Making money online today is a lot harder than before. Competition today is very high that is why you need to do a lot of work if you really want to earn.

Patience…patience..patience is what you really need if you want to succeed in making money online. You also need to think of new ways that will make people coming back to your site and that’s hard work.

I am tired of marketing babble. Marketing–and IM above all–is heavily infected by “the bezzle” [http://market-ticker.denninger.net/archives/857-The-Bezzle-Defined.html]–very interesting article by a very smart guy.

I’m so tired of reading “if you buy this you will reach the promised land.” Of course, this is far from the case. Unless you are already knowledgeable in a dozen other matters, you discover you will absolutely need to “enhance” the product–with the marketer’s jv partners of course. How many marketers have the integrity to frame their as offering an important or even essential piece of the jigsaw puzzle, but come right out and let you know you’ll need these other things to make everything work, and that they cost money? Not one in a hundred marketers has the integrity to do that. I can think of two. So most people happily pay $X for the product, only to discover that the product may be ok, but that it is just a small piece of the puzzle, and by no means the golden key to the kingdom of affiliate marketing they were told it is.

So here is my rant:

This one is about the “one week” Squidoo plan that a certain “Potpie Girl” came up with, and that you should buy because, “if I had to do it over again…,” etc. Yep, you are so lucky you’re reading this, because this is the one I’d tell my own brother to do. It’s so easy I’d even tell my own aged mother to do it, and she can barely figure out emails!

So I go to her FAQ section, and discover, among other things, that she also has a Wordpress tutorial site. Well, we didn’t just fall off the turnip truck! Either this Squidoo stuff is icing on the cake or it is part of the cake. Guess which. And anyway, what did you expect? Besides, you have to realize that Wordpress blogs and Squidoo “work together like a charm!” So I continue going through through all the little side roads. There’s the wordpress blogs, the 6-step niche sites, the 250 plug-ins info that you “gotta” have for 10 dollars. Of course, you can’t “really” make a killing with those blogs unless you have the info from “Wordpress Goldmine.”

And don’t start whining. Although the “one week” system promises no further expenses, only people wet behind the ears think they’re going to get away with that! So our marketer gushes: “As much as I would love to tell you that there is no cost involved in owning your own niche websites, it simply is not true. When it comes time that you are ready to own virtual real estate on the internet, please be sure of the costs involved. The good news is that these costs are minimal.” Isn’t it a relief that we have credit cards? So stop stressing! You’ll soon be making so much it’ll all be a drop in the bucket!

Our author is also a “proud member” of Wealthy Affiliate. Who can live without them? So think seriously of joining them, and don’t be a wuss about it! And let me add a quick note: “The 6 Step Niche Site System will NOT go into PPC.” Well, that’s a relief. I’m sure we’ll take that trip after we join Wealthy Affiliate.

But even the best of us, already earning in excess of 100k a year with our little “one week” lenses–and nothing more, it goes without saying (remember, I promised)–always stand to learn more about the unfathomably profound nature of Squidoo, so don’t put your wallet away before ponying up for “Squidoo Cash Machine.” And don’t bitch and moan: it made me 6 sales in four days, and that’s just for starters! Yes, I know I made 6 sales in four days with my original method too, but don’t change the subject! In all honesty, if I had to throw all my knowledge away except for one book, including my own book, which you thankfully already bought, this would be the keeper. If I lost it all, I could make all my money back in weeks with this information alone–it’s that powerful.

Now peek under the flap of this bad boy and you realize that “you only need one stealth strategy to TOTALLY dominate your niche”: “Dr. Noel’s book on “blackhat” traffic techniques. Fortunately, he also offers a “free article course,” that doubtless takes you down another merry many-branched path of the wonderful world of affiliate commissions for all.

At this point, you begin to wonder about the promises that were made about avoiding the infamous information overload, and wonder just how much of all this cornucopia you’re going to have buy in order not to become another miserable failure “crushed” by your competition. But not to worry, there’s the “Learnitstepbystep” plan (really, that’s what it’s called), where you can come up for air and ask questions–for a price. Well, what? We have to buy groceries too, ok?

And don’t forget, even the original item is not enough–contrary to the initial promise. Because, if you have any sense at all, you’ll step-up and purchase the “discounted” Keywords 101 manual from the author, because it is “a must-have for anyone using Squidoo or other free web properties to create content on the web.” If it’s a must have, why market it separately? Anyhow, this takes your “investment” is now growng worrisome. By this time, needless to say, you’re not even dreaming that you’re going to get by for that little initial offer. More is definitely coming. And of course, it’s all good. Besides, stop complaining. This “one week” item is better than a lot of other stuff being sold. You know: the suitcase-full course with 10 DVD’s, 54 videos you can download, a forum for all your questions, etc., etc. plus the inevitable “contuinuity” program, where after 5 years of subscribing and receiving snippets of rehashed material (for heaven’s sake, how much can you say about this stuff), you will have discovered he ripped apart some PLR books. Furthermore, if this product enlightens you so as to save you from buying just one more worthless, over-priced, over-hyped product from one of the self-proclaimed “internet gurus,” then you’re already ahead of the game (it’s not your fault you haven’t succeeded–the gurus are hiding all the good info, which I am now about to tell you). Soooooo, if what you learn here saves weeks or months of trying to figure it out yourself, isn’t that worth it? Of course it is. And the sooner you get started, the sooner you’ll be on your way to the life of your dreams. And anyway, there’s my no quibble money-back guarantee. Sorry I can’t return the time and energy you will have spent wading through my product and my jv’s products , though. In this world, it’s caveat emptor, so get over it.

End of rant. I have massively unsubscribed. I don’t get more than ten IM emails a day now. It’s great.

Yes, it is getting harder and harder. There isn’t much I can add on to what you said.

Yep, making money online is hard work — people are just starting to realize this. One thing I see pretty prevailent is the whole idea that you can make money on the internet easy. As you say, a few years ago, you could just scrape some content and make the money. The game’s changed and making money online needs to be treated like a business.

That means putting those full time hours in. I can tell you, if you are willing to treat this game like a regular job (sit down and do productive work — and I mean actual work, not bullshitting around online, which is so easy to do), you can see some pretty good results. But it takes months of this — most people can’t take it.

But once you get your foot in the door, it gets much easier. You start to get a lot of little strategies and see what niches may and may not work. It all adds together and it’s way easier to find sucess.

Easy money? No way in hell. You can make an amazingly high income online with time and a lot of work, but it’s got to be treated and managed like a job. I suppose once you reach Grizzly’s level, it’s all autopilot — you can use your big bucks to buy money making authority sites and keep on adding to your totals. You can also outsource practically everything and buy whole sites to get link juice. But until you reach that level, it’s a battle.

I gotta tell ya bud… there were some depressing points, some high points and well some straight out ranting in this post but good on ya.

The truth about adsense, affiliate marketing, writing ebooks what ever the hell you or anyone else wants to do to make money on the “interwebs ” (I love that by the way) it’s freaking hard work.

Is it easier then going to a cube job 9-5 every day?

If you love it then yes… If you hate it… Buy a vending machine or something. There’s no free lunch, no money trees and you’re 100% right it’s gonna get harder.

I think all of these people whining in the forums etc. just aren’t in touch with the fact that this is real business.

Money has to change hands for us to make money. So we’re dealing with real humans… You need to piece together something of value, put your time in and work it to get something out of it.

I’m glad you wrote this post it was needed and if people feel it’s too harsh… Then move on over maybe the web ain’t the place for them.

Cheers,

Spikey