A list of inspiring and informational peeps. The best tool in the industry: people you trust. Here’s a list of people I read and (so far) trust.

Social Media Moguls

These blogs are my go-to guides for social media.

“Blogs That Flip My Lid”

Note: the above sites all flip my lid, technically – but I’ve referred to the ‘blogs that flip my lid’ so much in various posts that I’ve simply kept this list and added to it.  These aren’t my ‘friends’ blogs’ like the blogroll started out as, these are simply good reads.

Just note that I’m not saying the other blogs listed on this page are less worthy or more worthy than others to read.

The Usual Suspects

Do these guys really need an introduction? I didn’t include them before but as time goes on, I’m learning there’s a lot left to learn. I keep learning from watching and reading the likes of these more well-known bloggers whom many of you already read:

Internet Marketing Communities

There are few places I trust, you probably already know about the Warrior Forum but you need to be selective and careful with what you buy, it’s a mixed-bag. I’ve had more good WSO’s (Warrior Special Offers) than not, but I’m picky.

So if you buy WSO’s just be choosy, and don’t get caught up in buying a ton of WSO’s when you really just need one idea that works to make it online.

If you need services done, or PLR, though…or a good “does X, Y or Z product actually work?” review then it’s really a good place to check out.

That’s all I’ll say about the WF, they’re not all bad, you just need to have some self-control and only buy what you need (if anything).

I used to be a paying member of the Pond, and in that time I can say it’s a good place to be if you haven’t made your first couple thousand a month online yet. If you have, it’s a matter of scaling up what you’re currently doing.

It’s also a good place to learn new things, off the beaten path. The Pond is not in Google’s index and costs $120 a year though you pay monthly. I’m no longer a paying member after realizing I wasn’t really learning much I don’t already know (there were some exceptions to the rule).

Being a social person, I’d spend a lot more time in that forum socializing (a few times debating) than I really had time for, but that’s not entirely a bad thing. This business can get lonely and it’s a decent place for community and learning.

If you don’t mind the $120 a year membership, check it out:

http://zenduck.me/forum

Another good forum is the Earn1KaDay forum.

I’ve virtually met with and bought products from them, run by Dennis Becker and Rachel Rofe. They offer IM support and know-how, and a good community of people from all sorts of experience levels.

It’s more established than the Pond with over 100k posts and a good group of like-minded people in it, and Dennis and Rachel have a lot of great ideas in making money online with the wisdom that comes from experience running real businesses online.

I’ve enjoyed a number of their products and have learned a good deal from the two, try the forum for $2.95 for the first 10 days to see if it’s a good fit for you:

http://earn1kaday.net/e1kad

You might be thinking, “I’ve saved hundreds of dollars by not belonging to monthly forums, though I do buy the occasional ebook to learn something new.”

Fair enough, the advantage of a forum is the community and up-to-date information, however, so that choice is yours to decide.

The relationships and networking are worth it, so long as you can balance your time well.

But if I were new to this, those are the forums I would have learned the most from.

Lisa Irby is THE Go-To Resource for Newbies

Have to say it. I’m a late convert, but Lisa’s been doing internet marketing since before Facebook, before WordPress was huge, before I even thought online enterprise was a legitimate business resource…

But what I really enjoy about her is her helpful attitude. She has some of the best resources on orienting newcomers to this industry, especially in creating a website for the first time.

My personal recommendation is to stick to WordPress, Lisa enjoys HTML, WordPress and SBI! and honestly I think WordPress has them all beat.

That opinion aside, though, she has a blog, a website and a forum that are worth checking out.

If you need a starter guide on WordPress, (I checked it out because I was thinking of writing my own) she has a very affordable one – so I figure why write my own? (Subject to change but not anytime soon.)

Her book, WP Starter Guide

Her blog

Her forum

Her website or this one

My recommendation is to peruse Lisa’s resources, even buy her book if you need an affordable WordPress tutorial that spills the beans on what you need to know to get oriented.

Of course, my book Duct Tape SEO is what I’d recommend for anyone wanting to earn and claim top rankings without blackhat, cheap tricks to gain them – but to build a website, look no further than Lisa (and she’s spot-on with marketing, honestly someone who tells it like it is and nails it in an easy-to-understand light).

I’m sure there are dozens of other great places to learn from online, but these are the places I’m most familiar with that have helped or inspired me in my own business.

I’ve also learned so much from experimentation and Elance – doing it and testing results can’t be beat for learning the skills needed for this business – but I see a lot of good things in these forums that would’ve helped catch me up quicker without making a number of costly mistakes.

Backlinking Services NOT to Use

Before I buy anything online for backlinking, I always do two things. First, I ask my friends I trust online via email, blog comment or social media what they think. That’s the purpose of my blogroll, really – these are some of the people I ask, I trust them.

Another place I go to, almost like a ritual, is to see what Daniel McGonagle has to say. This one page on the internet can save you hundreds of dollars of wasted capital.

As a freelancer on Elance, I had the privilege of testing two services there for him, and he and I watched the rise (or fall) of the test sites he put up for our experiment.

What I’m saying is that Daniel McGonagle’s “Not Recommended” page is a place you really, really want to double-check before dropping the cash on something that used to work but that is no longer recommended.

Not Recommended Backlinking Tools

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with Daniel – there’s no secret “kickback” I get if you use his affiliate links, in fact I lose money if you use his links versus mine. I list him here because Daniel’s trustworthy, one of the best.

My goal is that you don’t spend money on junk you don’t need.

For Freelance Writers

Originally I was going to feature more “how to make money freelancing” information here at the blog, but stepped out of that role. One guy whom I love reading on the matter, though, is Onibalusi. He makes over $5k a month with writing.

His work ethic and tips are inspiring, on the money, and he gets 3 thumbs up from me. Really, he’s an inspiring read:

YoungPrePro

High-Value SEO Guides

These just represent some of the places I like to clear the air, learn from or simply hang out. I have more resources in the search bar I’ve installed on the blog – it’s a Google Custom Search, and has a lot of great blogs in there that have shaped and crafted my thinking in a lot of ways…

Good stuff. When you’re not reading me, read them.

Search Any Topic

I’ve built a custom search engine at Google (look for “Google Custom Search” and you can, too), and if you want any ideas on backlinks, SEO, making money online – what you’ll find in this search engine are some of my faves (yeah, this blog’s in there, too).

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