So a few days ago, I found out that it’s possible to make a living from blogging.
I was ecstatic, of course, seeing how I could make money off something I actually enjoy doing. And as everyone knows (or do they?), earning a few more bucks is something I need right now. Anyway, I though naively that it would be so easy to have a website up and running, with a focused blog that would get the attention of people and earn revenue through ads.
I have no intentions of selling out this blog (except for google adsense, maybe, if they want me, but none of the paid-to-blog-about-this-shit shtick), because primarily this is the only means by which I blow off tremendous amounts of steam, enough to send three steamboats around the world. I can’t be a paid hack in my personal blog, you know. It’s just principle, man.
So I thought about making up some other blog, one that would talk about little else but a particular topic. I was excited and happy, not realizing just how difficult it would be to create and write something that would have people interested. I declare it now: it is completely whorish to write solely for the purpose of hooking people in.
Now I am seldom morally squeamish. I would throw my principles and values to the wind when necessary. I can’t, however, insult the one thing that God has so graciously given to me. I realized, after a few fake and half-hearted entries, that I’m not going to survive as a blog whore.
I’m not knocking the people who actually make a living out of this stuff. A lot of them actually are interested in what they write, and it’s the reason why a lot of people appreciate their work and patronize their sites. They’ve earned it.
I, on the other hand, am interested in the topic of my said site, but the way I keep thinking about how interesting it’s gonna be to people is just so fake and pathetic. I’m not even going to link to that site because I’m just not proud of it.
I think PnE says it best:
kapag pinilit mo,
hindi na totoo,
ang awit na natapos mo,
ay mawawalan ng tono
February 10th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
It actually entered my mind to try pro-blogging, but like you, I can’t seem to muster up the enthusiasm to write about something that’ll appeal to the masses. I usually write what I feel like writing, and for days end, I won’t write. That didn’t stop me from putting Adsense in my Blogger account (which basically has the same content as this one except that this one has more rants because I can actually lock it), but it’s a slow climb to the goal of $100 :p
February 11th, 2008 at 7:03 am
Maybe if that works that’s what I’ll do. I feel cheap hahaha.
February 11th, 2008 at 9:52 am
Google AdSense is so click and traffic-driven, the returns are next to none.
I currently make a bit of income on my main blog, but it’s not something I’d quit my day job for, and this is *despite* regular traffic.
But hey, extra cash is never bad.
February 11th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
can LJ have ads? i might try the other ad programs aside from ad sense.
February 11th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
I tried Adsense. Doesn’t work.