Lightening’s Problogging Questions
By AndrewBoyd • Dec 5th, 2007 • Category: Blogging tipsLightening wrote the following comment on a post about NaBloPoMo:
The immersion/daily posting is an interesting one. Somewhere around June of this year I made a commitment in my head to post as many days as I could. I very rarely post EVERY day but was posting around 90% of the time I guess. If I’m away I don’t post for instance. I have found the more often I post, the easier it is to post often if that makes sense. I guess you get into the groove of writing and thinking about ideas to write about. I don’t usually “pre-plan” what I’m going to post about because I prefer the “fresh, straight out of my head” type sharing. 2 days to go of Nablopomo and I have about half a dozen different things I *could* post on today.
Would I be a professional blogger if I could? YES!!!! LOL. I didn’t start blogging with making money from it in mind. I don’t really know why I started to be honest. But they say if you can find something you love doing and then make an income from it - that’s the best way! Well, I LOVE blogging. More than I ever thought I would. In fact, I would describe myself as passionate about it. Maybe too passionate some days.
My reservations:
* would that change how much I love it?
* would it change the nature and tone of my posts?
* would it change my readers view of me and what I have to say? Would it somehow affect the credibility of my posts?
* would I ever be able to build my readership to a level where I’d ever make enough to be considered “professional” (and what would be the description of a “professional blogger”?) - I’m currently a very small blogger in terms of readership.
* my lack of technical knowledge I think would make it rather hard to achieve.
* it would seem it’s a “niche” that is rather hard to achieveApologies for the essay but you really got my heart pumping with that question. I think I would be extremely happy even to make a small amount of money from blogging - enough to justify at least some of the time I invest in it.
Well, Lightening, there are a few questions there 
I think that being passionate is the real answer. With passion and a little faith all things are possible.
Here are a few thoughts about your questions - and I’d be interested to hear what you (and everyone else) thinks about the answers. I’m not a professional blogger (yet) but it is something that I am working towards, and something I’ve put a lot of thought into. The following are my best guesses and very much subject to confirmation - so if you know different, tell me
- would that change how much I love it? I think that this depends on a couple of different things. As a part time web volunteer and professional mainframe monkey who became a full time webby (and now a consultant IA) I can say that it is entirely possible to do your hobby as your career and love it. I know that Tim Ferriss (Four Hour Work Week) says that it is a bad thing, and I agree that doing your hobby professionally does make maintaining the work/life separation near impossible (which was Tim’s objection). I think that giving up the day job too soon would lead to financial pressures that would make blogging less enjoyable - but this applies to any field of human endevour.
- would it change the nature and tone of my posts? This is an interesting one - my guess is that people rarely get to be a problogger without becoming really popular, and this may require a change in posting style (and I’d guess that this depends on your niche).
- would it change my readers view of me and what I have to say? Would it somehow affect the credibility of my posts? I think that this depends as well - if you turn into John Chow, then you may lose some credibility. If you maintain your credibility then I’d suggest that the credibility of your blog and your every post will be maintained as well. I could write an essay on some of the less honourable things that some people do to make money online that have put me off their blogs - let me know if you would like me to go further
- would I ever be able to build my readership to a level where I’d ever make enough to be considered “professional” (and what would be the description of a “professional blogger”?) - I’m currently a very small blogger in terms of readership. This is something that seems to go hand in hand - lots of readers equals professional (or at least the possibility of going pro). That is the popular conception - but thinking laterally, you could be a relativey anonymous person who runs a successful blog network, or a social networking application/site/tool - that said, I think that building up readership is still generally a precondition of being considered a professional. The counterquestion is this - would you rather be considered a professional blogger or make professional money through a series of blog-related activities? Do you want the name or the cash?
- my lack of technical knowledge I think would make it rather hard to achieve. Technical knowledge will only get you so far - there are a lot of technical specialists that don’t make as much money as talented generalists who know how and when to source technical expertise when it is required. Trust me, you can probably learn enough to get by.
- it would seem it’s a “niche” that is rather hard to achieve. I think that this is a fair call - there are upwards of 100 million blogs, and nowhere near a hundredth of this making enough money from blogging to live on. The trick is, it doesn’t matter which field you work in, if you are top 100 in the world then you’ll probably make money from it.
And how do you make a small amount of money? This is an interesting question. The simple answer is through direct advertising and affiliate marketing - for a start, just to get a feel for it, I would:
- get a Google AdSense account (http://google.com/adsense) and install a few ad blocks around your blog - you (Lightening) are with Blogger, and they make this easy,
- join the BUMPzee Australian Blogs Community and start to promote your blog, and
- work towards increasing your Technorati and/or Google Rank (such that other ad services like Text Link Ads will accept placements for your blog).
You’ve already got some affiliate ads on your blog - good start. There are a thousand other things that are possible - for example, the best affiliate marketing deal/alternative to AdSense is the subject of much debate, and there are a lot of ethical ways to promote your blog, but the above is a start - and it will make you some money (probably not much more than a few cents in the first month, but see how you go and let me know).
AndrewBoyd is a consultant by day and blogger by night. He loves good food, good wine, and discussing faceted classification schemes with friends.
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Thanks for going into so much detail on this.
My brain is scrambled eggs at the moment (you’ll find out why soon!) but I have read it a couple of times and attempted to absorb it.
I like your comment about financial pressures being the possible source of reducing enjoyment rather than simply earning money. I hadn’t thought of it this way. I blog because I love it but earning money would be icing on the cake. I’m not starting to blog with the hope of making a living. I’m just adding to what I already do. So if I keep that in mind, there’s no reason why I can’t have my cake and ice it too! LOL.
I did start out with google adsense because it was easy and because I found a few websites through other people’s ads that were helpful to me. I felt uncomfortable at first because I wasn’t sure about earning money blogging. I think I earnt $2 the first month and $4 the second. It seems there are a lot of stories floating around the web that people get close to the $100 minimum payout and google goes and pulls their account and their money as well. I got a bit scared that they might rip me off and end up getting free advertising for how ever many years it took me to get to $100. LOL. What are your thoughts on this? (I know, I’m always full of questions lol).
I’m not familiar with John Chow. Is that a good thing? I’ve only just progressed beyond dogpaddle when it comes to the whole blogpond so I haven’t ventured very far yet. LOL.
Niche - I still haven’t worked out if I have one and if it REALLY matters (I know the bigger bloggers say it does). Trying to work out if “me” counts as a niche. LOL.
As for going “pro” - well if you go by the idea that a “pro” is someone who makes money then I already am. I’ve made $22 so far!!! LOL. Okay, I guess the tax office would consider that to be a hobby so maybe not really “pro” until I earn enough for the tax office to consider me a “business”????? I am extremely egocentric (aren’t we all?) so naturally I want people to “love” me more than I want money (but only just!!!
).
I suspect this comment will simply confirm for you that my brain is indeed “scrambled eggs”. Oh, and I found you have another blog - see, told you I don’t know much about the blogpond yet!
P.S. You did say essays in comments was okay didn’t you????????
Hi Lightening,
thank you for your comment.
Essays in comments are fine - and if you find them getting too long, make a post of it instead and you can call yourself my first official guest poster
For myself, I’ve been through financial pressure in the past and I don’t want to repeat it if possible, ever
AdSense is a start - if you’ve tried it, and it didn’t work for you, then do something different. Text Link Ads will pay out on $3.50 if that is all you earn (I know it from personal experience) but they have a lot of rules about which blogs they will take.
I think that niche does matter - and generally if you’re making money blogging without a distinct niche, then chances are you are the niche
I’d say “pro” to me means making enough such that it replaces some or all other sources of income.
I don’t think that your brain is scrambled eggs at all - you are capable of delivering a structured train of thought, which is more than I could say for some people who comment on some other more popular blogs I could mention.
Speaking of which - John Chow runs a series of blogs including johnchow.com - if you want to know how to make some short-term money by getting up your reader’s nerves, then it is a good place to start. It is not my speed at all.
Please keep commenting, I look forward to reading them
Best regards, Andrew
Hi Andrew & Lightening
Before anyone considers going “Pro” with blogging I highly recommend reading these 2 posts:
Darren (a 6 figure Aussie blogger) - http://www.problogger.net/archives/2005/03/22/monkey-bar-blogging/
Myself (a 5 figure Aussie blogger) - http://www.bhatt.id.au/blog/how-i-earn-lots-of-money-by-blogging/
Hi andrew
Please add a link to this post http://www.problogger.net/archives/2007/11/30/how-much-money-do-bloggers-earn-blogging/ by Darren to my last comment.
It shows that around half the bloggers trying to blog for money earn about 33c/day
thanks
Hi Neerav,
thank you for your comments. The advice of those (like yourself and Darren) who are out there doing it is invaluable.
I am not sure that anyone would consider going pro without the pro income, and I am not sure that I would count myself amongst the people that ever want to blog for money. I’d like to help people via metablogging and be paid for it one day, in much the same way that I help people through consulting now and earn money from it. The end result is the same, but not the journey.
Best regards, Andrew (an “I’m not saying how many” figures consultant)
Oooohhhh….guest post????? me??????
A list of questions might not make much substance for a post. LOL.
Neerav Bhatt - I appreciate those links. I guess then we’re assuming a “problogger” is someone who can actually give up their day job which makes sense. Now, I am currently a stay at home mum so 33c a day is still MORE than I make in my day job. LOL.
Having said that, I think the information on how to earn an income from your blog is often useful to a small hobby blogger as much as to a problogger. Okay, I *get* that some income streams are only available to the really big bloggers but on the whole I think the way to earn an income is essentially the same (correct me if I’m wrong).
I figure I’ll take my “33c” and see if I can build on that from there. My biggest dilemma right now is which crowd I want to start with. I like how simple google adsense is and I like the way they cater to the readers of your blog. I just don’t know if I trust them enough right now. I’m in the process of applying for blogher but once I go down that avenue I’m limited in my other choices (unless I decide to cease the blogher). What I DON’T want to do right now is lose any readers. I would rather have my readers and no money than the other way round (okay, I know I can’t have it the other way round anyway but still….).
Can I ask one little question (promise you won’t laugh at me????). What is metablogging?
Hi Lightening,
you would be more than welcome to guest-post here - a lot of your comments are longer and more involved than many guest posts I have seen
I agree 100% that practical information is of use to everyone - and Neerav’s recommendations are spot on (as far as I can see).
Metablogging is a fancy pseudo-techie word for blogging on blogging - as metadata is data that describes the data, so metabloggers talk about other bloggers and the process/business of blogging.
Best regards, Andrew
LOL. Yeah I know, I talk a lot!
That’s why I started a blog! Thanks for the explanation on metablogging. I’m learning more than 1 thing a day at the moment that’s for sure!
Hi Lightening,
thank you for your comment and for talking a lot
Seriously though, I’d love to have you guest blog here - let me know if you want to do it.
Learning is something that I often give thanks for - there is much to know and there is much pleasure in the finding.
Best regards, Andrew
I like that “there is much to know and there is much pleasure in the finding”.
Yes, I think I would like to write a guest post for your blog. I’m just working on one for Snoskred’s “out of your niche” and when I next get a moment I might put something together and email it to you to see if you think it is suitable. Would that be okay? It might take me a week or so to get that far but I have a bit of an idea that *might* be alright.