Here are some initial questions on blogging basics I wrote earlier on the blog.
*
How to start a blog?The easiest way to go about this is by signing up with free hosted blogging service. Try WordPress.com (
www.wordpress.com) and Blogger.com (
www.blogger.com) as they are two of the most popular ones. Signing up is easy and should be a breeze if you have basic internet skills (I usually add that if you knew how to create a fee email account, signing for a blog should be much easier). Blogger.com is more advertising friendly and new sign-ups are also encouraged to open an AdSense account so go ahead with that too. You can also go to a full blown blog and get yourself a nice domain and hosting -- but that will cost you too.
*
What should I blog about?A lot of things! But, focus more on the topics you are most passionate about or something you think you have good knowledge of. Topics could range from gardening, pets, to food, traveling, gaming, cars and toys (so much more actually). A newly turned blogger I helped recently put up a blog about
finches (a certain species of birds for breeding).
*
How do I earn from my blog?The same business model applies to most other websites -- advertising. Some are self-service and pretty easy to get into while others take time and patience. For self-service advertising, check out TextLinkAds, Google AdSense, ReviewMe, PayPerPost, AdBrite, Kontera, Amazon Associates, etc. To get direct ads, you will need to have a fairly established blog with sizable traffic to get noticed. The getting noticed part will be a little hard depending on the topic you blog about.
*
How do I get paid for it?It depends on which ad platform you use but most of the time, it's thru cheques at the end of the month, quarter or after you reach a certain amount (e.g. $25). Others thru Paypal, direct deposit and other money remittance services (Xoom, Western Union, etc).
*
How long before I start earning?Now this is the hardest part to answer really. Based from experience, it could be as quick as 3 months to as long as 2 years. So, you need to be very patient and passionate about it, otherwise you'll only end up getting disappointed. Sometimes, you won't earn a cent at all. It's not a fool-proof formula.
*
What else do I need to know?I've compiled a number of posts about
problogging here. I also did several interviews with fellow Filipino
probloggers here. You can contact them (esp. the network bloggers) for more leads in getting a part-time blogging gig at their respective blog networks.
*
What's the easiest way to start?You can join a blog network. It's one way of getting into problogging without a lot of the hassles since the network will help you out a long the way. A local blog network you can approach is Bayanihan Blog Network (
http://bayanihanblogs.com) (which I co-founded). J Angelo (
www.racoma.com.ph) (the other blogger who got featured) is also managing a blog network. He can hook you up with some writing/blogging jobs too.
There are other ways too of earning money on the side thru the internet. I wrote some suggestion about that before (
More Ways to Make Money Online) with a more local twist.
:smile:
