So, When one person, the GURU, has a lot of people sending him leads, most don't work out of course, but some do and they are blasted all over the internet.

There’s a rigid plastic type material that’s used in dairies and on farms that I’ve seen used.

You want to focus on markets that work with your plan and also where you have a personal connection with someone, even if you build that on the internet.

Learning from agents commonly working with investors is your next opportunity to find a mentor.To be honest, I wouldn't try to find a mentor from random investors on the internet.

All of the information is on the internet for free.

• Should utilities, internet, or services like snow removal/lawn care be included, or not?

There's some excellent relevant & recent material from very high quality individuals on this forum.

I will suggest that a seminar that sells training materials only would not have helped me. 

Because intrastate (single state) offerings must still comply with that state’s securities laws, and because with the internet its difficult for offerings of any size to be limited to investors residing in a single state, the exemption for private placements is the exemption from registration most often used. 

Internet capabilities are low, and no one wants to live there.