This article in the Houston Chronicle is all about how bloggers are NOT getting rich – or anywhere near rich – from blogging. It is an interesting read – but as with so many of these articles (and they are appearing more and more) – they tend to focus upon personal or even political bloggers and not those who are focussing upon niche target markets/topics (which is where I think there is most potential to make some decent money with some commitment, creativity and hard work. I also suspect that we’re not hearing too many stories of successful bloggers who are making money partly because such bloggers are not wanting to tell their story for fear of the market being flooded with competitors.
Anyway – here is what they write.
‘If you think those Web journals of opinions and obsessions are a way to get rich, consider Jeff Soyer, a self-described “gay gun nut” in Vermont.
Soyer, who runs the journal Alphecca.com, pleaded for donations last month alongside an image of a tip jar topped by gun-toting cartoon character Yosemite Sam. “Ten bucks buys a box of bullets or feeds my cats for a week,” he wrote.
Days passed and he received nothing. “By next week this domain could belong to a porno site,” he subsequently posted. “Maybe you folks think that would be a better thing. I’m starting to think so, too.” Only after other bloggers linked to his request did he receive enough donations to pay the $117 for a domain name and a year of Web hosting fees.
He’s not the only blogger not getting rich. Bloggers at this summer’s political conventions brought heightened visibility to blogging, but the money, for most bloggers, is still missing.
“There’s a very tiny percentage of people who are making anywhere close to a living from blogs,” said Sreenath Sreenivasan, professor of new media at Columbia University.
Andrew Sullivan, former editor of The New Republic, has a high-profile blog that takes American Express and PayPal payments and posts an address for checks or money orders. Bloggers point to Sullivan as the blogger most likely to be succeeding.
But Sullivan said in an e-mail he makes his living through freelance writing and speaking. “I’ve managed to pay all my expenses and an intern and give myself a minuscule salary, thanks to the generosity of my readers,” he wrote. “I couldn’t live off the blog alone, and I see no prospect of that happening in the near future, despite having one of the biggest audiences.”
The money that is in blogland goes to only a few.’
Read more at HoustonChronicle.com – Blogging not leading to financial prosperity
I like the info and will be linking back to you from my site. Also great looking site.