Membership sites have become one of the biggest trends on the Internet recently.
And it's even more powerful now with the popularity of social networking sites like Facebook.
Could a membership site work for you? American Express made famous the slogan, "Membership has its privileges", and then went on to describe what you'd get if you had an Amex card.
But of course American Express membership also has benefits for American Express - including:

• A recurring source of income
• A loyal community of members
• The opportunity to partner with other organisations

Could a membership site work for you? Hmmm...
maybe.
Before you launch your membership site, consider these three factors.
1.
Value Do you have proven valuable expertise that people are willing to pay for? If you've already got an established information business - in speaking, training, coaching, consulting and the like - the answer is probably "Yes".
You'll be delivering similar value to your members, so it's important to know others already consider it valuable enough to pay for.
If you don't already have an established business like this, you're taking more of a risk.
That's not to say it won't work, only that you have to be more careful and diligent.
2.
Products Do you have a suite of high-value products you already bundle in with your services? If so, you can start offering these to your members as well - either free of charge, or at a lower rate than the retail price.
You'll be regularly adding products and other resources to your membership site, so be sure you know what people value.
3.
Network Do you have a network of clients and prospects who might be interested in joining your membership site? This will probably be your e-mail newsletter list at first.
Later, you can consider joint ventures with other businesses to promote your membership site to their databases as well.
But start with your own first.
Do you also have a network of colleagues and partners you can introduce to your members - for example, guest bloggers, experts you can interview or guest presenters on webinars? This will make it easier for you to continue offering high-value material to your members.
Did you answer "Yes" to all three questions? If so, then you might be ready for a membership site.
Before you jump in, though, start by joining one - so you get some experience of how it works.
This is a good idea anyway, even if you didn't answer Yes to all the questions.