Garrett Chris - ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income, 3rd Editi

Chapter 1

Blogging for Money

It is hard to miss the word blog today. We hear blogs mentioned in the media, see them all over the World Wide Web, and we even hear them discussed now in business and social situations. In many cases the term blogger is used not just to describe a person who writes a blog, but also someone who earns money doing it.

This chapter examines what blogging actually is and what it involves; it then examines the different types of bloggers, and the truth about making money blogging.

Before you get into earning money from a blog, you need to know what exactly a blog is.

What Is a Blog?

So what exactly is a blog? Because you are at the beginning of a blogging book, this is definitely an issue we need to be clear on!

We can answer this question in a number of ways, ranging from the broad to the highly technical. To put it as clearly as possible, a blog is a particular type of website . You can see an example in .

Studies have shown that although awareness of blogs is increasing, many people frequent blogs without realizing it. This is fine; the key thing is that readers get value out of it. Anyone who has been reading blogs for a while, though, will know there is more to blogging than just publishing any old website.

Though blogs started out as informal lists of links and personal journals, they have evolved into a far more varied medium. In addition to diary blogs and link blogs, there are now CEO blogs, educational blogs, marketing blogsyou name it!

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Even blogs on a seemingly similar topic can be approached very differently. Just compare chrisg.com ( www.chrisg.com ) and ProBlogger ( ProBlogger.net ), the blogs belonging to the authors of this book. You can see that although blogs have a lot of features in common, they can also be implemented with your own individual style.

What Makes Blogs Different?

If blogs are just websites, what makes them so different?

In my opinion, three main areas differentiate a blog from any other type of site:

• Content Blogs are usually updated more often than traditional websites are, and this keeps visitors coming back more often. The content is also normally arranged in reverse-chronological order with the most recent post (article) at the top of the main page and the older entries toward the bottom.
• Syndication Not only can blog followers read a blog in their web browser just like they can any other website, but a blog almost certainly provides the content in the form of a feed . In other words, the articles posted to the site are provided in a machine-readable format, allowing people with the appropriate software to read the blog posts as they are published without actually visiting the site.
• Conversation The style of a blog is quite different from other types of websites; there is more of a conversational and community feel. Unlike a purely informational site, or a traditional news site, blogs are written with the bloggers communicating directly to their audience, and replies are expected in the form of comments. In addition to the conversation happening on each blog, conversation also happens between blogs, with one blog post attracting replies and responses on others.

Exercise

The best way to really get a feel for what makes blogs so special is to go out and read a few.

Find as many interesting blogs as you can and note the following:

What appeals to you?

What does not appeal to you?

What sort of content do the blogs you looked at provide?

How often do they update?

What sort of reader reaction do they get?

When you find a couple of blogs that you enjoy reading regularly, you will begin to appreciate the subtle differences in style and approach to other forms of web publishing. You might also appreciate the pleasure that blogs provide over and above their potential to generate financial gain!

The Added Benefits of Blogging

Yes, blogging has many benefits. Although many bloggers get pleasure just from the process of writing, and of course we cannot overlook the bloggers who make money, blogging may help you achieve other goals:

• Fame A successful blog has the potential to get you noticed and help you build a more visible profile in your business market, pastime, or community.
• Contacts Blogs are excellent ways to get to know people and network. Because blogs naturally lead to conversation, a well-read blog will put you in contact with a wide variety of people.
• Traffic Attracting highly targeted visitors alone could be a big draw, especially if you have products or services to sell. Website owners are always looking for new sources of traffic, and blogs are a proven way to generate more visits and increased loyalty.
• Sales In addition to gaining more attention, over time, your articles can help you generate trust and build credibility, which is critical to making sales.

I love blogging. It is great to be able to work from home, on my own schedule, while helping and meeting so many people. I cant imagine a better way to earn a living!

Making Money with Blogs

Weve already mentioned a couple of times that blogs can make you money, but so far we have offered no explanation of how that is the case. This section takes a look at how bloggers make money. While you read this, you may want to think about tactics that appeal to you.

An Introduction to Professional Blogging

Over the past few years, blogging has changed a great deal and has evolved in many ways. What was once an activity limited to a very small number of people has now exploded into a mini-industry. As the number of bloggers has exploded, so has the number of tools and services available for bloggers.

Online activities that once involved a good deal of perseverance and a lot of technical proficiency can now be quickly and easily performed by anyone with a few clicks and some typing. Web publishing has arrived for the masses.

With these developments and a growing awareness, some individuals have succeeded in profiting from their blogs. In the beginning it was almost unheard of for someone to earn money from a blog; in fact, for many, profit was seen as counter to blogging culture. This soon changed. As the first pioneers shared their income achievements, the focus on making money from blogging has increased. Now, although financial gain might not be expected, it is certainly much more accepted.

Over recent years the term professional blogger arrived to describe anyone who approaches blogging not as simply a hobby, but as a professional money-earning activity.

How Much Could You Earn?

It should be stressed before we go any further that bloggers need to enter into an examination of this topic with realistic expectations. Although millions of bloggers are experimenting with professional blogging, most bloggers are not getting rich and are only supplementing their income by blogging.

Although some bloggers, like Darren and I, do make a full-time living from blogging, and some bloggers make way more than either of us do, many more bloggers use their blogging income to subsidize gadget purchases or to offset some Internet costs.

Just like in most walks of life, those who succeed are the few who put in the effort to make a go of it over the long haul, whereas most others fall by the wayside before they really get going.

Pro Blogging Is Not a Get-Rich-Quick Tactic

It sometimes disappoints people when we tell them to look elsewhere if they want instant riches. Unfortunately for the impatient, it takes time to build a profitable blog. You do not just become a professional blogger overnight any more than you instantly become a professional golfer. If only this were the case! Although blogging involves you making a decision that you are going to earn money from blogging, it is also something you have to work toward over time.