I've recently joined The Wealthy Affiliate University in hopes of monetizing some of my ideas and writing talents.

 The information I have read so far is helpful, written in an understandable manner and offers some great tips. I should probably start with just writing articles and trying to sell them or the WA affiliate program, but I feel like I have a really good idea!

 I suppose I shouldn't share secrets on my blog but discussing my ideas can't hurt. So, I always loved plants but never had a green thumb. Just for the fun of it, I grew a patch of mushrooms once, using what I learned from reading various articles online and reading some books, many from Paul Stammets, a mycologist I can easily identify with who has had some really great ideas in the past, going so far as to discuss "10 Ways Mushrooms Can Help Save the World" at a TED conference. Watching a video of his short speech at the conference interested me more in mushrooms- because it said that they have much more use than just as a food source.

I wanted to make something useful, something tangible and real, unlike a half-finished short story gathering digital dust in a discarded hard drive somewhere. My interests in mushrooms turned into a pseudo-science possessing the spirit of agriculture, shamanism, recycling, earth science and then some. I've seen where I can use affiliate marketing and create a sort of, Mycopedia, or encyclopedia for fungi of all sorts for the people who love the same things I do. I know its not for everyone, but I believe this niche is big enough for it to be worth the work.

 I know I have a very specific niche and I'm hell-bent on not exploiting it, but rather exploring the topic in a way that offers free, useful information written in plain English with scientific footnotes so that truly anyone could find it useful... while still making some sort of profit for my efforts.

So, there are lots of resources (plenty of them free) to help teach a person how to grow a specific mushroom, or to help a lone mycologist buy some nice quality equipment at an affordable store. However, am omniscient compilation of knowledge on the science of Mycology does not exist. There really isn't any one really great site where you can find everything you need- well, short of going to Amazon.com and spending a good amount of money.

Alas, Amazon.com, great as it may be- still does not possess a comprehensive, easy to use guide for scientists, hobbyists and truffle oil producers to browse.

Summarily, I feel that I have a targeted niche group that I can offer something useful to. I have some experience (both with affiliate marketing and mycology) so I'm not just some armchair philosopher spouting out useless, trendy nonsense, but an idea I can and do believe in. I know that with some affiliates I can share my percentage of the earnings with my own customers, so potentially I could offer a discount (also an affiliate sale) to one of my website's visitors, who will return because I have a free wealth of knowledge on his hobby. Also, I know that I want my website to be proactive and interactive for the visitor, so I'd like to offer a Wiki format Mycopedia that is a creation of the masses, not just mine alone. Perhaps it will be a failure, or maybe one day it will help us in diplomatic relations with space traveling Myconoids or offer a springboard for research into working reverse-tolerance antibiotics.

 All in all, I have a good feeling! I think I have something good to share and the people who will say I'm just enabling drug dealers... well, I'll direct them to projects that are in action at this very moment to help clean up the terrible oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.

 A really long-winded Patrick / that enduser13 person