I thought this was one worth sharing as it offers some interesting perspectives on blogging for a living:
Blogging for Web Sites
Wall Street Journal,
February 6, 2007; Page B13
THE JOB: Blogger
THE PAY: Most self-employed bloggers take in between $2,000 and $10,000 a month from ad sales, says Henry Copeland, founder of BlogAds.com, a Web advertising concern based in Carrboro, N.C. The few that have huge audiences make significantly more, he adds. During election time, for example, a political blogger can bring in $20,000 to $30,000 a month, says Ken Layne, West Coast bureau chief for Wonkette.com, a political gossip blog owned by Gawker Media. Some bloggers are employed by companies, but they are often part of the marketing department, and blogging is usually only a small part of their duties.
THE HOURS: Self-employed bloggers set their own schedules. Writers of breaking-news blogs say 40- to 60-hour workweeks are the norm. To scoop his competitors, Mario Lavandeira, author of the celebrity-gossip blog PerezHilton.com, says he averages 19-hour workdays that start at 5:15 a.m.
BENEFITS: Free-lance and self-employed bloggers must develop their own health-care packages. Full-time bloggers working at corporations typically receive dental, medical and prescription-drug packages.
OTHER INCENTIVES: Mr. Lavandeira, who is based in Los Angeles, says he is frequently invited to events hosted or attended by celebrities. Jim Cahill, manager of marketing communications at Emerson Process Management, a global supplier of manufacturing systems and services in Austin, Texas, cites positive feedback from readers and being quoted in the business press.
BEST PART OF THE JOB: “I can work in my pajamas and set my own hours,” says Joel Cheesman, author of Cheezhead.com, a blog about the recruiting industry. Notes Mr. Layne, who has worked at Wonkette for two years and generally acts as his own editor: “I get to be a national political columnist and comedy writer.”
WORST PART OF THE JOB: “I have no life,” Mr. Lavandeira says. “I am always working, and I can never take a vacation.” Adds Jeff Jarvis, who blogs at BuzzMachine.com, a site on news and the media: “Blogging is an obsession. The guilt that piles up when I’m too busy to write a post is the worst.”
CAREER PATH: Most bloggers start out using free Web sites such as WordPress.com and Blogger.com. They say it takes at least six months to build readership and clout in the blogosphere. Mr. Lavandeira advises picking an area you’ll enjoy discussing for a long time because “you have to be passionate about what you’re writing.” A background in journalism or communications helps but usually isn’t required. “I don’t want to hear where candidates went to college or where else they worked,” says Ryan Block, managing editor of Engaget.com, who hires most of the site’s employees. “I review writing samples.”
HIRING: Full-time and free-lance opportunities can be found on Internet job boards. Some recruiting agencies help bloggers land free-lance work. “We help them get jobs with companies that can’t afford a full-time blogger,” says Jim Turner, chief managing partner of One by One Media LLC, Firestone, Colo.
I can’t get past the first line without thinking the guy who wrote that doesn’t know what the heck he’s talking about.
“Most self-employed bloggers take in between $2,000 and $10,000 a month from ad sales” should be “Most self-employed bloggers wish they could, take in between $2,000 and $10,000 a month from ad sales”
I seriously doubt there’s many self-employed bloggers outside of the ‘A-List’ that are pulling four figures a month on their blogs.
I think this guy doesn’t realize that for every successful A-Lister, there are 50,000 bloggers trying to make a go of it, and making a few hundred a month at the most.
I think if you did a search on Internet Marketing, you would get hundreds of sites where folks say ‘buy this and make money’.
The funny thing is that many of them are passing around the same affiliate offers, or variations, and also are very far from making the ton of money their offer says YOU will make.
Ok, so a very few people are ralking in big money from ads, but lets be honest here, only a select few are making more than 4 figures.
Yeah just watch the spike in the Technorati number of blogs tracked now. I looked at that myself and said that has to be a misquote. Maybe that was Pesos?
This article in not accurate in anyway. I think wsj just focused on the elite group that are mostly political and internet based.
Most self employed bloggers don’t make $2000 - $10,000, heck they would be happy if they even hit a $1000 per month.
I couldn’t agree more. Certainly is interesting how things can be portrayed however.
I agree with Ali. Not many bloggers reach the $2,000 mark. I can confirm this because Problogger.net did a poll on how much each person makes a month and very few people said 2k.
I agree. I for one would love to see $2000 a month in extra income. Not happening yet, that’s for sure….