I have been blogging for a year and it has been a roller coaster ride. I began with a less than enthusiastic attitude because I was not sure about the process and there were tough decisions and commitments to make.  But now I am so happy that I tackled the learning curve because starting the blog helped me find my personal brand and gave me a reason to learn more about internet technology. Now as my first year of blogging comes to a close I have my arms up and I am screaming and laughing down the roller coaster’s big hill! It has been a worthwhile endeavor.

Blogging does not have to be a huge time commitment either. Heck, you can even use Twitter.com for micro blogging to begin building an online presence in a little by little kind of way that will add up after a few months (btw, I would be honored if you follow me on Twitter).

Examples of easy and popular software used for creating blogs include WordPress.com, Blogger.com, and TypePad.com. WordPress and Blogger offer ways to get started in blogging for free with just a couple of clicks. Blogger is an easy way for a non-techie person to get started within minutes. WordPress has more options that may be needed as a blogger becomes more experienced. It also offers excellent search engine optimization but it has a slower learning curve for the inexperienced.

An easy way to have your blog hosted on a domain name of your choice is to go with a hosting company that includes blog set up. I can highly recommend my hosting company www.hosting.com where you can set up a dedicated domain name for your blog for $45 per year. They have excellent customer service and you should feel free to call them with even the most basic questions about your new blog.

I’m probably preaching to the choir here, but blogging really is a cutting-edge way of being involved in your industry and providing proof of knowledge and technology savvy. The best thing that happens when you start blogging is that whole new relevant and deep discussions take place and new networking relationships and industry connections are made.

Aggregators (a.k.a. feed aggregator or RSS aggregator)

• You can use aggregator software to create what is essentially your own customized digital newspaper!

• What topics do you like to or need to read about? Locate your favorite websites on the topics then click on the RSS feed button that can be found on many websites to add each website to your list to watch for regular updates. This saves time because the feed will automatically post updates to your aggregator so that you can see what’s new on you favorite sites very conveniently.

• Examples of free aggregators are Google Reader and Bloglines.com.

In a previous post I talked about Robert Allen’s definition of an infopreneur. This month one of my favorite organizations, The World Future Society, has a very good article titled The 21st Century Writer. Fascinating stuff and another way of further defining the career option called infopreneur although they don’t use the term infopreneur in the article.

Reading this article reminds me that the key to cutting edge infopreneuring is taking advantage of the newest technology and knowing how to mix the media to provide people with the information they want the way they want it. Maybe that is text, blogging, audio, video, slides, some sort of mixture…who knows? The point is the possibilities are endless for creative, tech savvy infopreneurs!

I wrote previously about very high priced info products. My biggest question is how does the infopreneur over-deliver at those prices? It seems to me that over-delivering is such an important factor to an infopreneur’s reputation…an infopreneur that wants to sell more than one product anyway. I guess someone could consciously decide to be a one-hit wonder though especially with some of the huge product launches that some people like to talk about.

In fact, over-delivering is important for an infopreneur or careerillionaire really. The infopreneur who over-delivers sells more products and the careerillionaire who does is met with more opportunities.

Over-delivering begins with knowing precisely what you are offering and being able to appropriately communicate that to the potential client. There must also be some understanding of the client’s point-of-view too. All together, no easy task when you think about it and that is why over-delivering can have such a big impact.

I’m surprised how much forethought blogging actually takes. You have to decide a topic and a voice, which platform to use, what design and plugins to use, whether to have comments or not, and how often to post, to name a few. Plus there is a big learning curve to face. Then you have to find a balance between creating posts and checking stats and such…all potentially very time consuming (and addictive).

Blogging is certainly not for everyone. It is getting pretty popular though. Truthfully, I’m not sure if I am glad to be doing it yet or not. I’m sticking with it because I think it will pay off soon as I get faster at developing content and better at juggling it with my other projects. For me, the only downside has been the time commitment and the pressure to post. I’m not going too crazy about deadlines but I am striving to be consistent. The pluses for me have been that I enjoy learning about the technology and I now have a relevant reason to get my thoughts and ideas down on paper on a regular basis which really helps with my infopreneurial endeavors.

Yesterday, I saw a very good article about the benefits of building a content focused website rather than blogging. It was very convincing. From an infopreneurial standpoint it definitely makes more sense to think in terms of a content driven site rather than a blog mainly due to potentially improved page ranking to more easily connect to the intended target audience. Another reason is the higher level of control the infopreneur can have over their writing/production schedule with a content driven website. The big downside the infopreneurial blogger has to overcome is that the relationship building aspect of blogging is quite strained right from the start when you are so obviously trying to sell something. I mean it has to be done carefully because how many people would subscribe to a constant commercial? Here are a couple of infopreneurial website examples for you. The first is a content driven site, Love-of-Roses.com. This site is less than a year old from what I understand and has an awesome traffic ranking already. Next, here is one in the form of a blog, Seth Godin’s Blog. Seth has figured out the fine line that an infopreneurial blogger must manage to build traffic and sell his products and expertise.

Now, career blogging is a whole different story. I believe it to be a cutting edge career advancement technique. Your blog can become a showcase for your unique knowledge and skills. With small regular posts you can quickly build an impressive portfolio demonstrating more about your personality and quality of work while building your reputation at the same time. Plus, a blog can be an outstanding networking tool. This is just the kind of thing the blogosphere was meant for…sharing information, having a discussion, building relationships. Here is a fine example of a career blog to check out if you like the idea of blogging to advance your career – Publishing Careers by Lori Cates Hand. I love the way she has built the blog around the central theme of an informational interview for those interested in the industry. This instantly sets her up as an expert. It also leads to numerous ideas for topics to write about as she discusses her own career journey and daily activities. She also interviews others in the industry which greatly furthers her professional networking activities and exposure. Brilliant!

I am movin’ and groovin’ on my infopreneurial websites this week. Yes! Got Google AdWord campaign set up. My goal is to get a mailing list built so that I can be ready for a successful launch.

Most of the steps are simple. I usually spend a bit of time intimidated and worrying about messing something up. But once I take action, it is often surprising how easy it is…just one little step at a time…that is key.

With each tiny accomplishment, my confidence and understanding of the technology grows exponentially. It does seem to take a leap of faith at each point though. It also takes a bit of persistence and patience because invariably there are little problems that have to be worked out along the way. With experience, I am learning to refrain from making the problems bigger than they really are and to find a workaround when possible.

When I started my blog I felt the need to combine two ideas that, at first glance, are not connected at all – being an infopreneur and being a careerillionaire (especially since I played a part in making this one up). Actually the two ideas are connected inside me though since an infopreneurial component is part of how I am attaining my careerillionaire status. And I that is really what I want this blog to be about…inspiring others to the careerillionaire lifestyle of customizing their career in a way that encourages their own thriving (aka optimal growth & development).

Sure choosing a career and the world of work on a day-to-day basis is often much more practical than that. And of course, survival needs must be met first. But once a person has gained confidence in their own money making ability they will often begin to assess their comfort and happiness level in the opportunity they have landed. When they decide they want to strive for more, the quest begins.

Looking over my last post brings me to a good question though. There are some great info products out there with giant price tags from people who are well recognized as leaders in their niche. How do you decide which one purchase if any? In my mind, there are two ways to look at it.

One is to think about concepts that you need to know more about but do not enjoy and do not absorb well. I’m thinking delegate the gathering of that info to someone else! That way you hopefully get the best info quickly that you can easily reference over and over. After all, in the end you may just need to know more about those topics in order to find the right partner to cover that base for you.

The other way to look at it is to buy the occasional info product in an area that you too intend to become an expert on. Some area you know and love to learn more about. You have to be careful with this one though. You don’t want to buy the product of someone who is presenting the basics that you are already well beyond. Find the real masters teaching advanced info (and maybe offering some one-on-one or small group mentoring too) to increase the growth and absorption of your knowledge for fast learning and quicker advancement of your ideas.

This weekend, I was offered the opportunity to attend a webinar for free. The invitation was sent out very last minute but it was an event scheduled from 9am-5pm for Saturday and Sunday with several speakers scheduled on topics like building a successful membership site, SEO, and how to teach webinars.

The event was free for a very good reason. The developers were in the middle of putting together a new product that they were anticipating selling for $1900.00. By having the free webinar it did several things for them.

First, it forced them to get their stuff together by a certain deadline. As most of us know, often without a deadline things just keep getting put on the back burner. So this fixes that problem by making the development of the new product a priority since many people will be signed in and waiting for it.

Secondly, they get the chance to really refine their material with feedback from actual participants. This, of course, will only make a better product in the end. These presenters spent a good deal of time on the last day asking for brutal feedback that they will use to great effect, I’m sure.

Also, they made about 140 people feel pretty special by being in on their presentation for free while at the same time referring attendees other products they are selling now. Pretty slick move really. They created a win-win situation for themselves and others. Thankfully, the mention of the other products they were selling was not obtrusive or rude.

But as I come back to my office on Monday morning I am feeling a little dumbfounded. I am so perplexed about the boldness of asking for a price of nineteen hundred dollars for an info product. Last year, I paid $1000.00 for two info products on vastly different and specific topics. One was worth it, the other not quite. But $1900 for a CD with audio and video on it from a two day webinar? Surely I am missing something and there will be more to the product than that. I suppose we shall see after they launch it.

All that being said, there are times when a product is worth that big price tag, but it needs to be one heck of a product or experience! Or a solid guarantee that you will make more money after learning from them than what you spent in the first place.

I had e-mail correspondence with someone I barely know yet who asked if I ever watch “The Big Idea” with Donnie Deutsch on CNBC. When someone comes by with a little tip like that out of nowhere I pay attention. My experience shows that there is probably something I need to see there. So, I responded that I had not, thanked her for the referral, and promised to TiVo it. I have now watched three episodes and I enjoy the show very much. But I’ve also noticed an interesting phenomenon.

On the show, one of the main things Donnie Deutsch does is to try and get insight with each person featured on the show about exactly where and how they got that big idea. This makes total sense because that is the name of the show, after all, so people really should expect that question. Nevertheless, each time he asks it the person pauses for a moment and looks as if they are processing that question and aren’t quite sure what to say. As if they are saying to themselves, “hey, that is a good question, where did that idea come from?” And, it is a pertinent question because essentially Donnie is trying to educate and coach people in his audience to find their own big idea and go for it.

I think the reason that the question is difficult is because when people have a great idea, they are often fully engaged in whatever it is they’re studying at the time inspiration strikes. They just know that they were busy following their noses, uncovering clues, letting one thing lead to another and it all seemed obvious at the time…until they get this question anyway. Then they want to be able to tell others how to do it.

Creativity is something that we all have if we can open to it. I think the first step for someone who is just sitting there with no idea at all but desiring one is to remove all barriers to getting into the flow of creativity. Very “out there” I know, but creativity can’t occur while sitting in judgment of every thought that pops into your head. One has to open and be comfortable with the creative process. Some people are very good at tapping into their creative source consistently, others might have to be reminded to let go and play a little.

Begin by exploring things that catch your eye, just follow your nose a bit and see what happens. Once you have gathered some info, give yourself a rest and see what your wonderfully creative mind cooks up. When you feel a little kick of enthusiasm, you may be on to something!