This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
When it comes to what can be done online, one thing's for sure. Our expectations, our understanding, our experience even has changed so much since early 2020. Even with travel resuming in lots of places, business travel is still far behind. And part of that is not just because of concerns of safety or the difficulty of logistics, it's because people who've realized online meetings can work just as well as in-person meetings, at least in many cases. Maybe not a hundred percent, but definitely a lot more, whatever the percentage is, definitely a lot more than we imagined before the days of the pandemic.
And we've also seen all kinds of other stuff that has started up from virtual meditation to choirs conducted by Zoom. Of course, all forms of schooling and education of all kinds, many other examples. But the question, that's what we're talking about here today, and by the way, welcome to Cytosol School. My name is Chris Guillebeau. The question is, is there a limit to what can be done online?
Because our listener, our caller today is testing it. Let's consider if there's a way she can teach stand-up paddle boarding from behind a screen. As I said, we've seen all kinds of activities and stuff that's gone online, but might this be taking it a bit too far? Well, let's see, you'll hear from her. And then my answer, is there a market for online stand-up paddle board lessons?
It's coming up in just 30 seconds. [Music]
Hi, Chris. This is Gwen from Frisco, Colorado, and I found the show from a friend's recommendation. During the pandemic, I saw so many people get creative with offering online experiences that were always in-person before. We're able to do in-person events now, but I'm still thinking about the potential for online because my local area is fairly small and relies on a tourist season that only lasts a few months a year.
Can anything be taught virtually? What about something like stand-up paddle boarding that usually requires offline elements like a lake or river, not to mention some gear that's definitely not virtual? I go back and forth between thinking that there has to be a way or that this is a totally ridiculous idea. Which is it? Thanks.
- Well, you know what, Gwen, it could be both. It could be a awesome idea or it could be totally ridiculous, and that's just how this world works. We've had some totally ridiculous ideas that have actually been very profitable on the podcast, which is one of my favorite things about working on it, is I get inspired by all the things people are doing. So anything is possible, absolutely. But if you want my best guess, here's my best guess.
Is there a limit to what can be done virtually? As mentioned in the introduction, we have been all surprised that there's so much stuff that can be done online, virtually, digitally, that we never expected before. But it's also true that some activities benefit from hands-on teaching instruction modifications. And also, while you can do yoga in your living room, you can't really do stand-up paddle boarding in your living room, unless your living room is a lot different from mine. In my living room, I don't have a free-standing lake, right?
So in these situations, what do you do? I think you don't proceed blindly. Like first, you ask, who are the people I'm trying to reach? Am I trying to reach those who have never done this activity before, like those tourists who come for the season and would like to go out on the lake? Or am I trying to reach people who are in the stand-up paddle community already?
Because those two audiences are very different, like people who are actually hobbyists, people who actually do this frequently are very, very different from the tourists who come for a season and want to do it once. So there may be something of interest for the second group, the group of hobbyists, in terms of a virtual experience, the people who already have some experience doing the actual non-virtual paddle boarding. But basically, your strategy and tactics should be guided by what people want. So you need to find out, not just assume you know best one way or another. But my quick guess would be people are probably not interested in a virtual stand-up paddle boarding experience.
But feel free to prove me wrong. If you do, let me know so we can come back on the podcast and I could say, everybody, I thought it was gonna be this way, but I was wrong. So anything is possible, but some things might be easier than other things. So I always try to encourage people to find the thing that's easiest, at least the most feasible. All right, thank you again, Gwen.
Thank you, listeners. That's it for today. But if you have a question, come to sidehustleschool.com/questions. We'll continue to feature them throughout the year, along with updates from other listeners. As they launch their projects, stand-up paddle, canoe, kayaking, in your living room, who knows, somebody's gonna do it.
So let me know if it's you. All right, my name is Chris Guillebeau. You are listening to Sidussle School. [Music]
From the Onward Project.
