exmtroj

October 26th, 2009 at 9:32 PM ^

Hard to believe, just doesn't make any sense. They're probably leaving something out, like you actually have to be good at it and clever and a little lucky, kind of like running any type of business.

MichTits

October 26th, 2009 at 6:05 PM ^

It looks like you have to be hired by some sort of large corporate sponsor (my guess, like ESPN or Sporting News) in order to make any real coin. Bloggers for self-employed or smaller sites must make significantly less. It mentions that part-time bloggers only make $14,000/year, and the upkeep of their sight costs them several thousand per year as well. Not exactly money in the bank. I would be interested to hear Brian's take on this subject...

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

October 26th, 2009 at 9:37 PM ^

I'd be interested to see how much Brian makes. Not that he'd disclose that though.
He sort of did, actually. Remember the meta-post on blogging and money? Sitemeter says the site has gotten upwards of 27 million pageviews in the past year. Also, from the post:
Pageviews. Hit F5. You've given me a pageview, and somewhere between a tenth and a half of a penny.
You can do the math. And once you do you'll probably find for yourself that the six-figures-on-average number is pure bullshit. This is probably at least a top-five most-viewed sports blog and the vast majority of views are surely because of the forum, which most blogs don't have. People like Perez Hilton, who is technically considered a blogger, are no doubt skewing the bloody fuck out of the earnings numbers.

Enjoy Life

October 26th, 2009 at 7:37 PM ^

I read the link and it is hilarious. No source at all just a statement that "For full-time bloggers, the average revenue in a year is $122,222." That would put them in the Top 5% off ALL wage earners. No way, No how.

bronxblue

October 26th, 2009 at 8:32 PM ^

I find your article interesting and would like to subscribe to your newsletter. Honestly, this read like one of those "get rich selling real estate" infomercials that play early in the morning on the weekend. I'm sure some guys make a living blogging - like Brian - but I doubt they are pulling in 6 figures except in extremely unique situations. I would also like to know how they define "blogger" - Bill Simmons pulls in millions a year and started out as a "blogger", but he wasn't making money until he basically became a columnist for ESPN. Same with most other popular writers online - they blog, they write traditional columns, they have speaking engagements, talking heads, book tours, lectures, etc. Sure, that might mean they clear $120k+, but the blogging element is just a component of a much larger source of income.

dylanb

October 26th, 2009 at 8:36 PM ^

(Technorati is the original source I think) are based on a certain group of their top 100 bloggers or something like this. If you link over to the Technorati site there are 4-5 parts that include more information about the study I think.

maizenbluedevil

October 26th, 2009 at 11:20 PM ^

That statement is very misleading. - Firstly, "revenue" means money taken in without expenses being accounted for. And yes, if you're a professional blogger, there are significant expenses. - Secondly, the number is skewed by the qualifier "full-time" bloggers. To be a blogger full-time, you obviously need to be making enough at it to provide you a full-time income. Thus, bloggers who make less than a full-time income aren't included in the average, inflating the number. - Thirdly, the term "blogger" as others have pointed out is quite nebulous. - Fourthly, who did they survey to get this number? It's impossible to survey all bloggers on the net. - Fifthly, the number of people who have monetized their blogs is small compared to the number of bloggers total, because it's difficult to do successfully. Monetizing a website requires an investment, which is only worth it if you're getting the traffic that indicates monetizing the blog will pay off, thus, it's (obviously) not like just anyone can start blogging and expect to make money. You have to be good at what you do, find a niche that has enough traffic but isn't saturated, and that has readers with $$$.