Mark from 45n5 wrote a very interesting post last week that has stuck with me. The post is titled You Are My Competition and details his realization that his own readers are his biggest competition and what that might mean for him. The question is an important one.
As a good blogger, your perception of your readers helps to shape the messages that you write to them. Your posts really are messages to your readers. You are conveying some information to an audience of people who come to you to get that information. How does it change your message, then, if you view your readers as adversaries rather than compatriots?
Mark wonders if this means that most bloggers, at least in the make money blogging niche, hold back crucial information. They give out mostly fluff and basic stuff while holding back the most useful, killer details. He also wonders aloud if that’s what he should be doing, too.
I have a hard time arguing with this question. We all hold back some information. Some of us are pretty transparent about some things, like posting a breakdown of our online income on a monthly basis. You’ll notice however, that those who do so, most often don’t detail exactly what they’ve in each area or what exact websites and tactics were used.
The logic behind withholding some information is basically sound, even if it sometimes seems disingenuous. If we give out the secrets to our own success, others may copy our techniques too closely and cause us to lose money. On the other hand, if we share the secrets of our lack of success, we may lose readers, traffic, and the potential of earning money.
The bottom line on this issue is that we all hold some information back. We can’t reasonably be expected to divulge every little detail of our online business. Some reveal far more than others, but none give it all up, at least in the online money-making niches. This is OK to do, too, as long as the information you do provide is useful, and not misleading to your readers. If you’re not providing good value in exchange for your readers’ time, they’ll figure it out over time and go somewhere else.
Yo, Ray.
First of all, I know for sure that is ilegal to save parts of what one expose. Is called “lie thru omission”.
Is like selling a washing machine without the engine.
)
But actually, none or very few would make 100% public what-how they do money, and often are old technique which they cease to use. Sometime useless too
Of course most of people hold some things back. REnough many and enough often that become normal and accepted (not tolerated, accepted) as natural behahiour.
This is the point where mass of people go walk them success way by more lies, more hypes, more divided into smaller pieces information.
There are not so many ways to make money, even including imoral and based on luck ways. What really (can) make the difference is one`s creativity to approach or execute a ordinary “job” in a new way.
Making money is an issue one can approach either techically, either as an art. Any specific way to make money, online or offline, assume to be approached in one of this two ways. Which one allow more money income ? None, or better said, both.
Becouse peoples are not equal skilled. What works for you may not work for me. Subjective or objective causes, result is what matters.
I can say, without any hold-back, that I`m doing money from greeting cards, presenting full promo techniques, full technique is used (programing, cards drawing, how I scan and so on). despite I`m gonna put FULL informations, system is hardly to be replicated in mass. Becouse one will not know to write copywrittings ads same good as mine, some will not be able to be patient enough to reach the needed traffic, some will cant draw ..
Stil, from very few would try to copy my way, some will be maybe able to do it better. There for, I`ll put on market FULL details only and only when I feel I allready make it out allmost all from that biz and allready changed to another niche.
So, either i`ll say about my work as I know is hardly repeatable;
Either I`ll detailed about it when is old enough (and maybe useless);
Either follow the general way and hold back decisive details without which the biz can`t work (washing machine engine).
My 2 cents.
Hi Valentin. What you’re saying makes sense and I think that’s probably what happens most often; the blogger will reveal a technique when he or she feels it’s near the end of it’s useful life. In fact, I bet a lot of internet gurus do the same thing.
There are some bloggers out there who give away the whole thing, though, including a lot of technical details. I think the difference with these guys is that they know that most readers will never even attempt to duplicate what they’ve done. Thanks for your comment!
I’m pretty sure a lot of commercially oriented blogs hold back their good stuff. The best techniques, once exposed for the world to see, often become diluted as everyone gets on board.
Generally I’m fairly happy to share stuff with the competition, providing they do the same in return. If there are lots of players in the market, I’d rather collaborate with others that are like minded and both become stronger as a result.
Hey Harvey. There’s a lot of room on the internet, so sharing basic techniques doesn’t hurt anybody and probably helps a lot. The more advanced stuff is probably not going to be used by at least 95% of the people who read it anyway, so it may not matter much in the long run if that stuff is revealed. Thanks for commenting!