Like Looking into a Mirror
One of the blogs that I subscribe to, DomainersGazette.com, had a post today that hit at just the right time.
I was having a conversation with a friend of mine yesterday who’s looking at taking some Linux classes. I was telling him about some things that I would like to learn but just can’t find the place to learn it. Through work I’ve taken a couple of those 1 or 2 day seminars on things like Excel and Crystal, but I find them to be pretty useless. Often the scenarios used in those classes don’t lend itself to outside needs. If you can pick up one or two tidbits, you should be happy.
I can’t remember where I heard this, but if you want to add a new word to your vocabulary, you need to use it in speech three times. After that, it’s locked in. So, if you only take a one day class, a lot of those neat little things you just paid a lot of money to learn will be left behind unless you can immediately employ them.
But I digress. Peter over at Domainer’ Gazette posts about his desire to learn a bunch of new things like MySQL, PHP, Javascript, etc… I’ve been feeling the same way. I know tracking. I know SEO. I know PPC. But what I don’t know is the actual code that goes into making these things work. I wish I knew the things Peter is talking about. Just not sure where to go about learning it.
On the flipside, however, is it really necessary for me to learn those things? I have basic understanding and I know people that can handle those things for me. Are real estate developers architects, electricians and plumbers all at the same time? The key isn’t knowing it all but rather having a good team around you that can fill out the pieces you need. Would my time be better used becoming an expert at all those things or establishing relationships with those that already are experts that wish to join my projects?
Andy,
I think this is a dilemma a lot of domainers face today. Many stumbled upon this way of making money, with a lot of them not being technical at all. Now that the time has come to move forward - the question is if you need all the knowledge yourself, or if the choice is to trust other carefully selected partners.
Even if outsourcing (or hiring your own team) is an option, you need to have some knowledge in order to judge, verify and understand the work that is delivered. It’s the next big step in growing your business.
Best regards,
/Frank
Hi Frank,
Thanks for the comment. I agree that some level of knowledge, maybe better phrased ‘awareness’, of the technologies that go in to development is a very good idea. It allows the domain owner to have realistic expectations and ultimately can save a little bit of money doing the quick and easy fixes.
All I’m saying, and I’ve gone down this road too many times in the past and hope I’ve finally learned my lesson, is that no man is an island. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to do it all rather than leveraging the expertise of others.
-Andy