Why Web 2.0 and Social Bookmarking Really Works…

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One aspect of the internet that has always amazed me is how intimate digital communication can actually be.

Objectively you wouldn’t think so – letters typed on a screen. How can that be intimate? All I know is
that I have been brought to tears on numerous occasions through a touching and thoughtful email or
blog post.

Every so often I forget about my amazement until I am reminded by a passionate and emotionally open piece – created by a caring and tuned in person.

Maybe it’s the emotional honesty that is so striking ; maybe it’s authenticity. Maybe it’s intent. Maybe
it’s intention.

Some of us learn early in life that it’s ok to express emotion and it’s safe to be who we really are.

Others have a tougher challenge to overcome as adults because we learn early in our experience that it
isn’t safe and that individual expression equates to punishment, demeaned self esteem and retribution.

For the former, the realm of emotion and self esteem is a playground, a joyful experiment and an exciting
and interesting game. Mistakes are not only allowed and tolerated, they are encouraged. Life is fun.

For the latter – as a child – survival depends on being transparent, invisible, unheard and unspoken, because being seen and heard equates to pain – emotional or otherwise. Mistakes must be avoided because they are flags that draw attention.

Life is scary.

For the person with low self esteem, it’s a really big deal and it takes courage to express oneself openly in relationships, socially or on the Net, in contrast to who those already understand that it’s ok to be who they are in public.

The Impact on Baby Boomers…

These issues are particularly true for Baby Boomers because we are the generation once removed from the Great Depression and the direct social descendants of the WW2 generation.

Men were silent about their pain and fears. It was the way they survived the horrors so many of them saw in the war and their memories of hunger and scarcity in the Great Depression as kids.

As such, Boomers were trained to emulate this same emotional behavior en masse – just by observing the way many of our fathers maintained a distance and a consistent lack of emotional expression, masking all that pain.

We directly reflect these attitudes and social mores as a group and this self esteem polarity seems to be more pronounced in us as a result.

How One Person Really Makes A Difference

What was it, for example, about seeing Paul Potts – a frumpy, self conscious and humble cell phone salesman singing his heart out on Britain’s Got Talent, that so dramatically impacted observers emotionally?

And it did…

There was not a dry eye in the house when he finished his performance.

Was it the amazing power of his voice?

Yes, partially.

Was it the fact that he allowed his personal power and magnificence to shine through for the first time in his life – and expose his true spirit – in spite of his absolute internal discomfort and fear of failure?

Most definitely.

Was it because instinctively we all sensed that the magnitude of the risk he was taking was so large that most of us would never have taken that risk?

Yes, that too.

Was it because we knew he was taking the biggest chance of his life and that the risk didn’t just benefit Paul Potts, it benefited humanity?

There was a sort hush from the sense of awe that the audience experienced observing greatness unepxectedly. Somehow we all grew from his courage and simultaneously we all experienced emotional cleansing through a widespread “release”.

And a new understanding.

The collective human consciousness expanded a step further towards goodness and truth and the Creator within each of us just by his willingness to face his greatest fear and follow his true path for the first time in his life.

On some level we were all elevated. We rose up. We expanded. And we also learned – clearly – that if he could do it, we can too.

And this happens each and every time someone speaks his (her) truth authentically…

This amazing vehicle we call the “Net” is fast becoming a collective consciousness development program – that expands as rapidly as our ability to understand and utilize it – almost along the lines of the “holographic universe”. So through it all, truth (or the lack of it) permeates all communication. On some level, we can not hide who we truly are when we are active participants because somehow the collective consciousness can sense the authenticity and passion.

Many times in the past I have taken exception to the zealous attitude that blogging purists have taken regarding their antipathy towards internet marketers – somehow equating making money and self promotion with a lowering of standards and an intrusion into “their world”.

But the cool part is that in the bigger picture, we can’t fool anyone when we are not being authentic.

So as the Net consciousness continues to expand collectively, those who are not acting in truth and for the overall betterment and growth of all involved will begin to stand out more obviously through contrast – digitally and instantaneously.

Social bookmarking and web 2.0 are therefore part of the natural progression of free expression and the natural evolution of the Internet.

And those who do not adapt will become extinct Internet dinosaurs.

The days of the used car salesman types online are coming to an end naturally as the Net becomes a greater and more accurate expression of human consciousness.

Authenticity and integrity will overcome self serving behavior and manipulation as the default of expansion and growth. It is inevitable because it will cost too much money to sustain the facade as more and more people get the message and click away to something more in alignment with what they are looking for.

So Web 2.0 and social bookmarking really work because, on an individual level, it is a safe environment for self expression. There is safety of sorts simply through anonymity in and of itself.

But Web 2.0 has also inadvertently emerged as a development tool for self esteem because authenticity is encouraged, congratulated and supported time and again through comments, posts on other blogs, back links and active readership.

It is becoming a platform for high self esteem where we can grow self esteem through the process of helping others and by receiving complements and recognition for good work on a consistent basis.

It’s amazing how the universe works even through an electronic communication medium.

How do we know who to listen to when it comes to Web 2.0?

There is a new internet craze going on now from my perspective. Lately everybody has become an overnight expert about making money online by WordPress blogging and social bookmarking.

That’s funny to me because I remember hearing an interview with Ed Dale on a tele-seminar (around January 2008) speaking to a group of the interviewer’s “inner circle” students. The guy interviewing Ed Dale was an “expert at internet marketing” and had no idea about Facebook as a marketing vehicle.

Until very recently, few gurus promoted Web 2.0 and social bookmarking as a viable marketing online mechanism – in fact many of them referred to social media sites like Facebook as a playground for adults like MySpace is for teenagers. Something not to be taken seriously.

Suddenly they are all experts with megaphones touting Web 2.0 as the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Now Will the Real Web 2.0 Please Stand Up?

There are exceptions: the two most notable are Jack Humphrey and Ed Dale in my experience.

Long before it was fashionable to be a Web 2.0 expert, most SEO-Internet Marketing guys looked at Jack Humphrey like he was one of those bus stop evangelists holding a sign that said, “The End Is Near,” preaching doom to everyone.

Only Jack was really holding a sign that said,

“Social bookmarking is cool. Web 2.0 really works and it’s the wave of the future.”

And the naysayers, would wink at each other implying that Jack should be locked up – wondering when the guys in the white suits were coming to take him where he “really belonged”.

I actually hired one of Jack’s partners (Peter Lenkefi) to build three adsense sites for me before I had a clue what adsense was all about. After that he contacted me again and said that he and his partner were starting a new program that would revolutionize internet marketing. Fall 2006 the subject came up again in my discussions with Peter about joining the new system and to get involved in an intensive and specialized training program – kind of a insider’s club of the new wave – the future of internet marketing. There was a last minute a glitch and I was unable to participate in the training.

Well that was the precursor the current version of Authority Site Center, Jack’s baby.

The idea is that if you create an extensive network of social media sites – a “web” – correctly linked and constructed, you will end up with an Authority Site that ranks well, has tons of inbound links and is both “Google-slap” proof as well as recession proof.

Jack gets about 5000-10,000 unique visitors a day to his site. And he does not spend a dime on Google adsense.

How many SEO guys can say that?

A few months back, Jack offered a free 8 week webinar class to 500 people on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The classes were held online at 1:00 p.m. and then the session repeated again at 10:00 p.m. There were participants from all over the world. The moderator did an online presentation and the students could text questions and comments.

What a great course and what excellent teaching. Jack sat in on a few sessions, but the vast majority of the course was taught by Sam Clarke. What a fantastic guy and a what a great class. The camaraderie and the depth of the learning and the bonding was exceptional. It was like Sam created a family.

We liked it so much and liked Sam so much, we’ve decided that we are going to have a reunion on a cruise ship next year – so all the “text-forum” friends from around the world can meet face to face.

These guys give it their all and they do not hold back.

The emphasis of the training was on extensive and professional market research, prior to ever publishing a blog or a website. The course was based on years of Jack’s personal experience – as well as their experience as internet marketers, bloggers, dealing with students and clients for several years.

The best part about this course was that it was laid out in a step-by-step format sequentially in 16 Steps. Accordingly, the name was 16 Steps to Success. What to do and how to execute each step.

My iron clad conclusion was that Jack, Sam and Authority Site Center are the real McCoy.

I was so convinced I joined the membership site for more extensive training.

Ed Dale and The Thirty Day Challenge

Ed has an annual program that he started several years ago called the Thirty Day Challenge. This is the fourth year, I believe. Prior to last year, I don’t know the history, but I do know that there are people who came out of the 30 Day Challenge and have gone on to be millionaires. My wife and I took the 30 Day Challenge last year and it was a great experience. We both agree that it is one of the most valuable courses we have taken.

Another Absolutely Amazing Free Web 2.0 Resource

Sign up for the Thirty Day Challenge.

The Thirty Day Challenge is chocked full of cutting edge techniques because that’s the way Ed Dale does stuff. He is a massively successful internet marketer. I believe he started this tradition because he wants to give back.

Take this class.

And it’s free. It doesn’t cost anything to take the course.

Here is the concept: In 30 days, even if you have no internet experience, you will learn how to make money online from scratch using Web 2.0 and social bookmarking.

You learn how to make $10 (ten dollars) from a website you build during the 30 day class.

$10 bucks – big deal, right?

The idea is that once you know how to make $10, you know how to make $1,000 or more. Just do more of the same thing that worked.

The 30 Day Challenge is a blast. This year is supposed to be the best one yet because the technology has come so far since last year. And last year was awesome. We’re taking it again.

See you there.