When you're researching a business and/or trying to build one, there certainly is a lot to learn. There are a lot of subscription based websites offering information for business focuses. Some are good, some are not so good, and some are just plain lousy. So how do you tell before you plunk down your hard earned dollars on a subscription commitment to an information site?
Free Sample Content - Does the site offer free samples of their content? This should be real content, not just 'teaser' sales-letter pages. A good content provider will gladly provide valuable, sample content to demonstrate their value.
How much commitment - What level of commitment do they require? Can you pay for a short term like one month? If you can't make your decision based on the free sample content, then you will want a short term 'test commitment'. This will give you a way to determine how valuable their content is before making a long term commitment. Be suspicious of subscription-based websites that require longer term commitments right up front.
How often is the content updated? If you do sign on with a short term commitment, you can look to see how often content has been added over the past year or so. Are they only adding one new content article per month, for example? A site that doesn't update their content very often is not very valuable as a paid subscription service.
Getting Out - Sooner or later, you'll want to cancel your subscription. Are there clear instructions on how you cancel your membership? Do they post their phone number and address, as well as email address contact information?
Money Back Guarantee - Does the site offer a satisfaction guarantee? Legitimate content providers who have confidence in their quality will have no problem offering a money back guarantee. The absence of a money back guarantee on the other hand, also says a lot.
There are plenty of poor quality information sites on the internet. Just like making any commitment, it pays to do your homework first to avoid getting ripped off by 'information sharks'.
About the author: Frank Ross is a 20+ year veteran of the Information Technology industry. He has worked in corporate America at various management and administrative levels, but for the past few years has struck out on his own - from his home. He owns and operates several home-based product-based e-commerce websites. He also maintains a Home-Based Business blog.