Growing my entrepreneur forum

[theag]

Ok, I kid, I kid.

Back on topic:
@Millennial I found this article in the LA Times, check it out: Millennials Are Getting Rich With Forums

 

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[WildFlower]

Any Gen Z on here can comment on these?

I think a lot of people here would fall into the right column, despite the demos MJ highlighted.

View attachment 21129

I just showed it to my Gen-Zer and most was a definitely, especially the Persistent. LOL

 

[WildFlower]

Yes, I'm quite impressed how so many teenagers join us here, not only that, but have impressive "hustle" stories!

That's great. Boy you just triggered a memory of me being 8 years old and folding magazine pages into fans to sell for $.01 to the neighbors! LOL My sister helped me.

 

[ChrisV]

I'm sorry, but you want to use my entrepreneurial forum to promote your new entrepreneurial forum?

Am I reading this right?

Kinda like you want to stand in a McDonalds and promote your new burger joint?

I found the irony of this pretty sweet too.

COME ON GUYS LET’S ALL MOVE TO THE MILINNEL FORUMS

Selfies!

 

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[ChrisV]

If you're serious about starting a business, living debt free, and obtaining financial freedom, a forum is the last business enterprise I'd recommend anyone to start. In fact, I'd wish them on my worst enemy.

They're difficult to start and manage, they're not easily monetized, and they suck an immense amount of time out of their owners. Because they're communities, interpersonal relationships are a must -- you can't just hire a VA and pull a Ronco Ron Popiel ... set-it-and-forget-it.

And yea dude, he’s totally right. you definitely don’t start a forum for $$ You do it because it’s a subject you’re passionate about and to entertain yourself with likeminded people. There’s no profit in forums bro. The ad revenue is barely enough to cover the cost. I used to run a large popular forum with a few friends when we were kids and it was just for shits and giggles. There’s no money in that.

 

[WildFlower]

So Funny how this topic is current... because it's showing up in my life with a good friend and her son! A millennial. Right now she flew across the country to move him back home after almost a year of trying to do something on his own... without doing the tasks needed to accomplish his goals.. and with a part time job that didn't pay his bills and his mom was giving him money secretly... ugh. And that job as a pizza delivery guy is only one day a week now! AND he just told her today, after she arrived, he wants to stay.. but she already cut him off the money... a week ago and informed him she won't be helping him with his rent. He doesn't want to look like a loser!!!!! Uhm... not doing things to achieve your goals make you look like a loser when you are a single man and have nothing else to do!!! OMG... so over it. I hurt for my friend.

 

[ApparentHorizon]

I just showed it to my Gen-Zer and most was a definitely, especially the Persistent. LOL

How old?

It would be fascinating to get their perspective as to why they are that way.

 

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[WildFlower]

How old?

It would be fascinating to get their perspective as to why they are that way.

He just turned 17. He just told me he wants to figure ways to make residual money so he can enjoy life. He has seen people go to work and return home drained. That's not a life he says. Then he walked off to eat his popcorn.

This is my observation. He is also a realist. He watches a ton of Youtube Videos. People's opinions.. facts. etc. He devours it. He enjoys a good documentary. (Which are far more entertaining today than when I was a kid) He will watch episodic television shows on Netflix or Amazon but we haven't had cable is over 15 years. He plays video games but will also play intelligent physic type games like Kerbel Space Program where he has learned an incredible amount of space ship building and travel from a game! BUT I think they are more like educational games. but that sounds boring so I still call them video games. He will get riled up at an injustice and will often come to me to vent. I think they want to devour information. They are the first to be raised on YouTube ... with freedom of opinions. We really need to protect that at all costs because them shutting down free speech with Alex Jones and other opinions they don't like is horrific in this Free Country. And no they aren't a private company since they operate in a VERY public space so they lose the private privileges. In Russia two people are being tried for posting memes judging the government and in Britain they arrested and within 6 hours ruled a guy streaming on Facebook about a court case involving rapists was disturbing the peace and sentenced him to like 1.5 years or something. They let him out eventually.. but WTF!!! Reminds me that we live in the Most Free Country and we all should appreciate that! Anyway.. that's another topic. I strongly think YouTube has a lot to do with it. This is what scares many. For decades it was the teachers outside the home that was the influence and for the first time anyone with a YouTube channel can provide an influence. I will note that my son is also homeschooled from after grade 5. He never liked school so it worked for him. BUT seeing what schools are forcing onto children is horrific too. (Another topic) His friends are the same. I do teach him to research but I think it's now natural to kids to think . .. search it on the internet. In the mid-late 90s people were still getting used to the internet. Many of my friends would ask me a question and I would ask if they Yahoo searched it and they would say.. oh no I forgot I can do that. LOL

 

[Millennial]

When I only just realise I am in the Gen Z category not the millennial...

 

[NewManRising]

Any Gen Z on here can comment on these?

I think a lot of people here would fall into the right column, despite the demos MJ highlighted.

View attachment 21129

This infographic is way wrong.

 

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[WildFlower]

When I only just realise I am in the Gen Z category not the millennial...

What year were you born? I guess you need to change your name.

 

[Millennial]

What year were you born? I guess you need to change your name.

Yeah completely didn’t even search it up just thought it was a cool name haha. I was born in 2000

 

[ApparentHorizon]

He just turned 17. He just told me he wants to figure ways to make residual money so he can enjoy life. He has seen people go to work and return home drained. That's not a life he says. Then he walked off to eat his popcorn.

Amen lol

This is my observation. He is also a realist. He watches a ton of Youtube Videos. People's opinions.. facts. etc. He devours it. He enjoys a good documentary. (Which are far more entertaining today than when I was a kid) He will watch episodic television shows on Netflix or Amazon but we haven't had cable is over 15 years. He plays video games but will also play intelligent physic type games like Kerbel Space Program where he has learned an incredible amount of space ship building and travel from a game! BUT I think they are more like educational games. but that sounds boring so I still call them video games. He will get riled up at an injustice and will often come to me to vent. I think they want to devour information. They are the first to be raised on YouTube ... with freedom of opinions.

Basically describes me and a few of my close friends to the T. Minus the homeschooling, which I don't wholly agree with, but understand. Being exposed to a wide range of people physically is important for developing social skills, as well as differing opinions. Even if they are wrong.

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." - Aristotle

Private/charter schooling would be the best, but not always possible.

The YouTube thing is interesting, however. (This goes for Google results too). They changed their algorithm a couple of years back to be more "personable." Curated to your personal preferences, history, and demographics profile developed by their AI. Over time, that turned into an echo chamber where you would only get topics you agreed with or previously watched.

I remember becoming frustrated last year from seeing the same results over and over on Google when typing in a question 50 different ways. Or half of the suggested videos showing what you just watched.

It has become better this year, but you really have to dig sometimes to find a new idea.

Prior to this, around '08 - '13 mark, you would get wildly differing results, from all sorts of angles. Which I think was the greatest era in information distribution. (aka no agenda)

As for the video games, there are numerous studies showing positive effects across all age groups. From kids, playing creative or games involving teamwork, to action games for elders keeping their mental health in check.

(Not so fun fact: brain games are mostly BS, and do little to improve your cognitive abilities)

The difference between an "educational" game and regular one is constraint. At least it was more than a decade ago for me. They were usually bland, with no story or freedom of expressions, and a blatant, "In this section we're going to learn."

Here's a game commissioned by the NZ gov't to be educational:
Joy Business Games

To me this has no soul. It's an attempt to trick kids into learning, and they see right through it.

Why are cartoons popular? They're exaggerations of the real world, but they can still teach valuable lessons. So why not apply the same concept to video games?

Here's something similar that sold 2,000,000 copies. (Or at least 2M people have played it. Hard to gauge the actual figures)
Game Dev Tycoon on Steam

I haven't played it, but it essentially makes fun of the video game industry. Like telling you to make bad decisions about the gameplay for money. Deep down however, it can be a gateway to actually learning important concepts. While implementing the dopamine addictions of other, less-savory, genres.

The story of its success is kind of funny. When the developers released it, they also uploaded a different version to torrent sites. Knowing a lot of people wouldn't pay. However, in this version, there was a feature that made your company go bankrupt because.....of piracy. Then people started complaining about it on the developer's forum that they didn't like this feature.

Now that's how you educate someone while making it fun. Troll the hell out of them.

We really need to protect that at all costs because them shutting down free speech with Alex Jones and other opinions they don't like is horrific in this Free Country. And no they aren't a private company since they operate in a VERY public space so they lose the private privileges. In Russia two people are being tried for posting memes judging the government and in Britain they arrested and within 6 hours ruled a guy streaming on Facebook about a court case involving rapists was disturbing the peace and sentenced him to like 1.5 years or something. They let him out eventually.. but WTF!!! Reminds me that we live in the Most Free Country and we all should appreciate that! Anyway.. that's another topic. I strongly think YouTube has a lot to do with it. This is what scares many. For decades it was the teachers outside the home that was the influence and for the first time anyone with a YouTube channel can provide an influence. I will note that my son is also homeschooled from after grade 5. He never liked school so it worked for him. BUT seeing what schools are forcing onto children is horrific too. (Another topic) His friends are the same. I do teach him to research but I think it's now natural to kids to think . .. search it on the internet. In the mid-late 90s people were still getting used to the internet. Many of my friends would ask me a question and I would ask if they Yahoo searched it and they would say.. oh no I forgot I can do that. LOL

This is what I'm confused about. With how tailored and politically manipulating information has become, how are Gen Z, supposedly, in-tuned with reality. (Or is this just what I'm seeing in my own echo chamber lol)

 

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[ApparentHorizon]

Yeah completely didn’t even search it up just thought it was a cool name haha. I was born in 2000

Oh no. You Fkd up. You had an outlet with your Millennial mask. Can't excuse your way out of this one anymore.

So much for my Gen Z theory.

 

[Roli]

Yeah completely didn’t even search it up just thought it was a cool name haha. I was born in 2000

Lolz, good on you for not throwing a hissy fit and walking away from this thread.

As well as the (much deserved) sarcasm, there are some good hints and tips in the thread, so take heed.

There's nothing wrong in targeting your own age group(range), just make sure you do it with a product that enough of them want to make you rich.

 

[Millennial]

Lolz, good on you for not throwing a hissy fit and walking away from this thread.

As well as the (much deserved) sarcasm, there are some good hints and tips in the thread, so take heed.

There's nothing wrong in targeting your own age group(range), just make sure you do it with a product that enough of them want to make you rich.

Yeah cheers, I’m not gonna lie, now reading back on some of the shit I said I realised I probs shouldnt go on a modafinil 3 day bender again haha. It made me very aggressive.

 

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[WildFlower]

Amen lol
Being exposed to a wide range of people physically is important for developing social skills, as well as differing opinions. Even if they are wrong.

I have learned that this is a myth. Sure maybe back before the internet or when families lived on a farm in the middle of nowhere but in this day and age it is much different. I have an older son that went all through public school and this one went to private school for first 5 years but he was behind in math because the school focused on English. One hour in math at home is like 5 hours in the classroom FYI. AND that whole social thing.. is out the window. He has many friends, hangs out at Esports, Theaters, Theme Parks, Parties etc. It's all in how you make it. The homeschoolers test WAY better for college. Every single day he is meeting new people and socializing with them via internet on top of physical world. Nearly all his friends are homeschooled. NOW .. Don't get me wrong.. there is a category of people that are a little wacky with the homeschooling.. unkept kids.. they don't know the word No.. Me and my friends have stayed far away from those people. LOL So I can see someone formulating an opinion if you met those category of homeschoolers. Another benefit is that my son is very gifted and the public school told me "they won't advance him because they need him to life the scores" So in other words that whole "Leave no child behind" is a joke because they are leaving behind the higher intelligent minds that are the future. AND it's not fair to the other kids either. It hurts everyone. Schools have turned into memorization tests and shoving political ideas in front of kids (search "Aaron Russo Women" in youtube - he was a Hollywood Director that told too much and was murdered by piano wire). But I don't judge people for leaving their kids in schools. There are many reasons why school is good. BUT it's a personal choice. Many people in Los Angeles homeschool their children. Maybe in a small town the small school is better. But not for us.

Private/charter schooling would be the best, but not always possible.

Private schools are in trouble too with that common core. We did private school and left him behind in Math. And then you have parents with money dictating to the school how things are going to be because they will take their money if they don't. There are a lot of thorns in those roses! BUT stay clear of the charter online school (homeschool) they just shove more paperwork on your kid as it's not about learning more.. just busy work.

The difference between an "educational" game and regular one is constraint. At least it was more than a decade ago for me. They were usually bland, with no story or freedom of expressions, and a blatant, "In this section we're going to learn."

Yes.. that is why I don't call them educational. After watching Space Cowboys he pointed out the flaws in their space flight stuff.. over my head. LOL He is learning an amazing amount virtually. They are developing VR for Chemistry. Imagine standing in front of a work station and able to combine any chemicals together in the safety of VR.

Here's something similar that sold 2,000,000 copies. (Or at least 2M people have played it. Hard to gauge the actual figures)
Game Dev Tycoon on Steam

He has been playing this with his older brother. They have been coding for mods on games. His brother lives out of state so pretty cool the technology today! They play frisbee in VR together! LOL

This is what I'm confused about. With how tailored and politically manipulating information has become, how are Gen Z, supposedly, in-tuned with reality. (Or is this just what I'm seeing in my own echo chamber lol)

So, you ALWAYS have to discern information. We are born to discern. The news lies. There is no one who is completely telling the truth because it is from their perspective. Always. So if you and I saw an accident. We will give different stories because our perspectives are different. Etc. This is why police know if there are 30 witnesses they will get 30 different stories. So do you throw the baby out with the bath water no. You have to discern. Do your own research. If your favorite youtuber made a video and had statistics in it.. so research those for yourselves. Go find the original video they are using to point out flaws. Etc. Talk to people. Also try to get to the horses mouth. Locals of a town know things. I think some is common sense too and that seems to be lacking in a large amount of people.


Here's my wrap up. Everyone that comes to this forum is looking for a better way in one form or fashion. MJ has great tools available for each person to break the indoctrination of go to school... get a degree.. be a work mouse. That is what this forum is about. Those that break it do a much better job and success. AND it's really no fault of the people. It's how it was designed. To get people to conform and fit in a box. Anyway. I have stuff to do! Have a great day!

 

[ApparentHorizon]

I have learned that this is a myth. Sure maybe back before the internet or when families lived on a farm in the middle of nowhere but in this day and age it is much different. I have an older son that went all through public school and this one went to private school for first 5 years but he was behind in math because the school focused on English. One hour in math at home is like 5 hours in the classroom FYI. AND that whole social thing.. is out the window. He has many friends, hangs out at Esports, Theaters, Theme Parks, Parties etc. It's all in how you make it. The homeschoolers test WAY better for college. Every single day he is meeting new people and socializing with them via internet on top of physical world. Nearly all his friends are homeschooled. NOW .. Don't get me wrong.. there is a category of people that are a little wacky with the homeschooling.. unkept kids.. they don't know the word No.. Me and my friends have stayed far away from those people. LOL So I can see someone formulating an opinion if you met those category of homeschoolers. Another benefit is that my son is very gifted and the public school told me "they won't advance him because they need him to life the scores" So in other words that whole "Leave no child behind" is a joke because they are leaving behind the higher intelligent minds that are the future. AND it's not fair to the other kids either. It hurts everyone. Schools have turned into memorization tests and shoving political ideas in front of kids (search "Aaron Russo Women" in youtube - he was a Hollywood Director that told too much and was murdered by piano wire). But I don't judge people for leaving their kids in schools. There are many reasons why school is good. BUT it's a personal choice. Many people in Los Angeles homeschool their children. Maybe in a small town the small school is better. But not for us.

Or the rural south east US lol

My anecdotal evidence is the opposite. Had a friend who was take out halfway through middle school. He stagnated afterwards and withdrew from a lot of people.

Granted, as you alluded, their internet connectivity is a lot more evolved today.

The rest of us went on to STEM fields and highly productive environments. Then there's my doctor friend who sends their kids to private, and they're getting into Yale and Harvard.

"Leave no child behind" oh boy....I know how infuriating that is.

I was supposed to skip a grade b/c of my math scores, which were the highest they'd ever seen out of nearly 600 students. Since English was my second language, they convinced my parents to not only stay in that grade, but put me in an ESL program (there were better options). This dragged along like an anchor up until High School until I told them to pound sand. By that point, I was learning French as well. Came out the other side kind of bitter with above average grades, but nothing stellar. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise. Revealing all the garbage going on in the system.

So, you ALWAYS have to discern information. We are born to discern. The news lies. There is no one who is completely telling the truth because it is from their perspective. Always. So if you and I saw an accident. We will give different stories because our perspectives are different. Etc. This is why police know if there are 30 witnesses they will get 30 different stories. So do you throw the baby out with the bath water no. You have to discern. Do your own research. If your favorite youtuber made a video and had statistics in it.. so research those for yourselves. Go find the original video they are using to point out flaws. Etc. Talk to people. Also try to get to the horses mouth. Locals of a town know things. I think some is common sense too and that seems to be lacking in a large amount of people.

John Locke's Human Understanding essay is interesting. Although the tabula rasa theory has been partially debunked, what you as a parent teaches the child has an enormous impact on their development. Good on ya for leading him to discover and question what he's being told.

 

[WildFlower]

Interesting article. Logged off: meet the teens who refuse to use social media

 

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[WildFlower]

By the same token, you don't want to be the dumbest guy in the room.

Across the table in negotiations. No. But, I'm curious, which member of your advisers do you want to be smarter than them.

 

[Rawseed]

This thread has been pure comedy. Thank you all. The internet is truly Undefeated or Non-defeated.

@Millennial To answer your question:

If you have money, try Facebook/Instagram ads. Best way to target a particular demographic. Also consider ads on SnapChat, YouTube, and Twitter.

If you have more time than money, focus on building an Instagram or YouTube following.

Also, consider reading the book Traction by Weinberg ad Mares.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1591848369/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

Also, check out Gary V's stuff. He seems to have his pulse on many markets including the millennial and Generation Z ones.

His $1.80 strategy seems particularly interesting.

https://www.garyvaynerchuk.com/1-80-instagram-strategy-grow-business-brand/

You received much feedback in this thread. Feedback is priceless. Just make sure you use it.

Good luck!

 

[YoungPadawan]

I think this thread presents the perfect opportunity to dust off some of the forum's classic GIFs.

Stone. Cold. Fox.

 

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[ChrisV]

And videos.

omg one hour this is great

 

[ChrisV]

Yes I understand I may have worded my question slightly wrong. However, I did not expect that response from the owner of the website to a new person in the community.

I don’t really know why you would be bitchy though. Its completely different to “a store down the street”. In reality, my forums would not get anywhere near as public as yours have. If it is such a bad idea and you have already taken over the market of the millenniaIs, then why be bitchy? I would be the least of your competition to worry about.

Lemme guess, you expected "special" treatment?



So you feel entitled that a business owner should tell you exactly how to start up a business that would compete with his own, in the EXACT same space, with the EXACT same market, and bidded on the EXACT same keywords? Why don't I just give you my debit card and a pin number?

In other words, you think it's perfectly OK that I should invite a mosquito into my bedroom and be OK with it.

Sorry, but it's naive and shows a lack of self-awareness. And yes, this is why millenials get a bad rap. But maybe you're right -- maybe this is why they need their own forum so no one outside of their "millenial" identity would dare endanger the groupthink.

But nonetheless, I will give you some advice from someone who has run forums for 20+ years (before this one) on how to start a forum...

DON'T!

If you're serious about starting a business, living debt free, and obtaining financial freedom, a forum is the last business enterprise I'd recommend anyone to start. In fact, I'd wish them on my worst enemy.

They're difficult to start and manage, they're not easily monetized, and they suck an immense amount of time out of their owners. Because they're communities, interpersonal relationships are a must -- you can't just hire a VA and pull a Ronco Ron Popiel ... set-it-and-forget-it.

If you're running a charity and are OK living on minimum wage, then yea, go for it... start a forum.

Strategies Millennials Can Use To Grow Their Forum 3x! - YouTube