Jason Unger

It's Time To End the Membership Site Craze

Posted by junger - 10/16/09 at 05:10:54 pm

Is it just me, or is everyone and their brother trying to get rich launching a membership-based teaching site?

You're right. It's not just me.

But I am tired of it. The people trying to start these businesses — especially targeted Web-savvy Internet entrepreneurs — are already behind the eight ball.

If you're not familiar with these types of sites, here's how they normally do it:

• See that people are making money selling programs that teach freedom, automated income and Internet success
• Coin a new phrase, like freedom rockstar or 4-hour business, to describe what you offer
• Connect with other ninjas and set up an affiliate program, boasting about how you're so generous to share your success with everyone else, for only $99 a month!

Look, if really had an automated income stream that allowed you to live a life of complete freedom, why are you investing so much time in a for-profit business?

You're not that nice, trust me. If you were, you'd give your program away for free. You've already got the money you need, right?

Oh, no.

Quite honestly (if I wasn't being honest enough), I gave major props to one of my favorite Web entrepreneurs, Brian Clark of Copyblogger, for starting this craze. He managed to develop the model, market it and profit from it before everyone else jumped in the market.

And then he moved on to develop the next big thing. That's brilliance.

You don't always have to be first in the market to be the best, but it doesn't hurt to own the market before the competition arrives.

The market has been saturated. It's time to end the program.

But seriously. If I see one more training program promising me the world, only at $99 a month, or all of my contacts on Twitter and the blog world whoring out the same product, I'm unsubscribing.

For real.

Goals Can Come From Improbable Places

Posted by junger - 10/08/09 at 10:10:15 am

For a guy out of full-time work, you'd think I'd be updating my blog more often, right?

Maybe it's because I don't have a topic — beyond me — or because I'm managing my other blog, Automatic Finances. (Reality check: it's mostly because I'm always looking for a new theme for this site, even though I know writing more content is way more important than a new theme.)

But, I need to blog here. And I have stuff to blog about. Like, I'm on a new podcast — Tech Blab, co-hosted with my friends Dave Weinberg and Noah Wolfe. You can download the first episode here or subscribe via iTunes.

In recording this podcast, I've found out at least 3 things about myself:

1. I am naturally skeptical about some things, like "game-changers" or anything that gets a lot of hype. I want to believe, but reality keeps me grounded.
2. There's a reason why I like John C. Dvorak. It's much more fun to take the counter-argument than go along with the crowd.
3. Debbie is right that I have a tendency to be a low-talker. Crap.

But I think I've also figured out why I don't update this blog as much as I should or could. For one, there's way too much already happening in the tech echo chamber, and I'm not one to just re-hash what others are saying or try and engage in the massive conversation.

Second, even though I enjoy writing, there's a reason I've pegged myself as a multimedia journalist — audio and video publishing is more exciting (and easier to comprehend) than only text. So maybe I need to do more multimedia here. Even if it just makes me feel better about myself.

So, that'll be my goal for this site: to produce more content, both audio and video. The 24 video recaps were fun, but that whole having-a-kid-thing threw off my timing and sleep.

Stay tuned.

The 2 Questions I Asked PostSecret's Frank Warren

Posted by junger - 01/15/09 at 06:01:42 pm

On Wednesday night, I went (with Dave Weinberg) to hear Frank Warren, the founder of PostSecret, speak about his site and social media.

It was a fascinating look into one of the most revealing, personal Web sites ever. Not that Frank himself has much to do with the content — besides picking out the postcards that go up online — but about how people are willing (and almost need) to share some of their deepest, darkest secrets.

If you've ever been to PostSecret before, you know that the site is little more than a free Blogger account. No custom theme, no ads, no comments, etc.

Warren stumbled into PostSecret — he found the niche, set a couple of wheels into motion, and has watched it blossom.

In reality, he's definitely not the poster boy for social media. He has, however, turned his site into a mega-successful business (books, speaking, and events) by building and harnessing a community.

So rather than ask him a lame question, like the guy who wanted to know how software helped him succeed, I asked two practical, real-world questions.

1. What does your mail carrier think?
2. Can you ever move?

You see, all of the PostSecret cards are mailed directly to Warren's house — not to a PO Box, but to his actual home address. And he gets up to 1,000 postcards each week.

In fact, he says that a copy of his book, which features his address on the cover, was once mistaken for a package and mailed to him.

So how'd he answer?

He pulled up a picture of Cathy, his mail carrier, and said she gets a nice tip every year.

And if he ever does move, the person buying his house will either love it or hate it.

Your Blog Needs You, Not Just Your Words

Posted by junger - 12/29/08 at 11:12:03 pm

There are just some blogs I hate reading. Specifically, ones written by people who write like

• they have authority, but don't.
• they're experienced, but aren't.
• they've perfected the system, but haven't.

Somehow, the blogosphere has turned in to a world where people have to find a niche and they have to be a leading voice in it, even if they come off as complete phonies.

Don't waste your time. It's not worth it. I've tried.

You can learn all you want about a particular subject, re-package and relay that information to an audience, but if there isn't a piece of you in it, you're unlikely to succeed.

Are You Opening Up to Your Readers?

While the Internet is truly an amazing way to learn, it's even better at connecting with people.

Blogging gives you a way to share your stories with a community of readers. It gives you a way to connect with people across the world. And it gives you the opportunity to show a different side of your personality.

There are a number of things I've written in this blog and others that I don't normally share offline. It's not because of any particular reason — it's just that the medium allows for you to organize, manage, and edit your thoughts.

My goal here is to share my experiences, pass along what I've learned, and interact with you. I won't sit here and tell you that you should do the same, but you at least need to be honest with yourself — and your readers.

You can't truly connect with your readers if you are not sharing your experiences in your posts. If you have no experiences or thoughts, what are you writing for?

Your blog needs you, not just your words.

Video Blog: Renewing My PC Magazine Subscription

Posted by junger - 12/12/08 at 12:12:38 am

This is what happens to your renewal notices when the magazine goes digital only.

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