My VWD Lottery Experience.

No Jackpot Winner

Personal

Welcome Elinor who has joined as a new player from GBR.

Group

Well done Trevor for introducing a new UK Player from GBR. Welcome John
Well done Raymond for introducing a new double game player from Netherlands. Welcome Jana

Well, the wonderful bank holiday is over and I enjoyed the extra sleep-in’s that I had! The weather is back to it’s old ways, typical English pattern - wet, dry, sunny, cloudy, windy …repeat

I’ve added some more functions to the landing page package, now there is an option for a browser to choose to subscribe to the autoresponder course (if it is installed) and for the affiliate to view how many subscribers there are from the back office and what their details are. I’ve also added a news items bit to the affiliate page for important announcements, all it does is read the RSS feed from The Empire Group blog and display the last 3 items posted.

I’m thinking of creating a “what to do now” autoresponder course that new affiliates can signup to so they can get off to a good start, ideally, it would be best to work that out over the phone but I’m trying to put together stuff that anyone can use (that means people who cannot pick up a phone!), me and Robby have talked about putting the 30 day plan into a manual that can be sent to new affiliates. Something to do next weekend then!

I’m still working on a newsletter package that can be part of the landing page package so an affiliate can add all their new contacts and email them monthly with company news, might have that as an optional extra along with a blog installation. Hmmm, what started off as a simple page has organically grown into a full featured site and it looks like the group have been using it well, there’s been an average of 1 new member coming in to the group every day now. Keep it up guys!!

Group

Well done Richard for introducing a new UK affiliate from GBR. Welcome Craig
Well done LuckyLotto for introducing a new double game affiliate from GBR. Welcome Ben

I spent a whole day coding a back office to the landing page site on Saturday, I originally wanted to just add some useful links to save people time when they wanted a quick copy and paste of their most used URL’s (like the signup page and movie page), I ended up adding a URL rotator in there and a way to edit the URL’s.

After I did that, I then realised that anyone with the right path to the file could edit the rotator URL’s so I managed to put a password protection system on everything with an option for forgotten password and password change. yey!

I’ve even added google language translation to the flags so the site can be displayed in multiple european languages.

Oh and I’ve added a double opt-in autresponder to each site too! nice. As of the 1st of June I will be charging for the landing page and autresponder but the price includes 1 year of full hosting and is still far lower than a comparable hosting deal.

I’m off to update everyone’s landing page now, there’s more than 20 people that have taken advantage of the free hosting and landing page so if you’re in my team (www.TheEmpireGroup.co.uk) then contact me now to get yours before you have to pay for it!

Personal

Welcome Carl who has joined as a new affiliate from GBR.
Welcome Anne from GBR who has joined as a double game player.
Group

Well done Trevor for introducing a new double game player. Welcome Hamdy from GBR

8 Jackpot Winners!

Finally got the 21 inks that I ordered from ebay! I paid 23 quid for 21 inks and was thinking it was a great price until they didn’t turn up, I did the usual petulant child email demanding to know where they were and got sent a proof of posting through by email, hmmm, bloody post office methinks.

The trader even sent through another package which failed to turn up, over 3 weeks of waiting and still nothing so I tried to phone Royal Mail, nightmare with a non-geographical number that after multiple “press 1 for…” entries goes through to a phone that is constantly engaged.

So I went to the local sorting office and had a go at them, telling them how when I saw the postman trying to deliver a red card through the door with “we tried to deliver a parcel but you weren’t in” on it, I asked him for the parcel,
“it’s ok, I’m here I can take the parcel”
“oh, I haven’t got it”
“what do you mean? it says on this card you are trying to deliver a parcel, where’s the parcel you are trying to deliver?”
“oh, its back at the sorting office”
“why?”
“oh, I didn’t have room”
“LIAR!!”

Is it like the postman hasn’t got time? he can see into the future and know that someone wont be there to take the parcel?

They shouldn’t be allowed to be called Royal Mail, they should be called maybe mail (no capitals!). It’s not as if I can choose a different company’s postbox either.

1 day after I complain, my parcel of 21 inks turns up. hmmmmm, coincidence? Typical of the English postal system, I used to share a flat with a postman so I know what they get up to but in London, you can’t complain coz no-one gives a toss. Royal Mail should pay for a thousand Polish people to come over here, learn enough English to get by and teach them the postal system and we could have a Polish army of postmen who all appreciate having a job and are willing to actually do it.

rant over!

The very patient ebay trader was sttjtraders (100% positive feedback and I see why) and his shop is here

2 Jackpot Winners

Group

Well done LuckyLotto for introducing a new UK player from GBR. Welcome David

Nice to know the VWD boffins can take a request and implement it in less than 2 weeks!
I asked if it was possible to add some code to the smart-media banners so they can open in the current browser when clicked (so pop-up blockers don’t stop the new site from being shown) and it’s done already! nice.