Menu

• Dictionary
• Hot Shots

Directory

• Sponsors
• Billing Options
• Content Providers
• Web Hosting
• Traffic Counters
• Website Designers
• Resource Sites

Thank goodness it's Friday because, after a week like this one has been, I definitely need a break! Sometimes you just need to be able to get up and walk away from the computer for a few hours and that's the way it's going to be for me this weekend. If the tides are right and the wind is from the right direction I think I might just take my first jet ski ride this Sunday.

Taking Responsibility for Your Mistakes
Do you take responsibility for your mistakes? It's something that I've never been slow to do and I don't understand why there are lots of people who don't. If you're too proud ... or too dumb to accept that the person who made a mistake was you ... and you always want to blame other people then you really are putting your own business in jeopardy.

A friend of ours got burned this week by a client of his who made a mistake when they were discussing some work our friend was going to do for him. Instead of admitting his mistake the client tried to blame it on everything from the weather to our friend's poor listening skills (something that he is actually very good at).

It seems that our friend isn't the only one who has lost money in a business deal with this particular client and several other small businesses have also had a similar experience. Before long this particular client will find it hard to do business in a small town if he goes on trying to blame everyone else for his own mistakes. And that's the way it could be for you too ... unless you're prepared to accept that sometimes you do make mistakes.

Following the Herd
You don't have to be in this industry for long before you realize that most sponsors use exactly the same business model. The price point is about the same, the members' area holds similar amounts of content and the quality of the content in the average members' area is quite good.

But sometimes I wonder what would happen if one sponsor tried to do something just a little different. Now I know that creatures in a herd survive longer simply because they are part of a herd - their chances of being picked off by a predator are diminished because there are so many other creatures around them.

But I wonder whether that herd principle really does apply to our business. Might it not be the case that it's the innovators ... those people who step out of the crowd or herd and do something totally different to everyone else who stand to make the most money and so survive even longer than the people who stay within the herd?

If that's the case then perhaps it's time for one sponsor to try something just a little different. One guy in the UK suggested today that perhaps a one-off payment of $50 or $60 dollars (with a guarantee of no rebilling) for access to 40 or 50 high-quality movies might be a great selling point ... and maybe it is but I don't really think so in our industry.

However there definitely is room to move on pricing points and what members get for their buck if only someone is brave enough to experiment with it. And perhaps here we could take a lesson from mainstream businesses. Here in the town where I live there are five cafes and fast-food outlets in the one block and the price point varies from reasonable to bargain. The quality of the food varies too.

The interesting point here is that all five outlets are owned by the one person so he has most passers-by covered when it comes to food. I'm not sure where that's taking me but perhaps tucked away in that approach is something that could be used effectively by some sponsors.

At the same time we've screwed ourselves totally by so under-valuing our content that we give it all away for $4.95. Sometimes I think we deserve all the problems we're facing right now.

Search Engine Optimisation for Christmas
Still looking for somewhere to learn the right way to optimize your sites and to achieve some great listings? Well of course there is plenty of information out there but quite frankly most of it ... even from some of the leading lights in the industry ... is basically crap.

But if you search hard then you will find some places that can give you all the information you need. Site Point have made life a little easier for you with the release of their search engine marketing kit and it might be a great Christmas present that you could treat yourself to. It's not cheap and even with the discount that's currently running it's $167.00 but it just could be worth it.

While I may be suggesting that there's value in the kit I'm not suggesting that there's the same value in their search engine forum.

And that's it for this Friday. I'll see you all next week for the run up to Christmas.