Crowd Mountain Bootcamp by Michelle MacPhearson (Review)
I can’t remember when I first encountered Michelle MacPhearson but I do know that I’ve been following her on the Internet for some time. She has products such as 30 Minute Backlinks and Crowd Mountain Bootcamp.
When it comes to the Internet, Michelle has been around the block, so to speak. Today she is involved in white hat activities and can be found active in many social media venues.
You can hear her on Internet Marketing This Week and see her on videos helping out in the Thirty Day Challenge (a free program associated with Ed Dale).
While out on the Internet I’ve always liked how Michelle responded quickly to any questions and found value in the topics she presents–so I was excited when she made an offer to check out Crowd Mountain Bootcamp for only one dollar.
Crowd Mountain Bootcamp is a sequential six week program on how to build a niche blog that works.
Crowd Mountain Bootcamp doles the lessons in modules on a weekly basis and you have access to past recordings and to recorded discussions for members.
There are also monthly teleseminars for live Q&A’s with Michelle.
But let me get into the Crown Mountain Bootcamp program by Michelle MacPhearson and then tell you my final assessment.
Introduction
When you enter into the program, the first thing you view is the Introduction. I would have liked this Introduction to have been a little more in-depth with a link to a resource page for the questions about products or services.
Each module was broken down into sub-topics that include videos, workbooks, and homework.
What I liked is that Crowd Mountain goes into how to optimize with support tools, plug-ins and other short cuts.
Although I’ve studied with a few different blogging and niche marketing experts, this program was awesome due to the unique features it offers.
Personally, I do best in a format that includes a weekly module (or at least a guide) and scheduled tasks. This keeps me on target versus the types that let you go at your own pace.
In the Crowd Mountain Bootcamp program you can’t just skip ahead or get a glimpse into what is next because it is moderated according to your account.
As you progress you earn access to different tools designed to help you. These are proprietary tools so you won’t find them elsewhere.
There were a few things that I did not like such as the fact that my comments were moderated and weeks later were still in moderation mode–which did not allow me to get questions answered.
During my membership, Crowd Mountain Connect (similar to Twitter) was a nice addition for members to chat and share info. Using Crowd Mountain Connect worked better than the comments on the main area of Crowd Mountain Bootcamp.
I tend to like a forum option because I can commiserate with the other students and feel like I am part of a community. Crowd Mountain Connect was okay but it really didn’t do much for me.
Another thing that I didn’t like was that many of the plug-ins recommended did not work and there were no other suggestions listed. This was very frustrating as some of them had great potential to help on my sites.
The other weak point was that I didn’t like constant referrals to post my questions elsewhere outside of the modules. I would have rather been able to get an answer to my question then and there.
It might have worked better to disable the comments and put up a notice with the right area to post questions.
Finally, I hope she works on retention and directing students into another program or into staying longer by offering more tasks within Crowd Mountain.
Okay, now it is time to look at the module content…
Crowd Mountain Bootcamp Module 1 Niche the Niche
The first module is basically how to get started in finding a niche and getting your niche blog up and running.
Idea Factory was about generating niche market ideas and qualifying them.
Money Factory taught how to find the hidden gems when it comes to keywords.
Keyword Research 1-3 involved identifying sub niches, working in niche markets, and how to work in a competitive market.
Domain Name Selection revealed where to get domain name ideas and what makes up a good domain name.
Crowd Mountain Bootcamp Module 2 Optimize for Size
The module was very valuable in that it taught how to set up your blog and optimize it with the best themes, plug-ins and other tools. Topics covered included:
- Intro & Objectives
- Install WordPress
- On Page Factors
- LSI & You
- Latent Semantic Indexing=Other Keywords For You To Use!
- WordPress Themes
- Get Yer Plugins!
The only real complaint I had here was that at least three of the recommended plug-ins did not work for my sites and there were no alternatives suggested–nor were there links to the plug-in development sites.
Crowd Mountain Bootcamp Module 3 Content Architecture
I already knew a lot of the information included in this module BUT what I found great were the tools and how to delve into the content architecture to form a more optimized blog.
This module gave me an “ah hah!” moment when some of the other information I already had connected with the understanding of how to best put things together—and some tools that I did not know about.
Essentially this module looks at the long tail of searching and learning about the niche and what content should be produced.
It talks about sites you can use (such as Google Reader) to find what type of content is in the top sites and just what questions people are asking in that niche.
One of the best tips here was how to use the Google Reader share option.
In addition, this module allows you to begin using the Crowd Mountain Snooper to look at competition and deeply into the niche.
Other topics in this module included how to find long tail keyword phrases, how to get the best titles out of content, the influence that other media has on ranking, and re-purposing content.
Crowd Mountain Bootcamp Module 4 Monetization
There are some people who are not familiar with the term, monetization. It means setting up your website or blog so that it makes money.
In this section all the elements that effect ranking are discussed but the gem is the hands-off monetization, how to find affiliate partners, and specialty link structures that will benefit your site.
I was thrilled to find the plug-in that automates affiliate links with multiple terms.
Additional topics include new visitor alert messages, Amazon stores, and email management via an auto responder.
Crowd Mountain Bootcamp Module 5 Search Engine Assault
Another “ah-hah!” for me was contained in the One RSS Feed to Rule Them All. I never really understood how to use Friend Feed and this section was a great revelation.
Crown Mountain shares sites where you can get photos and how to get the most mileage out of the content you do create. Awesome!
Other topics discussed included how to build niche links and finding trends while also assessing the competition…and:
- The Meat of Link Building
- Hands Off Niche Blog Links
- Become a Podcast
- Internal Linking
Crowd Mountain Bootcamp Module 6 Power Networking
Michelle is a social media queen so this module had additional valuable tips and hints.
It covered Twitter, Twitter tools, video marketing, networking, connecting networks, and how to use Facebook and other social media sites so that they work for you.
She alerted me to a new resource I had no knowledge of and shared some insider secrets that would take ages to find without some help.
Crowd Mountain Bootcamp Tools
Finally, Crowd Mountain offers member access to some unique tools such as the Crowd Mountain Snooper and the Crowd Mountain Task Manager.
The Snooper helps you to find out more about a niche and keywords within it.
In the Task Manager Michelle assigns the tasks and you can keep track of where you are in the process. You can also set up your own task sheets.
Other Aspects of Crowd Mountain Bootcamp
There isn’t a lot of fluff in the content over in Crowd Mountain. It is quality content and tasks that are designed to get you going quickly and will keep you hopping.
At the end of each module you were to fill out the homework and listen to the Q&A for that particular section. This can keep anyone on task.
In addition, you could also submit your blog for review by Michelle. Alas, I left without this happening for me.
Another perk I forgot to mention is that optimized themes were posted each month for members to download and use.
Since my participation, Michelle MacPhearson has added more to the program. I’ve thought of contact tech support to see if I can resume but I have a lot on my plate and am in two other programs as I write this.
My Final Assessment of Crowd Mountain Bootcamp?
I really enjoyed Michelle MacPhearson’s Crowd Mountain. I learned a lot and still have to implement it on my other blogs (like this one)—which is part of my 2010 goals!
So, I recommend this program highly even though I was disappointed that Michelle MacPhearson disappeared during the last month of my participation. I had finished the course but opted to stay enrolled to see what was next or what new content would be presented.
It was quiet…
So the lack of communication, new content, etc., was the reason I stopped my subscription. I still don’t know what was up but she was away from her blog, her podcast, and her program.
In a month or so, Michelle emerged and things were hopping again.
So do I recommend Michelle MacPhearson’s Crowd Mountain?
Absolutely!
Crowd Mountain Bootcamp is worth the investment and time commitment.
The video tutorials, notes, and comments were valuable tools but it was the unique content, unique referrals, and insights that I found most vital.
Even if you have studied with other Internet bloggers or marketers, Crowd Mountain has some great content and I am sure Michelle MacPhearson will only add more to the mix as time goes on (she already has added Niche Trailheads).
Crowd Mountain is such a great program that I became an affiliate.
After reading my review, if you feel you could benefit (as I did) sign up for Michelle MacPhearson’s Crown Mountain Bootcamp program for $1 while it lasts.
I truly recommend Crowd Mountain and using my affiliate link above will support this blog and future reviews of other programs!
Update: February 18,2010: Michelle announced that she is closing the dollar trial this week and updating the content. Those who join now will be grandfathered in while future students will not have access to previous content.
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Comments
Yes, I have participated in the 30DC twice and am involved in 30DC+ via the Immediate Edge program. Crowd Mountain is completely different and hits a bunch of other topics. Take another read of the post to get a better idea of what is involved. You should take the $1 trial to have a look around. MM has included some new packages for members too.
Thanks for the good overview, I see they have the $1 trial still. My concern is affording the $47 per month afterwards. How long did you stay enrolled for? If the modules come weekly I guess you would only need two months.
When you applied Michelles techniques did you make money from your blogs?
Have you ever looked into using the DOE?
Sue, thanks for stopping by.
You’d benefit from the course and it is a bargain at $47 after the trial. I stayed a couple of months after the dollar trial and would have stayed longer if Michelle had been active. I am still not sure what happened but it is going like gangbusters again.
BTW: The dollar trial ends this week and people who join will be grandfathered in. I may rejoin again if only to see what is new and on the horizon.
I am still applying those techniques I learned and am actually using the techniques to help my clients rank and get traffic and business. They are ranting about it and I am having a good time seeing the results but still have to convert many of my blogs over.
My blog income has consistently been rising but it is hard to pinpoint just one program or technique since I’ve been studying with various successful Internet business people.
I am not certain what you mean by DOE as the acronym is used for many different businesses. Please define, if it is a marketing program, no I have not heard of it.
Like I mentioned, I am not familiar with it or with Charlie Page. You can get some of the same info from other programs. I’d encourage you to check for reviews and there is a good resource here: http://www.imreportcard.com/services/directory-of-ezines
[...] wrote about her Crowd Mountain program a little while ago but you can get this rank decoding engine software [...]
I am still trying to earn online, after several years and lots of $$$ spent. Hope this could be the answer……
Hi Paul, the key to success, I believe, is not only taking courses and learning but also implementing the techniques. I just keep plodding and the income rises slowly but surely.
As with any business (or career) you need to invest time and money.
Wow. Consider yourself lucky to have gotten in when you did. Michelle has now raised the price to $127 a month for the BASIC level – no old content or anything. Of course, you have the option to upgrade for $70 some (or was it $97) to get all the bootcamp at once, otherwise you’ll actually be paying $254 for the bootcamp material. You could gain access to the archives for $200+ and another $100 or so if you want to be a “mastermind”, which is basically the only place she shares real information other than bootcamp.
Here’s my question – what are her success stories like? Are there any in crowd mountain that are actually doing well with her techniques. She teaches a couple of things I have not heard before and I’m wondering if it’s a fresh approach, or if it will decrease my earnings. She seems to know her stuff, but I haven’t seen her on IM Report Card or many other reviews on whether she is indeed an “expert”.
You must be new to the Internet marketing world. Michelle is well respected in various circles. She doesn’t really give away anything and makes no bones about it–she is a business person but also very good at giving information.
Her training is solid and I learned new things from her that nobody else had taught me–and that have been very valuable.
The program was pretty closed mouthed and monitored when I was involved so I can’t tell you who is and who isn’t making any money.
I can tell you that it is not a get-rich-quick type of program–it takes work and diligence.
It doesn’t sound like you are really interested or convinced about her program. Don’t understand how it would “decrease” your earnings but I can say that if you are concerned with these things then it obviously isn’t for you.
[...] Therefore NPC 2.0 is a solid program for niche businesse novices but I’d also suggest you look for other alternatives based on my end experience mentioned earlier and do recommend Crowd Mountain by Michelle MacPhearson. [...]
I have been a Crowd Mountain member for two months, and I can say that I agree with nearly all comments placed above.
I say nearly because as good as the info might be there is no point paying a monthly membership if your mentor is constantly disappearing without any notice or explanation.
In the two months I have been a member Michelle has disappeared twice, the first time was when she was at the Coming Home seminar with Ed Dale, she could not communicate with her paying subscribers because the hotel’s internet connection was poor… for over a week!!! I was receiving tweets from Ed Dale whilst he was on stage waiting to speak!
The second time prompted me to cancel my membership last night, Michelle has been away from Crowd Mountain for nearly two weeks because of flu, we didn’t know she was ill for quite few days.
You would imagine that if you have been away ill for that long the first thing you might consider doing when you do finally get online is send a message over to your paying subscribers apologising for your absence and maybe even giving some indication as to when you might be back, Michelle thought she would just send out a few tweets and not say a single word to those that are paying $127 or more per month to be ignored.
My advice, the info is good, but she may not always be around to give you that info.
Steve,
Thanks for sharing your experience with Crowd Mountain.
One of the things I look for in a program is the involvement of the coach/mentor/guru because that is what I prefer.
From what I understand, Michelle’s business model is to automate as much as possible.
If she would get a better support team or moderator–it would do wonders to help. I agree with your statement about at least communicating with paying clients because I had the same experience and knowing what was happening would have alleviated a lot of aggro voiced in the CMConnect/ShoutEm.
Personally I was spoiled by the business model of Yaro Starak (who was the first person I studied with).
He always gave of himself and gave great content and coaching while also making sure he had a good support team/moderators in place.
Having said that, I really got some gems from Crowd Mountain that nobody else was teaching.
I am a self-motivated person and crawled through the archives of CM during and after my modules but was really disappointed with the silence and failure to direct me to the next phase–which I would have probably invested in.
Today, I am enrolled in two programs–Immediate Edge, which gives a lot of value but there isn’t much personal interaction (Dan Raines & Ed Dale) and the other is the Third Tribe which I have mixed feelings about.
Anytime you invest money in something that takes you forward–it is a good thing.
Getting clear about what you need and want will help direct you to the next phase.
Two resources I like are IMReportCard & the Warrior Forum because people leave frank and extensive feedback there.
Hope you move forward and find what you need.
Have you participated in the Thirty Day Challenge? Does Crowd Mountain provide information that the Thirty Day Challenge does not?