Comments on: Competition rules http://selfmademinds.com/200707/competition-rules/ Sharing lessons learned in business and online marketing Sun, 12 Oct 2008 22:40:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Self Made Minds » Blog Archive » Results: The website winner is……. http://selfmademinds.com/200707/competition-rules/#comment-2420 Self Made Minds » Blog Archive » Results: The website winner is……. Tue, 17 Jul 2007 11:02:14 +0000 http://selfmademinds.com/200707/competition-rules/#comment-2420 [...] quite enjoyed this competition, as with anything in life some people would prefer it to be easier and some would prefer it to be [...] [...] quite enjoyed this competition, as with anything in life some people would prefer it to be easier and some would prefer it to be [...]

]]> By: Michael @ Freshome http://selfmademinds.com/200707/competition-rules/#comment-2386 Michael @ Freshome Sat, 14 Jul 2007 18:22:21 +0000 http://selfmademinds.com/200707/competition-rules/#comment-2386 Before I write the answer for Task 1 as Scott requested I would like to thanks Scott for the time he spend to share these inspiring posts with us, and of course to thanks for this awesome contest. <b>Now the answer for Task 1</b> I wanted to write this comment yesterday but I saw <b> Friday - 13</b>, and I've decided to wait one more day and avoid this mysterious day. Now about FictionForum.com contest. <b>1.Why you should win ?</b> I could give you (n+1) answers at this question, but I'll be short and sincere ... I want this "old propriety" in my portfolio <b>What you would do with the website fictonforum.net ?</b> When I'll have the domain in my hands I'll start to make plans, research the market and see what can I do with the domain. Now when I don't know the market, or details about the website I can't tell you more. I need some details to give you details. What I do when I have a new website is ...selecting some keywords to rank for, and after that the long and hard work to conquer this goal. Anyway at the beginning I would do some SEO experiments to see what are the effects of an old backlink. :) <b>P.S</b> - Scott I hope this is just the beginning ! Contests like this are fun, and of course helps you to build a little community here. ;) Before I write the answer for Task 1 as Scott requested I would like to thanks Scott for the time he spend to share these inspiring posts with us, and of course to thanks for this awesome contest.

Now the answer for Task 1

I wanted to write this comment yesterday but I saw Friday - 13, and I’ve decided to wait one more day and avoid this mysterious day.

Now about FictionForum.com contest.

1.Why you should win ?

I could give you (n+1) answers at this question, but I’ll be short and sincere … I want this “old propriety” in my portfolio

What you would do with the website fictonforum.net ?

When I’ll have the domain in my hands I’ll start to make plans, research the market and see what can I do with the domain. Now when I don’t know the market, or details about the website I can’t tell you more. I need some details to give you details. What I do when I have a new website is …selecting some keywords to rank for, and after that the long and hard work to conquer this goal.

Anyway at the beginning I would do some SEO experiments to see what are the effects of an old backlink. :)

P.S - Scott I hope this is just the beginning ! Contests like this are fun, and of course helps you to build a little community here. ;)

]]> By: Albert http://selfmademinds.com/200707/competition-rules/#comment-2371 Albert Sat, 14 Jul 2007 03:56:00 +0000 http://selfmademinds.com/200707/competition-rules/#comment-2371 Scott, first off I must say this is a very interesting approach to giving a website away and I’m glad I was able to catch this opportunity in time. Regardless here is my answer to Task 1: The first detail I would take into the shed to hack away at would be the layout and overall design of the website. I would implement new coding into the site; instead of the basic HTML I would implement XML coding. This will allow individuals to interact much more, and as the web develops more and more people want to be interacting with others and not just reading words. Typically the first five seconds that someone is at a webpage is where they will make their decision if they want to stay or if they want to hit the red button at the top right of the screen so it must be a welcoming, yet interesting design. The next detail I would attack would be how information is gathered. I would allow individuals to post up books that are currently not on the website, write reviews, recommend others books that people may akin to if they enjoyed this read, etc. That way it will be able to accommodate all users, no matter what nature of books they enjoy. A forum would be the golden key to this entire website as individuals will be able to interact with other readers allowing them to have talks, debates, and intelligent conversations about the books in which they have read. I have looked for how much current traffic the site gets however I could not find any noteworthy values. Assuming that the site does not attain very high traffic values I will market the website where I see fit. This may include everywhere from the local Chapters, to Spark Notes where many individuals who have read books go to help one another out with school assignments. This site has absolutely amazing potential, and with quite a bit of work, time, and a few extra dollars being invested it can achieve its true potential. I believe with the internet knowledge I have attained working, building, and maintaining http://www.vistarewired.com I’m ready to take on another task. Currently with me in school, studying business I believe I’m more than qualified to take this task on as I have both the knowledge and time to recondition this website. My partner for my current site and I were actually discussing over the last two weeks about launching a site along these lines so finding this competition was brilliant. Scott, first off I must say this is a very interesting approach to giving a website away and I’m glad I was able to catch this opportunity in time. Regardless here is my answer to Task 1:

The first detail I would take into the shed to hack away at would be the layout and overall design of the website. I would implement new coding into the site; instead of the basic HTML I would implement XML coding. This will allow individuals to interact much more, and as the web develops more and more people want to be interacting with others and not just reading words. Typically the first five seconds that someone is at a webpage is where they will make their decision if they want to stay or if they want to hit the red button at the top right of the screen so it must be a welcoming, yet interesting design. The next detail I would attack would be how information is gathered. I would allow individuals to post up books that are currently not on the website, write reviews, recommend others books that people may akin to if they enjoyed this read, etc. That way it will be able to accommodate all users, no matter what nature of books they enjoy. A forum would be the golden key to this entire website as individuals will be able to interact with other readers allowing them to have talks, debates, and intelligent conversations about the books in which they have read. I have looked for how much current traffic the site gets however I could not find any noteworthy values. Assuming that the site does not attain very high traffic values I will market the website where I see fit. This may include everywhere from the local Chapters, to Spark Notes where many individuals who have read books go to help one another out with school assignments. This site has absolutely amazing potential, and with quite a bit of work, time, and a few extra dollars being invested it can achieve its true potential.

I believe with the internet knowledge I have attained working, building, and maintaining http://www.vistarewired.com I’m ready to take on another task. Currently with me in school, studying business I believe I’m more than qualified to take this task on as I have both the knowledge and time to recondition this website. My partner for my current site and I were actually discussing over the last two weeks about launching a site along these lines so finding this competition was brilliant.

]]> By: Jay http://selfmademinds.com/200707/competition-rules/#comment-2321 Jay Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:22:03 +0000 http://selfmademinds.com/200707/competition-rules/#comment-2321 This is like those annoying puzzles in the paper, and I'm terrible at those, too. Great idea for a contest, though! This is like those annoying puzzles in the paper, and I’m terrible at those, too. Great idea for a contest, though!

]]> By: Don http://selfmademinds.com/200707/competition-rules/#comment-2315 Don Thu, 12 Jul 2007 10:28:30 +0000 http://selfmademinds.com/200707/competition-rules/#comment-2315 Lol, I guess I'm too late. Timezone issues, arghh. Lol, I guess I’m too late. Timezone issues, arghh.

]]> By: Garry http://selfmademinds.com/200707/competition-rules/#comment-2312 Garry Thu, 12 Jul 2007 08:08:26 +0000 http://selfmademinds.com/200707/competition-rules/#comment-2312 well that's all three tasks complete.... probably too late for tasks 2 and 3, but at least I tried. well that’s all three tasks complete…. probably too late for tasks 2 and 3, but at least I tried.

]]> By: Win a web site · gazraa.com http://selfmademinds.com/200707/competition-rules/#comment-2311 Win a web site · gazraa.com Thu, 12 Jul 2007 08:05:56 +0000 http://selfmademinds.com/200707/competition-rules/#comment-2311 [...] Well, you can’t win a web site on my site, but I am trying to win a web site from Scott off of selfmademinds.com [...] [...] Well, you can’t win a web site on my site, but I am trying to win a web site from Scott off of selfmademinds.com [...]

]]> By: Chris http://selfmademinds.com/200707/competition-rules/#comment-2305 Chris Wed, 11 Jul 2007 21:03:50 +0000 http://selfmademinds.com/200707/competition-rules/#comment-2305 <p>Scott,<br /> I recently subscribed to your feed and have been a religious reader ever since. I love the way you approach opportunities in an easy to understand and implement manner. I recently registered my first domain with the intent of making it a mini-site www.bustleinyourhedgerow.com. They are a Led Zeppelin tribute band more or less that I saw a few weeks ago and was blown away by. I googled them and saw they only have a myspace page, so I thought it would be a decent opportunity. I digress-</p> <p>I think I would be the best recipient for the site for several reasons.<br /> First - I am at a point in my career where I am starting to learn about SEM and SEO for my company (I'm a marketing director for a local Honda and Toyota dealership) and a site such at this would be a great opportunity for me to learn about marketing on search engines. As marketing on the internet is evolving to be a large part of the my job description, I would be able to devote time and energy to studying, growing and learning from the site.<br /> Second - I have seen the light long ago, but have been slow to act. I see this as a big opportunity for me to make the plunge into building my passive income portfolio. I read Kiyosaki's Rich Dad, Poor Dad years ago and realized the power of building a passive income building assets, but don't have the stomach for real estate. I do however know a thing or two about the web and see this as my key to building a sustainable, passive income.<br /> Thirdly - I'm really not that knowledgeable in the realm of fiction. I think you have the site set up in such a way that you don't necessarily need to be. Forums feed off of the community's interaction and knowledge - thats the beauty of them. I do however have some experience in marketing and graphics that I think I could apply to the site - give it a fresh look (which I think it could use once it passes ownership.)</p> <p>Thanks for the great opportunity Scott and keep up the good work on the blog!</p> <p>Thanks again,<br /> Chris</p> Scott,
I recently subscribed to your feed and have been a religious reader ever since. I love the way you approach opportunities in an easy to understand and implement manner. I recently registered my first domain with the intent of making it a mini-site http://www.bustleinyourhedgerow.com. They are a Led Zeppelin tribute band more or less that I saw a few weeks ago and was blown away by. I googled them and saw they only have a myspace page, so I thought it would be a decent opportunity. I digress-

I think I would be the best recipient for the site for several reasons.
First - I am at a point in my career where I am starting to learn about SEM and SEO for my company (I’m a marketing director for a local Honda and Toyota dealership) and a site such at this would be a great opportunity for me to learn about marketing on search engines. As marketing on the internet is evolving to be a large part of the my job description, I would be able to devote time and energy to studying, growing and learning from the site.
Second - I have seen the light long ago, but have been slow to act. I see this as a big opportunity for me to make the plunge into building my passive income portfolio. I read Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad years ago and realized the power of building a passive income building assets, but don’t have the stomach for real estate. I do however know a thing or two about the web and see this as my key to building a sustainable, passive income.
Thirdly - I’m really not that knowledgeable in the realm of fiction. I think you have the site set up in such a way that you don’t necessarily need to be. Forums feed off of the community’s interaction and knowledge - thats the beauty of them. I do however have some experience in marketing and graphics that I think I could apply to the site - give it a fresh look (which I think it could use once it passes ownership.)

Thanks for the great opportunity Scott and keep up the good work on the blog!

Thanks again,
Chris

]]> By: jam http://selfmademinds.com/200707/competition-rules/#comment-2304 jam Wed, 11 Jul 2007 16:35:03 +0000 http://selfmademinds.com/200707/competition-rules/#comment-2304 I guess what has held me back from the idea of managing websites with the goal of making money is a question of ethics. I wouldn't say I am new to the idea, I frequently read RSS feeds on the subject at my 9 to 5 but so far, I am yet to act on any idea I may have had. So back to those ethics, I'm not saying I’m whiter than white or anything, but many of the 'tactics' I read of seem to add little if any value to the user (with the exception of this fine site of course ;-), among others), creating something for the sake of purely getting the user to click your affiliate link seems to me something ghastly in this world we live in already full of marketing and noise. So I guess what I’m saying is that I wouldn't create anything unless I was passionate about the subject and thought it would create something of value for another human somewhere. Now books, here is something I am really passionate about! So thinking about if I were to win this competition I would probably split the website into 2 sections; The first would be for young or aspiring writers. I would encourage people to submit pieces of writing/short stories and attempt to create a community that would offer constructive criticism and advice on these pieces. The second would be to offer a forum for people to discuss themes from their favourite (or perhaps least favourite) books with other users. I think I would add further smaller sections for information on events such as in-store book readings, upcoming releases e.t.c. Being a little rusty on coding practices (the last site I ran was about 6 years ago and probably looked almost as bad as this one!) I would probably spend a bit of money on hiring a designer/programmer to help me realise this aim and gve it a comprehensive re-design. It could be interesting to give it a (sorry!) web 2.0 kind of spin, with users able to tag books by genre e.t.c e.t.c. Hey maybe I don't mean web 2.0, maybe I just meaning getting it set up with a database instead of static html. Sorry for rambling on, I think I’ll finish this with a somewhat relevant Wilde quote for good measure; "The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily - That is what fiction means" I guess what has held me back from the idea of managing websites with the goal of making money is a question of ethics. I wouldn’t say I am new to the idea, I frequently read RSS feeds on the subject at my 9 to 5 but so far, I am yet to act on any idea I may have had.
So back to those ethics, I’m not saying I’m whiter than white or anything, but many of the ‘tactics’ I read of seem to add little if any value to the user (with the exception of this fine site of course ;-), among others), creating something for the sake of purely getting the user to click your affiliate link seems to me something ghastly in this world we live in already full of marketing and noise.
So I guess what I’m saying is that I wouldn’t create anything unless I was passionate about the subject and thought it would create something of value for another human somewhere.

Now books, here is something I am really passionate about!

So thinking about if I were to win this competition I would probably split the website into 2 sections;
The first would be for young or aspiring writers. I would encourage people to submit pieces of writing/short stories and attempt to create a community that would offer constructive criticism and advice on these pieces.
The second would be to offer a forum for people to discuss themes from their favourite (or perhaps least favourite) books with other users.

I think I would add further smaller sections for information on events such as in-store book readings, upcoming releases e.t.c.

Being a little rusty on coding practices (the last site I ran was about 6 years ago and probably looked almost as bad as this one!) I would probably spend a bit of money on hiring a designer/programmer to help me realise this aim and gve it a comprehensive re-design. It could be interesting to give it a (sorry!) web 2.0 kind of spin, with users able to
tag books by genre e.t.c e.t.c. Hey maybe I don’t mean web 2.0, maybe I just meaning getting it set up with a database instead of static html.

Sorry for rambling on, I think I’ll finish this with a somewhat relevant Wilde quote for good measure;

“The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily - That is what fiction means”

]]> By: Kevin Burke http://selfmademinds.com/200707/competition-rules/#comment-2303 Kevin Burke Wed, 11 Jul 2007 14:02:16 +0000 http://selfmademinds.com/200707/competition-rules/#comment-2303 I am just starting my internet business. I have been researching SEO and Internet Marketing for the last 6 months, but have yet to start anything on my own. Now that I really need the extra money, I need to crap or get off the pot as they say. This would be a HUGE boost into my internet ventures. As much as I love 90's web design, the first thing I would do would be to give the site a face lift. Which would give me a chance to put out some feelers and see who the readers are. Maybe I could have a which design do you like best contest. I would then definitely make the site dynamic and easier to manage. Next, I would install forum software, phpBB or such and encourage the readership to engage in dialogue. Lastly, I would start working on the monetization. I would probably start with PPC ads. However, this might be a good site for some tactful affiliate placements. It sounds like a lot of work, but since it would be my only site and since I have a great resource in Self Made Minds, I'm sure I could make it a success. I am just starting my internet business. I have been researching SEO and Internet Marketing for the last 6 months, but have yet to start anything on my own. Now that I really need the extra money, I need to crap or get off the pot as they say. This would be a HUGE boost into my internet ventures.

As much as I love 90’s web design, the first thing I would do would be to give the site a face lift. Which would give me a chance to put out some feelers and see who the readers are. Maybe I could have a which design do you like best contest. I would then definitely make the site dynamic and easier to manage. Next, I would install forum software, phpBB or such and encourage the readership to engage in dialogue. Lastly, I would start working on the monetization. I would probably start with PPC ads. However, this might be a good site for some tactful affiliate placements.

It sounds like a lot of work, but since it would be my only site and since I have a great resource in Self Made Minds, I’m sure I could make it a success.

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