What Do You Tell People You Do?

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Yeah it pisses me off too. People are fucking clueless to anything internet related which goes beyond checking emails and browsing websites.

My recommendation: DON'T go into any detail about what you do. Don't even say 'internet marketing' or any shit like that. I've told friends how much I make and they now drive me fucking insane. One guy who's caught onto it asks me dumb noob questions so I made my point to him some time ago and he's stopped talking to me. The friends I haven't told about try and recommend jobs to me thinking I'm wasting my life over 'internet stuff'.

If you do make good money, then you should only reveal it to the cocky arrogant employee types so they can shut the fuck up.
 


I say "I develop websites," but then they always ask "What are your websites?" and stupid questions like that. I just shrug and say they just have ads on them, to get them to shut up. Then there are the n00bs who took a HTML class and say something like making websites is easy. I just want to tell them to STFU, go home, go on your computer, click my ads, and enter your zip code.
 
Most people are completely ignorant....as soon as you say anything like "website" or "internet", they think of 2 things - EBAY & PORN.

The average person apparently thinks these are the only 2 ways someone can make money online.
 
I tell them I am an entrepreneur. Because I don't do just 1 thing, I do about 15 dif things. Of course one of them being affiliate marketing. People don't even understand what im talking about when I try to explain.

They often reply, "im going to get a computer and do what you do". I take this as a huge fucking insult. They are too stupid to "do what I do".
 
Punn3301 said:
Most people are completely ignorant....as soon as you say anything like "website" or "internet", they think of 2 things - EBAY & PORN.

The average person apparently thinks these are the only 2 ways someone can make money online.
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I agree with this 100%, its definately true in the town I live in.

BigWill said:
They often reply, "im going to get a computer and do what you do". I take this as a huge fucking insult. They are too stupid to "do what I do".
I also agree with this I've had people tell me the same thing I'm too nice to tell them they can 't but its true.
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It depends on the circumstance.

If I'm talking to someone to whom I'll have no exposure
to in the future, I'll usually say "I sell stuff online." If they
ask for more details, that's fine with me. I'm upfront and
very clear.

If I'm talking to someone to whom I'll have more exposure,
I'll offer more detail initially. I'll say "I match businesses
with customers online. I'm a traffic broker."

I was at a Christmas party and spoke with a guy who blew
me away. He looked like a corporate drone. In reality, he
and a few guys ran a business which provided the online
front and backends for hundreds of newspapers, magazines
and television stations.

Then, they sold advertising across the network of those
sites.

We ended up talking about initial price points, residuals,
run-of-networks costs and profits, etc. I learned a lot
about his business model.

I remember talking with one guy in a coffee shop. He looked
like an old, retired guy who had nothing to do but get a
cup of coffee. It turns out he was killing it on eBay, selling
these storage compartments to businesses. (Of course,
you can never know who's telling the truth, but he spoke
with the air of experience).

Again, I learned a lot. I'm a PPC guy and freelance writer.
I know nothing about eBay.

You never know who you'll meet and what you can learn. It
may not have happened had I simply dismissed those guys.
Turns out the "corporate drone" and "grandpa" schooled me.
 
Punn3301 said:
Most people are completely ignorant....as soon as you say anything like "website" or "internet", they think of 2 things - EBAY & PORN.

The average person apparently thinks these are the only 2 ways someone can make money online.
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This is so true. I gave up trying to tell people, because not only do they think that but since I'm a woman they think "ewwww....internet porn, she's a slut".

I try to avoid any conversations regarding it with anyone that doesn't know what I do. With the people that know what I do, I've learned to never talk about money because it's like turning on a "see me if you're a moocher" sign above my head.
 
Porn Spam. Shuts em up real quick. :).

No, I Just say I own my own internet marketing company which usually shuts them up just as quick.
 
I really hate when people ask this too.
I used to say adsense, but FUCK no one even knows what that is.
Then I told them like "You know the ads on the right side when you search on google. You can put these on your website and make money".

Nowadays I usually just say internet marketing, and then people seem to understand something. At least they dont continue asking wtf this and that is.
 
I say I write software the connects publishers with merchants and manages that relationship. Pretty simple for me.
 
I just smile, and leave it at that. My look + my car + my attitude + the fact that I know people wherever I go = People assume I'm a drug dealer.

Farthest from it really, but its fun to watch the way people react.

EDIT: Forgot to mention... Ive spent the last decade of my life trying to convince people that Im NOT a drug dealer. They never believe me. Once someone creates their own image of you, it won't leave them, so fuck em in their stupid asses. Now I just let em think what they want. Not my choice, I just have better shit to do then sit around and convince herd after herd of run of the mill "employee" dipshits that Im not what they say I am.

EDIT #2: Oh! And for the people that tell all of us "You know, I know this place that is hiring..." or "Well, maybe you should just get... You know... A normal job." Fuck them. That's one of the biggest insults. Thats like saying "Hey, youre a fucking dipshit, like everyone else, and you dont have what it takes to figure out how to make money yourself, so be one of us"

I hate that shit. Last time I had a "normal" job I dislocated my fucking pelvis, and 2 years later it still fucks with me each and every day. Stupid jobs.
 
kh1 said:
Porn Spam. Shuts em up real quick. :).

No, I Just say I own my own internet marketing company which usually shuts them up just as quick.
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I've used that with some of my friends, it works. They usually just laugh.
 
I tell them I'm a writer. I've published some articles, and am working on a book, so that's enough for most people.


Let me give a shoutout to Phre0nBurn. You sound like you've got your head screwed on right, brother.

You've accurately described the problem of expectations: People expect successful people to look a certain way, and life's losers look another. And most people behave in ways that accord with these expectations.

So, in order to be taken seriously you've got to either conform to the expectations of others (dress and act like a successful businessman), or upset the expectations of others (make others look beyond their first impressions and see that you've got it going on).

As you're finding out, this second course is wicked hard, and so I wish you luck. You sound like you're working hard to succeed.



P.S. Of course, there are those people who clean up really well, but are still utter dirtbags...

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I've given a lot of different explanations in the past but now I keep it simple and usually just say "online advertising" or "online marketing".

Strippers we're more impressed with it than I thought they'd be. That should be the test right there. The stripper challenge....if you can explain what you do to a stripper without looking like a fool its a pretty good explanation.
 
Aequitas said:
I used to explain it to my friends all the time but I stopped when I told one of my friends what I do and like an hour later he said he knew of a good job opening and that I should take it because eBay wouldn't support me forever. When he said that I was like umm what the fuck dude I don't have any dealings with eBay nor have I ever said I did.
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( I actually do have an eBay store but it's like 5% of what i do).

I was supposedly offered a job, pretty much the same idea. This dude wanted to know if I wanted to "get out of the house" and make some more money than "that little business thing you do."

I actually applied because I felt like getting out of the house. I work at home and thought I would either pay for an office or get paid to do an easy job a few hours a day. Plus I thought I would do this guy a favor.

I interviewed with 2 people and when I tried to explain what I did ( in the context of a generic HR interview "Why did you leave your last job?" question) they were like " oh you do something like eBay?". It was useless trying to explain anything to them. Fortunately for me, I guess I don't have to care what people think.

I pretty much Dont say anything if people ask me. Or I say something vague about working with computers. The whole "What do you do?" question has always pretty much bothered me. Some of the most idiotic worthless people I have ever known have some great job titles.. And I know some pretty cool people who do some shitty jobs. The same goes for what colleges people go to and things like that. Sometimes I just say I dont have a job at all and am not interested in it. Or I make up somthing outrageous.
 
I normally try to explain, but even people who I have told three times over get that glazed over look in their eyes.

::emp::
 
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