What do you need to know?  What do you need to do?

Fortunately if your question starts with ‘how to’ then a solution is a few clicks away.

Turn on your computer.  Open you favorite search engine and type in how to ‘something’.  Hit the search button.  Milliseconds later you will receive a list of solutions.  And not just simple one sentence solutions.  You will be able to read pages and pages of information, download an ebook, be a subscriber to monthly newsletter, download videos and mp3s, buy a complete package which includes a 3 books, 5 pamphlets and 8 CDs.

Stacks of ebooks and CDs is what you would expect for questions like how to build a house or how to become an astronaut.  But surprisingly you can get a ebook and CDs that answer the question: How to win the lottery.

For under $30 dollars you can download a complete guide that will take you through the steps of winning the lottery.

Want to know how to win the lottery?  No problem.  Send $25 and you will receive an e-book that will show you step-by-step how to win millions of dollars.  Its fast, its easy and the best thing is that you can do it all from the comfort of your living room.

I hope you agree that a complete guide to ‘how to win the lottery’ is absolutely ridiculous.  Two things stick out as absurd:  that somebody made the guide thinking that people will buy it and that there are people who buy it.  But it happens – it is happening right now.  It is out there.  There are how to guides for everything and people are buying them.

Win The Lottery – Fooled By The Context

I do not want to insult anyone, but I pity the fool who thinks there is a $30 solution to the question: how to win the lottery.  But obviously the fools are out there.  People are buying, otherwise nobody would be selling.

Besides ignorance what can lead a human being to purchase this kind of nonsense?  The answer is context and presentation.

Our fool, lets call him Bob, uses the internet everyday to check the weather and sport scores.  He also uses the internet if he needs the definition of a word or needs to know  Lincoln’s birthday.  For Bob the internet is a magical place that provides true answers to his questions.

Bob is fooled by the context.

Win The Lottery – Fooled By the Presentation

Bob is sitting in front of the TV and listening intently as the pretty lady reads out lottery numbers.  When she finishes, as is Bob’s custom, he rips up the ticket and curses the TV.  Then one day, after losing for the hundredth time, he has had enough.  There must be a way to win the lottery.

Bob goes on the internet and searches, ‘how to win the lottery’.  The internet never lets him down, it must know the answer.  And sure enough it knows – Bob clicks on the first result.

Bobs eyes bulge.  So much information..  Pages and pages of information.  Testimonials, pictures of winning tickets. There are books and CD’s for sale.  For Bob books and CD and testimonials means that the information is real.

Bob is fooled by the presentation.

Are You Fooled By Context And Presentation ?

The internet is right about who won the Giants game and what to do about excessive ear wax.  But the internet has no idea how to win the lottery regardless of the size of the e-book.  Internet can tell you some things, but it cannot tell you everything.

The fact that there is an 200 page eBook and 3 hours of video does not mean there is information of any value.  Do not confuse presentation with information.

How can you tell if you are fooled by context and presentation?  If you are reading this post to find out how to win the lottery then you have a problem.

But you are not alone. According to Google – 27,100 people want to know ‘how to win the lottery’ every month. This post serves 2 functions (ordered by importance):

1. An attempt to receive 27,100 more visitors a month to this website.
2. Give you some ideas for your next website.

If this website lived in neighborhood then it would be a resident of the the Bronx. The make money online niche is a bad neighborhood.

Pity the country bumpkin who gets off the train in this neighborhood.  Mouth open and wide eyed his attention is easily captured by a psssst from the shadows of a garbage strewn alley. A man in a trench coat appears from behind a dumpster and rolls up his sleeve. 10 shiny watches line his arm. Want a gold watch for $19.99?

People will fall for it the first time, they might fall for it a second time, but not the third time. After being robbed twice they will start wearing a money belt tight around their waist. They will avoid dark alleys and men in trench coats.

Obviously this website is different. In the neighborhood but an exception. An edible apple in a rotten barrel.

My wares are sold from a well lit store. Prices are clearly marked. Merchandise is accurately described. A certificate from the Better Business Bureau hangs on the wall. A chartered accountant comes in once a year to validate the books.

In this neighborhood people are weary of buying anything from anybody. They are skeptical and hesitant. Assume everything is a scam. Trust nobody.

You can trust me. You can trust this website.

For the country bumpkin whom experience turned into a street smart city slicker here are the rules of this website:

1. This website cannot claim that making money online is easy.
2. There cannot be pictures of money. No images of dollar bills, no open potato sacks overflowing with coins, no pots of gold.
3. No exclamation points. Ever.
4. The sentence, ‘work from the comfort of your living room’ cannot be used.
5. Money is not allowed move. No fast money. No quick money.
6. You must be allowed all the time you want. The following calls to action are not permitted: Act Now, Don’t Delay, Hurry Before its Gone, Limited Time Offer, One Time Offer, Only 2 Days Remaining.
7. This website is not allowed to force you into action by placing the sentence, ‘Now its Your Turn’ above a Pay Now button.
8. This website is not allowed to break basic economic priciples. It cannot claim that you can make $5000 working 3 hours a week.
9. This website cannot claim: ‘I was just like you until I found the secret to making money online’. The word secret is not allowed.
10. This website must not exaggerate how much it cares about you. It can provide you with information but it cannot claim to care about you or your well being. Are you rich or poor, happy or sad – this website does not care.