AsktheBuilder.com Issue #1289 (I think)

July 14, 2024

Dear ,

The Circle of Classified Ads

You may not know this, but I've written a syndicated newspaper column for over 30 years. It's titled Ask the Builder just as is this newsletter. My column runs each week in papers all across the great Fruited Plain.

I started Ask the Builder in October of 1993. The newspaper industry was in the twilight of its Golden Age. Prior to the explosion of the Internet, the newspaper business was right up there with television and radio when it comes to profits.

I was one of the few charter members that started a secret Internet mastermind group in 1999. Within a few years, a gentlemen named Craig Newmark was part of the group. He could only be part of the group for a few short months because his idea completely eviscerated the entire newspaper industry. He simply was overwhelmed with growing his business and had no time for the chatter on the mastermind email list.

Craig showed us his website called Craigslist. It was just about San Francisco at the time if memory serves me right. Within months, it expanded to all of the major USA cities and eventually the entire USA.

Classified newspaper ads were the primary profit center for newspapers before the Internet. Craig took all that away within a matter of years. Whatever you were trying to advertise for a FEE in a newspaper, Craig let you put it up on his website for FREE.

This loss of revenue was a staggering blow. Two decades later many papers have switched to a membership/subscription model to survive.

Craig has now followed in the footsteps of the industry he gutted. If you want to sell a car, truck, motorcycle, scooter, or an RV on Craigslist in New Hampshire, you pay $5 to place your listing for just 30 days. The free ride is over.

What goes around comes around indeed. What categories on Craigslist are next where you pay a fee to post a listing?

The AI Survey Data 

A week ago I asked for your help. I wanted to know your opinion about Artificial Intelligence and how it's impacting websites like AsktheBuilder.com The timing wasn't ideal as we were at the tail end of the July 4th holiday.

Here's the data I promised. I'll then share what changes are in the works based on your input.

Question #1 Over 80 percent of the respondents feel that AI is going to have a significant impact on human-authored content.

Question #2 75.4 percent of the respondents don't trust Big Tech. That tiny sliver of blue represents those who trust Google and their ilk. My guess is they own stock in Alphabet.

Question #3 Just under 75 percent of the respondents are worried about losing money when hiring a contractor. I would have NEVER thought it was that high. That telegraphs to me you need my offer of protection. You can be worry-FREE if you do a small amount of homework reading my past columns about your project. You can also talk with me on the phone BEFORE you call any contractors. Did you know that? Can you see how talking with me BEFORE you call contractors gives you an Unfair Advantage over them?

Question #4  Over 80 percent of the respondents can't afford to lose ONE DOLLAR when hiring a contractor. That was much much higher than I ever would have guessed.

If you can't afford to LOSE $1, it SCREAMS to me you need to be looking at my website for tips in my columns and HUNDREDS of videos BEFORE you even think of calling up a contractor. Or you need to use one of my 50+ Contractor Hiring Checklists to HELP YOU FIND you the best contractor.

Question #5 Over 85% of the survey respondents would be upset if AsktheBuilder.com disappeared.

Question #6 Over 87 percent of the respondents indicated they either would or might be willing to pay a small monthly fee to have access to an AD-FREE version of AsktheBuilder.com. That's very encouraging.

Question #7 The vast majority of respondents would feel comfortable paying a small fee to have access to ALL of the past and all of the FUTURE content on my website. The average was $2 per month. There were a few haters hoping I'd go out of business. There were some who want everything for free and plan to go elsewhere for home improvement advice doled out by hobby bloggers. I wish them well.

Question #8 - The Magic Wand I was expecting too much thinking many on this list possess a deep understanding of how websites and Influencers generate revenue. You might be one of the respondents that responded, "I have no clue, Tim!".

That said, many of the responses indicated that transforming AsktheBuilder.com from a free site loaded with ads to a clean ad-free membership model was the best way forward.

I was stunned by comments that suggested I start a YouTube channel "because YouTubers make LOTS OF MONEY."

I chuckled and shook my head for two reasons:

• Ask the Builder - me - was the FIRST home improvement channel on YouTube back in 2005. I guess I have to keep reminding you of this fact in each newsletter and avoid being pretentious.
• Only a few Influencers make big money on YouTube. You need MILLIONS of subscribers generating MILLIONS and MILLIONS of monthly views. I have 167,000+ subscribers and get about 135K views a month across ALL of my 850+ videos. Rick Shiels is an example of a YouTuber that's making BIG money. He can afford a team of videographers and others to help him each day. He's got 2.85 million subscribers.

The YouTube home improvement category now has TENS OF THOUSANDS of creators. There's a finite number of people each day looking at those videos. This means the chances of one of my videos showing up in a search query is much less than it was 15 years ago.

On average, I make $0.00475 each time a person watches one of my videos. That's NOT a typo. That's LESS THAN one half of a penny for each view.

If it costs $500 to create a video - it often costs much more - then you need to get 105,263 views to BREAK EVEN. It can take years for a video to get that many views. To make a profit of just $500, you need an additional 105,263 views. Not all YouTube videos go viral.

I think you can see why YouTube is not all unicorns and rainbows. 

Many respondents said I'm making a mistake by not mentioning each week all the services I offer and ALL of the products I have that can help you. 

That's a very good point and from now on in each newsletter you're going to see the Ask the Builder Emergency Room. Here it is:

🚑  Ask the Builder ER 🛟

Money(Life)-Saving Consult Phone Call with Tim Carter - Prevents LOSING MONEY when Hiring a Contractor

DIY Phone Coaching with Tim Carter - Save $10,000 or More When I HELP You Tackle a Project Large or Small

Get 100+ AsktheBuilder Ebooks, New Home and Remodeling Checklists, & More for just $79.99

Visit the Ask the Builder Store NOW for Hundreds of Products

Change is on the Horizon

The survey results indicate it's time for a change. I'm now trying to locate the best software to put all of my Ask the Builder columns behind a membership pay wall.

Some software is very powerful. It allows me to hide all or some of the content. I can do what some newspapers do allowing you to read several free columns then you're blocked until you purchase a membership. I've not yet made the decision to do this, but it's a possibility.

I can offer different levels of membership. You pick what best suits you. The basic membership will probably be just $2 a month or $24 a year for unlimited access to all past and FUTURE Ask the Builder columns and website posts.

There will be a level where you can do a one-time lifetime payment.

There can even be an Ultra-Platimum level. Some survey respondents asked for this exclusive Ask the Builder experience. 

Imagine once a year I come to your house for a day and answer all your questions. I make voice or video recordings so you don't have to take notes. We go out to dinner that night to the restaurant of your choice. I pick up the tab, of course.

Think of it as an Ask the Builder checkup. If I do this, this membership level will BE LIMITED to ONLY five or ten members because that one-day visit will probably include a full travel day on each side of the visit. It's the ultimate Ask the Builder experience.

Change is most definitely on the way. It's a big change and there might be a misstep or two, but we'll work through it together.

"Yeah, right. That's the way it is. It's down there and I'm in here. I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'.

Andy Dufresne just before he escapes from Shawshank prison.

CLICK HERE to see this classic movie scene.

#DoNotComply

Once bitten, twice shy...

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

The BEST Love Story of all time - well, maybe a close second.

That's enough for a Monday morning.

Peace out.

Tim Carter (PhD, FullyAwakeology)

Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com

Electromagnetic Adventures: www.W3ATB.com

My Pronouns: Told/You/So

Do It Right, Not Over!