Last week I read in The New York Times a news article about a successful online forum operator. He is a 26 years old American entrepreneur. He works from home and earns $10,000+ a month. That article made me think of Vikram.
I met Vikram a few years ago in a restaurant in New Delhi. Then he was 26 and was working as a waiter in that restaurant. When he took order from me for my dinner, I was impressed by his command over English, quick wit and charming smile.
Vikram told me, "When I was in College my father used to advise me one hundred times a day to concentrate on my studies. I never listened to him. I wasted my time on movies and fun. I failed in all exams and could not complete the degree course. I tried for years to get a white collar job with high salary. Last year I realized my folly, understood that no job is mean and here I am."
"Are you happy here?" I asked him. "I get a salary of Rs.1,500 a month. I get Rs.2,500 as tips from my customers. I don't have any financial commitments. A few months ago, I bought a computer with my savings and have learnt how to use the internet and computer well. I am looking for some online income opportunities. If something opens up, I will quit this job," Vikram said.
"I like your social manners and the way you respond to others' words. Your English is good. May I take the liberty of suggesting you a simple online work that will inspire you to become a full time entrepreneur!" I asked Vikram. His eyes brightened and he said, "Please go ahead. I have just now decided to pay for your dinner."
"For any website, particularly for online forums, content is the king. But, what can a king do if he does not have a court and subjects? Forum is a type of website where visitors can post their questions, add replies and discuss different types of topics. People would visit the forums regularly only if the content is dynamic and there are many active members. Many forums are successful even though the content is average just because of the presence of active members. But Maintaining a forum and participating in and watching over the discussion is a labor intensive and time consuming work. So, many forums pay to people to take care of their forums. They expect such paid assistants to answer questions intelligently and moderate the discussion. For each reply you write, they pay you some money. You can work from India even if the forum is in Canada. You can work for as many forums as you like," I explained the concept to him.
"That's very interesting. How much will I get paid?" Vikram asked me.
"It depends on the type of the forum, the time you spend and your level of expertise. You can expect anywhere from 25 cents to $1," I replied.
Vikram made some quick mental math and then said, "If I can post four replies a day and if I get 50 cents per post, it comes to $2 for 1 or 2 hours of work. So in a month I can earn Rs.3,000 working from the comfort of my home at times convenient to me. How do I get this work?" Vikram asked me.
"Use search engines to find out big forums in the Internet. Learn how moderators and administrators respond to questions. Study the general rules and forum etiquette. Decide on the topics that you would be comfortable with. Prepare a shortlist of forums that can use your knowledge and pay you. Usually you can find this information on the forums. If the rules of a forum allows, you can even place a small ad in it," I replied. Vikram thanked me and I paid my bill even though Vikram wanted to do it.
After six months I had to travel to New Delhi. I could not find Vikram in the restaurant. I learnt that he had resigned his job and was on his own. I got his contact telephone number from the manager and gave him a call. Within a few minutes Vikram came to my room.
Vikram said, "I visited hundreds of forums and registered as a member. After learning how forums work, I started to post good replies with researched information. People liked my responses and I gained hundreds of friends in a matter of a few weeks. When people began to trust me, I carefully raised the paid work proposal with a few big forum owners. They happily accepted my proposal without any hesitation. Now I work for six hours a day on four forums and earn Rs.12,000 a month. Recently I have started two new forums of my own and I hope to multiply my income before the end of this year."
"Great news," I told him happily. Vikram said with a smile. "If you have any questions on the topics XYZ and ABC, please post them on my forums. I will reply them."