Pinay Problogger: Ruth Schaffer

Our next on the list of Filipina Probloggers is Ruth Schaffer. She is a Microbiologist by training, and used to work on experimental research for an international agricultural research institute before being relocated to Europe.

The rest of her personal details are still unknown to me but I’m very glad to also have her on board our Philippine group travel blog.

• How would you define problogging?

  Professional blogging is getting paid to blog, writing a blog with a purpose of generating revenues.

• When did you start blogging? When did you get into problogging and how did you realize that there’s some money to be had from it?

  I started my personal blog in Feb 2004. I started dabbling in problogging in July 2005, but it was more of a hobby, rather than an income generating move.

  It wasn’t until late in 2005 til I started to realize my blogs’potential to be monetized. I received my first significant paycheck in January this year.

• Which blogs are you writing for and which blog networks are you affiliated with?

  I am the sole author of
  The Biotech Weblog , of Creative Weblogging (CW)
  Let’s Visit Asia, of b5media

  I have also just launched the Allergizer, also of CW, this week.

• Are you problogging part time or full time? Do you see this career as a part time gig or you are looking into going fulltime problogging?

  Part-time. As of the moment, I see it as a part-time gig. While the potential revenues can be lucrative, there’s just no saying how long the opportunity will last.

  I am hoping to earn not only from my blogs but also BECAUSE of them: other writing gigs, other jobs.

• How do you monetize your blog? Which ones bring in the most revenues?

  Since my professional blogs are part of a network, I myself don’t deal with the revenue schemes. What ads goes into my blogs are decided and chosen by the network administrators. I know both uses adsense and text link, as well as direct sponsors.
  CW also offers other forms of ads.

• What are the requirements to go into problogging for a network? Flat fee or profit sharing? How much is the salary range?

  Since my professional blogs are part of a network, I myself don’t deal with the revenue schemes. What ads goes into my blogs are decided and chosen by the network administrators. I know both uses Adsense and Text Link, as well as direct sponsors. CW also offers other forms of ads.

• What are the requirements to go into problogging for a network? Flat fee or profit sharing? How much is the salary range?

  Main requirements, I guess are passion and expertise on a topic, as well as the ability to blog regularly, possibly more than once a day.

  CW has both payment models (fixed payment or revenue sharing). CW also invites creative reporters who are paid on a per post basis upon publication.

  With b5media, blogger gets the first $100PHP 5,869INR 8,475EUR 95CNY 728 (?) and then splits the rest.
  Other networks pay on a per-post basis.

  Salary range can be from a few cents to more than $1,000PHP 58,686INR 84,750EUR 952CNY 7,278 a month, especially with those models that pay per post.

• How much time do you spend on problogging?

  About 4 hours a day, 20 hrs/week.

• What other benefits do you get from problogging?

  I have personally benefitted from my blogs, because they are all educational. I blog about the topics that personally interest me so I personally profit intellectually from my blogs.

  My time online becomes productive, instead of simply randomly surfing the net. Problogging keeps my day structured.

  Because I am a part of a network, I have also gotten to know several great probloggers, some of them even A-listers, in the process, and have learned a lot from them. I have also developed stronger relationships with blogging “colleagues”, some of them I already ever regard as friends.

• What’s the most significant event/moment you had in your entire problogging career?

  It’s a toss between the launch dates, the first comments, the first link back, but I guess nothing can compare to the adrenaline rush as I cashed in my first considerable paycheck.

• What personal tips can you share with bloggers who want to try out problogging?

  Before even contemplating problogging, think how much time and effort you are willing to dedicate into problogging. This is not a fly-by-night get-rich-quick scheme.

  Next, pick a topic you really know a lot about and can CREDIBLY blog about on a regular basis.
  Make sure your blog is different from the hundreds, or thousands of others that may already be tackling your topic.

  Problogging is a job, treat it as one. Learn the ropes and tricks from the pro’s. Problogging takes more than just writing and producing posts. It needs a lot of time and therefore, patience, to acquire recognition and to establish readership. One has to be ready to learn to build and sustain a successful blog.

More Filipino Probloggers:

Melissa Atienza-Petri
Joachim Guanzon
Ruth Schaffer
J Angelo Racoma
Markku Seguerra
Gloria Gamat
Paulo Ordoveza