For Love, Money, Or Just The Aggravation?

In Blogging: for Love or Money, Glenn Reynolds writes of blogs and making money. It's a very good, quick read.

So what am I excited about? Something that doesn't pay. With my wife, I've been doing podcasts on a variety of topics, even though nobody's paying us to do so. Why? It's fun! I used to do radio, and liked it, and now I'm enjoying doing this sort of thing again. I wouldn't say no to money, but that's not why I'm doing it -- and, in fact, I doubt that many podcasters are making much money, as podcasting is about where blogging was in the summer of 2001. So why are so many people doing it? Because it's fun! And fun is good.

The late Malcolm Forbes delivered my college commencement address. His most memorable comments were on wealth accumulation and working. To paraphrase, if you want to become wealthy, you can either be born into it, or do that which you love the most in life.

His argument was that because you enjoy, or love it, you will ultimately do more of it, do it better than some number of others and ultimately be rewarded for your efforts. There's truth in that, certainly, but it's far from universal.

Quick background: I was more than qualified to begin a journalism career after college. However, my Father had passed away in my senior year and I felt a need to begin generating real income. When faced with the choice between about 15k a year as a rookie reporter with a local daily, versus well over twice that much to enter corporate America, I choose the latter. I don't regret it. But I digress.

Here's a thought - without putting too fine a point on how one defines blogging, in a sense, the best bloggers will never make much if any money at it.

Why? Because of, from at least one perspective, what the best of blogging really is. Blogging has empowered individuals with a context to their lives journalists don't enjoy with the ability to get into the mix, to play a part in reporting news and opinion.

I believe that non-media experience is crucial to the observations, insights and opinions they provide. If you subscribe to that theory, then the best bloggers will always be part-time writers because of the time demands of that other life. And part-time jobs can make you money, but generally not that much.

The people, sites, or blogs who will make real money based on traffic will mostly facilitate much needed access to them, in essence, elevating this or that unique report, point of view or observation into the media at large. But the rewards will almost always be mercurial for most good bloggers who spend the bulk of their time in that other, more real life.

At the same time, that doesn't mean the the good blogger can't access other means of income from writing. Many are already paid for freelance work, including myself. More than a few have book deals, or are pursuing realistic opportunities.

Will some of those stop being bloggers at some point? Probably. But, that's okay, too - because there are millions more behind them waiting for their own work to be acknowledged.

Lastly, some bloggers will retain the title, but for all intents are, and perhaps even always were, journalists. Michelle Malkin comes to mind. And that isn't a knock. And that's an entirely different form of blogging, as worthy as any other, just different, with it's own unique opportunities. Bottom line, blogging is opportunity in one form or another - for many different people on several different levels.

Business-wise, it is the Wild West of capitalism right now. Media-wise, it is the cutting edge. Already the cable news shows can't keep up with the timely manner in which blogs break news, though they add invaluable context blogs don't yet offer given a little time.

In the sense above, it's hard to think of anywhere more exciting, or more fun to be right now. How profitable or simply rewarding it can be for someone is up to the individual. You can't ask for more than that, ... unless you're liberal, of course.

Comments

[agent bedhead]

Glenn's middle name is HARLAN?

[Phoenix]

I have to agree that bloggers have the MSM scrambling. Funny. The scroll on FOX is always a day or more late in 'alerting' the public of something that has been around the sphere for a few days! ha ha. I bet news channels have hired people just to read blogs so they can keep up!

Nice points about being empowered by blogging and by doing it for the pleasure of that empowerment. Obviously, many abuse that empowerment, but for most, it is just a great feeling to write and to be read. So much good can come from this new medium....... and all the better if money is not a motivating factor to share some smarts, some facts, and some wonderful insights.

[Mister Snitch!]

Great post, Dan.

[ways to make quick money]

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