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I am not. But, many people have been successful with blogging including a couple of my friends. They are just few and far between and you have to enable ads on your site to make any money. I think that there is a trade-off though with privacy and developing thick skin for the critics out there.
It's definitely possible, but you need to get really lucky or have a really good idea in order to actually make an money from it. And even then, it's extremely unlikely that you'll make any livable income from that alone. Sure you might rake in $400 extra a month after a year of working on the site... but then again you're spending 3 hours a day writing stuff. Not really a practical way to make cash.
You would likely make more money applying to work at content mill sites and if you still feel like building your own business posting articles on revenue review sites.
According to one of my journalism professors, blogging is dying and by the end of 2011/early 2012, it will be dead.
I view blogging a lot like writing a novel. You really can't do it for the money, because a lot of times it won't make you any. You have to do it because you love writing.
It's kind of like threading a needle. You need a topic that is broad enough to attract a large audience. And yet you also need a topic that is specific enough to attract a targeted audience that paying advertisers are interested in reaching. On top of that, you need a topic general enough that you can continually have fresh ideas to write about.
I've met a few bloggers. One of them managed to build up enough of a following to quit his job and go full-time, but that took years. About five years, I think. And it really is a full-time job. He is constantly chasing down interviews, researching topics, and writing. Not to mention, monitoring the comments. People don't really like to follow blogs if they can't make comments, btw. All the rest of the bloggers I know have been doing it as a hobby and don't make any money from it, beyond covering their expenses.
It's definitely possible. Of course, like in any other business, you need an angle. Simply throwing up generic content isn't gonna cut it.
Take Steve Pavlina. He used to develop computer games he then sold through his website. For several years, he made a pretty decent living from it. Then he left the industry altogether, and started a personal development blog (not my cup of tea, too much new age woowoo), which he claims brings in $1k a day in ad revenue. I have no reason to doubt him. The key is having a topic you can continuously generate fresh, interesting content on.
According to one of my journalism professors, blogging is dying and by the end of 2011/early 2012, it will be dead.
I view blogging a lot like writing a novel. You really can't do it for the money, because a lot of times it won't make you any. You have to do it because you love writing.
Your journalism professor is a moron of colossal proportions, and should consider immediate retirement.
That article doesn't draw nearly the same conclusions your professor does. Certainly not the "death" of blogging by 2012. He sounds like he likes to formulate grand pronouncements based on only cursory readings of information.
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Also, not many morons who are in the teaching profession get paid $120,000.
You believe in Worthington's Law? Really?
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