Any Strictly "Automation" Blogs Out There? iMacros, PHP Scripts, Cron Jobs topics

[riddarhusetgal]

Any Strictly "Automation" Blogs Out There? iMacros, PHP Scripts, Cron Jobs topics

When it comes to to this line of work, there are so many IM specializations out there with great "established" blogs out there one can go to....

want info on seo? you may hit up aaron wall or bruce clay or aojon
blackhat? you have your pick
ppc? plenty of thouse
article marketing? yep
social traffic? still there...

HOWEVER, I have yet to fine a very good, ROBUST blog that really stands out and dedicates the whole site to AUTOMATION.

I feel this would be a great niche to take on and if your blog were good I'm sure you'd have legions of followers.

For instance, in this line of work there is a typical business process, that goes more or less like this in succession:

-Keyword Research & Market Analysis -->
-Content Development & Management --->
-Site Architecture Layout & Creation ---->
-Promotion (PPC, SEO, Social Traffic, Direct Navigation) ---->
-1st Stage of Monetization ---->
-Statistics & Web Analytics gathering/feedback ---->
-Optimization----->
-2nd Stage of Ongoing Monetization Based on Optimization--->
-Rinse & Repeat (ad infinitum or 'til retirement!!)

In this blog, it would be so kick ass if the person basically addressed the different tools, processes, best practices, etc that he/she used when managing each of the business/organizational processes listed ^^.

Does anyone else think this would be interesting?

I mean we all know virtually any repetitive task can (and very likely should) be automated, but alot of times it's just not clear.

More and more I am starting to feel like automation is a "mindset" because I guess the guys/gals who do this sort of stuff regularly always think "how can I automate this". I am more into outsourcing which is kind of the "cousin" of automation. But in reality you can buy/build software or scripts and can't buy people.....

And of course one could drop links all day/night if the suggested tools were useful as I'm sure there would be many takes (me first)!

So if you are a badass on this topic, get started on a blog, 'cause I think you'd totally find an enthusiastic audience...........

Anyone else share this sentiment? Or, if there are blogs strictly dedicated to this, please let me know!

 

[riddarhusetgal]

PS
....some of this stuff would make great posts too!

(also found here
Image:Imacros-web-browser-scripting-58.gif - iMacros )

 

[Enigmabomb]

Contempt.me dude.

 

[medicalhumor]

Dudette

 

[erect]

Contempt.me dudette.

2ndd for automation & scaling but bofu doesn't get into much of the site building / ad management stuff that riddar's referring to. Besides, that cocksucker forgot how to post.

Sounds like she's looking for a 1 stop solution for everything related to site building ... which, I agree, would be a great idea for a blog. That's likely best managed by several people as everyone has their strong points in this field.

Edit: I've always though a good idea for a blog would be BlueHatPHP ... a blog built to share code behind Eli's ramblings.

 

[LogicFlux]

If you want to automate learn PHP. Right now the BH blogs are probably your best bet for learning a few techniques and getting into the mindset. But really, the automation "mindset" that you speak of is really the same mindset you acquire after learning to program.
It's the same skills of identifying problems and factoring their solutions(actually you sort of factor the problem space as well).

 

[Deliguy]

There's been at least 20 that have come and died in just the last year. I blogroll every single one i find (i'm typically one of the first ppl they tell about it) and deblogroll them once they shut down the site. It's a very popular subject and there have been a few VERY good ones in the past.

three that are still around:
Dark SEO Programming
Contempt - A BlackHat SEO Blog
http://seocracy.com
^sorry if i forgot one

Unfortunately it's not as appreciated niche as you'd think it would be. It takes a lot of time and effort for each post and script and ppl aren't as willing to contribute as they should be. Also its very frustrating for automation bloggers because unfortunately the people who are too lazy to learn how to code for themselves also tend to be too lazy to learn how to install scripts for themselves. So you get all your comments filled with half a dozen ftptards asking how to run the script and how come when they double click the awesomescript.php file they downloaded from you notepad opens. Yet all these people really really want to spam their way to success using their shitty hostgator account and your script that you can be certain they'll use responsibly once they figure out what it does.

And read aojon for seo advice? Quit trying to kiss ass. We're all well aware jon doesn't and has never done seo nor does he talk about it on his blog. He's a ppc guy and if you actually read his blog you'd know that.

 

[guerilla]

Automation is a solution to a problem. If you don't know the question, how can anyone blog the answer?

 

[Virtual Banker]

auto-blogging is one of those things that if you catch a wave and look up to wave to the crowd, you will fall off. hence the lack of auto-blogger bloggers

 

[monkeyman]

^ What he said. Why anyone would like to share their scripts and saturate them? You are just receiving a lot of support requests if you share your new kickass tools and in the end they will come worthless.

 

[Bofu2U]

I'll make you a deal, you let me know exactly what you want on Contempt.me for automation because I need some ideas for new posts - haha. OP - Skype me @ Contempt.me (thats the username) and we'll talk about it.

Edit: now you have me writing a post called "The Automation Mindset" - DAMN YOU. 8 AM + BLOGGING = GAHHHHH

 

[Bofu2U]

Didn't even respond to these, fuck it's early. BTW, post is up. Hope I somewhat catered to what you were thinking about the mindset.

Contempt.me dude.

Thanks

2ndd for automation & scaling but bofu doesn't get into much of the site building / ad management stuff that riddar's referring to. Besides, that cocksucker forgot how to post.

Bitch I just posted so suck it. Oh, and thanks for the recommendation. Har har.

 

[Rage9]

I was thinking about how to respond to this post and I think Deliguy hit it right on the head. You really have to take the time and learn how to do it, and too many people want to be spoon feed the info. I wrote a little 5 part series on writing a very basic google scraper and had people trying to get me to debug their scripts, talk about a pain in the ass.

 

[guerilla]

This is precisely why I do not post imacros tuts. I'd be happy to share what I know, but everytime I do, people don't give relevant feedback, and most of them are too lazy to make use of it.

The only people I know who monetize automation blogging, are Eli and tool builders. And in all cases, they get people interested in USING automation, and sell it to them via SQUIRT or some script.

There are very few people willing to put in the time, or have the mindset of a problem solver and the creativity to make a solution out of almost nothing.

I can't code, but I understand scraping (and do a lot of it) and to understand scraping, you have to understand regex, eg. patterns. If you don't understand regex (pattern recognition) and scraping, you can't meaningfully automate.

You can just press start/submit and operate automation, and that doesn't require blogging, just a user manual or idiot proof UI.

/rant.

 

[riddarhusetgal]

this is about money - not child's play

And read aojon for seo advice? Quit trying to kiss ass. We're all well aware jon doesn't and has never done seo nor does he talk about it on his blog. He's a ppc guy and if you actually read his blog you'd know that.

Does his trustrank analysis have to do with PPC? Or perhaps you missed that?

If I wanted to meet the owner of this forum, I'd have our people try to set something up formally. That's how things are done in the world of white collars and oak boardroom tables. I don't need e-assing to do that. And if he's anything like I am he wouldn't appreciate it anyway....

I don't like anyone questioning my character - as I am sure you wouldn't - on an internet forum or any place else....

BACK TO BUSINESS...



As for the other points, I'm going to think over it and see if there's anything I can implement - today. You rarely say something - business related - that is not useful so I'll do that after I've had some tea of something.


....You seem to enjoy taking random, unwarranted snipes at me. If you you knew more about my background and were as interested in making money as you said you were, you'd be more focused on seeing how to help one another, bartering social capital or some other business focused activity rather than indulging in childish virtual love-taps.

I respect your work immensely but don't have time for the other silliness...

 

[nvanprooyen]

Contempt.me dude.

this. I love that blog.

 

[nvanprooyen]

Riddar is still mad at Eli for calling her out on the spa thing. Haha.

 

[riddarhusetgal]

I was thinking about how to respond to this post and I think Deliguy hit it right on the head. You really have to take the time and learn how to do it, and too many people want to be spoon feed the info. I wrote a little 5 part series on writing a very basic google scraper and had people trying to get me to debug their scripts, talk about a pain in the ass.

Hi, I want to address this point because it's something I hear coders say alot and being a strategy person I'd like to elucidate my thinking...

It's a bit wordy (but you guys are probably used to that when it comes to me....so here goes).


Do you know what the number 8766 Represents?

Because I do and it's the reason I wont THINK ABOUT touching any kind of code that is being simple.


8766 Represents the number of HOURS IN A YEAR.....

5824 Represents the number of WORKING HOURS in a year if you work 8 hours a day.

I have both numbers plastered on my white board posted on my left and I look at it a couple of times a day, to keep my mind focused.


To get to my main point - alot of coders try to encourage non coders to "learn a language".

To me this is sincere advice but it is VERY DEADLY ADVICE.

Here is why. If I only have 5824 working hours a year, why in the hell would I break my back to learn something so complex when there are people out there (ex. many people on this board) who have literally spent I don't know, 2, 3, 4, 5 years to learn this stuff??

Does anyone think that if I took out say 1 day a week to learn coding it would ever equal

1 day X 52 weeks a year of knowledge would equal
your

(8766) x (years of experience of knowledge)?? NO!


I think it is far better to focus a person's mind on a CONCEPTUAL/STRATEGIC understanding of languages and technology rather than the nuts and bolts of IMPLEMENTATION.

My coding professional friends help me to understand this. I've seen some excellent ROI in the past 3 months by following this.

As an example, they've told me that I need to have a CONCEPTUAL understanding of what different languages or software packages do to be able to TELL OTHER TRAINED, EXPERIENCED PROGRAMMERS what I want.

Outsourcing is just to cost effective these days that it MAKES NO SENSE for a non-coder to try to spend any one of his or her PRECIOUS 5824 trying to fiddle with a line of code.


Sales make money....

Me fiddling with an unfamiliar programming language doesn't!

My reading this blog and getting a better strategic and conceptual understanding of this stuff - THAT I HAVE TO SOMEONE TO IMPLEMENT
is what makes money.

Here's a very real example of the past week. I was going to outsource a project probably for a couple of hundred bucks.

However, after a few hours of reading, I found out that using a simple imacros "Loop CSV 2 Web" function, this software can do it not only at about 20% of the cost, but in probably 10% of the time.

I took a look at the code and there are a few lines needed to do exactly what I want it to do - BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO IT MYSELF.


Now, at this point, I have two options:
-spend hours/days learning how to do it myself...
-spend a little money to have someone else do it and get pages indexed and clicks and leads in that will payoff the programmer in a manner of days?

See what I mean?


To drive the point in, I am more interested in the Strategic/Conceptual knowledge than the implementation.

These days, I've realized that it's the KNOWLEDGE WORKERS not the IMPLEMENTORS that make the most money.

I see myself as a knowledge worker. I take every piece of ROI-INCREASING knowledge out there and figure out where it goes in the grand scheme of things and I PAY OTHERS TO IMPLEMENT IT.

The way I figure this out is I

took my desired income goal for the year and I DIVIDED IT BY the number of working ours in a year.

As an example, if you are shooting for $5M a year,you need to divide that number by 8766 (total hours) or 5824.

Let's go with 8766 assuming that your business is:

-automated
-has recurring profits (i.e. 24/hours a day running)
-online
and successful.

$5,000,000/8766 = $570.38 per hour.


That would mean that any activity that doesn't bring you in a good $570/hr in return is not worth your time - in other words IT'S A CANDIDATE FOR OUTSOURCING AND/OR AUTOMATION.


Now I would dare say thera ar a good 100+ ideas on this board that could generate $570 in one hour. The problem is that if you you are trying to read, understand AND IMPLEMENT them all, YOU WILL NEVER GET ANYWHERE.

I spend HOURS ON THIS BOARD A WEEK. I can point to a whole list of ideas I have written down and I am going through them now.

Remember a similar thread like this I started? It lead to erect's excellent follow up post the "WF War Chest". Right this minute we are going through it one and posting jobs to start running some of these scripts.

I can guarantee that if everyone who read some of that stuff just implemented a good 25% of it, they'd see a couple thou' more a month.


So to sum up, when I read these blogs, I'm looking for a CONCEPTUAL/STRATEGIC understanding. When I have a clear sense of what these technologies can do, I can give better instructions to people because if you don't know that you don't know that's the biggest problem.

But once you are aware that there's something you are doing that some piece of code or software can do better, you're just a step away from having it dones.....


This is exactly the "strategic" attitude I use to grow my business and so far so good.....

on

 

[riddarhusetgal]

This is precisely why I do not post imacros tuts. I'd be happy to share what I know, but everytime I do, people don't give relevant feedback, and most of them are too lazy to make use of it.


You can just press start/submit and operate automation, and that doesn't require blogging, just a user manual or idiot proof UI.

/rant.

This is an assumption you are making (I make it often my mind-picking psychologist mom pointed it out to me). It may take you 5 mins of reading something in a manual to understand it and me 45 minutes. The smart thing to do for me therefore, if I don't have 45mins to learn something would be:

a) barter services with you
b) pay you to do it for me since you have specialized knowledge (and when I say "you" I'm using that generally...."you" meaning "a person with your skills...")

I don't do anything personally that requires alot of my time if it's something I CAN'T do in SECONDS and that BRING MY DESIRED ROI.

The other day I paid an indonesian guy to upgrade an old site from WP 2.3 to WP 2.8.

Yeah alot of people on here would say "what kind of idiot would do that?"

I'm that kind.

Why? Because in the 1 hour it took to finish that project, this is what I got in return:

1) I made some excellent business contacts on Linkedin (I would have been fighting code)
2) The site was able to switch from it's old theme to a new one that wasn't compatible with 2.3. The stickiness on that day increased from it's average 1:30 mins to 2:54. Once more, I got some extra leads in equal to THREE TIMES THE COST OF THE LABOR I PAID.


Once again, this is how I do things. So, no I don't think you should hold people's hands and show them how to write imacro commands.

But neither do I think you should make the automatic assumption that anyone who doesn't want to "read" the manual is stupid.


There are costs and benefits associated with every millisecond of time.

Time is the only non-renewable resource and I think it should be managed that way.....

 

[guerilla]

If you can't figure out imacros, you should get off the internets.