I guess I’ve been a little out of it over the past week or so, because I somehow missed the saga that unfolded on twitter.com and digg.com when Matt Bacak, Internet Marketer, wrote a press release about his success on gaining twitter subscribers that received a scathing backlash from the public. Now, I’ve know Matt for a year or so and I know his style of tactically informing his audiences of his successes as a strategy to gain credibility, and thus, gain their business. So it didn’t surprise me to hear about this release and I even thought the backlash may have been one of his bag of tricks. I quickly found out…it wasn’t.

People were irate over his blatant self-promotion and went as far as to call him some pretty awful names. Since the onslaught of bad publicity, Matt has really done a good job of owning up to a poor choice and actually helping others by teaching us a valuable lesson.

I listened to his conversation with Twitter expert Warren Whitlock (http://blogtalkradio.com/warren) and he opened up about the ordeal and how much it has impacted him personally. He has since changed his approach to social marketing by participating and engaging with his audience instead of simply trying to maximize his followers.

And I thank Matt for his candor and willingness to open up and look vulnerable to help others not make the same mistakes. As I said to my wife, it was definitely a great reminder for me.

As a marketer, it’s in my DNA to promote and sell. But by simply listening to that side of my brain, I could fall victim to the same disease that tarnished Matt’s reputation. It’s not about selling books or selling products. That’s not why I got into this business and that’s not why I wrote the book. The mission is to connect with people and help them achieve their Internet marketing goals. It’s that simple.

Add value first, add value second, sell down the road.

It’s been that way long before the Internet and will continue to be that way as we evolve through this online revolution.

I recommit to you that I will stay true to my original mission and keep providing as much value as these not-so-fast fingers can type. And I know, if I falter, there are plenty of people who will be quick to let me know. That’s the new world we live in and that’s the world we chose.

In case this is my last post before the end of the year, Happy Holidays to you all and I can’t wait to connect with you in 2009!

all the best,

corey perlman