———–that’s great,Bring Something New to the Blog Table

I was playing. I’ve got a few friends in Montana and feel that the beauty of the state trumps that of pre-tech Colorado (where I live). I could see investing some money on land up there but my wife might question my intentions. I’ll have to butter her up (no comments on this statement, please).

Play nice, Brian. And if you haven’t been paying attention, Montana is the NEXT Florida and Arizona for retirement destinations in the US. It’s amazing how many people I’ve talked to this year who say they are working towards buying property and retiring in Montana. Get in on this early and you have a great niche!

I agree with you regarding John, he’s definitely put the effort to become the defacto expert in the area of “monetary blogging” and you’re also right, there are too many wanna bes. I find it frustrating though when I find blogs that have potential yet offer only one thing: here’s my ad, click on it!

I’ve been blogging since 2004 (I started on a flight to Singapore). One of my concerns has been keeping private about my work. I’ll write about it but I won’t disclose my company name, specifically what I do, or coworkers names, etc. I don’t know how many people out there have used the medium yet find their jobs in jeopardy because they said, “Hey, I work for (enter company name) and they are a bunch of idiots!” The whole concept of privacy should remain important.

Finally, Lorelle, you’ve given me a lot of insight and ideas in the blogging world but I consider myself more autistic than artistic. Maybe one of these days I’ll be as good as you and your counterparts and be what I consider an authority in the blogging world.

To Elva:

I find business blogging interesting. There are those who use the medium for true communication, insight, and knowledge, while there are those that do just the opposite. Companies like Oracle, Microsoft, etc., seem to have PR goons write the corporate blog entries instead of getting the true insight from those who should be writing the entry. I’d love to know Bill Gates’ stance on Vista SP1 and why he feels that performance improves were less important than security and bug patching. Maybe 2008 will be different, we’ll see!

The more I read about blogging, I see how much trouble it is, especially for a freelancer w/out corporate technical support behind you.

I agree w/Brian, above. Unless you work for an organization who will publish your blog, too many have to scramble to make money.

For-profit blogging is the next-gen version of fashioned op-ed columns found in newspapers and industry magazines. I read them to see what my peers are doing and learn from their experiences and observations.

Yes, there are too many bloggers blogging about blogging.

You can still blog because blogging is a joy. That’s a hobby. If you blog for income, it’s a business. So blog accordingly.

Bloggers like John Chow were able to make a success out of blogging because he created a niche early on and came to be known as an expert. He didn’t share the day to day struggles of his life, his whines about family, school, work, etc. He created a specific area of expertise early on and made it his own. Unfortunately, we have too many John Chow wanna bes.

I’ll be starting a series soon on my blog, and possibly here, on personal blogging, which includes hobby blogging, where the love of blogging exceeds the desire for income – even though it might turn into one.

I agree. If you do it for the love of it, you are among some of my favorite bloggers. :D

I find blogging as an excellent method of relieving stress, remembering elements of the day, and helping me to bring focus to my usually chaotic life. I’m not interested in making money from my blog, SEO, etc., etc., I’m simply blogging and that’s it. Back in the days of BBSes, there were the hobby systems and the business systems. The hobby systems, the one or two line systems that wouldn’t charge, offered a lot of community, fun, and games. Then there was the business systems, the 16+ line systems that would charge a few dollars per month and offer the same and more. Comparatively, who had the bigger user base? The business system. Who had the better users? The hobby system.

I have seen this trend 6 months ago. Instead of a blog about blogging, I decided to focus on a niche that hasn’t been thought up yet. I decided to focus on the Filipino blogging community, in which I am a part of.

This has set me apart from the rest of the crowd and had made me known throughout the community.

I think so many people want to start a blog on blogging because they think it’s the fastest way to make money. I’m sure the results are kind of like those old advertiements you used to see in the back of magazines. Make money through mail order! It’s fast, it’s easy! Watch the cash roll in! Only $9.95!

But when you send away for the package, you end up with instructions on how to put ads in the back of magazines…

When I started my self-titled blog, I blogged about numerous topics in a very boring and incomplete way. After some months of experimenting and finding a style that is natural, I’ve become a bit of a pundit in the blogging industry with a humorist twist. As such, I’ve been writing more posts that mix humor, of various styles, with industry facts, opinions and useful tips. The response has been fantastic!

Reading over you post inspires me to further refine this style. Excellent advice as usual.