I’m writing this email from my super secret Project Headquarters located somewhere on the Internet. Right now, it’s a simple little form that enables me to make blog posts from anywhere I can get an Internet connection. I can do it without logging in to the control panel of my blogs. Eventually it will contain quite a bit more.
I simply love it. When I get an idea, I simply click on a bookmark to get to the project headquarters, type away, hit “Post” (or something like that) — and the post almost magically appears on the blog of choice.
So why not just blog by email, you say? For a few good reasons:
* Almost every email client chops off my posts at 55 characters, making URLs and other items look weird when they post to my blog. Paragraphs also don’t resize properly if a person enlarges their browser window (my theme is pretty much CSS friendly and resizes nicely).
* I don’t like to fire up an email client at some public terminals.
* I MOST DEFINITELY don’t like logging in to my blog’s control panel from a public connection.
* My form is so drop-dead simple that it encourages me to write. And it’s almost fun!
And this little form is only the start. This form is going to be the first piece of a membership site that I’m building.
Now I’m going to be running this membership site a bit differently from most. As soon as this form is “ready for prime time”, I’m going to set up the membership site and start selling memberships. Of course, since there won’t be much in there at first, those first memberships are going to be quite reasonably priced.
However, as I add new tools to the site, the price will go up — but those early members will lock in their low rate (with one possible exception, which will be explained — and optional).
So what’s this site going to be about? It’s going to help encourage you and equip you to write. Blog posts, articles, newsletters… you name it, the tools you’ll need and want to do it better will be there. Just bring your keywords and your ideas (and if you need either of those, I’ll be sharing some great resources where you can get them).
Why a membership site? Why not just sell the tools? Because I want to form a “writers’ community” along with it — a place where people can learn to write better and improve the quality of a lot of the information products that are sold. Another reason is sustainability. A membership site that generates recurring revenue will help ensure the long-term survival of the site. We’ve all seen too many projects like this that died a few months after launch because the owner promised the world for practically nothing. I’m going to ensure that this site strikes a balance between being able to sustain itself and providing an excellent value to its members.
That’s enough for now; time to hit that “Send” button…
Thanks for listening,
Tom
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