I’ve done a lot of online research looking for a good training course, that I can take online, for interactive marketing. I want to become expert in:

• Email marketing and e-newsletters
• CRM segmentation and data collection
• Web design and usability
• How to make the most of RSS
• SEM and SEO
• Online surveys and incentives for customers to participate

This seems to be a hard course to find. Someone could make a lot of money if they’d create this type of course! Any experience or advice would be greatly appreciated.

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Jay’s Answer: There are categories such as: aware, knowledgeable, and expert.

Expertise is the rarest of qualities. It’s more than courses. It’s applying what you’ve learned to see what works and doesn’t (for you) over time. It’s being willing to continually learn new things, and research new ideas on your own to develop insight.

Knowledge is sitting down and studying. It’s taking courses to find the tools others have used to solve problems. It’s simple exercises to give you the feel for things.

Awareness is talking about the various problems/solutions, but not with much granularity. You’ll be able to understand the buzzwords and may have some ideas for how to solve problems.

All of the areas you’re asking about are currently "fluid" – there are few techniques that everyone agree are best for all applications. People are trying everything out to see what "sticks". And, as users get more sophisticated, the tools they need likewise change.