What's the Best IM-Related Skill to Learn Today That Can Help in the Future?

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I'll start. My vote goes to:

The ability to design rational thought experiments.
• That's the most useful skill that I learned throughout the years for future-proofing anything.

I continue to get great value in using that to iteratively deconstruct, customize, test, tweak, scale, and morph any concept.
• In any field. For any task. In any conditional situation.

I mean, think about it.
• Just by looking at an arbitrary model, you'll be able to understand how it works.
** And customize it to best suit a different use case. In a different field. To hit different targets.

We're talking about any model. For example:
• Any business model. Any sales strategy. Any marketing technique. Any conversion tactic.

And there's no better way to learn that skill than to practice. Here's what I do:
• Imagine a goal. Imagine solutions to achieve that goal. Imagine ways to tailor-fit 'em for a particular starting point.
** Think of problems to solve along the way. Think of strategies to avoid or reduce negative impact.
** Visualize the deployment of scaling methods. Visualize the execution of expansion plans.
• And iteratively run it all in your mind. While creatively changing fields, goals, and use cases.

** For that skill to be useful, I continue to invest the rarest, most valuable commodity of all = Time.

Best of luck!
#main internet marketing discussion forum #best im related skill #future #future proof #imrelated #learn #learn today #skill #today
  • Very interesting, and I would like to know more. Are there any books you recommend?
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  • Isn't that a description of the critical thinking process?

    IMO and based on my own skillset, I think that the most
    important IM skill to learn now and also for the future is
    website or WP development.

    Other things you should know include:

    Registering domain names, understanding their purpose
    and the multitude of things that can be done with them.

    You should know how to create affiliate or other links to
    drop into your YouTube descriptions and other places.

    Knowing how to list a product or service somewhere like
    eBay, Etsy, Amazon, etc. is useful.

    Writing is important, as in composing things that people
    will actually want to read such as books, sales pages,
    and product descriptions.

    Reading is fundamental, as well as the willingness and
    ability to follow simple instructions and not re-inventing
    the wheel for things that other people have been doing
    successfully for years.

    Graphics. This is much easier now since we have AI
    but you should know how to create something visual
    using photos, Kittl, Canva, software or whatever.

    Understanding basic business concepts such as buy
    low, sell high, or build it and they will come. It's a
    business, so you need to comprehend things.

    Learn how to use AI, this includes the language ones
    like GPT, but also image, various content generators,
    video, etc. Learn to use AI tools to your advantage so
    that you don't get left behind.

    There are other basic skills that one should possess
    to be successful in IM, but those are the main ones
    that I think a person needs to get started and build
    upon for the future.
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    • @Monetize,

      Well, could be for others. But fleshing out how the process works gives me the depth and clarity that I need to be able to design rational thought experiments.
      • I mean, this is a skill that blends creativity, critical thinking, and an iterative understanding of multiple overlapping subjects at play.
      And that's a pretty convoluted singular process, if you ask me.
      ** Unless I take it apart. Unless I think of each component exclusively in nuanced ways. Unles I realize its contextualized role in the overall design.
      And that's where it begins to be useful for me.

      @Zoheb M,

      I think the books below are helpful for developing required foundational skills. They're useful for customizing a training process.
      And that, I believe in turn, can enhance a person's unique ability to design rational thought experiments involving various methods of problem-solving and creative thinking.

      1. "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman
      • This delves into the dual-process theory of the mind, exploring the different ways in which we think: fast, intuitive thinking, and slow, rational thinking.
      • Understanding these processes can help in framing thought experiments more effectively.
      ** https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast.../dp/0374533555

      2. "The Art of Thinking Clearly" by Rolf Dobelli
      • This outlines common cognitive biases and logical fallacies that can distort our thinking.
      • Being aware of these can aid in designing thought experiments that are clear and unbiased.
      ** https://www.amazon.com/Art-Thinking-.../dp/0062219693

      3. "Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid" by Douglas Hofstadter
      • Here, the author explores fundamental concepts of mathematics, symmetry, and intelligence.
      • It's structured as a series of dialogues, which serve as thought experiments on these topics.
      ** https://www.amazon.com/G%C3%B6del-Es.../dp/0465026567

      4. "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" by Thomas S. Kuhn
      • This helps to understand how scientific paradigms shift and evolve.
      • It provides insights into designing thought experiments that challenge existing paradigms or introduce new ones.
      ** https://www.amazon.com/Structure-Sci.../dp/0226458121

      5. "Intuition Pumps And Other Tools for Thinking" by Daniel Dennett
      • The author offers various strategies, which he calls "intuition pumps," for tackling hard problems in consciousness and philosophy.
      • These tools are essentially thought experiments designed to provoke insights and expose flaws in reasoning.
      ** https://www.amazon.com/Intuition-Pum.../dp/0393082067

      6. "Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration" by Ed Catmull
      • While this is primarily about managing creative organizations, it also delves into fostering creativity and innovation, essential when designing thought experiments.
      ** https://www.amazon.com/Creativity-In.../dp/0812993012

      7. "How to Solve It: A New Aspect of Mathematical Method" by George Pólya
      • This is a classic in the field of mathematics education, providing strategies for solving mathematical problems adaptable to designing and iterating thought experiments.
      ** https://www.amazon.com/How-Solve-Asp.../dp/069116407X

      I hope this helps! [ all are non-affiliate Amazon links ]
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  • There are lots,of jewels in this post for me to absorb and soak up .I think listening is a skill that gets under utilized but is,very important .
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    • The book is titled Build Measure and learn
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  • Oh My... This is next level thought, the unspoken if you will. We do NOT live in a build it and they will come world... we live in a build it and tweek it til they come world, You are absolutely right when you suggest the skill of a rational experiment process to get from A to B ( non workiing to working ) is the absolute most important skill - is ( after reading that ) YES absolutely the most important skill one can learn. A great portion of my daily business is applying exactly that for myself as well as clients.

    Its not about building a thing.. its about getting the desired results from the thing - regardless of what it is.
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  • Talkin' to the widest range of people you can find, 'bout stuff gowin' on rn.

    Soak up their viewpoints.

    Refine your own on this basis.

    Meantimes, read up on shit appeals to yr intrest, enthoosiasm & XP.

    Plus also, pull in a few stuffs you wouldn't normally look at.

    In a world of platform an' delivery media *disruption*, nuthin' moves without the essential people stuffs.

    So don't evah be distracted by THE LASTEST THING.

    Mostly it is crap, an' nowan on their deathbed evah evah demands it.

    "Up hard an' inta
    the aney-hole of irrelevance
    do we disappear regulah,
    fulla misguided diligence."
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  • Thanks for the interesting topic...

    my thoughts, in no particular order:

    1. Establish your proof of concept quickly. It shouldn't take long to determine if your idea is worth pursuing or not. I've had ideas I thought were earth-shattering...and nobody else cared. Then...there have been ideas I thought were useless and they took off. Learn how to figure this out quickly. It will save you a lot of time.

    2. Don't get too attached to your product. You may like blue-eyed Billy Goats and decide to sell sweaters for them...and then end up banging your head trying to figure out why the call to action on your landing page isn't working. The truth is...see point 1.

    3. Learn how to network. Early on learn how to network with others in your niche. You can make a ton of profit by sharing customers.

    4. Understand the principle of advertising. If you've proven your concept and run an ad that costs $100 and get a return of $110, you've made $10 (duh). Now, understanding this simple principle you know that if you run 100 ads your profit will be bigger. It's like an ATM machine. Simple concept but hard for some to understand. The whole idea of taking that ad and tweaking, twerking, or choosing where to place it is another whole issue.

    5. Use your current customers to build your business.
     I've talked about this before...but it's probably the cheapest way to build your business...and yet one of the most undervalued ideas.

    I think all of these are skills that can be honed over time and are important.

    Just a couple of thoughts.
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  • In my case as on online business person i think an esential skill its to learn traffic generation as if you can get huge amount of traffic you will make money

    I will also focus on learning sales psichology .The proces of selling it was always and will be so i think these 2 are 2 aspects very important to learn
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    • In a whole lot of ways these 2 are one in the same. In order to present an offer to someone, you have to get them to your offer. The psychology behind getting them there is what is used to get those same people to buy.

      Falling back to Ad, Lander, Sale... The ad has to target someone that has an amount of probability in buying your product, and have motivation to do so. A google ad is basically a headline "Lose 10 lbs in 5 days" Or if you want to get more direct "Ladies, Lose 10 lbs in 5 days" or "Ladies with Diabetes lose 10 lbs in 5 days" Each one of these basically does the same thing, but the probability of someone clicking on the more defined ads is far greater - and because they have clicked at that point.. The motivation is as good as it gets.

      Yes these are things many IM focused people want to learn... but as stated by the OP... there is stumbling across a combination that works, and then there is a methods to rationally experiment these things out. AB testing comes to mind. And in general I believe ( know to be true ) that the VAST majority of people never stumble on a working combination - because there is this absolute false narrative that IM is easy

      Someone like me can say "Yeah IM is easy" but i have a system of rational experiements that have proven to work time and again... Its a process, a process I can apply to any and every IM application.. selling products, getting people through the door of a store, acquiring about a service, anything and everything - and this gets us right into Form follows Function... the form may change, the function remains the same. Traffic is traffic, and Targeted traffic is far better... Selling is selling, and selling to those that want to buy is far better, and again the form of what that looks like matters not - its the function of how one does this that matters.

      Lets look at Kaizen for a moment.. in a nut shell how to improve and get better over time... I can do this and make X more streamline. An example of this you can watch on YouTube is Tested with Adam Savage... he piddles around his work shop and talks more than often about "first order of retrieval" The tool you need when you need it with the least amount of friction putting it in your hand

      So lets take that concept and do a minor stretch and start applying first order of retrieval to websites. Website navigation - easy and frictionless access to the information the end user may need or want to move forward - building cars vs building websites all of the sudden are a lot more alike than one would think
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    • Completely agree with your point. Traffic generation goes along with SEO of course.
      Sales psychology also plays an important role in elevating your business especially if your main thing is online business/shops.

      As an online shop owner I find it easier to be supported by as many tools as possible, in order to boost my market reach. They cover all my needs, helping me significantly to better market my products -and my reach-.

      From my POV, data analytics and SEO are the most important. You should focus on those two (try to use external tools along with your perception) along with those you mentioned.
  • Whats with this forum? I had similar reactions the couple of times where I brought up math. but Polya's book is for high school students. The others seem squarely aimed at a popular audience. How is this pretentious or advanced? You Americans are weird.
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    • Yes, since we've led the world in just about every type of technology there is...some may consider that weird.
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  • Thanks Marx for starting an interesting thread. My vote goes to a primary rational thought which most Warriors and IM wannabees overlook:

    What is the cost to acquire a customer?

    Within that thought is wrapped many a question, such as; who is, where to find, how to reach, what to say, and at what price.

    It may be the most ignored thought of most IM starts, big or small.

    One can not put a price on Customer Acquisition until they have resolved the other parts of that Avatar. And it isn't only a money price, but also the cost of time too.

    The reason I think it is one of the most important IM related skills to learn is...it goes to both INTENT and a PLAN of how to get to the end...and be it a process of trial and error or the following of a blueprint, it encompasses thinking and action.

    IM, Internet MARKETING, has within the built in concept of exchanging value ONLINE, on the Internet.

    Determining WHO is going to be your customer first, is one rational way to plan out your Internet Marketing. From that first square, all the other things reveal, whether one needs to learn AI or Graphics, or website or any app, software, or anything else is wrapped up in answering the Acquisition Cost of your customer.

    So maybe the best IM skill would be critical thinking as regards the least amount of slop and mess, the most expeditious route to take, all determined by the choice of who you want as a customer from the get go.

    GordonJ
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    • Pardon me if I am deviating from the essence of this brilliant thread started by an amazing and highly successful Warrior but I must say I am observing a common and denigrating theme with one particular poster here at WF and it happens over and over again i.e. Getting their panties in a wad and being purposely abrasive and annoying when there is absolutely no reason to be so


      Oh well as they say it takes all kinds
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  • maybe patience
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    • Energy follows Intention
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    • @Tulpana Olsen,

      Yes. I agree. I was able to sharpen this soft skill through my IM-related adventures.
      • Patience can go a long, long way. [me imagines running an test ad campaign]
      • That's what makes it a base level ingredient. [flashing sign, reads "Bigger Temporal Data = Better Ideas"]
      And it's also critical for any process that aims to future-proof anything.
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  • Maybe! I am not sure!
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  • Tbh video games are more informative than marketing as far as thought experiments go.
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  • Let's make this simple. If you do not know how to generate traffic....all the dialog is useless.
  • Here are the skills you should learn to stay future-proof.
    Copywriting: This is the number #1 skill that defines the trajectory of your business. Your ability to drive sales depends on your ability to write compelling copy. Even with the advent of A.I, you still need to understand consumer psychology and prospect's level of awareness to make the sale.
    Video Content Creation and Video Editing: Another key skill that can help you become an authority on YouTube. If you master video creation, you can gain followers and also earn through ad revenue.
    Storytelling: For thousands of years, we humans have relied on storytelling to drive home our message. If you master storytelling, you can compel your audience to do what you want them to do.
    Pay-Per-Click Advertising: Google and Facebook and other tech giants earn their income through advertising. The top advertisers spend millions of dollars each day to sell their products and services. This form of advertising isn't gonna go out of fashion anytime soon so if you master this, your future is bright.
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    • Future proof? Who is guaranteed a future?

      Anyhow, before SHOULD LEARN, anything...maybe learn about goals, desires, wants and needs? I think that is a better starting point. And copywriting is only needed for those products which need it...a very much overhyped commodity which can be bought for pennies these days.

      If one really understands consumer psychology, they might choose a business which doesn't require the need to persuade and influence, but rather as a provider of goods and services which already have demand in place.

      Video? Maybe, if it too is needed. Again, I guess some need all the things you mention, but whether or not they SHOULD learn THESE skills, is very much subject to debate.

      GordonJ


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  • Re: What's the Best IM-Related Skill to Learn Today That Can Help in the Future?

    There are many skills but the one that is the most important is when one learns how to market online in a way that works for them.

    I have learned that while one traffic source may work for someone, no guarantee that it will work for others.

    If you can learn how to generate your own traffic, you can promote just about anything and succeed.
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  • ^ yeah but typically you don't know what is the clear path.


    If it were clear everyone would take it.
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    • Can I assume you were responding to my post? Helpful if you quoted or at least snipped.

      But the PATH is never clear, it is the GOAL, where you want to get to, most adults understand there isn't a clear cut straight path to success, that is where the trial and error come in.

      The point being made is more about having clarity on what it is you want, and that is where most don't even start. They don't know.

      And as far as everyone taking the clear path...there will always be those who want to take the path less traveled.

      I've advocated for years here, that a clear idea of what the intent is, will serve most better in the long run as opposed to I want to begin my affiliate journey. Or whatever IM journey they are going to take. Why affiliate? Why eCom? Why Freelance?

      How does any choice made at the GET GO best be leveraged with skills, talents and knowledge already possessed? The CLARITY is in the desire, and a helpful assist is to know WHY it is wanted, as Marx so eloquently laid it out in his response.

      Now, if u do respond, to this, at least let us know to what you are responding to, fair enough^^^^>>>><<<<

      GordonJ
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    • Someone wants to open a sandwich shop... there is doing it yourself OR buying a Subway franchise - in oh so many things the option for a clear path are available.

      Right now... AI has become a clear path... want to write better.. let AI do it.... want need images let AI do it.

      And trust me this is all fine and dandy - but when there is a clear path... the majority will end up taking it. And in this, there obviously becomes a point of saturation.

      I am going to throw out a point of discussion here - as it relates to all things internet, AI will be self defeating. Meaning what works today - will not work tomorrow, and I am not sure there is a way out of the loop. So what is the loop? Content creation is the most obvious... You have a topic, and you need articles written... you ask AI to write you say 10 articles on X subject.... AI goes into the pool of data and puts together the 10 articles... Life is grand, its great... see how easy that was - wow AI is awesome.

      Now 10,000 other people just like you ask AI to do the same, on the same subject ( X ) 100,000 articles later all pulled from the same data and well it becomes a bit redundant no? as we are seeing happen in todays landscape... AI written material is ranking better than crappy written content - sounds way beyond logical.

      The crappy content is being de-indexed - meaning it is no longer present as data. It is being replaced by the cookie cutter AI content in the hundreds of thousands - and all of the content for subject X is written based off of the same pool of data... and consecutively over time that pool of data is the cookie cutter rehash AI content. One has to simply ask, when does Google throw down the duplicate content hammer - because the time will come - IT WILL HAPPEN,, it HAS to happen. and then what?

      AI in no way shape or form can "adapt" It can only spit out based on what it has access to put in... Which just so happens to be AI's advantage in the front end of the curve, but will be its down fall towards the top of the curve and going towards the downside.

      Because I am using content as an example... and because I am using Google as a point of reference, SEO ( Search Engine Optimization ) becomes a thing. Google uses an algorithm to determine value and rank of content... 1's and 0's right? to maybe put this in simple terms if you are looking at a terms top 10 you will see in many ways the 10 ten will replicate it self in regards to word length, and title, and links in and links out etc - the variables of the Algorithm...

      but what happens when AI created content starts ranking? the actual content itself is basically spun material - over and over and over - and Google having proven over and over and over will identify #1 the duplicate nature of the content, and #2 there will be portions ( blocks if you will ) of variables that will be flatlined.

      If the idea of SEO is to fall within the average of all the pages around you, and not to be a mathematical outlier ( meaning if pages 1 thru 10 all have 300 to 500 words, the chances you ranking a piece of content with 2000 words becomes slim and none - by no means impossible, but not statistically as a single one off piece of content on a subject )

      There simply comes a point that Google flippity flops the variables and their values to correct the content... and guess what happens after that? AI then has a "new" pool of data to pull from and does what it does best... and dumbs down the pool of data.

      We are already seeing a bunch of self correction with AI images... I think more sooner than later we will see this same type of correction with written content - and it actual has started - google is labelling content as AI generated.

      There are those of us that see the clear path... there are those that just dont have the vision or experience or knowledge to see the path, and then there is those of us think thru / see the path to its destination, to determine just how "Clear" it may or may not be.

      AI as it stands today is a loop. "Rationally" look at the path, i dont think the above scenario "May" happen, its unfolding in front of us.

      Proof and point... 1 time per week, for 4 weeks in a row, ask the AI of your choice to spit out an article on subject X ( what ever you choose ) each of those 4 weeks you wil get basically more than roughly the same article... you can do this across multiple AI platform and basically get the same article ( a rational thought experiement )

      then multiply this outcome by 10,000 other people just like you doing the same... and what happens then? Your original 1 of a kind piece of AI content becomes dime a dozen.

      There are clear paths - probably 20% of them worth taking.. and then there is the 80% that lead to no where - its a matter of seeing the destination first, and then analyzing the paths in fron of you that actally get you there ( the destination )
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  • Thanks for the info. How can I dive into that? Is there any book?
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  • For me these are the best with high potential of helping in the future:
    • SEO
    • Data Analytics
    For the first, the ability to analyze data to make informed marketing decisions is highly practical. Learning how to use tools for data analysis can help understand user behavior, measure the success of marketing campaigns, and optimize strategies based on real data.
    For our favorite and repeatedly mentioned SEO, it's crucial for improving a website's visibility and ranking in search engine results. It involves optimizing website content, conducting keyword research, and building backlinks, among other techniques.

    Data analytics will always be, IMO, a top skill among every sector.
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  • Being a programmer myself, I can only conceive in extremely linear terms: A, B, C, D. However, I can see a goal (X), just like most programmers do, and the steps from A to W automatically fall into place. I call this a curse, but others call it a gift. You're starting to go in that way with your reading list.
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