Foolish Adventure

Izzy and Tim: Very thought provoking episode. I was especially interested as you discussed “reworking” content from other sources, adding in your own personality and changes to make it your own.

As an old technology geek, and long time senior citizen technology teacher, I’m currently trying to focus on finding a “how-to” technology niche that I’m passionate about, and can serve as a decent way to fuel an online business. But as I research the market and gauge the competition, I constantly find myself questioning whether I can be creative enough enough to differentiate my content from what’s already out there. Yes, I do have great success working with local technology students on a daily basis, but obviously, the local market is a completly different beast than what’s online.

But todays episode, especially Izzy’s comments that “just because it’s YOU”, your content is already different” (I’m paraphrasing of course), was a blast of cold-water to my brain! In my profession of teaching seniors, there are two attributes that help define the best teachers: extreme patience, and the ability to simplify the complex. It becomes a game, really, and over the years as you listen to the questions and see the confused faces, you tend to get better and better at finding ways of getting the lesson points accross to them in an understandable way.

Izzy, you mentioned your ability to clearly explain, and really, that’s my point here. Although what I propose to create for my how-to content is not “new”, nor is it unique in the sense of no one else teaching it, it CAN be different and marketable just by being easy to understand. And that’s where my experience can pay off.

So… you guys have just given me a BIG boost… I’m going to go with my how-to nich ideas eventhough there’s competition, but I’m going to make it “different” by introducing a “YOU factor” I’m calling (to myself only), “if I can teach a senior citizen to do it, I can sure teach you!”

Thanks guys…. (REALLY looking forward to the membership site).

I have to agree with Izzy when it said just by adding yourself to the content you make it different.

I’m friends with a top wildlife photographer. He’s been in and on the cover of Nat Geo etc.
We were in Southern Utah one year photographing a treed mountain lion up on a mesa.

We stood side by side and shot a few photographs before the mountain lion jumped out of the tree.

Anyway, even though we were shoulder to shoulder, each of our photographs are totally different.
His is horizontal, mine is vertical. He used Provia film, I used E100SW. He used a longer telephoto lens, I used a wider angle. Course, his ended up in a book, mine was used as a Christmas card one year.

But anyway, what I’m trying to say is that even though we had the same “content” we each made it our own.

So I know I could do a video about three point lighting like Izzy mentioned and although the concept and principles are the same, the two I think would be totally different.

So, I think our own individuality brings something unique to our content.

But, I also agree with Tim that if you’re just going to repackage something then you need to add something more to it.

Izzy already has a three point lighting video out there so even though mine would be different, the information is the same unless I could add value to mine in some way that Izzy hasn’t already. I’m just duplicating what is already out there.

Great show guys! Keep it up!

Great show guys. I was sitting on the edge of my seat as the two of you almost came to blows over whether or not a unique voice actually equated to unique content.

I can certainly agree with both perspectives to an extent. However I’m only saying this because I don’t want to create any controversy. I’m a total pacifist and do not wish to fight either of you guys.

For the record I’ll be releasing my own three point lighting video shortly.

Z