Blogger XXX is a citizen from my Mindseye. A creature of fiction. A blogger whose favorite book is Machiavelli’s The Prince. Thus it comes to no surprise that his maxi, has and always been the end justifies the means.
Having said that Blogger XXX once wrote an email about bloggin and in someway seemed to related to posts circulating around the small world of blogging, newspaper, public relation and marketing regarding two posts here and here.
Dear Juned,
Making money on-line has never been so lucrative but again it has to be tempered lest one kills the Goose that lays the Golden Egg. A number of bloggers have earned income from blogging and why not? The blogger is the writer, editor, publisher and about almost everything in the blog. Of course I am referring to bloggers who have opted to apply business or income models to their blogs. There are of course bloggers who have opted not to and they have other purposes or reasons for it – but let us leave them alone in this one.
I am talking about bloggers who are in it for among other things financial gains – the money among other things.
BLOGGING BUSINESS MODELS THAT MAKE MONEY
Blogs and Bloggers that earn through Advertising – This is perhaps the most common. A great majority of bloggers have ads from Google or blogging networks. A tiny fraction of the tiny blogging community even have exclusive deals with networks or businesses that manages them.
Blogs and Bloggers who do advertorial – Then there are bloggers who for a fee will feature or write posts slanting to a product or service. Sometimes it is labeled as advertorial sometimes it is not. Payment of course comes in the form of money, goods or services. A post of course has to be written in exchange for the product: The beauty of an X-deal.
Blog Consultants and Blog Businessmen- Then there are bloggers who people go to for advise. These include an array of services from project management, on-line reputation management and even training. Then there are those who have other blog or on-line related businesses – this may stretch from web-hosting to template design.
Head Hunters and Talent Managers – Perhaps the most visible and probably the second or third most controversial would be the head hunters. Like they are used by some businesses to get a number of bloggers to attend press conferences and marketing events. They are seen, projected deliberately or not. as well- connected to the tiny community of blogging. And are said to be paid per head, quite pratical if the PR company or business would want to fill up an event for their client – impress them with the number so to speak a shot gun approach – hope that the number of bloggers/pellets hit the target.
What is the difference between this and a consultant? Well in most cases a consultant is paid and you know he or she is getting paid for it while there are head hunters who do it for a fee or for free, sometimes of course for the fee-based head hunter and talent managers their talents do not know they are being “booked” for an event.
The short-sight strategy of a head hunter is when he or she does not reveal to the recruits that it is his or job. Subterfuge here can lead to bigger problems.
Mercenary Blogger – Although one only hears about this blogger is whisphers, like the Pink Vampire Dodo Bird,this blogger may not even exist. Still for the purpose of discussion the method this blogger employs is the most short-sighted. A mercenary blogger wanting to make money online can make a positive write up and ask a fee. If the client does not pay the blogger can then turn around and make it known that there is a negative write up in case no payment is made.
Why is this short-sided? The methods the mercenary blogger or Extortionist or Blackmailer implements can be thwarted by simply revealing what happened. Like a vampire exposed to sun light it will diminish. Of course in due time like a vampire it might be resurrected – a bit weaker but it can still be resurrected.
I am sure in time and with a bit of imaginzation other blog business models maybe conceptualized – some new and some old from both what they call new and old media.
Sincerely,
Blogger XXX
