Many authors who have sold 4 million books would move to SoHo or Beverly Hills. But instead, when not on TV, or YouTube, Lesko is supporting the downtown Bethesda economy on a regular basis.
WATCH: Matthew Lesko on Periscope live from Bethesda
A few days ago, the marketing master tackled a new media platform, Periscope, live from downtown Bethesda. In the process, he gave burgeoning homegrown chain Gusto a worldwide plug. Gusto smartly has beverage cups with its logo, and that gave some free exposure for the restaurant to viewers from watching from Bethesda to Brazil.
69 comments:
He made more money in that commercial than Dyer has from this blog.
Calling him the King is an exaggeration to say the least. There are far more popular infomercial spokesperson more successful than him.
"Critics claim that Lesko is misleading in his advertisements. A 2004 report by the New York State Consumer Protection Board claimed that most of the grants mentioned in Lesko's books were actually public assistance programs that many people were not eligible for, and that Lesko misrepresented examples of people who had taken advantage of government programs.
"The New York Times criticized him for having implied a current association with the paper long after ending a 1992-94 NYT column.
"In 2005, Lesko was named #99 in Bernard Goldberg's book "100 People Who Are Screwing Up America" because, "He is a symbol for self-centered free-riders."
"In an interview with the Washington Post in July 2007, Lesko admitted having assembled his books from government guides to grants and loans: "His business model is simple: 'I get stuff for free and I sell it for as much as I can get.'""
@7:01 AM. There is nothing fraud about Mathew Lesko. He made his millions before the internet. Doing so by getting information on grants, contracts, IRS deductions, etc... from the government for free and then regurgitated the information and provider readers a "dummies" style book for each subject. Since this was before the internet, the possibility for someone outside the DC Metro area to learn about specific grants and such I imagine was a bit tough when compared to today.
8:01AM Yes, consolidating all of that information into an easily digestible book isn't easy.
The info may be out there, but it saves time and adds value to have it all collected and organized for the reader.
Rugby, he didn't advertise the book that way. He advertised it as a way to make millions and do nothing.
Dyer's shills/sockpuppets defending defending Dyer's advertisers. LOL
10:26 AM I believe the sales pitch was: here are free resources you can use to get education, funding for a business, etc.
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6692633/ns/business-personal_finance/t/agency-calls-tv-money-mans-claims-deceptive/
So Rugby, what again was his sales pitch? If you read through this articles, you can read the complaints he received from the BBB and the New York State Consumer protection board. He was making most of his money by selling his customer lists to predatory companies whom the FTC shut down.
I bought a self help book from him, it was not as advertised.
Can Bethesda's Answer Man tell us what Robert Dyer actually does for a living?
He is a blogger who pretends to be a reporter also pretending to be cheated out of office.
12:41 PM How do you "pretend" to be a reporter?
There's no professional certification or super secret journalist badge.
12:59 PM Example: "Dumpster Fire of a Council" as a headline is not reporting, it is an opinion. Robert's news is generally strong opinions with light reporting and refers to it as factual reporter. Robert is not someone I trust as a reporter and do not see him as such. I see him as a person with strong opinions that I read to hear a different view on local news, but I do not consider his work as that as a reporter. He is more of a political commentator. He is only a reporter with openings and closings, but for as well as he does that, he chooses to abstain from anything he does not like forcing me to read Bethesda Beat and GreaterGreaterWashington to find out about events such as art festivals. This is my basis for seeing him as a person pretending to be a reporter, and not a reporter.
1:09 PM That's your opinion. If you prefer "reporting" from unpaid interns, so be it.
Speaking of dumpster fires, Uber just ousted their CEO.
I have to ask again...If someone claims to hate Robert's blog so much, why keep coming back for more and commenting on every. single. post.?? Get a life already, for the millionth time. Oh, and lighten up! This post is about a guy who wears question marks all over his suit and is recognizable from those old commercials, and he is in Bethesda, I think that's interesting and funny, personally. If you aren't interested, move along... unless you are being forced to read a blog daily against your will. Lol
Fascinating that the Montgomery County political cartel troll apparently has a beef with Matthew Lesko - look at the pattern here --> The corrupt politicians of Montgomery County oppose any person or organization, like Lesko, Uber or Airbnb (note troll just also referred to Uber above) who provides opportunities for people to generate money for themselves.
Be your own boss, show initiative? These are cardinal sins in the view of the MoCo cartel, who prefer residents to have to grovel before our corrupt County Council for food, housing, services, and healthcare.
1:09: You just made a fool of yourself. My factual "dumpster fire" report exposed that the trash collection problems continued last week, instead of being fixed, as your beloved MoCo government house organ Bethesda Beef had falsely claimed.
Then they ran a week-late story yesterday that admitted what I already reported last week yesterday! While putting the latest friendly spin on a disastrous story for the Council.
And that's the organization you're claiming is your source for news? Good God.
1:09pm Being "forced" to read Bethesda Magazine's blog is a sentence worst than death. I feel for you!
Any local high school paper is higher quality.
"The corrupt politicians of Montgomery County oppose any person or organization, like Lesko, Uber or Airbnb (note troll just also referred to Uber above)"
Hey, lookie... Dyer just listed his sponsors.
"Be your own boss"
LOL, Spam alert.
1:50 PM - I prefer my news from unpaid residents of Mom's basement.
The constant obsessions of the ex-Bethesda blogger "Anonymous" troll: claiming Dyer isn't a journalist, obsess about Dyer's revenue from his businesses, falsely claim Dyer lives in a basement and compare his old blog to Dyer's news sites.
9:01 - Do you know where Dyer lives?
"Guest" @ 8:01 AM = Matthew Lesko
4:49: How do you figure companies that have never bought ads on my site are "sponsors," dumbass?
4:36: Seriously. "The County Council is standing up to Donald Trump again!" - Actual first sentence from an "article" on the small and slightly-failing magazine today. Total fanboy moment.
12:02: Can Silver Spring's Answer Man tell us what Dan Reed actually does for a living?
What do you do for a living? Sure, you run this blog and a few others. I get that.
But what do you actually do for a living? What brings in your money to pay living expenses like rent and food?
You're so insistent about getting this information about this Dan Reed guy. Always questioning.
I'm sure i'm not alone in wondering the same about you.
What does Robert Dyer actually do to bring in money?
3:47am also badgers poorly paid Patch reporters about their meager salaries.
Dyer is an independent local news operator.
Robert you are so arrogant and rude. You attack others for not giving you "credit" meanwhile you yourself do not credit your own readers who give you stories. I told you to rush to Rite-Aid following the pharmacy strong arm robbery. Most blogs say "thanks to a tip from a reader..." You are just an overly defensive, stubborn man who is resentful for not having won the election. News flash: just because the current council members suck, doesn't give you a shot. You stink at leadership and cannot even be decent on a blog in cyberspace. You make the council look GOOD.
ME Badgering?
Just asking Dyer exactly what he asks others.
I don't care what others make. They aren't browbeating anyone to explain how they can afford to live in this area.
What does Robert Dyer actually do to bring in money?
6:03am you know & I know that you're just being a jerk.
No other local news publisher or journalist is telling you their salary or revenue. You're not posting your salary.
We know more about Dyer than the random freelancers and interns that write for the local legacy media.
3:47: What does Dan Reed do for a living? Sure, he runs a blog and writes for a few others. I get that. But what does he actually do for a living? What brings in his money to pay living expenses like housing and food? You're so insistent about getting this information about this Robert Dyer guy. Always questioning. I'm sure I'm not alone in wondering the same about Dan Reed. What does Dan Reed actually do to bring in money?
5:14: 3:37 is a moron who has no clue about my finances, housing, income, etc., and generally is auditioning to play Charlie Brown's teacher every day in my comments section. "WA WA WA WA WAWAWA."
5:57: Nobody can make the Council look "good." They can't even pick up the garbage! LOL!
6:03: You're browbeating me about money. I'm not the one who brought it up. It's you, moron. But if you're going to ask me, then you have to ask Dan Reed. We already know what I do; what does Dan Reed do? What do the reporters at the small and slightly-failing magazine do to afford "rent and food?"
Answer the question, idiot! You're the one who brought it up, and now that whole can of worms has been blown open.
Dyer still didn't say thank you to 5:57. That is the sort of guy he is.
Yes Robert, your behavior and style definitely make the council look good or at least much better than whatever you bring to the table. The only fight you have is to delete comments and act like a warrior. You're delusional in thinking you're anything but an overly fast-food fed insecure blogger with poor manners.
I've suspected for some time now that "Robert Dyer" is actually a completely imaginary persona created by the MoCo Machine to make their opposition look ridiculous. And they have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.
7:17: LOL. You're talking about the clown council that can't even collect trash? You're right that I "act like a warrior." We need a councilmember who will be a warrior against out of control development, and incompetent fools who can't deliver the most basic of services in one of the highest-taxed jurisdictions in America. We wouldn't be signing contracts that guarantee money to trash collectors who don't pick up the trash. "LOL"
7:23: The Council chickened out of the last debate in 2014 because they knew I would whip their ass again. Look at Hans Riemer's face at the end of the MyMCMedia TV debate just before that one. "LOL" If I was "ridiculous," they would have shown up like men and easily defeated me, right? Cowards don't run away from "ridiculous" opponents.
I'm not sure why there's so much suspicion about what Dan Reed does for a living, since he's quite open about being a transportation planner and writer for Washingtonian. Like, the GG Wash article endorsing him for planning board lays it out: https://ggwash.org/view/63285/ggwash-editor-dan-reed-is-a-finalist-for-montgomery-county-planning-board.
7:40: He only had that job recently, and quit the day he was rejected for the Planning Board. Washingtonian freelance pay doesn't cover the cost of living in MoCo. Anytime somebody is shilling for developers, and appears to have a secret source of income, people do tend to get "suspicious." I'm suspicious that you're not suspicious. But, again, I didn't bring the topic up, you did.
"If you don't stop lying about me, I'm going to start telling the truth about you."
...I didn't bring up the topic? This is my first post on this comment thread. And you've been asking the same question about Dan Reed for weeks. And LinkedIn is a thing that people use to list their occupation and place of employment. So again I'm not sure why you're after this like a dog with a bone?
7:49am please move on to relevant topics.
Spending 100 comments discussing the revenue of Dyer's businesses is off topic, irrevelent and a waste of time.
"7:40: He only had that job recently, and quit the day he was rejected for the Planning Board. Washingtonian freelance pay doesn't cover the cost of living in MoCo. Anytime somebody is shilling for developers, and appears to have a secret source of income, people do tend to get "suspicious." I'm suspicious that you're not suspicious. But, again, I didn't bring the topic up, you did."
Robert, you write freelance and live in MoCo. You have quite a lot of posts about developers and refuse to disclose how you get your income to show objectivity. I'm surprised more people aren't "suspicious" of you to be honest.
8:21 AM Ken, would you be comfortable giving your income details in public?
Dyer's business isn't a public company and doesn't disclose revenue.
Do you normally ask reporters about their incomes? I've seen many investigative pieces in the Post and elsewhere, but I didn't see disclosure of the journalists salary.
Dyer is also a candidate for office, many of which are asked to disclose their tax returns or do so to make a statement. That seems like a valid question, although I don't think anyone actually cares nor should care how much he is making.
It is legitimate to ask Dyer's source of income, if he really has one. How a man earns a living is important about his experience and values.
We know what the other candidates have done or do for a living and it does matter. His background is very sketchy and he's strange, so it's even more important. For all we know, a competing developer is paying him to dis the Westbard plan.... who the hell knows. The point is, Robert's platforms and rude blog comments and fast food reviews aren't enough to judge him. Residents need to know how this guy knows anything about industry or government besides bashing and sending information requests to the local government. If he wants votes, he has to be willing to disclose more information about himself.
In Tim's defense, it is rude to ask a reporter this sort of question. However, I do agree with the former two responses that as a candidate for office, it is not rude to ask this sort of question.
9:11am I'm sure if Dyer runs for public service, he'll be attending many public events where you can ask him all sorts of questions.
You can always send him an email as well.
It's just not productive to ask a journalist his salary and revenue on every article. It's off topic and irrelevant.
I agree it's inappropriate to ask a journalist salary and where he lives.
Dyer does constantly blast other writers on a personal level though.
So he's playing at the same dirty level.
9:58am Wrol, if you want to get to know Dyer personally, why not just send him an email?
Posting comments here really isn't the best forum for that.
From his "About" page here, I immediately know more Dyer than I know about any other local journalist.
I suspect you're just trolling Robert. If so, you need to grow up.
"I suspect you're just trolling, Robert. If so, you need to grow up."
Fixed it for you.
@ Tim, this is 9:29 AM here. I do think this blog needs to be clarified at some point if it is a campaign blog (begin from the start of this blog), or if this is a news site. If this is a campaign blog, although I think it is useless and futile to ask for tax returns, I would say it is an appropriate medium to do so. If this is just a Bethesda news blog, then I am 100% in agreement people need to stop with these questions. I do suspect that this blog is a hybrid of the two.
10:53 AM I wasn't aware journalists usually post their tax returns for their readers. Any examples of that?
I said it wasn't appropriate to ask journalists to for tax returns, but it is appropriate yet futile to ask candidates for it.
Robert,
The first mention on this thread about Dan Reed was from you @ 11:00PM
"Can Silver Spring's Answer Man tell us what Dan Reed actually does for a living?"
Immediately followed by me @3:47 asking the same of you. And me defending myself @6:03.
Yet you needed to insult me THREE times in your post @6:23, including this gem:
"Answer the question, idiot! You're the one who brought it up, and now that whole can of worms has been blown open."
No...YOU are the one who brought it up. @llPM. 1st mention of Dan Reed.
Be honest.
Report honestly.
And in all this, I never said anything bad about you, never assumed anything about you. Only asked your same question to you. It was ok for you to ask, but not me. Me, you had to attack.
You'll never apologize, your shills will attack me mercilessly, and you'll go on as usual. You may even delete this. I may print it out and hand it to you at the next meeting and demand an apology. Life is full of surprises.
But I know. Everyone reading knows. And everyone who will read this later will know. Who knows where this could show up for people to read.
Good day, sir.
Robert is NOT a journalist as know it (e.g., "I work for CNN or I own CNN."). That is, he doesn't work for a major news network. Yes, he has that suburban news whatever, but youtube videos of a few protests with some ads doesn't pay the bills. these articles are also not sponsored very often, that we know of.... so again, it's not like saying "I work for CNN." This man is very strange.
12:50pm is "very strange" for obsessing about a local journalist.
How does it feel to think about Robert Dyer when you wake up every morning?
I agree with skippy!
I agree with Skippy as well, exactly what needed to be said.
Skippy is spot on. Someone needs more work to keep themselves busy. Sad!
I think it's great we all care about our county so much. Just as Dyer thinks about current council members every morning because he thinks they are doing a disservice to county residents, readers (call them trolls if you want) feel strongly also about Dyer.
I agree with Rugby, Skippy, and Westbard Sucks!
Robert Dyer is a local journalist who provides a free public service and has the best advertising rates and he ALWAYS SIGNS his name to his posts!
Just out of curiosity for the dyer fans, do you agree with every single thing he says or thinks?
11:36: You're twisting the facts - I mentioned Dan Reed only after you demanded to know personal information about my income and finances. Reed is someone on your side with dubious sources of income. I don't want to bring it up, but you decided you wanted to go there. Not smart!
"If you don't stop lying about me, I'm going to start telling the truth about you."
8:21: I do more than just this blog. But if you don't have questions about Dan Reed, then you certainly won't have questions about my income, finances and personal life. Let's not be hypocritical for political reasons here.
9:05: I am not currently a candidate for office. No Montgomery County candidate has ever released tax returns to the public.
9:11: You're the one posting the "rude blog comments," not me. If the Washington Post doesn't care if Hans Riemer lied about major points on his resume (was he really Obama's youth director in November 2008, or was he let go earlier that year before Obama had even clinched the nomination?), then no one should care about someone like me with no claims of having changed history and the course of humanity on my resume.
Anybody remotely familiar with my blog and work as an activist would think you were a complete moron if you claimed I was paid off by developers.
8:21: Why are you so concerned about me, and you aren't wondering who the secret angel investors are at the small and slightly-failing magazine? How do those benefactors affect the objectivity of the magazine? How do they afford to pay 3 full-time reporters, and how do the reporters afford to live in high-cost Montgomery County?
So many questions - you don't want to go there, Ken Doll.
"If you don't stop lying about me, I'm going to start telling the truth about you."
And yet again he brings up BM. And Ken Doll now? Haha. Nice. Why the obsession?
And yet again he brings up Robert Dyer. Why the obsession?
I imagine because it's your blog and you are saying things people don't all agree with.
Robert @ 10:22.
Please show me where I demanded anything. You can't. I didn't.
Funny how YOU bring up something, then accuse me of it and tell me "Not smart"
You're not fooling anyone. You're the bully here. I see it. Everyone sees it.
Finally, you toss out this lovely assumed threat:
"If you don't stop lying about me, I'm going to start telling the truth about you."
Please, go ahead, tell all. Tell this elusive truth you threaten. I'm on pins and needles. Should I get a drink and popcorn? Oh wait, you won't because I'm not lying and all you can do is wuss out and threaten.
Love & bacon, @11:36PM & @6:03AM
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