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Making a Living Blogging – True or False?

Making a Living Blogging – True or False?

Since the announcement of what I will be talking about at WordCamp UK this weekend, I have had some interesting feedback. The topic is “Making a Living from Blogging”. I didn’t realize the subject would be so controversial!

The reactions I have received have fallen into three broad categories:

  1. Impossible!
  2. I do …
  3. How do I …

Some of those in the first category have been adamant that just by going ahead with my talk I am selling snake oil.

The fact is, I make my living through blogging and there are quite a few others doing the same. It’s not just the famously profitable folks like Darren and John Chow. I asked the question over at LinkedIn and answers are beginning to come in from others who make all or part of their income through blogs and blogging.

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There are numerous routes to earning money from blogs, but each takes time and continued effort. I think most of the problem people have with the subject is there are those who would have you believe it is a quick and easy way to make big bucks, when it is anything but.

What do you think about the whole making money from blogs subject? For? Against? Wish everyone would stop talking about it? Please let us know in the comments …

View Comments (11)
  • Neutral to the topic. If some one can, very much more power to them. If people can be discouraged from it because they don’t understand the work involved with it, even better. Lots of people ae casually involved with the Internet but not aware of the financial picture and costs behind it, nor are they aware of the time commitment required. Educating people about both those would do a service to everyone.

  • I think it’s a great topic to speak on, Chris, so long as you’re realistic about the amount of hard work needed!

    I’m not yet making a living from blogging, but I am making some nice pocket money from staff-blogging for three blogs. (My own blog is slowly raking in the pennies from GoogleAdsense, but it’s not yet enough to pay for dinner out…)

    I’ve been trying to get my writing published for years, and having no success with articles and little with short stories — blogging has earned me FAR more in a few months than these combined. It’s also opened up a world of freelance writing and web content work for me, so even if I don’t make a living JUST by blogging, I certainly intend to make one by writing and creating websites. :-)

    Ali

  • I blog because I have a passion for my topic and for my reader. With that said, it sure is nice to learn how to make money to offset the costs of the website.

    In the past year I have learned how to make money through advertising on my website, and see a steady increase in my income. Reading blogs on how to make money blogging has helped tremendously.

    As long as I find value in the blog post on the subject of “how to make money blogging”, I will read it. The blog must relate information I can use towards increasing my income.

    Therefore, I like reading posts concerning making money blogging, but they must be of value to me as the reader.

  • I’m happy to say that I make more blogging than at any other job I’ve had (okay, I was an English teacher). If I were young and didn’t have a kid, I could definitely support myself on what I make through display ads and affiliate marketing. Since I am a parent, let’s just call it a healthy contribution to the family assets.

  • My ultimate goal is to support my family from blogging and some consulting work. I’ve been working my butt off on my blog for a little less than 2 years, and it will probably take 3 more to really feel self-sufficient, unless I get really lucky. However, there’s nothing more that I want than to work from home, make my own hours and not have to be accountable to anyone but myself and my readers. I think it’s possible but it takes determination and discipline.

  • My entire income comes from blogging. It doesn’t make me rich, but it is enough to live on, and my current salary is similar to what I made in my last “tradtional” job. So yes, I think it’s a perfectly legitimate topic to discuss: I think the problem is that many people think it’s an EASY way to make a living, and it definitely isn’t. I work harder now than I ever have, and I think many full-time bloggers would say the same.

  • IF DONE WRITE IN A NICHE THAT NEEDS IT, YES YOU CAN MAKE LOTS OF MONEY. PEOPLE LIKE PROBLOGGER’S OWNER PROVES THAT FACT. THE THING IS YOU HAVE TO HAVE 2 IMPORTANT THINGS. NEW POWERFUL INFORMATION AND HIGH VISIALBITY (I.E. GOOD ADVERTISING) WITH BOTH OF THIS ITS HARD FOR PEOPLE TO SAY NO TO YOUR CONTENT. RONALD H.

  • Most people don’t make a living from their first job – because it’s entry level and usually involves fast food. A real living wage usually isn’t earned until one acquires some experience, learns to buckle down, commit to doing the job full time every day, and work up the food chain past entry level. Any worthwhile career is going to require all of that – why would blogging be any different? BTW, volunteering is a great way to get your foot into any dream job’s door. So maybe that’s what free bloggers are doing – volunteering.

  • As a beginning blogger, I’m interested in the experiences of those who have come before me. It’s certainly clear that an entire income can be made from blogging, but as in real life, not everyone will be successful. Only those with real talent and dedication will work their way to the top. What I have gleaned so far is that it is important to be enjoying the blogging for what it is first. If you don’t love it, you will likely not do great work. Second, I believe you have to blog like you are a professional. Not to say you can’t have a lot of fun doing it, but I think it’s important to use strong, professional habits early, so that you are not trying “do better” later. The old saying goes, “you practice how you play.” If you want to build you’re blog pay attention to the details early to build the trust with our readers.

  • So far, nobody has said ‘no.’ An important issue as I see it is the relatively trustworthiness of the blogger. Do the readers anticipate some level of neutrality or objectivity, and if so, is the advertising likely to influence the blogger’s opinion such that it affects the quality or reliability of the material? In the interests of transparency, I like seeing a statement from the blogger explaining that advertising is being used, and that it is a more reliable way to support the site than expecting readers to send nickels & dimes.

  • Blogging is all about Persistence. I am at it over 1 year and find I am only really learning about certain important aspects of it. Keywords and Anchor Text are two Goldmines that I had forgotten – these are the ways one makes money. I found out today that 1 good backlink is better than 500 crap ones – it took me 1 year to really find that out. Though I am currently paying my rent from it(Not bad for 12 months), I am running many blogs and working long hours. I fully intend to become very rich from Blogging, I see it as a huge oppurtunity that has no end.

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