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Recently I had the pleasure of meeting Joella Molson. Joella runs this wonderful blog and dare I say it? It is a very popular blog. Any hoo, we emailed each other a time or two and she asked me if I would like to be a guest author on her blog. I couldn't resist for two reason's:

1. I love her blog
2. She is Canadian eh

I have been blogging for the better part of 6 years now (blogging, not running websites or other online things)....I guess this is the part where I tell you I am filthy rich and make oodles and oodles of cash online.

Follow up:

Well, if I said that I would most certainly be lying. I have made money blogging but not a whole heck of a lot. I have made money with other online projects and I have learned many, many things along the way.

So, here is my tale to share:

When I first got online looking at the whole "work from home" idea it was way back in the mid 90's. I saw the potential and I researched and learned and even had the opportunity to get an ebook online and make some half decent sales. Once I got my first cheque I was hooked, the problem was that after I set up my ebook I didn't bother doing anything else. I was so happy to have been making money that I actually didn't bother checking some very important things.

The things I refer to are not my keyword(s), it wasn't my statistics, it wasn't my traffic or even where it was coming from. We all know these things are important to any successful blog or website or online product but do you know what is even MORE important?

The answer: Customer emails.

Seriously, I never bothered to check until I got a notice that my inbox had amazingly reached it's capacity. I was not really sure why or how that happened....was I ever mad when I realized that I had some great customer satisfaction testimonials, I had a few questions that needed answered, I even had a few offers for JV's. The horror of it all.

In a matter of weeks I had gone from having a great product to looking like a complete jerk to the people who bought it. They had very good reason to feel that way:

I never answered their emails.
I never said "Thanks for the comment"
I never said "Thanks" for anything.
I didn't respond to JV offers that could have made me a LOT of money.
I sunk.

It was total devastation. Not only that, it took me a long, long time to recoup what I had lost. It took me a long time to regroup and gather my thoughts and ultimately try again, which I eventually did in 2004. The "good 'ole days" on being online. I say that because way back then you could set up a few blogs, through in some ads and presto...checks started rolling in. It was really that easy.

But then a horrible thing started to happen...
Marketer's began losing perspective. They began re-writng sales letter's and promising people the world. Remember the old story "I work 2 hours a day in my underwear"...God....for some that is true....maybe 1 percent...maybe.

I swore I would never do that. I would never write something that I personally could not back up. I am all for making money from home but I am more worried about my integrity both online and off.

I have been attacked and come through, I have had my ups and downs also. Nothing worth doing is every easy, but it's important to keep going and persevere.

The most important things I have learned are the following:

1. The Do Not List:

• Do not think you will be successful in a month. It's not gonna happen. Trust me, it isn't.
• Do not think working from home online or off is easy. It Ain't.
• Do not think you will never succeed...you CAN. Whether you do or you don't is up to you.

2. Now for the Do's

• Do believe in yourself or no one else will.
• Do realize that you and you alone are fully responsible for your actions. If you plan to be in any business you must be willing to be held accountable, otherwise quit NOW.
• Do understand that working online is like becoming a doctor or a lawyer...it really is and the reason's are thus:
  - There is a lot to learn.
  - There is a lot to absorb.
  - There are forums and groups.
  - There are tests. Whether you test your keywords or your template or traffic....get the idea? There are always tests.
• Do understand that you will FAIL.
• Do understand that failure leads to SUCCESS.

If you still don't understand why I compare working online to being like a doctor, let me ask you this:

Would you go to a doctor who received a medical degree in a few weeks or the doctor who got the proper education and received the proper tools to be a great doctor? Simple answer isn't it? Puts my earlier statement into perspective I think.

There are so many ways to make money online that it isn't funny, but please always remember to do your homework before you get involved in anything. Remember the old adage: "If it sounds to good to be true...IT IS"

There are also a lot of places you can go to for help:

• There are the friends you have made online.
• There are forums.
• There are social networks.

There are free places to create a blog:

• Blogger
• Wordpress
• Typepad
  To name but a few.

There are article submission places:

• Ezine articles.
• Go Articles.
• 
  If you need more simply go to google and type in ‘article submission’.

Here are a few more ideas for you:

• If you are handy with a webcam, make a video and get it on youtube. BAM...Fast traffic.
• Make a video with movie maker, chances are you can find it in your PC: Go to you start menu. Hit all programs and it should be right in there, if not look around you will find it. Movie maker is so easy my 12 year old can set a crazy video up in a matter of minutes.
• Create and offer your readers an ebook or white paper about your particular niche or topic.

One thing you won't find online is sympathy. Sorry, but no one wants to hear "I can't do it" No one wants to hear "I got ripped off" Take ownership, quit blaming everyone else. As long as you learn, make friends and do things properly you will succeed.

One last thing: Don't give up.

Now, about Joella. She's a good person and Blogs With Wings is really a great blog. Check out her articles and you won't find anything but good advice. And don't be afraid to ask her a question, ask for help or make a suggestion. She'll do whatever she can for you.

Garret