In my quest to learn as much as possible about Internet Marketing and how to create a successful online business, I stumbled across a great internet marketing forum called the Warrior Forum.

What I find remarkable about most of these people is that they are so generous with their time in answering a total beginner’s questions about marketing on the internet. These are men and women who created successful online businesses in all areas. Half the time I suspect that they are bored stiff with answering the same questions over and over again, yet still they patiently talk us ‘newbies’ through something until we have got it into our thick skulls.

This forum is a microcosm of society online. Most people that arrive at the Warrior Forum have no idea what to do and nine times out of ten end up getting their posts deleted, or in a worst case scenario banned because they could not be bothered to read the rules first and then dive in and start with the questions and/or lectures.

I joined the forum in July this year and the amount of information that I have got is equivalent to a year’s education in these three short months. There is no doubt though, that I still have a lot to learn about this area of business. Today was a classic example.

Another newbie asked a question about PR (which is Google Page Rank). I only learnt yesterday what it meant but the “Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread” principle applied and I promptly answered her question with my new found knowledge pouring forth onto the page.

In the very next reply I was gently contradicted by Alexa and Dave and the correct answer given. My answer was totally wrong. I was so embarrassed that I wanted to shut my computer down and throw my modem away. But – I learnt something new which I did not know yesterday. My comment to the forum that the quickest way to learn is to make a fool of yourself is true.

I will never forget that little snippet of information. Ever!

It always amazes me as I watch and ‘read’ the people in the forum how many people are so fixated on the quick ‘Get Rich’ solution to solving their problems instead of taking the time to learn from the successful men and women on the forum. They are so quick to trash potential solutions to their problems without taking the time to really implement a plan and test it. They complain that they are being scammed or lied to about the results of a particular method of creating income.

So here’s my suggestion to you for the week. If you are learning something new this week you need to do the following:

1) Ask questions.

2) Listen to and absorb the answers.

3) Evaluate whether the answers resonate with you or apply to your particular situation.

4) If it does then apply it. If not, say thank you and move on without bashing the person who took the time answer the question.

5) Don’t be afraid to make a fool of yourself. You can only increase your knowledge and experience.

6) Start at number 1 again.

I would love to hear of some examples where you made a fool of yourself and learnt something from it?

Have a stunning week.

Last week I attended a dinner held by 27Dinner which is a “ movement [that] aims to bring together informed, networked individuals with a common passion for technology, media and business in an informal but valuable real world space”.

Eric Edelstein from Evly gave us his insights from his four month visit to Silicon Valley and what he learnt there from venture capitalists. They always asked him three questions and naturally I wanted to know what they were. After a few days tracking him down on Twitter I managed to get the answers from him (thank you Eric).

1) What niche will you target?

Don’t try and target the world. Identify a small niche market that has a specific problem and solve it for them.

2) How will you get traction? 

I had no idea what traction was until Darren Smith from SmartR Media explained it to me. In his words,  traction is “… getting 1 customer to buy your product/service, then another, then another. Moving forward, doing business.” (thank you Darren)

3) How will you monetize?

What price will you sell your product or service? What other ways are there to generate income off your website?

The four main points I got out of that presentation were:

• Solve people’s problems.
• Target a niche market.
• Keep it simple.
• Do it in three months (gasp)

I came away from that dinner absolutely deflated. My entire business plan has to be revamped based on what I learnt that evening. I am not sure if I should be grateful or just plain mad, but I suspect I will be very grateful in the future.

Note to self: You need to get out more often!

(You can follow Eric Edelstein at @ericedelstein, Darren Smith at @DazMSmith and 27Dinner at @27dinner. Image courtesy of http://disney-clipart.com)