The interesting twist to the question of can one make money from blogging is really not how one blogger can make money, but can multiple bloggers make money?
Or, can someone else make money off multiple bloggers?
Back in Ben Johnson’s day, they passed out broadsheets at the coffeehouses, and posted them on the walls. Today individual writers are similarly limited on how to cash in as solo operators–they need a magazine, a publishers, an online vendor, for the most part, to get them those bucks. The great excitement about Google AdWords is the hope they can deliver enough cash for the solo practicioner to make all that time spent writing justifiable.
But there’s another scenario that’s just as likely: Individual bloggers will need to band together to package and sell their work–or smart news aggregators and editors will do it for them, and give them a remit. Many schemes of this persuasion are out there–but most of them are underfunded, under-energized, and fledgling. What is a magazine but the point of view of an editor, who pulls writers, artists, designers together to express a distinct point of view? In the blogging world, readers have the freedom to assemble their own virtual magazine through virtue of whose feeds these select to carry and read, but how far off is the day when some smart person offers us lazy types a re-aggregation of great political blogs (that would be easy), or great foodie blogs (also not hard), or the best slice of blogs for women in transition (divorced, empty nest, widowed, etc), or great life coach/personal development blogs?
Ease of use, simplicity, and convenience are what attract consumers, over and over. How far off is the day when some smart folks will try to build out some offerings–packages if you will–and offer them either as new forms of media–perhaps for a small fee–more likely for free, with some interesting marketing upsells once you register and get inside the wall.
When that day comes, I’m there–I know from all my dot com and print media experience that making money is the only way a great idea can survive–so unless it’s going to remain a hobby for the under employed, the blog world will find ways to evolve more than one type of cash business–and I’ll be cheering those entrepreneurs on. –And hoping they make sure to redistribute some of their cash to the creative types whose sweat equity they’re building on.
The interesting twist to the question of can one make money from blogging is really not how one blogger can make money, but can multiple bloggers make money?
Or, can someone else make money off multiple bloggers?
Back in Ben Johnson’s day, they passed out broadsheets at the coffeehouses, and posted them on the walls. Today individual writers are similarly limited on how to cash in as solo operators–they need a magazine, a publishers, an online vendor, for the most part, to get them those bucks. The great excitement about Google AdWords is the hope they can deliver enough cash for the solo practicioner to make all that time spent writing justifiable.
But there’s another scenario that’s just as likely: Individual bloggers will need to band together to package and sell their work–or smart news aggregators and editors will do it for them, and give them a remit. Many schemes of this persuasion are out there–but most of them are underfunded, under-energized, and fledgling. What is a magazine but the point of view of an editor, who pulls writers, artists, designers together to express a distinct point of view? In the blogging world, readers have the freedom to assemble their own virtual magazine through virtue of whose feeds these select to carry and read, but how far off is the day when some smart person offers us lazy types a re-aggregation of great political blogs (that would be easy), or great foodie blogs (also not hard), or the best slice of blogs for women in transition (divorced, empty nest, widowed, etc), or great life coach/personal development blogs?
Ease of use, simplicity, and convenience are what attract consumers, over and over. How far off is the day when some smart folks will try to build out some offerings–packages if you will–and offer them either as new forms of media–perhaps for a small fee–more likely for free, with some interesting marketing upsells once you register and get inside the wall.
When that day comes, I’m there–I know from all my dot com and print media experience that making money is the only way a great idea can survive–so unless it’s going to remain a hobby for the under employed, the blog world will find ways to evolve more than one type of cash business–and I’ll be cheering those entrepreneurs on. –And hoping they make sure to redistribute some of their cash to the creative types whose sweat equity they’re building on.