Input on possible joint venture, e-class idea?

[carlos123]

I am having some trouble getting input on other forums for the joint venture idea that was first proposed to me on this forum so...I figure it wouldn't hurt to get further input...well...here.

This forum is not very big but the input given here has been of far greater quality than I have gotten elsewhere. Don't quite know why that is.

Anyway....

The basic idea is to create a series of 13 lessons on creating simple websites using PHP programs I have written to make things super easy.

I will then offer these 13 lessons to internet marketers as a joint venture where they can give out the lessons to their subscribers, having them put together in a rebrandable e-book, where I will generate a list for myself by offering a free subscription to these lessons, all kinds of possible things I can do with these lessons.

The lessons depend on my source code. Without the source code I have created...it's easier to use something like WordPress. With my source code it's much easier to create and maintain simple web sites than even using WordPress.

There's all kinds of possibilities there too. Give away the lessons (which are on the whole valuable in their own right) and sell the source code. Give away both the lessons and the source code to enable me to get more traffic to my site and to hopefully generate more paying web site development clients, all kinds of possibilities respecting how to give out the source code.

Here is the basic syllabus of lessons I have in mind.

http://carlosgonzalezconsulting.com/lessons/lesson-syllabus

I am especially interested in getting input on the lessons listed in the syllabus. Are they enough? Too much? Too little?

But also the whole idea. Does it sound workable as a joint venture possibility?

Any input would as always be much appreciated.

Thanks.

Carlos

[Kayla Fay]

Love the syllabus. It takes a beginner through the basic steps, then actually gets into some 'meat' too. Most of the time, courses just teach only the basics and then stop, or they start out assuming a lot of background knowledge.

[carlos123]

Thanks Kayla!

What do you think of the whole idea of a series of e-lessons that rely on my software code? Is the basic idea workable as a joint venture with an internet marketer who might have a list he/she might want to give the lessons to?

Much of what is in the lessons is available for free over the internet but what I am banking on is this...

1. If what others have generally said about me is true...I am an excellent writer and can explain complicated things in readily understood ways.

2. Most people interested in making a living online have neither the inclination or the time to uncover the information for themselves. Traversing the entire internet to uncover the same information I present in codensed but very useful form. Few people want to even get WordPress installed and set up. While WordPress may be relatively easy for those of us who are web savy...for many...it is altogether too overwhelming with installation, plug-in, security holes, updates, and the like, it's just too much.

3. No one and I mean no one has the source code that I have created and that I used on my own web site to easily create my own site. It is absolutely unique to me. I can work into it whatever I want as a PHP programmer and it is just a matter of me figuring out what people want with respect to something that will allow them to create simple web sites quickly. I have reworked things several times to make things just as simple as they can be made for those that might use my code. I guess what I am saying is that if it's possible to create it in PHP...I can do it.

The code is not that extensive mind you but it doesn't have to be. Most of the internals are hidden inside PHP object classes.

Here's the main code from the index.php file that is the backbone and workhorse for my Simple Websites Made Easy system.



$linkMenu = array(
"Home" => "/",
"About Me" => "about-me",
"Contact Me" => "contact-me",
"My Skills" => "my-skills",
"My Rates" => "my-rates",
"Introductory Special" => "introductory-special",
"Design Considerations" => "design-considerations",
"Copyright Issues" => "copyright-issues",
"Paying for Services" => "paying-for-services",
"Why Not WordPress" => "why-not-wordpress",
"Free Lessons" => "lessons/"
);

$global = new globals();
$page = new webPage();

$currentDirectory = $global->baseDirectory;

$page->navigation($linkMenu);
$page->useStyle($global->style);
$page->useBackground($global->backgroundImage);
$page->useHeader($global->headerImage);
$page->useFooter($global->footerImage);

if(!empty($_GET['content']))
{
$fileName = $_GET['content'].".txt";
$fileLocation = $currentDirectory.$fileName;
if (file_exists($fileLocation))
$page->show($fileLocation);
else
$page->show($global->errorPage);
}
else
$page->show($global->defaultPage);


The above code is not commented (code in the lessons will be fully commented to death) and may seem like gooblygook to many but what you have to bear in mind is that the basic code seen above is what generates ALL web pages at my site (with some slight changes like to the menu items that appear in sub-directories but those too are easily changed by changing the items in the $linkArray).

Once someone understands the code above and just that above the rest is a matter of creating plain text files with a .txt ending in the sub-directory that the above code is found in and that's it. You also have to create a web site header and footer graphic (if desired). But once you have those items you can just plug them into the appropriate parts of the code and voila...my system spits out the web site.

Oh you have to change the file associations inside the file class as well but that is absolutely no big deal. Anyone can do that. Nothing complicated about much of this at all and I am still working on making it even easier.

Much, much simpler than using or keeping up with the likes of WordPress and much more secure not to mention that my system uses up a lot less server resources and even bandwidth.

So I think this idea is workable as a joint venture but I am still in the getting input stage.

Carlos

[kdbbiz]

Carlos,
Those lessons seem to be just about right. How many pages are each lesson? If they are meant as e-courses does that mean you have a lesson in each email? I would be interested in trying out your code and creating a website. I have most of the knowledge of the lessons you have laid out, but I would like to put it all together and try out your code.If you are ever looking for people to test it and give testimonials, I will be the first in line!

I think you should give the ecourse away for free and to your affiliates, and then sell the source code.

[carlos123]

Hi kdbbiz,

Thanks for your input! Great to hear that the lessons are about right again.

I've only got lesson 1 written so far. I have to flesh the others out but certainly I would love to have people try them out to give me more adequate feedback as to where they could be strengthened or made more useful.

I would especially like to get people who love WordPress to try to build a web site using my Simple Websites Made Simple method to see if my system really does make creating web sites simpler.

There are undoubtedly a number of kinks that will have to be worked out.

My only concern in using people to try it out is that once the source code is released it's out there and will be hard to put back in the bottle so to speak.

I still have to decide how I am going to do this. Perhaps the best thing really is to release the source code in it's entirety and freely give it to the internet marketing community in the hopes that some newbie's coming around to start building their internet empire will hire me to personally create their web sites for them.

I could become a sort of open-source programmer to internet marketing circles or some such. Programmer to the stars type of thing LOL.

Or I could sell newbie internet marketers e-courses on using the GIMP or all manner of other things I guess.

Not sure what to do with all this exactly.

I mean I am creating these lessons with a view to setting up a joint venture using them but it is also valuable for me to offer them freely through my web site from the standpoint that it will give me a lot more content to add to my web site. Which will hopefully cause Google to love me a bit more.

I could use some more of that loving. That's for sure LOL.

Let me work on these lessons a bit more kdbbiz. I may take you up on your kind offer to be my first guinea pi...I mean guinea woman LOL.

Carlos

[kdbbiz]

Sounds like a plan Carlos. I know you said you are an excellent writer, but if you need some help at any time writing or organizing the lessons, give me a PM. I am a professional freelance writer among other skills. I would be glad to help out(no charge-more a JV thing)

[carlos123]

Thanks very much kdbbiz,

Much appreciated. I will posting the first lesson in a couple of minutes. If you or others could read that first lesson and give me input on how it comes across that would be great!

Carlos

[carlos123]

Here is Lesson #1 if anyone wants to read it and comment on it.

http://www.carlosgonzalezconsulting.com/lessons/lesson-1

It may be too simplistic. Not sure. I tried to make it as simple as possible using limited programming terms. I oversimplified some things like what a web server is since a web server can act in the role of a web server AND a client computer depending on what it is engaged in doing at any particular point in time.

I tried to write it from the standpoint of what a newbie web site creator needs to know and did not focus too much on absolutely being technically correct in all things (which would have uneccessarily complicated things).

I may leave the list of references that I plan to have at the end of each lesson out in any joint venture versions. Not sure. Perhaps having additional references at only my web site will give readers an additional incentive to come read the lessons at my site.

Some of the lessons will be longer and will include screen captures of how to do things in the GIMP (for example). Others might be a bit shorter.

These lessons can be sent out as emails, bound into an e-book, all kinds of things. I am leaning in the direction of letting internet marketers do whatever they want with them within the boundaries of a very liberal use policy.

My main goal is to get traffic to my web site and not to sell anything directly to the list of subscribers that an internet marketer might give these lessons to.

They can be offered as a freebie or other inducement by an internet marketer to accomplish their own ends. As long as an attribution link to my web site is left intact I think I will be okay with most any use of them.

Not sure. Again...I have to think all this through some more and will be looking for additional input here and on other forums before I absolutely finalize things.

Carlos