Online Learning with Information Websites

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The internet has a wealth of information just waiting for you to dig in and start learning. There are a very few select websites that I keep in a special folder in Google Reader. I keep this folder at the top of the list (even above my Friends and Family folder) and whenever there is a new post, I read it immediately. DoshDosh is one of those websites. Maki, the author and god of this website, provides so much incredibly useful and relevant information that I can recommend it to anyone in any field. You probably know of other websites, perhaps specific to your own field, that are as useful as DoshDosh is to me. It is because of websites like this that I thought of the following.

These ultra-important websites should be looked at as more than just sources of information that you make sure you read. These websites should be looked at as the essential online learning institutions that they are. Think of them as part of your schooling. Set aside some time every day to go through the information and take notes. (Google Notebook is good for this.) Think of all the ways that you can use the information you are reading and create an action plan. Read and re-read the post to catch what you might have missed on the first or second pass. Create an outline or a mindmap. Absorb as much of the information as possible. You are not just reading great information, you are reading necessary and life-changing (or at least work-changing) information.

For example, here is a post from DoshDosh from a couple of weeks ago: How to Use the Web to Build A Powerful Reputation In Any Industry. I read this article within minutes of it being published. You can tell I usually read these right away because am often one of the first people to leave a comment. The first thing I do is skim through the article and get a good feel for what it is about. Then I go through a little more thoroughly, usually reading the whole article, but not to the point of deeper absorption. At this point, I leave a comment. I’m a fast reader and can absorb information quickly and on that second read I usually have a question in mind that I know will bother me unless I have it answered. Maki is always very good about commenting back and answering my questions and this deepens the learning process.

I then set aside the article until later in the day when I can take the time to go through it much more thoroughly. This is when I do not let myself get distracted by the steady stream of Tweets, new posts, emails, earthquakes, etc. This is also when I am most likely to find the real gems.

Here is an excerpt from the post I referenced above:

For example, if I were in the art field, this is what I’ll build and why:

1. An Art forum/social network. In order to position myself as a leader in the specific field, I should create communities which will allow me to attract large amounts of interested industry participants. This pull-strategy allows you to not only keep on top of happenings in the specific field but befriend a large amount of people who will be likely to support your future initiatives. This is a social branding strategy.
2. Multiple Niche Art Sites. I’ll narrow down my art interests to build sites that focuses entirely on specific art forms (e.g. Renaissance art). My goal is to make each site a definitive resource. This will of course involve conscious targeting and ranking of multiple keywords which will spread my name throughoug a specific topic field in search engines. Search engines will provide you with organic traffic and is a means to pick up a lot of relevant contacts. This is a search-oriented strategy.
3. General Art News Blog. A news blog is a good way to develop visibility, especially if there are no real competitors in the niche. I would make it a multi-author blog and I’ll invite the friends I have (including the ones I’ve met online) to write for it. A news blog frames you in the mold of a journalist. As a member of media, you’ll usually get access to launches, exhibitions, events and networking parties. This is a network-development strategy that’ll allow you to build your contacts offline.

I’ve placed this as the last step because it allows you to leverage your established community trust and media relations to kickstart these ventures. You don’t have to struggle to get people involved if you are well-networked enough: people will naturally recommend and provide support for your initiatives, especially if they are beneficial for the end-user or industry as a whole.

You can believe my jaw dropped when I read this because it relates specifically to my industry. And just in this short excerpt from the much longer article I came up with these possible action steps:

• Create an art community. With Diane Clancy, I have created the art marketing forum at YourArtMarketing.com which already has 33 members and 340 posts. BUT… what additional work can I do here? I’ve talked about creating social networks, I can possibly pursue one of those.
• Create niche art sites. This site IS a niche site, it focuses on online marketing for artists. What additional niche sites can I create? I could create niche sites for music and writing and photography and any number of artistic or creative niches.
• Create an art news blog. This is one that I am REALLY thinking about creating, especially after reading today’s post on How to Build a Successful News Blog. I am now a staff blogger for ReveNews.com and thanks to DoshDosh, I now have a solid base of information to help me make this a reality.

Take the attitude of a student and pick the most valuable website to study. Go through it thoroughly and write down every possible action step you might take and keep a thorough list of notes that you can search through whenever you need them. Take advantage of the learning opportunities that are waiting for you.

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Chris O’Byrne
OnlineArtsMarketing.com
www.YourArtMarketing.com