There are no short cuts to success on the Internet

I know I have said this frequently, but something this important bears repeating: online business success takes a LOT of hard work, time & sometimes money. Even though it looks easy, it’s not. Even though you see others doing it, you cannot expect to simply copy what they are doing and have as much success. If you’re a fashion/shopping/style blogger, your success depends on your influence, how much your readers trust you, and that they identify with you. Building trust takes consistency and time. Lots of time.

And, even if you think you HAVE found success, don’t get too comfortable. Here’s another amazing bit of analysis from Daily Patricia:

The real story is that media/internet/etc 2.0 business needs to learn that there are no short cuts and cheap routes to success on the internet platform. The effort to try is fruitless — it always ends in loss. Remember MySpace was just like Facebook and Twitter, the media all up in it, celebrities, etc. It was once said to be the same size as a country. But then, it started messing with the machine, adding steps to the user experience to create more page views, which in turn would make it more money. Within a year it was dead and worth nothing. I can count on three hands how many 2.0 companies, including many media favorites, have told me that they’re in trouble because they have no audience, just SEO gamed traffic, etc. That’s because shortsighted moves to get ahead always fail, particularly those that sacrifice the customer.