WordPress Workshop - Last Chance!

[Lynn Terry]

That example is assuming I already had that header graphic - which I paid to have custom designed...

[Engage]

Right, of course. You bought a custom logo, and so can anyone else who wants to take that extra step.

If you care to share, who did your logo? They did a great job! Really, it's awesome. I do admit some jealousy. (I've removed your images from the sample site.)

Buying a custom logo is a different level of hurdle than the endless fiddling with site designs that is the norm across the webmaster world. Order the logo, upload it, done, back to work.

Again, not the "one true way", just an option for those who don't wish to struggle.

For me, it helps to think of a specific person that we'd like to help. As example, I have a delicate niece who just graduated from college with one of those unemployable degrees. :-(

She's considered working online. How fast could we get her up and running with a site that has a chance of success?

1) Mentor: Join your Elite Group for niche advice, and a review of her writing skills, to determine whether publishing is a suitable opportunity for her.

2) Homework: Require her to write 25 quality articles in her niche. Find out right at the very beginning whether she wants to work, or not.

3) SiteBuilder: If she writes the articles, give her a simple sitebuilder, that doesn't empower her to waste time and get frustrated. No site until she writes the articles.

4) Logo: Buy a logo, or grab an image from iStockphoto.com

5) On to a lifetime of content, content, content, links, links, links.

To me, the game is won or lost inside our heads, and managing motivation levels is key.

So many people get bogged down in all the complications and hurdles, lose heart, and give up.

Some of these folks should give up, because they aren't well suited to this particular business, so it's not all bad news.

Imho, many other people would benefit from instruction and tools that put them in the driver's seat at the earliest possible moment.

And that involves chopping away as many unnecessary obstacles as possible.

By the way, the crucial highly important principle of "less is more" does NOT apply to my postings!

[Lynn Terry]

I think we're discussing two different markets. Anyone can go to blogger.com and be blogging in less than half an hour. And people do.

Setting up an online business to serve a market long-term is a different story. It requires a unique, engaging presence. Over the years I have developed those in various niches, and I've outsourced the development too.

[Engage]

Setting up an online business to serve a market long-term is a different story. It requires a unique, engaging presence.

Ok, we agree on this. Long term outlook, yes. Important point. Agreed.

And unique and engaging presence. Agreed here too, but...

If I understand (I might not, so correct me as needed) we perhaps look at "unique, engaging presence" somewhat differently?

I hear you to be referring to website design with that phrase?

I'm referring to the content, what the author has to say, what they can do for their audience. The "what's in it for me?" question readers all have.

In this thread, each of us has our own style of "unique and engaging presence".

Not sure how other readers feel, but for my taste we're sharing an interesting and potentially useful conversation.

And I bow to you in thanks for that! Truly I do. I don't want you to think I take all the time you are investing here for granted, because I don't.

And look, no technological hurdles involved. No unique graphic design. Just our two brains.

To me, "unique and engaging presence" involves having something to say, and having some ability to say it.

Have you noticed that we all regularly chant the phrase "quality content", but there's really not much instruction that focuses on how to do that? Could that be why we all tend to skim read power scroll each other's blogs?

We have technology classes and such aplenty, but outside of the copywriter community, hardly any real writing classes.

Some authors spend their entire lives developing a writing craft, coming with up with a unique voice, discovering something important to say, but here on the web we tend to assume that if we can type, we can write.

I'm suggesting unnecessary technology hurdles are where many of us hide from the more challenging, and more important, content hurdles.

Trying to say...

Trace the development of the Net from 1995 to today. The technical job of publishing gets easier and easier. Follow the graph forward.

Someday pretty soon literally anybody will be able to create a truly excellent, really professional looking site with just one click. And then nobody will care about designs.

When that day comes, the only way to be unique and engaging will be to say something unique and engaging.

But ok, ok, if you insist we have to look good now, then you really must tell us who helped your site look so good. You simply must!

Thanks again! Bowing, bowing...

[Lynn Terry]

I employ a variety of designers & programmers to keep things looking good & running smooth across all of my sites. Some of them are friends who don't offer that service publicly so I can't give you a complete list.

Fellow member Semmy of http://www.myminisitegraphic.com has done quite a bit of work for me.

Also Michael Schultz of http://www.sharppixeldesign.com (also a member here).

I have quite a few writing tutorials at ClickNewz, by the way

On design, it matters. Consider a home-made handwritten business card vs a professionally designed business card. Or even a free vistaprint card vs a professionally designed card.

It's all about conversion rates. And if you think design/presentation doesn't matter... split test it. It's been proven over and again. Web users have a higher expectation now than they did 10 years ago. The standards have definitely changed, and any serious online marketer needs to be on top of that.

[Engage]

Thanks for the referrals Lynn.

Yes, that works. If people want a fancy site, and it's easy to hire someone to make it so, that solves the problem of unnecessary frustrations and distractions. I'm surely not against nice looking sites.

Hey, somebody make (or link to) a site that is a list of reliable graphics people. It seems that would be quite useful.

By the way, here's the most successful site on the net. http://google.com 1996 era design, and nobody cares.

To me, design is just one example of the big picture that we share an interest in...

The number one issue I hear from people every day is how frustrated they are with the technical learning curve or with outsourcing site & blog design.

We all share an interest in relieving this frustration burden, right?

It's not just graphics and design.

Webmasters are exposed to a thousand different business plan ideas. Webmasters are bombarded with a thousand things they are told they really should buy. Webmasters wrestle with poorly designed software, and assume it's their fault they're having problems.

This giant pile of details can be overwhelming, and very frustrating, for many people. And, let's not forget, all these things, climbing the learning curve, is a great excuse for putting off real work until another day.

A lot of people are missing their chance to work online, because they get sucked in to all the distractions, and simply can't manage the information overload, the analysis paralysis.

There is no one solution to this that is right for everybody.

All I'm trying to do with my posts is explore simple clear minded options that are suitable for many people who are currently struggling. The ideas I'm presenting will not be needed by those who are not struggling.

One option to the dizzying tornado of details and options is to set the whole thing aside.

Turn it off. Let it go. Walk away.

Instead, get to work, right now, today, and focus on something simple and direct.

Content.

Links.

Adsense.

Simple tools.

It seems to me that it's very good news indeed that's it's possible to do this.

If there's a "secret" to making this work, it might be letting everything else go. All the fancy stuff, maybe later.

An option for the frustrated, that's all.

[Lynn Terry]

That option has always been available. Heck, you should see some of my sites!

Anyone can go to blogger.com and start writing and linking today. I do that all the time. But that's not what we're talking about here - or who this workshop was really for.

I love creating awesome affiliate sites. My skills are just outdated, and I want to create awesome affiliate sites on the wordpress platform now - with all the cool features & plugins - instead of HTML with SSI etc.

I'm one of those rare people that loves to pull a 36-hour weekend creating a new affiliate site. The sense of accomplishment is major. The long-term passive income from that investment... sweet.

As for Google, we can't confuse simplicity with lack of design. A LOT has gone into the design of Google and it's SERPs (search engine results pages). It's no accident how each of the elements are placed, left to right, top to bottom.

[Engage]

That option has always been available.

Yes, agreed. The simple path is not cutting edge, not insanely clever, not wickedly brilliant, not the next big inside secret, not the path to quick riches, and it's not new. It's none of the classic webmaster world stuff.

It's the opposite of all that.

It's simply not clear to many people that being frustrated, overwhelmed, confused and distracted is optional, or there wouldn't be so many people in that situation. Generally speaking, people don't deliberately choose to frustrated and overwhelmed.

I'm proposing that many or most of the people who would like to make money online will never find you and make it to your Elite Membership or Wordpress Workshop, because they'll become overwhelmed and frustrated and quit. Or they'll never even get started because it all just looks like such a giant complicated hassle.

A lost opportunity for them, and for you. Your future customers, going home to tell all their friends that the Internet thing doesn't work.

Anyone can go to blogger.com and start writing and linking today. I do that all the time. But that's not what we're talking about here - or who this workshop was really for.

Right, I agree completely. It's not who you're talking about, it's who I'm talking about. I'm trying to help the people I'm talking about become the people you're talking about.

I love creating awesome affiliate sites. My skills are just outdated, and I want to create awesome affiliate sites on the wordpress platform now - with all the cool features & plugins - instead of HTML with SSI etc.

I have no complaint with that, go for it!

I'm one of those rare people that loves to pull a 36-hour weekend creating a new affiliate site. The sense of accomplishment is major. The long-term passive income from that investment... sweet.

Got no complaint with this either.

[Lynn Terry]

I'm proposing that many or most of the people who would like to make money online will never find you and make it to your Elite Membership or Wordpress Workshop, because they'll become overwhelmed and frustrated and quit. Or they'll never even get started because it all just looks like such a giant complicated hassle.

My school of thought: If they want the end result bad enough, they'll keep working/searching to make it happen. Any true entrepreneur accepts the "giant complicated hassle" that is starting a business (of any kind) as an exciting challenge.

There's a big difference between an entrepreneur, and those who just want to "win the lottery". It takes both to make the world go 'round. I happen to like the fact that not everyone is an entrepreneur. Otherwise there'd be no one at the 24-hour McDonald's to make me a McSalad at 2am when I'm pulling an all-nighter...

[Engage]

Lynn, this is fun, threads like this are like playing jazz with computer keyboards. First you solo over a chorus, then me, then back to you, each of us pushing the other to further develop the melody, late in to the night in some smoky little club.

I hope we're swinging! If not, I hope the audience is too drunk to notice.

My school of thought: If they want the end result bad enough, they'll keep working/searching to make it happen.

Ok, this is the right mindset, agreed.

Now let's apply it to ourselves. If we really want folks to succeed at this, if we really want to do our job, we'll keep working, searching for ways to make it easier for them.

Imho, we're on the same page, each in our own way.

I want to make it easy in part so that all the delays and excuses are taken away, and there's nothing left but getting right down to work, or quickly coming face to face with the fact that we don't really want to work.

Any true entrepreneur accepts the "giant complicated hassle" that is starting a business (of any kind) as an exciting challenge.

Ok, let's agree on this too, each in our own way.

Imho, the business internet publishers are in is serving readers, usually with text content. And yes, understanding readers, and delivering them an endless flow of excellent content is indeed a challenge.

It's enough of a challenge, that the serious publisher, whether new or veteran, may choose to focus on it with determination. A serious publisher may elect to set aside distractions, like the fancy web technology and business plans that the webmaster community is so fascinated with.

There's a big difference between an entrepreneur, and those who just want to "win the lottery".

Yes, a big difference between a serious content creator, and those who endlessly fiddle around with net technology, pretending they are nerds.

Thanks for letting me play in your band. I'm having a great time, but perhaps have taken a few too many solos. Hoping members of the audience, if there are any, might jump up on stage, and take a turn at the word piano.