Going Pro: Network or Indie?

I went to meet an old acquaintance last week who was pitching an idea to me. Our discussion revolved around the choice between putting up an independent blog or writing for a blog network. I explained that there are two sides of the coin when going pro — would you consider it a business or a career? To illustrate, I compared the advantages and disadvantages of the different salary models currently being used by blog networks.

Early this year, when I was still writing for BlogHerald, I wrote this little observation…

WIN, back in the early days under Jason Calacanis, were offering at least $500PHP 29,343INR 42,375EUR 476CNY 3,639 salary per month for their new bloggers. Of course there was a quota of 120 posts a month or you get subtracted $4PHP 235INR 339EUR 4CNY 29 per post under that total (please correct me here Jason if I’m wrong). Know More Media was paying $5PHP 293INR 424EUR 5CNY 36 per post for new bloggers and $7.50PHP 440INR 636EUR 7CNY 55 for veterans (blogging for them for over a 6 months?). They’re even paying $1PHP 59INR 85EUR 0.95CNY 7 per legitimate comment the bloggers made on other blogs. Really nice incentive, IMO. The key here is the starting payout which will really motivate your bloggers.

b5media’s $1.50PHP 88INR 127EUR 1CNY 11 per 1,000 pageviews may seem like a nice formula but with you will eventually learn that not all niche are searched equally. So, a nice title with just 3 pictures of the Oscars at a celebrity blog could get tens of thousands of pageviews but a great entry on another blog about rag dolls may barely break 100 pageviews. The rag doll blogger might as well join the celeb bloggers and earn more per post.

The blog network owners chimed in on that discussion. Each network will create a formula where they feel is equitable between them as the business establishment and the blogger as the contractual employee.

Case in point, Filipina Soul is one of b5’s blog and since it joined Pinoy Top Blogs last August 2006, it has garnered a total of 274,000 pageviews. Using their rate card, that goes down to $411PHP 24,120INR 34,832EUR 391CNY 2,991 ($1.5PHP 88INR 127EUR 1CNY 11/k x 274k) or roughly $37PHP 2,171INR 3,136EUR 35CNY 269/month. Add to that the additional base pay of $50PHP 2,934INR 4,237EUR 48CNY 364 – $100PHP 5,869INR 8,475EUR 95CNY 728 per month. At an average of between $87PHP 5,106INR 7,373EUR 83CNY 633 to $137PHP 8,040INR 11,611EUR 130CNY 997 every month for 11 months, not bad at all. Very few people I know can sustain that amount of revenue if they did it on their own (though I admire/applaud those who have managed to do so).

But that shouldn’t prevent you from starting your own blogs too. Call it an insurance of sorts. If one day you decided to quit and take a rest, you’ll have your own stable of revenue source not tied up with the network. And even if you don’t update it, I’m sure you’d get a dollar or two still (think TLA).

That being said, I offered him a proposition. He pitches the idea for a blog, I provide the resources and technical support. We split the revenue, he takes home the bigger slice. Once he thinks he has learned the ropes, he can put up additional blogs on his own.

He calls it OJT, I call it small-time VC. ;)