The Importance of Knowing What You Are Doing

So as I mentioned in my last post The Importance of Backups I had one of my nearest and dearest blogs Saltwater Fish Keeping go down for reasons unknown.

Well I got it working.  I ended up moving the whole thing to another host and it works fine.

But it was a big learning experience for me (the moving of a website from host to host, not to be confused with the talk show Coast to Coast).

The thing is, it wasn’t very difficult for me to figure out.  I’ve always been pretty good with computers and I’ve learned enough working with blogs to find my own way when the forums didn’t turn up anything useful in troubleshooting the problem.

You may never want to delve into the technical side of internet marketing, but unless you have an employee who does, or can afford to hire a technician when you need help, you really better start learning.  And I mean now, as in: “Before you have a problem”.

You may never want to learn how to do SEO, (and this blog really isn’t a good example of SEO) but unless you can hire writers, team up or outsource it, you better start learning.  If for no other reason than to know when you’re being lied to.

You may never want to learn how to do split testing, PPC, affiliate marketing, CTA, make an ebook, etc., etc., etc.  But again, unless you can afford to do otherwise, you need to know how to do it.  Again, if for no other reason than to know what you (and those you hire to do it) are talking about.

I have done most aspects of internet marketing at one time or another.  I am not saying I was great, I am not saying I knew it all, I am simply saying that I’ve done it.  I know what I’m talking about.  I can keep up in a conversation because I know what the other person is talking about.

I can do it if I have to or want to.  I can outsource it if I need to or want to.

The point is, I have choices.  If you don’t know how to do something, then you don’t have a choice, you can’t do it.  Yes technically you can learn it and then do it or you can hire it out, but I don’t have to.  I can simply do it or outsource it.

You can’t do it until/unless you learn it.

I have choices, you don’t.

There’s lots of people on the internet who have set up websites and businesses and this or that without really knowing how to do it or how it works.  They found a way either through hiring someone or working something out with someone.

But the fact that they still aren’t learning it is a loss on their part.  Sometimes it’s not enough to know that something works, sometimes you need to understand WHY or HOW it works.

You don’t have to have a perfect understanding.  There’s lots of people who can swim circles around me in the tech end, but I still can do it.  It’s like the difference between a “backyard mechanic” vs a “professionally trained mechanic”.

I don’t know a lot about how a car engine works, but I can replace a starter or an alternator if I have to.  I’d rather pay someone to do it, but I could do it.  It would take a lot longer than a mechanic, but unless I can afford one (or just enjoy working on cars) then I really don’t have a lot of choice, if I want to have a working car.

Now that I’ve stated and restated my point:

Do you want to have choices, or do you want to be stuck?

That’s for you to choose and do.

– Jeffery