By Paul Barrs

You've probably come across a few 'products' about this one topic already... you know the type, keyword this, research that, long tail-word this, short URL that etc. etc. etc., almost ad nauseam.

I'm not her to debunk those ideas today, because sure enough, most of them do work - but I do want to ask you one question... "Would you rather make this whole thing really easy or really hard?"

Pretty much a dumb question isn't it? But not surprising though if you've been Online any length of time, because the more and more 'research' you do into "product research" the more and more so-called magic formula, bullet proof secrets and hidden marketplaces you seem to come across.

Well, here's the truth: these so-called hidden 'secrets' were all around back when I was first getting started Online in 2000. So today I'm going to break down all those 'rules' of the game and tell you the no BS hands down truth - when it comes to product ideas and product creation, there are *no* secrets, only things that someone else knows and you don't! As you look to find new ideas, it really doesn't matter what you look for or how long the title may be or how much competition it might have. All these things are irrelevant at this time - you're just looking for some ideas and inspiration.

[Sidebar: It really doesn't matter how much competition you may have when you create your product, because all you need to make it hugely successful is just one or two good joint venture partners, nothing more.]

So then, with that aside... where do we go for inspiration and new ideas? I'm going to suggest to you that you don't immediately go looking for 'gaps' or holes in the marketplace or some missing piece that you can fill in the puzzle with. Sorry, there are none. Not any more.

I'm going to suggest that you go looking for the most popular and successful products in your marketplace or genre and ask yourself, "How can I make this better?"

I'm also going to suggest that you go looking through the article directories and find out which are the most read articles in whatever categories because these are the things that people are interested in.

Yes, you can also go looking for ideas in the search engine keyword lookup databases, such as Google's Adwords program. If you need to target a real tightly focused marketplace then go look at the smaller Pay Per Click search engines or directories that cater to that marketplace.

And then there are the directories; have you had a look around Dmoz or Yahoo or About. What about Google or Yahoo Answers? And if these sites are not around by the time you get to reading this article, what other directory sites can you find and scan through?

Have you also thought of going to your local library or newsagency and looking at the trade magazines for your product type? What about the hobby magazines, or local business publications from chamber and commerce groups etc?

The list is endless.

Finally, what should you do with these ideas as you're looking for them and some thoughts come to mind... you pick up your recording device and make notes of those thoughts and the ideas that they produce.

The biggest mistake that people make is believing that they have to have all the key elements in place for one certain idea to determine "yes it's good" or "no it's not" before they move on - no! When you go out looking for ideas, do just that... look.

Once you've got half a dozen or more ideas, *then* you can begin your research to see if any of them have merit; but just like in a group brainstorming session, don't cut your eyes out before you see the potential in your ideas.

Find them, record them, leave them alone a while - then come back to them.