It’s been awhile since I’ve continued my “Because You Work Online” series. For those that haven’t been keeping up, this series is where I post myths that people have about my occupation and dispel them with a response. If you missed my first two blogs on this topic, you can read them here and here. Below are my latest myths:

You refuse to grow up. A lot of people generalize Internet entrepreneurs as spoon fed momma’s boys that refuse to move out. They do not take us serious and think we’re addicted to Xbox and use the term “Internet entrepreneur” rather than admitting we are unemployed. Our jobs, as affiliate marketers, are very real. I feel like I’m preaching to the choir but people that think we are spoon fed are sadly mistaken. Anyone that’s ever ran a campaign knows how stressful it can be. We are crunching numbers and always trying to improve our Earnings Per Click. As an Internet veteran, I cannot count how many sleepless nights I have had tweaking campaigns. Last night was one of those nights. I was up very lately working on a particular campaign, trying to explain to my girlfriend the seriousness of my occupation.

You don’t know the meaning of hard work. As I’ve mentioned before, just because I do not do hardcore blue-collar work does not mean that I do not work hard. Becoming a Super Affiliate is not easy. Many have wrote about how difficult it is to become a high-earning affiliate. Ryan, John and I have become Super Affiliates because we spend countless hours online and work very hard to accomplish our goals. We put work first even when it shouldn’t be first. To become a Super Affiliate you must make sacrifices and those that do not realize that do not realize what being a Super Affiliate is all about.

You’re running a scam. This is one of my favorite myths. As soon as someone finds out we’re putting up the numbers that we are, they think it’s all one big scam. OK junior, I am an affiliate marketer that delivers a direct response to Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies. Companies pay us a commission for sending them clients. We are FTC compliant and trademark compliant. How is that a scam? It’s not. Someone that says affiliate marketing is a scam is most-likely jealous and is clueless of what is going on. Anyone that categorizes my job as a scam is incompetent.

You were just at the right place at the right time. There is a little bit of luck involved in any kind of success story. I could tell you several instances in my career where luck played a part; however, luck did not make me a Super Affiliate. Ryan, John and I did not become Super Affiliates by being “at the right place at the right time”. We became Super Affiliates through hard work and dedication. We did our research, adapted to change and still lost money. We paid our dues and ended up figuring it all out. It’s not like we owned a piece of property and got rich just because the right buyer came at the right time. We didn’t have those luxuries.

What are some of the things people have said to you when have told them you work online? Share here and let’s have some fun!

Today I’d like to continue my Because you work online… series. For those that missed my first part of this series I give myths people have about people that work online and try my best at a witty response to that myth. Without any further ado:

Because you work online…

You never leave your house. Super affiliates do not even come close to fitting the mainstream stereotype of a webmaster but this one is even more ridiculous. We put a whole new meaning to the term “frequent flyer” with conferences coast-to-coast not to mention the traveling we do for leisure. Our occupations give us great freedom in the amount we can travel which is why I got to watch the Braves play a three game series in Atlanta in June and am going to the new Cowboys Stadium in November to watch my Cowboys play the Redskins. I’ll also be attending Affiliate Summit West in Las Vegas staying here. We’re the jerks that get to board the airplane first and sit in the front without paying a dime extra.

You don’t what the real world is like. Maybe it’s because we’re from a blue-collar coal mining town but I can’t tell you how many times someone says because I work online I have no conception of the “real world”. First of all I have an issue with the term “real world” as college professors frequently used it when explaining the transition into the workforce. So you’re saying my world now is “not real”? When does my “fake” world become “real”? I know it’s not meant to be taken literal but the adage makes no sense. Ryan, John and I deal with Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies, participate in conference calls with top executives and negotiate very profitable deals. If that isn’t the “real world” I don’t know what is. Just because we don’t get up at the crack of dawn to breath harmful coal dust all day doesn’t mean we aren’t hard workers. Our work might not be demanding from a physical standpoint but it is demanding and stressful. We haven’t had the success we’ve had by sleeping all day.

You inherited your money, you don’t really work. Some drunk idiot actually came up to me when I was out at a bar last year and said this to me. Again, this might be a product of where we’re from, but a lot of people just don’t get it. They think because my occupation does not have a physical address, it doesn’t exist. I guess it’s the same people that believe in the big bang theory or evolution. I was blessed to grow up in an upper middle class family but I’ve never asked anyone for anything. People that inherit their wealth make me sick. If you don’t work for your money, you should have to give it all the government so I don’t have to pay such high taxes.

Feel free to share your myths and stereotypes about working online, I’m sure this series will continue…

Working online is quite a bit different from working in what some people call “the real world.” Not only am I self employed but I have no set schedule. One of the things I like best about being an Internet entrepreneur is the flexibility the lifestyle offers me. I can take the afternoon off and play Xbox or plan a trip months in advance without having to clear things with my boss. The lifestyle of an Internet entrepreneur has several positives. You can work from home, there is no dress code, you can sleep until 10 AM, you can relax with an afternoon workout, etc.

I love my career and the flexibility it gives me. However, there are several miss-conceptions about working online that annoy me. There are also downfalls to working online. I just wanted a chance to rant about some of the myths about working on the Internet.

Because you work online…

You are an instant millionaire. A lot of people think just because I work online I’m guaranteed hundreds of thousands of dollars a year with little to no effort. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Ryan, John and I spend more hours working in three days than most people do in two weeks. Our jobs literally never stop. There is always work to be done and there is no excuse not to get it done because we can work wherever we have a computer with Internet access.

You are a computer genius. This is one of the most irritating myths about working online. I have extraordinary knowledge in HTML, website development, creating profitable campaigns, etc. but I am in no way a computer expert. If you’re computer breaks, don’t call me. I don’t know how to fix nor do I care how to fix it. When something goes wrong with my computer, I call a computer repair specialist. You should do the same. I don’t know what’s wrong with your wireless router or why you are getting the blue screen of death. I’m not A+ certified and never intend to be.

You have no social life. Most people stereotype a webmaster as a 400 pound virgin that is 40-years-old and working out of their mother’s basement. Not us. Ryan, John and I all go to the gym regularly, dress fashionable and love to have a great time. We have beautiful girlfriends and are able to carry on conversations with anyone. We do not spend our weekends at LAN/computer parties trying to beat some ridiculous video game.

You are lazy. A lot of people think because of my job I have no conception of how the “real world” works. They think because I can take time off whenever I want or go to the gym at 2 in the afternoon I don’t have a “real job.” Again, this is another irritating myth. I may sleep until 10 in the morning but that’s most likely because I was up half the night tweaking a campaign or following up on a story for my wrestling website. I might have time to lift weights in the middle of the day or sneak in a game of Madden 2010 on my Xbox but while you’re sprawled out on your Lazy Boy eating Doritos at night, I’m expanding my company.

You must be into pornography. I cannot tell you how many people upon first meeting me think I’m some type of smut peddler because I work online. First of all I do not look at porn. I have no desire to start looking at porn nor do I have the time to do anything on the computer that does not involve business. I will not help you start a porn website because no amount of money is worth burning in hell for. If you’re into this sort of thing, there is nothing I can do to help you and I find it offensive when I’m accused of doing such.

I’m sure this blog post will continue sometime in the future but this is all for now. If you work online, feel free to share your myths and rant along with me.