not dare to call on their masters for making them do wrong things. Living in fear that their links may be taken away from them for violating one condition of their employment!
Most commercial big business blogs need to produce a certain number of credit card signups every month to keep their lucrative affiliate links. Everything they “blog about is designed to achieve this goal. The juicy relationship with the banks/affiliate marketing companies that pay them comes FIRST. Of course they will deny that and say they help their readers first. What crock of shit! Don’t fall for it…DON’T BE A TOOL! They don’t know their shit either because they are too busy complying with the conditions imposed to keep said links!
There is also something frustrating NOT being compensated for the insane amount of time that goes into this blog. Especially when you compare it to certain blogs by pseudo “experts” who are basically bank marketing divisions that have elevated “travel miles/points” blogging to hawking the same credit cards multiple times a day, it is so nauseating and sometimes I lose it! My therapist says it is okay and must “let it go”. So I do here 🙂
So, as it has been for months, I keep going until something happens. An intervention by my wife or a health event or a family development (mother in Greece is not getting any younger) or a company that I can be proud to be affiliated with that will help me put up a page in a separate tab and not bug me with quotas or “sale directives” and, most importantly, not control what I say in my blog. Yeah…right like this last one is going to happen anytime soon. But if such a company exists please let me know, I have a mortgage to pay off too!
What I love most about blogging? Yeah you did not ask me that, I just asked myself because I have an agenda. I love having a voice saying things that’s on my mind without any control and getting to know readers over time. If it was not for you I could be doing things that would have paid off the mortgage by now LOL. Ok, this just came to me. You see what I mean?
What I do not love about blogging? Since I mentioned the time suck I will not mention it again. It is the less time I have earning and burning miles and points…THIS bothers me the most.
At the end of the day, TBB serves as a venue to express myself. I am still amazed more than family and friends read me. It still exists as a way to entertain, primarily myself. Hope you find it entertaining too. Shoot, getting educated and inspired at times is a bonus!
Amazon shopping affiliate link brings a few peanuts and certainly appreciate all of you who have been using it. But I like it more as a conversation piece as I make a lot of jokes about it. Because it is a joke. Nothing personal Jeff Bezos!
I am keeping my weight off. In August and still maintaining a range of 20 to 23 lbs off. I am aiming to still be at this range by December 31st! I miss pizza so much! Take care of your health, get out there, be active and stop eating crap and drinking soda (looking at you Lucky!).
Ok, I am running out of things to say. Time to go for coffee cup #4. It is a gorgeous day in Ann Arbor, Michigan!
Have a great week everyone!
TBB
P.S.: Every one is free to try to get on the Love and Like lists you know. Oh, if you did not notice yet, my Blog Reviews tab is a joke too! And I so need to update it! Wish there was a template for that!
Ok, one more…
Check out my updated blog lists: Blogs I Love, Blogs I Like, Blogs I Ignore
Please pass my blog link to your friends and family if you think they will enjoy it too.
TBB
travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com
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First!
Amen! You ARE entertaining, but you have common sense. Keep on blogging!
3rd!
“If you are thinking about starting a blog please don’t. You have no idea of the time suck.”
Or just use templates and have a decent portfolio of pictures. Copy and paste is your best friend.
Or constantly leave comments (with your link) on every existing blog ^
BTW it seems like the remaining 75K Exec offer is ending. Landing page is dead.
Zombie link still works, tested it myself yesterday LOL. I’d say use it today,
it might be dead by tomorrow…
Everything dies 😉
@ Simon: Being First here belongs in Accomplishments in a resume!
@ Shannon: Thank you, I love you! My kids will never think I have common sense 🙂
@ ABC: I can use some templates myself!
Just checking the comments. I’ll read the blog later.
As long as you are entertained it’s perfectly all right 😉
George, I don’t hate you. I hate what you are doing to the space. There is enough dissention among the varying factions of bloggers, MS’ers, newbies and experienced players. It is my belief you are actively promoting dissention in the space by allowing the rude, crude and socially unacceptable comments to remain in this blog’s comments. You and your readers have called other members of this community, pimps, whore, gang rapers, sluts, douchebags and others that have no need in this space. The intent seems to be to ramp up the “angries” and it has worked. It is juvenile and embarrassing. I’m not so sure your clients would appreciate your tone here or your other writing gig.
Yes I called you a coward for not removing the profanity, and I’ll call you a coward again for not removing this crap. Nobody needs it. It serves no purpose.
I quit commenting in your blog because it became obvious that you would not even consider changing your style to a more civilized approach. That is your choice, just as Daraius’s choice is to use circle and arrows.
And yes 7 cards in one day for a rookie with a decent score and the ability to handle the minimum spend is a hell of an idea to load up on miles and points. I know you did the same yourself.
I sure hope you’ll clean up your act.
Rick
Yawn.
Thank you for reading TBB. I will let my readers decide what “i am doing to this space” and what the likes of your blog and the other mega credit card pumping machines are doing to it. TBB is raw and uncut, if you can’t take it it is your choice to ignore it. We certainly do not have any templates preapproved by Chase Bank here!
I miss being called George Porgie the most!
Only a tiny tiny portion of the hobbyists in this space should do 7 credit cards at once and certainly NOT the target readers of the FTG blog. Besides, based on the incredibly crappy credit card “TOOL” in the FTG site, the newbie reader was looking for a cash back card only and there are none of them offered. It is STILL up there on the site. It is SHAMEFUL and EMBARASSING.
Note: I have done up to 6 cards at once.
Okay, time to offer something useful to my readers and not find ridiculous ways to pump them with some of the same cards.
Enough. My therapist is telling me to ignore trolls and “let it go” in the body of my blogs posts.
TBB
Raw. Pure. From the heart. No bank approved. Go find another sucker to come up with a few paragraphs, pay them $25 and then insert some more credit card links. Eeeeek.
I don’t hate anybody. I can’t stand all these blogs that continue to pollute my hobby and have made it so disgusting to be a player in it.
I hope FTG cleans up its act. You have permission to get it out of the Blogs to Ignore list and I will be the first one to applaud. But that way won’t sell as many credit cards. #yoursadface
TBB reviews blogs…
In case you forgot George, I don’t own the current blog,, and haven’t for almost three years now. My personal cut on CC commissions is now close to nil, just about like your Amazon payments Haha.
Just calling it like I see it. Rile them up with WTF, Phuck, Douchebag etc. It is indeed working for .2% of the hobby. Keep them riled up. It is doing nothing for the hobby
I’ll leave you with my own critique:
You once said, I was your favorite blogger.
You have never been mine
Toodles
Same.old.arguments (do not own the blog but I am all over it and continue to write, excuse me, mail in my “work”, .2% blah blah blah)…Yawn!
You were my favorite blogger because you were the only one back then (and I never liked Gary’s politics & fascination with pancakes and Lucky was this kid nobody took seriously).
It would be funny if I was your favorite blogger! But thank you for being such a devoted reader, I appreciate it.
Amazon Payments has recovered all cash expenses on this “business”. Everything now hits the bottom line and some moments I have experienced here, like Mastercard, money just can not buy.
Giggles
No I was not the only one George. Can’t you just admit it? there were lots of us. Nothing like todays barrage since the infamous October 2011 onslaught. But still lots of us.
Someday if you are lucky, you’ll get bought out, (nah that ain’t gonna happen) and understand living up to your commitments and the term “earn out”. Besides, you need to be “raw” and I’m your best target. A “raw” bean counter from Ann Arbor. That’s about as funny as your disclosure phase, your Siskel and Ebert phase, your blue ink phase and this current and most disheartening and destructive phase. Your “bad ass and vulgar phase”
I hope this phase ends soon and you find something positive to contribute without being so “angry”. Of all the times in this hobby, we could sure use some civility and reason. I hope others will step up to the need.
Dude, Even Stevie Wonder can see the good George has brought, keeping people responsible as best he can, for what they write (sell). You made your money, vamous. And take that loser DeltaPointsSucks with you.
Yawn indeed. TBB may only get 0.2%, but those readers bat way above their weight – and is slowly making a difference by waking up those oblivious to the chicanery that infests this space.
As for supposed “vulgar” terms, methinks it is in the eye of the beholder. When this reader sees pimps using any pathetic excuse to educate (sell) readers (suckers) yet another credit card (click here, here, here etc etc), I want to vomit in disgust. People who do that don’t even deserve to be called scum, vermin, pimps etc as that is a compliment they don’t deserve.
George makes his posts humorous and educational. Can’t say that about your former blog, nor many others out there. But there are some at Saverocity and others who’ve seen the light and refuse to whore themselves for some dollars. I’d have more respect if they were giving $10 blowjobs in an alley than those whoring themselves to the credit card companies.
Your good credit is my is my best asset!
Friends NEVER let friends click on ANY affiliate link for ANY reason.
ingy: Every time you write something I shake my head…Me getting bought out LOL. Actually, can you tell me my metrics? It’s been a while since last time you told me! Yeah, we go through phases in this blogging world but this blog always stood behind its mission: To Entertain. Educate. Inspire. In That Order
What your blog has stood for and showing the way to so many other blogs that followed your ways was how to sell sell sell 24/7 without regard to quality of content and truly help readers. Get the newbies to go for 7 credit cards at once, maybe get a few more before they finally figure out what is going on at KRR run FTG and then it is off to fresh meat to attack.
I like to think I am doing something positive and you disputing that by increasing my hits (not that I care you know) proves to me I am doing something right! Hey, I was going to fold like a cheap suit 16 months ago and I am still kicking! (sometimes myself lol).
So, what card will you be selling tomorrow?
civility and reason huh? Like this has worked so well to attract legions of credit card pumpers doing what you showed them what to do? WELL HELL NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO that did not work as they keep on coming. So I just blog about what I see. Call it whatever you like. I call it dealing with my inner inadequacies and conflicts about my dear hobby that has become a giant whore house. So please excuse moi about being civil and all that crap while you have been on incredibly deranged attacks here in my blog previously! Ok, I feel better now. Why are you here with the mosquitoes anyway?
@ Dear Ingy: Thanks. Be respectful. Yes I do not like that blog too.
@ P: I want to know proof of the 0.2% number lol. I vomit so much it is the real reason I lost so much weight! Please take it easy on those terms dude, please because it deflects from the validity of your argument by allowing them to say “see? so so angry so so vulgar/coward & other stuff). Affiliate links are a cancer in this space! Amazon affiliate links are a joke:-)
@ P: What did I tell you? He led off that one 😉
And the vulgarity continues. And from supposedly educated individuals? Since I quit coming by, your metrics have gone downhill considerably. As Dan said yesterday, he must have a lot of angry readers. Guess the other “pumper blogs” as u call them must as well, as their metrics show considerably larger audiences than here. I guess their information is much more popular than the angry “raw” angle huh? Maybe you are down to .1% with this formula? To each his own I guess.
I’ll check in in a couple months to see how you are doing. Keep up the great job. You have significantly cut down the number of pimpers huh? Not
May I respectfully suggest that you { Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.}
For those playing along at home, we’ve made some changes:
1. Censoring mean and juvenile anonymous comments on the internet is now courageous.
2. Disinviting someone from a private function is like Hitler attacking Poland, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, or … something.
3. The jury’s still out on whether threatening to “out” someone for running a blog with mean comments is courageous or the equivalent of the Battle of Corregidor. You are encouraged to stay “civil,” and wait for further bulletins.
Please update accordingly.
I am working on a template to crawl through all previous TBB blog posts and come out with the “10 Gem comments by ingy”. Should be entertaining. But I am not good with templates and selling so I keep going and doing my thing 🙂
At least I got an update on my metrics. And knowing they are down I may have trouble finishing that awesome watermelon I got from Trader Joes. They have the BEST watermelons I have found. Too bad they have no loyalty rewards, there could have been something there too 🙂
I think it is now certain KKR will not buy me out. At least I got the Amazon link to pump every day.
Going for 2 UA cards tomorrow I think…
There was high drama last week on the united explorer card as well and the TBB Reader Marketing Team CEO summoned a meeting to discuss about the same.
CEO – so WTF is the actual problem?
Reader 1 – there were multiple pointers to the one and only gorgeous UA card. Some bloggers were saying 50k offer. Some were saying 50k+50$ offer. Some were saying 55k offer. Some were saying 55k+50$ offer. While these “masters” were debating what exactly is the offer, the “doctor” just blew them all with 65k+50k offer.
Reader 2 – so WTF is the actual offer?
Reader 3 – In the best interest of the TBB readers, the best offer is minimum 52k to maximum is unlimited sir.
Scenario 1 – single without thinking properly (blindly following top “travel”blogs) – 50k after 2k spend – total 52k miles.
Scenario 2 – single with better guidance (reading blogs like saverocity) – 50k after 2k spend+50$ – total 52k miles and $50 refund.
Scenario 3 – married for many years applying with spouse (reading top “travel” blogs and spending lavishly) – 50k+5k+2k+50 – 57,050 miles.
Scenario 4 – married for many years applying with spouse (reading frugal living blogs like Saverocity and having brains to not spending much on aging spouse) – 50k+5k+2k+1(spent at nearby dollar tree for some household item) – 57,001 miles.
Scenario 5 – married newly and applying with spouse (oh yeah, want to please the spouse, reading top “travel” blogs and spending lavishly) – 50k+5k+2k+25k+10k bonus – 92k miles.
Scenario 6 – married newly and being faithful to chase and loyal to spouse (being plain stupid *******) – UNLIMITED.
There you go. The minutes of the secret meeting has been published in the best interest of the “travel” community by the TBB Reader Marketing Team. Chase-y 🙂
Had to update the minutes. Scenario 4 above – includes 50$ back.
The doctor’s headline got me to check it out for sure:-)
Yeah, many ways to sell this baby.
You know now the ones who did not show the $50 statement credit offer are _____. Some will say not nice, I say douche bags. Story at 11 or most likely 1 am at this rate!
Well, i am sick and tired of this guy Drew, George – what the heck is he doing out there coming up with one valuable stuff after another this entire week, while the entire “travel” blogging community was so busy pumping their favorite cards or malls at will.
I wish there was a template to enter his posts in my Buzz posts so I don’t have to cut and paste so often 😉
Hey George — maybe this is why folks want to go to Bora Bora?!
http://www.stuckincustoms.com/dji-phantom-review
(Trey is a superb photographer, and is now playing with a quadcopter…)
LOL
Every time we go we decide this is the last time… and we go again.
I’m now trying to book another trip using my unexpectedly large supply of AA miles.
Great link!
I used to have this blog in my Feedly but it had the most restrictive language that I have seen online about using the pictures. I think I may have read he will track me down and shoot me or something. So I stopped following it. And I think is pushing Amazon product links like a lot.
No dobut great photography indeed, almost as good as Andrew’s…sometimes 🙂
Bora Bora is over-rated and touristy. REAL travelers go to the Marquesas! :p
“There is also something frustrating NOT being compensated for the insane amount of time that goes into this blog.”
But, George, you ARE compensated: you’ve made friends, you have people vying to be “first!,” you have people leaping to your defense when angries come ’round… No, blogging won’t pay the mortgage, but look at your soul — see how happy and fulfilled you are, even with the time suck!!
No doubt, no doubt…the psychic rewards and pure pleasure I get from TBB is priceless. And the reason I have not focused on monetizing more!
But sometimes, I can’t help it, after spending hours to publish a single post for a few peanuts coming from Amazon while many bloggers post crap making thousands of dollars from a single post….it bothers me. It is not fair 🙂
But it’s all right. I like looking at myself in the mirror every morning…
Frankly, I am more surprised than everyone that I am still at this blogging thingie!
Full disclosure: TBB made $2.32 yesterday, a BIG day! Paid for my large coffee at Panera! #winning
I just saw this post. You wrote: “If I hurt the following: Miles Professor, Travel Summary, Frequent Miler. I am sorry.” Um, what did you do to hurt me? I don’t think I’m hurt, but maybe I’m missing something?
Gave you hard time about the “I won an award post” 😉
And, sorry my friend, next time I edit my Blog Review lists the FM blog will go to Like from Love. It will cost 0.35 clicks per year because…only me and my family/friends care about them as I don’t have any friends anymore since I started this blog 😉
Ah, we’ll that’s not a big deal. I’m neither hurt nor angry. It will be good to join the popular kids on the Like list 🙂