Blogging For Profit

THE PLAIN DEALER

Consultant tells how she blogs for profit

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Can anyone turn blogging into a business?

You can turn the right site with the right business model into a business, sure. . . . Will most people be able to do it? Probably not, because they will find they don't like being in that kind of business or they just won't stick with it long enough to start seeing meaningful results.

What made you decide to give it a whirl?

Blog software has the amazing power to let a small-business owner -- a sole proprietor like me -- put up a Web site, update it regularly and build a community of followers, all on a shoestring. In the summer of 2003, I set up on one of those free blogger sites to market my consulting business. I wasn't worried about wasting money, but I did wonder, "Is anybody actually reading this?"

What was your first blog?

With my first blog I learned an important lesson: While it is great to pick a niche topic, make sure it is broad enough that you will have enough interesting material. My first blog was on the topic of advisory boards, but I soon ran out of things to say. Small-business advisory boards are rarely in the news. (Laughs) I deleted that blog and started Small Business Trends instead.

How large is your audience?

My main site, smallbiztrends.com, gets about 90,000 hits a month.

About 30 people sign up for the free e-newsletter each day, and I get about 100 e-mails.

How many sites do you write for?

I have six Web sites that I consider ones for "my voice." And then I write a few blogs as a paid writer for small businesses and contribute now and then on group blogs, usually upon invitation and sometimes for special events.

What will readers find on your Web sites?

Specialty reports and insights on small-business trends, technology news, reviews of products and other blogs, sign-ups for newsletters and free magazines, links to other experts and resources, a marketplace for books and resource materials, details about my radio show. . . . Content changes every day.

Was there a "light-bulb moment" when you realized you could make a business out of it?
The first year was slow, but I could see incremental progress. By the end of the first year, I felt pretty sure, but it was more of a gut instinct than measurable results. I knew from the growing interest that something good was going on.

What's your office set-up?

(Laughs) It's not very impressive. I work from home, and my desk is ridiculously small. The other day I was interviewing the president of the [U.S. Small Business Administration] and I'm thinking, this man reports to the president of the United States and here I am sitting at my tiny desk. . . . You don't have to have all the latest gadgets to start blogging. I mean, I don't even have an iPod.

What's the biggest challenge you face?

Staying organized. . . . There's about 400 passwords for all the services, sites and resources I use. Between the research, writing, lining up radio-show guests and responding to readers' e-mails, it's a lot to keep track of.

With so many places to get information, when should people turn to blogs?

For some kinds of information, blogs are the only good source out there: To stay up to the minute on grass-roots political ideas and issues; to learn about new startup products; to learn people's real attitudes, ideas and impressions; to create a marketing voice on a shoestring for a small company, blogs are terrific.

Will it grow to replace print media?

No way. Bloggers don't have the means to do original reporting, for the most part. Print readership, although on the decline, is not going away completely for a long, long time -- certainly not in my lifetime.


© 2006 The Plain Dealer
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Know More Media Announces the Addition of Ten New Blogs for Its Business Blog Network

Thu Jan 26, 7:00 AM ET

Orange County, CA (PRWEB) January 26, 2006 -- Know More Media, an online publisher of business information and news , has announced the publication of ten new niche content blogs for its rapidly expanding business blog network. Know More Media publishes a network of business-related blogs that offer real-time news, information, and advice on a variety of business topics.

Their blogs are authored by authorities in their specific business fields .

“Our new blogs expand our ability to address additional niche audiences,” said Hal Halladay, CEO of Know More Media. “We continue to be focused on providing topics with specific purpose and relevant content. Our readers benefit by hearing straight from experts on the particular topics, and the blog format enables readers to interact directly with the authors.”

The ten new blogs:

TheAlphaMarketer.com ( seeking experts to write for these new business blogs, as well as other blogs in their network that are currently available for authorship.

‘The gate is now open to find expert writers for these ten new blogs,” said Dan Smith, VP of Publishing for Know More Media. “Our business blog network is unique and powerful because every one of our authors is an expert in their individual field of business. There are some excellent topics in this new group of blogs, and were looking forward to finding the authoritative writers for them.”

About Know More Media -

http://www.KnowMoreMedia.com , is a rapidly growing online publisher of business information and news, and is headquartered in Orange County, CA, with an office in Provo, UT. Led by a team of seasoned business executives with many years of online publishing and business management experience, Know More Media is a revolutionary departure from traditional business publishing. The Company contracts with expert writers from across the globe to supply valuable business-related blog content to the online world. Its authors are typically practicing authorities in their fields, who provide their business advice and knowledge to business readers through a blog. Readers are encouraged to participate through comments and continuous feedback, thereby not only learning, but sharing their valued experience to an ever-expanding community of business expertise. # # #

KNOW MORE MEDIA Dan Smith 714.655.6794 E-mail Information