Uncertainty
Is Internet Marketing Secure? –
In the last two days, I have read some really great comments and insights here on PotPieGirl.com. I wish I had enough time to respond to each one individually, but I can’t seem to squeeze a few more hours in a day no matter WHAT I try…lol. However, there was one comment that came thru not too long ago that hit me hard and made me realize that it’s time for us to have a talk about the uncertainty factor in internet marketing. Are we safe? Is our work secure? Is internet marketing a smart thing to do in such uncertain times?
The Comment That Inspired Me
Meet EuroSquid (Gene). Gene does many things online including Squidoo and running the Valley of the Giants blog (good reading there by the way).
As I was approving comments for this blog today, a comment came through from EuroSquid that made me stop and think. Heck, I almost forgot to hit the “approve” button…lol!
I’d like to repeat his comment here….and then let’s talk about this.
EuroSquid Said:
Hi PPG
I am delighted that it worked out so well for you and pleased that both Seth and Megan contacted you. I liked the way that they handled it and take my hat off to both of them.
But the whole thing has left me feeling uneasy. I love Squidoo ALOT. Squidoo is often my break in the day when I want to escape from work and be creative. But I really feel uncomfortable knowing that I could wake up one morning and a computer glitch has closed down my account and my many hundreds of hours of work are potentially gone. I wonder if I would get the same kind of response as you? It is kind of discouraging.
Gene, you have brought something up that I bet is on many, many minds right now – thank you.
Is It Safe To Work On Squidoo?
Yes, of course it is safe to continue to work on Squidoo. As I’ve always said, be careful how much time and energy you devote to building a site that belongs to someone else, and I stand by that. Thing is, there are many, many of you reading that are not at the right place to be creating your OWN sites (yet 🙂 ). So, like I did, you are starting out with the help of free-to-use sites like Squidoo and others like it.
Are You Wasting Your Time?
With all the recent events, I imagine we are all feeling a little uncertain about how safe our content is. I mean, seriously, one click and POOF, it’s all gone – yikes!
But ya know what, y’all? That is not the big issue here. Squidoo is not our worry. No matter what we do online, that POOF, It’s Gone fear remains.
Know what MY biggest fear/worst professional nightmare is these days? That I wake up one morning and the internet is closed and shut down.
Let me tell you, this is enough to put cold chills down my spine! Why? Because I am addicted to YouTube videos? Oh heck no! This frightens me because this internet has been the tool I used to change my life.
I’m not exactly sure how I would “make money online” if there was no longer an “online”…lol!
But that is my fear – not something any of us see happening at any time in the near future. But the thought of this brings up all those feelings of uncertainty and insecurity.
Let’s face it – in times like these, with the economy tumbling… with friends and loved ones losing jobs and even homes… these are VERY uncertain times.
Should We Be Trying To Make Money Online During Uncertain Times?
I think this is the bigger question – the root of the feelings we are experiencing. Can we really find security and certainty online? Can we trust it?
I think we all have a story from someone close to us that goes something like this:
“I worked for them for years… all was great. Then one day, I walked in the office and got laid off. All of a sudden, all my security was gone”
Know what? I have my OWN story like that. Know what I learned?
I never had security in the first place. Sure, I had those false feelings of “as long as I work hard and try hard, I feel certain I will have this job for as long as I want it”.
It’s all BS – especially NOW.
Now, let me give you another story I have:
“I opened my email and found out NINE of my Squidoo accounts were terminated! Yes, I was annoyed and aggravated and concerned…. but my security was not gone. I had plenty of other things working for me and I didn’t feel uncertain about my financial future.”
The only certainty you get in life is the certainty you create for yourself.
You all would flip if I listed out ALLLLLLL the various income streams I have created online in the almost exactly two years I’ve been doing this. At times it is so “bad” that I see a sale come thru or a check in the mail and I realize I haven’t even THOUGHT about that project in months. I got a check the other day. When I opened it up my hubby asked me what it was for. That check was for an online project I worked on over 18 months ago….and I haven’t TOUCHED since.
I’m not saying this to brag. Yes, I am proud of myself… I worked hard, but that is not the point. The point is this:
Do not count on any ONE to give you certainty – create your OWN certainty.
There is no such thing as security if it is coming from one source that you have no control over. Sadly, the reality in all of life is that we have very little real control over anything other than our own actions and behaviors.
The person who signs your paycheck also has the ability to stop that check without any notice. The person who owns that site you use has the ability to delete your work without any notice, too.
Don’t look toward Squidoo or HubPages or EzineArticles or even your own hosting company to be secure for you – or to even be FAIR to you.
Empowering YOURSELF
I don’t want to come across as bitter or cynical in all this because I most definitely am NOT. The day I realized all this is the day I empowered myself to create my OWN security and my OWN certainty. I then went to work and did as much as I could using free methods and diversified and then invested some of the money I earned into creating my own sites…and on and on and on.
I now have the security of knowing that if Squidoo shuts down, I still have income coming in. If a couple of my sites go down (and this has happened too – while I was out of town… ack!), I still have income coming in.
I feel it is perfectly acceptable for me to have this talk with each of you. Why? First off, I’ve SOOOOO been there. I also know the steps to get to here… where I am now…and where I am going from here.
I want to empower as many of you as possible to come with me and create your own certainty.
Thanks for listening!
I think everything you say is so true. Brick and mortar jobs are very insecure these days. I also have several online income streams, my husband just shook his head when he got all my different income statements in the mail this year for taxes, lol. But… if one of those income streams stops, I know I still have others.
I checked back here several times yesterday, just to see what your Squidoo outcome would be. I had faith that Squidoo would come through for you, I know they give a huge benefit of the doubt when they decide what is spam. I know your lenses don’t even come close (they’re waaaayyyy better quality than that).
But I’m like you I dabble (quite a bit) in Squidoo, I’ve dabbled at Hubpages, and some of the other freebie sites. I also have quite a few of my own sites, and blog for a network, and do some online work for private clients. So I definitely have baskets:-) It’s good to have baskets right now.
Linettes last blog post..I Have a New Toy!
“It’s good to have baskets right now”
Absolutely! And high five to YOU for working your online business that way!!!!!
Oh, and don’t EVEN get me (or my hubby) started on all the 1099’s I’ve gotten this year…. Holy Smokes!
Thanks for reading!
Jennifer
~PotPieGirl
Hi PPG,
I think that what you have said has the ring of truth and I know that you are right! I think all of us in here know that what you are saying is correct. Because what you are saying is true and because many of us wish/want to emulate you, I would like to implore you to finish your work on the Advanced One Week Marketing System that you mentioned in your posts yesterday. Many of us do not know how and where to diversify and we purchased your system as a place to start because we did not know where to start after we learned the basics. Your system is a wonderful place to start. I am sure that anyone that has put their faith in you and bought your system would agree with me in that they would love to purchase and follow your advanced OWM to learn how to empower ourselves even further in our online endeavors. Please consider moving forward with your advanced OWM. I am sure it would be very well received and appreciated. You are an excellent teacher and I am sure that we will all follow you wherever you go. (You are our mama duck and we are your ducklings and we are all in line following you!)
I know about insecure brick and mortar jobs. I’ve worked in the carpentry trade since 1979. When the economy goes down the tubes, in seems my line of work is one of the first to feel the pinch.
Fortunately by knowing a trade I’ve always ben able to find my own work. If I can hang in there another five years, I’ll collect a pension.
In the mean time I’d like to build an internet businness. I’m counting on the internet being around for a long time.
Great post and excellent advice. I love this sentence, “The only certainty you get in life is the certainty you create for yourself.” So true.
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I think that one of the great things that will give you a feeling of certainty is to know that if you did it once you can do it again (and probably a lot faster).
Sure we would all have a problem if the Internet closed on us but then again, so would we if the earth got hit by a giant meteor. You’ll not get anything out of living in fear so why even bother?
Learning how to drive traffic and make money online is something that nobody can take away from you and as long as you keep learning (IMPORTANT POINT – which a lot of people do not practice) you’ll stand a (far) above average change of coming out successfully on the other side.
Great post Jen!
/Mikael
Mikael Riecks last blog post..More Than Pet Insurance vs. Vet Insurance
Mikael –
You read my mind!!! I was just closing out my day (finally – at almost 3am…lol) and it hit me that I forgot to put in my post that knowledge is one thing that NO ONE can take away from you. Once you learn it – you OWN it – and it simply becomes a matter of “rinse and repeat”.
When I was younger and used to complain about going to school or how dumb I thought an assignment or a class was, my grandmother would always say, “Get your education – always keep learning. Knowledge is the one thing that no one can take from you. It’s yours forever.”
Now, she DID forget to mention that as we get older and have kids, we tend to lose brain cells…..lol….but I now know what she meant.
If you make a great lens and it goes “POOF”, you already have all you need to make a good blog or hub or whatever on the same topic. You already know WHAT converts and HOW to convert it. Sure, it’s a pain in the butt, but it’s really ‘small stuff’ in comparison to other things.
We can’t live in fear… and we can’t work in fear.
Thanks for the great comment!
Jennifer
~PotPieGirl
First of all, thanks for empowering me:) with your great thoughts. Your thinking power is far more than average person, average person can think like you, but putting ones thoughts in action is difficult task for most of the people( you are not one of them:)). I like this sentence very much.
“Do not count on any ONE to give you certainty – create your OWN certainty.”
I have remembered it and I will try to create certainty around me and my loved ones.
All this reminds me that the only constant in life is change. And yes, I have always believed we have to diversify. At this point tho, I just want to learn everything in OWM and get really comfortable with it. And then move on – maybe in 2010! lol
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I try to look at uncertainty in a different way.
For sure, like many readers here, I have been laid off, made redundant, got fired, had my sites hacked, lost accounts, been banned, had employees take the p*** and steal from me, been robbed etc etc etc…
But in it all, every single time, without fail, there has been opportunity. The trick is to see it.
All around you are little golden nuggets that will change your fortunes. You only need to pick up one at a time and not try to get them all.
Lastly, the only real business you need to deal with is YOURS.
I remember somewhere I read once.
‘There are 3 kinds of business… Gods business, other peoples business and your business.
You have no hope in changing Gods business, dealing with other peoples business will take forever….. so sort out your own business and concentrate on that’
Karl
Constant learning and learning how to learn are also great at reducing uncertainty.
Off Topic: What is the best ebook on article writing and writing in general? Not necessarily on making money, just how to write better. Something to compliment my One Week Marketing course.
Jennifer,
Wonderful reminders. I used to tell my kids, and now I write it on my sites:
“Don’t be more dedicated to any person or organization than they are dedicated to you.”
This is something that every MMO ebook should start with. Rule 1: Diversify.
The Internet is a wonderful place that offers so much opportunities. The downside of the internet is that the rules are constantly changing and one day you find yourself with one less income stream.
But, as you said, it’s ok because you should have 20 more that still hold strong.
That’s why I think that unlike an off-line job, the internet offers a way to be secure. It’s just a matter of your initiative to take advantage of that way.
Cheers,
Alex
Alex at Net-Entrepreneur.coms last blog post..Grab a $25 Rebate for PPC-Coach.com, That’s a 50% Discount!
Hi PPG!!!
You know that nightmare you have where the internet has disappeared?? Well, I have been trying to get onto Squidoo for over an hour and – nothing!! No “we’re doing maintenance” nothing (cue spooky music)…
so I thought while I’m waiting I’ll join Wealthy Affiliates!!! (told you the blinkers were on) and I’m cruising the forum looking for Squidoo tips and the second one I look at there you are!!! Its so nice to see a familiar face!!!
And, I agree with you there are other nice guys and gals out there (see my last post) but I am just so sick of seeing newsletter after newslettter coming in trying to sell me the same “next big thing” with exactly the same text that the last newsletter had. With you I get help, answers, hints and tips. You realise that not everybody has endless money to spend – if you think something is worth having you tell us…….
Sorry for ranting!! I am just so glad I found you!! Have a great birthday (again!!)
And guess what….. Squidoo is back!! WHEW!!!!LOL!!
Kay
Hi Jennifer,
Wow your blog is growing and I can see there are much much more comments than the 1st time I saw your blog last year.
I have my own story, I have only ONE blog and I only monetize with ONE program= Google Adsense. Unfortunately, the blog is going down to sandbox and I only get some cents (sometimes zero, sometimes a dollar) a day, earning a month is just about $6, not even enough for living in a day 😀
I frustated and neglected my blog. But I believe someday I will get my first money online. Then I monetize it with Paid Review and earn my first dollars from Internet 🙂 Although I don’t do paid review anymore (because somehow I feel guilty using blog for the paying post) and Google was really kind to give my blog the second chance in Search Engine after 9 month buried in sandbox.
After that, I buy several domains and make lots of blog. I make dozens of Squidoo lens in some accounts and start make another money by promoting affiliate program.
IMO, there is NO real secure jobs in this world. But I’m doing Internet Marketing because I Loooove it! No other job can beat potential income of Internet Marketing, flexible time management and Lifestyle. Don’t you agree? 😉
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This is a timely post to make that not-so-sexy but subtle point about success….
Worried about the insecurity? The key is to not just diversity your eggs, but to save a percentage of every internet dollar you make — 10-20% minimum. Personally my goal is to tuck aside 25% of everything I earn online (not a dollar yet, and plan on doing this and the day job for a while or until there isn’t a day job anymore.)
Money in the bank is the best security. Knowing how to go make more of it is the next best thing.
“Real jobs” are only an illusion of security — good for the current moment and not much else.
@Gina, and whether:
“Money in the bank is the best security”
is true or not is totally other discussion but if you study books about or written by rich people you will find that they don’t tend to agree. 😉
I can especially recommend Robert Kiyosaki’s books (the Rich Dad, Poor Dad series). He is a terrible writer but he has some exceptionally valid points that anyone can benefit from if they can grasp them.
Mikael Riecks last blog post..More Than Pet Insurance vs. Vet Insurance
Love many, trust a few, but always paddle your own canoe! Yes you’re right, investing in ourselves and what we own is important. Yes starting out with Squidoo is a good starting point. I wish I had started my own websites sooner, I started about 9 free sites on WordPress, where you can’t run ads. At least on Squidoo you can monetize them!
@Mikhael:
??? Rich people wouldn’t agree???
Since by definition rich people have a lot of money tucked away in some form or another, I don’t see how they couldn’t agree. Whether they’ve got their money in a MMA, invested in the stock market or in real estate (coughKiyosakicough) is beside the point.
I follow Warren Buffett over Robert Kiyosaki anyway.
It’s a lot easier to feel secure when you’ve got positive cash flow and some cash reserves tucked aside than if you don’t. It’s a lot easier to take risks too — at least from a practical standpoint. I’m not talking about the psychology of it.
And it’s fundamentally sound business. For internet marketers, it means you don’t have to sweat temporary dips in revenue.
@Gina, did you read his books? If you did you would know that he does not SAVE money by putting it into a bank account. It is true that he has money in the bank but as he states it is “excessive cash” that is waiting for the right opportunity to show up. And there is a BIG difference in that aspect of looking at things.
Now the reason I commented on your statement is that you stated it as a FACT and from your point of view that might be true. We all have our perspective on how “things are” and that determines our situation and you can say whether something is “right” or “wrong”.
So all I’m saying is that I’m find with the fact that you find “money in the bank to be the best security” for you. But to state is as a fact that applies to everyone is not true.
I hope that clarifies things. 😉
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I’m just starting out online so I guess I don’t have the fear that everything I’ve done will be lost… but I did pick a heck of a time to get started.
Thanks for the encouraging words, we all need them right now.
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I’ve always been self employed or paid on commission, and I’ve always made the point that nothing is certain except knowledge and skill and the willingness to take action.
Even before the current crisis, I knew of numerous people who gave their lives to corporations only to be pushed out close to retirement. I’ve also known of people who lost substantial chunks of their savings or the value of their investments during other economic downturns.
In this current economy, even Warren Buffet (assets down about 30-35%) and other investment gurus have lost money. But they haven’t lost their knowledge and creativity.
In spite of the world economy, usage of the internet is growing. Having an online business today is the equivalent of starting a business in the early 1900’s in the U.S. There’s a pretty good chance of being very successful even if you do have a few hiccups. Just because the market still has a lot of growing to do.
@Mikael:
Yes, I’ve read his books; I’m not a member of his fan club though.
What I say “money in the bank is the best security”, don’t take me so literally as to think I mean a savings or checking account. I mean, set aside a portion of money that is not earmarked for consumption. It’s the pool of money from which you build your wealth, by setting it aside from money you need to just pay the bills and get by.
Until you break out of the “paycheck to paycheck” lifestyle, you aren’t going to be free to chase after opportunities, whether you view your set-aside money as “excessive cash” or as a layer of security.
@Gina, I’m not either even though it might sound that way 🙂
I’m sorry that I misunderstood what you meant. Having English be my second language I sometimes take things literally that isn’t supposed to be. So in conclusion it seems like we agree after all 🙂
Mikael Riecks last blog post..VIP Vet Insurance is the one most Vets Prefer
No worries Mikael:
And I think this is even more important for a full-time entrepreneur, who does need a cushion of cash to cover varying commision checks, lag times when they might be waiting for checks, etc. Even if money is temporarily interrupted, the kids still need to eat and the rent/mortgage still needs to be paid.