We're all experts at something!

How do you know you're an expert on a topic? That's a question I get asked all the time, primarily because as a former career counsellor I always advise people to choose a job, career, or start a business where they can easily become an expert.

The huge number of expert and how-to websites that have sprung up in the last few years are an example of how even the most basic question is one that some people don't have an answer for, and the first person who gives them the answer becomes their expert.

Take a simple exercise like How to Address an Envelope. I know how to address an envelope, but there are a lot of people in this world who may never have sent a package or letter. I guess a lot of young people who've grown up with email, instant messaging, or voice over IP would make mistakes addressing an envelope.

The biggest market for that kind of information however might come from developing nations where people have simply never needed to send mail, but if a family member is living in a foreign country and sending regular letters home they might need to be show how to address an envelope. Are you an expert at addressing envelopes?

What about advertising online? A significant number of us might think that's really easy, simply find a company like a major newspaper that puts advertisements on their websites and email them to ask about their rates.

But emailing a company like Google, Yahoo, AdBrite or any of the dozens of advertising companies will likely get no response or a very confusing response. How to Advertise Online isn't easy, it's quite complex for most people, yet many Internet savvy people know how. This makes them experts, and means the knowledge they have is valuable. Someone, somewhere, will pay them for that knowledge.

How to websites are just one of the many ways we can show off our expertise or find topics where we are experts. Believe it or not everyone is an expert on something, and websites like How to Do Things prove it. The same principle is how people become scrapbooking experts, they know how to do something that seems easy, but other people pay them to teach how.

If you have an expertise in something, why not write about your expertise and sell your articles, it isn't hard, howto and expert sites are always looking for writers.