It seems only natural that human beings will fi nd opportunities to use the Internet for socializing, given the amount of time many people now spend online. Online forums are virtual conference rooms (or perhaps a coffee house would be a better analogy) where visitors gather to discuss topics of mutual interest. Forums originally appeared on the Internet in 1995, and there are now forums on every topic imaginable. A variety of software programs support forums, which are also sometimes referred to as message boards, discussion groups or boards, and bulletin boards.

The fi rst social networking site was Classmates ( www.classmates .com ), which went online in 1995. Classmates helped old friends connect with one another, and the popularity of that concept fostered the development of a number of similar sites. Dating sites soon followed and became immensely popular. By 2004, $ 473 million was spent on Internet dating sites ( Jupiter Research, quoted in USA Today, http://www.USAToday.com/tech/webguide/internetlife).

One of the most popular dating sites is e -Harmony (www . eharmony.com ), founded by Neil Clark Warren. Californian Warren

worked as a clinical psychologist and often counseled divorcing couples. He had a dream of helping people make better marital choices, and in 1992 he wrote a book called Finding the Love of Your Life . He developed a system of 29 areas of compatibility that allow a relationship to fl our-ish. The system eventually received a patent. With the support of investors, eHarmony went online in 2000. Today this family-run business employs 130 people.

Plenty of Fish ( www.plentyoffi sh.com ) is a very different dating site. For one thing, it is completely free to its users. Founder Markus Frind fi rst set the site up in 2003 as a casual project he could use to learn ASP.NET. Now the fi fth - largest dating site in the world, Plenty of Fish receives 13 million page views every day, and Frind says it generates 300,000 successful relationships every year. Unlike the paid dating sites, the design of Plenty of Fish is extremely plain. However, the community of users is a very enthusiastic and active one that participates in operating the forums and hosting live parties where people can meet in person. As a result, Frind and his girlfriend operate the site without employees, from their apartment in Vancouver, British Columbia. The fact that the site is free does not mean Frind is not compensated. In fact, he has become a millionaire through Google AdSense ads (see the chapter, “ A Closer Look at Affi liate Sales Sites” ).

A very popular site among young people is MySpace ( www.myspace .com ), which went online in 2003. The format of MySpace is typical of social networking sites. Users register for access, then create personal profi les detailing their age, gender, sexual orientation, relationship status, and preferences in politics, music, fi lm, and hobbies. Networking happens through the building of “ friends ” lists. Every MySpace user has access to e - mail and instant messaging within the network.

During the past few years, an enormous social shift has taken place, as teenagers and young adults are forming more and more of their dating and friendship relationships through MySpace and similar sites. MySpace users are not all young and single, however. Many business owners, entertainers, and politicians own MySpace accounts and use them to generate interest in their offerings.

The fi rst college networking site was Facebook ( www.facebook .com ), founded in 2004 by Harvard student Mark Zuckerburg as a way to make friends. Facebook soon grew to include colleges all over the world and became enormously popular among students. In September

2006, Facebook removed the restrictions on registration to allow anyone to become a member by joining a geographic network.

A simple illustration of the power of the social networking site is the story of how Erik Husa helped organize the Pierce County AIDS Walk. Eric was a student at Pacifi c Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, and at the time he had a network of 200 friends who had signed on to his Facebook account. He contacted them all and invited them to participate with him and to invite others. As a direct result of his Facebook networking, 167 people joined his team. “It’s cheap and relatively effortless in making a large number of people aware of the event . . . . It ’ s expandable beyond myself, ” said Eric as quoted in Megan Haley’s article “Virtual Society” (http://www.plu.edu/scene/issue/2006/ winter/features/virtual-society.html).

An even more dramatic and poignant demonstration of the power of social networking sites occurred during the writing of this book. In April 2007, a tragic shooting on the campus of Virginia Tech University took the lives of dozens of students and faculty. By the end of that day, 20,000 students were on Facebook at one time, consoling each other and remembering the victims.

SALE OF INFORMATION PRODUCTS

The statistics we have cited earlier in this chapter demonstrate a central truth of the Internet: People go online searching for information. The development and sale of information products of all types is a huge Internet business opportunity.

Both Joe and Jillian are consultants and do occasional work with clients. But over the years both of us have earned most of our income providing information to our readers. We both have a number of sales sites specifi c to each of our products.

Joe ’ s products relate to marketing and to integrating spirituality into business and every aspect of life. Many people know Joe from the movie The Secret and from his spiritual best -sellers, The Attractor Factor ( John Wiley & Sons, 2005) and Zero Limits ( John Wiley & Sons, 2007).

When you visit his main site, www.MrFire.com , you will fi nd Joe ’ s fact-fi lled monthly newsletters; hundreds of articles; photos of his travels with his love, Nerissa; as well as his collection of cars (be sure and check out Francine, his hand - made 2005 Panoz Esperante GTLM). You can read his blog and have fun viewing his entertaining video

blog. And, of course, you can also check out a wide variety of information products and purchase the ones you like.

Jillian ’ s background is in counseling and consulting with businesses and nonprofi ts. Her site, www.GrantMeRich.com, offers information about the world of grants as well as her highly professional Grants Training Classes. You can learn there, purchase products, or enroll online.

Jillian frequently writes about real estate, and particularly how to take advantage of the thousands of available government grants and low - cost loans available to real estate investors. She ’ s at work now on a book on the topic. You can learn much more (and see a brief video) at www.NewAmericanLandRush.com . Another site is www.DrJillian. com , where you can read about her classes on success and spirituality. You can also check out her other upcoming book, The Other Secrets: Beyond the Law of Attraction.

As you can see, we both create products and write about the things we know and about which we are passionate. In the chapter, “It All Begins with You ,” you did an exercise to identify your natural niche or niches. Using the conclusions you drew from that exercise, you can begin thinking about the possibility of creating your own information products. In the chapter “ Create Your Own Information Products,” you will learn all about how to easily produce an unlimited number and variety of information products. We also give you some tools to research the potential market before you create a product.