It seems like the two most frequently used words on the internet are "how to".
How to make money blogging, how to write a good blog, how to monetize your posts, how to avoid censure blogging, how to become a web pubblisher. I think a lot of these how-to articles are pure mush, written as a fishing line to lure you into the site with no real content.
What do you do when you want to write a 'how-not-to" article? That is what this post is all about. Mistakes I am making as I am learning about how to good at what you do on the net. These are my top 5 'how not to' recomendations. I have a lot to learn so don't be surprised if this changes over time.
1. Getting rich quick is for real estate seminar guys and the dreamers who buy their seminars. It used to be getting rich in Amercia was a matter of working smart not hard. My experience is, you have to do both. The real estate seminar guys are not getting rich buying real estate, and neither are their students. It is all a big lie, both students and teachers know it in their guts, and neither one will admit it.
Face it, making money in a competitive environment takes a lot of brains and a lot of work. Maybe one of you fellows will clue me in on the secret, how do you get someone to do your hard work for you? That is a topic for another article! Till then it is time to work hard and to work smart.
2. Experience has taught me, by the time a secret way to make a lot of money on the net gets to be well known, it might as well have stayed a secret. It is too late, there is too much competition, time to look for a fresh idea. I want to know about the idea because it gives a a foundation for the next idea. But the original idea has usually been beat to death. If I can get the idea cheaply enough, that means cheaply enough in money, and cheaply enough in time, then it is worth it. Otherwise, time to get back onto the net.
3. If I have unrealistic expectations one of two things needs to happen: I need to have an attitude adjustment, or I need to find something else to do. Frustration is a good way to lose motivation. Not long ago, when I figured out how to monetize my blog, I kept checking all night long to see how much I had made! I checked it the next day too, and by the end of the week I was pretty devastated. Not only was I not going to make much money for what I was writing, no one was even reading it. That was a heck of a blow to my ego!
It is clear, this is going to take a lot of time and a lot of effort to get the piece out there. If I can make a buck to pay the utility bill that will be icing on the cake. Fortunately, I write mostly for myself. I won't lose much sleep if those guys who were addicted to the 'how to' articles don't make the jump up to the latest model, the 'how not to' that I am writing today.
The point is, I know realistic expectations are critical. Those will come to me with experience. My part is keeping an open mind and not losing opportunities because I am frustrated.
4. No one can be great at everything. At least not me. For example, I am not a mechainc. If my brother wants me to fix his engine then the best thing for me to do is refer him to my to-be written guide on how to follow the bus route. It will take me so long time to put his car together he better learn the system.
I am a writer. I usually communicate better in writing than in words. On the other hand, computer programming is not my strong suit. In fact, I failed my programming class in college. We wrote our program on little punch cards and fed them into a machine. I can't tell you how relieved one day when the 'system went down'. I didn't have my homework done...and never did finish itQ! Not much has changed since then.
The nice thing about today's modern blogger is the field is divesified. If i can't do it well someone else can. Why not stick to my forte and leave the rest up to someone who is really good at it?
5. Fianlly, being willing to fail is an important part of being a success. I spent a lot of my life not doing something because I was afraid I would fail. One day will learn how to do X or Y, I would think to myself. I neve got around to doing a lot of things because I never figured I could do it perfectly the first time.
The least expensive way to learn is to fail. It is the trial and error that makes me better. Experimenting a lot, findig out what works for me, being ready to make changes because what worked yesterday does not work today, all of these things are what will make me good. When I get it right there is a lot of satisfaction in it. Till then, it is a lot of fun figuring it all out. Meanwhile, there is a get rich quick real estate seminar this weekend. Want to come?
Tim Paynter is an attorney, a dreamer, a staunch advocate for civil rights, and totally lost on how to make a buck bloggin, but if you stay put, maybe we can learn how to do it together!
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