This has some strong language but the core message is really something. He is talking to web entrepreneurs but I think what he is saying is also applicable people who are working to develop their careers.
Listen to the passion in his voice…he has an important message to share. Find your passion and use it to serve others by developing your personal brand.
I’m happy to announce the release my little career movie at MondayMorningMovie.com. Please check it out and spread the word if you like. I hope you find it inspirational. It is also a marketing tool for me. I am preparing to launch a membershipsite for people looking for career inspiration and motivation…it is called Careerillionaire.com. Thanks for your consideration, I really appreciate it.
Aggregators (a.k.a. feed aggregator or RSS aggregator)
• You can use aggregator software to create what is essentially your own customized digital newspaper!
• What topics do you like to or need to read about? Locate your favorite websites on the topics then click on the RSS feed button that can be found on many websites to add each website to your list to watch for regular updates. This saves time because the feed will automatically post updates to your aggregator so that you can see what’s new on you favorite sites very conveniently.
• Examples of free aggregators are Google Reader and Bloglines.com.
Here are some tools that will come in handy for careerillionaires and infopreneurs!
Meta Search Engines (a.k.a metacrawlers)
In a previous post I talked about Robert Allen’s definition of an infopreneur. This month one of my favorite organizations, The World Future Society, has a very good article titled The 21st Century Writer. Fascinating stuff and another way of further defining the career option called infopreneur although they don’t use the term infopreneur in the article.
Reading this article reminds me that the key to cutting edge infopreneuring is taking advantage of the newest technology and knowing how to mix the media to provide people with the information they want the way they want it. Maybe that is text, blogging, audio, video, slides, some sort of mixture…who knows? The point is the possibilities are endless for creative, tech savvy infopreneurs!
I wrote previously about very high priced info products. My biggest question is how does the infopreneur over-deliver at those prices? It seems to me that over-delivering is such an important factor to an infopreneur’s reputation…an infopreneur that wants to sell more than one product anyway. I guess someone could consciously decide to be a one-hit wonder though especially with some of the huge product launches that some people like to talk about.
In fact, over-delivering is important for an infopreneur or careerillionaire really. The infopreneur who over-delivers sells more products and the careerillionaire who does is met with more opportunities.
Over-delivering begins with knowing precisely what you are offering and being able to appropriately communicate that to the potential client. There must also be some understanding of the client’s point-of-view too. All together, no easy task when you think about it and that is why over-delivering can have such a big impact.
I’m surprised how much forethought blogging actually takes. You have to decide a topic and a voice, which platform to use, what design and plugins to use, whether to have comments or not, and how often to post, to name a few. Plus there is a big learning curve to face. Then you have to find a balance between creating posts and checking stats and such…all potentially very time consuming (and addictive).
Blogging is certainly not for everyone. It is getting pretty popular though. Truthfully, I’m not sure if I am glad to be doing it yet or not. I’m sticking with it because I think it will pay off soon as I get faster at developing content and better at juggling it with my other projects. For me, the only downside has been the time commitment and the pressure to post. I’m not going too crazy about deadlines but I am striving to be consistent. The pluses for me have been that I enjoy learning about the technology and I now have a relevant reason to get my thoughts and ideas down on paper on a regular basis which really helps with my infopreneurial endeavors.
Yesterday, I saw a very good article about the benefits of building a content focused website rather than blogging. It was very convincing. From an infopreneurial standpoint it definitely makes more sense to think in terms of a content driven site rather than a blog mainly due to potentially improved page ranking to more easily connect to the intended target audience. Another reason is the higher level of control the infopreneur can have over their writing/production schedule with a content driven website. The big downside the infopreneurial blogger has to overcome is that the relationship building aspect of blogging is quite strained right from the start when you are so obviously trying to sell something. I mean it has to be done carefully because how many people would subscribe to a constant commercial? Here are a couple of infopreneurial website examples for you. The first is a content driven site, Love-of-Roses.com. This site is less than a year old from what I understand and has an awesome traffic ranking already. Next, here is one in the form of a blog, Seth Godin’s Blog. Seth has figured out the fine line that an infopreneurial blogger must manage to build traffic and sell his products and expertise.
Now, career blogging is a whole different story. I believe it to be a cutting edge career advancement technique. Your blog can become a showcase for your unique knowledge and skills. With small regular posts you can quickly build an impressive portfolio demonstrating more about your personality and quality of work while building your reputation at the same time. Plus, a blog can be an outstanding networking tool. This is just the kind of thing the blogosphere was meant for…sharing information, having a discussion, building relationships. Here is a fine example of a career blog to check out if you like the idea of blogging to advance your career - Publishing Careers by Lori Cates Hand. I love the way she has built the blog around the central theme of an informational interview for those interested in the industry. This instantly sets her up as an expert. It also leads to numerous ideas for topics to write about as she discusses her own career journey and daily activities. She also interviews others in the industry which greatly furthers her professional networking activities and exposure. Brilliant!
I am movin’ and groovin’ on my infopreneurial websites this week. Yes! Got Google AdWord campaign set up. My goal is to get a mailing list built so that I can be ready for a successful launch.
Most of the steps are simple. I usually spend a bit of time intimidated and worrying about messing something up. But once I take action, it is often surprising how easy it is…just one little step at a time…that is key.
With each tiny accomplishment, my confidence and understanding of the technology grows exponentially. It does seem to take a leap of faith at each point though. It also takes a bit of persistence and patience because invariably there are little problems that have to be worked out along the way. With experience, I am learning to refrain from making the problems bigger than they really are and to find a workaround when possible.
When I started my blog I felt the need to combine two ideas that, at first glance, are not connected at all - being an infopreneur and being a careerillionaire (especially since I played a part in making this one up). Actually the two ideas are connected inside me though since an infopreneurial component is part of how I am attaining my careerillionaire status. And I that is really what I want this blog to be about…inspiring others to the careerillionaire lifestyle of customizing their career in a way that encourages their own thriving (aka optimal growth & development).
Sure choosing a career and the world of work on a day-to-day basis is often much more practical than that. And of course, survival needs must be met first. But once a person has gained confidence in their own money making ability they will often begin to assess their comfort and happiness level in the opportunity they have landed. When they decide they want to strive for more, the quest begins.
Looking over my last post brings me to a good question though. There are some great info products out there with giant price tags from people who are well recognized as leaders in their niche. How do you decide which one purchase if any? In my mind, there are two ways to look at it.