In a recent article at Problogger.net, Darren Rowse stated that many people start blogging with false expectations of the earning potential…

I regularly see other bloggers feeding their readers with hype and false hopes about how easy it is to make big money from blogging. This only adds to the distance between their reader’s expectations and the reality of blogging for money. source

Darren goes on to offer 5 facts about his own success as a blogger earning a quarter of a million per year, and explains why this is not typical - or even easy to accomplish…

So the question is… Can YOU Make Money Blogging?

Absolutely. As you know by now, I make money online in a wide variety of ways - and blogging is one of them. In fact, I use blogs to make money both directly and indirectly.

By indirectly I mean that the blog itself, or an individual blog post, may not make money directly - but rather contribute to the overall business model to gain exposure, drive traffic, or build buzz.

When starting a blog, its important to know your objective upfront. Blogs can be used to drive traffic to static websites or online stores. They can be used to gain exposure as an expert in your niche. And they can of course be used to make money directly. And you can easily use a blog to accomplish all three of those objectives simultaneously.

The point is to set your own goals, and then to set up your blog strategically to achieve those goals. That includes short-term financial goals, as well as your long-term business goals. You dont necessarily have to top the earnings of Darren Rowse to consider yourself a successful blogger.

In fact, just this week Alice Seba made a similar comment about blogging…

“So, if you’re looking at those ultra-popular blogs and feeling a little low because of it, cut it out!” source

She closes her article with a great piece of advice:

Keep improving your results. Maybe right now you don’t feel like you’re on the A-List or even the Z-list, but that’s okay. Focus on serving your market, delivering them the products and services they’re looking for and tweaking along the way - you’ll get there.

I couldnt agree more. And that makes 3 experienced bloggers (Darren, Alice and myself) sharing the same basic facts:

• It takes an investment of time & energy
• You need a specific objective
• You have to stay committed to it

Starting tomorrow, Saturday March 1st, I am going to kick off a 31-day series on Becoming A Better Blogger. Whether you are starting your first blog, or looking to improve your current blog(s), join in daily throughout the month of March as we work through the steps together with ideas and examples.

You may want to subscribe to ClickNewz by email or RSS so that you will receive reminders. You can use the form at the top right of the sidebar on this page to subscribe by email if you prefer. The email notifications are delivered every 5th post, so you’ll have to check in by browser each morning to stay current on the daily series.

See you tomorrow, then - and here’s to becoming a better blogger

*cheers*

Tags: make money blogging, problogger, blogs, bloggers