Anyone using YouTube for their marketing needs to read this post!
I had no idea how easy it is to become a victim and how quickly you can lose every bit of work you pour into video marketing with YouTube because of ignorant cyberbullies…
Here’s my unfortunate story.
Today I woke up to a couple of new comments on my YouTube channel and on a couple of my videos. When I logged in to read them and reply (I like to engage my video viewers by answering any questions they leave or respond to their comments and feedback) I noticed that they were hurtful, rude remarks instead of real feedback.
Like a sucker, I went in and had a look at the people behind it. I quickly realized that I was not the only victim of their hatred. There were multiple people in the home based business industry who had responded (some not so nicely themselves) to what these guys had to say on their videos and channels.
They each had only 1 or 2 videos on their profiles. Each bashing and threatening scam artists, how they were going to expose them, their money making schemes and get them banned from the community.
The real topper to all of this was they did all of this ranting from behind paper bag masks or scarves and hats pulled down over their faces!
Stupidly, I attempted to start a conversation with them about their opinions and their misconceptions. I told them to take off the masks that they were hiding behind, become the heroes of the community instead of the villains by making content and posting comments that actually helped people avoid scams instead of just accusing anyone in the home business industry of wrong doing.
What I got in return was a barrage of angry, hurtful replies about being a ‘sissy boy’ (more proof they had never watched my videos), pokes at my ‘boy haircut’ (when they did learn I was of the female persuasion) and other hateful things that I really shouldn’t repeat in case your kids are in the room and are reading this over your shoulder.
They continued to threaten me with promises of getting my account banned and how they had proof of my scamming activities. When I asked them to show me the ‘proof’ they had, they insulted me some more on my channel, went into my videos, commented with ‘spam’ or ‘scammer’ and then flagged them for violations against Youtube’s Terms and Conditions (a word, by the way, that one of them couldn’t even spell!)
In a matter of minutes, my account was blocked and I was unable to access it.
It was that simple. 2 jerks, a few comments and a couple of clicks of the flag icon was all it took.
All of the work and effort of the past 9 months is gone. And whether or not YouTube will see that I was being bullied and reinstate my account I don’t know. Even if they do, how long will it be before it will be back up?
So, the moral of this story is, just like the school yard bullies your mother or father warned you about and told you to ‘just walk away from’ or ‘ignore’, Cyberbullies are exactly the same!
Here is the right way to handle a cyberbully…
Flag their comments as spam, delete them from your channel and your videos and block the user from watching or commenting on your YouTube activities.
That is your only option and the only means of online protection you have.
Have you been cyberbullied yourself? How do you protect yourself and your accounts? I’d love to hear what you have to say. Leave a reply below.
Be safe out there!
Cheers!
Erica
PS – I will let you all know what happens with the account and the response I get back from YouTube to my request to have my account reinstated.
Oh and for now, if you click on a video link on this site and it doesn’t show, it was linked to my YouTube account. I promise to have them back soon though. With or without YouTube!
May 7, 2010 at 8:00 am
Geeezzz, what’s the world come to?
I, perhaps fortunately, haven’t been one for developing a video marketing campaign on You Tube. But I WAS just about to start!
So, Erica…in a way, your experience has a positive side to it, in that you are now able to warn others, like me, of the potential pitfalls associated with video marketing. I’m sure it also won’t be very long & you will have another video hosting solution to share with us, that will not involve “public hosts”.
I thank you for sharing this with us, & wish you sustained success in your online business.
Have an inspired day!
Michael
May 7, 2010 at 8:54 am
Hi Erica
So sorry to hear about your misadventure. If it’s of any comfort, I saw their videos and they look like future Darwin award candidates.
They are likely going to do something so colossally stupid we just may read about it in the paper.
-iVan from BN
May 7, 2010 at 9:09 am
Thanks for the laugh iVan- I needed it!
May 7, 2010 at 9:11 am
Hey Michael – I really hope so. I can’t believe I was sucked into their little game but hopefully others will learn from my very dumb mistake and protect themselves from mlm haters like these 2 idiots.
May 8, 2010 at 1:50 am
Kenny & Erica what a disgusting thing to do to! It’s cyber-jerks like this one that need to be taken off the internet.
I wish they could just go back to their mom’s basement, play video games and eat hot pockets and leave the rest of us alone.
Obviously this person has never read anything on your blog or watched any of your vids. you keep it up girl. You’ve got plenty of support from us!!!
May 8, 2010 at 11:31 pm
hey erica, the world is filled with complete douche bags like these guys. perhaps you should add a new vid to your “douche bag” series!
http://videos.wittysparks.com/id/3506373319/
love your stuff guys! and thanks for the great info. please keep it coming. don’t let a couple cyber douches blow it for the rest of us.
May 11, 2010 at 4:41 pm
Erica, These Morons will get theirs in the end! Anyone who has ever watched your videos knows the quality and value you provide! Keep up the good work!
Joseph McDevitt
May 12, 2010 at 9:14 am
they’ve Never been in any type of opportunity, they even call mlm illegal and only started flagging videos becuase they saw cash gifting videos show up in searches for music videos. they have No credibilty at all and no life outside of youtube
May 12, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Erica,
I have had over 800 videos removed from these clowns. My income and traffic to my blog have dropped significantly! They even picked up the phone one night and called my house. They told my wife she was a F*%$#@* Whore and said the reason they closed my account was that I was promising people they would make thousands of dollars if they joined my programs, which by the way is completely false. As a matter of fact, I have lost many sales because I told people they would fail in ANY business if they never learned online marketing.
YouTube is the biggest coward of all and does NOTHING to these cyber cooks! Shame on You Tube!
To post videos go to: http://www.icommercial.tv This video site was created because of the nonsense on YouTube and is specifically for online marketing. Best of luck!
Brad Kamanski
May 12, 2010 at 2:02 pm
Hey Brad thanks for sharing your story. What a terrible shame there are idiots out there that have to ruin everything! Thanks for the heads up on the other site. Keep on keepin’ on! Cheers! Erica
May 12, 2010 at 2:05 pm
Hey John, I am sure you’re right. Either they have never been in one or failed miserably and figured everyone is out to get them. Sad. I wanted to yell “Get A Life” down my broadband connection but that would have fallen on deaf ears too. Thanks for your support! Cheers! Erica
May 12, 2010 at 9:57 pm
i can’t believe that youtube will allow sh!theads like that guy to destroy something you’ve worked so hard at. Helping other with killer content and suuuuper informative vids is commendable.
youtube should be singing your praises erica and brad. you’ve actually putting something worthwhile on their site. idiots.
thanks for a great blog. we’ll keep finding ways to get info from you. you are a true star.
thanks again for all your help.
May 12, 2010 at 9:58 pm
gutless punks. youtube should purge themselves of trash like these jokers. your vids will definitely be missed.
they’ve taken “douchebag” to a whole new level. they will get theirs eventually.
keep up the good fight Erica!
May 15, 2010 at 3:23 pm
I am sorry to hear that you’ve been victimized by these low-lives. All bullies in general are as we all know it. And YouTube has plenty of ‘em… not just ones against MLM or Home Business owners, but toward ANY category. No matter how good, minding-your-own-business your videos are, there are always the few who feel the NEED to criticize others to make themselves feel better. They go from racism all the way to just pure hatred simply for a difference in interests. They act like pre-teens (if they aren’t themselves) trying to fit in school gangs… and I can bet you 8 out of 10 of them dare not (ever) act the way they do on YouTube in real life.
I hope your account get’s reinstated in a timely matter. They’re probably just tied with other similar cases too, I wouldn’t be surprised.
May 23, 2010 at 3:53 pm
pricks…excuse my french erica, but there is simple no other way to describe these guys. they’re prinks.
May 23, 2010 at 7:58 pm
Can’t believe youtubes will let peoples do such things. They need to make them stop!!! Very Very Soon!
May 24, 2010 at 11:47 pm
human debris. thats what these sons of bitches are! human debris.
Minor set back Kenny and Erica! Don’t let this scum of the earth get you down.
May 25, 2010 at 1:42 pm
This is terible, Erica. Keep your head up. Don’t let losers like these get you down. You have a solid team of us loyal followers. and we will find your videos – honey, you are ALL OVER THE WEB!!!
Thanks for all the help. Keep that infor coming.
May 26, 2010 at 1:59 am
I think pricks and douchebags are a bit tame. how about c**ts!
Did I just say that?!?!?!?!?
Sorry you had to go thru this E. It’s a tragedy that scum like this is allowed on the web. they should stick to playing video games in their mothers’ basements!
May 27, 2010 at 11:06 am
These guys are perfect candidates for your network marketing douchebag series!!! think they should do the world a favor and try plastic bags over their heads next time.
People like them are a waste of oxygen. Keep pumping out the good info sister! We love you. xx
May 28, 2010 at 10:12 am
I think youtube is the problem. They need to police ignorant asses like these. They also need a better system. If one person flags a post as spam they take your vids off. youtube is the joke. I stop posting there at all. unless i got some good footage of someone getting kicked in the nutz.
sorry to hear about your misfortune Erica. It’s a real shame. But it’s cool. we can still catch your vids on other sites. thanks for doin’ what you do!
June 2, 2010 at 12:49 am
We support you right Erica. You have a right to post whatever you want on youtube! YT is the real problem here for letting these idiots run amuck on their site.
you must never let anyone like these losers bring you down. Keep it up!
July 3, 2010 at 8:19 pm
Thank you for taking the time to write about this. My friend has been a victim of this on several occasions. When will youtube open their eyes and realize there is a serious problem!
thanks again for this post. Your blog is brilliant. Keep it up guys.
July 11, 2010 at 5:00 am
I’ve been a victim of this at least 3 times! they call themselves Internet Terrorists, or “trolls” now. I dont understand.. its like a bunch of teenagers who’s parents neglected them! All i could do was submit counter notifications, and just sit back and wait… and hope! eventually my issues were resolved.. and its happening AGAIN! false copyright claims! youtube really needs a better system for this! what else can we do besides block and remove spam, because even after doing that, I still had my videos taken down falsely!
July 15, 2010 at 8:47 am
Hi Erica
Thanks for sharing this with everyone. It is amazing how some people tick! Most people in the world are good people but it only takes people like this. Don’t let them get to you. Goon on you also for sharing.
Sue
Sue Price recently posted..The Importance of Residual Income
July 15, 2010 at 8:48 am
Hi Erica,
thanks for sharing your story and warning us. I used to have inappropriate comments too and I flagged them and blocked them immediately without engaging myself into a conversation with them.
Take care
Oliver
Oliver Tausend recently posted..Thanks for Recognition as “Great Direct Sales and Network Marketing Blog”
July 15, 2010 at 10:50 am
You were smart Oliver! I wished that I did the same. All the best and stay safe out there. Cheers! Erica
July 15, 2010 at 10:52 am
Thanks for the encouragement Sue. Hopefully more people will be able to avoid what I didn’t. Thanks for stopping by! Cheers! Erica
July 15, 2010 at 7:50 pm
Erica, I am so sorry that happened to you. Thanks for sharing you story with us. Hopefully this info will help prevent this from happening to anyone else.
Jon Ochs recently posted..The Often Ignored Art Of Social Bookmarking- …And Why You Might Be Missing Out
July 16, 2010 at 2:54 am
Thanks for reading Jon and let’s hope so! I wouldn’t wish this even on the guys that did this to me! Cheers! Erica
July 16, 2010 at 7:13 am
Erica,
In the short time that I have gotten to know you and your servant leadership, it saddens me that these “bag heads” had to cross your path. Well, in the bigger picture all they are is bullies that wear bags over their heads… Think about that.
July 16, 2010 at 7:24 am
so true- so true! Thanks Rodney
July 16, 2010 at 4:53 pm
Hi Erica,
What a couple of morons, just because they failed in MLM they don’t have balls to take responsibility for their failings in life. So instead they take it out on you. So sorry to hear that your account got shutdown, it seems to me that the innocent are always the guilty these day and should be punished. I hope you get your account back soon. Thanks for sharing your story and insight.
Tristram Lodge
Tristram Lodge recently posted..I Really Can’t Believe I Used To Do This
July 17, 2010 at 9:16 am
Thanks Tristram. I don’t think the account is coming back online, but I have learned some very valuable lessons in this whole debacle… Own it all! Everything! Every bit of content and control where and when everyone has access to it. Glad you stopped by! Cheers! Erica
July 27, 2010 at 5:41 am
Hi Hope you get your youtube account back, on the other point of scammers most l know who are of scam variety don’t use much social media and usually don’t give a email address just a support ticket that you never get replyed back to and they never show there face on video or only small percentage would just to pitch not to engage and give value.
The lesson l learn here is to have a back up copy either on a backup hd or online video port also mastermind with like minded tribe how to overcome the threats.
All the best
July 27, 2010 at 5:50 am
Great points Brian! I am having to put this blog back together one video at a time… not fun! I don’t think they will ever give me back my account so it’s time to start a new one and protect myself better this time around.
Thanks for the support… very appreciated!
Cheers! Erica
August 15, 2011 at 5:45 pm
Thanks for this article, helps every time.
here are some cyberbullies on youtube, stay away from them at all costs, instead flag them for any wrongdoings.
-the7thlevl
-GFXer2010
-lmarshalljr04
they are pussies, all of them.
August 17, 2011 at 7:42 am
This very same thing just happened to me. Only blocking them will not work. After researching, I found out Megan Lee Heart or Life In A Tent (Same people) was behind the campaign. Our videos show up in popular video’s related lists and she simply monopolized the market by creating many, what they call sock accounts to flag and by reading the lots of threads about what she has done to others, I suspect she even has software that auto-flags videos. They have proof she has software or bots to like, rate, comment and subscribe to her channels…with an s. Google MeganLeeHeart (all one word) and read your day away. How do we protect ourselves from these idiots?