30 Day Challenge - Post Your Experiences Here

30 Day Challenge (30DC):

This folder was created (and this thread was started) to discuss the 30DC.

The 30DC is a free online marketing fundamentals introduction class composed of 30 "days" of lessons consisting of both theory and hands-on techniques.

If anyone asks about the 30DC, give them a link to this thread so they can benefit from the cumulative experience of the masses here on the Work At Home Forum.

If you haven't taken the challenge yet but would like to, feel free to sign up here:

www.thirtydaychallenge.com

Though I knew I had advanced quite a ways beyond what would likely be taught, I took it anyhow last year - 2008.

I wanted to see what they had to offer in order to either recommend for or against when someone wanted to check out a free online marketing program to get their feet wet.

Though it's strictly for beginners, I think fairly highly of it and do recommend it for those of you who are just starting out. It's an exciting program and it'll take some of the mystery and fear out of easing into making money online.

It's a great place to start.

Incidentally, it took me two and a half days to complete the entire challenge. I was already quite familiar with the concepts that were covered.

You can spend as long as you like - doing one "day" each day or a few "days" each day. The pace is up to you.

The hosts run a new challenge each year and have for the past few years.

Have you taken the 30DC yet? How did you like it and what were your most valuable learning experiences? How many times have you taken it and are you in the middle of taking it right now?

Discuss it here,

~Newbie Shield~

 

Hi Newbie Shield,

Last year was my first #30DC.
I absolutely loved it.

Market Samurai...well is my beloved friend.

What was awesome for me was having the ability to check out the competition in my market / phrases before doing anything else.

The days of buying a domain, setting up a website that one may never rank for are over.

You can fail fast- before getting started this way.

What I mean by that is knowing the chances of ranking first. This way one can research alternate phrases or niche markets.

And this is just the beginning.

The TD Challenge compliments other IM training, as knowledge is power!

Victoria

 

I have to look back into this, I started it, but never finished as I was working full time and my time was limited. Now I have lots of time on my hands so I think I wll do it again. I still use the market Samurai and if I got nothing else out of it, I got that.

I also learned about narrowing your niche down and long tailed keywords.

I have it on my blog because I know it is a great program for those new to this, like me.

 

My 2 cents: I'm just starting out myself and literally only just finished last year's 30DC before they took the previous site down to make room for the 2009 content.

For me, some of the stuff that was covered really wasn't new concepts. Also, the order that they introduced one of the topics didn't sit well with me (since it was actually impossible to do for an absolute beginner) but....

Ed and the team are very funny, and do a great job of explaining things so that even someone new to the internet (let alone internet marketing) would be able to keep up - I applaud them for that.

Other things that are great is that it's 100% free and they try their best to build a community out of it (actually, it is their intention to have people do it as teams, as opposed to individuals) - and that translates to there being tonnes of answers, and cheerleading going on over there in their forum, which adds a bit for those who still have questions in it all.

 

Hi Robin (Singapoor below),

I think that though you have already had some success with making money online, you might consider taking the 30 DC again. Some of your questions will likely get answered.

Singapoor: You're probably a bit too seasoned to get much from the 30 DC, but there may be new stuff this year...who knows.

I agree that they could have done a better job and hopefully will this year. It is a great free program for newbies though.

In any case, let me know how it goes this year if you end up taking the series.

~Newbie Shield~

 

I think it is worth taking a look at pre-season at least.
My favorite part is the update on tools.

See you there!
Victoria

 

(*giggy* NS called me "seasoned")

Whoa, thanks for that. No, surely there's still tonnes to learn. I find that sometimes things make the most sense after a revisit - that's why I was always the kid in school who actually read ahead. Not to say that there was much about the 30DC that DIDN'T make sense, but more, there are surely details that you can more easily pick up when you're not busy feeling completely overwhelmed by learning something that's brand new (even though components of it aren't - in my case, html/wordpress blogs/social bookmarking weren't new, for instance).

Hi Victoria - I see me skipping the pre-season. I didn't get much out of last year's (I mean, I watched the videos and everything... for the sake of taking it all in just in case there was a new take on things already familiar, but content-wise, it'll probably be more "How to set up google reader", "How to install add-ons to your Mozilla browser" etc. which would be painful to go through again since it's not exactly new).

But I will probably check out the new lessons once the official season starts, why not?

 

is the 30dc something you have to do day by day, or can you check it out when you have time for it? I was told to check it out, but there is nothing but the preseason stuff. Thanks!

 

Hi Lauren,

It's something you can do at your own pace. I'm sure Ed and "the gang" structured it (language/communication wise as well as format wise) to be bite-sized in lesson structure purely for the purpose of not overwhelming the newbie audience.

The benefit of doing it along with them once the season starts (which, I mistakenly thought it had, due to the emails I get sent about it) is that you get a bite each day and can get started as the information becomes available.

There are a host of reasons why this is a plus point.... reasons for cases such as 1) you're eager to get things going and just dying to open yourself up to the experience 2) you have some time on your hands and can easily keep up with your homework assignments each day without missing a beat in the training.

But don't stress yourself out feeling that you HAVE to do day one and day two on two consecutive days, for instance. I've done three days in one day before - it's, more than anything, about where you already are in your learning/experience level and how much time you have available to give to it.

As an example - if discovering how to install plugins on your browser is something you don't need to have your hand held through, that's already a day in the preseason you can skip.

And on the topic of the preseason, you can access it here: http://www.thirtydaychallenge.com/training . I think you don't even need to have registered in order for the page to come up. As of right now, they're up to google alerts.

I hope all of that helps . It's really worth looking into. It's great training with a price tag that's easy to swallow.

 

i am thoroughly enjoying the challenge. it is my first year to everything. yes, i am newbie as it gets! i had minimal knowledge and experience on the market. i hope to get something out of it. i have been fortunate to learn so much!! i would never have done it all! i try to keep on it day by day, but some days i just have limited time and do it when i can. it keeps me out of scams! i have been scammed twice as i have been searching for a way to make money online. mama's gotta pay bills! it was getting pretty frustrating before i heard about 30dc. i am glad and spreading my creative oats!

blessings to all

kevalayoga.com

 

Hi rocket,

It's great to hear that you're getting through the challenge and enjoying it . Don't feel bad about not being able to do a day in one day... the beauty of the process is that you can actually learn at your own pace since it's not like an in-person course taught in a classroom or seminar where you'll get anxious about getting lost or holding the class back if you ask too many questions, etc.

I myself took months to get through it (and ended up not really "getting through it" since they took the final few days down of 2008 just as I was getting to them and, instead of just watching the rest of 2008 on youtube, I decided to just see what 2009 would offer instead).

Even if all it does is open your eyes to what is out there, the foundation gained is super valuable. It's unfortunate to hear about you having been scammed in the past... it's good that you've found this forum because there's a friendly group of people here all interested in helping one another on the path by relaying opinions and experiences.

The 30DC forums are great too actually. I've not used them much (since, due to the nature of the 30DC, it's more blogger and affiliate marketing-centric), but when I HAVE poked my head in, I could see that there are folks in there of all different experience levels who also don't want to see people get taken advantage of.

 

wow! thank you so much for replying! i honestly never thought there was any one out there.. i sound like 'the wall'. non the less i am still doing the challenge, trying to do all the free stuff. they are up to adwords now, which i would love to do, however, i need some kind of finance to get into that part. so here i go, spending time.. instead of money! i know there are other ways of making money online, i just have to find it? the problem is, that is takes time and is very frustrating!! i shall keep my eyes on this forum for any occurances.

 

*giggle* Yeah, we're out here - it's a little community of people who like to help, so it's not like when you poke a not in a bottle and throw it into the ocean... it's actually more like when you get on a CB radio and do a quick test. Or is that example too outdated? Anyway, you get the point (lol hopefully).

Anyhoo, I know your position - eager and more time rich than cash rich. But you know what, the fact that you're willing to take things slow and build up something using the tools/resources you have at your disposal works really well in an area where it's really easy to get hypnotized by flashy sales pages and promises of fast cash.

That's really life - the two most extreme ends are that either you're building up something with time alone or with money (i.e. - outsourcing EVERYTHING) alone. It's being able to find a balance that works well in helping you move along at a good speed without burning into resources too much (and let's not forget that time is a resource too). So taking a structured approach... as you are, makes sense. Be confident in it. You'll see the next step when you have a bit more knowledge under your belt .

 

thank you singapoor... sounds like wise words from the orient!
doing what i can when i can!

 

lol rocket - wise words from the orient. I'm far from wise.... I just have made my fair share of mistakes and observations so when it come to paths I've either walked or tripped, I can humbly say something about the route. But, quite frankly, I'm a newbie on this journey too!

Seriously, I only just started researching to find out more about this "making money online mombojumbo" a day or two before registering for this site (if I remember correctly... it was within a week though). That's why when I talk about the 30DC, I get so excited about it - it was the perfect vehicle for someone like me!

Yes, I knew a bit of html before setting up my site, but the knowledge was old, unused, and covered in dust . Anyway, what struck me when I first found the site is still how I feel about it today - about it being a little nook on the internet where warm, helpful people gather to interact with and help one another.

And, as I mentioned before, I still feel that way today. And in feeling that way, it is (to tap into some of that ancient Asian wisdom) good karma to help perpetuate that . So you see rocket, it's selfish motives really - the karma payout

 

I waited for #30 DC all year long, and my poor mother was injured on day 4.


The hospital made a nearly fatal mistake with her care, so I flew to Michigan to be with her.

Mother is going to be fine thanks to a creative unseen miracle!

I am 2 weeks behind in the Challenge, and working hard to catch up.

What is so cool though is I published my 1 post Wordpress Direct blog 2 days ago, and am #7 in Google! Broad Match with 3,540,00 competing pages.

These tools are so awesome and the training is world class.

I know many successful marketers participate for the tool updates, and just to see what's new!

So, I recommend 30DC to all of my marketing friends!
Victoria

 

I have referred so many of my friends too. Many of whom are stay at home moms trying to pay some bills, without being scammed for the nickels that we have. i do like the tools that are used and would love to continue using them, however, many, like traffic bug, and market sam are only free for the challenge! which will then have the the newbie market dwindle, as we are lost without these tools!
sorry to hear about your mom victoria. unseen creative miracle, maybe something wonderful like good karma, hey singapoor!

nice to hear you have already been ranked! you've got the secret.. are you on your way to writing an ebook and selling it for millions?
hehe.. i have spent way too much time on the computer reading way too may ebooks! my hair hurts!

 

Hi Victoria,

Sorry to hear about your mom but glad to hear that she will be okay.

Nice of you to fly out to be there in person!

~Newbie Shield~

 

Hi Victoria,

So sorry to hear about your mom. It's fantastic that the medical mistake didn't lead to tragedy for your family. It's sad (and alarming) how often these things happen actually. Overworked (and sleep-deprived) doctors and nurses, staff shortages... Your family is truly blessed, and the bright side is her testimony of having come through. (I always try to look at the bright side)

And speaking of good fortune, it's great that you managed to beat out so many competitors so soon! That's terrific! It's so easy to lose steam on these things (especially after a setback), and there's nothing like success to boost one's confidence. I'm excited to hear about where it's going for you Victoria .

Hi rocket - I wanted to chime in about some of the tools. I have to admit I've not been keeping up with all of the days (I'm behind in on a few things I had wanted to be done with by now), so I don't know what all is being suggested, what's "free for now" and what's always free. But, in remembering the stuff from last year, some of the things are indeed free with a limited-time subscription after which, it benefits you to pay to continue using. However, things like Market Samurai and Wordpress DIrect will still be usable without paying after the 30DC is done. The things is, you lose a bit of functionality.

To speak specifically, the keyword module is always free in Market Samurai... that's all though . They have probably added new features and modules on account of this year's challenge so it is a matter of time before we'll be able to see what else is still usable (for free) after the trial period ends. But that's the bright side.

Or, better said, to look at the glass half full, I point out that some useful stuff is still there to help you build until you get to a point when you can pay for the tools you feel are worth subscribing for.

 

rocketruiz: hehe.. i have spent way too much time on the computer reading way too may ebooks! my hair hurts!
Meant to comment on that - it had me cracking up. You're too much rocket