Since I rolled out my very first website in 2002, I have typically created at least one, sometimes two or three new sites annually. But last year was different–I pulled everything back and maintained what I had. Yes, the sour economy meant that I needed to take a pause and pause I did.

Scaling Mountains

So why create a new website? Metaphorically speaking, I enjoy climbing mountains and conquering new lands. Through the development of new websites I gain the inspiration to do what I love to do which is to write.

My new website is called Jet Venue, but the domain isn’t new. I created it in September 2006 and operated it as a job board for business aviation professionals for a few months until I decided to go with a competing site. For the past three years the domain sat dormant as I pursued other interests, but my interest in aviation never died.

Perfect Timing?

The timing for starting this site probably couldn’t be any worse–business aviation is struggling mightily, the jobs just aren’t there and a lot of people are pursuing other lines of work. Then again, Jet Venue’s timing may be perfect: things cannot get worse, therefore this budding community may be on the leading edge of a widespread recovery.

I sure hope so–a lot of people have had a terrible time of it these past few years.

Jet Venue is of significance in that I have used WordPress as the content management system for the site. WordPress as you probably know is customizable and this site also includes a forum thanks to a nifty plug-in which enables that feature.  My previous shot at running a similar community was much more complicated than this arrangement so I’m relieved with its ease of use.

Jet Venue is a business aviation community and has been designed to appeal to corporate flight attendants, cockpit crew and maintenance crewmembers.  I may eventually expand the site to encompass other areas of interest, but for now I’m planning to maintain the site with this core group of people.

One thing I’ve already learned in the two short days since it was launched is that I know who my friends are. Several people have been spreading the word with no encouragement from me.  That makes my job so much easier and also helps me to focus on other things, namely building a better community.

Feel free to stop by and check Jet Venue out!

Back in 2002, I launched the Corporate Flight Attendant Community, a career resource site where business flight attendants could stop by, read articles, post to the forum and find work. At its peak it was the leading site of its kind, basically owning its niche year in and year out. In 2007 I sold the site to concentrate on other work including launching several new job sites.

Auto Trends Job Board Has Been Activated

Just this past week I revamped the jobs section on one of my automotive sites, by launching the Auto Trends Job Board. I’m only listing a few jobs from the start, but each position is available and companies are hiring, some for other jobs too.

But, just like every other job board I’ve managed I don’t charge visitors a fee. Not so much that I want to give everything away for free, but for the simple reason that most any job you come across online is posted somewhere else and usually at no charge.

The Origin Of My Job Boards

In 2004, I launched the Aviation Employment Board, a site that I initially had running on EZBoard, hence its name. EZBoard, if you recall the system, was faulty, quirky and prone to crash. In fact, one weekend several years ago the system was hacked, taking months for it to be brought back up online. You got it – the owners of what was once one of the most popular online communities didn’t regularly back everything up, exposing their business model and everyone’s communities to hackers.

The interesting thing about what I affectionately called the AEB is that it went up against several larger paid employment sites. Business aviation is notorious for charging fees for every service – heck, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) which represents people who own or manage private jets, hits members each year with a whopping $415 dues charge. This cost has to be borne by the lowliest worker including the struggling per diem flight attendant.

So, to do my part to level the playing field I decided to run the site and open it up to everyone – man ‘o man, were some people in business aviation angry with me!

May I Share A Secret With You?

Here is my little secret: every job site manager sourced most of the same information. When the occasional job didn’t find its way to my inbox, I was able to glean jobs by simply cutting and pasting a line or two from the free access preview page of the paid job sites into Google and finding where the full job summary was posted elsewhere for free. To get new members (I’ll call them victims) the paid sites would post just enough information about the opportunity to nonmembers, a move that they hoped would entice people to join.

That hook often worked, but it was a morsel that didn’t need to be taken. At least from the paid sites. Oh, by the way, I never joined those sites to copy and paste their information. That would have been illegal as well as unethical – entirely unnecessary too!

Of course, I managed my sites without the benefit of membership fees. Instead, I relied on Google advertising in the form of AdWords ad placement. As an AdSense publisher I was able to strategically place ads around my site, which encouraged people to click on them, resulting in a fee deposited into my AdSense account.

Google Paid Me Regularly, Sometimes Well

Each month I would receive a check from Google for all of those collective clicks which paid for my expenses and gave me something to live on. Not enough money to completely sustain me, but usually enough to cover several bills. While managing my job boards, I always kept my freelance work going (resume writing, website building, articles, etc.) and, when things got tight, I sold off the site.

Don’t think for a moment that I think everything in life should be free nor am I knocking anyone’s right to charge people for a service. However, in the case of aviation job sites – most jobs sites at that – the same information you are seeking can be found elsewhere and usually at no cost to you.

Of course, I want you to visit my automotive job board to see what I’m featuring there. Whether you visit an ad or not is up to you, but job information is posted for free. It isn’t a perfect business model, but it is something that works well for me.

The following article was originally written for corporate flight attendants. Can you relate the included tips to your career path?

Today’s economy presents some very special challenges to people who are unemployed, underemployed, or who are simply trying to give their own business venture a shot in the arm. At times, the job search can seem daunting, if not impossible, as it takes quite a bit of encouragement – and creativity – to keep pressing forward. A highly flexible [power] networking plan is important – one that requires “out of the box” thinking in order to increase your chances of securing desired employment.

The following is a list of options to pursue in order to launch a successful personal marketing plan, which is what networking is all about. Most will cost you little or nothing to implement and for the cash strapped person that can be a real help. I wrote these suggestions for business flight attendants who, understandably, have suffered much since the 2001 terrorist attacks. You can easily modify the suggestions for your particular field of interest.

1. Attend aviation job fairs [carry plenty of business cards and copies of your résumé with you].

2. Join an employment support group.

3. List your résumé with an agency.

4. Create an online résumé for additional exposure.

5. Go to retirement parties of former associates.

6. Become your local airport’s liaison to the surrounding community.

7. Attend a catering class.

8. Form a networking group in your area.

9. Go to conventions.

10. Attend other aviation related meetings [medical seminars, safety and security symposiums, dinners, golf outings, barbecues, fund raisers, 10K races].

11. Serve on an aviation related committee as a volunteer.

12. Volunteer for the Corporate Angel Network.

13. Accept other types of employment within your target company [i.e., dispatcher, sales, customer service, etc.].

14. Write an article about some aspect of corporate aviation and publish it online.

15. Organize a wine tasting seminar in your area or approach a local caterer/vineyard about being aviation’s representative to their business [be prepared to offer plenty of free publicity for them].

16. Work temporarily for a caterer specializing in inflight service.

17. Start a part time business by selling a product that corporate aviators need.

18. Finally, for the savvy [some would say nervy] flight attendant the following type of suggestion could produce dividends: Hang out at the local after work watering hole where aviation folks gather. Learn the language [culture] of the company; find out who the movers and shakers are, etc.

Some people might accuse you of being a shameless self promoter, as if you had a contagious disease. Let them think the worst of you while they sit at home fretting about work and while you are winging your way to points hither and yon!

Do not be deterred, but start thinking outside the parameters you [or others] have imposed on yourself; your goal is employment and your name is golden – as such, gold must be prominently displayed in order to command the proper attention [employment] that it so richly deserves!

Matt is the founder and former owner of the Corporate Flight Attendant Community, a career resource center for business jet flight attendants.

This morning I officially took the wraps off a new site, CabinManagers, and am inviting you to visit the site when you get a moment.

I have dubbed CabinManagers as a “flight attendant resource center” for the aspiring commercial and corporate flight attendant. Information about the airline industry, specific job information, and related tips is what CabinManagers is and will be all about.

Not Your Average Flight Attendant Job Site

Unlike some previous job boards I have previously managed and other sites currently in existence, CabinManagers is a departure from the norm.

Specifically, I’m only featuring those jobs which offer good pay, competitive benefits, and whose aircraft fleet is young. I think most airline flight attendants are underpaid and working under less than ideal conditions. Therefore, the airlines featured — Etihad, EOS, and Virgin America to name a few — are those I believe offer the best opportunities for today’s aspiring flight attendants.

Why CabinManagers?

For those of your who may know me only as a writer, my background when it comes to the world of flying is rather extensive. During the mid1980s, I provided reservation services for defunct PEOPLExpress Airline and from 1992-2002 I was employed by a pair of business aviation companies. From 2002 to 2007, I developed and sold three aviation websites.

CabinManagers allows me to keep my finger on the pulse of this industry while giving me the opportunity to share what I hope you will find to be a useful resource for cabin crewmembers and those who aspire to become one.

Tens of millions of blogs are launched every year, but a significant portion of these never make it to their first anniversary. No, I don’t have the statistics to back up my statement — just my keen observations of the blogosphere to fall back on.

Plenty of bloggers get started with a bang, but quickly grow discouraged and quit. Or, they slow down and post on an erratic basis. Days, weeks, even months pass between posts with no mention anywhere whether the blog is permanently inactive or if the blogger decided to chase after other pursuits.

Blogging When Nobody Notices

Some bloggers busily blog away despite low traffic numbers and a small following. These types of bloggers are doing what they do simply because they have a topic that is passionate to them, but still they are not getting the traffic numbers to reflect their diligence.

One blogger who fits this bill is Bobbie Sullivan, who has a network of five aviation blogs. I know Bobbie from a business flight attendant site I used to own; we hooked up there four years ago and she agreed to monitor one sub-forum for me. Since that time, Bobbie began launching the first of her blogs as well as her Aircrew Health website.

Almost A Running Joke

While Bobbie was busy with her blogs, I launched and later sold off two aviation blogs. For the many months Bobbie was busy with her aviation blogs and I was managing one of mine, the unspoken joke between us was the lack of comments our blogs were receiving. Aviation blogs can be very useful, but getting people to actively participate is difficult. Nonetheless, Bobbie and I regularly commented on each other’s blogs and shared link love here and there.

Out of the Blue: The Right Blue

This past summer Bobbie sent to me an email mentioning that she was working on a new blog, one not related to aviation. I knew that the theme would cover her Hawaiian homeland, but I had no idea what Bobbie was working on.

In July 2007, The Right Blue was launched — a blog dedicated to Bobbie and Jerry Sullivan’s passion for ocean diving. Talk about being surprised – not once in the nearly four years I talked, chatted and emailed Bobbie had she made any mention of her love of the sea. With no less than 2000 dives under their belts, the Sullivans are quite familiar with the Pacific waters surrounding the Hawaiian Islands as well as many tropical and sub-tropical waters around the world.

From Obscurity to Abundance

This past March I announced that four of Bobbie’s aviation blogs had been picked up by Aviation Week for feed inclusion on their website. Although this move has helped her traffic numbers, this still pales in comparison to the traffic now coming to The Right Blue.

On the three-month anniversary of the blog, Bobbie told her readers:

Much to our amazement and delight, The Right Blue quickly attracted many visitors beyond our circle of family and friends, and it turns out that a large percentage of those visitors return again and again. We know this not only from our traffic statistics, but because they give us feedback via comments on individual posts and on our contact form. A substantial number have subscribed to our RSS feed. They like The Right Blue!

Although I know Bobbie is passionate about aviation issues the Sullivans’ passion for the sea (ocean devotion) is evident too. Moreover, the personal photos, stories, and reader contributions have brought the blog to the forefront and have given the Sullivans something they can be proud of.

So, what is the moral of this story? Answer: whatever your motives are for blogging stick with your passion no matter what. At times blogging can be thankless, while at other times it can be tremendously rewarding — either way, your passion for a particular subject adds value to the blogosphere, perhaps in a way you don’t even realize.

Photo Credit: Pam Roth, USA