Is this website a scam?

[avaloncourt]

Originally Posted by Promo Publishers

Now you won't have to guess anymore about who I am or what I'm about.

There's plenty of reason to question what you're about and we don't have a clue WHO you are. You claim a Christian background yet your "Taggerdash business" is not registered with Georgia. All that we can see that you've ever done is spam. Apparently that's your business model. You did it here. You did it on Twitter. You did it on Fast Company.

There have been many questions asked of you by more than just me and you ignore every legitimate question.

How is it that you're renting out that condo address yet using it as a 'business address' for everything we've uncovered so far?

Where did the Arizona phone number you used in your Taggerdash registration come from?

What is your legitimate business (if there is one) since everything uncovered thus far is less than two weeks old?

Would you care to share the other 11 website addresses you've registered to take the guesswork out of that?

Tell us about your "Financial Services" career. Did you actually work for someone else or is this another one of your "businesses?"

By the way, I loved the quote in the article that you shut down the Kindle Promo site because your brand was damaged. Apparently you know nothing about business. A four day old business doesn't have a brand. At best, you damaged Amazon's brand with that fiasco.

So, now you can quit hiding behind "Godly aspirations," go back through this thread and answer every question that's been asked of you by everyone not just things you choose to post.

[avaloncourt]

By the way, I've asked the Standard author to come back here and read everything that's been posted since his article.

[Sporadic]

Can we just get a lock for this thread and an IP ban for Promo Publishers?

He will never admit that anything he is doing is not on the up-and-up and continuing to post in this thread is only giving him publicity (in his eyes)

[avaloncourt]

I agree. I'm done with him. Perhaps if the original poster (forkyfork) would requested it that would be what's needed to lock the thread. I believe we've revealed him for what he his. Lock it up, move on and this thread will be available for anyone searching on Google for information on whatever he decides to be next week, next month, next year. That's the great thing about the Internet. This thread will follow him around for a very long time. There are articles I wrote back in the mid-90's still around.

[sirbruce]

I'm still willing to believe he was just a clueless guy who didn't know how to start a business rather than a scammer, but the fact remains any failure is entirely due to his behavior and how he was unwilling to explain the details of his business plan publicly. He only has himself to blame for his failure and no one else should feel guilty about it.

[Promo Publishers]

Ah...

and your bashing continues...

bashing my faith; really?

A few comments:

1. No one is "hiding behind Godly aspirations" as you claim. If you are interested in my faith, I'd be happy to discuss it with you. Again, you have my number.

2. I use the condo as a business address because it is located in a more recognizable city (Atlanta), and so I can minimize junk mail to my home address; I think both are reasonable.

3. I have no clue what/how the Arizona number is showing for www.taggerdash.com; it's either a typo or a godaddy.com default for fields left blank. Your guess is good as mine.

4. Taggerdash is not registered in Georgia because it is not currently an operating company. Although, thanks for the free promotion.

5. You keep mentioning that my hosting account is "within the free trial period still for this account as well"; just so you know I'm an original customer for this hosting company and have been for seven years.

6. I admit, I hit up the comment section of a few articles and twittered like crazy to get noticed. I thought it was a great way to do a marketing blitz on a bootstrapped budget; I guess it worked.

anyway...

I went from an idea to front page of The Standard in one week; I think that's really cool.

http://www.thestandard.com/news/2009...gative-attacks

Best of luck avaloncourt and all others here who posted comments; it's been a great learning experience.

-David

[avaloncourt]

Selectively answering questions again, I see. Bye bye, David.

[lilac_jive]

There's something fishy about the Standard article. That's really just not a story a newspaper would cover normally.

[avaloncourt]

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

There's something fishy about the Standard article. That's really just not a story a newspaper would cover normally.

I received a reply from the author and he said that he was only interested in information regarding his 'business plan.' He even went as far to say that his use of Twitter was marketing savvy. I have no idea where he gets that since almost all of his Twitter followers were bogus. It's a basic 'if a tree falls in the woods' question. If he's Twittering 109 times on one day only to illegitimate accounts what does it matter? It didn't accomplish anything. Nobody knew he existed on Twitter until he mentioned it and was over by then.

It certainly was a very odd approach to journalism. He wrote an article about a 'business' that lasted for four days and didn't actually make any money.

[wayrad]

Originally Posted by avaloncourt

It certainly was a very odd approach to journalism. He wrote an article about a 'business' that lasted for four days and didn't actually make any money.

One might almost wonder if he just printed a press release that was sent to him, perhaps with minor alterations.

On the other hand, perhaps it was fiendishly clever in a tongue-in-cheek way to allow the links to speak for themselves.

[numindast]

Originally Posted by sirbruce

I'm still willing to believe he was just a clueless guy who didn't know how to start a business rather than a scammer, but the fact remains any failure is entirely due to his behavior and how he was unwilling to explain the details of his business plan publicly. He only has himself to blame for his failure and no one else should feel guilty about it.

Although I feel your choice of words are needlessly blunt, it appears to me that you are correct. Here's a man who had a good idea and tried to execute on the idea. It seems apparent that he let the cat out of the bag before he had firmly established business relationships with the likes of authors, backers/venture capitalists, and most important of all: Amazon, creator of the device at the heart of the promotion.

Consider how many businesses have kept the wraps on new products until they were entirely and completely ready to attract notice -- and scrutiny. Remember Dean Kamen's Segway? Also consider how many large corporations announce a product, but then refuse to publicize any details until an official introduction. There's a reason for that -- it's to line up all the ducks, dot all the I's, cross all the T's.

In this case, David's mistake was limited business acumen. He had the smarts to register web sites, form an LLC, forge informal business relationships, but a lack of experience in other business skills is what held back his success.

I think the discussion and research performed here in this thread is notable, without question. I believe the attacks and assumption that this whole thing was intended as a scam is erroneous. Unfortunately the venture did have the appearance of one. Therefore I'd be happy to see the attacks on David's character done.

Originally Posted by avaloncourt

I received a reply from the author and he said that he was only interested in information regarding his 'business plan.' He even went as far to say that his use of Twitter was marketing savvy. [...] It certainly was a very odd approach to journalism. He wrote an article about a 'business' that lasted for four days and didn't actually make any money.

Using Twitter is indeed marketing savvy -- to everyone aside from people who actually know what Twitter is and how it works. Much of my family is not terribly computer savvy, but when they hear "Twitter" or "Myspace" they associate that with "young, hip, bleeding edge, the cool thing". Those of us who have been around the block and know exactly what Twitter is, and how it is usually used, know better -- but we're not the majority of the population either.

I know I defended David in this post. Let's make one thing crystal clear: The only thing I have in common with David is the same first name. Otherwise I have never met the guy, never heard of him before, heck I'm not even Christian. I just felt he was being unfairly blasted over a good business idea that was executed in a manner that would never succeed in today's business environment.

Kudos for all the fine research into this subject, though!

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by Promo Publishers

visit www.theedenfields.com

Now you won't have to guess anymore about who I am or what I'm about.

That doesn't seem to say how many authors had agreed to pay what percentage of a Kindle's price to promote their books.

Nor does it say what kind of experience you have running an online business venture.

It does, however, make it glaringly obvious that you are the kind of monotheistic propagandist who almost certainly wouldn't do business with me, if you bothered to check out customers before you sold to them.

Gotta be careful mixing religion with business... not everyone's going to be receptive of your message of choice. Some of us would be greatly entertained by the opportunity to interact with proselytutes who normally keep to their own self-affirming discussion forums.

[Gideon]

Lord... with that sort of behavior I'd not take the deal even if it was still on the table (and I could use the savings!)

And if I got a surprise pile of missionary tracts, I'd have just returned it.

Way to be a Christian, too... And this is why I have to explain why I'd ever want to be a priest (Episcopal) to the good people I know, and the bad people I know .... well, they act like that.

[avaloncourt]

This was why I was "questioning his faith." The last "company" someone unearthed, Taggerdash, he registered himself on a website as the Chairman and then began spamming directing people to a business website. When questioned as to why that business isn't registered with Georgia he said it's not actually a business. Well, what was he spamming people to go to that site for? He was certainly presenting it as a business. It was yet another think up a business name, create a website, pretend to be a business, spam. There's his business model. We've clearly defined that twice.

He openly admits he's using a rental condo address as a means to keep 'mail' from coming to his real address but the condo isn't where he's doing business. He just wanted to present an address that appeared more viable. Like I said before, twice, he was using it as a maildrop.

I grew up knowing a family like this. They'd use the church to sell every possible scheme under the sun and after each one they'd disappear for a while and then suddenly resurface with yet some exciting, new thing. Disappear. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

He's simply has issues with the truth and finds no problem with deception. He outright admits that on this very page. Yet he professes his faith and we are told that faith was his motive for the DX Promo scheme but he didn't reveal any of that. I see that family page as a PR tool for his ventures. It says nothing about what he's about. It just tells someone "trust me. Look at the person I am." The "Financial Services" question remains unanswered. Isn't that a nice, broad term?

He's a 21st Century travelin' preacher and snake oil salesman. Nothing more. All things old are new again.

[Promo Publishers]

I'm guessing you just don't have anything better to do?

1. Taggerdash

Taggerdash, my "last company" as you claim is NOT an operating business as I clearly stated, it is something I'm currently exploring. It's a fairly new technology, and I think on the leading edge of the demographics industry.

I hit a few articles to see if the premise of the Taggerdash business model would stir a negative public response. www.taggerdash.com

Have you actually visited the site and read the content? If you had, I'm sure you would have a book to write about that one.

I think it's safe to say that just because you point someone to a website doesn't exactly mean you're currently operating a business.

2. Condo

I have used the condo as both a mail drop and an actual office when it is vacant; it's a furnished corporate rental offered as temp. housing so it's NOT always rented. I've already explained my rational behind my use of it as a business address. I see no promblem with someone using their home address (or second home for that matter) for their home based business. If you do, you have a beef with a lot of people throughout the US.

3. Faith

I never said the motivation behind my Kindle DX Promo was my faith.

This was assumed incorrectly based on short phone conversation I had, and her subsequent post by Dixiegal on this msg board. I said a few authors were Christians and had faith based material; I never said my motivation was anything other than to disrupt an industry and build a profitable company.

So your comment...

"He's simply a liar. Yet he professes his faith and we are told that faith was his motive for the DX Promo scheme but he didn't reveal any of that. He's a 21st Century travelin' preacher and snake oil salesman. Nothing more."

...is a false statement. I never once said faith was the motive, but again you want to attack my faith.

4. The End

Your continous liable attacks are really getting old. It's not like I'm going away. If you continue, I'll continue to answer your posts with the truth to combat your false accusations.

Let it be known to all:

I continue to ask avaloncourt to call me so once and for all I can put his mind to rest that it was not my intent to take over the world through some grand scheme using the Kindle DX. Yet, he never calls.

This says to me avaloncourt, you really don't want the truth. You would rather continue to dream up false sensational assumptions about my intent, character, and faith.

Avalonecourt, I think it's reasonable to say this thread is now a moot point; you should let it go.

p.s.

Financial Services career?

Try State Street, Enterprise Capital Management, and Merrill Lynch. Don't believe me? Call em'.

Best of luck to all here.

-David