My Fellow DNNers,

For years now I have been working to build a business on the DNN platform. I have had some success, but last year I realized that my main deficiency is in the area of marketing, as DNN is a great platform and I am confident that I have the technical skills to be successful. So I have been studying the art/science of marketing for about a year now and have definitely started to see some results.

A few weeks ago I learned about Joel Comm's Next Internet Millionaire web reality show and decided to submit an audition video. This is the first real Web Reality Show and it provides contestants with an opportunity to get some of the best and most intensive training in the area of online marketing...in a competitive contest format. 

The contest is in three rounds. Round 1 ends tomorrow night (Wednesday June 6th) at 11:59PM EDT. The Top 50 contestants go to Round 2, which runs from June 13-27. The Final 12 Contestants will then be selected and receive an all expense paid trip to Colorado for the training sessions and taping of the show in late July. 

Since Round 1 voting ends tommorow (Wednesday) night,  I need as much support as I can get.  According to the show producers, some people are gaming the system by voting down competitors...rather than promoting themselves. I believe this happened to me as I dropped from the Top 20 to out of the Top 50 in a couple of days. From looking at the stats, I need a few hundred very high (10) votes to make it back into the Top 50. The neat thing is that over 600 people are online right this minute on the DNN site.

I honestly don't have a big list of people that I can call on to help. DNN is one of only a few real commnunities of which I can call myself a part...and I proudly do so any chance I get. I know for sure that if the DNN community is willing to support me that I can make it into Round 2 and hopefully the Final Round as well.

So here is how you can support me, Cliff Hammock in my bid to be a contestant on the Next Internet Millionaire Web Reality Show.

1 - Go to http://www.cliffhammock.com/nextinternetmillionaire.html and watch the two minute video about the contest to learn more. You will have to provide your first name and email address to get to the main site. 

2 - Once you provide your first name and email you should be directed to a pretty long page with more info. If you want to read this fine; read it and follow the link to the main site at the bottom. But if do not want to read it, you can close that page and go directly to Cliff's video at http://www.nextinternetmillionaire.com/show.php?id=658

3 - Depending on how you have your browser cookies setup, you may be redirected back to the first page. If so, you will need to close your browser and go direclty to Cliff's video again at http://www.nextinternetmillionaire.com/show.php?id=658

3 - Once you vote...and hopefully give me a 10...then you will see the results of the voting. It will say something like this.
Cliff Hammock
Your Vote: 10
Current Score: 4.3
Number Votes: 301

The only way I can know how my voting is going is if you email me this info. So you can cut and paste it into an email and send it to cliff@cliffhammock.com  

Then, if you are really interested, you can additionally go to my blog at http://www.cliffhammock.com  and check out the posts that I have put up over the last few weeks regarding the contest. Start at the bottom and read up. Also if you want to register on my blog, then I can keep in touch with you and let you know how I am progressing in the contest.

Thanks for your consideration in this matter. I am really hoping that the DNN community can support me in this endeavor. I have already issued two Press Releases regarding the contest and will issue another one, including my support from the DNN community if I can make it into the Top 50. Have a great day!

John, thanks so much for your show of support. It is always refreshing to get that first bit of positive feedback when you put yourself out on the line on something like this. I am sure everyone does not understand the motivation I have for something like this. But as an entrepreneur, I have always been a little different and willing to take chances. You have to be willing to take an undue amount of rejection to be an entrepreneur, and I can assure you that I have had my fair share. It is just part of the game. But I truly hope that the DNN community will see value in supporting me in this history-making adventure.

Maybe it is a better idea if people want to post the results here so we can all see the impact that the voting is having. I did not suggest that initially because I didn't want to inappropriately use the DNN forum resources.

According to your post, it looks like it will take slightly over 300 "10" votes to put me solidly into the Top 50. Only time will tell if that will happen. But it would be pretty neat if it did and I plan to give the DNN community full credit for putting me over the top.

Nik