I love the idea of this site. A place where everyone can come to share ideas and gain education on the topic of IM, whatever the color of the hat. But the problem with these kinds of sites is that people come into them in 2016, read stuff from two years ago or longer and wonder:
a. does it still work?; and
b. has something better come along?
Then some guy who's spent the better part of his life in here reading every single thread replies with something like "The answers are all in here. Just read."
Well I am here to say that that's not good enough.
There is no reason to make this so difficult for everybody. Every single category in these pages (traffic, seo, email marketing, etc) should be organized top down into a best CURRENT method as voted on by the subscribers and then everything else below it for historical/amusement purposes only. Discussions should be had regarding WHY a method works best for the majority, suggested tweaks, etc. A consensus should be reached. A consensus that is organic and changes over time as new methods are brought forward and discussed.
A reader should be able to enter these pages and immediately find the best email marketing strategy to date as determined by the subscribers.
The current disorganization of this material renders it almost useless.
The time necessary to invest in testing out each approach is WAY too much. You cannot expect people to stumble upon something that SOUNDS plausible and then waste 8 months trying to make it work only to find out that it was suggested by some lame script kiddie having a waking wet dream and running off at the mouth optimistically as to what he HOPES to achieve one day but presenting it as a fait accompli.
I understand your frustration. We've all been there, but..
"methods" don't make you money.
We still talk about 'methods', but it's really an outdated concept. Years ago when IM was smaller and easier you'd have simple methods that would make you money.
Back in 2006 to 2008 people were making $1000's a day spamming myspace profiles with comments like "Dating Site: Click here."
That was a method.
Today you need to understand marketing, copywriting, web design, tech, project management, managing employees(outsourcers usually) and many more concepts.
IM has evolved and the people dominating now are entrepreneurs, not dudes with a myspace spam bot.
Like take my thread for example, the one in my signature. I've created that with the intention of helping people do what I do. There's no hidden motives. I do it because I want to build authority and trust so I can network and share knowledge with people.
So far, I've written about 15k words. It'll total to about 20k-22k words.
However, if I went back in time, and applied everything in that guide without my experience, I wouldn't just magically start making money. You can read books on anything, but it won't turn you into an expert. What it'll do is make the process towards becoming an expert a lot easier, smoother, quicker.
My guide for example, in the right hands will help someone go from $0 to $1k/mo to $5k/mo within a year. Some within 6 months, but they'll still have lots of failures.
What you're asking for, is a few hundred words, with some steps that will guarantee success. It's like saying to a CEO, "Give me some steps I can follow so I'll be a powerful, charismatic, strong leader and my employees will follow me and work hard for me".
If your goal is to build a successful business you'll have to buckle in for the long haul. Be prepared to work your socks off for the next 5 years without anything in return. That's the kind of attitude you need to succeed in business.
Good luck to you.
