Resources

Quick Reference Matrix ... service providers we've talked about

Blue Brain Consulting ...

In researching internet marketing resources for a client recently, I came across an interesting consulting firm located in Decorah IA. They specialize in helping people who want to develop internet businesses, and to improve the internet marketing of existing businesses with websites. Their approach is not so much one-on-one consulting as it is in offering classes and instructional materials ... some of which are online or on CD. I've often said my two best assistants are M Power and N Able ... and these guys seem to share that view. Here are links to the company and to a few helpful pages. They have given their permission for me to provide you with these links:

www.bluebrainconsulting.com ... the company's homepage

www.bluebrainconsulting.com/Facebook.html ... marketing via Facebook Pages

www.bluebrainconsulting.com/start_online_business.html ... promotes their beginner's class on CD

www.theebusinessguide.com ... online guide to starting a business ... donation option if you find it useful!

Dummies Books:

Go ahead and laugh, but the "Dummies" books are wonderful. They're written for real people, not technoids. Lots of illustrations, lots of examples, lots of tips and tricks, and they're always in a logical order. Here's a link to the "Dummies" online bookstore, specifically to the computers & internet section ... and they're so popular, many are found in public libraries.

www.dummies.com/store/Computers-Internet/Internet.html ... the store, internet section

There are books on "building" things ... websites, facebook applications ... websites ... online businesses ... eBay businesses ... twitter marketing ... web marketing ... web stores ... yahoo ... youtube ... blogging ...

Search Engines ... Google, Yahoo, Bing, MSN, etc.

There's a LOT of information available about anything ... simply by searching for it, The more you get into this stuff, the more specific you can be about what you're trying to find out. Once that starts to happen, you can zero right in on examples, explanations, instructions, forums, FAQs ... an endless stream of help awaits. Some resources are better than others, so you'll have to evaluate ... but use the search engines to help you find what you need! As far as info on search engines themselves, their inner workings are proprietary ... you can get tips, tricks, and hints from their own sites and from many books and articles, but search engine optimization is a process, and you have to monitor your site as well as the best information you can find about what carries most weight in their ranking systems.

Schools and Other Educational Resources ...

Interest in all aspects of the web has been growing explosively for years. Public schools, community schools, trade schools, colleges, junior colleges, ... almost any kind of educational organization is either offering classes, or would like to. Check around as you become more familiar with your needs ... you may find there's a class targeted to what you need to know. Some classes require attendance in a lab or classroom, some may be available online.

You can always indicate to an educational organization that you'd like to have them arrange a class of interest to you ... and if you're networking and find others who have the same need for instruction, you'll have more leverage ... you're suggesting a course and bringing your own clientele! If a school won't do it, perhaps you can find your own expert, and get a coffee shop or restaurant to provide space in a semi-private or private area. Perhaps if your network involves people who work in the same place, you could arrange to use a room at the office for an after-hours class. With the availibility of wi-fi and laptops, it's pretty easy to set up a session without being tied to a lab or classroom. People with expertise often like to do this sort of thing, and by getting a group together, it can be inexpensive for participants and worthwhile for the instructor as well.

Where Do I Go From Here?

We've given you only a small nudge in the right direction, and a few hints on things that should be done right away. Just get started! You do have to commit some time, but you can get up and running without commiting ANY money. Over time, you'll learn some skills as you sharpen your focus on what you want to do and how your website can help you do it. You'll have decisions to make about things that will require a bit of money, but there's no reason anything has to become prohibitively expensive. Want to blow money? Hire someone to do it all for you ... and don't have a clear idea of what you want. THAT gets expensive! But start NOW ... get going ... take the first steps ... don't wait until you have the perfect plan, or the big budget. Go, learn, grow. By taking this class, you've taken one step!