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Is IM in general a secure source of income for the long term?

by Matt Ward
16 replies
As I've been working my way toward making a full-time income online, I've had a nagging thought in the back of my head that it might not be a secure source of income in the long term. Am I wrong in thinking this? I'm not talking about using just one method of making money, like strictly Adsense, or Clickbank, or SEO, or whatever; of course that's a terrible idea. I mean the entire internet marketing thing in general.

Sure, the internet hasn't changed a whole lot in the past 10-15 years, but I find it hard to believe that it will always be this way. It's still in its infancy, and I doubt we will always be using it like we do now, mainly through web browsers and HTML websites.

What if a law is passed making tracking cookies illegal? Or what if web browsers started blocking these kinds of cookies by default? That would be the end of many forms of affiliate marketing. What if a law comes to pass that makes any form of e-mail marketing illegal? There goes list marketing. It could very well happen; governments seem to be woefully ignorant of how the internet and computers work.

Although I love the idea of being able to work entirely from home and make your income online, it would be terrible to be doing it for 10 years and suddenly have your income drop to nothing and have to find a "real" job.

I know, "the sky is falling" posts are annoying, but this is a legitimate concern, I think. :confused:
#general #income #long #secure #source #term
  • Profile picture of the author Tom B
    Banned
    Originally Posted by mattward View Post

    As I've been working my way toward making a full-time income online, I've had a nagging thought in the back of my head that it might not be a secure source of income in the long term. Am I wrong in thinking this? I'm not talking about using just one method of making money, like strictly Adsense, or Clickbank, or SEO, or whatever; of course that's a terrible idea. I mean the entire internet marketing thing in general.

    Sure, the internet hasn't changed a whole lot in the past 10-15 years, but I find it hard to believe that it will always be this way. It's still in its infancy, and I doubt we will always be using it like we do now, mainly through web browsers and HTML websites.

    What if a law is passed making tracking cookies illegal? Or what if web browsers started blocking these kinds of cookies by default? That would be the end of many forms of affiliate marketing. What if a law comes to pass that makes any form of e-mail marketing illegal? There goes list marketing. It could very well happen; governments seem to be woefully ignorant of how the internet and computers work.

    Although I love the idea of being able to work entirely from home and make your income online, it would be terrible to be doing it for 10 years and suddenly have your income drop to nothing and have to find a "real" job.

    I know, "the sky is falling" posts are annoying, but this is a legitimate concern, I think. :confused:
    Business fail all the time due to many reasons.

    Build up cashcow --- diversify --- repeat
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  • Profile picture of the author cashcow
    Why would it be any less secure than any other kind of business? Laws happen all the time that affect business, it's part of the game. The key is to try to build in some insulation so that outside forces have only minimal effects.

    Build up cashcow --- diversify --- repeat
    Exactly

    Lee
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    • Profile picture of the author entry
      Originally Posted by cashcow View Post

      The key is to try to build in some insulation so that outside forces have only minimal effects.
      Good point,

      What if a law is passed making tracking cookies illegal? That would be the end of many forms of affiliate marketing.

      What if a law comes to pass that makes any form of e-mail marketing illegal? There goes list marketing.

      It could very well happen; governments seem to be woefully ignorant of how the internet and computers work.
      but how would you insulate these 2 things?
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      • Profile picture of the author cashcow
        Originally Posted by entry View Post

        Good point,



        but how would you insulate these 2 things?
        Have your own products.

        Don't depend solely on email for your income.

        Lee
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        • Profile picture of the author falco
          IM is business, if you treat it well, it will pay you well.

          The main difference between IM and regular business is the time, which you have to react to market changes, for example, with regular business, you usually know in advance about taxes changes, but you don't know when and how Google will change algorithm and, if your main source of traffic is SEO, these kind of changes might have huge impact to your income, so you have to react fast, faster than your competitors to remain #1 in all situations
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        • Profile picture of the author entry
          if email marketing became illegal Aweber would be finnished right?

          but hotmail + gmail would still be around yea? i email family abroad.
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          • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
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            Originally Posted by entry View Post

            if email marketing became illegal Aweber would be finnished right?
            If it happened to become illegal in every country in the world at the same time, you mean? I think much of the Western world's economy would be finished, really, not just an autoresponder company.
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            • Profile picture of the author entry
              Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

              If it happened to become illegal in every country in the world at the same time, you mean? I think much of the Western world's economy would be finished, really, not just an autoresponder company.
              really? please collaborate plz :confused:

              99% of the western world companies doesnt rely on email marketing ? or do you mean somthing else.

              Although many stores/shops are online they dont all use email marketing              ?
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              • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
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                Originally Posted by entry View Post

                Although many stores/shops are online they dont all use email marketing?
                An awful lot do, these days. And a lot of other businesses, too: even a small local store where I buy cosmetics gives me "special offers" in-store, in exchange for my email address, so they can then sell me lipstick, perfume and soap by email marketing. It's everywhere.
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  • Profile picture of the author wolfmmiii
    Originally Posted by mattward View Post

    I know, "the sky is falling" posts are annoying, but this is a legitimate concern, I think. :confused:
    It is a legitimate concern. Although businesses do fail as was mentioned here, I really think typical answers given to these types of questions are always HEAVILY skewed toward IM being just as stable as a "real job".

    I cannot disagree more. It is not. I realize this is an IM forum but the reality is that very few people (comparatively speaking) are ever successful enough in IM to even consider leaving a "real job".

    For starters, comparing IM to a "real job" is not a valid comparison to begin with. IM is not a job, it is a business. The proper question to ask is:

    Is a home-business/self-employment (regardless of what it is) a secure source of income for the long term?

    The answer? Maybe. Starting an IM business is not all that different than starting any other business. Chances of failure are significant. Longevity of small businesses in general seems to be an issue as well:

    Startup Failure Rates — The REAL Numbers

    At the end of the day, starting an IM business can be a secure long term source of income if you know what you are doing but understand it is nowhere even close to the same as having a "real job" and comparisons of the sort are invalid.
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  • Profile picture of the author JamesW
    If you are spending everything you earn, then yes I think you are taking a big risk. However if you invest your earnings into other online ventures or into stocks or property, for example, if you are doing particularly well, then it is a lot easier to sleep at night.

    I had a bit of a scare a few weeks ago when there was news that the EU may look to ban internet share dealing because it would instantly wipe out a big chunk of my profits. I'm 99.99% sure it will never happen, but the point is that you need more than one revenue stream.
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  • Profile picture of the author sloanjim
    Here's a tip....stop thinking too long term. 5-10 years is great..its about as good as it gets. If a bizz can make money for 5-10 yesrs then you have a winner. Nothing lasts for-ever. Heck we'll all be dead in 70+ years probably so stop worrying about "long term..." keep adapting, changing and enjoy the ride....
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  • Profile picture of the author sloanjim
    why not just ban the internet as well whilst we are at it?


    i
    f email marketing became illegal Aweber would be finnished right?
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  • Profile picture of the author sloanjim
    geeps....what if i woke up tomorrow and couldn't see? What if that astroid 60Million miles away speeds towards earth? What if zombies pop up from the ground tonight....What if....... I thought i was bad..LOL

    What if a law is passed making tracking cookies illegal? That would be the end of many forms of affiliate marketing.

    What if a law comes to pass that makes any form of e-mail marketing illegal? There goes list marketing.

    It could very well happen; governments seem to be woefully ignorant of how the internet and computers work.
    Signature

    15 Minute Forex Bar Trading System Free at
    http://www.fxscalpingmethod.com

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  • Profile picture of the author Danny Cutts
    make hay while the sun shines.....

    I use to worry about security etc but now I just carry on building and opening new doors... some things have changed this last week for me but when one door closes another opens so I dont really worry.

    If you can make money online you will find that you will adapt quite easily in any climate... I made money while travelling with nothing more than a smile and an idea...

    Just build a business and protect it
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  • Profile picture of the author KatieWilliams
    While it is a concern, I don't think you can afford to spend too much time worrying about it.

    Is anything a secure long-term option, in this changing world?

    Katie
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    Katie

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