But is the Thirty Day Challenge a scam?

I have been promoting the Thirty Day Challenge on facebook, Red Bubble, Plurk and Twitter and in a few conversations with people they've expressed that they think the 30DC is a scam. I don't really like to be seen as the kind of person who falls for scams on the internet or otherwise, and this is partially the reason behind setting up this blog, so I can blog all the issues that come up - good and bad.

From my research (read: googling) about the Challenge and the guys behind it, I haven't been able to turn up much. All the people I've spoken to who've done it in previous years have said they got a lot out of it, and they're returning this year because they feel they will learn even more. That's a pretty good endorsement if you ask me.

The link between the Thirty Day Challenge and the Immediate Edge is pretty blatant and it isn't hidden, which I appreciate. However, people I've spoken to who are dubious about the Challenge, say that it is a funnel for the Immediate Edge programme. The programme, also run by Dan Raine and Ed Dale, costs $97 a month and promises to teach the most bleeding edge internet marketing strategies. Ed and Dan are pretty forthright (with great humour) about having no guarantees, and encourage people who dislike the Immediate Edge to get the hell out whenever they want.

Another point was that the sites Ed Dale is behind aren't fantastically designed. Examples like Dominiche and the Immediate Edge lead me to take the same point of view.

As a graphic designer, I can't say that I distrust poorly designed websites - I merely think that they might be the kind of business who doesn't think they need great design to sell, which is a huge shame. One of my biggest indicators for distrusting a website is copy that screams at me: "PAY NOW FOR CONTENT THAT YOU CAN FIND FOR FREE OR YOU WILL DIEEE!!" I don't often buy things on the internet, so I'm pretty sure that I'm never going to feather Ed and Dan's pockets for the Immediate Edge, but you can be damn sure I'm going to investigate the 30DC as long as it is completely free.

I should also mention that in internet marketing circles, there's a move towards "anti-design" because apparently people get suspicious of really schmick looking websites. I've seen some pearlers in my time! As to whether or not they work? Well, none of them have ever convinced me to convert a sale.

Anyway, I'm going to keep track of the negative and positive feedback for the Thirty Day Challenge and elaborate on it here in this blog. The moment I am asked to pull out my credit card, or submit information that I'm not comfortable submitting, I will blog about it. I think transparency is very important, and up to this moment in the pre-season training Ed has been incredibly transparent.

If you've got any questions or feedback for the Challenge, please write us a comment and we'll investigate it for you!