is it worth starting a blog?

[mikecmr]

Hello all,

I was thinking of starting a blog up yesterday I found a good domain name which says a lot about me and is funny. IS it actually worth setting one up though do you get a good return? I had a blogger site a while ago where I did technical posts to do with computers and have one topic where I stillget a bit of interest and made a few quid from a paypal donation button (about £100 so far over 2 years)

just wondered if you guys actually make much out of it?

 

[Jon]

Re: is it worth startign a blog?

Yes I make money out of it

Yes it's more than just covering my costs

but my god - it's taken a year+ of good, regular posting to get to that point where companies / brands will approach you. The social networking side can be exhausting at times to..


Creating a blog to make money is not a 'quick term fix' by any stretch of the imagination.

If you are happy with those things then yeah, go for it

 

[mikecmr]

cheers for the reply jon,

I am in it for the long haul I don't mind a bit of hard work if there is a reward at the end that is, just wondered if it was worth doing.

 

[Jon]

cheers for the reply jon,

I am in it for the long haul I don't mind a bit of hard work if there is a reward at the end that is, just wondered if it was worth doing.

I suppose only you would know that

How long would it take you to get up to speed with self hosting / setting up WordPress or another CMS system / create the content / advertise the content etc.. It could be 6 months until you see it bring in ANY money at all

 

[Twiggy]

I think wanting to do it and enjoying it is half the battle too, like Jon said it's not a quick fix for money buy a good project to get there if you want to.

Also think about what your aim might be - solely to make money? to make a name for yourself in something? to help sell something?

 

[Jon]

To make a blog and run it in the long term JUST to turn a profit can be hard going once you run out of ideas for content 3 or 4 months down the line

Ideally the blog needs to be something you are passionate about as it makes creating the content a hell of a lot easier

 

[mikecmr]

cheers for the reply jon,

I am in it for the long haul I don't mind a bit of hard work if there is a reward at the end that is, just wondered if it was worth doing.

I suppose only you would know that

How long would it take you to get up to speed with self hosting / setting up WordPress or another CMS system / create the content / advertise the content etc.. It could be 6 months until you see it bring in ANY money at all

I have had accounts with 1and1 for years and I have limited knowledge with scripting but I use to run forums many moons ago using phpbb, xmb and phpclassifieds, I dabbled with word press I would say 2 years ago and found it quite simple to use/setup.

Content would be what I use day in day out ever changing and ever evolving, initial goals would be for it to be for it to look after itself in regards to costs so as soon as any income pays for my out goings then I would be happy.

 

[Blackpepper1]

Starting up a Blog is easy enough and as long as you enjoy it and have plenty of ideas for posts then it is worth it. It takes time to make money from a Blog though so it is more of a long term project. Mine has been going for a year now and I am starting to see real progress as far as making money from it. As Twiggy said you need to enjoy it and to think about what your main aim is going to be.

 

[Twiggy]

Go for it!!

I am setting up a new blog today, but have chosen a general name as my domain so I can change the direction of it in the future if I so desire. I have had blogs and websites in the past that have just been too niche and I have got bored. I am doing it partly for income and partly to direct clients to for freelance writing and graphics/illustration.

 

[Jon]

Go for it!!

I am setting up a new blog today, but have chosen a general name as my domain so I can change the direction of it in the future if I so desire. I have had blogs and websites in the past that have just been too niche and I have got bored. I am doing it partly for income and partly to direct clients to for freelance writing and graphics/illustration.

yeah good point there. If you make the site name / domain TOO niche or too specific to yourself it can be hard to then gain a bit of flexibility further down the line

 

[Chammy]

Certainly find something you enjoy and know you can keep writing about. I started a blog at the end of last year basically documenting making additional income and I'm now at the point where I can't be bothered to make that additional income so my posts are slacking because I don't care about it enough to keep going. I had high hopes for it but some of the ways I planned to make money have lost my attention (that isn't hard, I have the attention span of a goldfish), and I think I made it too focused on one thing so I don't have any space to branch out.

I have been planning another for a long time, I am just saving up the hosting money to do it all properly...as soon as my £10 payment for the Prolific study is accepted (if) then I'm away with it

 

[Chammy]

Go for it!!

I am setting up a new blog today, but have chosen a general name as my domain so I can change the direction of it in the future if I so desire. I have had blogs and websites in the past that have just been too niche and I have got bored. I am doing it partly for income and partly to direct clients to for freelance writing and graphics/illustration.

I've just said the same as you haha

My new one is more general and I'm doing it partially as another way of generating interest in Younique but also because I have become really interested in testing and reviewing free stuff so it gives me another way to help those companies. I have a few posts already typed up and ready to publish.

 

[Twiggy]

[member=277]Chammy[/member] I think it is a great idea for you to do a blog tied in with your Younique work in some way as that seems to be where your interest is.

 

[Topaz]

I've had my blog for over a year now. With adsense, I've made a grand total of, wait for it, 16p!

I started a blog because I like to write, rather than to make money from it. It's such a buzz when someone sends me a message to say that they really liked a post or that it helped them in some way.

I suppose I could go all out and try to make money, but I don't really feel the need to. It's just a fun hobby to keep me out of mischief and hopefully to give enjoyment to others.

If you have an interesting niche and like to write, go for it, but don't expect to get rich doing it.

 

[Jamie-Anderson.com]

I always used to tire of hearing people give out advice like "If you're going to write a blog, choose something you are passionate about blah blah". It's not until you start writing blogs yourself and realise how much effort and time are required to make a success of it that you begin to understand what these people actually mean.

If it's something you love, and you are committed to creating quality content and promoting it, then it gives you a better chance of sticking around and putting the work in long term. The vast majority of blogs get abandoned when people realise it's not the get rich quick method they may have been lead to believe it is.