1:0 Dear Newbie

1:0 Dear Newbie - Intro

byLisaBrack

999 followers

Updated 6 years ago

Do You Realise That You've Just Gone Back To School - But For GrownUps?

7 May, 2019

Dear Newbie,

Hello, and Welcome to the wonderful world of Wealthy Affiliate, or WA for short.

What follows is an overview of what I needed to know when I joined.

I sincerely hope this information helps you.

Please feel free to leave comments and feedback below, so that this document can be revised and improved. Thank you.

What Sort Of Membership Have You Got?

There are TWO types of membership; Free/Starter or Premium, that’s it.

If you have a free starter membership, and you have not already upgraded to Premium, then I suggest you use the next seven days to explore the WA platform and get a feel for how everything works. This is very important, and will serve you well.

If you have joined, and then upgraded to Premium, then you’re all set to go, and you can take your sweet time learning the platform, and everything it has to offer.

If not, then listen up...

The 7 Day Thing - What Is It?

But Note: You don’t HAVE to upgrade to Premium, ever, if you don’t want to.

You can stay as a Free Starter member for as long as you like, but there are no extra benefits once you have done the first block of training.

So, just to recap, no upgrade to Premium means you will still have access to some basics, and the first part of the training, but it is a ‘no frills’ membership, which means no ‘perks’ and very limited access in certain areas.

Pricing

The other, all important, thing to remember, is about price.

How much do you want to pay vs. How much can you AFFORD to pay?

If you join, as a free/starter (like now, with no premium added on), and then upgrade (to Premium) pronto-like, within the first 7 days of joining, you get the first month of Full Premium Membership, for only US$19.

Which is pretty cool when you think about it, and a great saving.

BUT YOU ONLY GET IT FOR $19 IF YOU UPGRADE WITHIN 7 DAYS.

IF, either dollars are tight, or you are just not sure if WA is a good fit for you, then go on the pay monthly plan, which is what I did.

Paying monthly means that for the second month of Full Premium Membership you get it for US$49 (for that month), and every month thereafter, unless or until, you decide to pay 6 months in advance, or 12 months in advance.

Obviously, there are significant savings with both 6/12 month prepaid options.

Go To This Link For A Quick Comparison Of Both Memberships

https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/order/signup

And This Link Will Take You To An Explanation Written By Kyle About Premium Membership

https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/kyle/blog/the-premium-membership-in-a-league-of-its-own

What Is Included In My Membership Fee?

Nearly everything you will need to get started. Except the cost of your domain name (not required immediately - see notes below), and anything 'extra' that you don't need but decide to buy anyway.

An exampe of this would be the Jaxxy upgrade (keyword research tool) and/or Elementor Pro (a design tool). These are examples of what's on offer out there, and there is plenty more to 'gobble' up your hard-earned cash.

Do you need to buy the Jaxxy upgrade or the Elementor Pro versions to begin with? No, these are just examples. You don't need to buy the upgrades when the free versions will work perfectly well for you.

The Elementor basic plugin is free, and if you're smart enough to figure it out, you can use that, and any other free options, for as long as you like, or the length of any (program designer's) free trial, whichever occurs first.

If I Run Out Of Money, Can I Revert Back To A Free Membership?

No, once a Prem always a Prem, you can't go back, otherwise everybody would be doing it (and that's no way to run a business!).

You will have to leave, give up all your work, possibly your website work (but you do have 30 days to move your website and domain name somewhere else), and all your history, account information, training progress - the lot!

WA Rules & Regulations

Every organisation has rules and WA is no exception.

Here is a link to the rules: https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/training/wealthy-affiliate-t...

Please read them, not later, today.

IF YOU SPAM OR SCAM, and other members report you, then you lose WRITE ACCESS which means all you can do is read, but you can't write on the platform. This is a big deal when the only medium of communication is writing.

AND IF YOU'RE REALLY BAD and management catch you breaking their rules, then chances are high, you are out - permanently - with no refund of any fees paid.

SO PLEASE, READ THE RULES.

Here's the link again: https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/training/wealthy-affiliate-t...

Let Other People Know Who You are

I strongly recommend you complete your profile, with a decent amount of information about who YOU are, where you come from, what is important to you about coming here to learn (that sort of thing), so that other members can check you out.

YOU WANT PEOPLE TO CONNECT WITH YOU BUT FOR THE RIGHT REASONS

Add a nice photo of yourself, or an image.

But, and this is said for the right reasons, nobody needs to know your height, weight or if you are moody instead of nice.

WA folk are not interested in how many children you want to have after you are married, because, this is NOT a dating site, and nobody is romantically interested in your personal relationship goals.

People at WA have come here to learn a new set of business skills, not to find a life partner, so you want to keep your profile chatty and informative. Personal enough, but not full of intimate detail that will put people off connecting with you.

DO NOT PRIVATE MESSAGE PEOPLE AND ASK THEM FOR ANY SORT OF PERSONAL CONNECTION - IT'S INAPPROPRIATE AND UNACCEPTABLE

When you have completed your profile and added a photo it will look something like the others that you read. This is your WA calling card. It's a bit like a personal/business card, or hanging a sign out saying you're in business or looking to connect with others, please stop by.

How Does This (Platform) All Work?

When you have completed your profile then explore your dashboard, which is to the left of your screen and below your photo.It has the small blue house icon next to the word 'Dashboard'.

Icons

For additional info I suggest you then look at the icons on the top right-hand-side/corner of your screen.

The crayon/pencil, the W logo, the $ sign, and the plane logos will all take you to interesting links that explain the system further.

The bell icon is when people respond in some way to you, and the envelope is for sending private messages to other members.

Questions???

New members always have questions: If you look at the top of your screen you will see the white WA logo, and then a grey box, that starts out with… Need help (your name)? Ask a question here… see example below

Go into that grey search box and have a good look around, you’ll be amazed at what is in there. Take your time, think about what it is you want to know. If you don't have success the first time you use it, then try again using a different keyword search. It's a wonderful resource of interesting 'tidbits' that members have been contributing for a very long time.

Live Chat

For any additional questions, that you can’t find answers to, go into Live Chat, which is located on the left-hand-side of your screen and six down from the blue house icon with the word Dashboard beside it.

This will give you instant access to other members who can give you additional information.

Then, when you see a member that you like the sound of, click on their profile picture - which in some instances is called their Gravatar - and look them up, see what they're interested in. Some of the profiles are fascinating, others provide good insights into the sort of people participating on the WA platform (see... a good reason to complete yours), and help you to connect with others, which is what being in WA is partly about.

Netiquette/Ettiquette

If you are brand new to everything Internet, then it is very important that you understand the rules governing social/Internet contact with others.

It is called Netiquette and I strongly recommend that you familiarise yourself with the do’s and don’ts.

Do a Google search and familiarise yourself with the rules, using the term netiquette as your key word in the Google search bar. This is very important.

The WA platform is host to many members, all of them with their own unique personalities.

But some things to specifically watch out for are online bullies and people being passive/aggressive with you.

According to experts this can happen anywhere you roam (throughout the Internet), and not just in WA.

What Is An Example Of Someone Being Passive/Aggressive With/To You?

A complete stranger ddressing you in over-familiar tones, or calling you 'pet-names' like 'Sweetie' or 'Huni.'

This form of address is actually a 'put-down' and is used, deliberately, by the other person, in order to gain some sort of advantage over you.

Example: You are somewhere having a drink, and socialising with others. Someone, let's say you're both female, comes along and joins your group for a chat. Quickly, you 'sense' they are not really being genuinely friendly towards you, as they reach forward, into your personal space, and touch you, and call you 'Sweetie' in a condescending way. This is, and always was, a 'put-down.'

Well, these days, the same thing can, and does, happen online.

If this has happened to you, then you can find additional information at this link. (Source:) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive-aggressive_behavior

"Other examples of passive-aggressive behavior might include (that person you are dealing with) avoiding direct or clear communication, evading problems, fear of intimacy or competition, making excuses, blaming others, obstructionism, playing the victim, feigning compliance with requests, sarcasm, backhanded compliments, and hiding anger."

It can be due to a Personality Disorder, which means you have to be very careful:

"TheDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders revision IV (DSM-IV) describes passive-aggressive personality disorder as a "pervasive pattern of negativistic attitudes and passive resistance to demands for adequate performance in social and occupational situations."

Online Bullying Is Called CyberBullying

There is plenty of information online that you can refer to, and if this is happening to you then you need to take the appropriate action. Because, there is no excuse for this sort of behaviour, and it is unacceptable.

Should any of these things happen to you, then the idea is to NOT engage with the people who are causing a problem.

Retaliation is pointless and not advised. You are best to ‘snip’ or copy the offensive remark, and then report it on Kyle or Carson’s profile page. They will take care of it for you. If you are unsure about how to do this then reach out to a member you feel you can trust, and ask them for their help. Most members are only too willing to lend a hand to a newbie.

Actions

Your other option, if you see someone else being bullied, is to go into ACTIONS on the Live Chat page and report the comment as SPAM.

Once it has been reported then the system will take care of the offender, whilst you go about learning the business of becoming an affiliate marketer.

Remember, LESS is ALWAYS BEST!

Inappropriate Or Rude Messages Sent To You Byway Of A PM

No system is perfect, and (sadly) every online social group has its share of troublemakers. These are people who are so insecure in themselves that they can't help it and must always have the last word, have to be right (no matter what), and make it a point to go about ruining an otherwise lovely experience, for new people coming onto the platform for the very first time.

BUT YOUR JOB IS NOT TO SORT THEM OUT BECAUSE YOU HAVE COME TO WA TO TRAIN IN ORDER TO IMPROVE YOUR PERSONAL SITUATION

So, should this happen to you, or others that you know, then take note of the following instructions.

Niches and Websites

You will hear a lot about niches and websites.

Do Something Great - Yes, But What?

Do not worry about this if you don’t immediately know what those terms really mean, or what it is you want to market (as in sell via a website).

Training to become an affiliate marketer takes time, this is a journey, not a sprint.

If you don’t know, immediately, what it is that you want to do, then you just choose something, any topic will do for the training, and use that on a practice website, on the ‘siterubix’ platform. Because it’s all free and you can delete it all later if it ends up looking like a dog's breakfast, and/or you want to.

Time Is Key

Don’t rush in and buy a domain name immediately, because you are likely to change your mind (quite a few times), before you figure out what it is you want to do (or market).

Time is key to you understanding this point. Give yourself time.

At the start you are going to want it all now, and in your head, you will be thinking, “Yes I can do a website, no problem.” Wrong.

And you definitely don't want two websites in under five minutes either! But that's a story for another day. 😊

Train, Train, Train...

This is where doing the training pays off.

No, not the train wreck, the OTHER one. the blood, sweat and tears kind. You know...

Don't Spend A Cent - Not Yet Anyway...

Start off small, no domain name to begin with.

If you MUST spend money somewhere, on something, then spend your precious dollars on your membership fees, because you have to pay to stay.

Make A Plan

People Who Fail to Plan, Plan To Fail, it's a fact.

Do the training, gain the knowledge, and in a month, or maybe six or eight weeks, you will know much more than you do now, and so be able to make some really good decisions about what it is that you want to do, regarding promoting one of your interests (called a niche) and building a website to match it.

In WA, what you have, on offer, is a marvellous opportunity. You obviously want to learn how to make money online, or you wouldn’t be here.

On that basis I would like to take this opportunity to encourage you to reach out, embrace what you see on the platform, and immerse yourself in the training in order to gain a thorough understanding of the affiliate marketing industry.

Rome was not built in a day, but it WAS built, and that's the point!

Best of luck to you.

Kind regards

Lisa Brack

PS: And before I forget, follow everybody, and get them to follow you. It’s what we do around here. 😊