Newbies - Make it easy for people to help you

I am going to give a piece of advice that has really been important for me these last few months.

Make it easy for people to help you.

In the short few months I have been on this forum, I have seen numerous questions posted about making money online.

"What is the best way to make money online?"

"How can I make $X in one week/day/month?"

and so on.

Those questions are SO broad. They are great for discussion questions, because they show many different ways to make money, but they don't really help you if you get 50 responses and you can really do any of them. :confused:

So here are my suggestions:

1. Read.

Read the forum and get an idea of what ways people are using to make money. Don't worry about all of the jargon - just get the basics (blogging, affilliate sales, etc.) and take note of some things you can do or think you could if you had a little coaching.

2. Ask specific questions, and ask questions that do not require a novel to answer.

Ask a specific question, and give as much background information as possible so people can give you solid advice.

For example, "How can I make money online?"

If you say, "If I have a degree in classical literature and have homeschooled for 23 years, how can I make money online?"

You will get a different answer than if you ask, "If I am 18 years old and a whiz with computers, how can I make money online?"

Or, if you say, "I have 10 blogs that are hobby blogs. How can I make them more profitable?" people can give you different advice than someone who says, "I want to make money blogging, but I have never had a blog before."

People will not only give different advice, but they will also recommend different WSO's, based on experience level.

3. If someone gives you an answer you don't understand, don't be afraid to ask for clarification.

So many people simply say, "Okay," when given advice. Not me. if you give advice, I want to be able to understand it. If I don't, I will ask more questions. (Ask Bev. She knows. John Yeo knows, too.)



4. If someone tells you, "That is too complicated to answer on a forum," believe them and move on.

I have had people tell me this about a question I asked, and I not only appreciated their honesty, but I appreciated the fact that they didn't try to appease me with a an incomplete answer that would have done more harm than good.

Trust it when you get this answer, and either modify your question or chalk it up to something you need to research in depth on your own.

5. Act upon what you are told.

Don't drive people crazy. Don't ask a question, get an answer, and then keep asking the same question 10 different ways. Don't get advice and then ignore it.

Get advice, then do it. Once you have done it, then say, "Okay, I have done xyz - now what?" Show them you are making an honest effort.

6. Thank people.

Be thankful and gracious when people help you. It is just the nice thing to do.

7. Help others.

When you turn around and try to help others, it is simply the right thing to do. It's the way the WF works.

Okay. Those are my priceless pearls of wisdom. :rolleyes:

You may now carry on with your lives....