I thought more about this last night.....

I admit, my thinking is probably different than that of most people -- learn "how" before deciding "what" -- and I wanted to make a bit better sense of it.

I often read (well, I often say it too!) that rather than buying "an opportunity" or a "turnkey website" or a "storefront," you should build your own site around your interests, your hobby, or your passion.

I guess what I was trying to say in my last post was that, for me personally, I struggled with that long before I decided to do what I did (the site that failed so miserably). Of course I wanted to do something that interested me instead of selling the stupid "bargains" I was trying to sell. But I had absolutely *no* way of knowing, at that point, how I could turn an interest or hobby or passion into a website and how I could turn that website into money. I also had absolutely *no* way of knowing what would *not* work (if I had, I would never have wasted a year and a half doing what I was doing).

Cripes! I even had a mailing list back then (unlike now) -- one I grew myself, so it was "targeted;" not big but well over 1,000 -- and I faithfully sent out my little mailing every single day (when I had new stuff to offer), and I got maybe one order a month at best. The problem was, my web site didn't have *any* of the elements of a good web site, and my emails didn't have *any* of the elements of a good sales pitch. Thus, it bombed despite all my misguided efforts (and they were considerable). With some knowledge, I might even have been able to sell what I was selling, but my point is simply that I would never have bothered with it if I had any *clue* how I could do what people suggested... "turn your passion into a website."

For me, learning HOW helped me to zero in on my own interests and find one that would work. Until then, any decisions about what I could sell and what I could put in a web site were being made in total darkness.

And that, Dear Kiddies, is why my cart and horse walk backwards.

Luv,