It's funny the way life has a habit of forcing change on you some times. I have for a number of years been writing for magazines and building websites, mainly local business - trouble is - most of my clients were in the building trade - oops!

Needless to say the last few months my business has suffered - but that has forced change...

Aside of that, I have for years been on the edge of the internet marketing community - a 'wanabee' - but like the vast majority of people around the world I've been not much more than a rabid consumer of the next great tool or software product that promised results - until now that is.

I have just completed and launched my very first product - a video training series for users of xsitepro 2 website design software. I really can't believe what I took on for an initial product offering, not a simple rebranded PLR book - something which I have actually started in the past but never got around to finishing - instead I ended up making over 70 video tutorials (over seven hours) of material and built it into a secure membership site.

Sorry if I sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet here - but I am - I did every little bit of it myself! 

I know not everyone would think that was smart as I could have outsourced much of the work - but I wouldn't have learned half as much - nor would I have had the satisfaction of breaking through that last 5% of the project - when every gremlin known to man trys to thwart your achievment.

Back to my title - life sometimes forces you to do the things that you are capable of, but for whatever reason never get around to, and that's what I feel has happened to me on this occassion.

The challenges and education I got along the way were one of lifes little bonuses, because most of my projects will not be of this magnitude, those that follow will seem like a walk in the park in comparison :-)

If you'd like to see the results of my effort - you can check it out at www.xsitepro2madeeasy.com - I know its not perfect, but it's fulfilling a need and makin sales on day one - any feedback gratefully received.

Take Care - until the next time

Jim Montgomery

The other night I was starting to watch an old black and white movie and I got to thinking about 'Life in Black & White' - the good old days as some people refer to them ....

Some say the good old days were no such thing, but I think many important aspects of life were better then.

Was life simpler then? ---- perhaps  in some ways - however, modern technology has certainly helped to remove some of the mundane common tasks in life, such as dealing with laundry, cooking, dishes etc

Was life less complicated? ---- I don't think so - but it did appear that life was lived out at a much less hectic pace.

Where a look at the past gets interesting is when we ask other questions ....

Were people more compassionate and caring? ---- I believe so, people cared about their neighbours, their communities. When kids went out to play there was nothing to worry about as long as they arrived back at mealtimes - I remember them well!

My point here?---- We have the opportunity to create an online community here which reflects the values of a bygone age, where we can help each other to grow in our online knowledge, and thus hopefully help us prosper, providing for our families and reaching out to the wider communities in our lives both online and offline.

your comments and thoughts on this subject are welcome .....

Hi folks,

The real world of the internet is not the place that most people out there think it is .... it is being manipulated by those in the know ....

When I was a Police Officer during the high spots of troubles in Northern Ireland I knew a lot of stuff that was going on that only people 'who needed to know' were aware of.... if the general public had been aware of some of the stuff that was happening - they would not have been happy at all .... in fact I'm sure this is the case throught the world - the masses are shielded from many of the realities of society.

I can see a direct connection from my past experiences to the world of the internet and all the information within it - there are the 'gurus' who are making a financial killing - but for how long? ....how many 'wannabees' will they bleed dry and leave for dead in the process?

The 'wannabees' are those disproportionate number of people who are spending more than they are making on 'the next great tool or method' to make a gazzillion dollars!!!

I want to be able to help pull the wool back from over their eyes - let them see the reality of the falsehoods they are told by greedy people after only their money ....

My first objective is to provide a viable service for local business people to have their own presence on the internet, for now this is my 'bread and butter' - and having been involved in magazine work for several years I know how to give these people what they need - I take the photographs, I write up the stories, I help them with their marketing etc. - lets face it - most small business owners can just about deal with their emails (if they even use email) I'm not being disrespectful, just honest. When I set a website up for a local company I also make tutorial videos to show them how to use their new found technology which adds value to the service.

When you move outside your local business community I feel that it's impossible to offer such a service, which is why I only build websites for people I can sit down and talk in person with. I need to get my head 'inside their business' to know what they need on their site.

My longer term objectives are to be able to sell my services to a wider audience, whether that be in the form of digital products (ebooks etc) or in services (deep research , marketing etc) or a combination of these I'm not sure yet - but I know that this community and the tools provided therein will be of great assistance in all areas of my future business growth.

The TZX beta looks great, It's going to burn up afew spare hours for sure!

take care for now - and do excuse my ramblings if they are of no relevance to you personally ....

Jim

Hi everyone,

Looks like we have all been lucky enough to find a community of genuine people who are really interested in helping each other to progress in any way possible.

I consider myself to have been lucky in many respects with all of the varied work experiences I have had (although not all good!), from shop sales and carpet fitting, to spending 13 years as a Detective in the police force. Although I don't have any formal qualifications I have learned to adapt to whatever circumstances present themselves, and when you need to learn a new skill, and are capable, then you just have to get on with it!

I've been around the internet for a few years, having progressed from writing for magazines doing company, product or people reviews - to building websites for small local business people. I've had a few adsense sites in the past and have learned how to get good search engine rankings for myself and my customers.

I'm hoping that Themzoom, the team and the community will be the stepping stone to take all of us to where we aspire, not just on the internet, but in our personal and business lives.

Take care for now ...... JIm