Sherb
Ban reason = Abuse of Mods
- Dec 26, 2010
- 1,968
- 18,139
Hey there. I'm Sherb, and I'm going to be your guide to surviving and thriving on Black Hat World. You may have seen me around.
Why me? I'd consider myself one of the most applicable to have seen all sides of the coin outside moderation.
I have lurked around this forum since late 2007, and since mid 2015 have been a regularly (and heavily) contributing member.
I've walked lines, been infracted many times, been an immature moron, been in unnecessary spats with many a member, argued with mods (and even Damien), been involved in quite a few large-scale on and off-site drama-fests, and have said some stupid shit over the years.
However, I have also donated hundreds of hours of time to creating solid threads, donated hundreds of dollars to buy Jr. VIP for quite a few members, ran the second Jr. Executive VIP Hunger Games, assist new members whenever time allows, and provided significant value to the board in the past three years.
Most importantly, I have made tons of contacts and connections in my time here, and have leveraged those and threads on this site to earn well over a quarter million dollars in income from internet marketing tactics and growing.
So without any further horn-tooting, let's dive in. Grab some coffee.
IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER
There's a good number of meaningful rules on Black Hat World. These rules govern conduct and serve as guidelines for how moderation keeps things neat and tidy on-site. Of all the rules and reminders, these are the ones that I have gleamed to be the most important:
Treat others the way you'd like to be treated. Quick and simple. While Black Hat World provides some anonymity to its users, you are never truly anonymous. Don't be rude to other members. Remember, even if they pul the first punch, they are humans, too. And we are all working towards the same goal, regardless of how we choose to get there.
Again, I was a massive jerk to many a member in the past few years. Some of these spats have turned into multi-page back and forth conversations with no real resolution. As it turns out, it's far easier to bury the hatchet and let bygones be bygones.
Want to extend an olive branch, but don't want to seem like a pansy about it? Like a few of their useful posts. This shows that you care about what they have to say, and agree with the content. Wait a few weeks, then shoot them a message to strike up a conversation.
It's not being a little bitch. It's being an adult. If you can't manage that, then either ignore the person offending you, learn to deal with your emotions, or log out.
It's rarely worth the fight or the effort expended to try and prove yourself right. Leave people the fuck alone, we are all just ugly idiots on the Internet.
SELLERS: HOW TO AVOID THE SHITLIST
I've written one million words in the past calendar year for projects of my own and content for BHW members.
I have always strived to ensure that no customer is left unsatisfied. Anyone who is, if we are unable to come to an amicable solution, I refund their money. Nobody wants to be publicly called out for their bad customer service.
I'll grab this from my post in the Stuna thread:
So many shitlists can be alleviated with fixing these three problems:
The last two we learned when we were children. It should not be this difficult. Language barriers should never be an excuse, either. If you can't communicate in a language properly, you shouldn't sell in that language. See "garbage communication skills".
FINDING MARKETPLACE SERVICES THAT DON'T SUCK
I've bought a lot of services on BHW over the past few years. A lot. I've also read a ton of sales thread, reviewed a ridiculous number of service offerings, and written quite a few threads for sellers.
Most of the services on this site are low quality. The longer a thread goes without moderator review, the lower the quality gets. Call it complacency. Even the low quality services beat the hell out of the Fiverr alternatives, though. The trick is finding the diamonds in the rough. Here are a few trends that I have noticed:
Again, this is just what I have personally noticed. There are obviously going to be exceptions to the above. After all, the only thing it takes to get in the Marketplace is $130, not having active infractions, and passing a moderator review.
Simply put, the Black Hat World marketplace is a jungle, and there isn't a map to guide you through. Much like cryptocurrency, don't spend what you can't afford to lose.
JR. VIP: IS IT WORTH IT?
Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. You should buy Jr. VIP right now.
Even if only from a monetary standpoint. New Jr. VIP members can easily get $10 per line per month for their signature space, or $30 per month for a banner ad. It costs you $100 or so a year to get the blue name. You get $360 back, minimum, for doing the above.
I know some very active members who get a few hundred dollars a month for their signature space. There was once a time when I would get $200 a month. And I don't post a ton.
In addition to the monetary aspect, you are able to respond to Hire a Freelancer threads that relate to your area of expertise, potentially compounding income. Also, you can create sales threads, where you can provide your product or service to members in exchange for currency.
There is also the Jr. VIP section of the forum. While it is nowhere near as active as the public section, there are some impressive threads that provide significant value to members.
COMMON QUESTIONS/COMPLAINTS AND RESOLUTIONS
Is BHW dying?
While post quantity may be decreasing and traffic may be slowing, this is still the most active Internet marketing board online. Black Hat World has gone through several pivots and iterations of members, and is constantly changing direction as to what the newest "hot topic" is.
Why hasn't support contacted me back yet? Should I make a thread?
No. They will get back to you when they can. There's a lot of requests that filter through constantly, and not a lot of people managing the support emails when they come in. Deal with it.
Why is there not a section about [blank]?
Because there isn't enough demand. Dead forum sections serve no purpose other than to clutter everything up. It takes a significant number of threads in a short time frame to be considered worthy.
Why is [member] sheltered by moderation?
They aren't. Maybe that is your perception because you are being an asshole to them and received some form of punishment as a result. The mods and admins tend to follow the rules they set forth. However, they are only human. Again, deal with it.
Was Black Hat World hacked a few years ago?
Damien has stated on a few occasions that, if you are able to use the hacked database and log into his account, do so and you can have it. On a related note, set up two-factor authentication if you haven't done so yet.
SHERB'S NUGGETS OF WISDOM
Many of the most successful members of the site are regular members with low post counts. Being a Jr. VIP doesn't mean you are successful and should be praised, it just means you had $97. Posts and like counts are not correlated with life and IM experience.
You are not special. Nobody gives a fuck about you. You don't get special privileges. Treat everyone with respect, get the unearned entitlement out of your backpack, and be nice to one another. Again, we are all striving towards a common goal, and all pray to the same Holy Profit.
The moderators and admins of this site work in the best interest of the site itself. While they serve the members of the community by providing direction, organization, and moderation, their duties are to ensure that the website, and thusly the business, run smoothly. However, they are people, and are surprisingly reasonable. They also tend to have some solid experience, and a lot of good information can be gleamed from them. Respect them.
Don't use the search function that exists inside the website. It sucks. Harsh, but true. Go to Google and use "site:blackhatworld.com [TERM]" instead. The only downside is that it doesn't work for sections of the forum that aren't indexed.
Stay out of the Cryptocurrency section. There's not much in there of quality that hasn't been posted by a select few knowledgeable members. It's a good way to lose money, make stupid choices, and have to deal with retards telling you that it's a bubble.
Before you hit "post", read what you wrote out loud. Does it make sense? Does it provide value? If not, don't post it. There's a reason I have a high like to post ratio, and it's not just because I post a lot in the Lounge. Quality over quantity.
Some of the best threads on this website are in the smaller, less visited sections. Check out the ORM section, Journeys, Local SEO, and more. You'll be surprised what you find outside of Making Money, Black Hat SEO, and Social Media.
Like a lot of other people's shit. It gives them a little endorphin feel-good, and you're likely to get that reciprocated. What's better than imaginary Internet points, right?
That's all I have for now. As always, I've got a ton of tasks on my to-do list. Just thought I'd drop a knowledge bomb on your asses before I stepped away to have a productive 4th of July here in sunny Florida. Ciao.
-S
Why me? I'd consider myself one of the most applicable to have seen all sides of the coin outside moderation.
I have lurked around this forum since late 2007, and since mid 2015 have been a regularly (and heavily) contributing member.
I've walked lines, been infracted many times, been an immature moron, been in unnecessary spats with many a member, argued with mods (and even Damien), been involved in quite a few large-scale on and off-site drama-fests, and have said some stupid shit over the years.
However, I have also donated hundreds of hours of time to creating solid threads, donated hundreds of dollars to buy Jr. VIP for quite a few members, ran the second Jr. Executive VIP Hunger Games, assist new members whenever time allows, and provided significant value to the board in the past three years.
Most importantly, I have made tons of contacts and connections in my time here, and have leveraged those and threads on this site to earn well over a quarter million dollars in income from internet marketing tactics and growing.
So without any further horn-tooting, let's dive in. Grab some coffee.
IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER
There's a good number of meaningful rules on Black Hat World. These rules govern conduct and serve as guidelines for how moderation keeps things neat and tidy on-site. Of all the rules and reminders, these are the ones that I have gleamed to be the most important:
- Do not spam. There are buttons at the bottom of each post. Hit thanks if you appreciate something, nobody wants to hear it. Hit report if you see something that needs reporting, nobody wants to hear it.
- Not a Jr. VIP? Don't try and sell services. Regular members cannot respond to Hire a Freelancer threads. The last time I made one, I had quite a few who did anyway. It seems like a common theme. Don't do it. If you can't cough up $97, try getting a real job to sustain yourself.
- Don't abuse the mods. The in-house staff is small, especially compared to the volume of traffic and posts this site receives. They work hard to keep the house clean. Don't shit on their floors. The other mods are volunteers. They are unpaid laborers who don't have to put up with our shit, but do so anyway. Be thankful, and don't be a dick.
- Black Hat World is not a democracy. There is no freedom of speech. There is no due process. There never has been and never will be. This is a business, and it is run like one. Get over it.
- Don't discuss off-limits topics. This includes politics, religion, cookie stuffing, e-whoring, Craigslist, whether or not Eliot is a fed, Have I Been Pwned, hacking, carding, animal avatars, why your BST isn't approved yet, why a member was banned, things that can be construed as sexist or racist, and more.
- And most importantly:
Treat others the way you'd like to be treated. Quick and simple. While Black Hat World provides some anonymity to its users, you are never truly anonymous. Don't be rude to other members. Remember, even if they pul the first punch, they are humans, too. And we are all working towards the same goal, regardless of how we choose to get there.
Again, I was a massive jerk to many a member in the past few years. Some of these spats have turned into multi-page back and forth conversations with no real resolution. As it turns out, it's far easier to bury the hatchet and let bygones be bygones.
Want to extend an olive branch, but don't want to seem like a pansy about it? Like a few of their useful posts. This shows that you care about what they have to say, and agree with the content. Wait a few weeks, then shoot them a message to strike up a conversation.
It's not being a little bitch. It's being an adult. If you can't manage that, then either ignore the person offending you, learn to deal with your emotions, or log out.
It's rarely worth the fight or the effort expended to try and prove yourself right. Leave people the fuck alone, we are all just ugly idiots on the Internet.
SELLERS: HOW TO AVOID THE SHITLIST
I've written one million words in the past calendar year for projects of my own and content for BHW members.
I have always strived to ensure that no customer is left unsatisfied. Anyone who is, if we are unable to come to an amicable solution, I refund their money. Nobody wants to be publicly called out for their bad customer service.
I'll grab this from my post in the Stuna thread:
So many shitlists can be alleviated with fixing these three problems:
- Garbage communication skills: Be fucking nice. Plain and simple.
- Unnecessary arrogance: Your products or services are rarely perfect. Your customer has likely already paid you, now the burden falls upon the service provider to meet their needs.
- Unclear requirements gathering: It's important to realize that, if your customer is unsatisfied with a finished product, the fault is in most cases your own for not getting clear enough instructions.
The last two we learned when we were children. It should not be this difficult. Language barriers should never be an excuse, either. If you can't communicate in a language properly, you shouldn't sell in that language. See "garbage communication skills".
FINDING MARKETPLACE SERVICES THAT DON'T SUCK
I've bought a lot of services on BHW over the past few years. A lot. I've also read a ton of sales thread, reviewed a ridiculous number of service offerings, and written quite a few threads for sellers.
Most of the services on this site are low quality. The longer a thread goes without moderator review, the lower the quality gets. Call it complacency. Even the low quality services beat the hell out of the Fiverr alternatives, though. The trick is finding the diamonds in the rough. Here are a few trends that I have noticed:
- Does the owner of the sales thread seem to not respond promptly to questions and concerns? Stay away from that service.
- Does the owner of the sales thread bump their service every 72 hours by quoting dozens and dozens of members, cannibalizing 90% of the space on their thread? Stay away from that service.
- Is the service an SMM panel where the service provider seems to have trouble formulating a full sentence? Stay away from that service.
- Does the thread owner constantly try and navigate people off Black Hat World and onto Skype? Stay away from that service.
- Is the sales thread branded with a pop culture figure? Stay away from that service.
- Is almost every response in the sales thread "samples please" or "order placed"? Stay away from that service.
- Do you have to scroll for a mile to get to the end of their infographic? Stay away from that service.
- Does the thread owner never post outside their BST thread(s), and provide no additional value to the website? Stay away from that service.
Again, this is just what I have personally noticed. There are obviously going to be exceptions to the above. After all, the only thing it takes to get in the Marketplace is $130, not having active infractions, and passing a moderator review.
Simply put, the Black Hat World marketplace is a jungle, and there isn't a map to guide you through. Much like cryptocurrency, don't spend what you can't afford to lose.
JR. VIP: IS IT WORTH IT?
Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. You should buy Jr. VIP right now.
Even if only from a monetary standpoint. New Jr. VIP members can easily get $10 per line per month for their signature space, or $30 per month for a banner ad. It costs you $100 or so a year to get the blue name. You get $360 back, minimum, for doing the above.
I know some very active members who get a few hundred dollars a month for their signature space. There was once a time when I would get $200 a month. And I don't post a ton.
In addition to the monetary aspect, you are able to respond to Hire a Freelancer threads that relate to your area of expertise, potentially compounding income. Also, you can create sales threads, where you can provide your product or service to members in exchange for currency.
There is also the Jr. VIP section of the forum. While it is nowhere near as active as the public section, there are some impressive threads that provide significant value to members.
COMMON QUESTIONS/COMPLAINTS AND RESOLUTIONS
Is BHW dying?
While post quantity may be decreasing and traffic may be slowing, this is still the most active Internet marketing board online. Black Hat World has gone through several pivots and iterations of members, and is constantly changing direction as to what the newest "hot topic" is.
Why hasn't support contacted me back yet? Should I make a thread?
No. They will get back to you when they can. There's a lot of requests that filter through constantly, and not a lot of people managing the support emails when they come in. Deal with it.
Why is there not a section about [blank]?
Because there isn't enough demand. Dead forum sections serve no purpose other than to clutter everything up. It takes a significant number of threads in a short time frame to be considered worthy.
Why is [member] sheltered by moderation?
They aren't. Maybe that is your perception because you are being an asshole to them and received some form of punishment as a result. The mods and admins tend to follow the rules they set forth. However, they are only human. Again, deal with it.
Was Black Hat World hacked a few years ago?
Damien has stated on a few occasions that, if you are able to use the hacked database and log into his account, do so and you can have it. On a related note, set up two-factor authentication if you haven't done so yet.
SHERB'S NUGGETS OF WISDOM
Many of the most successful members of the site are regular members with low post counts. Being a Jr. VIP doesn't mean you are successful and should be praised, it just means you had $97. Posts and like counts are not correlated with life and IM experience.
You are not special. Nobody gives a fuck about you. You don't get special privileges. Treat everyone with respect, get the unearned entitlement out of your backpack, and be nice to one another. Again, we are all striving towards a common goal, and all pray to the same Holy Profit.
The moderators and admins of this site work in the best interest of the site itself. While they serve the members of the community by providing direction, organization, and moderation, their duties are to ensure that the website, and thusly the business, run smoothly. However, they are people, and are surprisingly reasonable. They also tend to have some solid experience, and a lot of good information can be gleamed from them. Respect them.
Don't use the search function that exists inside the website. It sucks. Harsh, but true. Go to Google and use "site:blackhatworld.com [TERM]" instead. The only downside is that it doesn't work for sections of the forum that aren't indexed.
Stay out of the Cryptocurrency section. There's not much in there of quality that hasn't been posted by a select few knowledgeable members. It's a good way to lose money, make stupid choices, and have to deal with retards telling you that it's a bubble.
Before you hit "post", read what you wrote out loud. Does it make sense? Does it provide value? If not, don't post it. There's a reason I have a high like to post ratio, and it's not just because I post a lot in the Lounge. Quality over quantity.
Some of the best threads on this website are in the smaller, less visited sections. Check out the ORM section, Journeys, Local SEO, and more. You'll be surprised what you find outside of Making Money, Black Hat SEO, and Social Media.
Like a lot of other people's shit. It gives them a little endorphin feel-good, and you're likely to get that reciprocated. What's better than imaginary Internet points, right?
That's all I have for now. As always, I've got a ton of tasks on my to-do list. Just thought I'd drop a knowledge bomb on your asses before I stepped away to have a productive 4th of July here in sunny Florida. Ciao.
-S
