Personal Development for Smart People^TM Forums

Curtis2011 · 11-05-2009, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rebecca800

Yep, for sure. He made those other 3 contest entries to SBI's CSS sheet and template, but if you want a bespoke one, he is still happy to make more.

I don't know which entires you are talking about. I stopped keeping up with the contest threat when it reached 45 pages.

I'll go look through the thread again.

stevo75 · 11-05-2009, 09:27 PM

Thanks for all the info Rebecca!

Just to give a bit of background, I'm not a techo-phobe. I'm an engineer who uses a lot of complicated engineering software and I've done a bunch of computer programming. But as far as web technology goes, I knew nothing before SBI. I didn't know how to buy a domain name, how web hosting worked, what RSS was, etc. Never even been on a forum. So in the web world I'm a little slow...

So my understanding is, that if I wait for the SBI templates, I can stick with bockbuilder and the conversion of my current website should be automatic - regardless of how many pages I have.

But if I use someone else's template, I'll need to switch to an HTML editor. And it would be better to do that sooner than later to make the conversion easier. Does that sound right?

I'm already sick of the block builder (I've only built 3 pages) so I definitely want to use an editor. My concern with using one of the new SBI templates is that 1) who knows when they'll actually be ready, and 2) I still might be constrained if I want to do something that isn't included in the template.

So that said, Rebecca I'll probably be contacting you regarding one of your parter's templates.

A couple more questions...

So to copyscape, is that just something you made up and stuck in your footer? Or was that an existing program of some sort?

How did you come up with your disclaimer and privacy policies? The part about cookies, do all SBI sites use them?

Do you even have Tier 2's anymore? It seems like your home page links to all your articles. I was wondering if you even follow a tier sturcture anymore...

Thanks!!!
Stevo

Rebecca800 · 11-07-2009, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Curtis2011

I don't know which entires you are talking about. I stopped keeping up with the contest threat when it reached 45 pages.

LOL me too... Our first one is around page 69 I think?? Or you could search the thread for my name or site, as I only posted to make entries.

Rebecca800 · 11-07-2009, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevo75

So my understanding is, that if I wait for the SBI templates, I can stick with bockbuilder and the conversion of my current website should be automatic - regardless of how many pages I have.

But if I use someone else's template, I'll need to switch to an HTML editor. And it would be better to do that sooner than later to make the conversion easier. Does that sound right?

Yes... Although it may even be possible to edit external templates with BlockBuilder too - if they follow the SBI CSS format specified for iDesign3, as Curtis mentioned. Ours will, so I guess that opens us up to BB users too, when the new version is implemented by SBI.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevo75

I'm already sick of the block builder (I've only built 3 pages) so I definitely want to use an editor. My concern with using one of the new SBI templates is that 1) who knows when they'll actually be ready, and 2) I still might be constrained if I want to do something that isn't included in the template.

So that said, Rebecca I'll probably be contacting you regarding one of your parter's templates.

Agreed. Go with HTML, it is definitely worth it!! And you can PM me if you need to talk templates.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevo75

So to copyscape, is that just something you made up and stuck in your footer? Or was that an existing program of some sort?

Go to the Copyscape website and it will search your site for duplicate content on the web. Then click the "defend against plaigarism" link and they give you lots of graphics to use. I must have read about this is SBI's TNT section.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevo75

How did you come up with your disclaimer and privacy policies? The part about cookies, do all SBI sites use them?

I copied and pasted the legal bits from a similar site, then changed the names and references to my site. It's the done thing, apparently

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevo75

Do you even have Tier 2's anymore? It seems like your home page links to all your articles. I was wondering if you even follow a tier sturcture anymore...

Ah.... yes, kind of! For instance: Lucid Dreaming Techniques: A Guide To Lucid Dream Induction is a Tier 2, with T3s linking off. I just like to link to my T3's on the main menu as well to give people a full flavor of the site without having to dig. I haven't heard any wisdom to the contrary (yet) and think it's still easy enough to navigate with the drop down element.

gutsmcd · 03-26-2011, 08:01 PM

My head is aching.

All I've been doing the entire day long is reading the pros and cons about SBI, and people who either worship or hate it. Following this paragraph are my conclusions based on my findings from many different forums and blog reviews. I post them because I'd like to know if I'm wrong (or partially wrong) in any of my current beliefs about the program, for I am seriously considering purchasing it and like to know exactly what I'm getting into first:

- With SBI, you ultimately get a domain name and hosting, tools to help you in a variety of ways, invaluable knowledge to apply to your website/ websites, and an active community of people who will give you advice on relevant matters if you ask for it.

- SBI will not provide you with more of an education on how to create a profitable website than all of the free information out there. That said, it will save you the time and hassle of what to do with so much information, because SBI puts good information together, and leads you through things systematically and logically, which I take it no other product does (or does as well as SBI). In short: SBI is a package of good information that is laid out in a way proven to make you money if you have the ability and motive.

- SBI provides you with tools that you might otherwise pay exorbitant amounts for, so some would say that it might ultimately cost you more to not use SBI than to use it.

- SBI will guide you kindly through the technical side of building a good website, but - when all is said and done - content is king.

- SBI is generally about long term passive income, and you have to put in a lot to get a lot out. So don't expect everything immediately.

- Ken goes on and on, about this and that, in the SBI tutorials, but it does all eventually help you to build a great website, and that's the point! Also, Steve Pavlina likes both SBI and its captain, so there must be something special to all of this. I mean, Steve is the man whose recently released the copyrights to all of his materials, to anybody in the whole friggin' world to use as they wish, so whatever he says, I'll definitely initially be quite receptive to, even if I don't ultimately agree with him. But I probably will, because I normally do. Sigh.

- Blogs can generate income, but websites are better because they don't need to be maintained like blogs do, and also they look more business like (whereas blogs are commonly made by random folk all over the place). That said, blogs can be made to act like websites too, but will never exactly be the real-deal.

- It's not about creating an attractive site though, it's about creating a business that has healthy amounts of traffic, and that you can eventually moneytise.

- Wordpress is a favourite site to build a blog with, concerning many people who don't like SBI, although certain SBI'ers also value WP.

- Most people (or possibly all people) who badmouth SBI never badmouth it from a personal perspective. It's more that they say 'there're other ways to accomplish what SBI does for you, and all for free (or mostly all for free) so paying $300 for SBI is crazy.

- Many people who badmouth SBI never really badmouth the product itself, just the fact that you have to pay for it.

- Most SBI'ers don't hide the fact that you can be just as successful by not using SBI as when you use it, but usually state something to the effect that it makes more sense to use SBI if you're a nooooob.

- Mostly everyone who speaks about SBI (having actually used it) is positive about it. Even if it's just to say that 'to begin with, SBI is great, but you can get rid of it once you're more savy about creating websites that draw traffic, etc.'

- Many people who badmouth SBI don't know how to communicate that well (to put it mildly), although a rare selection of them do. On the other spectrum, the other lot of people who badmouth SBI seem so well-informed about all the things you might do to create a profitable website, that they can't understand that there're people out there who really do know next to nothing about such things, and don't want to just dive in, especially considering so many nooooobies who do dive in don't make it. That may be too dramatic a way of phrasing my point though, but hopefully it came across as intended.

- SBI is good value for money, and often has specials. Furthermore, they don't try and cheat you out of money if you wish to opt out of the program for whatever the reason.

James81 · 03-27-2011, 04:20 AM

Gutsmcd,

I have an SBI site (top link in my sig) and I can vouch for the idea that it will be worth it to you to build at least one site with it.

I'd encourage you to sign up for theonthly plan and use it for as long as it's worthwhile to you. Once you get the knowledge you want to glean from it, cancel and use wordpress.

That's my recomendation.

Curtis2011 · 03-27-2011, 04:32 AM

The guy two posts above me did a great job of summing up everyone's opinions about SBI.

But I have to ask... why post in a thread that is 1.5 years old?

gutsmcd · 03-27-2011, 06:28 AM

@James81, thanks for the response! Yours is the sort of honest and to-the-point answer I most value, and I'm almost totally sold on SBI at this point, so will most likely take your recommendation and indeed try it for my first site, if nothing else.

I looked at Human Behaviors and am very impressed. You write clearly and in a way that piqued my interest. Your site is simple (easy to the eye) and looks professional. But I must ask, where are the ads, or donation button, or whatever might draw in money? Or is it keywords and whatnot in the background of the site that makes the site draw in traffic, which is somehow where you get your money from. If it's none of my business (legally, I suppose it's not... hee hee), then I hope you take no offence to my having asked.

@Curtis2011, thanks also for your response! And the guy who posted two posts above you is me! I feel like I'm being tricked here. If you're referring to someone else, could you perhaps give me the hyperlink to that post. But to the point: The reason I posted on this vintage thread is because I thought certain people (like yourself, James81, Rebecca800, Alexplatups, and Daffy Duck) would more likely see my question (because you might get a message via email about this thread being active once again) and therefore you might also respond; whereas you might not see my question if I started a new thread somewhere else.

Both yourself and James have been tremendously insightful in the comments you've previously made though, so I must thank you for already giving me large doses of info! My thanks also goes to Rebecca, Alex, Daffy, and a few others who've given me a lot to think about concerning SBI.

Rebecca800 · 03-27-2011, 10:05 AM

Hey Guts

My feeling is you're overthinking it.

You sum up the SBI argument well and as you've found the debate goes on and on. Not least because there is so much misinformation and misunderstanding about the best way to build a profitable website.

But none of that matters really, the main thing is that you take action -- now. Tons of people recommend SBI (and tons of people do not) but just do what feels right and go for it..... You can learn just as much from mistakes as from success. Financially, you can't lose, since SBI is refundable.

So either way, your first website will be a very valuable asset. Just don't put it off any longer

Good luck and please keep us posted on your new business!

gutsmcd · 03-27-2011, 10:28 AM

You're awesome, Rebecca! Your advice continues to be practical, intelligent, and kind, and I guess I just needed a friendly push (because I do currently have all the information I need concerning whether or not I should purchase SBI) so thanks for that. You're an expert encourager! I'm definitely going to go for it now, and shall most certainly keep everyone posted on however my endeavors turn out.

Hampshire Girl · 03-28-2011, 09:08 PM

Hi everyone, I'm a potential SBI virgin and gutsmcd has done me a huge favour in collating all the pros but I'm still unsure as to whether it's the right choice for me.

Basically I want to create an income-generation site which includes a blog for my new business so I'm thinking long-term. The majority of my content will be created on the blog and although SBI appears to provide everything I need I'm nervous that my content will be forever 'locked in' to SBI. As it won't be using WordPress or similar, does it mean that I'd lose all my blog content if I decided one day to use a different web host/CMS?

It just seems I'd be risking putting all my eggs in one basket with SBI as I want my blog to become a comprehensive reference bank and I can't risk losing all that information. So what I'm basically asking is could you easily migrate your content from SBI onto another site without having to create a new blog from scratch?

I'd really appreciate a steer as I'd hate to back the wrong horse! Thanks.

gutsmcd · 03-28-2011, 10:27 PM

Glad you appreciated my assemblage of all the info I put together regarding SBI!

I'm posting a quick reply to you though because I'm personally not sure what to tell you in regards to your question, but hope that one of the SBI folk out there, who've tried and tested it, will know how to answer you.

Because I've never run my own business (let alone a digital one) it's kind of a daunting process, but also exciting, and I wish you the best of luck in your endeavours!

Curtis2011 · 03-28-2011, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hampshire Girl

Hi everyone, I'm a potential SBI virgin and gutsmcd has done me a huge favour in collating all the pros but I'm still unsure as to whether it's the right choice for me.

Basically I want to create an income-generation site which includes a blog for my new business so I'm thinking long-term. The majority of my content will be created on the blog and although SBI appears to provide everything I need I'm nervous that my content will be forever 'locked in' to SBI. As it won't be using WordPress or similar, does it mean that I'd lose all my blog content if I decided one day to use a different web host/CMS?

It just seems I'd be risking putting all my eggs in one basket with SBI as I want my blog to become a comprehensive reference bank and I can't risk losing all that information. So what I'm basically asking is could you easily migrate your content from SBI onto another site without having to create a new blog from scratch?

I'd really appreciate a steer as I'd hate to back the wrong horse! Thanks.

If your main purpose is to make a blog then don't use SBI. They have a blog-like function but really it is not a "blog" per se.

For your question about changing hosts, yes it is possible but probably annoying to do so. If you leave SBI, your domain name still belongs to you along with all of the content you've made. You will have to deal with SBI support and get them to transfer your domain name to some other host or something like that. You will also have to have all your website content saved on your computer so you can re-uploaded it to the non-SBI host.

Personally it sounds like you are sort of "planning to fail" right now with all these worries about transferring away from SBI. If SBI works for you, then you will not need to transfer away from them except in very few circumstances where you absolutely must have something that they don't offer. And if SBI doesn't work for you, then you can ask for a refund.

Rebecca800 · 03-29-2011, 01:39 AM

The transfer process for SBI is the same as transferring between any webhost.

Just beware that with SBI you would lose any Content 2.0 pages (pages built by your readers) so it would make sense to save them on your computer and reformat them as they are only stored in SBI's CMS and that you'd lose that.

But don't worry about losing your own content, that's not an issue. SBI doesn't own your work or your domain, same as any other host.

Hampshire Girl · 03-29-2011, 07:42 PM

Thanks very much for your feedback @Curtis2011 and @Rebecca800, good to know.

And thanks @gutsmcd for your good wishes, it's great to join a forum full of so many positive people who are also starting out on their own adventures. Looking forward to hearing how your SBI journey goes!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Curtis2011

Personally it sounds like you are sort of "planning to fail" right now with all these worries about transferring away from SBI. If SBI works for you, then you will not need to transfer away from them except in very few circumstances where you absolutely must have something that they don't offer. And if SBI doesn't work for you, then you can ask for a refund.

I'm planning to build a successful business, not planning to fail which was a little harsh. Contingency planning and risk assessment is all part of the process when setting up a business. Thinking through how I'd retain Web 2.0 information should I want to switch provider in the future is pretty sensible as you don't know what's round the corner - I might decide to completely change business models in a few years, SBI may disappear or be superceded by another company.....it's all about weighing up the pros and cons which is the stage I'm at before putting all my time and passion into setting up my site. "She that fails to plan plans to fail"

James81 · 03-29-2011, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hampshire Girl

I'm planning to build a successful business, not planning to fail which was a little harsh. Contingency planning and risk assessment is all part of the process when setting up a business. Thinking through how I'd retain Web 2.0 information should I want to switch provider in the future is pretty sensible as you don't know what's round the corner - I might decide to completely change business models in a few years, SBI may disappear or be superceded by another company.....it's all about weighing up the pros and cons which is the stage I'm at before putting all my time and passion into setting up my site. "She that fails to plan plans to fail"

Well, ya gotta understand something. Curtis and Rebecca are like the SBI go-to peeps around here. I've never seen people recommend something like those two recommend SBI. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear they are getting kickbacks from Mr. Envoy or something.

(But, that's good to know because if you have a question about SBI, those are the two I most look forward to hearing from when it comes to that.) But, at the end of the day, they may be a little *too* into the SBI thing.

Don't get me wrong, I'd recommend SBI to anyone. I sort of see it more as a course in business building than I do a long-term commitment, though. It's great to build a site or two through them because there's a whole arse-load of knowledge to glean just from reading the action guide and the many MANY resources and articles they have on the site.

Fuctionally, however, wordpress outdoes SBI every single time. If wordpress and SBI were basketball teams and they were playing in the content management championship, the score would be like 100 to 5 in favor of wordpress.

I just looked in my SBI account to see if there is any quick and dirty site-back up options, and I couldn't find anything. There's loads of functions for uploading and bringing information IN to SBI, but I don't see anything that will let you export your content/files OUT of SBI.

In other words, should you choose to switch over at some point, you're going to be doing a lot of copy/pasting and reuploading of your stuff. Hell, I don't even see a place to access the root html directory (the one where all your files on the website are stored).

What I might suggest you do is to go create a free wordpress site and, while you are creating your SBI site, make a copy of it onto the free wordpress site as you go along. That way, when you go, you can simply export your site from the free wordpress site and then reupload it to your new site when you get a new host.

Rebecca800 · 03-30-2011, 12:22 AM

Oh the SBI debate! I dont know why I keep getting sucked back in. I guess I just want to protect my baby. She is responsible for 100% of my income, ya know. And I get to work at home pursing my ideal career. That kind of life-changing event has an impact on me.

So... I like SBI too much?? I think James81 likes WordPress too much. They MUST pay him kickbacks. Why else would he recommend it so heartily?? It doesn't make any sense!

The reason I recommend SBI is because it's GOOD.

James says he doesn't like the BlockBuilder CMS and that's fine, neither do I. It is designed for complete technophobes after all. So in creating that simplicity, you lose functionality. Fortunately there are two alternatives to the current BlockBuilder system:

1. Create your content offline in a HTML Editor and upload it with a few clicks to SBI. Simple. This requires the SAME level of HTML knowledge to use as you do WordPress. All you need is a free editor like Frontpage. In fact, this approach is even more flexible than WP, and having used both I much prefer working with my buddy Dreamweaver.

Unfortunately James only ever used BlockBuilder when he was with SBI (based on his comments in the past) and he never explored this option which would have made him a very happy bunny.

2. If you don't even want to know what HTML is (and I am wondering why you want to build a career in websites) you can always take advantage of SBI's new CMS being launched this summer. I have a feeling it will be on a par with WordPress, which, after all, is just a simple WYSIWYG editor. SBI is putting a lot of resources into this system and bringing it up to date.

So this levels the playing field on the CMS front, truly.

The issue between WP and SBI is: do you want a blog host (WP), or do you want the all-singing-all-dancing how-to-build-a-profitable-website program which includes your hosting, domain, mass mailout manager, Content 2.0, quality keyword tools, entire education and support system, and heaps of other features that WP does not offer?

It doesn't benefit me whatsoever if another forum member chooses WordPress or Site Build It. I just wanna steer people in the right direction, as I'm sure Curtis does too, and none of us are getting kickbacks as James suggests, jokingly or otherwise......

</SBI rant>

Rebecca800 · 03-30-2011, 12:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James81

I just looked in my SBI account to see if there is any quick and dirty site-back up options, and I couldn't find anything. There's loads of functions for uploading and bringing information IN to SBI, but I don't see anything that will let you export your content/files OUT of SBI.

In other words, should you choose to switch over at some point, you're going to be doing a lot of copy/pasting and reuploading of your stuff. Hell, I don't even see a place to access the root html directory (the one where all your files on the website are stored).

What I might suggest you do is to go create a free wordpress site and, while you are creating your SBI site, make a copy of it onto the free wordpress site as you go along. That way, when you go, you can simply export your site from the free wordpress site and then reupload it to your new site when you get a new host.

Oops, I forgot to make my original point....

Site back up options. If you do it all in a HTML Editor as I strongly recommend to most SBIers, all data will be stored on your computer. So changing hosts would mean just uploading all your computer's files with a couple of clicks.

If you are using BlockBuilder, then you do need to make other arrangements. Copy and paste heaven. That would be where you're going. But I have to ask why a BlockBuilder person is changing hosts - if they are so technophobic then they really NEED SBI as it is the ideal beginners platform.

I can think of very few situations where a BlockBuilder person would migrate to another host. Most would naturally transition to HTML first (as I feel James probably should have done) to get the most out of their SBI experience and increase their technical skills before fleeing the nest entirely. Then there would be no problems migrating.

Duplicating your ensite site on WordPress. Please don't do this - Google really doesn't like duplicate content. It's called spam, you see. And both sites will be penalized as a result, giving you lower search rankings and less traffic.

This is the risk you run when you use WordPress and take advice from everyone on the internet. You will be told all different techniques, some of them black hat and some of them genuine, but how do you know the difference? SBI will steer you right, guaranteed. SBI will never tell you to duplicate your content or engage in spammy link schemes to build traffic, which I'm sure many WP users have been misled into doing simply because they don't have a legitimate guide leading their way.

James81 · 03-30-2011, 03:24 AM

LONG ASS POST, PART 1/2:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rebecca800

So... I like SBI too much?? I think James81 likes WordPress too much. They MUST pay him kickbacks. Why else would he recommend it so heartily?? It doesn't make any sense!

I get a free toaster everytime someone signs up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rebecca800

The reason I recommend SBI is because it's GOOD.

If you noticed, I too recommended SBI. It's very good at what it does: teach people how to build online businesses. It's NOT good at the actual building of the site. Now, hopefully the whole new CMS they are launching will take care of this issue and my beef with SBI can finally be laid to rest. (Actually, it's not even really a beef...it's a preference. I personally think their blockbuilder is clunky and I am not alone in that thought as many others have said the same thing.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rebecca800

1. Create your content offline in a HTML Editor and upload it with a few clicks to SBI. Simple. This requires the SAME level of HTML knowledge to use as you do WordPress. All you need is a free editor like Frontpage. In fact, this approach is even more flexible than WP, and having used both I much prefer working with my buddy Dreamweaver.

Unfortunately James only ever used BlockBuilder when he was with SBI (based on his comments in the past) and he never explored this option which would have made him a very happy bunny.

I thought I might take a moment to list the different tools I've used in building websites:

SBI (of course)

Wordpress (obviously)
Joomla
vbulletin CMS
Dreamweaver
MS Frontpage

I've also built a blog with google's Blogger and I've toyed around with a little HTML, I've worked quite a bit with phpbb as well.

In other words, I've tried many different web-building tools. So, my recommendation for wordpress is based on my experience with the many different tools that are out there (something I like to do is play around with that stuff).

Here's the thing...using HTML is fun to play with (I loved using Frontpage especially)...and it's really cool to be creative and build your own webpages from scratch. However, this is ridiculously tedious. For example, every image you have on your site (even down to the buttons for links in your sidebar) has to be uploaded to your site and linked to within your code. I've spent hours upon hours creating very basic pages (pages that pop up immediately the instant you load wordpress and choose a theme

). And I won't deny that it's a lot of fun for a techno junkie such as myself, someone who likes playing with that thing.

However, if your main focus and goal is to build a content-driven website, laying your focus over on the logistics of the layout and the look and feel of the website is a lot of energy expended on something with little payoff (the look and feel of a website is important, but not nearly as important as the content).

Now, you *could* outsource all that work to a web designer (and, if you following one of the links in Rebecca's sig there, you'll find that she recommends one on one of her pages...yeah, I've been on your sites Rebecca and I think they are very well designed and laid out...kudos to you for that). Just know upfront, that's another $300 out of pocket. If you're willing to pay that, then great.

Now onto creating content with the blockbuilder...Something you might wanna be aware of is that everytime you want to bold or italicize or underline text, you have to manually type that code into your text. Anytime you want to add a link, you have to type the code to the link. For every image and/or video you include, you have to, one-by-one, manually upload them through SBI's system (as opposed to using an FTP uploader and upload a batch of images and videos all at one).

This is tedious. Very tedious. And completely unnecessary in 2011. Really. Back in the 90's, sure...if you wanted a webage, you had to do all of this stuff yourself. Now? For a content driven website? Not necessary and extra hoop-jumping for very little payoff.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rebecca800

2. If you don't even want to know what HTML is (and I am wondering why you want to build a career in websites) you can always take advantage of SBI's new CMS being launched this summer. I have a feeling it will be on a par with WordPress, which, after all, is just a simple WYSIWYG editor. SBI is putting a lot of resources into this system and bringing it up to date.

So this levels the playing field on the CMS front, truly.

I would also like to clarify that wordpress is quite a bit more than just a WYSIWYG editor. But lots not downplay how convenient a WYSIWYG editor can be (btw, with wordpress you have the option to switch between WYSIWYG and HTML editor so you can write in your own code...I use this for superscripts sometimes). There's loads of time-saving value in being able to see how your text and images are going to appear while typing it. (With the blockbuilder, you basically type your text up as one batch, then you click the preview to see if you bungled any of the HTML markup codes or link codes or list codes.)

But WYSIWYG editor aside...wordpress is literally an engine...a very powerful engine, complete with thousands of templates (already made and free...OR you can pay for more quality ones if you want), hundreds of plugins (ones that I use frequently are stats plugins that give you loads of info about incoming traffice, SEO plugins that help you sort how to write your titles and posts, socializing plugins that add social bookmarking sites to your posts, podcast and audio mp3 player plugins that allow you to easily upload that kind of content), easy to manage pages and posts, easy to modify widgets and monetizing options. it's not some plunk-dy-do editor that lets you type and post. It is truly a web-building tool to be reckoned with. (And if you want to see a wordpress built site that uses a slightly modified SBI tier structure, click on the second link in my sig. I built what you see there in about a week and half. and I had the basic structure up and running within an hour....ask Mounds, I showed it to him right after I registered it.

)

When it comes to building content-driven websites, focusing on the actual content itself (rather than the design) has loads of value.

Now, compare the second link in my sig to the first link in my sig (my SBI site). Arguably great content on both sites, no? But one is sleeker and more modern looking, no? The SBI site probablly took me two weeks to get to what you see there (a basic shell of a site)--which is quite less than what took me about an hour to do with wordpress.

Hence, my distaste for the web-building tools offered by SBI. My beef isn't with SBI itself, remember...it's with the actual building of the site.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rebecca800

The issue between WP and SBI is: do you want a blog host (WP), or do you want the all-singing-all-dancing how-to-build-a-profitable-website program which includes your hosting, domain, mass mailout manager, Content 2.0, quality keyword tools, entire education and support system, and heaps of other features that WP does not offer?

I think I covered why WP is more than just a blog host in my post above, but I thought I might also add that wordpress has some pretty awesome SEO keyword tools, is well supported on their sites, and has all the features that SBI offers and more. The ONLY tools that SBI has to offer that wordpress doesn't: the action guide and the Brainstorm it (keyword building) tools. <---which is why I still recommend SBI for beginners.

It makes me laugh when people talk about wordpress not having those features (this is part of the sales pitch on the SBI site actually), because, as an extensive user of wordpress, I can outright tell you that's a load of bunk.

SBI's strenght and power is in their education. The education you get on building a business through SBI is worth every penny you spend on it because I learned more with SBI in a few months than I did in a few years trying to research it on my own.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rebecca800

It doesn't benefit me whatsoever if another forum member chooses WordPress or Site Build It. I just wanna steer people in the right direction, as I'm sure Curtis does too, and none of us are getting kickbacks as James suggests, jokingly or otherwise......

</SBI rant>

Yeah, I was just messing with ya a bit there.

James81 · 03-30-2011, 03:25 AM

LONG ASS POST, PART 2/2:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rebecca800

Oops, I forgot to make my original point....

Site back up options. If you do it all in a HTML Editor as I strongly recommend to most SBIers, all data will be stored on your computer. So changing hosts would mean just uploading all your computer's files with a couple of clicks.

If you are using BlockBuilder, then you do need to make other arrangements. Copy and paste heaven. That would be where you're going. But I have to ask why a BlockBuilder person is changing hosts - if they are so technophobic then they really NEED SBI as it is the ideal beginners platform.

I can think of very few situations where a BlockBuilder person would migrate to another host. Most would naturally transition to HTML first (as I feel James probably should have done) to get the most out of their SBI experience and increase their technical skills before fleeing the nest entirely. Then there would be no problems migrating.

Duplicating your ensite site on WordPress. Please don't do this - Google really doesn't like duplicate content. It's called spam, you see. And both sites will be penalized as a result, giving you lower search rankings and less traffic.

This is the risk you run when you use WordPress and take advice from everyone on the internet. You will be told all different techniques, some of them black hat and some of them genuine, but how do you know the difference? SBI will steer you right, guaranteed. SBI will never tell you to duplicate your content or engage in spammy link schemes to build traffic, which I'm sure many WP users have been misled into doing simply because they don't have a legitimate guide leading their way.

Thing is, on a free wordpress site you have the option to make it hidden from search enginess and password protected so nobody else can see it (unless you invite them). I shoulda mentioned that in my recommendation because it's not really duplicate content if the search engines aren't crawling it.

Spammy link schemes aren't encouraged by wordpress, btw. That's a personal user's decision to use the tool of wordpress in that manner. WP doesn't tell you what to do with your site, they offer open source software that is heavily supported with powerful tools for helping you build a website that's functionally and asthetically pleasing with little hassle.

<--The voice of reason.

Cliffs (and a reiteration): I recommend SBI. But it's a temporary recommendation. Take what you glean from them education-wise, and then move on to a CMS that gives you the freedom to build a great website with little ease. IF SBI's new CMS that is coming is worthwhile, I'll change up that recommendation.

Lil Chris · 03-30-2011, 07:17 AM

I've seen this discussion too many times. But, that's not the intent of my inquisition. I've seen you guys talk about these "articles" on sbi and while I'm not going to join just to look at them, my question is if there is an equivalent to those articles on the web somewhere. What topics do they cover?

Kaie · 03-30-2011, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lil Chris

I've seen this discussion too many times. But, that's not the intent of my inquisition. I've seen you guys talk about these "articles" on sbi and while I'm not going to join just to look at them, my question is if there is an equivalent to those articles on the web somewhere. What topics do they cover?

This is what I am wondering. I am seriously considering SBI (still working on my content though.) I really like the designs and templates of WP, and the choices, but I am a stone cold beginner in building a site, so that is why I need the help.

Does SBI offer any sleek options for design? I take it there are no templates like WP.

Rebecca800 · 03-31-2011, 12:35 AM

Lil Chris - The articles you mention are in the form of the 10-day Action Guide, the Tips n Techniques Section, and multiple PDF ebook guides such as MYCS (Make Your Content Sell) or MYLW (Make Your Links Work).

They cover every aspect of online business - researching a profitable niche, choosing a domain, researching keywords, building a site plan, checking legalities, building the site, template design, writing for the web, writing to pre-sell, finding monetization partners, getting user interactivity, keyword optimization, link building, free traffic building methods, etc etc etc! I just ran out of breath

The main Action Guide used to be freely accessible but I believe it no longer is. SBI has a constantly evolving knowledge base in the form of text and videos and there is nothing else like it on the web.

You could of course do your own research but where do you begin? Would you rather spend hours trawling through every free internet resource and put together your own plan, or have a ready-made plan that is tried and tested so you know it WORKS.

Also, as I mentioned earlier, the internet is full of different opinions and some of them will lead you down the wrong track. Black hat link building strategies spring to mind immediately. And there are plenty of legitimate methods that just plain don't work. So you will waste a lot of time that way as a beginner.

Considering you can join SBI for $30 and have access to all that knowledge it seems crazy to me to want to do it the hard way........

Kaie - SBI has some decent 3-column templates now. Or you can import your own design like I did (World of Lucid Dreaming was made with SBI). The range probably isnt as extensive as WordPress but that's ok, they do the job for most people. Try Googling "Powered by Site Build It!" to see some examples of SBI sites and their templates. Some of them are very outdated and the owners have stuck with the same design for years - dont let that put you off, it probably means they do a good job as they are. There are some very nice modern SBI designs out there. And if you want to spend more on a custom design check out this gallery of imported SBI templates.

justhopingandsearching · 03-31-2011, 05:37 AM

Has anyone else struggled with actually reading/watching the Action Guide?? I don't know maybe I'm just weird, but I have a heck of time with that Action Guide. It's not that I can't understand it, but something about it seems tedious and wordy to me! I almost have half of a mind to go ahead and personally rewrite the whole thing for myself. And the videos, I can't watch those videos because they're just the Action Guide, but spoken word for word. Seriously, I zone out on those videos.

I know SBI says to stick with the Action Guide, but I find myself reading Problogger for more understanding/better details about an online business because it's easier to read to me!

AaronA · 03-31-2011, 02:52 PM

Hi JHAS,

I think the Action Guide isn't entirely straightforward. The three keywords, for instance, for the initial brainstorm; should they be three separate ideas, or three related (I've seen that questions asked in the SBI forum).

I do like the education I've been getting from the action guide, though. I didn't have any site layout in mind, so their approach is good, and integrates with SEO. Honestly, the information might have been out there, but all the SEO dross can cloud the good stuff. I like having a straightforward approach laid out that had interactive brainstorming tools.

I am thinking of going with a hybrid approach, though. I'm a little gun shy in setting up long term on SBI, for the reasons James laid out, plus the fact that even if it offers a comparable CMS package, you still end up overpaying on the hosting, once you've taken what you can from the education package. So I would do my SEO/brainstorming using SBI's tools, then build using Wordpress and a separate host. But we'll see; I will give their tools a try first. Though I would appreciate if they just offered Wordpress tools, instead of just trying to lock customers in due to proprietary technology.

I will say this about blogging, though; even the probloggers say it can be a grind. I do think the SBI approach of making it a site that is more of an information business more than a blog is the right call. Not to say the blogs can't be a great component, just that you can end up putting a lot of time into them and not monetizing the content (which I'm assuming people want to do).

Aaron

Hampshire Girl · 03-31-2011, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AaronA

I am thinking of going with a hybrid approach, though. I'm a little gun shy in setting up long term on SBI, for the reasons James laid out, plus the fact that even if it offers a comparable CMS package, you still end up overpaying on the hosting, once you've taken what you can from the education package. So I would do my SEO/brainstorming using SBI's tools, then build using Wordpress and a separate host. But we'll see; I will give their tools a try first. Though I would appreciate if they just offered Wordpress tools, instead of just trying to lock customers in due to proprietary technology.

I've decided to do the same as @Aaron having given it some more thought. I am going to keep my blog on Wordpress so it remains independent, I retain any feedback and I can link it to my LinkedIn profile, but I'll give SBI a go initially and match the look and feel of the site to my blog, assuming the SBI template is flexible enough.

Even if it's just for a few months to get my site build knowledge up to scratch, it's quicker and less hassle than taking an adult education course on how to build a website

. Have to say though that SBI don't do themselves any favours with the design of their own site, it's the recommendations from people here that have helped me decide.

AaronA · 03-31-2011, 08:15 PM

Hi Hampshire Girl,

I think you'll really like their BrainstormIt, if you (like me) aren't/weren't very familiar with SEO. There are other tools that can give you results, but I find their analysis approach to be clarifying (in particular, the supply/demand side of keywords). All that said, I wanted to make sure you (and other folks) knew about the available alternatives:

Mike's Marketing Tools (Official Site)

I think you'll find SBI does stack up pretty well (though a key engine of theirs is still Wordtracker). Internet marketing costs can add up quickly!

I'm thinking of taking some screen shots and posting them here, so people can get a feel for the experience. I'll check with the SBI higher ups to make sure that's kosher first.

Aaron

Hampshire Girl · 04-01-2011, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AaronA

I'm thinking of taking some screen shots and posting them here, so people can get a feel for the experience. I'll check with the SBI higher ups to make sure that's kosher first.

Aaron

That would be fab, thanks

cheropride · 04-04-2011, 06:09 PM

Life is funny.... & God is Good...

I say this because, the past few months I have contemplating working from home again, and what would be one of the avenues that I could use to assist with that...

Quite some time ago I signed up for this site's forum, mainly looking into SBI, and other such ways to supplement my income from home. Well time past, and honestly totally forgot about SBI. Then not to long ago I started to get emails about this particular post.

And it really caught my eye because it kept coming up w/my name, Rebecca.... Well, that just intrigued me to click on the link to this post, and reading all the comments about SBI & Word Press... Really has my juices flowing now...

Rebecca800, when I use to come to this site, heck I think your 1st site was just getting off the ground. It is GREAT to see the success that you have had with SBI, and now I see sites!!!!

It was previously mentioned, why someone would post on such an old post, but I thank God they did! Because it has really got me thinking, and truly considering using SBI to create my site! So many of you have really posted some great pointers, so I just wanted personally say THANK YOU!!!!

Because I truly believe, there is no such thing as a coincidence!!!

gutsmcd · 04-07-2011, 09:13 AM

@cheropride (AKA Rebecca)...

I hugely enjoyed reading your comment!!!

I'm personally an atheist, so don't attribute anything good (or bad) to God (or any other deity) but I do nonetheless agree with you that some coincidences (or maybe all of them) are more than they seem. That said, I'm the one who again started up this dead thread (hee hee) and I hope that if you do now go with SBI, it works out well for you!

It's strange how life very often plays itself out, and almost always interesting!

Stay well and good luck!

03-26-2011, 08:01 PM	#305 (permalink)
gutsmcd Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: South Africa Posts: 5	My Take On SBI So Far. My head is aching. All I've been doing the entire day long is reading the pros and cons about SBI, and people who either worship or hate it. Following this paragraph are my conclusions based on my findings from many different forums and blog reviews. I post them because I'd like to know if I'm wrong (or partially wrong) in any of my current beliefs about the program, for I am seriously considering purchasing it and like to know exactly what I'm getting into first: - With SBI, you ultimately get a domain name and hosting, tools to help you in a variety of ways, invaluable knowledge to apply to your website/ websites, and an active community of people who will give you advice on relevant matters if you ask for it. - SBI will not provide you with more of an education on how to create a profitable website than all of the free information out there. That said, it will save you the time and hassle of what to do with so much information, because SBI puts good information together, and leads you through things systematically and logically, which I take it no other product does (or does as well as SBI). In short: SBI is a package of good information that is laid out in a way proven to make you money if you have the ability and motive. - SBI provides you with tools that you might otherwise pay exorbitant amounts for, so some would say that it might ultimately cost you more to not use SBI than to use it. - SBI will guide you kindly through the technical side of building a good website, but - when all is said and done - content is king. - SBI is generally about long term passive income, and you have to put in a lot to get a lot out. So don't expect everything immediately. - Ken goes on and on, about this and that, in the SBI tutorials, but it does all eventually help you to build a great website, and that's the point! Also, Steve Pavlina likes both SBI and its captain, so there must be something special to all of this. I mean, Steve is the man whose recently released the copyrights to all of his materials, to anybody in the whole friggin' world to use as they wish, so whatever he says, I'll definitely initially be quite receptive to, even if I don't ultimately agree with him. But I probably will, because I normally do. Sigh. - Blogs can generate income, but websites are better because they don't need to be maintained like blogs do, and also they look more business like (whereas blogs are commonly made by random folk all over the place). That said, blogs can be made to act like websites too, but will never exactly be the real-deal. - It's not about creating an attractive site though, it's about creating a business that has healthy amounts of traffic, and that you can eventually moneytise. - Wordpress is a favourite site to build a blog with, concerning many people who don't like SBI, although certain SBI'ers also value WP. - Most people (or possibly all people) who badmouth SBI never badmouth it from a personal perspective. It's more that they say 'there're other ways to accomplish what SBI does for you, and all for free (or mostly all for free) so paying $300 for SBI is crazy. - Many people who badmouth SBI never really badmouth the product itself, just the fact that you have to pay for it. - Most SBI'ers don't hide the fact that you can be just as successful by not using SBI as when you use it, but usually state something to the effect that it makes more sense to use SBI if you're a nooooob. - Mostly everyone who speaks about SBI (having actually used it) is positive about it. Even if it's just to say that 'to begin with, SBI is great, but you can get rid of it once you're more savy about creating websites that draw traffic, etc.' - Many people who badmouth SBI don't know how to communicate that well (to put it mildly), although a rare selection of them do. On the other spectrum, the other lot of people who badmouth SBI seem so well-informed about all the things you might do to create a profitable website, that they can't understand that there're people out there who really do know next to nothing about such things, and don't want to just dive in, especially considering so many nooooobies who do dive in don't make it. That may be too dramatic a way of phrasing my point though, but hopefully it came across as intended. - SBI is good value for money, and often has specials. Furthermore, they don't try and cheat you out of money if you wish to opt out of the program for whatever the reason.

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11-05-2009, 09:27 PM	#302 (permalink)
stevo75 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 120	Thanks for all the info Rebecca! Just to give a bit of background, I'm not a techo-phobe. I'm an engineer who uses a lot of complicated engineering software and I've done a bunch of computer programming. But as far as web technology goes, I knew nothing before SBI. I didn't know how to buy a domain name, how web hosting worked, what RSS was, etc. Never even been on a forum. So in the web world I'm a little slow... So my understanding is, that if I wait for the SBI templates, I can stick with bockbuilder and the conversion of my current website should be automatic - regardless of how many pages I have. But if I use someone else's template, I'll need to switch to an HTML editor. And it would be better to do that sooner than later to make the conversion easier. Does that sound right? I'm already sick of the block builder (I've only built 3 pages) so I definitely want to use an editor. My concern with using one of the new SBI templates is that 1) who knows when they'll actually be ready, and 2) I still might be constrained if I want to do something that isn't included in the template. So that said, Rebecca I'll probably be contacting you regarding one of your parter's templates. A couple more questions... So to copyscape, is that just something you made up and stuck in your footer? Or was that an existing program of some sort? How did you come up with your disclaimer and privacy policies? The part about cookies, do all SBI sites use them? Do you even have Tier 2's anymore? It seems like your home page links to all your articles. I was wondering if you even follow a tier sturcture anymore... Thanks!!! Stevo

03-27-2011, 04:20 AM	#306 (permalink)
James81 Banned Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 12,690	Gutsmcd, I have an SBI site (top link in my sig) and I can vouch for the idea that it will be worth it to you to build at least one site with it. I'd encourage you to sign up for theonthly plan and use it for as long as it's worthwhile to you. Once you get the knowledge you want to glean from it, cancel and use wordpress. That's my recomendation.

03-27-2011, 04:32 AM	#307 (permalink)
Curtis2011 Family Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 2,950	The guy two posts above me did a great job of summing up everyone's opinions about SBI. But I have to ask... why post in a thread that is 1.5 years old?

03-27-2011, 06:28 AM	#308 (permalink)
gutsmcd Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: South Africa Posts: 5	@James81, thanks for the response! Yours is the sort of honest and to-the-point answer I most value, and I'm almost totally sold on SBI at this point, so will most likely take your recommendation and indeed try it for my first site, if nothing else. I looked at Human Behaviors and am very impressed. You write clearly and in a way that piqued my interest. Your site is simple (easy to the eye) and looks professional. But I must ask, where are the ads, or donation button, or whatever might draw in money? Or is it keywords and whatnot in the background of the site that makes the site draw in traffic, which is somehow where you get your money from. If it's none of my business (legally, I suppose it's not... hee hee), then I hope you take no offence to my having asked. @Curtis2011, thanks also for your response! And the guy who posted two posts above you is me! I feel like I'm being tricked here. If you're referring to someone else, could you perhaps give me the hyperlink to that post. But to the point: The reason I posted on this vintage thread is because I thought certain people (like yourself, James81, Rebecca800, Alexplatups, and Daffy Duck) would more likely see my question (because you might get a message via email about this thread being active once again) and therefore you might also respond; whereas you might not see my question if I started a new thread somewhere else. Both yourself and James have been tremendously insightful in the comments you've previously made though, so I must thank you for already giving me large doses of info! My thanks also goes to Rebecca, Alex, Daffy, and a few others who've given me a lot to think about concerning SBI.

03-27-2011, 10:05 AM	#309 (permalink)
Rebecca800 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 636	Hey Guts My feeling is you're overthinking it. You sum up the SBI argument well and as you've found the debate goes on and on. Not least because there is so much misinformation and misunderstanding about the best way to build a profitable website. But none of that matters really, the main thing is that you take action -- now. Tons of people recommend SBI (and tons of people do not) but just do what feels right and go for it..... You can learn just as much from mistakes as from success. Financially, you can't lose, since SBI is refundable. So either way, your first website will be a very valuable asset. Just don't put it off any longer Good luck and please keep us posted on your new business!

03-27-2011, 10:28 AM	#310 (permalink)
gutsmcd Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: South Africa Posts: 5	You're awesome, Rebecca! Your advice continues to be practical, intelligent, and kind, and I guess I just needed a friendly push (because I do currently have all the information I need concerning whether or not I should purchase SBI) so thanks for that. You're an expert encourager! I'm definitely going to go for it now, and shall most certainly keep everyone posted on however my endeavors turn out.

03-28-2011, 09:08 PM	#311 (permalink)
Hampshire Girl Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 30	Hi everyone, I'm a potential SBI virgin and gutsmcd has done me a huge favour in collating all the pros but I'm still unsure as to whether it's the right choice for me. Basically I want to create an income-generation site which includes a blog for my new business so I'm thinking long-term. The majority of my content will be created on the blog and although SBI appears to provide everything I need I'm nervous that my content will be forever 'locked in' to SBI. As it won't be using WordPress or similar, does it mean that I'd lose all my blog content if I decided one day to use a different web host/CMS? It just seems I'd be risking putting all my eggs in one basket with SBI as I want my blog to become a comprehensive reference bank and I can't risk losing all that information. So what I'm basically asking is could you easily migrate your content from SBI onto another site without having to create a new blog from scratch? I'd really appreciate a steer as I'd hate to back the wrong horse! Thanks.

03-28-2011, 10:27 PM	#312 (permalink)
gutsmcd Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: South Africa Posts: 5	Glad you appreciated my assemblage of all the info I put together regarding SBI! I'm posting a quick reply to you though because I'm personally not sure what to tell you in regards to your question, but hope that one of the SBI folk out there, who've tried and tested it, will know how to answer you. Because I've never run my own business (let alone a digital one) it's kind of a daunting process, but also exciting, and I wish you the best of luck in your endeavours!

03-29-2011, 01:39 AM	#314 (permalink)
Rebecca800 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 636	The transfer process for SBI is the same as transferring between any webhost. Just beware that with SBI you would lose any Content 2.0 pages (pages built by your readers) so it would make sense to save them on your computer and reformat them as they are only stored in SBI's CMS and that you'd lose that. But don't worry about losing your own content, that's not an issue. SBI doesn't own your work or your domain, same as any other host.

03-30-2011, 12:22 AM	#317 (permalink)
Rebecca800 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 636	Oh the SBI debate! I dont know why I keep getting sucked back in. I guess I just want to protect my baby. She is responsible for 100% of my income, ya know. And I get to work at home pursing my ideal career. That kind of life-changing event has an impact on me. So... I like SBI too much?? I think James81 likes WordPress too much. They MUST pay him kickbacks. Why else would he recommend it so heartily?? It doesn't make any sense! The reason I recommend SBI is because it's GOOD. James says he doesn't like the BlockBuilder CMS and that's fine, neither do I. It is designed for complete technophobes after all. So in creating that simplicity, you lose functionality. Fortunately there are two alternatives to the current BlockBuilder system: 1. Create your content offline in a HTML Editor and upload it with a few clicks to SBI. Simple. This requires the SAME level of HTML knowledge to use as you do WordPress. All you need is a free editor like Frontpage. In fact, this approach is even more flexible than WP, and having used both I much prefer working with my buddy Dreamweaver. Unfortunately James only ever used BlockBuilder when he was with SBI (based on his comments in the past) and he never explored this option which would have made him a very happy bunny. 2. If you don't even want to know what HTML is (and I am wondering why you want to build a career in websites) you can always take advantage of SBI's new CMS being launched this summer. I have a feeling it will be on a par with WordPress, which, after all, is just a simple WYSIWYG editor. SBI is putting a lot of resources into this system and bringing it up to date. So this levels the playing field on the CMS front, truly. The issue between WP and SBI is: do you want a blog host (WP), or do you want the all-singing-all-dancing how-to-build-a-profitable-website program which includes your hosting, domain, mass mailout manager, Content 2.0, quality keyword tools, entire education and support system, and heaps of other features that WP does not offer? It doesn't benefit me whatsoever if another forum member chooses WordPress or Site Build It. I just wanna steer people in the right direction, as I'm sure Curtis does too, and none of us are getting kickbacks as James suggests, jokingly or otherwise...... </SBI rant>

03-30-2011, 07:17 AM	#321 (permalink)
Lil Chris Family Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Somewhere in time... Posts: 2,213	I've seen this discussion too many times. But, that's not the intent of my inquisition. I've seen you guys talk about these "articles" on sbi and while I'm not going to join just to look at them, my question is if there is an equivalent to those articles on the web somewhere. What topics do they cover?

03-31-2011, 12:35 AM	#323 (permalink)
Rebecca800 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 636	Lil Chris - The articles you mention are in the form of the 10-day Action Guide, the Tips n Techniques Section, and multiple PDF ebook guides such as MYCS (Make Your Content Sell) or MYLW (Make Your Links Work). They cover every aspect of online business - researching a profitable niche, choosing a domain, researching keywords, building a site plan, checking legalities, building the site, template design, writing for the web, writing to pre-sell, finding monetization partners, getting user interactivity, keyword optimization, link building, free traffic building methods, etc etc etc! I just ran out of breath The main Action Guide used to be freely accessible but I believe it no longer is. SBI has a constantly evolving knowledge base in the form of text and videos and there is nothing else like it on the web. You could of course do your own research but where do you begin? Would you rather spend hours trawling through every free internet resource and put together your own plan, or have a ready-made plan that is tried and tested so you know it WORKS. Also, as I mentioned earlier, the internet is full of different opinions and some of them will lead you down the wrong track. Black hat link building strategies spring to mind immediately. And there are plenty of legitimate methods that just plain don't work. So you will waste a lot of time that way as a beginner. Considering you can join SBI for $30 and have access to all that knowledge it seems crazy to me to want to do it the hard way........ Kaie - SBI has some decent 3-column templates now. Or you can import your own design like I did (World of Lucid Dreaming was made with SBI). The range probably isnt as extensive as WordPress but that's ok, they do the job for most people. Try Googling "Powered by Site Build It!" to see some examples of SBI sites and their templates. Some of them are very outdated and the owners have stuck with the same design for years - dont let that put you off, it probably means they do a good job as they are. There are some very nice modern SBI designs out there. And if you want to spend more on a custom design check out this gallery of imported SBI templates.

03-31-2011, 05:37 AM	#324 (permalink)
justhopingandsearching Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 197	Has anyone else struggled with actually reading/watching the Action Guide?? I don't know maybe I'm just weird, but I have a heck of time with that Action Guide. It's not that I can't understand it, but something about it seems tedious and wordy to me! I almost have half of a mind to go ahead and personally rewrite the whole thing for myself. And the videos, I can't watch those videos because they're just the Action Guide, but spoken word for word. Seriously, I zone out on those videos. I know SBI says to stick with the Action Guide, but I find myself reading Problogger for more understanding/better details about an online business because it's easier to read to me!

03-31-2011, 02:52 PM	#325 (permalink)
AaronA Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 142	Hi JHAS, I think the Action Guide isn't entirely straightforward. The three keywords, for instance, for the initial brainstorm; should they be three separate ideas, or three related (I've seen that questions asked in the SBI forum). I do like the education I've been getting from the action guide, though. I didn't have any site layout in mind, so their approach is good, and integrates with SEO. Honestly, the information might have been out there, but all the SEO dross can cloud the good stuff. I like having a straightforward approach laid out that had interactive brainstorming tools. I am thinking of going with a hybrid approach, though. I'm a little gun shy in setting up long term on SBI, for the reasons James laid out, plus the fact that even if it offers a comparable CMS package, you still end up overpaying on the hosting, once you've taken what you can from the education package. So I would do my SEO/brainstorming using SBI's tools, then build using Wordpress and a separate host. But we'll see; I will give their tools a try first. Though I would appreciate if they just offered Wordpress tools, instead of just trying to lock customers in due to proprietary technology. I will say this about blogging, though; even the probloggers say it can be a grind. I do think the SBI approach of making it a site that is more of an information business more than a blog is the right call. Not to say the blogs can't be a great component, just that you can end up putting a lot of time into them and not monetizing the content (which I'm assuming people want to do). Aaron

03-31-2011, 08:15 PM	#327 (permalink)
AaronA Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 142	Hi Hampshire Girl, I think you'll really like their BrainstormIt, if you (like me) aren't/weren't very familiar with SEO. There are other tools that can give you results, but I find their analysis approach to be clarifying (in particular, the supply/demand side of keywords). All that said, I wanted to make sure you (and other folks) knew about the available alternatives: Mike's Marketing Tools (Official Site) I think you'll find SBI does stack up pretty well (though a key engine of theirs is still Wordtracker). Internet marketing costs can add up quickly! I'm thinking of taking some screen shots and posting them here, so people can get a feel for the experience. I'll check with the SBI higher ups to make sure that's kosher first. Aaron

04-04-2011, 06:09 PM	#329 (permalink)
cheropride Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA Posts: 77	Life is funny.... & God is Good... I say this because, the past few months I have contemplating working from home again, and what would be one of the avenues that I could use to assist with that... Quite some time ago I signed up for this site's forum, mainly looking into SBI, and other such ways to supplement my income from home. Well time past, and honestly totally forgot about SBI. Then not to long ago I started to get emails about this particular post. And it really caught my eye because it kept coming up w/my name, Rebecca.... Well, that just intrigued me to click on the link to this post, and reading all the comments about SBI & Word Press... Really has my juices flowing now... Rebecca800, when I use to come to this site, heck I think your 1st site was just getting off the ground. It is GREAT to see the success that you have had with SBI, and now I see sites!!!! It was previously mentioned, why someone would post on such an old post, but I thank God they did! Because it has really got me thinking, and truly considering using SBI to create my site! So many of you have really posted some great pointers, so I just wanted personally say THANK YOU!!!! Because I truly believe, there is no such thing as a coincidence!!!

04-07-2011, 09:13 AM	#330 (permalink)
gutsmcd Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: South Africa Posts: 5	@cheropride (AKA Rebecca)... I hugely enjoyed reading your comment!!! I'm personally an atheist, so don't attribute anything good (or bad) to God (or any other deity) but I do nonetheless agree with you that some coincidences (or maybe all of them) are more than they seem. That said, I'm the one who again started up this dead thread (hee hee) and I hope that if you do now go with SBI, it works out well for you! It's strange how life very often plays itself out, and almost always interesting! Stay well and good luck!

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