Smallbiztrends commented on the following stories on BizSugar
The Myth of ‘Shark Tank:’ What VC Funding is Really Like
"Hi Martin -- thanks. Cute comment! :-) I think crowdfunding is best for raising small amounts of money, not the big bucks of venture capital. But for many small businesses, $20,000 or so in crowdfunding would be more than enough to get a new business off the ground until it starts bringing in revenues. - Anita"Social Network Sites – Which One is The Best for Traffic?
"This article is factually incorrect in its comments about BizSugar. Here is the comment I left over at the NoPassiveIncome Site about this article: Hi, I am the CEO of BizSugar. Thanks for your feedback. We take all criticism and comments very seriously. I was very concerned about your feedback and wondering what we had done wrong. However, after an investigation I'm now confused. You see, numerous articles from this URL are included on BizSugar. You can do a search for the domain name and see for yourself. In fact, articles authored by you, Chris, are included on the site. For example, your article about Triberr is one of the ones included on BizSugar. This article itself, in which you make incorrect claims about BizSugar, is on BizSugar with 24 votes. We certainly accepted it. You wrote us an email claiming that your articles had been removed. We wrote you back saying we would be happy to investigate - tell us which articles. We never heard from you with specifics. We welcome constructive criticism. We know we are not perfect, and we know there is lots we can improve. We try hard. But you have to give us a chance -- and you have to get the facts right. Thanks "Social Network Sites – Which One is The Best for Traffic?
"Hi Erik, You are a prince of a man and everything is now sorted out. I now have a better understanding of how this all unfolded. We're not upset at all now, and feel everything has worked out happily for all involved. Thank you for being a member -- we value you and hope you will continue. - Anita"Two Audiences: Add A New Section vs. Create A New Site
"Tom, this is a key issue we've faced time and again. In the past I confess we've not always made the right decision. For a small company with limited resources, it can be a huge drain to try to develop out multiple sites. We've learned the hard way to do it only when there's a compelling reason. For instance, in the case of Small Business Trends and BizSugar, they are two completely different types of sites. It makes sense to have separate brands. But it didn't make sense to have a different domain and different site for our Small Business Trends podcast and radio show - we should have had that underneath the main Small Business Trends site. The time and costs of updating designs, updating Wordpress and plugins, moderating comments on different blogs -- not to mention crafting good SEO and keeping content fresh -- are merely a drain. There are more negatives than positives in the podcast situation to having multiple sites vs. a section. - Anita "Moving On Up – My 2012 Adventures
"What an awesome New Year's reflection and resolutions post, Sian. We are so happy you are part of the BizSugar and Tweak Your Biz "family." Lots of great relationships have started and grown out of mere websites. It's because there are people who make up a vibrant website - people who care. - Anita"BizSugar, Mashable & Others Being Impersonated (by Affiliates)
"Hi Geno, Thanks for catching this! This is a problem for (1) merchants selling through affiliate programs, (2) affiliate managers, and (3) for Web publishers. My sites have been impersonated at least a couple dozen times that I am aware of. Another publisher once asked me "Why do you care? It's not really you - it's the problem of the company managing the affiliate program." But you see, it IS a problem for Web publishers. If you run a publishing company your good name may be dragged through the mud in connection with nefarious frauds. On top of that, it could cost you a lot of time to protect your business from a problem. Here's an example: a few years back we got a 1099-Misc income form from eBay, supposedly reporting sales made under its affiliate program. This would have been considered income that we needed to pay taxes on. Luckily for us it had all sorts of incorrect information so we were able to show that it had nothing to do with us. But not before we spent hours of time writing letters to eBay and to the IRS, essentially proving that it wasn't us. I wasted many hours. That did nothing to grow our business. But it was necessary to protect us from paying unnecessary taxes on income we did not earn. - Anita"BizSugar, Mashable & Others Being Impersonated (by Affiliates)
"Hi Martin, I'm not 100% sure, but here is what I suspect. First they set up fake affiliate accounts. Then they put the affiliate links on other sites, and push through a bunch of fraudulent clicks, perhaps using stolen credit cards. Then they hope to get a payment before they are found out, or before the credit cards are reported stolen. Or maybe it is even simpler: they are out of the country and can't get approved for an affiliate account directly, so they steal another site's identity. And they don't have to have U.S. taxes withheld. It's hard to fathom their devious thinking. All I know is, as the innocent site owner you are at risk. You have to spend time (I've put in many hours) just to protect your business or you could end up paying taxes on earnings you never made. It hurts enough to pay taxes you legitimately owe. The last thing you want is to pay taxes on something you never actually received! - Anita "Subscribe
Free eBook: Connecting With Your Customers, A Guide To Social Media
"Thanks for sharing, Niall!"