Wake Your Potential
[Under Development]
Now that you know what you want to work on and what you want to do with your life, it is time to make it a reality. No dream is too big or too small. All things can be accomplished. You just have to take it step by step. Do what you can today and let your work accumulate into greatness. Be real, look at the world around you, and accept the solutions that are available. Don’t put off your dreams for an easy answer, or the perfect solution. It wouldn’t all get done in a day. It will get started in a day, and it will progress everyday, if you put your mind to it and your heart into it.
The first place I’d start, as almost any endeavor will benefit, if not require it, is to make your own website. This is different than creating a page on a social network, or even posting a blog on a hosting site. While those are ways of spreading your ideas and networking with those that share your dream, the most profound and beneficial way of sharing your vision is to have a dedicate website to refer and share with others. This can also help you focus your dream if you feel scattered, as you will have to whittle it down to a fine presentation. Also, having your own website expressing your passion will open opportunities to passively make money off of it.
Building a Website
Now that you know what you want to do with your life, it is time for you to build your own website. That’s right, not a social network page, not a blog page, but your own legit website. This is what you will share with your friends and post on your other networks. This is where you want people to go to find out what you are up to, and this is where you will want to go to create content and talk about what you are doing.
There are many levels of web design, and while I recommend learning as much as you can in order to make your website as custom and unique as possible, in order to get you start I’m going to show you a very quick and easy way to get a clean looking website up which you can easily update and work on (and promote your work/causes).
Step 1: Buy A Domain Name
The very first thing you need to do is to buy a custom domain name, or “url” (Uniform Resource Locator). You may also have heard this referred to as a “Web Address” or “Internet Address.” Basically, this will make sure that you have a “youwebsite.com” address to give out rather than a “yourwebsite.blogwebsite.com” or “socialnetwork.com/yourwebsite” address. You may still want to have one of the previous types of addresses, however, if you do not have a independent and unique website to share on those pages, then you are only really creating content for those pages or not for yourself.
The hardest part may be to decide upon your website name. If you can you will want the name of your website, and your web address, to be identical. However, that may not be possible. Spend some time and make sure that you are absolutely happy with your “url” before you purchase it. Once you have decided upon your Domain Name, go to a Domain Host and purchase it. I use Sustainable Domains @ sustainabledomains.com
For those interested in a Domain Name MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) which pays out commissions on referrals you can check out website.ws. I have not used this host yet, and can’t verify it’s services. I may check it out in the future once I have gotten my current websites and MLMs to the traffic/profits I want. The only problem with the WebSite.ws service is that it only offer .ws Domain Names rather than .com, .org, .net, and .us addresses that most people are so familiar with. This really isn’t a huge problem; you may just as easily buy the .com Domain Name and “forward” it to your .ws address.
Step 2: Find a Web Host
Now that you have a Domain Name you need to sign up for a Web Host. A Web Host is a service in which a host stores all the data and information for your website (your pages, pictures, videos, etc.) on a computer server which anyone on the Internet can access at any time. Unless you have a strong Internet connection and a computer that you keep on 24/7 to host your website, having a Web Host is essential.
I use Sustainable Websites because they are Open Source, Linux Friendly, and offset their energy use with Wind Power. If you want to use their services you can sign up through my referral link so that I can earn a commission (once you sign up I’d suggest contacting the owner Ivan to get your own referral link; it’s free): sustainablewebsites.com/permanomics
Again, if you are interested in an MLM Web Host (rather than a one-time referral commission like Sustainable Websites) you can try out Site Build It! @ sitebuildit.com. Again, I have not used this service and cannot verify it. I may try it out in the future, but for now I am happy with Sustainable Websites as it is more in line with the message of my websites.
Step 3: Install WordPress and a Theme
If you have signed up to Sustainable Domains, there are some video tutorials that will show you how to install Word Press onto your website. Once you have done that you can begin to browse the various free Word Press Themes here: http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/.
For beginners I suggest using Pilcrow, which is what permanomics.com and my personal blog, jaktober.com, use. I like this Theme because there are a few options as to layout, they have very simple “Light” and “Dark” color schemes (Permanomics uses “Light” and Jaktober uses “Dark”), and customizing your background and header are automated in the Theme Options (rather than forcing you to go into the code/HTML and directly programming them in).
Step 4: Find Images
If you don’t have your own personally generated images (graphics or photos) you can find a lot of Public Domain or Creative Commons images at: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page. Make sure to give credit for the image if it is not in the Public Domain. I make liberal use out of Wiki Commons for all of my websites. Ideally you will want as many unique images as possible, but to get you started Wiki Commons works just fine (and it is important to get started now rather than wait for the perfect set-up).
Step 5: Learn Some Quick HTML
Even though Word Press helps automate much of your web design needs, it is a good idea to learn some basic HTML. This will give you a bit more freedom to custom your Word Press website, and give you a foundation from which to build so that you may eventually free yourself from Word Press altogether.
Step 6: Promote Your Website
If you are constantly creating content, then you probably won’t have to worry too much about SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Most people find content through social networks and friends more than through search engines. Before you start sharing your website through a Generic Social Network, it is a good idea to understand the difference between your friends and your target audience. Sharing your website and content (and passion) on a Generic Social Network will get that information to your friends and family, and if they decide to pass it along it may get to some extended groups of people, however, these people are not necessarily your target audience. In order to find your target audience I suggest spending your time on Niche Social Networks and Forums. Here are some examples:
Music
If you are a musician, instead of, or at least in addition to, making a page on generic social networks, you should make a page on:
ReverbNation: reverbnation.com
BarSpace.tv: barspace.tv
BandCamp: bandcamp.com
BandCamp can also serve as a store for your music files.
Politics
If you are a political blogger you should be a member on as many relevant forums as possible. Talk to people on there, share links to your writings, and get involved:
Political Forum: politicalforum.com
Progressive-Independence: progressive-independence.com
Occupy Wall Street: occupywallst.org/forum/
Ron Paul Social Network: ronpaulsocialnetwork.com
The Daily Paul: dailypaul.com
Ron Paul Forums: ronpaulforums.com
iRoots: iroots.org
Sustainable Farming
If you passion is Permaculture, Urban Farming and Sustainable Agriculture, you should find forums with other like-minded folk to share information with.
Worldwide Permaculture Network: permacultureglobal.com
Permaculture Research Institute Forum: forums.permaculture.org.au
You can find other sites for your niche by searching “[Your Niche] Forum” or “[Your Niche] Network.” If you successfully connect with your target audience they will promote your content and website on the Generic Social Networks for you. When others promote you it is much more effective and influential, and takes work away from you.
Step 7: Monetizing Your Website
Once you have begun generating traffic to your website, you will want to start monetizing it. If your website promotes a trade or service that you provide, then you are already monetizing it. However, if you are simply sharing ideas and content with your audience, there are a number of ways to generate revenue through that.
The first thing I’d suggest is signing up to Flattr @ flattr.com and install the Flattr Plug-In for Word Press. This will allow other members of flattr to “flattr” your website and article and give you money in the process.
I’d also suggest signing up to Chip-In @ chipin.com and start a Chip-In for your site (perhaps on a quarterly basis). This will allow your readers to contribute money directly to you.
After you have set this two services up, you can either start approaching businesses to sell ad space, or set up some Affiliate Account with companies to receive commissions on referrals. In both cases, it is important to understand your audience and only promote products that relate to your content and message.
