I’ve spent the weekend ensonced in a conference room at Rydges on Swanston with Tim Brocklehurst and an eclectic group of people who have joined “The Freedom Class”.

This is me with Tim Brocklehurst:

Tim Brocklehurst and Malcolm Farnsworth, Carlton, May 4, 2008

Tim’s Viral Spiral internet marketing program is now an integral part of my internet business. It will be the main means of selling ebooks and other products, including the membership site I have in the pipeline.

Tim’s program is the modern equivalent of word-of-mouth marketing, or growth by recommendation. The internet has taken this form of growth to a new level by lubricating the means of passing on the recommendation.

I continue to marvel at the range of people now working online. In addition to this former teacher, our group included a general practitioner, a Garaginator, a financial controller, an IT specialist and a biodiversity planner. All these people are aiming to develop an internet business, either to supplement their income or replace it completely.

We have spent the weekend with our laptops (and, it has to be said, an unreliable internet connection from Rydges) configuring our sites and preparing our products. It’s been a tiring experience but bloody good fun. Thanks should also go to Ric Raftis for his help and his vast knowledge of all things internet.

My policy on this blog is to always engage in full disclosure, so you need to know that I will receive an affiliate commission if you follow the links below to join Tim’s program. That said, I can confirm that I have finished the weekend with a fully functioning internet business that plugs into and complements the other strands of my business.

One of the main reasons I joined Tim Brocklehurst’s program is that he was one of the speakers at the World Internet Summit in Sydney in March who didn’t engage in crass hyperbole and confected fervour. Sure, he had a story to tell, and a sales spiel to accompany it, but he had a practical approach to handling the vexed question of how to market information online. He wasn’t simply spruiking a ‘get rich quick’ scheme with promises of no work in return for massive profits.

Maybe I’m just getting increasingly cranky in my dotage, but Tim’s mellifluous British tones were also welcome respite from the banshee screeching of some of the other presenters!

I’ll be providing ongoing updates on the success of this program. More on this in a few days.