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Trips Away
Not much to report this week as far as the training is concerned. It’s been a slow week due to family issues taking priority. I missed out on posting last week because of this. As Dean Holland was saying in one of his recent training sessions, it’s OK to miss one week of blogging and maybe two, but anymore and you run the risk of falling completely off the rails.
I have a trip to Melbourne planned next week so may miss next week as well. My wife and I are visiting my 94-year-old mother-in-law, and my wife is concerned it may be the last time she gets to see her. We live at opposite ends of the country, so the visits are few and far between. She lives in a beautiful aged-care residence but unfortunately her dementia makes her forget where she is sometimes, and she thinks she’s in hospital and wants to go home. “Home” doesn’t exist anymore, well not in her possession anyway, as it had to be sold to be able to fund her aged-care stay.
Apart from the dementia, she is in reasonably good health but as time goes by her stubbornness gets more pronounced; refusing to eat or take her medication. Last time we visited, she was so happy. It really perked her up. Hopefully, it will have the same effect this time.
More TikTok Adventures
I was reading with great interest some advice from one of my fellow course students in the Affiliate System training regarding TikTok videos. The advice was to try to tell a story in your videos rather than just quoting vague stuff about affiliate marketing. To make it about something personal to you that you have experienced and has made a difference in your life or affected you personally.
To that end I decided to make one about an encounter my wife had with an online scammer. To avoid potential repercussions, I changed the subject of the scam to be my friend’s wife (no names of course). I’ll tell the story again here if you’ll indulge me.
It started out quite innocently. My wife likes to make contact with people on the internet just to make friends and enjoys conversing with folks with different backgrounds and stories. One day, she accepted a friend request from a gentleman who said he was a US marine on deployment in a middle eastern country.
They got chatting and he revealed that he was a single father with a young son back in the States. After a while he told her that while on deployment, they had no access to their bank accounts, etc. Alarm bells start ringing at this point. Then he starts asking if she would be so kind as to send him some money as his son’s birthday was coming up and he wanted to send him a present. She refused and accused him of being a scammer. She also threatened to report him to the police and to block him.
At this point, it got nasty; he came back with blackmail. He said he had hacked her Google account and had access to her photos. He would post nude, photoshopped images of her to all her contacts unless she paid him $100 US in iTunes vouchers. She ignored him and a day later the threats got even more outrageous. This time it was a threat to print up flyers of these photos and to physically post them to all our neighbours.
Needless to say, she called his bluff and got him blocked. If you Google “US Marine scams”, it would appear that this type of behaviour is very common. Usually, nasty people stealing the identities of servicemen and women and sucking in unsuspecting members of the public.
I posted the video and waited for it to go viral. Boy, was I disappointed. 10 views, then 15, then 20. I tried changing the hook wording to something more attention grabbing. 25, 30 views. OK, so obviously no one cares about this particular subject. Oh well, back to the drawing board.
Growing Followers
On a positive note, my followers seem to be growing without me doing too much. I struggled initially to get the first 50 or so and crawled my way up to 100. From then I was getting 50 plus a day and as I write this, suddenly it’s up to 400. I have been a bit slow in adding new videos; life keeps getting in the way.
Well, I have only a few hours before I must get up an be on my travels.
I hope you have gained something out of this. Let me know in the comments.
Until next time,
Take care.
Hi Andy,
Great post! You would think with all the scams out there that video would get more traction. It is a work in progress, that TikTok 🙂 but looks like you’re doing great, I mean 400 followers is awesome! Keep it up!
Denny
Have fun on your travels, even though it does sound an emotional time for you and your wife. 94 is a fabulous age, she’s been very privileged. Enjoy every minute with her.
I’m sorry to hear about the scam. That can be really daunting and frightening. It makes me so angry that there are scammers out there. Luckily you were able to see the signs but some people don’t.
Well done with your Tiltok videos. Definitely keep going. It sounds like it’s on the up- and remember it’s quality over quantity.
Hi Andy, enjoy every moment with your mother in law. This enjoyment should also be aligned with every other part of life, as well!
Those scammers are frightening. That one was particularly toxic. Odd no interest was shown for the topic on TikTok! This kind of thing happens every day, I guess.
Hi, Andy!
I’m glad your TikTok following is growing! It’s so encouraging the method is working even though you’ve had other things going on.
I wish you the best of luck on your trip to see your mother-in-law. Hug her tight! Be sure to shoot a video. If you can hear and capture her say she loves you or hear her laugh or smile, it will be very special in the future. I know what this is like; my thoughts will be with your family.
Nakina
Hi Andy,
That’s so nice that you are going to see your mother-in-law. Those are special times. I’m sure she will be thrilled… I’m sorry you’re having a hard time getting followers on TikTok. It sounds like it just started to pick up which is wonderful! Just hang in there. Dean always says it will take time and dedication. It’s a shame how many scammers there are out there. I just told my 81-year-old mother the other day she got her Facebook account hacked. I told her to change her password. It’s horrible how these scammers target older people too. Well, I’m glad your following is looking up for you. Keep up the good work.
Meredith
You know what they say—try and try again. Making videos is a hit-or-miss thing sometimes. What you think would be an excellent idea for a video might just not be others’ cup of tea. Too many people cannot relate to being scammed, even though it happens everywhere. If it doesn’t affect them personally, people disregard it. Sad but true.
Andy,
It is nice you are going to visit your mother-in-law. And I hope she is just as happy to see you. Family is important and with that being said we must keep our priorities. Keep up with the blogging, and do not get out the habit. Good job on the growing of followers on TikTok. I think I will be ecstatic when I hit 100! I am still trying to find the video that works the best.
Sherri
Andy,
It’s smart to personalize your content, and sharing personal experiences can definitely resonate with viewers. It’s unfortunate that your video didn’t gain the traction you hoped for, but the growth in your followers is a positive sign. Keep experimenting with different topics and approaches, and I’m sure you’ll find what clicks with your audience!
I hope you have a great trip and visit with family.
CJ
Andy, It sounds like you’ve had a challenging week with family matters taking precedence, but your dedication to sharing your experiences is admirable. Your trip to Melbourne to visit your mother-in-law shows how important family is to you, especially during difficult times. The TikTok adventure about your wife’s encounter with an online scammer is both intriguing and cautionary, highlighting the importance of vigilance online. It’s great to hear that despite life’s obstacles, your follower count is steadily growing. Take care on your travels, and thank you for sharing your journey with us. Thanks, Atif