Why it’s a good idea to grow with a startup

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There are many new online startup companies popping up everyday. Some are worth looking into others are not. Some have great potential while others need definite improvement or major revamping. I have witnessed the growth of many startup companies over the past year. Watching the few followers turn into thousands of dedicated members.

It’s exciting to see a startup company succeed and it’s especially exciting to witness the progress. The witnessing of the growth of a blog/website can be just as rewarding. I have also witnessed a few blogs that I knew would gain popularity if given some time.

There have been a few companies that seen give promises after promises but have never delivered. I have learned a few things about startup companies and new blogs that help me to recognize one that is on the road to success and one that is very questionable. Here is a list of things I look for in a startup company or new blog.

Startup Company - specifically a pre-launch or newly started companies that are seeking members to join

• Does the basic idea of the company makes sense and do you see it being useful to many people? If the idea doesn’t make sense to you it probably won’t make sense to many other people. Are you qualified to decided whether it makes sense or not. By this I mean it may not make sense you because you don’t understand the “language”. If you don’t understand the “language” then educate yourself by doing online searches.
• Does the company have a website that offers enough information that would make you want to join? If the company offers enough information to improve your understanding enough to join than others will probably do the same.
• Is the staff easy to contact and do they respond to your questions quickly?
• Are they asking for any money? If so is it something that should be paid for? I rarely pay for anything but that’s mainly because I am cheap. So if a company is asking for money I either leave and never return or investigate through online searches.
• If they don’t say it costs money do they use the words “Free”. I joined one company that never asked for money or credit cards but also never stated that it was free. They hyped it up good and then on launch day they announced that there was a fee. It’s best to see “Free” somewhere because if you don’t they might just hit you with a fee. And never, never give credit card info unless you are certain it’s a legitimate company.
• Do they have a blog or updated information site where you can follow the progress? If a company has not yet launched this is very important. I get bored of seeing the same sign up site with no information as to how the development is going.
• Do they seem to be ‘over hyping’ there own company or are they allowing users or followers to get excited about the companies potential? A company that ‘over-hypes’ themselves reminds me of car salesman. I rarely trust car salesman.
• If they company is paying you, do they pay on time? A company that does not live up to there promises is one that is either poorly run or under staffed. Either way I would be careful about how much time you invest in a company that does not live up to their promises.

Blogs and Reader Interactive Websites - newly started

• Does the blog/website offer useful information in a easy to understand language? For example a tech site that has overly-tech talk might loose some visitors that aren’t yet savvy to the tech language. This is not to say a site needs to dumb-down the content. By just offering links to beginner resources or links to posts that explain some of the lingo that may be hard to understand for a beginner.
• Are the articles/posts well written? When I read an article that offers enough information that makes me feel as though I have left the site that has benefited me in some way, I am pleased. This has not as much to do with spelling or language usage as one might think. Side note: As you may have notice I am a terrible at grammar. At least that is the way I feel. And as I am writing this I am wondering how many errors I have made and will never realize because I have such poor grammar skills. I do believe that people will forgive your mistakes if the information being offered has value. Right? Much of my writing is done during the late hours of night after the kids are in bed. So, it may be that I am barely writing above Kindergarten level. I apologize for that.
• Is the blog/website regularly updated? This is one fact that seems to be a consistent truth among blogging and interactive websites. A blog/site that is not updated regularly looses readers. Once or twice a day is best or a least 3-4 times a week.
• Is the blog author easy to contact? Does the author interact by commenting or responding to contributors in blog posts. I personally like it when a site has a contact page or email address available to readers. I also like it when I see the author(s) responding to comments. Side note: Now that I have a blog that has had a lot of commentators it has been a bit more difficult to comment to everyone. I am doing the best I can but it can be hard to keep up with. I have been trying to respond to comments in updated posts.
  
• Does the blog/site have a way of standing out from the others? This might be a combination of author’s content, blog design and website usability.
• Does the blog/site have a niche? A blog that has a niche is more likely to succeed that one that has random information. Some personal blogs have done very well but even a personal blog has a niche of sorts. Is the blog niche one that is being repeated all over the internet? If so, how well are they differentiating themselves from the rest of the crowd?

If you are able to recognize the companies and blogs that will be successful in the future than there are great perks to being apart of the growth. I will be posting about those perks on my next blog entry.

Check out part 2 of this two part series.