Seems I’m ranting a lot these days, and a little more opinionated than the norm. Perhaps it’s my broken back, which is killing me, that’s making me more sensitive or irritable. I don’t know.

But something someone recently said in my copywriters forum irritated me. And it’s not what this person said specifically, but the mindset behind it that’s bothering me.

In a thread about an Internet marketer who was recently arrested (yes, it had something to do with forced continuity, but it had more to do with refusing refunds and avoiding customers than it had to do with forced continuity itself), one member said:

“There is NO such thing as an honest business man. (…) Ask any accountant.”

Now, I have no clue as to why this person said this. And my opinion here is not about this person specifically. Again, it’s about the thinking process that some people have when they make such assertions.

Personally, I believe this view of business people is skewed, off, and wrong. It’s destructive, too.

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Facebook is growing by leaps and bounds. If you don’t know what Facebook is, it’s a social networking site much like MySpace, but with a lot more control, flexibility, and verstility. (Check out my profile.)

But after testing it for a while, I’ve concluded that it’s not a viable marketing tool. At least, not for me. There are two reasons why using Web 2.0 social-driven sites to make money (or to drive targeted traffic) is not viable.

First, and more importantly, it’s labor-intensive. It’s a full-time affair.

I don’t pretend to be a social marketing expert by any stretch. And I’m sure that, if you are a social site junkie, you can find some pretty creative ways for using them to generate massive amounts of traffic. Some already have.

But for me, my business, and my specific target market, and like many social networking sites out there, it’s a waste of time. So if you’re not prepared on working it extensively and religiously, then I discommend it.

However, nothing stops you from outsourcing the legwork, if you’re so inclined. But there’s another good reason why I don’t recommend it…

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What’s the single, most important element in copywriting?

Let me say it another way.

You’ve done your research. You found a starving market. Your product fills a need. And your sales copy shines with benefits. If everything is so perfect, then why is your product still NOT selling? Is it the price? The offer? The competition?

Maybe. But not necessarily.

The fact is, these things are not always to blame for being unable to sell an in-demand product, even with great copy. In my experience, I believe it has more to do with one thing:

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