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The Third Tribe – Launched [My Back Story]

Posted By Darren Rowse 4th of February 2010 ProBlogger Site News 0 Comments

Just over 48 hours ago those of you on my newsletter list would have received an email from me introducing a new venture that I’ve been working on – The Third Tribe.

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Third Tribe is a new collaboration between myself, Chris Brogan, Brian Clark and Sonia Simone.

I’m going to tell some of my story of why I’m involved in this venture below – but if you want to skip straight to the offer you can read the story behind Third Tribe, what it is and how you can be involved here.

Third Tribe – A Conversation Between Two Worlds

If you were at Blog World Expo last year you might have seen a panel that the four of us were on where we began to explore the topic of our journey as online marketers trying to find our place between two groups of people who we didn’t always feel quite at home with.

Of course these two groups don’t really exist as groups – they’re generalisations and are probably more two extremes of a spectrum we all find ourselves somewhere on – but they are:

  • Traditional Internet Marketers – known for their hype, at times obnoxious, annoying and manipulative tactics.
  • Social Media Cool Crowd – known for their ethics, value of community and relationships – but also renowned for struggling to make what they do profitable.

Over the years I’ve felt like I’ve spent a little time in both groups. I’ve been to their conferences, tried their ‘tactics’ and ‘approaches’ and attempted to fit in. I’ve also, at different times, swung too far into either camp and done and said things that I now regret.

Tangent Time – A Story of 2 Conferences

I remember speaking at one internet marketing conference a few years back – my first – there were fireworks…. literally and figuratively. My memories of that week include

  • speakers selling hundreds of thousands of dollars of coaching and product from the stage (I saw people literally run to signup)
  • a presentation on how one internet marketer was setting up hundreds of meaningless blogs to game Google and make money
  • one speaker make an entrance that included a light show and fireworks
  • a movie star coming to sign autographs

Some of what I saw was amazing – much of it left me feeling quite uncomfortable and out of place.

Mixed in with all that there were also some amazingly genuine and smart people who made a real impression on me and taught me a lot despite being surrounded by hype.

I also remember another conference a few years ago – it was a social media event where I was invited to speak about making money from blogging and social media. In retrospect I think I was actually set up by the organizers who knew those attending would want to shoot me down in flames.

The Q&A time was filled with biting questions – the theme of which was that social media should not EVER be used for anything other than relationships, community and social good. Marketing or profit was certainly not welcome in social media in these people’s minds.

Of course at the event were also some amazing people who I also learned a lot from about the value of community and the power of social media to do good.

I tell these stories for two reasons:

  1. there are things about these two groups of people that I’ve learned a lot form and resonate a lot with. Much of what I do is based upon elements that I’ve picked up along the way from a variety of people all along the spectrum.
  2. there are things about both groups which leave me either uncomfortable or in some kind of conflict. I do want to make money online – but I don’t want to resort some some of the extreme, deceptive and hyped tactics I see happening around the web.

I’m not the only one who feels a little out of place between these two extremes. I meet people who grapple with these same things regularly.

Back to The Third Tribe

Brian and Sonia started blogging about these same themes last year and the idea of a ‘Third Tribe’ began to emerge as a term to describe those of us in the middle. Chris Brogan joined the conversation and then I jumped in and we began to plan a panel for Blog World.

The more we talked about the Third Tribe concept and the journey that we’d been on to find our place as online marketers the more people began to come out of the woodwork expressing similar experiences and feelings. We decided it was time to call people together and provide those wanting to explore the topic with some training on what we were learning and a place to connect with others on the journey.

As you’ll see in the story on Third Tribe – there’s an amazing group of people lined up to share their journey with Third Tribe members. What’s better still is that since launching 48 hours ago we’ve had may others join and begin to interact – the depth of what’s being shared is fantastic (there’s already over 1000 posts on a great range of topics) and I can see that there are going to be a lot of great collaborations emerge out of this.

The other reason I’m excited about Third Tribe is the mix of people involved all bring such a wonderful collection of skills, strengths and experiences. We’ve got people with experience in copy writing, social media, building membership sites, E-Book marketers, SEOs, affiliate marketers, those who use social media to market their real world businesses…. and much more.

The Offer

As we’re still growing and shaping The Third Tribe we’ve set up a discounted Charter Member Offer for those who join in the first week. This is partly to thank those in our current network but also simply because the site is still growing and those who join now help us to build it with their contributions in the forum (thus they should get a discount).

Third Tribe Marketing is a paid membership site. If you sign up before February 5th at 6PM (Central Time – GMT -6), as a Charter Member the cost is $27 USD a month (you’re locked in at that price even after the price rise). If you sign up next week, the cost jumps to $47 a month.

You can see what the deal entails and what you get on the inside of the TT here.

Of course both the topic and the deal will not fit for everyone. If you don’t resonate with where we are at or don’t find the deal is where you’re at we’re not wanting to pressure anyone to join up.

You’re welcome to sign up and trial things for up to 30 days – it it’s not where you’re at you’re welcome to a refund.

Join us Today

I’m really excited by The Third Tribe and hope you’ll consider joining us.

Check out the details here.

About Darren Rowse
Darren Rowse is the founder and editor of ProBlogger Blog Tips and Digital Photography School. Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Comments
  1. Based on the forum already, I think the Third Tribe concept is really resonating with people. It is for me anyway :)

  2. The program is looking great and I have no doubt that it will provide a great value.

  3. I have to admit that all of this Third Tribe stuff is leaving me a little confused.

    Every elevator pitch I’ve heard so far just expresses the need for Third Tribe to exist and that there is in fact a group between the aggressive marketers and the bloggers who actually blog about something worthwhile.

    Things that are missing from your pitch:

    1. What will this group teach me? How to be social or how to make money?

    2. How will you accomplish both without being too much of one or the other? Am I going to learn how to game my social friends? Because I’m not too keen on that.

    3. Vague sales pitches like this make me uncomfortable. Be more specific. Because if you haven’t figured out what Third Tribe is and what it teaches, then you shouldn’t be charging for it.

    Cheers

  4. this is perfect !!!

  5. I definitely don’t fit into one of the traditional groups either, so I’m interested to see what the Third Tribe has to offer me.

    My husband and I both blog, so he already signed us up for the Third Tribe. He’s been following your blog and Brian Clark much longer than me, so as soon as Third Tribe launched, he was on board. He has looked at the program quite a bit and sees value, so I’m sure I will too.

    I’ve already learned a lot from your blog in the short time I’ve been following it, so I’m looking forward to learning more from the Third Tribe.

  6. My only question is would this even be remotely beneficial for someone just starting out? It all sounds great but, I just don’t see the need unless your power player already.

    http://prettyprimfashionforward.blogspot.com/

  7. @Danny – it’s about being yourself and still making money while doing it. The extremes are too much focus on the money making side and then there’s the other side which is about being yourself while not making money. Third Tribe is in the middle and combines both. JohnnyBTruant.com is a great example and he’s actually the guest on the first lesson they’ve posted.

  8. Danny…

    You’ve asked 3 great questions… The first thing I want to let you know is Darren doesn’t have to pitch anything to anyone; he is one of the most successful bloggers… if not THE most successful blogger on the planet… Not to mention he’s been unofficially dubbed as “the nicest blogger on the planet” too.

    What he’s offering is a chance to be part of a community where he, Brian Clark (another phenomenal and very successful blogger), Sonia Simone (who is Brian’s right hand at CopyBlogger) and Chris Brogan who is an amazing Internet Marketer… all are there to give their advice to help other members succeed with their online businesses utilizing a Third Tribe Mentality.

    Not to mention there are other A list bloggers (who have their own systems and programs) who have become part of The Third Tribe to not only gain knowledge, but to share their knowledge too.

    What that means to everyone who becomes a member is… We have the opportunity to ask advice from bloggers who are making 5-6 figures a month… And to get tips from them we otherwise would never have the opportunity to.

    There are live Q&As coming as well as training seminars with the top bloggers and entrepreneurs…

    The first training seminar alone is worth $27…

    1. What will this group teach me? How to be social or how to make money?

    – It will teach you both… If you have a question about anything, write it up on the forum it will be answered… Get involved conversations with the people who are answering your questions… You will learn some of the best marketing tips and techniques from the best.

    Not only that, you will have the opportunity to foster business relationships with other bloggers… I haven’t seen any daddy bloggers yet, but we have a Mommy Blog and there are other Mommy Bloggers in the forums already… Part of The Third Tribe Mentality, if you would, is NOT to look at other bloggers in the same niche as competition… but as potential business partners…

    2. How will you accomplish both without being too much of one or the other? Am I going to learn how to game my social friends? Because I’m not too keen on that.

    The forum isn’t about selling your services to other people in the forum… If it happens, great… If you meet a designer who will help you redo your site, great… But it’s not about everyone is there to solicit everyone. It’s about learning how to market yourself without being a scumbag and to learn from very successful people who are doing it…

    3. Vague sales pitches like this make me uncomfortable. Be more specific. Because if you haven’t figured out what Third Tribe is and what it teaches, then you shouldn’t be charging for it.

    Danny… Obviously you haven’t been following Darren for very long… What I would suggest is for you to read back through his archives, then Google Brian Clark and CopyBlogger, then do the same with Chris Brogan…

    After that, if you think being part of community they are active in and being able to learn from them off of their blogs is worth it… Come try it out…

    Sign up for 1 month… It’s $27… If you aren’t satisfied, ask for a refund within 30 days and you’ll get one…

    If I don’t see you in The Third Tribe… I wish you all of the success in the world…

  9. This definitely sounds like something I am going to watch. I Would love to hear some first hand reviews before I consider joining though.

  10. I think Danny has asked some very relevant questions – I’m commenting so I can subscribe and see the answers – even after joining I am extremely unclear as to what is being sold.

  11. Thank you for responding to my gripes!

    @Shannon Great, so I can be successful and be myself. That didn’t address any of my questions, it merely reiterated what was being said above.

    @BrianJUY That was a very detailed response. Thank you. I am not questioning anyone’s reputation, I’ve read all of their blogs and have garnered many useful tidbits from each. IMHO though, I think the only reason they’re making 5-6 figures a month is because they’re blogging about blogging. I don’t have such high hopes for a blogger in my niche.

    About being able to ask questions… I thought that’s what these comment sections on blog posts were for. I’ve learned as much from reading the comments on ProBlogger.net as I have the actual posts. What is being added for me when I sign up to read the Third Tribe Forum? And if the actual conversation about these topics is happening elsewhere, then why am I reading these blogs?

    I don’t mean to be a pain. Its just that if I’m going to justify an expense of $27 dollars a month when all I’ve spent on my blog so far is $20 total, I’m going to demand a lot more of an explanation.

    I can be a hard sell, but once I’m convinced I can be a very loyal customer. Keep trying and I’ll keep reading, I just wish that these things were more clear in the above post and the writing on the actual site.

    Cheers

  12. Jeff H. says: 02/04/2010 at 8:14 am

    I think I am going to concentrate on “The Fourth Tribe”. The Fourth Tribe deals with everything the “The Third Tribe” does but without the MMO online products and gurus. There is just so much FREE valuable information on the Internet today, where getting charge monthly for networking and “secrets” is not worth it to me. There are also other good books to read about successful bloggers like “Blogging Heroes” for only 17 bucks, other than “Beyond Blogging”, which is 47 bucks.

    Folks really need to realize that there is a lot of great information out there, if they search for it. Please do not give me a lame excuse that you do not have time to search for blogging tips on the Internet and that justifies you paying for the latest “secret” concept of blogging/internet marketing courses and memberships sites. Pleeezzz!

    I recently just converted my static web site to a blog. It took me nearly two years to try to achieve this feat. At this time, I’m going to take what I learned from the Problogger brand (web sites and books), other web sites and books and push the envelope with my blog.

    I guess what I’m saying is, that I do not have to come to Problogger everyday to get the latest tips like I use too. I notice in the past month, I’ve only come to Problogger maybe three times. I guess I’m experiencing information overload and I need to take break from getting the “latest and greatest” blog tips and sell pitches and work on growing my blog. After this comment, I will not be commenting on Problogger for a long time, if not ever (unless I’m provoked to go off on someone concerning this comment I’m writing now). I have to concentrate on building my brand.

    I like to wish Darren, The Third Tribe crew, and all other bloggers well in their goals. Jeff H. out!

    • Jeff – sounds like you’ve got some info overload going on but also that perhaps you’ve learned a lot in your time as a blogger and perhaps don’t need as much of the teaching. While I sometimes get a little sad not to see people around as much it also makes me happy to see bloggers who’ve stuck at things for the long haul who don’t need the type of teaching I give as much because – well they’re doing great without it and are just ‘doing it’ and not just reading about it any more.

      I do hope you pop in from time to time and tell us what you’re learning!

  13. @Danny I completely understand where you’re coming from, Danny. I had to really sweat over the $50 I dropped over at the Warrior Forum for my “premium” membership. Did it pay off?

    In the mindset of “I will find something here that will immediately net me $50+,” absolutely not. In the mindset of “Will I be able to cut through the extraneous bullshit of noobs and worthless mouths and get to the really juicy useful stuff,” then hell yeah.

    I had to really work to dig out the valuable posts from the WF membership site, but it’s been worthwhile for me, and I’ve learned some things that I would have spent well over $50 at Amazon to learn.

    The same approach can be taken here. No, you probably can’t be a famous blogger in your niche because of its size, BUT I’ll bet there are a significant amount of ways to be recognized and profit from the small amount of people who are in that niche with you, and I KNOW that the guys at Third Tribe will be ready and willing to help you find those ways and get you there.

    And, like most internet marketing programs and deals, I’ll bet they’d refund your money after a month if it really is useless!

    Peace,
    Nick

  14. What Can I tell you Darren? First of all, congratulations on this new endeavor. I know it will be successful. Your name only is enough to ensure this is a quality product. I will give it a shot. You deserve almost half or my AdSense income avery month… Does it make us partners? ;)

    Have a good one…

  15. @Nick Great! Thank you! I had not considered that before. I do see the value of having to do less legwork to get at good information. I will have to consider that point in making my decision.

    Anyone else?

  16. Danny…

    I’m unsure what this is? There’s no outline of what you will providing in this $47 dollar a month club that that I can see the will benefit me or grow some business model. But, but… I have to say that the concept is cool. I do feel there’s a wide divide from the Social Media cool kids and the affiliate marketers that are trying to squeeze a buck out of them day after day. In concept thus I’ve bookmarked this posting.

  17. Sounds kinda nice and useful but good damn my debit card got blocked.

  18. Danny… You know Daddy Blogging is a huge niche; you know how big Mommy blogging is too… Chrystal at Happy Mothering in the above comments is my wife… Check out her Mommy Blog… She just started taking it seriously at the beginning of December…

    Her blog has taken off… She’s even been contacted by a movie studio to do a promotion for a major motion picture through her blog… Her blog is getting very well known in the Mommy community fast… It’s in the black too… Her blog will be a major player in the Mommy Blog world… My point being, there is a lot of growth in any “saturated” niche and the cream will always rise to the top.

    Only 57% of the U.S. has access to the Internet in their homes… 99.9% of the U.S. has an average of 2 televisions in their homes… There is A LOT of room for growth online…

    As far as the comment sections in blogs… Yes of course you get to ask questions… about the topic at hand… But wouldn’t it be nice for you to determine the topic? And for you to ask the questions or advice specific to your needs? And get answers from multiple experts?

    But let’s talk about price for a second… How much do people pay to go to college? What about just to take 1 class from a professor on Internet Marketing? That student gets to ask the professor questions about the topics at hand from that professor… But what if that student has a question about SEO? He has to pay for another class from a different instructor…

    Don’t look at it as a cost… Look at it as an investment in your blog… Being part of a community where you can ask questions at forums and get answered by the pros… And get seminars from the pros… Like the first one is from Johnny Truant… It’s full of a lot of good practical info you can apply right now to your blog to make it better…

    I’ve been following Brian Clark for about 3 years now… I was a Charter Member in his Teaching Sells course… I learned an immense amount of knowledge from that course… I was an idiot and let my membership lapse and then couldn’t get back in because it’s closed…

    If Brian was opening The Third Tribe by himself, I would pay $50 a month to be part of it… The fact that Darren, Chris and Sonia are part of it too and I could get in for only $27… Done…

    On Feb. 8th the 4 of them are starting a 3 part series on exactly how they made their businesses, where the income comes from and everything else…

    To take advantage of The Third Tribe, you are going to have to be an active participant in your education and relationships.

    If you’re not interested in asking questions and learning from the pros on the “hows” and “whats” to turn your blog into a profitable business; The Third Tribe probably isn’t for you.

    Jeff… You’re absolutely right… What I feel is members of The Third Tribe will be able to point us in the right direction… because not all of the free advice on the Internet is good advice…

  19. Great Post Darren!I think this program will provide a great value.

  20. If I’m only going to join one, which would be better: Third Tribe or The Problogger Community and (besides price) why?

    In other words, what value will I get from TT that I won’t get from The Problogger Community or vise versa?

    Thanks!

  21. @Danny – you wonder about Darren’s new found ethusasim for paid forums – this is the second within a few months – when he can’t even be bothering answering his own blog commentators – I thought blogging was about the conversation … It takes 2 Darren.

    Frankly Danny you have the cynical attitude that I recognise and you will probably go far with. Basically you are being asked to be pay $27 – soon to be $47 to join a networking site. Here’s a free way to achieve the same thing. – your niche is Dads and parenting right?

    So why not try this – using the google adwords tool I tried some of your site’s keywords. – one with a bit of search volumn is “father’s advice” 1300 exact searchers a month.

    I googled “fathers advice” – wtihout the quotes (to avoid personalised results make sure you are logged out or use scrooogle.org) – and I found some of your competitor’s sites on the front page.

    You’re a good writer and you know your topic- approach some of those sites and try to get a guest post on them and make sure you get a good link back – not on your name – on your main keywords.

    Look at your analytics or other stats package – look to see the search terms people are using now to find your blog – write a blog post around those terms – particularly if you think its a commerical topic.

    Write articles on sites such as ezinearticles.com and hubpages.com – make sure you include a couple of links back to your site – again with your keywords.

    You are obviously already found some affiliate offers – if you start focussing on search traffic not just social – you will improve your conversioans and your readership too.

    I may be miles off on my specific example (I am neither a father nor a parent) – but I think you are smart enough to see the general idea.

    • Lis – again, sorry for the delay in responding – it is a challenge with the number of comments I get as well as the juggling of life’s other little bundles of joy (one’s kids) but I try to get there (but don’t always succeed).

      Your advice is good for Danny and I think a lot of bloggers could do well to take a similar approach. It’s interesting that another of the ‘two camps/tribes’ that I see often in blogging circles is the ‘search’ crowd and the ‘social’ crowd.

      I’m often critiqued for not doing enough writing here on the search front and focusing too much upon social traffic although have tried to cover both over the years. Perhaps with the rise of social media some of us have swung too far in a social direction and lost a little of what the search crowd still benefit from. On the other hand I sometimes think that some of the search crowd have lost what some of the social people get.

      Again – for me it’s about finding a space that works for each person and for me its about occupying the middle space on the search/social spectrum. Both can bring a lot of traffic and can be profitable spaces to occupy and to write off one or the other is to sell ourselves short of reaching our potential.

  22. @Lis What a great last name you have! Is it real? Thank you for your well thought out response. You’re right I haven’t heard from Darren yet, but I’m optimistic (maybe he’s busy on the Third Tribe forum).

    I do try to guest blog when I get time and my search hits do usually go up in the weeks following a guest post. The walkthrough on how to find guest-posting sites makes a lot of sense. I’ll have to use that in the future.

    The general idea was well communicated. Much appreciated.

    Cheers.

  23. @Danny – yeah its my real name – blame my father …

  24. Danny, let me see if I can help.

    Let’s forget about the forum, and the networking, and the live Q&A, and all those aspects of the site.

    Each month, Third Tribe members receive at least an hour of seminar or webinar educational content. In the first month, you get over 4 hours of seminar content.

    This stuff is more intensive than your typical $97 ebook. And yet you pay only $27.

    Now, add back in those forums and the Q&A, which coincidently are what people end up valuing the most.

    At a site like Marketing Profs, you’ll pay $127 for a single online marketing seminar. You may object that Marketing Profs is aimed at “real” business, and my response would be, exactly! We’re helping people build real businesses.

    And yet, it’s only $27. Plus all the other networking.

    Maybe this isn’t for you. In fact, if you’ve only invested $20 in a blog you’re trying to make money with, perhaps you’re simply not ready to realize that real businesses are not built on a $20 investment.

    If you ever change your mind in the future, we’ll be there, and the community will be stronger and the content more extensive. But that also means the price will be higher.

    The $27 a month deal is for people who do “get” what we’re doing right away. That’s why we didn’t push that hard with specifics and future promises. Plus, the community is creating it’s own future, so who are we to tell you what that is now?

    Anyway, I wish you the best, and appreciate that you gave some of your time even considering joining. Hope this response this helps even a little bit.

    • Hey gang – apologies for the absence here – partly because the post went live in the wee hours of the morning my time and partly due to our kids starting kinder/daycare this week and our lives being turned a little upside down making it happen with minimal tears (all around).

      Brian’s response kinda hits most of what I’d respond to you Danny.

      I will re-iterate that its not for everyone but that what we’re trying to achieve is to create a space that has regular teaching (monthly input plus extra seminars in this launch phase) plus a dynamic forum area where from my experience of these sites the real action happens.

      In terms of the content of what you’ll get – there’s a great audio session from Johnny and Sonia already up. Brian and I recorded over an hour looking at different aspects of my business that will go up in the coming week, Sonia and Chris have another one on the way and we’ve got a nucleus of experienced online marketers who will be contributing from their own experience in coming weeks and months.

      There’s no syllabus that we can point you to because much of what we’re doing in the tribe is based upon the interactions, needs and experiences of those in the tribe. We of course have some pillar teaching that we want to walk through on the basics of how we approach our business.

      Anyway, as I say, Brian has shared most of what I’d have said above (thanks Brian) – hope it gives some insight.

  25. @Brian First… I do like Copy Blogger, if not the current stuff, at least the Archives have some really useful information. Thanks for giving me an answer from the horse’s mouth.

    Gotta say though… a little condescending! I’ll build my business on whatever budget I have, and being an unemployed Dad of twins, that budget is $20. I’ll thank you not to talk down to me.

    Final Verdict – NOT Joining the Third Tribe Forums because:

    1. They are going to let the community decide what its doing, and charge $27 each for the privilege. Honestly, the nerve! (@Brian Clark)

    2. Cutting out noobs (@Nick Thacker) by overcharging does not make a good forum because noobs ask a lot of good questions.

    3. Top tier bloggers can’t be bothered to answer questions on their own posts, is that something they teach on Third Tribe? (@Darren??)

    4. By time time Third Tribe figures out what its giving people for $27/month, there will be someone out there giving it away for free. That’s how the internet works. Of course at that point you guys will have made how much money?

    5. Obviously there are people out there willing to hand you their money based solely on your reputations and pictures of Adsense checks. I’m not one of them.

    6. Finally: I don’t care what the other kids are charging to play in the sandbox. $27 is a lot of money to charge for something vague. Way to sound like an infomercial.

    I gotta say, before today I had really high opinions of pretty much all the bloggers involved with Third Tribe.

    Cheers

    • Danny – totally cool with your decision. As I’ve been saying all along, it won’t fit with everyone’s budget or situation.

      All I can really say is that I believe that what we’ve put together has value. It’s a different model to what others are doing and perhaps as a result is coming off as a little vague to some (good feedback to have) but the feedback we’re getting so far by those using what we’ve built is largely positive.

      We’ll no doubt have critiques and feedback from those who it doesn’t fit for and we’ll continue to take that on board and make sure that those who are unsatisfied get refunds if they request them but in the end we can only produce something that is based upon what we believe is valuable and sustainable.

      No hard feelings – I’ll certainly be sharing what I continue to learn here on ProBlogger for free and hope to continue to have you a part of it.

  26. Darren was responding to me while I was typing my response, please disregard #3. Other than that I stand by my decision.

  27. @darren – oh come on – the start dates for school are posted around 18 months in advance in Victoria – why chose to do a product launch on the day school goes back if you were planning on not being around? I used to follow your blog quite a lot a few years ago – but then I discovered experts who would actually answer questions in the comments

    If you can’t or won’t quantify what you are teaching you should be at least providing either a free or very cheap look for pepole to make up their own minds. – telling people they “can request a refund” is not quite as user friendly.

    • Just saw your last comment Lis – actually my kids don’t go to school. One is in kinder (we found out his orientation session times two weeks back) and the other had to start daycare yesterday and have his second day today because our other childcare plans fell through. I spent half the morning today juggling a hyperactive 3 year old who couldn’t wait to get to kinder and a traumatized 18 month old who didn’t want to go to childcare.

      To be honest I’m feeling pretty low about the whole situation and wish I could be spending the whole day with our little one to help him get adjusted.

      The reality is that when you launch a product in collaboration with 3 others you sometimes have to fit in with their time schedule and that despite best planning the unexpected does crop up. For me at least family always comes first.

      If people want a look in 3T they’re welcome to sign up and pull out any time they like. Within 30 days they can ask for a refund if they wish. If they’re uncomfortable with that I can only say that people can look at the 5000 free posts in my archives and the thousands in my partners and get a feel for what we’re on about.

      Ultimately if you’re not interested in 3T I have no problems with that – move on with your projects as you see fit.

      We’re being up front with what we’re offering – we could probably have whipped up a long syllabus with loads of detail but the reality is that we’re approaching this with more fluidity than that and are certainly not going to hide that.

      We see a need in those we interact with to explore the topic and share what we’re learning. The response so far is that there are loads of people around who have that need and who are willing to pay for what we’re offering.

  28. No worries Darren. Your content has provided me with countless tips which I’ve tried to utilize in my blogging. I’m not going to stop reading just because of one bad idea.

    I’ll even continue reading CopyBlogger for the same reasons. Even though Brian thinks I need to spend more money to be a respectable blogger.

    If anyone is interested in seeing what a $20 site looks like, head on over to http://www.gladdads.com. <–shameless plug :) Cost $0

    • thanks Danny – already checked out your site – love the picture of the babies foot – I have a few almost identical from my boys :-)

  29. @Lis… That’s just mean… I don’t know where you’re from, but where I’m from common courtesy and respect isn’t an option, it’s protocol… Attacking a person for taking care of family responsibilities is very low class. Shame on you.

  30. @Darren – I did misread and thought you said school – apologies – you have reminded me again why I am not a parent!

  31. Danny, I had no intent to be condescending. But I stand by what I said… if $20 is what you’ve invested in your blog, then keep charging forward… you can get going with just content and hard work. You’re just not yet at the point this offer is made for, and that’s cool with us, but you seem upset at us for offering something you don’t want. That’s strange to me.

    So again, we’re not aiming at you, and never were, and we’re totally cool with that. So please stop telling us what we should be doing to please you, when you’re (by your own admission) not our ideal prospect. We’d be pretty bad at what we do if we tried to please the wrong people (from an offer standpoint) instead of the right (again, from an offer standpoint), correct?

  32. >>Write articles on sites such as ezinearticles.com and hubpages.com – make sure you include a couple of links back to your site – again with your keywords.

    That was good advice in 2002. Be careful who you listen to, folks.

  33. It is solely because of comment feeds such as this that I will continuously support and promote the hard work and character of Darren Rowse, Brian Clark, Chris Brogan, and the others involved with this project. With attacking and biting comments like @Lis’ (even though she DID apologize), the degree to which Darren and Brian are able to keep their cool and remain levelheaded gives me encouragement.

    @Danny – I completely understand and respect your qualms about this situation. I’ve been burned before and ALWAYS hesitate to shell out money for anything associated with the “Internet Marketing” title. I will also be responding to your generous email tonight–thanks for being vocal and fair in your comments; I hope we’ll work together soon!

    @Darren – stick it out, man. I’ve been following you and your work for quite some time, and it doesn’t look remotely easy. Somehow, though, you’ve managed to maintain a remarkable attitude, and for that reason I believe the 3T network will be (if it’s not already) a monstrous success.

    @Brian – though I’m less familiar with your blog, I DO subscribe and I DO read it (believe me!), and it’s GOOOOOD. Your comments above, while intimidating, tell it like it is–that’s a trait i happen to have as well. It takes work, effort, mistakes, work, sometimes money, and more work to do what y’all do.

    I’m not there yet. I WISH I could have the success these guys have, but I’m willing to work for it when I read their stuff. I have to work my butt off for each comment I get on my blog, and each Retweet of my posts is a serious accomplishment. This network, if nothing else, might help get some people heading my direction…

    Peace to all–I’ll be around if you have any responses/opinions!

  34. Danny,

    Quite frankly, if 27 is beyond the price of what you’re willing to invest in your business, then you aren’t going to make it very far.

    I don’t care if you join the 3rd Tribe or not, but 27 isn’t even close to spending what it costs to start a business anywhere else. Quit making excuses and either go make 27 dollars so you can join, or quit whining and asking for pity.

  35. Lis,

    Why should he give you free information? You either buy or you don’t, but the responsibility is on you and no one else.

    Why does everyone want to get without giving first?

  36. I have just joined.

    I’m really looking forward to the information and the seminars. Not much yet in the members area, but the interview with Johnny B. Truant was awesome.

  37. @Brian… Not correct. You and your product should be able to stand up to your harshest critics.
    @Nick… Thank you, looking forward to it.
    @Nathan… Nice sales pitch. Do you insult all of Darren’s potential customers like that?

  38. @BrianJUY: “Darren doesn’t have to pitch anything to anyone” Not true. You don’t suddenly have to stop pitching just because you are successful. Sure, reputation is great, but a new project always needs to be clearly defined

    @Nathan: Grow up, please?

  39. Sounds great! Looking forward! Thanks for sharing!

  40. The program is looking great and I have no doubt that it will be of much help

  41. @Brian Clark – Agreed it was an effective technique back in 2002, however ezine and hubpages are still authority sites and a backlink with targeted anchor text from those sites will still help you rank better on the SERPs. Even if it isn’t as effective as in 2002.

  42. I will subscribe in this program. I hope to be useful for me.

  43. Wow, great debate going on here. As a part-time techie / editor/ blogger/designer behind commando conditioning ( shameless plug right here: http://www.commandoconditioning.com) finding the time to balance a 9-5 job, family and trying to run a blog is challenging. Add into the mix an ongoing Third Tribe course on top of what I already do and very quickly there just aren’t enough hours in the day.

    However I see real value in this. Making connections with other people, sharing ideas, learning from a group of established experts and understanding their current techniques is appealing. The price isn’t bad either particularly when you look at other courses out there. We have all become very use to free content and almost expect it, so anything that deviates from this is immediately looked upon with suspicious eyes. I know this because I’m generally that guy.

    Hmmm what to do. Very tempting at this price……..A 25 hour working day is achievable isn’t it? :)

  44. Damn it my shameless plug link failed…….I am a techie honest :)

  45. The reason for joining a group of like-minded thinkers is to strengthen our consciousness of our own intentions. This gives us the inner strength to come us with our own novel ideas that give us breakthroughs to greater success

  46. Definitely sounds good.It is really a good program.

  47. I have to say it’s been a very long time since I’ve seen this much debate on ProBlogger…kinda fun! I’ve been a huge fan of this site for several years and I credit Darren with a portion of my success.

    I too am feeling like there’s not enough information to justify the cost. However, I think I feel that way because I seem to be having some great success with my own sites and don’t feel the urge to digest more info!

    I congratulate Darren for his continued growth and expansion with group projects. I’m working on two new joint ventures and it’s a great way to expand your brand with limited resources.

    I hope you’ll keep us posted Darren on the success of both paid sites. It will be interesting to see how successful these paid sites are over an extended period.

    Good luck!!

  48. @ Andy… Pitching is for baseball… The old school sales letters with yellow backgrounds and big red letters, 50 testimonials and promises to make 1 million in 7 days isn’t the type of Internet Marketing The Third Tribe is About…

    The Third Tribe follows the Teaching Sells philosophy combined with building a community of like minded individuals who can help each other grow…

    Yes this offer was written for everybody to see… but it’s not targeted to everyone. It’s targeted to ProBlogger, CopyBlogger and Chris Brogan followers…

    Take me for example; I follow and trust Darren knows what he’s doing. I trust he gives Damn good tips, advice and knowledge… And I believe having the opportunity to have him and other great minds help me with my personal projects is well worth $27 a month… Not to mention I also follow CopyBlogger and Chris Brogan… I’ve been following all of them for a couple of years now…

    Them making a community for their followers and combining efforts is something I’m excited to be part of… I believe they will go above and beyond the already great information they give in their blog post… When I got the email, I immediately signed up because I see the value.

    MY WHOLE POINT IS… I don’t need to be pitched, because I am already sold on these people. I trust I will get my money’s worth… Combined they have somewhere in the range of a couple hundred thousand followers… There are tons of us real followers who didn’t and don’t need to be “pitched”…

    If someone feels they need to be pitched; The Third Tribe isn’t for them, yet… That person needs to follow these people and learn who they are; go through their archives and find the value in them first…

    I don’t think any of us mind helping noobs, but I personally don’t want people involved with The Third Tribe “who had to be pitched” on it… Because I want to deal with people of the same level.

    BTW… What Nathan Hagen said is the truth… You might consider following his blog; he’s another good resource to learn from…

  49. Hi Darren. Your $27 entry fee is not a sticker-shock to me. It is what it is, and I choose to go or not…

    I’ve done some homework since getting your newsletter. You named bloggers who are part of The Tribe — other than you four co-founders. So I looked them all up, followed some on Twitter, signed up for email post-updates and a newsletter here and there. (I already get yours, Chris’, Brian’s.)

    And I discovered it’s certainly worth my time and money to give this a shot. I’ll know soon enough if I’m in way over my head, or if this just doesn’t fit my goals.

    And BTW, as a mom and grandmom, I commend you with honors for loving your kids! You get points just for that…

    I’m off to sign up. :)

    Barb

  50. P.S. What attracted me in the first place — from your newsletter — was the definition of the Third Tribe. I fit. Whether or not you all are over my head…….

A Practical Podcast… to Help You Build a Better Blog

The ProBlogger Podcast

A Practical Podcast…

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