Nige 54 - The Backlash



Since the launch of 'Around The World In 80 Babes!' the response from the media, the public and various random people has been very interesting to say the least.

When I began this project I always knew that some sections of the public would love it while others would despise it. And I suppose that is precisely what attracted me to a project of this kind. I don't think there could be anything worse that devoting so much time to writing a book to then have the majority of people say "oh yeah, it's ok". I think that would be the worst.

But when it becomes a love/hate situation, it is much more fun. The reason being - you can celebrate with those that love it and laugh hysterically at the reasons why people hate it.

Any criticism I have received following the release of 'Around The World In 80 Babes!' has only been the type of criticism whereby it is clear that the problem is perhaps not with my work, but with the person reading it......but more of that later.

There has of course been plenty of resistance against my book from publishers and newspapers etc but again, I always thought that would be the case in the surprisingly conservative society we live in. But whenever I receive any kind of resistance I am always reminded of the following quote from a very successful Hollywood screenwriter and actor:

"When you're meeting up with resistance, it's because you're having an effect. That's one of the strongest signals you could ever receive to keep on keeping on."

So, if we rewind for a minute - what is 'Around The World In 80 Babes!' all about?

The Answer: FUN!

You must be thinking seriously, is that it?

Yes, I am serious. If we put aside all of the catchphrases, the pitches and the soapbox speeches, the essence behind this book is nothing more than having a shitload of fun.

The fact is that I am not trying to change the world. I have simply written a book about how much fun I had during a period of my life and as my friends will tell you, when it comes to having fun, I am probably one of best ever at knowing how to have the ultimate time, ALL of the time.

I know, I know, I am boasting again, but hey, that's the truth. May I also add here that I am not a rich guy nor do I come from a wealthy family, so the fun I have been able to conjure up has been a result of some outstanding lateral thinking via the use of the kind of original strategies that perhaps no one else in the world has ever thought of. Well, the world is a big place, so someone may have thought about them, but I can assure you that they have never named them all and turned them into a book!

So yeah, 'Around The World In 80 Babes!' is all about fun and usually that involves a member or members of the opposite sex. Again, I have never seen a problem with admitting that because if you were to ask any person in the world as to the BEST day they have ever had in their life, you can almost guarantee that at some point during that day there existed some kind of action with a member of the opposite sex.

Now, if we accept that theory, what would you say if I found an attitude, a culture and a way of life that almost guaranteed that you could find that ultimate existence on such a regular basis that it became the norm?

Interested?

Well, what would you then say if this same attitude, culture and way of life resulted in you being able to multiply this ultimate existence by a factor of ten which would now be your new 'ultimate fun' benchmark?

Do you think that might be worth investigating?

If so, 'Around The World In 80 Babes!' is where your journey begins.
The Website NIGE54.COM started by accident. Following the release of the book, I became somewhat of an overnight expert in terms of dating and relationships and therefore suddenly found myself answering and discussing a variety of questions from my friends and associates on a more regular basis.

A few mates suggested that a website was in order so we put one together to sell the book and to answer any questions on a monthly basis. Like anything, things started off slowly, but after a few months and the classic 'word of mouth' advertising, I started receiving questions from guys and girls from all corners of the globe.

Throughout my columns my advice follows on from the adventures and theories in the book with the main theme of 'fun' being the overriding message. At times it is necessary to be a little harsh if someone is clearly in a situation they need to get out of or they are completely on the wrong track as this will only lead to unhappiness. However, this does not mean my advice is all about encouraging guys to simply shag as many other girls as possible or break up with their long term girlfriend and go on a Contiki tour.

I think about the advice I give very seriously and whenever possible I will encourage the existence or development of a relationship. Sound strange? Well check out the July 2005 column and you will see exactly what I mean.
The Criticism

"Listen carefully to those who criticize you. They're doing you a favour even though that may not be their intention. If the criticism is totally unfounded, it's an affirmation that you're making a difference. If the criticism has some merit, it's truly valuable feedback."

Whenever I receive any form of criticism, I am always surprised as to why anyone would want to criticise a person whose primary aim is to promote fun, goodness, living life to the full and all round non-stop enjoyment in a world that increasingly needs more of it.

Well, perhaps that's a naive view.

Either way, I have always welcomed constructive criticism as I have no problem hearing about where some people think I may have gone wrong as everyone has a right to their opinion. Most of the complaints have been in the form of various people's blogs.

Blogging

This is another invention brought to us by the internet where anyone can literally have an online diary made available to the public where others can respond to their comments, thoughts and ideas.

Reading blogs is about as interesting as it sounds because invariably people generally just crap on about nothing really that exciting. However, a number of bloggers out there have come across my book and website and have spent literally hours attempting to discredit me which I have found hilarious, especially since they are all victim of the classic maneuver known as "the honeytrap". For those of you unsure of what I am talking about just google my name. If that still raises questions keep reading as here, for the first time ever, I will reveal the strategy behind this saga that resulted in me receiving more exposure than I ever thought possible and all of it due to a couple of carefully worded emails.

Upon a google search of my name it was clear that a couple of bloggers out there did not like my book and unloaded on me with a tirade of abuse. Clearly emailing them would only add fuel to the fire, so we thought that emailing them to request they do not use my real name might fire things up. Then we thought that if we use the excuse that I was not happy with my name appearing on a google search that this would surely result in them going nuts. Now before I go on, let me just say that if you knew anything about me you would know that caring if or where my name comes up on a google search is possibly the furthest thing from my mind!

Anyway, so the emails were written and as predicted they made front page news of all of the blogs - I know, even I can't believe it as surely there are more important things to discuss in this world than Nige 54? Well apparently not.

But I suppose I was a little surprised when these bloggers changed the words in my emails that they published on their blogs to enhance their own arguments - but then again, I suppose you can't expect these try hard journalists to have any kind of integrity when they are attempting to discredit me.

Ok, so the first stage of our plan was complete. Now for Stage Two.

To make this internet war bigger, the next step was to attempt to rebut some of the many comments made by these people. So my friends and I had a great time posting various responses on their blogs which was hilarious because it got all of these losers then even more riled up! This saga began to border on 'champagne comedy' as we sat back and watched the bloggers quote everything we wrote and then spend even more time (literally hours!) attempting to disprove everything we said, even going to the lengths of tracking our IP address! But this was the best bit - the comments we wrote were written on three different computers around Melbourne, but to support their arguments the bloggers stated that ALL of the positive comments about me came from the same computer. We laughed even harder when they grouped a couple of positive comments that neither me nor my friends wrote under the same IP address in an attempt to further support their arguments!

As we continued to sit back and watch this saga develop we were literally amazed at how this thing grew in to a monster to the point whereby I had real journalists from around the country calling and emailing me for my comments on this internet war. Amazing!

Ok, now the question has to be asked - Why did we do choose to do this at this particular point in time?

Well, did the bloggers ever think that the launch of 'Nige 54: Personal Dating Coach' exactly three days after the onslaught I created against me was simply some kind of coincidence?

You suckers! We planned the whole thing!!

The reason we did so is because besides all of the positive ways in which we launched 'Nige 54: Personal Dating Coach' we thought that we needed some perceived negative exposure (or some kind of scandal) because to create attention to a new product or service, negative press can often be more powerful. And how right we were!

Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to THANK all of the bloggers out there for walking into my honeytrap with such ease. The exposure you have given me has resulted in extra book sales, increased traffic to my website, exposure in a number of publications including the Sydney Morning Herald and a handful of new clients for my Dating Coach business.

Overall, the fact that so many people have been blogging, chatting and thinking about me over the last three weeks has been very flattering. And I must say that I have been thinking about all of them too. I spent six nights over New Years Eve up at Byron Bay with a couple of mates and honestly I did think about all of those bloggers hunched behind their computers trying to 'take me down' for all of about...2 seconds.

Now, I just have to think when that was...was it while we were sitting in the glorious sun at the 'Beach Hotel' with beer in hand while chatting to some very cool American babes...or was it while we spent the night dancing with those awesome Swedish goddesses at 'La La Land'...no, no that's right it was during the evening that I spent on the beach under the stars with that super sexy babe from Melbourne...or infact, was it while we were catching waves on Tallow Beach with the two Canadian air stewardesses...or could it have been when I was making out with the Norwegian princess on New Years Eve...or even the crazy times spent with those naughty English babes at 'Cocomangas'?

Well, whenever it was, I want to let all of the bloggers know that I thought of them too at some point during a most magnificent week in Byron Bay and I would like to wish all of them a Happy New Year.

But seriously, it is a little sad that all of these bloggers can't spend their energy blogging on something that will actually help people and make a positive difference in the world. For all of those bloggers that have high hit rates, this should be your outcome. Instead of exercising their opinions about me, my book and my website through verbal violence, verbal abuse and by making up things that clearly are not true, imagine what positive things they could create in the world if they took this energy and put it towards something great.

Whichever the case, it purely is up to them and I do hope they learn something from this experience. But if they feel the need to keep this attempted smear campaign going, I suppose I would be ok with it considering that the extra sales generated from the attention you gave me did ensure that my holiday in Byron Bay was fully funded ;-)

Thank-you again and as always, you'll find me at nige54@nige54.com