No, it was not.

>Out of the hits I have received, about 6% of them came from search
>engines, and then only the MAJOR ones, although I am listed at over a
>thousand places...mostly hand submitted by me.
>There is way TOO much importance placed on being listed with search
>engines. This is NOT the way to drive traffic to your site.

In Barry's case, the "big Eight" is the place to be. You and he are
in entirely different businesses, and his is a less crowded arena,
with more intensly motivated searchers.

> You need FREE content and a THEME. Your web site should
> be 80% free and 20% sell.

Again - you and Barry are occupying different business styles.
I suggest you actually visit a site before promoting your methods,
because one-size-fits-all advice can be dangerous.