The Business Side of Blogging and Independent Publishing
For the last year I've been taking the business side of independent Web pubs more seriously. It started with a quick and dirty indoctrination into ad banner networks (tip: if you don't know the difference between a CPM and a CPC campaign, you should). Then I expanded my knowledge base into affiliate programs. To date, the results have been optimistic. I'm not buying that vacation home just yet, but I'm encouraged enough to keep learning and tweaking.I'm sure at least one person is cringing while reading this: "Ads? Affiliate programs? How crude!"
I used to be this person. I launched my first site (filmfodder.com) in March 2000 and I didn't seriously consider advertising until April 2004. For years I thought -- no, I believed -- business and independent publishing were adversaries.
So what happened? I finally realized that business need not be evil. If I could slap a few well-placed ads on my pages and pay for my monthly server fees, who would mind? No one at all.
And so the ads went up and slowly -- very slowly at first -- my monthly income went up. It's still not high (I'm in the hundreds, not the thousands), but the growth has been steady. Even better, I haven't had to resort to spammy techniques to make a profit: ads are clearly marked and I try to stick to established ad types and conventions. On the affiliate side, I work hard to feature relevant products from reputable vendors. So far, so good.
The money is a nice surprise, but the best aspect of my paradigm shift is that it's proven to me without a doubt that the Web is a viable business medium. I always knew it was a revolutionary outlet for content, but I've also found it to be a modest money maker with exceptional potential for content geeks like me. To put it another way: I can write and produce stuff that interests me and get paid for it? Pinch me -- I think I've found the promised land.
If you're standing at a similar crossroads, I can assure you that you can develop for-profit sites without flushing your integrity down the crapper.
Go for it. If it makes you feel dirty you can always take the ads down.
Resources
The following sites will kick-start your business acumen.
WebmasterWorld -- The single best community site I've ever seen. Perusing the topics at WebmasterWorld will expand every aspect of your Web knowledge.
Problogger -- Darren Rowse blends a pragmatic business outlook with an approachable writing style. He's also a full-time blogger (Got your attention? It should!)
PaidContent.org -- Rafat Ali does an exceptional job covering all wings of the Web and digital content worlds.
-- Mac Slocum
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