The hidden danger of online forums
Today's Adventure in the Biz Opp Jungle:
'In which Charlie relates a cautionary tale about
online forums, reveals the THREE TYPES of user
(Which one are YOU?) and offers hard proof that
you can make money from home.'
Hi ,
It's sunset in cyberspace.
You've been riding for miles across a desert... looking for someone who can offer you the secret of starting a successful home business...
You want to meet a guy who's found something that works.... who can prove it's all going to be okay.... that there are real and workable ways to
make bundles of extra cash.
Someone, preferably, in an expensive hat, with golden spurs.
But there's been nothing. Only miles of sand dunes, mirages, false dawns, thieves and cowboys.
You spot a busy saloon called "Bill's Ol' Forum" on the border between a gold rush town and the beginning of hundred miles of desert.
The saloon doors creak as you enter...
All the drinkers immediately fall silent. The pool balls stop in mid-roll. The piano stops. The bartender turns and stares.
A chicken runs screeching between your legs and out into the dusk.
"Hello," you say.
Your voice sounds tiny.
"Is this a Forum? I'm looking to talk to someone who's making money online."
Suddenly, they come towards you. Five or six locals, anger burning in their eyes.
They sit you down and regale you with tales of woe. Of good men brought down by scams. Of cheaters and liars. They make you drink flagons of
whisky and share your tales of disaster and misery.
Everybody's happy. Because that's why they're here. They enjoy sharing in their hatred of "evildoers" and "hoodlums."
Suddenly, someone in the corner of the saloon pipes up: "Er, I've made some money, actually."
"Liar!" cry the locals in unison. "There ain't NOBODY making money EVER! You must be one of them evil doers!"
They grab him and sling him through the double doors.
As you sit there, you think to yourself: "It's all for nothing. I've ridden miles and miles to discover from these drunken locals that I could never make
money, and it's all nonsense anyway."
Slowly, you get up, pay your tab, and leave.
Why forums are flawed
The above story illustrates my problem with online business opportunity and trading forums. The ones where people spot scams or trade stories.
Yes, they're free, democratic and very useful. People go there to share experiences, swap information, warn each other of scams.
Nothing wrong with this principle. And yes, I visit them often in the course of my research.
To get an idea of what's out there, they're a useful tool. But forums are only ONE tool I use. And if you rely on them to decide whether to try
something out, beware that it's a flawed tool.
The problem is, if you go to most forums, you'll find very little positive information on anything.
That's because there are only THREE types of people on forums:
1. Newbies who are desperate for any
information they can find.
These are people who need confirmation that
they're not making a mistake. Who want to meet
and chat with someone who can prove that they
could make money.
Obviously, these are people who haven't made
anything work yet. They are 'seekers' like you.
They can't offer you much, other than a sense of
rising panic that you are another innocent at the
bottom of a terrible food chain.
2. Forum regulars.
These are guys who go onto the forum almost
every day. Having been scammed or heavily
disappointed, they are now angry and militant.
They hate pretty much everything, and love to
bully newbies and impress on them how awful
everything is. They don't even bother trying new
things anymore, they enjoy throwing their weight
around online, disguised by their anonymity.
According to these guys, the whole business
opportunity market is fraudulent.
Of course, the question I'd ask these people is:
"If you're right, and it's all so rotten, and nobody
ever makes money... then why are you here on a
business opportunity forum? Why don't you go
and do something else with your time instead?"
My suspicion is that being a member of the forum
becomes an end in itself. You can be a big fish in
a small pond. You can feel superior, wise and like
a self-appointed protector of the people.
You become stalwart of a small online community,
united by a shared dislike of business opportunity
schemes.
3. Moles
The third type of person you get is the "mole".
They're there to try and hype up and opportunity
so that they can get some customers.
They're usually involved in a multi-level-marketing
scheme. These rely on a continuing buzz so that
people are signing up, making those above them
more money,
These people pretend they're normal forum users,
but they use suspiciously "salesy" language and
are constantly "yes, I'm made money, wow."
While they may be correct in this, they're not
exactly reliable sources either.
So where does all this leave you?
As you can see, there's not much in the way of objective truth to be gained from any of these three types of forum user.
Yes, you do get genuine people who come on to report on their experience, open minded and fair.
But it's hard to pick them out from the types I've described.
Ultimately, you're no better off than when you rode into town - ie. Utterly unsure.
The thing is, the angry locals who hate everything need to shake themselves awake. Either they should try and get a different, more positive hobby, or they should look at the facts.
Proof that ordinary people are making money
In a report from Enterprise Nation, published in October last year, it was revealed that over 1,400 new entrepreneurs set up a home business every week.
There are now 2.1 million home businesses in the UK. Most of these people are either mums looking for an income while they look after kids, or over 50s who want to leave the corporate world and enjoy some freedom at last.
Okay, a lot of these home businesses are accountants, website developers, caterers and the like. These are areas where you may need
education, special skills and qualifications.
But one of the biggest groups in the report were online traders - the authors cited people who "run their business on EBay" as an example.
Of course, this would also include Amazon bookselling, and people who sell wares through email newsletters and home-made websites.
Even if you discount 80% of the new businesses as those started by ex-professionals and skilled creatives... business that you realistically
wouldn't be able to start without specialised experience.... this still leaves almost 300 home businesses a week of the sort that YOU could
conceivably set up.
Why these successful people aren't on biz opp forums
The fact is, someone who has found a nice little way to earn cash at home is NOT going to spend their days on a forum.
Why would they need to? What do they have to gain? Why would they even go there in the first place?
They don't need confirmation or more information, because they're already doing it!
I'm quite happy to accept that when you find a few biz opps that makes regular cash, you probably won't need me anymore. In fact, you could start writing your own newsletter, telling everyone ELSE about your adventures.
Until then, check out what's new on my site:
http://www.bizoppjungle.com/
Later alligator,
Charlie Wright
The Biz Opp Jungle
www.bizoppjungle.com