Comments on: How do you make money from a blog? http://www.travelblather.com/2009/10/make-money-blog-monetization.html Banter between travel writers, travel PRs and travel social media people Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:59:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Hal Peat http://www.travelblather.com/2009/10/make-money-blog-monetization.html/comment-page-1#comment-262 Hal Peat Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:15:25 +0000 http://www.travelblather.com/2009/10/how-do-you-make-money-from-a-blog.html#comment-262 "..we are at heart writers" - JH. And you're a prince for understanding that. Hold onto that, whatever other business model online you choose to follow. Above all, don't let anyone;) browbeat you into the voodoo of "community" and 24/7 social networking. Yes, having the Facebook, linkedin and one or two other things is standard for most people but it's not a magic formula to guarantee traffic as some would have you believe. Self-marketing is great and essential but I think you know where I draw the line with that one, so I won't go down that path again:) I'd say you do need to find a niche and a brand for yourself in travel before you do the site for yourself. I've heard other people claim elsewhere that the Adsense and affiliate program links can actually work once you've developed a srong brand or travel identity. I don't know if WP is the magic key to website construction, I think it's the content and the voice and niche you speak from that will carry you, not necessarily the vessel you've chosen to transport your message. Wp is certainly the Blogger's Darling du jour, but then you know by definition it's not mine;) Cheers. "..we are at heart writers" - JH.

And you're a prince for understanding that. Hold onto that, whatever other business model online you choose to follow. Above all, don't let anyone;) browbeat you into the voodoo of "community" and 24/7 social networking. Yes, having the Facebook, linkedin and one or two other things is standard for most people but it's not a magic formula to guarantee traffic as some would have you believe. Self-marketing is great and essential but I think you know where I draw the line with that one, so I won't go down that path again:) I'd say you do need to find a niche and a brand for yourself in travel before you do the site for yourself. I've heard other people claim elsewhere that the Adsense and affiliate program links can actually work once you've developed a srong brand or travel identity. I don't know if WP is the magic key to website construction, I think it's the content and the voice and niche you speak from that will carry you, not necessarily the vessel you've chosen to transport your message. Wp is certainly the Blogger's Darling du jour, but then you know by definition it's not mine;) Cheers.

]]> By: Jeremy Head http://www.travelblather.com/2009/10/make-money-blog-monetization.html/comment-page-1#comment-261 Jeremy Head Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:47:32 +0000 http://www.travelblather.com/2009/10/how-do-you-make-money-from-a-blog.html#comment-261 Hi Matthew... I agree completely with you. I'm increasingly thinking that what we need to do is set up an ad-network that features all of our blogs. A kind of collective that would be really interesting for key, niche advertisers to advertise into. Maybe there's someone out there who can help us do that? Is there?? Hi Matthew... I agree completely with you. I'm increasingly thinking that what we need to do is set up an ad-network that features all of our blogs. A kind of collective that would be really interesting for key, niche advertisers to advertise into. Maybe there's someone out there who can help us do that? Is there??

]]> By: Matthew Teller http://www.travelblather.com/2009/10/make-money-blog-monetization.html/comment-page-1#comment-260 Matthew Teller Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:17:15 +0000 http://www.travelblather.com/2009/10/how-do-you-make-money-from-a-blog.html#comment-260 Very interesting discussion, as always (thanks Jeremy). I'm coming to this late, and am not going to blather on, but just to add my voice to those who simply don't WANT to learn how to make money blogging. It's like fixing a car. I might enjoy it, but I simply can't afford the time to learn properly - and it's not what I'm good at anyway. I write. That's what I do. I also travel, and travelling helps me to write - but I write. That is the reason why I am blogging - in order to further my writing career, not to further my blogging career, or even to make money. I blog to write. That's all. I couldn't build a website to save my life. But look - plenty of other people can't write to save their lives. But they CAN build and maintain successful, money-making websites. Why aren't more of us (writers) getting together with more of you (money-makers)? Very interesting discussion, as always (thanks Jeremy). I'm coming to this late, and am not going to blather on, but just to add my voice to those who simply don't WANT to learn how to make money blogging. It's like fixing a car. I might enjoy it, but I simply can't afford the time to learn properly - and it's not what I'm good at anyway.

I write. That's what I do. I also travel, and travelling helps me to write - but I write. That is the reason why I am blogging - in order to further my writing career, not to further my blogging career, or even to make money. I blog to write. That's all. I couldn't build a website to save my life.

But look - plenty of other people can't write to save their lives. But they CAN build and maintain successful, money-making websites.

Why aren't more of us (writers) getting together with more of you (money-makers)?

]]> By: Sheila Scarborough http://www.travelblather.com/2009/10/make-money-blog-monetization.html/comment-page-1#comment-259 Sheila Scarborough Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:56:56 +0000 http://www.travelblather.com/2009/10/how-do-you-make-money-from-a-blog.html#comment-259 If I had a brilliant answer for all this, I wouldn't have the time to post here :) but I do know this - chasing little bits of ad money via wads of content and SEO tinkering is, in my opinion, a huge amount of effort for too little return, at least in our particular business niche of travel. Sell something people will spend money to buy. It could be a physical product, but more likely, it's going to be your knowledge (I think the ebook idea comes close to part of the answer. I think charging for mobile/smartphone content is another part of the answer. I think speaking and teaching is another part of the answer.) How does Rick Steves make money? I read in "Writer's Digest" that it's mostly royalties on his big back catalog of books, and leading people on his tours in Europe. People will pay for his insights and his brand of seeing "Europe through the back door." There's value, professionalism and some degree of dignity there: the alternative of waiting/hoping for enough random visitors to click ads just can't match it. If I had a brilliant answer for all this, I wouldn't have the time to post here :) but I do know this - chasing little bits of ad money via wads of content and SEO tinkering is, in my opinion, a huge amount of effort for too little return, at least in our particular business niche of travel.

Sell something people will spend money to buy. It could be a physical product, but more likely, it's going to be your knowledge (I think the ebook idea comes close to part of the answer. I think charging for mobile/smartphone content is another part of the answer. I think speaking and teaching is another part of the answer.)

How does Rick Steves make money? I read in "Writer's Digest" that it's mostly royalties on his big back catalog of books, and leading people on his tours in Europe. People will pay for his insights and his brand of seeing "Europe through the back door." There's value, professionalism and some degree of dignity there: the alternative of waiting/hoping for enough random visitors to click ads just can't match it.

]]> By: Craig from Indie Travel Podcast http://www.travelblather.com/2009/10/make-money-blog-monetization.html/comment-page-1#comment-258 Craig from Indie Travel Podcast Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:03:02 +0000 http://www.travelblather.com/2009/10/how-do-you-make-money-from-a-blog.html#comment-258 We keep going through this process at ITP too. We need more keyword stuffing vs. Stuff that and write damn good stuff. Publishing good stuff is certainly winning, but we're not cashing $10k cheques either. We keep going through this process at ITP too. We need more keyword stuffing vs. Stuff that and write damn good stuff.

Publishing good stuff is certainly winning, but we're not cashing $10k cheques either.

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