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Hey… I’ve been threatening to reduce posting frequency since November 2009… and that time is now come.
It’s not because there’s nothing to write about. On the contrary, there’s more to write about now than ever before. I have about 60 blog posts of my own in draft. Won’t be finishing all of them, I do have a plan for them though. You’ll see them at some point, in some form.
Instead, the League of Extraordinary Bloggers is taking off. If you want in, Paypal Kelly Diels $150.
Woops. I just got an email from Kelly, I forgot we raised prices: League of Extraordinary Blogger Reviews are $300.
It’s a good deal: you get both of us on the phone for an hour, after we’ve tore into your whole website, blog, information infrastructure, whatever it is you call whatever you do. Testimonials coming shortly.
The economy in Silicon Valley has turned around. I’ve had 4 opportunities land in my email this week alone. One looks really good… won’t say more than that right now. All 4 are with fast-paced, dynamic startups with huge potential in their markets.
Obviously, this cuts into blogging time.
This isn’t a problem for me.
The technical articles I’ve written about WordPress and PHP are a public demonstration of capability.
See, it turns out, you can’t fake or talk your way around software development. You actually have to produce working code. My code works. There’s proof here. Just as obviously, I’m not after site design or graphics design work.
“What’s ahead?” you ask…
Lots:
- Watch for another release of Blog Post Engineering. Soon. No details yet, but likely before the end of July. Sign up for any of the lists hanging around here, or just send me an email, and I’ll get you into the prelaunch loop.
And get Dave’s ebook. Launches are not going way, we’ve trained customers to only buy during launches (is that what we want, really?), and I’m telling you right now, it’s far, far work than you think it is. At least, if you want to do it right.
- More products and services. Kelly and I are cooking up something new, something the likes of which you haven’t seen in this space. I’ll be applying the launch lessons from Blog Post Engineering to each of what’s coming next (that’s a lot of lessons).
- Better blog posts. I live next to Berkeley, 12 miles from San Francisco (by road, it’s just a few miles across the water), and just up the road from Silicon Valley. You will see more of that in future blog posts. Also, my preferred style of blogging is lengthy articles running 2000 – 3000 words covering a topic in canonical details. This will lose me readers. This will gain me readers. But for me, there’s enough breadth on Website In A Weekend. It’s time to go deep.
If you want a hour of my time for any reason, Paypal me $80, we’ll talk. You know what I can do, there’s like 400,000 words of it on Website In A Weekend. That’s called “proof.” If I end up taking a position at any of these startups, I guarantee my rates are going to $125/hr.
Click!
Speaking of Dave Navarro, head over and read his latest: Your Job is to Help People (So Stop Holding Back). It’s an excellent article, and I suggest you put some thought into determining which group you’re in.
This article really clicked for me.
Did you read it? You should go read it now.
With the League of Extraordinary Bloggers, Kelly and I only deal with Group 1 people. People for whom $300 of our time is a valuable investment. It feels good.
Group 2, I’ve got your back. Keep after it, when you’re ready, hit me up.
Group 3, you are most definitely welcome to learn from all 18 months of the free content posted here on Website In A Weekend. Regard Website In A Weekend as my gift to you. And remember: the fastest way to getting anyone’s attention is to show them some money.
Ok, this was fast, I’ll probably extend it a bit, do some of that Publishing and Polishing later. Right now it’s off to the bank to get some cash for the $#^&^$ Bay Bridge toll, then an afternoon doing due diligence on a startup’s business model.
Also, if there is anything in particular you want to see more of on Website In A Weekend, let me know. I’ll see about making it happen here, or I’ll send you where you can find it.
I’ve started back on the commenting circuit as well, and will be ramping up on Twitter again. I hope to see you there!
Dave Doolin´s last post ..Failure is a Point of View Who’s defining yours
Funny how demonstration works. You can’t talk your way through demonstration.
Sean Neprud´s last post ..Three Insights about Deliberate Practice and Art
The rubber is meeting the road, and, Lo! I have traction.
About to start bribing for optins on the list. You need to do that too. And I know what and how. Let’s talk some time this weekend.
Dave Doolin´s last post ..Blogging Outside the Box- Approaching Your Blog with Creative Spirit
I know, I’ve got a few changes that I want to make in the near future to start working the list.
I’ve gotta mine spice all weekend, may not have my mind in the game. We’ll talk though.
Sean´s last post ..Three Insights about Deliberate Practice and Art
Hey Dave!
While I will miss you posting often, I look forward to seeing the other stuff you and Kelly have cooking. I have a weird ? for you. Let’s say I am going to start another blog, have the pillar content etc etc set up but its not public… If I sent the money and a back way in to take a look at it, would that be doable? I believe I know what I want to do with my other domain name, and I want to start off on the best possible footing once I get it all up :)
Gurl´s last post ..Announcing 200th Post Give Away Winners
Sounds good. We’ll get you set up and off on the right foot. Check your email!
Good luck, Dave :-)
I like the deal you have going on with Kelly, it’s a smart team-up.
Kelly is smarter than a room full of people.
Both you Daves rock. Navarro’s post clicked with me too, I’m still catching breath after that. And there’s something on this post as well – something along the same lines you emailed me just recently about valuing our time. Doolin, you indeed have traction.
Antti Kokkonen´s last post ..How to automatically backup and optimize WordPress database
Antti, you’re going to love it. Once you see how all the pieces fit together, it’s just a machine like every other machine we’ve built.
I’m pretty sure what I’m building right now would give Rube Goldberg a run for his money… but that’s ok. Once I have the hamster pellets being dispensed, I’ll start dismantling the parts that are too complicated.
Dave Doolin´s last post ..Content Strategy – Olympic Blogging Part II
You sound like a man with a plan and a man in demand too which is brilliant. I wonder how often you will be posting or if you’ll just play it by ear? You beat me on the draft posts – I only have 43 and think many won’t see the light of day. I lose interest in them after a while and need to strike the iron’s hot and get them out there while I’m still into them, even if they’re not word perfect.
Good luck to you and Kelly with the project. I know people will truly benefit from your amazing expertise.
PS. Yes, signing up for the newsletter:)
Annabel Candy, Get In the Hot Spot´s last post ..Reader Survey- How Can I Help You
Annabel, I’m coming to realize I know a colossal amount of what could best described as “generally useful information.”
That is, I know how to get stuff done.
So I can drop into a wide variety of situations and do pretty well.
I know what I am going to do with a bunch of my drafts, if you don’t see something explicit within a couple weeks, poke me, I’ll get it done.
Dave Doolin´s last post ..I want to be an Olympic blogger Part I
Hi Dave. Wow!!! It sounds like you and Kelly really have a lot going on. I look forward to seeing how you master minds take over the world. I am definitely in for a testimonial. Congratulations on your opportunities.
Lisa H´s last post ..You are not the boss of me
We do! I’ll get a worksheet for testimonials to you shortly. You can modify it for yourself to use in the future.
Dave Doolin´s last post ..I want to be an Olympic blogger Part I
I have no idea what you are talking about other than putting your time where the money is and that makes me very happy for you. I love it when a plan comes together, even when it isn’t mine.
Ralph, I have a number of longer term projects which are grinding towards fruition, and it feels pretty good.
That being said, I have learned some really interesting things about success along this path. Here’s one hint: You ever see of the really Big Boys do more than one thing at a time?
Dave Doolin´s last post ..Blogging Outside the Box- Approaching Your Blog with Creative Spirit
Dave’s piece makes perfect sense as does your take on it. But what I’m not sure about is how I apply that to GAB. After much soul-searching and thinking (and actually, something you said somewhere but I don’t remember where really helped with this too so thanks for that too) I’ve come to conclude that I need to stick with what I’ve started and get GAB moving to the next level.
I have too many fingers in too many pies, loads of ideas and ‘stuff’ which ends up stretching and pulling me all over the place. Give A Brick is going to revolutionize the charity sector, just watch this space. But, how do I take what you and Dave are teaching and apply it to a non-profit?
Eleanor Edwards´s last post ..The Give A Brick Cocktail Thing
A charity or non-profit business is still a business. It differs from a “real” business in exactly two ways:
1. Where you spend the “profit,” and
2. How you file your taxes.
Every other thing about it is the same.
The time you spend writing for GAB should be charged at a certain hourly rate against a marketing (or perhaps product development) budget.
Dave Doolin´s last post ..Backlink Kickstart – Don’t wait- create your own
I have a slightly different plan. Right now GAB is too small to support a salary but a year from now, I want to have got it to a point where I can justify taking a salary. That’s why Bootstrap Branding is being sold for GAB rather than as my own product. It’ll be another income stream for the charity.
But my issue is, we want GAB to be as much about sharing information and resources as a way to help people as it is about raising funds. That’s what the new structure for September is about. So really, we want all three types of people don’t we? That’s why I’m a bit confused.
Eleanor Edwards´s last post ..I have a dream Now where have you heard that before-
I don’t think you do. People in Group 3 are simply freeloaders. They will never donate, and never contribute. They won’t even comment, until you do something they feel is offensive. Like raise money.
Then they will send angry replies in response to one of your blog posts or emails.
Seriously, I’m happy to have people read whatever they want here on Website In A Weekend. But I have put 18 months of my life into learning the skills. People that don’t respect that are welcome to go read somewhere else.
I read a comment once, on a popular blog we both comment on, where the comment author stated that they would never pay $300 for a WordPress plugin when you could “get everything you needed for free.”
How extraordinarily entitled this person feels!
This is the kind of person I do not want as a customer. Way too risky.
Put in such compelling terms, who could refuse to entertain such a delightful character? ;)
Seriously though, you’re right. I take it all back. I don’t want trouble makers and meanies. Best stick to the first two. :)
How do you take time off? I have tried, but end up tossing and turning at night, trying to get the topics for new articles out of my head! ;)
[Gravatar, man, get one.]
Mike´s last post ..A Life Insurance Exam is Needed to Get Coverage
Hi Dave,
I found you thanks to Eleanor here who raved about you when I met her on my workshop a couple of weeks ago. She wasn’t wrong! I love your stuff.
Meantime this post – together with Dave’s – really *clicked* today. I’ve been sweating on the prices to charge for a couple of offerings I’m about to put out. But I love your attitude here. And I agree with you. Value needs to be translated into financial terms and recognised. Thanks for the inspiration!
Yep, I love giving stuff away. But at some point, that model fails big.
I have no problem purchasing information that helps me succeed, and I’m not sure why anyone else has such problems.
It’s like showing up on a jobsite with no tools of your own, expecting – no, demanding – that all the tools are provided to you for free.
That’s just ridiculous.
On a construction site, such people are called “laborers,” and they work harder than everyone else for less pay and even less respect.
Real carpenters spend as much as they can to get the best tools for the job. I know I did. Still have ‘em.
I have a LOT more to say about all of this. Now is not the time.
Actually, if I write this up, I’m going to charge for it. Maybe just a buck, but I’m not going to give it away.
Dave Doolin´s last post ..Internet Marketers – Who SAYS its time for Bed
Dave…first thing you’ve written I’ve disagreed with…last sentence of number 3. It applies to some, but far from all.
Haha! No problem. I concede your point, and qualify it with “If you want to get my attention right now, wave some money in my face.”
Dave Doolin´s last post ..Money blogging- Everyone’s dirty little secret Saturday Morning Surfing