What are some steps we should take to consider tips in Business from YE users?

[cdeneire]

just curious to know your reasons to consider "tips"... how do you know that those your conversing with are legit? Let's take my comments for example on topics in the forum... why believe anything I say? Is it true?

What do you think?

[chanson]

Well.. in the end just dont.. lol.. what i mean is they are all opinions on here. Always get the help of a professional whether it be lawyer accountant etc etc.

[rogercbryan]

Check their blog... Google them... check out their company... ask other YE Users... look at their other posts... as them for references on everything they say... anyone who offers advice should be willing to give you all the information you need to trust their word. If they are not willing to answer questions about their experience, references, or their business then you should think twice about anything they say.

[cdeneire]

Well.. in the end just dont.. lol.. what i mean is they are all opinions on here. Always get the help of a professional whether it be lawyer accountant etc etc.

Hmm... the point you just made.. would that make this site obsolete?

I mean... besides people giving one another tips, it's basically a giant marketing tool.. which of course they are trying to prevent unless you pay (spam).

would you say they are idea's rather than legit tips?

[cdeneire]

Check their blog... Google them... check out their company... ask other YE Users... look at their other posts... as them for references on everything they say... anyone who offers advice should be willing to give you all the information you need to trust their word. If they are not willing to answer questions about their experience, references, or their business then you should think twice about anything they say.

So one tip would to be to do your research on your information sources, "trust" is just a word it has no meaning anymore.... reliability is what needs to be looked at.

Do you think someone like Dale King would be a reliable source of information? He has all of the above... but how do you know he is successful? How to do you know you should trust in his comments? I am not singling him out, just using him as an example of someone who has and promotes what was stated above (blogs, website, posts, etc).

Is it comparible to someone you know who is wealthy due to their entrpreneurial skills? Let's use Donald Trump as an example.

Would you go to Donald's Books before you come online to YE? Should YE users that have read Donald's books use quotes to assure others of the validity of their comments made in the forums?

[rogercbryan]

To me personally Dale King is a reliable source of information because he usually talks about facts and not his personal opinion. His posts are very informative and have reasonable sources. I'm not going to say I have always agreed with everything he has said... but he would be one of the few posters on here who I would listen to when he offers advice.

Success is not always measured just by your entrepreneurial accomplishments. You have to give credit to intelligence as well. Take a University professor who specializes in web marketing. This person may know more then anyone in the world on the logic behind Googles PR Formula... would you dismiss his/her opinion solely based on the fact that they have not made a ton of money on their knowledge?

Your source needs to match your question... If you wanted advice on non-profit fund raising, auto auctions, auto sales, internet auto auctions, or starting up a successful consulting company you could ask me...

If you wanted advice on creating a web site, SEO, RFP's, and a million other things... then you would need to ask someone else... Find the right source for your information... remember that no one person can be your source for everything... so shop around.. get multiple opinions.. in the end it should be your research that helps you to make a decision and not someone else's advice...

[StealYourDreams]

It's an online forum and it's difficult to tell who should be giving advice on certain matters. I think in the end, you have to take what someone says and at minimum validate it from a source outside of this forum.

One thing I know for sure is that posters who are asking remedial level generic questions one week and offering business advice to others the next should be avoided at all costs.

I post here very infrequently because, frankly, a lot of the posts are just silly. Example: "Hi I’m john and I started a business but I have no idea WTF I'm doing...how do I market my product/service/widget." That's like buying a car and not knowing how to drive.

Another poster solicits opinions on what business he should start, chooses one with seemingly reckless abandon, all while offering advice to others. Good luck with the garage cleaning by the way.

Another interesting thing that happens on this site is the passing on of information which was heard somewhere and disseminated it as fact to anyone who will listen. It's like that game where you whisper something in the first persons ear and it goes on down the line. By the time it gets to the end it's totally different.

Just use your best judgment.

[cdeneire]

To me personally Dale King is a reliable source of information because he usually talks about facts and not his personal opinion. His posts are very informative and have reasonable sources. I'm not going to say I have always agreed with everything he has said... but he would be one of the few posters on here who I would listen to when he offers advice.

Success is not always measured just by your entrepreneurial accomplishments. You have to give credit to intelligence as well. Take a University professor who specializes in web marketing. This person may know more then anyone in the world on the logic behind Googles Page Ranking Formula... would you dismiss his/her opinion solely based on the fact that they have not made a ton of money on their knowledge?

Your source needs to match your question... If you wanted advice on non-profit fund raising, auto auctions, auto sales, internet auto auctions, or starting up a successful consulting company you could ask me...

If you wanted advice on creating a web site, Search Engine Optimization, RFP's, and a million other things... then you would need to ask someone else... Find the right source for your information... remember that no one person can be your source for everything... so shop around.. get multiple opinions.. in the end it should be your research that helps you to make a decision and not someone else's advice...

Good.

Do you believe YE should title those experienced in certain roles? Users will be able to rely more on someone who is trusted on the forum, which would be displayed.. let's say.. under their username?

Example:

Rogercbryan
Auction / Sales Professional

[cdeneire]

It's an online forum and it's difficult to tell who should be giving advice on certain matters. I think in the end, you have to take what someone says and at minimum validate it from a source outside of this forum.

One thing I know for sure is that posters who are asking remedial level generic questions one week and offering business advice to others the next should be avoided at all costs.

I post here very infrequently because, frankly, a lot of the posts are just silly. Example: "Hi I’m john and I started a business but I have no idea WTF I'm doing...how do I market my product/service/widget." That's like buying a car and not knowing how to drive.

Another poster solicits opinions on what business he should start, chooses one with seemingly reckless abandon, all while offering advice to others. Good luck with the garage cleaning by the way.

Another interesting thing that happens on this site is the passing on of information which was heard somewhere and disseminated it as fact to anyone who will listen. It's like that game where you whisper something in the first persons ear and it goes on down the line. By the time it gets to the end it's totally different.

Just use your best judgment.

Good point, there are hard facts that all entrepreneurs should know depending on the business... and then there are the "tips"... are tips just some random ideas created by YE users just trying to sound smart? Or did the user actually use some thought on the topic and supply others with something useful?

Are all tips made by others using their best judgment towards the topic?

Or are they proven to be facts?

How can we have a more reliable source of information on YE? Does the title system sound like something that would be useful?

I guess this would also work as a ranking system which will determine who's thoughts are legit and did work for the user who started the topic. The users would then be classified depending on how informative they are using the title's. Then possibly adding "Top 10 reliable forum sources" portion to the forum.

[Doodyps]

I like the idea of YE somehow verifying expertise in certain areas. I like the site how it is also. I just found it like 3 weeks ago and I use it more as a means to express my interest in entrepreneurship rather than any expertise. I give advice when its of the brainstorming nature. For some reason I've always thought brainstorming with a group was one of the most satisfying things ever. I like coming up with ideas myself, but two or more people can have exponential effects on where an idea goes if anywhere. I'll gladly offer advice to people, but I wouldn't pretend to be an expert on something I have no experience with.

[cdeneire]

I like the idea of YE somehow verifying expertise in certain areas. I like the site how it is also. I just found it like 3 weeks ago and I use it more as a means to express my interest in entrepreneurship rather than any expertise. I give advice when its of the brainstorming nature. For some reason I've always thought brainstorming with a group was one of the most satisfying things ever. I like coming up with ideas myself, but two or more people can have exponential effects on where an idea goes if anywhere. I'll gladly offer advice to people, but I wouldn't pretend to be an expert on something I have no experience with.

That's something that I guess a lot of users would like prevented. Considering there are a whole bunch of users on here who throw in their ridiculous two cents in and the original poster then states: "Wow! Thanks, I will try that!"...

Also the point where I smack my head and think "......lol".

Although I find it funny, im sure YE would like their users to find more legit information on their forums than "HEY TRY THIS! IT WORKED FOR THIS GUY!".

[Doodyps]

Well, I think new and inexperienced people should be encouraged to put their 2-cents in. I mean, seeing as the definition of entrepreneur is commonly put as:

An entrepreneur is someone who attempts to organize resources in new and more valuable ways and accepts full responsibility for the outcome.

You don't necessarily just want a site full of people talking about just what they've done successfully in the past. In that case, you might as well have a book club. Everyone could come in and talk about how they made money by doing what previous successful business have. Thats great and all, but shouldnt entrepreneurs be a little bit more ambitious than that? Shouldnt they be looking for new ways to do new/old things better? I mean, if I worked really hard putting together my own pyramid scheme I could make money, but I dont consider that an entrepreneurial activity. There are alot of people on here that just recommend you take a look at their website as their advice to people's questions or just resell stuff. Theres nothing wrong with that. But, how many people on here have come up with a new and better way to sell stuff? I'm sure they know what theyre talking about, but you could learn the same thing reading a book on marketing or accounting. I say bring on the new blood and throw some original ideas around. If some poor sole is dumb enough to take bad advice or act on a wild idea, so be it. They're taking the risk and thats part of being an entrepreneur. Its far from a guaranteed path to success and if people fail at it, I wont feel sorry for it. If youre going to be successful anyway, you should be smart enough to not just sign onto an internet forum and take bad advice.

Anyway, thats my rant

[cdeneire]

Well, I think new and inexperienced people should be encouraged to put their 2-cents in. I mean, seeing as the definition of entrepreneur is commonly put as:

An entrepreneur is someone who attempts to organize resources in new and more valuable ways and accepts full responsibility for the outcome.

You don't necessarily just want a site full of people talking about just what they've done successfully in the past. In that case, you might as well have a book club. Everyone could come in and talk about how they made money by doing what previous successful business have. Thats great and all, but shouldnt entrepreneurs be a little bit more ambitious than that? Shouldnt they be looking for new ways to do new/old things better? I mean, if I worked really hard putting together my own pyramid scheme I could make money, but I dont consider that an entrepreneurial activity. There are alot of people on here that just recommend you take a look at their website as their advice to people's questions or just resell stuff. Theres nothing wrong with that. But, how many people on here have come up with a new and better way to sell stuff? I'm sure they know what theyre talking about, but you could learn the same thing reading a book on marketing or accounting. I say bring on the new blood and throw some original ideas around. If some poor sole is dumb enough to take bad advice or act on a wild idea, so be it. They're taking the risk and thats part of being an entrepreneur. Its far from a guaranteed path to success and if people fail at it, I wont feel sorry for it. If youre going to be successful anyway, you should be smart enough to not just sign onto an internet forum and take bad advice.

Anyway, thats my rant

There are new ways of doing things that worked and were successful and there a new ways of doing things that were randomly thought of and don't have any background.

There needs to be an easier way for new / young entrepreneurs to determine this rather than wasting their time...

Although failure is a source of knowledge.. I do believe that YE would like their users to return for "good advice".

That's the problem, most new / younger entrepreneurs (poor soles) are "Dumb" enough to act upon information they expect to be legit. How does someone new in becoming an entrepreneur determine "bad advice" from "good advice"? That's what is happening...

[Enke]

This is an interesting discussion. I founded a forum back in 2005 that like YE has grown to be an authority site in it's niche industry (poker affiliate marketing). In these forums there are guys that legitimately make 100K+ a month. But then at the same time, there are new members who have no clue.

As someone who joins an internet forum, you should be doing it to network, make new contacts, and most importantly learn and exchange information.

At the end of the day however I would say you should never have 100% trust in what someone says on an internet message board. One of the traits of most successful entrepreneurs is that they know how do disseminate information and come to their own conclusions through due diligence.

For any business related community, it is always best to have a diverse group of experienced and non experienced people.

[cdeneire]

One of the traits of most successful entrepreneurs is that they know how do disseminate information and come to their own conclusions through due diligence

One of the reasons I've started this topic...