Review: iContentRobot

Today I took iContentRobot for a spin. This monthly membership was hyped a lot late today and given my interest in traffic and content I thought it was worth looking at. So let’s see what’s inside this “robot”. Unlike Web Traffic Machines, this system actually works. You just have to understand its limitations and decide if the price is worth it.

iContentRobot

iContentRobot bills itself as a content generation system that will generate unique content for each and every member that uses it. (Like many IM products sold recently, it’s a membership-based service with a monthly or annual charge. When ClickBank made recurring payments an option for publishers, it sure turned on the floodgates for this kind of service… though I should point out this product’s not sold through ClickBank.)

Unique content sure sounds good, but how is it done? They assure us it’s not done by combining snippets of text pulled from other sources. Nor is it rehashing existing articles or PLR.

Here’s the trick: iContentRobot is not a general-purppose content generator. It only works with a limited set of topics at any given time. This month there are 50 or so topics to choose from: credit card debt, wedding favors, easy weight loss, etc. Basically you log into the service, choose your topic, and it generates a unique article for you about that topic. Press a button and it will regenerate another article on the same topic.

So how does the content get created? My guess is that’s it’s actually a very simple system at its core. For any given topic they write one article. Then they write multiple variants of each sentence or phrase, probably a large number of variants. The variants are all written so that any version can be combined with any other version and be perfectly readable and understandable by a human. “Generating” an article is then done by randomly selecting variants. if the pool of variants is large enough, this should yield a “unique” article. This is all speculation on my part, but I’m pretty sure I’m write.

Let’s take a look at a couple of samples. Here’s one on credit card debt:

It was only a matter of time before the number of people experiencing credit card debt would increase; many families are now experiencing severe financial problems. With the debts rising, it is not surprising that individuals have started to realize the financial problem they have created by the constant and indiscriminate spending they have carried out. Before the situation goes too far, seek a credit card debt relief solution to the problem.

The first step is to stop using the cards altogether as continued use will just compound the problem and make it harder to resolve. The reluctance to make a decision can create further delays to obtaining credit card debt relief. There are various debt consolidation alternatives available but the three most common options are detailed below.

Obviously, the easiest way to proceed is to apply for a credit card with a low interest rate on balance transfers where the debt can be consolidated where repayments can be made regularly within a specified budget. Another method is to arrange a consolidation loan to relieve the debt, then paying just one amount which is easier and within a budget.

The only problem here is that the debtor must be determined enough to stick to the plan they have made until the end. Whilst arranging a new low interest rate card or loan to consolidate debts is the easiest option to take, it is also only available if the person’s credit rating is in tact.

Where credit card debt relief as an option fails, do not give up hope as the next step is a debt negotiation company. Debt relief companies usually have a good track record at this type of negotiation with the usual arrangement of around half the outstanding debt will have to be paid and any balance can be dropped.

The final option is bankruptcy which should not be taken lightly but if the debt is totally out of control and there is no way to escape from the debt trap then filing for bankruptcy may be the only way out. This is the last resort for a debtor because once they declare bankruptcy, their credit standing fails and it will be difficult to get further loans; however, the positive aspect of filing for bankruptcy is it enables a fresh start. Once your debts have been cleared, hopefully you will learn to be more responsible and not require debt relief from your credit cards ever again.

Now here’s the same topic again:

Credit card debt is beginning to cripple many people who are finding themselves with huge debts; the industry may be flourishing but the ease with which credit is given is causing financial distress to many. With the debts rising, it is not surprising that individuals have started to realize the financial problem they have created by the constant and indiscriminate spending they have carried out. It now remains for each individual to realize what a position they are in and find some way to obtain credit card debt relief.

The first thing to do before opting for financial help is to stop using the card all together because if this doesn’t happen it will be almost impossible to devise a debt relief plan. The reluctance to make a decision can create further delays to obtaining credit card debt relief. Of the options available, three in particular come to mind as the best ways to approach the debt consolidation problem.

Obviously, the easiest way to proceed is to apply for a credit card with a low interest rate on balance transfers where the debt can be consolidated where repayments can be made regularly within a specified budget. If this method is not available then a consolidation loan may be a debt relief answer where a number of debts can be replaced with just one at a lower monthly installment.

This option does require a certain level of commitment on the debtor’s part as once the debts are clear there must be no temptation to use them again. Debt consolidation does require that the debtor is still able to access credit and that they will have sufficient funds to repay the loan.

At this point, debt negotiation is one option available, provided you decide to make a lump sum payment and if the debtor lets a credit card debt relief company negotiate with the creditors on their behalf. The company can negotiate with the creditors to accept some money, generally about 50 percent of the outstanding balance and then write off the rest.

Bankruptcy should always be viewed as a last resort when all other options have been tried as there are serious consequences to this course of action. This is the last resort for a debtor because once they declare bankruptcy, their credit standing fails and it will be difficult to get further loans; however, the positive aspect of filing for bankruptcy is it enables a fresh start. However, the debtor must remember that opting for debt relief from their credit cards cannot become a regular feature and must be careful not to get into such a situation again.

Look closely and you’ll see what I mean.

So while this system produces “unique” articles, they’re still articles on the same topic. Useful if you want to submit articles to different article directories, not so useful if you’re trying to build a niche content site — it’d be silly to publish what is essentially the same article over and over again on the same site.

Note that you can’t resell the content in any way, so you can’t go and build PLR bundles or anything like that. You can use them on blogs, websites and article directories. It’ll be interesting to see how many of these articles show up on EzineArticles and other IM hotspots over the next month.

If you’re looking for unique content over a fixed set of niches, iContentRobot may be for you. Introductory pricing is $67/month.

Sponsored Link: PLRSiteBuilder is an easy way to create and maintain content-rich websites written by yours truly. Try it today!

Eric Giguere is the author of several printed books and knows a thing or two about content monetization. Subscribe to his AdSense blog today and never miss any of his insightful comments. And the not-so-insightful ones, for that matter.

March 25, 2008 | Filed Under AdSense | 9 Comments 

Serge Giguere: Winner of Governor General’s Award

Once in a while I make a post that has absolutely nothing to do with AdSense or Internet marketing. Today I’m happy to announce that one of my (many) uncles, Serge Giguere, is a recipient of the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts for 2008. This is a big deal — in Canada, the Governor General’s Awards are akin to the Pulitzer Prizes in the United States. Serge is a documentarist and cinematographer and he does all his work in French, of course, so it’s unlikely anyone here would have seen or heard of any of his films, but I thought it deserved a mention. The nomination for the award by a film critic is particularly interesting reading if you’re not familiar with Serge’s work. Congratulations to Serge!

Eric Giguere is the author of several printed books and knows a thing or two about content monetization. Subscribe to his AdSense blog today and never miss any of his insightful comments. And the not-so-insightful ones, for that matter.<

March 25, 2008 | Filed Under AdSense, General | 1 Comment 

The Wrong Kind of Traffic

Yesterday I mentioned that my fence had been hit, again. Here are some pictures to show you what I mean. The picture on the left was taken in December, 2004, and is featured on my Electronic Pet Fence Guide on the page describing what I had to do to repair our Invisible Fence system. The picture on the right is the latest crash. Both pictures feature my daughter making faces in the foreground, just to add the human touch…

Anyhow, on to the topic at hand…

Bad Traffic

Traffic is the lifeblood of any website. No traffic, no visitors.... No visitors, no clicks... No clicks, no AdSense earnings! I was reminded of this recently when my AdSense earnings dropped because I lost a lot of traffic.

The quest for traffic sometimes leads people to sign up for "traffic exchange" programs. AdSense publishers should be careful, however, when doing so. The AdSense program policies state:

These prohibited methods include but are not limited to repeated manual clicks or impressions, using robots, automated click and impression generating tools, third-party services that generate clicks or impressions such as paid-to-click, paid-to-surf, autosurf, and click-exchange programs, or any deceptive software. (emphasis added)

As you can see, Google doesn’t like “autosurf” type programs. And in general they don’t like low-quality, non-converting traffic sources, which is what these traffic exchanges end up being. If you use such programs, you stand a good chance of either getting smart priced (very likely) or else getting kicked out of AdSense altogether.

In other words, stick to the usual means of traffic generation:

You can also use legitimate paid sources of traffic like AdWords. Just stay away from the programs that “guarantee traffic” or compensate you for visiting other sites. It’s just not worth the risk.

PLRSiteBuilder Customers: If for some reason you’re not on my customer mailing list, you’re missing out on updates and such. I’ve started a blog for the product, but you also need to be on my list. Contact me for details.

Eric Giguere is the author of several printed books and knows a thing or two about content monetization. Subscribe to his AdSense blog today and never miss any of his insightful comments. And the not-so-insightful ones, for that matter.<

Keyword of the Day: forex, short for “foreign exchange currency trading”. Approximately 1700 searches per day.

March 24, 2008 | Filed Under AdSense | 6 Comments 

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