Written by Steve: HBH Admin
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Dont worry, this pic isn't me...
I dont wear glasses...?
or a funny hat...?
and i definately dont use
books to stand on...?
But I spose I do tend to get up on my soap box a tad...
and yes...
I really do hate this coat :-( |
How to get the most positive effect and productivity from your valuable time online, especially when visiting your favorite website forums.
To quallify my comments on this subject.
I would like you to know that I have spent my whole life dealing with people directly, with my own businesses and have also had 9 plus years dealing with people online in many different ways.
This special report, as are all my reports is not designed to be a definative answer, nor a complete coverage of all the how's and why's of communicating with others through forums.
Far from that, I only want to give a small amount of advice relating to yet again a huge topic.
I am only going to cover basics and give a few examples for you to gain a little better understanding of how to obtain better results from your experiences online and just little about human behavior in general .
This I hope will give you a slightly broader view of how to get the most out of your time online and perhaps help break down some of the barriers for you, that stop most users from ever getting noticed to any degree at all .
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Some of the Basics:
about this primarilly text based medium,
we all call the Internet and how to best use it to get positive results.
Why are you online? what are you trying to achieve?
You are here to build a business and achieve this before you grow too old to enjoy it I hope. :-)
I think one of the first things to get lost or temporarilly misplaced by most people operating or building small businesses online or offline is Focus. :-(
Focus is very important, quite possibly the most important thing to maintain in ones self to achieve the required result no matter what you are doing online or offline.
If you lose focus you will not get where you want to be in the time frame that you intended or you may not get there at all.? :-(
Asuming that you are online to build your business, you should always remain focused on what is required to be done, to get where you are going as fast and effectively as you possibily can.
If you are trying to achieve product sales or trying to build a network of members within your business, you will do this a lot quicker and with far more success, if you follow a fixed set of guidlines that you choose or decide to follow right from the begining.
This is a pre-requsite for any business, on or offline.
In the real world its called a "Business Plan" Develop one for your online use and stick to it !.
On the Internet one of the main focuses to be maintained at all costs is
getting noticed ! then staying noticed !
I know that some people that you come across will tell you that forums are not a place to push yourself or your wares onto people?
Don't listen to them, that statement is a stretch of the truth to say the absolute least..
No, you should not only do the hard sell within any forum, but a well balanced mix of posts will get you noticed and enable you to tell your story without getting banned from most places.
Note: not all places are as easy to get along with as HBH :-) where it comes to advertising,
as some of us already know :-)
Use common sence and like I just said ... its all in the balance you choose to use people.
Some of the things that upset your Focus
Participation : you must if you want to get noticed , participate every chance you get or can make.
Ok, you've logged on, your ready to do battle with all comers "hopefully there will be some?".
You click your favourites, open up your first website that you visit regularly, you hit view the last 10 posts or a simillar link.... bingo...
Gee, none of these post are mine? Wonder why? You go never mind and start reading other peoples posts. Soon you come across a nice post by a very nice sounding person that's having problems finding help online with html perhaps?... You think, ow well she/he will find something some where ? and you move onto the next post. WRONG!! Remember what gets you noticed online, Exposure!, so what you do is you go ok, I know nothing about " html^%&^ what? urr?"
BUT... I can throw a second browser up and quickly click Google or any search engine that you have saved, then type in " HTML HELP " and guess what? you're now an expert :-) ..
Grab the first 2 links that are listed and throw them into the forum with your hello and details where the question was asked, as an answer to help the person if you can.
You never know, they may not know how to use a search engine effectivley and your help may assist them :-)
The least that happens for the 3 minutes it took to search for them, is that, gee wizz you just got listed in the last 10 posts for viewing by the next visitor ... Now thats a very good thing and all done in 3 minutes. Well done..
You should repeat this process of answering questions while reading the posts as many times as possible,
IT DOES NOT MATTER IF YOU ARE NOT TOTALLY RIGHT WITH YOUR ANSWERS .
The absolute worst that can happen, is that a more knowledgable person will steer you straight by answering you and guess what that does yet again?
It gets you listed in the last posted comments for others to see when they visit. Ok they might realise that you are no expert on what you commented on, but they can see that you are prepared to paticipate and have a go, plus, they might like what they read of you in your profile perhaps or your signature.
Keep this focus up and running and people will at least see that you are prepared to join in beyond the standard welcome and "hi im John" etc.
Focus: .. focus stopped you just moving on and reading 20 other peoples posts " reading alot of posts isn't a bad thing "
but by stopping and answering any way you could, you added your own helpful content within minutes of logging in, that will more than likely get viewed by the next visitor and that visitor may just be your next member or customer. :-)
If you think that reading everyone elses posts is enough? or will get you noticed, just because you show up at the bottom of screen as being logged in... well you may as well .... follow that pig :-)
So you think you have nothing of interest to say? .. Your wrong!
You should by now realise that alot! of posts are non business realated to some degree.
This means that you can still post by showing sympathy about someones misfortune perhaps?, make comment on the lousy weather you have been experiencing as well where you live, ask if they are feeling better?, their must be a thousand reasons to say something on every forum online every day.. :-)
While your reading remember that you do have something to say, everyone does, if they stop focus and think for a second.
Ok, we have answered the HTML post and kicked our first goal :-)
Now we lose focus for just a minute and get side tracked by an add on another browser perhaps?
The add is very interesting but has nothing to do with building our business...
well give yourself ..." a big smack for this one! "
This is one of the biggest traps online.. surfing around and around and around .??
I dont know about you, but I know myself hopw easy it is to drift off somewhere for an hour or so and barely notice the time that i've just spent on non related surfing .( ok enjoying myself perhaps ) , but not building my business :-(
remember...?
What are we doing here?:
We are if I'm not mistaken, here to build a business.? hmm?
Will surfing from site to site do much to benefit us in this task?
Ok, perhaps it might ? , but its a very very long shot guys ..
What happened to " Focus " while we wandered off ? hmm?
You wandered off because you couldn't think of anything to post ? You think you have nothing to contribute? You think that no one will want to give you the time of day? Are you scared of rejection perhaps.?
What ever your excuses, losing focus will not build a business, you have to get back in there, find something to contribute an answer to or a question to ask, maybe just a personal experience to tell.
Just about anything will help a damn sight more than surfing around looking at random adds or websites.
REMEMBER : nothing you say will get you anything less than your content read, you might not get answers or replys but that does not neccessarily matter .
The thing about most, no, near all forums is that users tend to hit the last posted topics buttons to catch up.
Make sure you are in that list :-)
Here is my idea of an example of good time use online:
Let's say you logon for only 1.5 hrs each evening ( that would be minimal use :-) .. if your not glued to the TV?? that is..
You have 10 favorite forums or websites where you can post.
Have your standardised welcome text ready so that you only have to type the persons name in each time, then copy and paste into welcomes for the new members at each forum. Yes I know thats a slack way to do it.:-(
but ... ( if you are a fast typer you may like to personalize each welcome ) ?
If time is not on your side use the best way for you :-)
A small post takes you 5 minutes to type
( remembering that you dont have to reply to your replies straight away )
That's 50 minutes each evening to post 10 times X probably up to10 views each night on each post.
( they are spread over 10 forums , 1 PER forum? )
That equals 100 exposeures plus un told exposures in later days after it falls out of the last posted topics catorgory.
( Not bad for less than 1 hours work..:-) X 7 days = 700 exposures.!! )
The question that I ask you now is, are you getting that much exposure ?
Repeat this every day and YOU MIGHT BE AMAZED at how over time, how much you wind up being contacted by replies etc that then gives you the chance to sell or " mention" your product or service to them .
Again I make the point, that the least that will happen, is that you will start to be seen as a regular on all your forums and the people that also visit them will get to know you a little better and definately alot faster if you post regularly.
Just a few minor things to remember about all of us and about human behavior in general
It is very easy to get side tracked.!
We all feel the same inside to some degree.
We all want to be a success.
Online we will be measured by our text.
The moral of this report
Try not to allow yourself to get side tracked, follow a set of guide lines to maintain focus when speading the word about yourself and your business, do not let yourself be stopped or be scared off from having your say, or giving a little of yourself, because remember, that everyone that you meet online suffers the same, or very simillar feelings inside as you do, about how they are seen or perceived in regard to their own progress and successes, or lack of success so far, plus the many other things that we all feel at one time or another.
At the end of the day your success will be created and your worth measured online, mainly by your participation in text one way or another, where ever you may choose to tell your story, give your advice and assistance, or sell yourself and your products.
Bottom line : for better or for worst is .. POST .. POST .. POST
For my last example in this special report I am going to use ourselves, myself and Kerri .
( I will cop it from Kerri over this one :-)
" shes in bed now " So I will hear about it in the morning :-)
Now for as good as Kerri is at this posting thing , " and she is quite good at it !! "
she still never stops posting to continue to let everyone know that she is still around and still involved with the businesses on her signature ..
Every day, for at least an hour or so at a time, or more, she types like crazy posting anything of interest that she can find or think of as you probabley well know :-)
She does not expect responces from everyone by any means just like you shouldn't
( although she would love a little more comment sometimes ) :-)
This is ok though, because what she does know is that by gingos most of our regular visitors that we get and the people that she gets seen by on all the other forums that we are members of, all sure do know quite a bit about her and what she does .
( she gets known and plenty of exposure ) every where she goes by just getting in their where ever she can. :-)
I on the other hand I tend to reserve my comments to rather long winded, mind stretching reports like this one that near take the skin off my finger tips just getting them down in text. Plus I tend to get involved with targeted posting on other forums to topics that can be a little controversial or seen to be a tad out of the ordinary by some. :-)
( this has gotten me into hot water on more than one occasion )
and I dont recomend that you choose this path unless you have the stomach for a rough time ....
( allowing youself to get involved with this type of posting does have some negative effect if you arent careful . :-)
It certainly does get you noticed though :-) bigtime :-)
The point :
Both of us though achieve the same thing, which is the main goal of posting , we are known
" way to well known in some places online :-) " and what we do is known also by most that get to read our text, over and over regularly...
You can do the same every where you go online and dont think you cant ! , you can become known, become a regular at your own websites of choice, get the exposure you need if you just participate on a regular basis.
Its not hard, its just staying focused for short bursts of time every day.
POST .. POST .. POST
Their are no excusses for not posting everywhere every time you come online. Its the best way to promote yourself online that exsists.!
Just use your imagination, a little determination and do what you know you must do, to be seen and read ... unless?? after all this you still believe that your business will build its self while you reading about other peoples stories and adventures.:-)
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This is the end of part one of this small special report.
I will be over the next few weeks be adding to it... keep your eyes open for them ... :-)
If it doesn't send you broke, or give you a migraine and you do have some fun in the process,
it cant be all that bad :-)
till next time.
As I always say people ... , I'LL BEBARK :-) 
with more shooting from the hips style comments and advice...
Kindest regards
Steve
your friend and...
webmaster@home-business-help.com
P/S
Dont forget ,feel free to post any thoughts that you may have on this subject .
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