"Finding Your Niche"

"Finding Your Niche"
(c) janes-place

I want to put up a website. How do I start? First
I have to ask myself some questions:

1) What do I like to do?

2) Do I have a hobby that I am interested in?

3) What subjects do I consider myself
knowledgeable in?

4) Is there some job I have worked at for a long
time that I enjoy?

5) Do I have a burning desire to help people? If
so, what kind of people? In what area does my
expertise lie?

6) Is there a subject that I'm interested in and
would like to do research in to learn, then share
the information I have gathered?

7) What information do I have that I can share
with other people? Is it information that people
would find interesting & useful?

For example, janes-place was started because when
I first came on the internet, there were very few
places to help newbies. I became so frustrated
and felt so alone, that I didn't want other
newbies to feel the same way. I wanted to be
there for them--to help them and guide them. I
didn't want them to become so frustrated and
discouraged that they 'gave up' on the internet.

When I was trying to get my site up on the
internet, I would ask people questions, but I
couldn't understand the answer. It wasn't that I
was dumb, it was because they were speaking a
"language" that I didn't understand. It wasn't
their fault either. They gave me a correct
answer, I just didn't understand the language.

I decided the first thing I had to do was learn
the "language". That's why I wrote, "Newbie
Handbook", to teach newbies the language of the
web. It is essential that you know the language,
in order to communicate intelligently. Once you
learn the language, other functions become
easier. That way, when someone talks about the "A
Drive", you don't wonder if it's a new form of
driving. You can read about this ebook at:
http://janes-place.com/handbook.htm

I am a teacher. I have always loved to teach. Who
needs to learn more than a new person to the
internet? When you first sit down at a computer,
you are entering a strange and foreign land. You
not only have to learn the language, but also the
customs [the way things are done]. Your computer
has a set of rules for you to follow. You can
learn the customs & rules by 'trial & error', but
it's much easier if someone acts as your guide.

If you like to help people, there are a lot of
non-profit organizations looking for people to
put up sites for these "causes". In this
capacity, you will be funded by a large enity,
that will pay you a salary every month.

Let's say that you have a passion for gardening.
Now, let's narrow that down to vegetable
gardening. Let's say that you have had a garden
in your back yard every year for 10 years. What
have you learned about it? When is the best time
to plant green beans? What are the best
conditions to help them thrive? What brand of
seeds have you found to be the best? What do you
do to the soil in the winter to get it ready for
planting? How can you grow a garden in a limited
space--ie if you live in an apartment? As you can
see, the options are unlimited.

Let's say you enjoy making dolls. Where do you
find materials that are reasonable, yet quality
materials? How long does it take to complete a
doll? Where & how do you market your dolls? What
are the easiest dolls to make? How much can you
charge for the dolls?

You see what I mean here. Once you decide what
you want to do, sit down & ask yourself some
questions about your project. These are the
things that you build your site around.

Mix affiliate programs into your site. For
instance, if you chose the doll site, partner
with sites or companies that sell materials for
the dolls or doll bodies. You could even make up
your own kits to make a doll and sell them.
Ex--put in the material needed to make the doll,
the doll body, plus any accessories to go with
the outfit and sell them as kits.

If you choose a gardening site, you could partner
with a seed company or a company that sells tools
to work in the garden with. These companies don't
have to be on the internet. Look in your yellow
pages. Find a small business and send them a
letter about your site and tell them that you
would like to sell their product on your site
because your site is related to their product and
you feel that it would benefit both of you and
why. Give them a phone number where they can
reach you to discuss the details. Keep a log of
who you sent letters to--why and the date they
were sent. If they contact you, write down the
results. If you aren't contacted in a reasonable
length of time, call the company and ask to speak
to the owner, manager or anyone in charge. Ask
them if they received your corespondence and if
they have had a chance to review the information?
If not, explain your web site to them--"Briefly"
and what you are proposing. Remember, they have a
business to run. Be brief and to the point. Write
down the response.

Remember: There is a market out there for
everything and anything!

About the Author

Jane Fulton is owner and webmistress of:
http://janes-place.com janes-place is dedicated
to helping newbies. If you are new to the internet,
you need to sign-up for Newbie & Affiliate SOS
Newsletter and learn to use your computer like a pro!
http://janes-place.com/sos.htm

Written by: Jane Fulton