Archive for the Category »Making Money «

darren 1 199x300 A.S.K. Darren Rowse   Problogger   How To Become A Six Figure Blogger
If you blog, you’ve most likely heard stories of how A-list bloggers are pulling down a six figure income. Reading those stories is one reason many are attracted to blogging. They, too, would love to quit their day job, stay home, blog in their pajamas, and watch the dollars roll in.

Making money fast on the internet is often glamorized as an easy thing to do. But, if we do our homework, we realize there’s more to making money with a blog than just throwing up some ads and waiting for our readers to click and/or buy.

Part of doing research on making money on line is asking an expert their viewpoint. So, in part four of my A.S.K. (Answers Sharing Knowledge) series with Darren Rowse, author of Problogger and co-author of ProBlogger: Secrets Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income A.S.K. Darren Rowse   Problogger   How To Become A Six Figure Blogger

I asked

My readers would be very disappointed is I didn’t ask you about making money with a blog. Realizing many things have changed in blogosphere since you started, if a new blogger approached you today, and asked how they too, could become a “six figure” professional blogger, what advice would you give them?

Darren answered

The first thing I’d say is to get a ‘real job’ to sustain yourself while you build your blog. It doesn’t happen over night. For me I had a number of part time jobs that I slowly gave up over a couple of years while my blogging income grew.

Secondly I’d say build a blog on a niche topic that you think advertisers would pay to align themselves with. You want to build a destination on the web with authority, influence and reach on a specific topic.

Lastly – build trust with readers. This means building relationships, being relatable and making personal connections. When you do this people are more likely to become loyal to your blog but also to respond when you promote affiliate products.

Reflecting On The Answer

Thank you Darren for sharing your answer with us. Contrary to what others write, it’s refreshing to hear making a quick buck on the internet is not as easy as it sounds. As in real life, it takes hard work, time, and a “stick to it” personality.

As I reread Darren’s answer, what stands out (for me) is the part where he says we need to “build a destination on the web ….”. How I understand his answer is our blog(s) must become the “to go” and possibly a “how to” place for answers. Just like in business, we are building our reputation; a feat that does not happen overnight.

Today’s Assignment

Having read Darren’s answer, what part resonated with you?

Will his answer change how you blog?

If so, how?

Let’s continue this discussion of making money with our blogs in the comment section. Having heard Darren’s answer, I’m anxious to hear your response.

6d61b32587b54553fb32d6e3f55d87d6 A.S.K. Darren Rowse   Problogger   How To Become A Six Figure Blogger
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Read other answers in the A.S.K. (Answers Sharing Knowledge) series.
A.S.K. Darren Rowse of Problogger – When Do We Know Our Blog Is A “Winner”
A.S.K. Darren Rowse – How Does A Problogger Deal With Comments

A.S.K. Darren Rowse of Problogger – How Do We Increase Our Readership
A.S.K. Andy Bailey – What Was The Inspiration Behind The CommentLuv Plugin
A.S.K. Liz Strauss – How Do You Inspire Readers To Join Your Community
A.S.K. Liz Strauss – How To Format Blog Comments To Maximize Comments


Photo Credit: Darren Rowse/Problogger

385635328 7512539390 Just A Click Away   Open Mic

Here it is Friday already. This week has flown by. For me it’s been month and quarter end on my real job, thus taking me away from visiting other blogs as much as I’d like.

To recap the week:

Monday – We discussed writing blog posts when creativity strikes

On Tuesday Eric Hamm of Motivate Thyself was named the New Blog of the Week (NBOTW)

Wednesday was a special day for me. I was the subject of an interview by Blogger Dad.

And yesterday, we talked about the misconceptions of blogging

My Friday question: Based on the fact some bloggers would like to make money blogging, do you click on ads or make purchases through a link you see on a blog?

My answer: Prior to blogging, I clicked on many ads assuming the “links” would take me to a specific topic. It would upset me when the click lead to an ad and not to information that could help my research.

Now that I’m blogging, I understand the concept. Although I go to other blogs for the content, sometimes the ads are just too intriguing, not to click. :)

What about you? Join in the conversation and share how ads on blogs affect you? And if you’re monetizing your blog, are you seeing results?

I look forward to reading your answers.

By the way, today is also “Open Mic”

The floor is yours. You know the rules.

All blogging questions, comments and concerns are welcome. You choose the topic.

Have Fun!

Keep it Clean!

And don’t forget to either check the “subscribe to comments on this post” box, or subscribe to my comments RSS feed (upper right sidebar), so you can follow along.

Happy Blogging & Have a great weekend.

6d61b32587b54553fb32d6e3f55d87d6 Just A Click Away   Open Mic
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Photo Credit: liewcf’s photostream

362201147 8bd2ef0dd8 300x300 Biggest Misconceptions About Blogging

Remember the days prior to starting your blog(s)? It was pretty exciting.

Did you read how you can make money online? How some bloggers make a six figure income?

Do you recall the stories of how bloggers used their blogs as a stepping stone to becoming published authors, public speakers, and/or well known in other ways for their work?

Today’s Lesson

I remember those days. It was just over 18 months ago.

I read a few blogs, did some online research and had a mental picture of what blogging was all about.

Boy was I wrong.

For one thing, I actually thought traffic would be easy to acquire. Wrong!

I also thought I could makes buckets of money with my blog. Wrong!

And, I thought blogging would be just like other hobbies of mine. Hobbies I dabble in, “when I feel like it” or have a little extra free time. Wrong!

For one thing, traffic building is something that takes time. Whether using SEO (search engine optimization), link building, blog carnivals social networking, or other methods. people don’t come to a blog just because it’s there.

Making money? If I remember right, it was almost 9 months before I got my first check from Google. As for the other affiliate programs I signed up for, I’ve yet to meet some of their minimums. When a minimum is $25.00, and I’ve been at this for 18 months, I know I’m either doing something wrong, or all the hype is just that, hype.

Blogging as a “typical” hobby? Not so. I can’t stay away from it. In fact, I’m addicted to blogging.

The one thing I do not remember reading about was “community”. THAT is what brings me back to my computer every morning and keeps me close by all through the day, and into the night.

It’s the people who frequent my blog. The friendships I’ve built. It’s the comments and emails I receive. It’s the blogs I find and visit. It’s the support I feel in blogosphere; the kindness, consideration and compassion.

Although it was other factors that lead me into blogging, it’s something much greater that keeps me hooked. It’s something that is priceless.

Today’s Assignment

What are the biggest misconceptions you have found with blogging?

Has blogging taken you on a path you hadn’t expected?

Feel free to share you thoughts and let us know how the misconceptions about blogging has changed your viewpoint.

6d61b32587b54553fb32d6e3f55d87d6 Biggest Misconceptions About Blogging
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Photo Credit: AMagill’s photostream

lorelle of wordpress logo 300x215 Interview With Lorelle VanFossen   Part 6   Lets Woop It UpAnyone who has followed this blog knows I’m a stataholic who loves to analyze statistical (blog) tracking programs. A new one, named Woopra, has been added to my list. As luck would have it, Lorelle (of Lorelle on WordPress) knows Woopra better than most.

Here’s her explanation in detail.

6) In a recent email from you, you mentioned you are now the editor-in-chief of the Woopra blog/zine. Can you explain what Woopra is and how it can benefit bloggers?

is the most exciting software technology I’ve stumbled across in a very long time and I’m so thrilled to be a small part of it. Woopra is a web analytics program that reports on your blog traffic, but it is more than that. Woopra is installed on your computer as Java software, running in the background, and links to your blog through a JavaScript which can be installed manually or through the Woopra WordPress Plugin.

Woopra is different for many reasons, way beyond its purpose as a web analytics program. Primarily because it has the most beautiful software interface. It’s lovely. Woopra also tracks your blog statistics live – right now. As they are happening. There is also a live chat feature that allows you to start a conversation with visitors on your blog while they are visiting your blog. They need to do nothing more than accept your invitation to chat, no special software provided. Bloggers are having so much fun with this, even holding contests inviting people to visit and chat and handing out prizes.

When someone registers with your blog or leaves a comment, their name is storied in a cookie which Woopra can read. Woopra then changes the Visitor #34503 to “Sally Jones” – and the anonymous visitor now becomes a person moving through your blog. You can tag them and create a custom event notification so you will be alerted the next time they visit, and can track their visits over time.

One user told me that they didn’t like that Woopra was raising the accountability standards. “I can’t tell so-and-so that I visited their blog when I didn’t. They can guilt-trip me by saying, ‘I checked Woopra and you haven’t been by in six weeks!’ No more lying!” We all laughed, but I see Woopra changing the face of the web in many ways, through instant monitoring of visitors, live chats, and customized tracking.

Right now, Woopra is free for beta testing, but only by private invitation only. There are more than 25,000 beta testers, and more approvals may be coming, so you can sign up and wait, but be patient. If you get approved, you will be expected to monitor the Woopra Forums and comment and report on bugs and feature requests.

For those currently using Woopra, we are inviting our beta testers to guest blog on the about how they are using Woopra and web analytics to help them blog. We’re also looking for articles on how blog and web stats change and influence your blogging behavior – especially when it comes to social networking. How we work and use the web for our business and social life is measurable, but how do the numbers really change your experience and usage. Email me if you are a Woopra member and interesting in contributing.

Today’s Assignment

In the past I’ve written posts titled Confusing Blog Stats – Is a Visit A Visit?, Page Views Are Over Rated and in Blogging – Year One – Lesson 4, I share what I learned from stats.

Although it’s easy to get addicted to checking our statistics, much can be learned from them. Dig past the initial numbers and hoards of useful information lies beneath.

How close do you look at your statistics?

Do you know where your traffic is coming from?

Are your keywords/keyword phrases working?

What are your statistics telling you?


Woopra is an awesome statistical program. Want to become a beta tester? It’s easy. Go to Woopra.com and sign up.


Photo Credit: Lorelle’s Logo

2438005410 6100c23246 m Blogging   Year One   Lesson Twelve
I couldn’t end this series without talking about making money with blogs.

Most bloggers start a blog with money as part of the equation. I did.

However, the truth about making money with a blog is often misleading.

Search online and you’ll find many sites, e-books, or “subscribe to this” that claim you can make big money, FAST, with a blog. It will only cost you $X.XX. Sign up, share your credit card number, and you can make thousands in a short time. It must be true. After all, they show a copy of a check(s), made out to themselves, for an astronomical amount of money.

Pictures don’t lie. Or do they?

When I started blogging, I plastered ads on my two blogs. I signed up for Google AdSense, LinkShare.com, Commission Junction and Amazon.

I then proceeded to spend countless hours adding ads, moving ads, changing ads, resizing ads, and then constantly checking the statistics to see how many hundreds I was making. HA! That was a joke. I wasn’t making anything. Months passed, some of the ads remained, but my pocketbook wasn’t any thicker.

I didn’t spend any money by joining these “companies”, but I did lose tons of time.

To recap where I am 13 months later, from Commission Junction I received a $17 check. Linkshare shows I have a $14.75 balance, but they don’t payout until you have accumulated $25.00. I haven’t seen any checks from Amazon either, although they say I’ve earned $12.39.

Google AdSense was a slow starter, but the pennies finally added up and I got my first check from them. (They payout at $100.00+). I should see my second check next month.

I was also blessed with a donation from Mark, at Creative Journey Cafe.

All in all, what I’ve “earned” (not received) has covered my overhead for my BlueHost account, domain names + renewals. By doing the math, I’m a little ahead of the “game” as long as I don’t put a value on the time I spend blogging. ((((laughs)))))

Interestingly, the money I have made was the result of my second blog. It’s a blog that receives nearly all of it’s traffic from search engines (organic traffic), and does not have a “community” of commenters. This tells me, if you can get your blog to receive organic traffic (by using SEO and keyword phrases, etc…), your chances of making money will increase.

The one problem with using keyword phrases (keywords), it forces you to change your writing style. In some ways, it can hinder your creativity.

So what have I learned?

I’ve learned, I don’t know how to make money blogging. LOL

Lesson Twelve: Money can be made with blogs. I believe search engine traffic is the key, and you need lots of it (thousands of visitors a day). Your subject matter must appeal either to the masses or to a specific niche of people (not bloggers).

At this point, the money I make is irrelevant, however, don’t tell my husband that. He believes this “hobby” of mine will pay for itself, and maybe than some. Let’s keep this just between us. :)

As for those pictures of the big checks, could they have been a Photoshop project? You decide.

Today’s Assignment:

Are you blogging for dollars? If so, is it working?

Have you discovered a great way to make money with a blog?

Or are you like me, and the money part of blogging has lost it appeal?


Photo Credit: d70focus’ photostream
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