Photo Credit wilhei55′s photos

On two of my favorite blogs, both authors have written about gambling, in December 2007, Hunter published an article titled “I won the lottery”, and recently, Nez wrote a post titled ” Who Are The Gamblers?”

Lotteries and casinos, are notorious for aiming their marketing toward those that should not be risking their money on odds that often exceed a million to one. Sure, the casinos and state lotteries post signs that say something like this “Gaming should be used for entertainment purposes only, and should not be used for investment opportunities”

But, many people, even if they are, will not admit they are gamblers, let alone, addicted to gambling.

Today’s Lesson

Bloggers are actually big gamblers.

How, you ask?

First, we take a gamble when we get a blog. We don’t know if we will actually like blogging, but we flip a coin, and give it a try.

If we pay a web host, we are spending money on something we’re not certain will give us a return on our investment.

We write, what we feel/think, taking a gamble that others will want to read it, let alone comment.

Then we sign up for free, time consuming, affiliate programs, gambling visitors will click on our links.

Have you ever played a slot machine? I have. You give it some money, hit the button/pull the handle, and wait for the little characters to line up. If they do, you win, if they don’t, you try again….spending more money.

With blogging, we do the same thing, We publish posts and think we are going to be “lucky”. We hope to get lots of traffic. If we don’t, we keep trying, publishing more and more articles. We know, with just the right post, we will get discovered and become an overnight success. As gamblers often mutter, “just one more time”, we do the same thing.

Let’s look at stat checking. That’s just like watching the numbered balls as they roll out of the Power Ball cage. We set our traffic goals, and hope to see the exact numbers, but as they roll out, we realize we’re not a winner. We’ll try again tomorrow.

Blogging can also be compared to poker. The dealer quickly throws cards your way, you peek, put on your best “poker face” and cross your fingers. You win and get more chips (traffic/credibility), if you lose, your chips are taken away (decrease in traffic/credibility).

Look at the big name bloggers. They are like the dealer. They might throw you a “21″ (link), but chances are, no matter how many times you comment on/link to their site, they won’t. They know you’re a sucker for a link, and take advantage of it. They’re laughing all the way to the bank. I believe the saying in gambling is, “the odds are always in favor of the “house”".

You might say, but I love to blog for the sake of sharing and helping others.

That is great motivation for blogging. In fact, that’s why I blog.

But, we are also gambling..

Just like all bloggers, our biggest investment in blogging, is time.

Are you getting a “return” on your (time) investment?”

That’s a question, only you can answer.

Today’s Assignment

Are you winning with your blog?

Is your (time) investment paying off?

Is your dream to be a “dealer”

If you were a “dealer”, would you throw more “21′s” (links)?

Do you feel like the “house” and have the odds in your favor?

Or, is it time to give up this addiction, and find more useful things to do with your time?