RIP InspiredMoneyMaker.com, Long Live Polymath.com
For the last 72 hours I’ve been madly scrambling to launch Paulymath.com, after making the decision to kill off Inspired Money Maker . com, Fitness Health and Healing . com, Inspired Psychic . com and Inspired Energy Healer.com and combine them all into one single Blog.
I decided to do this for a number of reasons. Firstly, I’ve been working with a number of coaching students that are scanners just like me and while coaching them through the process of launching their Blogs I found myself constantly advocating the idea of launching a Blog that explores many different topics instead of a Blog with a very tight niche.
Picking a broad topic goes against what most Internet Marketers out there teach and advocate, and I’m very aware of the benefits of picking a very specific niche to specialize and dominate in.
However, after four years of Blogging I am convinced that picking too narrow of a niche for a Blog is not a long-term strategy. It’s more of an affiliate marketing strategy, or a niche-business strategy, but I don’t believe it’s a very wise decision for Bloggers and especially for Bloggers who are polymaths (Scanners).
Why Niche Blogs Don’t Work
The reason I don’t believe that niche Blogs work long term is because I don’t believe people are looking for information online anymore. There is an abundance of information online on any topic you could think of. Any Blog post topic a person could think of has already been covered somewhere out there.
This is nothing new, and it’s not something that’s unique to Blogs. You could just as well walk into a bookstore and look in the new releases section. You would probably see some kind of diet book, some kind of personal development book, maybe a new cook book. All topics that have been covered for decades.
Blogging isn’t about sharing some kind of new information that you can’t find anywhere else on the Internet.
Blogging is about sharing yourself, your energy, your opinion and your journey with people.
When I look at the list of Bloggers that I subscribe to and read daily, none of them really share anything new that I haven’t heard before. I don’t read their Blogs for that purpose. I read their Blogs because I like them as people, and I am interested in their opinion on whatever topics they write about.
The other reasons I read Blogs is because I find some of them entertaining and inspirational. Some provide useful tools, reviews and links as well.
I believe that everything in Blogging revolves around the Blogger themselves. The more a Blogger can put his authentic self into their Blog, the more successful it’s going to be. It’s no different than people watching Oprah to see what her opinion is on the topic of the day.
This is why I see a big challenge in starting a Blog on a tight niche topic such as “camping equipment” or “meditation pillows”. Those kinds of Blogs are started on the premise of focusing on a topic of information, rather than the Blogger themselves. The Blogs are about camping equipment or meditation pillows and not the person behind the Blog.
Not Being a Hypocrite
One of the primary reasons I’ve decided to scrap my multiple broad-niche sites to pursue just one main Blog is because my beliefs about what it takes to be a successful Blogger were no longer matching what I was doing.
When I started InspiredMoneyMaker.com back in 2007, I was being mentored by a mentor that comes from an Internet Marketing background, not a Blogging background. The system of making money online that they teach focuses on building niche website businesses that just happen to have a Blog component attached to them, but the Blogging part is mostly just an afterthought or at best a traffic-getting technique. My passion for Blogging goes much deeper than that.
Although I am very happy with the progress I made with InspiredMoneyMaker.com and recently even found out I made the list of Top 50 Canadian Marketing Blogs (Ranked #17), focusing on the single topic of “money making” just wasn’t serving me anymore, especially as a polymath (scanner).
I have so many passions in life that I’d love to be able to share on my Blog, but I’ve had this subconscious self-imposed limiter on the type of content I could post on InspiredMoneyMaker that I’ve only recently become aware of.
Naturally as a scanner I have many interests but instead of exploring them on my Blog I’ve been starting other Blogs on different topics instead, hence the semi-monthly announcement of yet another Blog I’m starting.
It’s always the hardest to see past your own limiting beliefs but it’s so obvious to me now that all this time I could have been focusing my energy on building one multi-topic Blog, instead of spreading my energies in multiple directions.
If any student approached me with the situation I am in I would have instantly told them to start over with a new Blog that doesn’t limit them to one topic. So, if that’s the advice I would give my students why wouldn’t I take my own advice regardless how hard it may be to merge and re-build my sites, rankings, links etc. under a new name. I can’t be an effective mentor if I tell people to do one thing, while I myself am doing something else.
The Name Paulymath
Once I decided to merge all of my Blogs into one, I wanted to pick a unique name that I can build a brand around for years to come. The criteria I set for myself when picking the name was as follows:
- I wanted a domain that was relatively short. No more FitnessHealthandHealing.com type names.
- I no longer had to worry about trying to stuff any keywords into the domain since there is no specific niche for project.
- I wanted the name to be something I could build a brand around.
- I wanted the name to not mean much to someone the first time they hear it, kind of like Google didn’t really mean much until it became Google.
- I wanted the name to have me personally expressed in it somehow, similar to how Jeremy Schoemaker created his Shoemoney brand. His last name is kind of built into the brand.
- I didn’t want my last name in the domain as it’s too hard to spell for people.
- The only “niche” or “theme” I wanted the name to express was the fact that there would be many topics discussed.
- I wanted there to be some kind of “hidden” meaning behind it as well for people who are familiar with me and the site.
After a lot of brainstorming, meditating and checking for available domains the name Paulymath.com just came to me and I instantly loved it. I was really hoping that it would be available and I was super excited when I found out it wasn’t taken.
The name obviously plays off a misspelling of the word Polymath, which means “a person whose expertise spans a significant number of subject areas”, but also integrates my first name right into the domain which I really liked. To me the name really rolls off the tongue as well and I think it won’t be too hard for people to remember.
The only downside to it is that for those who have never heard the word “Polymath”, the association they could have with the word is something to do with mathematics. That’s totally OK though because it kind of makes people ask “What does that mean?” when they first hear the word which I think will make it easier to remember once they know the meaning.
The Migration Process
I’m still very much in the midst of the migration and merger of all of my Blogs together into this one common site. I’ve been at it for days now so please bear with me as I get everything fixed up on the site with my new theme and structure of the site.
I’ve learned more about editing CSS and HTML in the last two days than I have in the previous 5 years and the same goes for hacking together permalink redirects and other geeky programmer stuff trying to preserve as many of the links and search engine rankings I have across my sites as I migrate to the new one.
Bear with me as I work on getting everything fixed up and tweaked over the next few days.
Comments:
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Congrats for making this courageous move ! I’m looking forward to see thet effects it’ll have on your blogging success!
.-= Alban´s last blog ..Aweber, Comment Créer une Newsletter Pro et Faire de l’e Mailing en Moins d’une Heure – (I) =-.
Congratulations for your new website! To me this seems to be the right decision. Especially the branding aspect of your new name could be important for your future success.
.-= alice hive´s last blog ..Meine Musiker-In-Deiner-Stadt.de-Kritik =-.
Paul, this is a pretty big and brave step on your journey! I wish you the best; and as always, I will be reading! I just have one question: Why does your feedburner count say 2 subscribers? It’s a little concerning! Anyways, I wish you the best Paul!
Thanks,
Josh Lipovetsky.
.-= Josh Lipovetsky´s last blog ..Forgiveness Cinema – 5 Movies to Develop your Forgiveness =-.
@Josh: Feedburner counter will be fixed soon. It’s just taking some time to update their counters. When the thing is finally reporting the right number, you may be surprised what number you’ll see.
Most people don’t know how many subscribers I actually have as an aggregate.
you always surprise us with the new information and with your authenticity. i am really good to know that there is no more niche fight in the blogs. if you can direct more light on this point than it is useful for all of us. and congratulation for this blog. and i like your points for choosing the right name of blog.
sanjay sharma, india
Hi Paul,
I’ve been a subscriber to your Inspired Money Maker newsletter for some time.
I had the same revelations as you when I transferred my efforts from a niche website, Solotopia.com, to a broader one, Guru Habits.com. Like you, I wanted to be able to write about a wider range of topics and in doing so share more of myself.
This post reminded me why I selected a domain name with a broader emphasis from the start. After reading it, I am glad that I went with my gut. I needed some fresh inspiration though. Thank you for your contribution to that.
I wish you all the best with Paulymath.com. Great name, by the way.
Brad Paul
http://www.guruhabits.com/
http://www.solotopia.com/
.-= Brad Paul´s last blog ..14 Ways to Have a Great Valentine’s Day With or Without a Partner =-.
@Brad: Thanks. I really like the name too.
Still need a better logo, but I’m working on it. I like your domain guruhabits.com too. Surprised that was available. 
You snagged a good one.
Paul,
very interesting topic and I’m curious to see how this will work out because I’ve been dealing with this problem myself for years. I don’t think I could ever stick to just one topic, but everyone advises to do just that, otherwise I’ll be “all over the place.” As a result, I have multiple blogs so it will be good to learn from someone how to blend it all in one.
I will definitely come back to learn more about your journey!
@Debbie: Would it be of value for me to write a Blog post about “How to Merge Multiple WordPress Sites Into One”? Is that on the horizon for you? I’ve been thinking of maybe writing a post on my experience doing this.
Very excited to see you doing this Paul. I’m not terribly successful yet so when I questioned ‘niches’ and such and said they didn’t suit me others (understandably) ignored what I had to say.
I’m looking forward to watching what you do and learning much from it.
Wishing you every possible success.
@Evan: Thanks man, I appreciate your support.
I think you have made the right decision, but must disagree with your comment that Niche Blogs do not work. I think that if you are solely focusing on search engine traffic, you can definitely make niche blogs extremely successful.
.-= Tom | Build That List´s last blog ..Do Your Dreams Pass The ‘Wet Manure’ Test? =-.
@Tom: In my post I said that I don’t believe that niche Blogs work long term. It really all comes down to what your definition of “extremely successful” is and whether you’re looking for a short term or long term strategy.
Long term I think it’s extremely difficult, not to mention dreadfully boring to Blog about a very specific niche for more than a few months, let alone a few years. If it works for you that’s awesome and I wish you the best of luck, but for a scanner like me it goes against my nature.
What I do believe in is niche websites (not Blogs) built around a very specific niche market. I’ve made some pretty good money as an affiliate last year with such sites, but those have nothing to do with what I consider “Blogging”. For example, I totally believe you could build a niche site around something like “Skype Headsets” or “Digital Whiteboards” or “Antique Piggybanks” or some other ultra-targeted niche that you could SEO optimize and then monetize in some way, but those aren’t really what I consider Blogs. Even if sites like that run on WordPress and even have content written by someone, I see them as different.
For example, with a little bit of work I could SEO optimize my RC Helicopter Simulator site and make some money with AdSense or other monetization methods, but I can’t see myself writing about RC Heli Simulators for 20 years.
Another thing to consider is whether creating 50 niche sites is a better use of time than just creating one big authority site and leveraging off of it. Supposedly “niche” sites are supposed to get better rankings on search engines for the topic they specialize in than “generalistic” sites, but then what about someone like Steve Pavlina and his “How to Cook Brown Rice” article? He ranks #1 on Google for that term even though his site is NOT a cooking site.
At the end of the day I think it’s all about matching the right strategy to the right intention. Right now my intention for my Blog is about sharing more parts of myself with my audience and building deeper relationships, so a multi-topic strategy matches that intention. For some of my affiliate projects that aren’t really about me but the topic itself I may still use niche sites, but those aren’t going to be Blogs.
Hi Paul!
This makes it easier on readers like me who liked all of your blogs.
This blog post and blog merger answered a lot of questions for me. I’ve enjoyed reading your other blogs besides InspiredMoneyMaker, and as someone with a slight “scanner” aspect to my personality, I am interested in a lot of the topics you cover, and I sometimes have ALL of your blogs tabbed open on my browser
I too have had some serious dilemmas with my own sites. I eventually abandoned the last one I invested a lot of time and energy to, due to the fact that I felt “boxed in”. I also felt that I couldn’t be 100% authentic since it was started as an “authority” niche blog…But how does one write without being preachy and still appear as an Authority?? Anyway, the main issue with having a niche blog is that if you have other interests, it gets frustrating when you have an idea for a blog post, and then try to stretch it to become relevant to the niche.
I like the idea of the blog being an extension of you, instead of you being an extension of it. Looking forward to more of your posts on this topic!
@Carlota: Hi Carlota, I know what you mean about “stretching” blog posts trying to make them fit into your niche.
It’s really funny because now that I’ve changed my Blog topic to “Whatever the heck I want.” I’m like FLOODED with Blog post ideas.
I have a bit more work to do with the merger, setup, etc. on the Blog, but I have a feeling you’re going to be seeing a lot of content from me very soon.
It’s so liberating to have the freedom to write whatever I want.
Paul, this is so cool. I feel very vindicated in my decision to make my own website, The Limelight, very eclectic from the very begining. I knew I had a far to wide ranging list of interests to shoehorn myself into one specific “niche”, and I also knew that I did not have the time or the inclination to run multiple blogs. So I went against all the popular wisdom and just wrote whatever I wanted for The Limelight.
It seems to work. Mt blog reflects me, and that’s exactly what it should do.
.-= Jonathan´s last blog ..On The Steps =-.
@Jonathan: Awesome man. Keep going and always listen to your intuition.
Paul, I totally agree that getting regular readers to your blog is about connecting with people, more than just having a targeted niche. If you generally like the blogger and value their opinions, you’re much more likely to become a regular reader.
I’m new to blogging, but I’m realizing the importance of sharing personal anecdotes, thoughts and feelings, even if they’re off the main subject of the blog. I need to do more of that myself.
Brian Griffith
bodyfitnessandhealth.com
.-= Brian´s last blog ..Jump-start Your Workout With A New Challenge =-.
If we subscribe in a reader to your money site, will we continue to receive the feed from your combined site now? Thanks.
@J: I believe so. Having said that, I would recommend that you subscribe to my new feed ( http://feeds.feedburner.com/paulymath ) just in case. You can unsubscribe from the old feed of course so you don’t get duplicates.
I am still double checking to make sure Feedburner will send RSS updates to all the different feeds people have subscribed to, but theoretically it *should* still work.
Congratulations Paul! Even your “About Paul” section is broader in scope! You have so much great information about so many things…can’t help but think that we’ll all benefit from your new “one stop” blog. We are all works in progress…you just seem to always be progressing faster.
Making money with blogging is very hard, making money with Internet marketing is more like it.
.-= oyun´s last blog ..Rapid Weight Loss Guru Officially Launches =-.
lol nice photoshop job:D
.-= RC Models´s last blog ..How Do RC Models Work? =-.