Blogs are much like forums in allowing people to express themselves. People can easily share their ideas and have a conversation. They can talk about anything they choose. When bloggers link to other blogs and comment they create a connection with that person. Anyone can read and join in on the conversation. The topics that are discussed and the opinions generated are as varied as the people writing them.

This is a great source of information because of the wide range of topics that people are talking about. Take note of what the blogger has to say and the comments that are received. You’re looking for questions that are asked and if these questions are being answered. Also be aware of any complaints people are airing.

When you communicate with people, you will discover that they all have something in common. If you listen carefully you’ll learn what they’re passionate about. You’ll have a better understanding of the problems they face and the solutions they need. When you have this information you’ll be able to create products that have value.

“So, the combination of looking at lots of different people and how they react to each other and how they relate to each other and waiting for that inspiration is the thing that allows me to keep writing”.
Joan Armatrading

Social bookmarking sites are also a good place to discover what people find interesting and think is important.

Digg and Delicious a couple of examples of social bookmarking services allow users to tag and share web pages they like and want to visit often. Many social bookmarking services provide web feeds allowing other browsers access to their content. These are great places for people to share and discover content from anywhere on the web.

Members can submit anything from a major story on a news site, a funny video, images, Podcasts, a blog that shouldn’t be missed or some extraordinary bit from an unknown site. Once something is submitted, other people see it and vote for what they like best. So collectively the users determine the value of the content. By looking at information through the eyes of the users you will always find something interesting and unique.

Go to some social bookmarking services and look for popular tags. Through these tags you’ll be able to discover what’s new and popular online. You’ll find out what’s hot according to the users.

“After it’s finished, sometimes I can trace a path that goes back to the possible source of inspiration”.
Tracy Chapman

To Your Success,

1FlyingPig

http://www.1FlyingPig.com

There are many free places you can go to spark your imagination and get your creative juices flowing. Here are a few suggestions.

Let’s start with the customer.

How do we find out what people are interested in? What are they talking about? And what problems do they need more information on?

1. Hang out in forums and chat rooms.

Look for forums that are very active with a high volume of traffic and a large membership. In the popular forums a lot of activity takes place each day. People with the same interests visit forums, to share their problems, look for advise and try to help each other.

Discussion forums are an excellent place to get knowledge on a particular topic. You can become an avid reader and learn a tremendous amount of information.

Forums are often divided within by topics and sub-topics. This makes it easier for users to find information on a particular subject and post their questions in the most relevant group. Take your time and browse through the different topics.

At this point you’re not interested in becoming a member. You’re there to gather information for your product. If you do join a forum, take the time to read their rules.

You’re going to lurk in the shadows and read the posts. You want to find a post where someone has expressed a problem. Also look and see if anyone has responded to this problem with help. Research the forum posts and see if the problem has already been answered. Determine if the person seeking help has received good information and advice.

In any forum you’ll find people that have a problem and genuinely want help. There are also people that whine and are negative about everything. These people aren’t really looking for help and should be avoided. You’ll soon see some excellent examples.

Once you are able to identify problems from the members and can supply a solution… you have the start for creating a product. So jot your ideas down in your notebook.

“Ideas won’t keep; something must be done about them”.
Alfred North Whitehead

2. Remember you are going on a quest to spark your imagination and get your creative juices flowing. Take a look at Google Zeitgeist where you can see what the top searchers were for the past year. There is a Who Is, What Is and How To category in the Top Ten Searches listing. This I found interesting and helpful. The number one top searches in each of the categories with the largest volume for last year is Who Is God?, What Is Love? and How To Kiss.

3. Questions and Answer sites are great for finding out what people are thinking. And they may not be thinking what you think they are thinking.

“You get ideas from other people all the time”.
Jared Harris

To your success,

1FlyingPig

http://www.1FlyingPig.com

“Everything begins with an idea”. Earl Nightingale

Millions are made from good ideas. Have you ever thought if I could only come up with a profitable idea my whole life would change. But, instead how many times have you sat staring at a blank piece of paper or blank computer screen… hoping to come up with a money making idea?
 
“If you have ideas, you have the main asset you need and there isn’t any limit to what you can do with your business and your life. Ideas are any man’s greatest asset”.
Harvey S. Firestone

Maybe you have an idea for a product you want to create, but don’t know if anyone would buy it. Maybe you have a target market, but don’t know what to create for them. Or, you don’t have an idea at all for a product much less a target market.

A lot of people would just sat and wait for an idea to find them. If that great idea doesn’t find them they may just give up. Coming up with an idea may seem like magic and sometimes ideas do just seem to come to you from nowhere.

But coming up with great ideas doesn’t just happen. Great ideas come from following a specific formula. Once you know this formula you’ll never sit staring at a blank piece of paper or blank computer screen again.

“All ideas come about through some sort of observation. It sparks an attitude; some object or emotion causes a reaction in the other person”.
Graham Chapman

For starters, we should be aware of what is happening around us in everyday life. What are the headlines in the newspapers? What is on the radio? What are the talk show personalities talking about? What topics are the magazines covering? What books are on the New York Times best selling list? What are the top grossing movies?

“Ideas are all around me. If I wasn’t interested in them myself, I don’t think anyone else would be either”. Jackie Collins

Your brain thinks in pictures, so you need to expose yourself to a variety of visual stimuli. Spend sometime outdoors, in art galleries, in department stores, in bookstores, at the zoo, in Home Depot, or Staples. Just walk and look. Let your eyes roam without looking for anything specific.

Once you spot something of interest… stop and just look. If the object reminds you of anything write the thought down in a notebook. Make a list of words – any word that comes to mind as you expose yourself to a variety of visual stimuli. Something you may see, hear or read could spark an idea for your information product.

“All achievements, all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea”.
Napoleon Hill

To your success,

1FlyingPig

http://www.1FlyingPig.com

Have you gone to Clickbank lately? Have you noticed that the eBooks for sale usually aren’t hundreds of pages? And many are written by a first time author. Some of these authors and their affiliates are earning a good income from the sales of downloadable eBooks.

The demand for information is huge making the information product marketing a Multi Billion dollar industry.

There has never been a better time and more opportunity than now to create an information software product.

Never before have so many people been looking for solutions to problems or ways to fulfill a desire.

People want solutions that are simple, easy to do and give them the desired results they have been looking for.

So there is no need to be frightened by the idea of creating your own product. Instead focus on the people you want to help and the benefits they can receive from your product.

Remember people are looking for solutions to problems and ways to satisfy a desire. Now, the solution doesn’t have to be complex and complicated. The best solutions are simple to understand, quick and easy to do and bring about great results.

What knowledge and experience do you have that you can share with others? You should focus on topics that are within your area of expertise. Include your expert opinion, ideas and experiences within your product. People are looking for products that provide information, directions and proven strategies that address their problems, issues and concerns.

Now think about your current situation. Is there a specific topic you know a great deal about? Do you have a hobby that you enjoy and know some tricks or secrets that others may not know? What are you passionate about? Whatever your knowledge or skill is – a product can be made.

People are willing to spend their money on information products as long as the information increases their knowledge and empowers them. So make the best product you can. Give them good content. Deliver quality products. Create products that make a difference in your customers life.

To your success,

1FlyingPig

http://www.1FlyingPig.com

“Ideas are easy. It’s the execution of ideas that really separates the sheep from the goats”.
Sue Grafton

Let’s look at the reason’s why we would want to create our own product.

Reason #1 Control

Affiliate programs can be good when first starting… the owner of the product handles all the details. You won’t have to worry about inventory and delivery, billing or customer support. You spend your time on promotion.

But what if your affiliate commission rate is lowered? What if the product is pulled off the market? What if all your affiliate programs aren’t enough to cover these loses?

Reason #2 Achievement

When promoting another persons product you’re building their business and success. Plus you can’t keep all the money.

Reason#3 Confidence

If your customer’s have a problem with the affiliate product all you can do is pass this information onto the creator. He is the only one that can change the product. You can’t do a thing with your customer’s feedback.

Reason #4 Consistency

You can build a long-term relationship with your customers through newsletters, special offers and hot new products. Ask your customers for feed back and prevent any problems before they start.

Reason #5 Income

In future posts we’ll look at different methods for creating information products. It doesn’t have to be like pulling teeth from a hen. Done correctly it can be very rewarding for you and your customer.

To your success,

1FlyingPig

http://www.1FlyingPig.com