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I was a bit hesitant to write this, as I know that it won't sit very well with some - perhaps many, in fact?
Very rarely a day goes by that I don't get an email or ezine exhorting me to "get in there and get published with your own ezine." But, I don't pay any attention to them, any more. It's not that I don't have anything to say - Sherry has a hard time shutting me up...sometimes.
Anyways, I had an ezine, before. When we first started out on the Net.
But, I stopped doing it.
Now, I want to tell you why...
I actually liked preparing it each fortnight (it was published twice a month) and sending it out, knowing that I was delivering something of value (I hoped) to my small subscriber list.
However, after many months, I noticed two things...
I was receiving ezines from many sources, all of which were writing about my own chosen topic - developing wealth through online marketing. As I read and learnt, I eventually saw that there were a lot of other people who were far better qualified than I was (and better writers also) with far bigger subscriber lists.
Suddenly, I had a mental picture of that ram, butting his head against that dam - only this dam was a bit too high for my high hopes!
Co-incidentally, as I became more enthused with my ezine writing, the time required to complete the task expanded, of course, to meet it. Other tasks slipped, other committments were rescheduled and suddenly, I was behind the eight ball!
Time is all we've got, in the final analysis, so it must be used wisely and profitably.
And, so it came to pass that She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed looked at me critically - but kindly - one day and said, "Dear, why don't you take a rest from ezine writing...tell your subscribers about all the really good ezines that you read...that way, you won't leave them high and dry...and you'll have more time for finishing that book of yours. More time for the kids...and me, too!" Sherry arched one eyebrow, but smiled...sweetly.
She had a point.
Soothingly, she continued, "You can always come back to it...some day...when things are not so busy, hmmm?"
Strike two for Sherry.
I had to admit - it made sense. It was a real struggle, but with a sigh, I sent off the last edition, with all the necessary information about the ezines I valued highly. If my subscribers didn't sign up to them, well, at least they had the information to act on, anytime they chose to.
I held onto the subscriber list, naturally, and email them from time to time, with useful and pertinent information. None has asked to be removed from the mailing list yet.
Now, however, I could devote more time to those other - but necessary - tasks. You know, the other ones that are about making money: getting e-books ready, promoting affiliate programs, developing business strategies and the like.
Don't get me wrong - ezines, of course, are also about making money, amongst other things. And, as Sherry said, one day, I may start another up, for I know there's one lurking inside me, somewhere - but not in online marketing per se.
I know there's a niche for us, out there...it's only a matter of time.
About the Author
Roger Burke has been involved with computers since 1967, and has managed to break quite a few, over the years. He, and his wife Sherry, are now actively engaged in online self-publishing and promoting specific affiliate programs at http://online-wealth.com. If you have any comments or questions about this article, please send emails to mailto:webmaster@online-wealth.com.
Copyright 2001, Online-Wealth. All rights reserved.