The Internet... new landscape, new opportunities

Smart and savvy marketers can earn a little extra spending cash by teaching others some of the marketing or communication skills that helped propel them from the sidelines to the frontlines of their companies and of their industries.

We all turn to search engines for quick answers. However, when it comes to learning new software or developing new skills, you need more time, focus, and control. That's why online learning has taken off so much in recent years. We're increasingly turning to the Web for both solutions and wisdom, courtesy of others with more experience than we might possess at the moment.

South African photographer and entrepreneur Manfred Werner is one of those who has gotten on board as a tutorial creator. What makes Werner's guidance so valuable is how casual he is in tone. We're all programmed to tune someone out when we're bored, but Werner tries to keep you interested and engaged by presenting his material as a peer, not a professor. For instance, check out how enthusiastic he is here about walking you through the basics to Photoshop.

Learning at your own speed

Watching a 15-minute video and digesting all of the content can be burdensome. If you need to take a break or to re-watch a section before moving on, you can pause or rewind as you wish. Having this option makes things so much more user-friendly, especially when a program (and its corresponding tutorial) builds from the beginning and you're expecting to retain it all. In-person courses don't work this way, of course, and people could easily be left behind or to fend for themselves.

That's why many sites like Skillfeed break the course into digestible components. Werner does a nice job of this in his courses to introduce people to what they're about to see - similar to how people issue a slide at the front of PowerPoint presentations to outline what will follow. In this instance, it's information about a series of lessons on making the best of YouTube.

The presenter also demonstrates a breadth of knowledge here, his skills extending from graphic design to video creation. Anyone can view the parts he or she wants to help brush up on his or her video marketing skills. Lastly, Werner also encourages his viewers to leave comments below the course so that he too can take feedback to make his future ones even better. For creative professionals and for marketers, learning never stops, even when you may be in the position of the instructor.