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I get where this comes from with regards to Amway, but I'm really puzzled as to why geeks pattern match all teaching to scummy "make money online" infomarketing

by patio11 10y ago

I get where this comes from with regards to Amway, but I'm really puzzled as to why geeks pattern match all teaching to scummy "make money online" infomarketing. Nobody ever says "I kinda get the vibe that, in addition to your virtuous OSS contributions, you might be angling to sell software / programming time. Not that there is anything wrong with that." Well, yes. I was employed as an engineer; I then ran a succession of software businesses. Taking money for software is indeed what one does in these jobs / businesses. HN seems to be pretty well-acquainted with selling software for money. I wish HN were similarly well acquainted with training, consulting, or infoproducts, to pick three examples of business models which "sell knowledge" if you squint a bit. They are no less real, value-producing businesses than software is. They happen to be easier to build and grow to mid six figures than SaaS businesses, in a way which is of material interest to the stated goals of many HNers, and I say that as someone whose financial situation is historically dominated by SaaS businesses.

gadders 10y ago
I think the issue I have is with people who create info products on how to create info products.
heartbreak 10y ago
I'm not sure why I pattern-match sites like unicornfree into the same bucket as scummy "make money online" infomarketing, but I do. I wish I could identify the cause, because it would probably help people running legitimate sites like Unicornfree to avoid the vibe. Maybe it's related to a stigma against selling knowledge in general. Consider Aaron Swartz and the Guerilla Open Access Manifesto. Many geeks tend to do a lot of learning via freely available content online, and may be even more inclined than the average person to want open access to knowledge. Just some thoughts. Have you run into this reaction from geeks before?

by patio11 10y ago

gadders 10y ago

I think the issue I have is with people who create info products on how to create info products.

heartbreak 10y ago

I'm not sure why I pattern-match sites like unicornfree into the same bucket as scummy "make money online" infomarketing, but I do. I wish I could identify the cause, because it would probably help people running legitimate sites like Unicornfree to avoid the vibe. Maybe it's related to a stigma against selling knowledge in general. Consider Aaron Swartz and the Guerilla Open Access Manifesto. Many geeks tend to do a lot of learning via freely available content online, and may be even more inclined than the average person to want open access to knowledge. Just some thoughts. Have you run into this reaction from geeks before?