How I started in this Game.
I lurked the forums and now it's time to post what I think. 
First off, I call IM a game because if I call it a job it just seems more off putting to others that want to get started.
Hey, I'm here to tell you about how I, a 17 year old kid, started out in the world of IM.
So, I started out at the age of 16 and wanted to make some money seeing as I was only on a student visa, no SSN to apply for work, while getting an education in the US. I had no idea what to do, I played the game of RuneScape since I was 13 and I met some people on IRC(Internet Relay Chat) that had an interest in programming and web design.
They showed be the basics of what I needed to do to get a website up and running and gave me a link to w3schools.com. So spent the next 2 weeks making a very simple and unproductive site with basic HTML and CSS I had learned from w3schools.com.
Let me tell you, it's not easy starting off in this area of work. You need to learn a lot of things to try and spend less and earn more.
I talked to the people in IRC about my website and they laughed and showed me some of their websites, At the time they were pretty decent, I bugged them over and over again until they told me what I needed to learn to produce a website like that and this is were I fell in love with the language of PHP.
So.. basically I spent the next 6 weeks crunching all the basic information about PHP into my brain and produced a flat-file based review website that looked horrific. This is when they told me about MySQL and how I would need it to progress if I wanted to aim higher. I was on a free host, 110mb.com, and I still use this host. If you're familiar with 110mb they require you to pay for upgrades like MySQL, htaccess, etc..
I rounded up the ~$20 I needed to buy MySQL and bought it with no idea what it was or how to use it. I spent some time reviewing how the language was built and and how to use it with PHP.
This is where everything turned around...
I got into a small argument over something on IRC and left for good. I spent the next 2 days looking at w3schools learning MySQL. I tried going back to IRC and I was shunned from the server. So at this point I vowed not to ask anyone for help and to only ask Google for help, Google doesn't back chat.
I spent the next year accumulating the necessary information about PHP, MySQL, CSS, JS, XHTML and went all out on a website using the games, pictures, video niche. While building this website I learned a lot about the language of PHP and how flexible it is. I still have all the files to this website and use them as a background for other websites I create.
Right, this is were everything in the past year all comes together...
I went to Alexa to get my daily news fix, and to check my sites Alexa rankings. I found a website to do with the opposite of white hat methods and browsed it for a while. I kept seeing these acronyms and had no idea what it all meant.
I read everything in the facebook section and finally found about the money that can be made with Facebook + CPA. I signed up to the notorious CPAlead and had no idea what FBML, Apps, or anything to do with monetizing Facebook. This is where Google came into the picture.
Google is like a inhumane mentor that needs a user, you, to utilize it's brain functions to get what is needed.
I used my past knowledge of PHP, XHTML, CSS, JS, to build FBML apps, landing pages, and anything else needed for me to succeed.
And within my 1st FULL month with CPAlead I made $574. Which may sound like chump change but If you're stuck for a job and can't even attempt to apply for one this had me satisfied and hooked.
All I'm trying to say is that I've spent nothing on those useless WSOs that people keep selling and those courses that try and help people make "millions". I'm not saying all eBooks are crap I'm just pointing out I would never waste a cent of my money in which I can get the information for free with a little search and dedication.
Also, I'd like to see more of a younger generation get into the game of IM as it is a very open and alive way to make money at any age.
Some Tips to stay focused:
-Set a target you want to aim for and make it realistic.
If you've just started out in the game of IM. Use your head and don't get pulled in by all those eBooks exclaiming how you can make millions with just a simple 5 minutes work. THEY NEVER WORK, well most don't.
-If you feel like your about to give up. Stop what you are doing and go watch TV, play a video game, or, go enjoy the world at it's best. There's nothing wrong with taking a day off to enjoy your life.
-If you get a sudden idea WRITE IT DOWN. If you're somewhere were your not in direct contact with a pen, pencil, and, paper. Use the next best thing, technology. When I had my iPod I used to use the notes function while out and about if I came up with and idea and wanted to expand later. You never know you may forget you had that idea and come back to it a couple months later and it could change your life. Don't try and remember things they'll be there one day and next you'll be lost again.
-If you're feeling like nothing will work and you've hit the lowest of the low then take a couple hours kip and wake up bright eyed and ready to move on with your life.
-If you're strap for cash and the CPA, or other methods aren't working using your prior knowledge to create a script that people will want and feel the need to pay for can bring in copious amounts of $$
Sorry about the really long post. It's just I've read post after post about people who haven't made a cent but spent thousands on useless information that they get for free most of the time.
Facebook is big as of right now and if you can't make a cent from it then there's definitely something wrong with you.
Stop spending, Start earning!
-Dan
First off, I call IM a game because if I call it a job it just seems more off putting to others that want to get started.
Hey, I'm here to tell you about how I, a 17 year old kid, started out in the world of IM.
So, I started out at the age of 16 and wanted to make some money seeing as I was only on a student visa, no SSN to apply for work, while getting an education in the US. I had no idea what to do, I played the game of RuneScape since I was 13 and I met some people on IRC(Internet Relay Chat) that had an interest in programming and web design.
They showed be the basics of what I needed to do to get a website up and running and gave me a link to w3schools.com. So spent the next 2 weeks making a very simple and unproductive site with basic HTML and CSS I had learned from w3schools.com.
Let me tell you, it's not easy starting off in this area of work. You need to learn a lot of things to try and spend less and earn more.
I talked to the people in IRC about my website and they laughed and showed me some of their websites, At the time they were pretty decent, I bugged them over and over again until they told me what I needed to learn to produce a website like that and this is were I fell in love with the language of PHP.
So.. basically I spent the next 6 weeks crunching all the basic information about PHP into my brain and produced a flat-file based review website that looked horrific. This is when they told me about MySQL and how I would need it to progress if I wanted to aim higher. I was on a free host, 110mb.com, and I still use this host. If you're familiar with 110mb they require you to pay for upgrades like MySQL, htaccess, etc..
I rounded up the ~$20 I needed to buy MySQL and bought it with no idea what it was or how to use it. I spent some time reviewing how the language was built and and how to use it with PHP.
This is where everything turned around...
I got into a small argument over something on IRC and left for good. I spent the next 2 days looking at w3schools learning MySQL. I tried going back to IRC and I was shunned from the server. So at this point I vowed not to ask anyone for help and to only ask Google for help, Google doesn't back chat.
I spent the next year accumulating the necessary information about PHP, MySQL, CSS, JS, XHTML and went all out on a website using the games, pictures, video niche. While building this website I learned a lot about the language of PHP and how flexible it is. I still have all the files to this website and use them as a background for other websites I create.
Right, this is were everything in the past year all comes together...
I went to Alexa to get my daily news fix, and to check my sites Alexa rankings. I found a website to do with the opposite of white hat methods and browsed it for a while. I kept seeing these acronyms and had no idea what it all meant.
I read everything in the facebook section and finally found about the money that can be made with Facebook + CPA. I signed up to the notorious CPAlead and had no idea what FBML, Apps, or anything to do with monetizing Facebook. This is where Google came into the picture.
Google is like a inhumane mentor that needs a user, you, to utilize it's brain functions to get what is needed.
I used my past knowledge of PHP, XHTML, CSS, JS, to build FBML apps, landing pages, and anything else needed for me to succeed.
And within my 1st FULL month with CPAlead I made $574. Which may sound like chump change but If you're stuck for a job and can't even attempt to apply for one this had me satisfied and hooked.
All I'm trying to say is that I've spent nothing on those useless WSOs that people keep selling and those courses that try and help people make "millions". I'm not saying all eBooks are crap I'm just pointing out I would never waste a cent of my money in which I can get the information for free with a little search and dedication.
Also, I'd like to see more of a younger generation get into the game of IM as it is a very open and alive way to make money at any age.
Some Tips to stay focused:
-Set a target you want to aim for and make it realistic.
If you've just started out in the game of IM. Use your head and don't get pulled in by all those eBooks exclaiming how you can make millions with just a simple 5 minutes work. THEY NEVER WORK, well most don't.
-If you feel like your about to give up. Stop what you are doing and go watch TV, play a video game, or, go enjoy the world at it's best. There's nothing wrong with taking a day off to enjoy your life.
-If you get a sudden idea WRITE IT DOWN. If you're somewhere were your not in direct contact with a pen, pencil, and, paper. Use the next best thing, technology. When I had my iPod I used to use the notes function while out and about if I came up with and idea and wanted to expand later. You never know you may forget you had that idea and come back to it a couple months later and it could change your life. Don't try and remember things they'll be there one day and next you'll be lost again.
-If you're feeling like nothing will work and you've hit the lowest of the low then take a couple hours kip and wake up bright eyed and ready to move on with your life.
-If you're strap for cash and the CPA, or other methods aren't working using your prior knowledge to create a script that people will want and feel the need to pay for can bring in copious amounts of $$
Sorry about the really long post. It's just I've read post after post about people who haven't made a cent but spent thousands on useless information that they get for free most of the time.
Facebook is big as of right now and if you can't make a cent from it then there's definitely something wrong with you.
Stop spending, Start earning!
-Dan
WarriorForum Rocks!