ews is that the Internet really is the Information Superhighway, just like the commercial said. There's a world of useful information out there, and a whole lot of it is free.

So when you see an ad or get an e-mail for something that your common sense tells you is just plain silly (like getting rich in fifteen minutes), hit the delete button. But when you're offered i

It's a funny thing about cyberspace. Perfectly intelligent, rational people will fall for lines on the Internet that they would laugh at in the "real" world. Take the classic "Start making money online in fifteen minutes with my" whatever. Well, unless the "whatever" is a winning lottery ticket, of course you can't!

Now, that's not to say that the Internet isn't a land of opportunity. In fact, it may be the final arena left in the modern world where the "little guy," with not a lot of coins in her pocket, can make a decent living without becoming a captive of Corporate America. Maybe he can even strike it rich. Just not in fifteen minutes.

Okay. That one's pretty obvious. If you've fallen for it (as I have), you know it's nothing more than wishful thinking. But what about all those other, more subtle offers? You know. "Explode your online profits." "Get massive traffic to your website." "Become a super affiliate." "Make money without a website." Lines like that.

So. Is any of it any good? Well, yes and no. If you were offered the most excellent course in Advanced Brain Surgery that had ever been created, but you hadn't mastered Biology 101, you would no doubt find the course pretty useless. That is to say, yes: it may be a very good course. But, no: it may not be very good for you.

The simple truth is that, just as in the "real" world, accomplishing anything in cyberspace requires mastery of the basics. So the best way to begin is by doing your homework. The good news is that the Internet really is the Information Superhighway, just like the commercial said. There's a world of useful information out there, and a whole lot of it is free.

So when you see an ad or get an e-mail for something that your common sense tells you is just plain silly (like getting rich in fifteen minutes), hit the delete button. But when you're offered i

pportunity. In fact, it may be the final arena left in the modern world where the "little guy," with not a lot of coins in her pocket, can make a decent living without becoming a captive of Corporate America. Maybe he can even strike it rich. Just not in fifteen minutes.

Okay. That one's pretty obvious. If you've fallen for it (as I have), you know it's nothing more than wishful thinking. But what about all those other, more subtle offers? You know. "Explode your online profits." "Get massive traffic to your website." "Become a super affiliate." "Make money without a website." Lines like that.

So. Is any of it any good? Well, yes and no. If you were offered the most excellent course in Advanced Brain Surgery that had ever been created, but you hadn't mastered Biology 101, you would no doubt find the course pretty useless. That is to say, yes: it may be a very good course. But, no: it may not be very good for you.

The simple truth is that, just as in the "real" world, accomplishing anything in cyberspace requires mastery of the basics. So the best way to begin is by doing your homework. The good news is that the Internet really is the Information Superhighway, just like the commercial said. There's a world of useful information out there, and a whole lot of it is free.

So when you see an ad or get an e-mail for something that your common sense tells you is just plain silly (like getting rich in fifteen minutes), hit the delete button. But when you're offered i

wishful thinking. But what about all those other, more subtle offers? You know. "Explode your online profits." "Get massive traffic to your website." "Become a super affiliate." "Make money without a website." Lines like that.

So. Is any of it any good? Well, yes and no. If you were offered the most excellent course in Advanced Brain Surgery that had ever been created, but you hadn't mastered Biology 101, you would no doubt find the course pretty useless. That is to say, yes: it may be a very good course. But, no: it may not be very good for you.

The simple truth is that, just as in the "real" world, accomplishing anything in cyberspace requires mastery of the basics. So the best way to begin is by doing your homework. The good news is that the Internet really is the Information Superhighway, just like the commercial said. There's a world of useful information out there, and a whole lot of it is free.

So when you see an ad or get an e-mail for something that your common sense tells you is just plain silly (like getting rich in fifteen minutes), hit the delete button. But when you're offered i

but you hadn't mastered Biology 101, you would no doubt find the course pretty useless. That is to say, yes: it may be a very good course. But, no: it may not be very good for you.

The simple truth is that, just as in the "real" world, accomplishing anything in cyberspace requires mastery of the basics. So the best way to begin is by doing your homework. The good news is that the Internet really is the Information Superhighway, just like the commercial said. There's a world of useful information out there, and a whole lot of it is free.

So when you see an ad or get an e-mail for something that your common sense tells you is just plain silly (like getting rich in fifteen minutes), hit the delete button. But when you're offered i

ews is that the Internet really is the Information Superhighway, just like the commercial said. There's a world of useful information out there, and a whole lot of it is free.

So when you see an ad or get an e-mail for something that your common sense tells you is just plain silly (like getting rich in fifteen minutes), hit the delete button. But when you're offered information on site optimization, traffic building, and the like, take a look. Or do some searches on terms like "Internet marketing, "search engine optimization," and so forth. You'll find free courses and newsletters offered on many of these sites, even some from such master gurus as Ken Evoy, Marlon Sanders, and Perry Marshall. Yes, I know: it's a device for getting you on their e-mailing list. But so what? If your object is to learn all you can about Internet marketing, then you're both getting what you want, yes?

The thing is, in the end, "what works" online is exactly what works offline. As the Boy Scouts put it: "Be prepared."