Never Underestimate The Value Of Offering Some Help

I'm guessing you asked for help the right way. By "right way" I mean you did something right or even actually did something.

Some people will come on here and you can tell they've made no initial effort on their part to find an answer to something. Those are the people IMO that likely won't do much with what ever help you give them and it can be a waste of time. Of course, at times I will bypass trying to help them and will take the time to reply if I sense it might actually help someone else.

Peter,
I think you have summed up the journey that most newbies go through and I agree that we should all reach out to people. Show we are human and not just chasing the money.
I am relatively new to IM and I find myself struggling at times so your post has 'struck a nerve'.
Thanks

thats true. and one of the secrets to make more is to give others. give before you take. do good and good will come to you.

In the Business World they say as Givers Gain Mindset. Karma ALWAYS returns back to you. And I found it to be very true not only in my Life but also in the life of the other people. You simply can not escape the Velocity of KARMA.

It really, truly revolves around the person asking.

The OP himself says "I panicked, I quit, I started again."

If you were the person being asked, how many times could you answer before you saw the responders panicking, quitting, and starting again...and said to yourself, "What's the use"?

Most you take the time to reply to won't even say Thank You. You'll never hear from them again.

I've seen descriptions of askers getting mad because the expert answered with some links to FAQ answers relevant to their situation...instead of custom writing a response that would take an hour to write. I know because I write in-depth answers like that.

And most of the time, it's a waste of time.

The askers rarely know what they want. I had someone PM me yesterday asking about an editorial for their business. It was a one-sentence "Hey I need this" without any details as to niche, audience, product/service, or anything else.

I took the time to reply.

I asked questions about those details. By clarifying his situation, I gave value. He now has questions to ask and evaluate with.

No response. Tumbleweeds.

Another flake.

Probably read somewhere advertorials are "working" and half-drunk at 3AM messaged four people.

Another problem newbies have is they don't know how to evaluate sources of information. They think everything and everyone is of the same value. No. And the sad thing is something said with certainty is "true" to the newbie whether it is so or not.

So they try to cobble together an approach from multiple sources, each having a different and unknown quality level. "I'll mix a little of this with a little of that," they say to themselves.

Any wonder they get scared, quit, and restart over and over?

No commitment.

No discernment.

No ability to learn.

I have answered hundreds of PMs and for the most part it has been nothing but an exercise in frustration and getting tired out. I'd rather just put the expertise in a thread and leave it out there.

So while for newbies the free help may be nice, for the experts being asked it's mostly a fruitless waste of time and emotional energy.

You know what really gets my attention?

Someone who asks specific questions. Demonstrates by those questions that they've been TRYING. Shows they've put effort into figuring it out. Not just "Please serve it up for me on a silver platter."

You should always give value to people without expecting anything for return, but at the same time you should be careful for value leachers, because you don't want to be taken advantage.

They say:
How to make a million dollars:
Help someone else make two million dollars.

You know, when I started this journey just over a year ago I was frightened and felt like an idiot on many occasions (still do sometimes).
A lot of the time I didn't/don't know how to ask a question, removing breadcrumb navigation for example, a simple thing to ask, IF you know the terminology.

Although I do my own extensive research, without the support and encouragement from other members in the IM community I doubt I would have come as far as I have.

Now, if someone asks me a question, I always take the time to answer regardless of whether I get a response or not. Also, I'm happy I'm ABLE to answer questions, again thanks to help I've received.

Thanks for posting this webcash and I'm glad you got the help you did.