Here’s a blogger success story – anonymous shoe and gossip blogger Manolo has just started up as the Washington Post Express’s newest columnist.
Manolo has always intrigued me as a blogger. For one they write in the third person – secondly they combine two rather odd topics (shoes/fashion and gossip) and thirdly when they started they did so on a very basic blog – from memory it was a blogger blog with one of the standard default templates. Even to this day the blog is very simply designed and quite eccentric in many ways.
Having said this, Manolo has carved a niche and attracts around 4000 daily readers (and a pretty high participation rate looking at comment levels) which brings with it the ability to charge $220 per month for a Blogad Ad.
The blog is definitely one with income potential with many affiliate links deeply linked into the blog. I’m surprised their is no adsense ads on the blog though – perhaps there isn’t many ads for shoes?
I’d say it’s a prime example of how someone can do some amazing things through their blogging and still retain some real uniqueness and individuality.
Darren, you have always been able to gather inspirational success stories … from yourself, and of others. And Hooray for Manolo!
That’s a great story. I’ve always thought that interesting content always wins over the sophistication of the platform. Among probloggers there’s often a kind of arm-wrestling contest over who can out-geek the others on their blogs. But Joe and Jane Public just want good, interesting content. You can do that on Blogger, just as well as on any other platform.
Darren, you said “I’m surprised their is no adsense ads on the blog though – perhaps there isn’t many ads for shoes?”
I think this post proved that wrong. You adSense block shows for Manolo Blahnik shoes!
What this blog proves is that the formulaic will always be more mediocre than the original, and that by definition, something original cannot be predicted. Originality explodes on the scene.
Nice to know some one has had some success at this !