Last week my wife’s new Kindle Fire arrived.  We call her “Easy Reader” because words on a page are more than she can resist.  She still insists we subscribe to a Daily Newspaper for her reading comfort, but it is now clear to me, that she has been won over by eNews delivered to her smartphone and the Fire of Kindle will eventually burn off her desire for “news” printed.   While I am confident that the conversion of this most avid “paper” junkie portends the demise of all gas powered news delivery, the jury is still out on whether the eBook will replace our collective need for hardcovers and paperbacks.
I know many bookstores are being shuttered, but I just read an article indicating  that there may well be a real place for the local Book seller in the hearts and minds of readers even in this virtual world.  This years  introduction of the iPad, has taken eBook sales up to ~10% of total book sales.  BI (before iPad) they were in the 6-7% range.  I have no doubt we will someday see the percentages reversed, but there is a much bigger more significant trend to be considered.

Three weeks ago I attended Drupal Camp Phoenix.  A gathering of some 100+ professionals skilled in the art/science of creating Web Pages.  Drupal is one of many new authoring tools created by and for the purpose of rapidly presenting and delivering content to the WORLD WIDE web.  This particular tool is not for the dabbling author who finds WordPress too challenging.  However, I mention it here because one Drupal based educational website illustrates a point I have been trying to make for years.

BuildAModule.com teaches you everything you need to know about Drupal.  There are over 500 video lessons taking you, quite skillfully, step by step through the myriad of Drupal’s capabilities.  Each lesson displays the text of what is being conveyed visually and verbally on the screen.  You can start and stop at will.  The system keeps track of which lessons you have taken as you move through the logically ordered “chapters”.  It is by far the BEST self paced software learning experience I have ever had.

But I don’t tell you this because I think everyone should learn Drupal.  I tell you this because this entire system/business was created by one individual.  He didn’t just build the website. He records all of the lessons. He set up a smartphone based credit card processor for sales of subscriptions and sets of training DVDs/downloads.  He developed and implemented a marketing plan that puts him in front of potential customers each week.  It is truly a one man show and THAT is the point.

YOU can, almost effortlessly, publish YOUR content today and make it available to billions as soon as you hit save.  YOU can communicate with your existing and potential customers anywhere in the world anytime they need you from just about anywhere you happen to be.  AND IF you have a product and business plan that allow you to get noticed by even two or three millionths of the potential customers out there, YOU will profit from your venture.