As you read through the boards and the articles at YNOTmasters, one of the most valuable tools you can have is a notebook by your side. If you don't have one already, stop right now and go get one ... hey, I'm not kidding, do it right now.

Here's why ...

As you read a site review of someone else's site and see a good comment, suggestion or minor error that was spotted, write it down. As you read a good suggestion in an article, jot a little note and maybe the title of the article.

Now, at the end of every week, clean up your notes. Maybe keep one page for site construction tips and another for traffic tips. Maybe another with tips and tricks. At the end of every week, take the notes you collected that week and add them to the keeper pages of your notebook.

What you're doing is giving yourself an edge over the 99% of new webmasters who will be too lazy to do this. Everyone comes here with the hopes of doing good, well, you've just been given a tool for speeding you along your way.

See, the first few months and especially the first few weeks, you'll be so saturated with new information that there's no way you're going to remember it all. If you'll develop the habit of jotting notes, you'll retain MUCH more of what you learn AND will be able to make the most from the help offered here.

Consider site reviews ...
If you've keep notes, when you get your first site up you'll have a check list of things to look for BEFORE you ask for a site review. If you've not kept notes, as often as not we're going to find the same 4 or 5 things missing that are found with other reviews so there's less new information that will be specific to improving YOUR site. When you fix the basic stuff BEFORE you ask, then those reviewing your site can hone in on giving specific suggestions to improve on your work.

Every day I come to YNOT I'm amazed at the amount of good advice so freely offered. I think that new webmasters sometimes miss quite a bit simply because they have no way to collect what they're learning so they can put it to good use later.

So do yourself a favor, keep those notes.

be well

- Khan

P.S. I've been working in this industry since 96 and I still regularly make notes when I read something good. There's always something to learn and at YNOT, there's a lot of bright minds sharing information.