Bloggapedia Blog
In the information age, blogging brings with it it's own brand of celebrity and it can be just as tough to score a quick interview with a top blogger as a top actor. With bank accounts rolling and egos flying the bloggers who remain accessible, cream of the crop though they may be, are the ones who are more surely destined to even greater heights.
Maybe it's their ability to maintain both an online and a friendly offline persona, maybe - like in the case of Darren Rowse - they're just plain nice.
Darren, a native Australian, is perhaps the ProBlogger of all time, having started his blogging as a hobby while working triple time at three paying jobs in 2002. Fast forward just five years and Darren is now earning approximately $10,000+ per month from his collection of blogs. That's some cool cash for a guy who first hit the 'publish' button thinking it would be a 'bit of fun.'
Darren is now well known as the brains behind possibly the single most popular and well respected blog-information sites on the net: ProBlogger.net. He took the time out of his schedule to share the basics on his career as the ProBlogger, his currently favored addon, and his thoughts on why blogging has been and will continue to be such an awesome media format.
If you could have any title in The Blogosphere for the position you currently occupy, what would it be?
Just 'blogger' would do. I'm not a big one for fancy titles. I get 'the problogger' a lot and while I guess it's descriptive in that I do blog as my profession I'm a little uncomfortable with it as it can be interpreted in a different way - ie in that I'm somehow more professional than others - something I highly doubt.
Please tell us a little bit about your current blog project:
I have a few blog projects but the one I'm spending more and more time on these days is b5media - a new media network. We began it in 2005 with 14 blogs and a handful of bloggers but have managed to build it into a network of around 200 blogs with 100 bloggers.
My role there is to head up the blogger training program (a challenge as we have bloggers of all experience levels writing on hundreds of topics).
What was your first blog (or post) and when? Why/how did you start it?
My first blog was about spirituality, culture and emerging church (new ways of doing church). I started it because I was involved in a team starting a new church and I wanted a place to think out loud and record the journey.
Do you monetize your blog? If so, are you willing to share how much you make each month from you blog?
The internet has proven to be an exceptional medium in which to further career study as well as meet basic educational goals. Overall, online enrollment increased from 1.98 million in 2003 to 2.35 million in 2004 with the online enrollment growth rate at over ten times that projected by the National Center for Education Statistics for the general post-secondary student population.
The writers at Online Degrees Today recognized a need for a website that would make it easier for potential students to research the world of online educational opportunities and so developed The Online Education Blog.
Interview with Darren Rowse: ProBlogger.net
In the information age, blogging brings with it it's own brand of celebrity and it can be just as tough to score a quick interview with a top blogger as a top actor. With bank accounts rolling and egos flying the bloggers who remain accessible, cream of the crop though they may be, are the ones who are more surely destined to even greater heights.Maybe it's their ability to maintain both an online and a friendly offline persona, maybe - like in the case of Darren Rowse - they're just plain nice.
Darren, a native Australian, is perhaps the ProBlogger of all time, having started his blogging as a hobby while working triple time at three paying jobs in 2002. Fast forward just five years and Darren is now earning approximately $10,000+ per month from his collection of blogs. That's some cool cash for a guy who first hit the 'publish' button thinking it would be a 'bit of fun.'
Darren is now well known as the brains behind possibly the single most popular and well respected blog-information sites on the net: ProBlogger.net. He took the time out of his schedule to share the basics on his career as the ProBlogger, his currently favored addon, and his thoughts on why blogging has been and will continue to be such an awesome media format.
If you could have any title in The Blogosphere for the position you currently occupy, what would it be?
Just 'blogger' would do. I'm not a big one for fancy titles. I get 'the problogger' a lot and while I guess it's descriptive in that I do blog as my profession I'm a little uncomfortable with it as it can be interpreted in a different way - ie in that I'm somehow more professional than others - something I highly doubt.
Please tell us a little bit about your current blog project:
I have a few blog projects but the one I'm spending more and more time on these days is b5media - a new media network. We began it in 2005 with 14 blogs and a handful of bloggers but have managed to build it into a network of around 200 blogs with 100 bloggers.
My role there is to head up the blogger training program (a challenge as we have bloggers of all experience levels writing on hundreds of topics).
What was your first blog (or post) and when? Why/how did you start it?
My first blog was about spirituality, culture and emerging church (new ways of doing church). I started it because I was involved in a team starting a new church and I wanted a place to think out loud and record the journey.
Do you monetize your blog? If so, are you willing to share how much you make each month from you blog?
I have a number of my own personal blogs and I do monetize almost all of them. I don't share my exact earnings any more but have previously shared that my blogs earn in excess of six figures a year. So on a monthly basis they do earn me more than $10,000 USD quite comfortably.
How much traffic does your blog generate weekly?
How much traffic does your blog generate weekly?
Across all of my own personal blogs - its somewhere in the vicinity of 30,000 to 50,000 unique visitors a day. That doesn't include RSS readership which is around that level again.
Any tips or hints for other bloggers on how to make their own blogs more popular?
Any tips or hints for other bloggers on how to make their own blogs more popular?
Connect with other blogs, sites and forums that are on similar and related topics. These other sites already have readership that is interested in the topics you write about so if you can find ways to participate in them in ways that are not spammy and that add value to those sites then you can often find new readers.
What are your top five weekly blog reads and what information/angle do you look to each one for?
What are your top five weekly blog reads and what information/angle do you look to each one for?
I follow hundreds of blogs and rarely find the same one consistently producing the 'wow' content. ie every day is different and I wouldn't want to pick just a few out.
What I look for in a blog is useful content that will enhance my life somehow.
Has blogging affected your personal/family life in any way?
Has blogging affected your personal/family life in any way?
Sure thing - it's paid for the house that we bought a couple of years back and puts food on our table every day. It's also allowed us to travel and meet some of the most interesting people from around the world. Blogging's been very good to us as a family.
What are the biggest problems/challenges inherent to weblogs? How do you address that problem on your own blog?
What are the biggest problems/challenges inherent to weblogs? How do you address that problem on your own blog?
Comment Spam comes to mind - however with tools like Akismet most of that can be filtered automatically.
Perhaps the most concerning thing for me is the very very small minority of bloggers who use the tools in manipulative and dishonest ways. I've come across a number of circumstances in the last year where bloggers have been responsible for some fairly terrible acts that have hurt people.
I'm not sure that this is something that I can 'solve' but I am pleased to see that in most of these circumstances the blogging community has rallied and self regulated and moderated itself to deal with the situations.
What new blogging tool, toy, accessory, widget, addon, or whatnot do you recommend and why?
There are a lot of good tools out there. I like 103bees for it's 'questions' feature and have been using that a bit lately. I wrote how here.
What new blogging tool, toy, accessory, widget, addon, or whatnot do you recommend and why?
There are a lot of good tools out there. I like 103bees for it's 'questions' feature and have been using that a bit lately. I wrote how here.
Why do you believe blogging is so essential and important?
One of my early dreams for blogs was that they could be used to give marginalized people a voice - this is now happening in many instances. I guess I'd like to see this continue and would one day like to be a part of a project that does this in a more coordinated manner.
The two things that really attracted me to blogging was that it gave people a voice was all about conversation and community. Together these two aspects are a powerful force.
---
To learn more about Darren, his past and current projects, and glean a bit of the wit and wisdom this very modest blogging guru has to offer visit ProBlogger.net.
One of my early dreams for blogs was that they could be used to give marginalized people a voice - this is now happening in many instances. I guess I'd like to see this continue and would one day like to be a part of a project that does this in a more coordinated manner.
The two things that really attracted me to blogging was that it gave people a voice was all about conversation and community. Together these two aspects are a powerful force.
---
To learn more about Darren, his past and current projects, and glean a bit of the wit and wisdom this very modest blogging guru has to offer visit ProBlogger.net.
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Upcoming: BlogHer 2007
Category:
Blogging News
,
Events-Conferences
So many events, so little time!
As blogging becomes increasingly popular so does the idea of an event or conference centered around the same - giving bloggers and those interested in getting started a chance to network, learn more, and present their own expertise.
A full six months away but already some of the local hotel blocks for this two-day conference are sold out! Check out BlogHer 2007. The conference scheduled for Chicago on July 27th and 28th of this year is themed "A World of Difference" and they've got some interesting programs and features lined up.
To mention just a few, from the official event website:
"Art of Life: devoted to the passions about which so many of us blog...food, art, photography, crafts, knitting, writing, poetry, music and more.
Business of You: on personal and business advancement. We expect to discuss speaker and media training, self-branding and promotion, mentoring, turning your blog into a book or a business, and perhaps even managing your time, your finances, your blogging policies and practices...the business of you.
Community: will explore the care and feeding of communities. Possible topics include building bridges between local for-profit and non-profit companies, continuing the discussion of community assistance and relief programs that was kicked off at BlogHer '06, how to galvanize social change with your blogs, and wherever else the BlogHer community leads us!
Identity: about both the immutable and the dynamic aspects of our lives. Race, gender, age, sexuality, parenting, singledom, faith...many of us blog about who we are, not what we do, and this track will explore your many facets.
Politics: while Election '08 coverage and the drive to register women voters would be enough ground to cover, we're also looking to expand the Politics track beyond the U.S...should we be talking about the politics of war, about gender equity worldwide, about how different regions of the world are drawing women into the political process? You tell us.?
The event organizers also promise some general sessions, plus some alternative spaces, like an Internet Cafe and a Collaborative Workspace. They are also talking about adding an optional Sunday half-day unconference, sort of a "BlogHerCamp".
All in all sounds like BlogHer 2007 intends to bring refreshing new perspectives to the issues that seem to exist for bloggers and their medium.
As blogging becomes increasingly popular so does the idea of an event or conference centered around the same - giving bloggers and those interested in getting started a chance to network, learn more, and present their own expertise.
A full six months away but already some of the local hotel blocks for this two-day conference are sold out! Check out BlogHer 2007. The conference scheduled for Chicago on July 27th and 28th of this year is themed "A World of Difference" and they've got some interesting programs and features lined up.
To mention just a few, from the official event website:
"Art of Life: devoted to the passions about which so many of us blog...food, art, photography, crafts, knitting, writing, poetry, music and more.
Business of You: on personal and business advancement. We expect to discuss speaker and media training, self-branding and promotion, mentoring, turning your blog into a book or a business, and perhaps even managing your time, your finances, your blogging policies and practices...the business of you.
Community: will explore the care and feeding of communities. Possible topics include building bridges between local for-profit and non-profit companies, continuing the discussion of community assistance and relief programs that was kicked off at BlogHer '06, how to galvanize social change with your blogs, and wherever else the BlogHer community leads us!
Identity: about both the immutable and the dynamic aspects of our lives. Race, gender, age, sexuality, parenting, singledom, faith...many of us blog about who we are, not what we do, and this track will explore your many facets.
Politics: while Election '08 coverage and the drive to register women voters would be enough ground to cover, we're also looking to expand the Politics track beyond the U.S...should we be talking about the politics of war, about gender equity worldwide, about how different regions of the world are drawing women into the political process? You tell us.?
The event organizers also promise some general sessions, plus some alternative spaces, like an Internet Cafe and a Collaborative Workspace. They are also talking about adding an optional Sunday half-day unconference, sort of a "BlogHerCamp".
All in all sounds like BlogHer 2007 intends to bring refreshing new perspectives to the issues that seem to exist for bloggers and their medium.
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Upcoming: International Podcasting Virtual Expo
From the event website:
The International Podcasting Expo, April 20-21, 2007 offers 35+ online audio/visual seminars about RSS, Podcasting and MobileCasting.
Web Designers, Virtual Assistants, Online Marketers, and Entrepreneurs can learn how to utilize RSS, audio and video to increase search engine rankings and website traffic for themselves and their clients.
Weekend Pass Holders receive:
a free lifetime license for Pamela Pro, the Digital Assistant for Skype
free Recording and Editing Software
free Mixing Software;
free multimedia Podcasting Handbook
free Podcatching Software
trial version of Video Editing Software
a data DVD of all 35+ recorded sessions,
as well as other prizes and giveaways.
Speakers include Jason Van Orden, Leesa Barnes, Elisabeth Lewin, Krishna De, Anna Farmery and Heather Gorringe.
Among the 35+ sessions, subjects range from Step-By Step Instructions for Podcasting and Beginning Editing Instructions, to Promoting Your Podcast, Podcasting for Profit and MobileCasting with Cell Phones.
Three (3) sessions will be open to the public:
Friday, April 20, 2007, 12pm EST - Karin Hoegh: Step-By-Step Podcasting
Friday, April 20, 2007, 8pm EST - Jason Van Orden: Promoting Your Podcast
Saturday, April 21, 2007, 3pm EST - George Smyth: Where To Find Music For Your Podcast
All that is needed to attend is an internet connection and speakers, and a microphone to interact verbally with other attendees and presenters.
Groups of 10 or more receive $15 - $20 discounts per ticket, plus a booth at the Expo.
For more information about this all-virtual Expo click here.
The International Podcasting Expo, April 20-21, 2007 offers 35+ online audio/visual seminars about RSS, Podcasting and MobileCasting.
Web Designers, Virtual Assistants, Online Marketers, and Entrepreneurs can learn how to utilize RSS, audio and video to increase search engine rankings and website traffic for themselves and their clients.
Weekend Pass Holders receive:
a free lifetime license for Pamela Pro, the Digital Assistant for Skype
free Recording and Editing Software
free Mixing Software;
free multimedia Podcasting Handbook
free Podcatching Software
trial version of Video Editing Software
a data DVD of all 35+ recorded sessions,
as well as other prizes and giveaways.
Speakers include Jason Van Orden, Leesa Barnes, Elisabeth Lewin, Krishna De, Anna Farmery and Heather Gorringe.
Among the 35+ sessions, subjects range from Step-By Step Instructions for Podcasting and Beginning Editing Instructions, to Promoting Your Podcast, Podcasting for Profit and MobileCasting with Cell Phones.
Three (3) sessions will be open to the public:
Friday, April 20, 2007, 12pm EST - Karin Hoegh: Step-By-Step Podcasting
Friday, April 20, 2007, 8pm EST - Jason Van Orden: Promoting Your Podcast
Saturday, April 21, 2007, 3pm EST - George Smyth: Where To Find Music For Your Podcast
All that is needed to attend is an internet connection and speakers, and a microphone to interact verbally with other attendees and presenters.
Groups of 10 or more receive $15 - $20 discounts per ticket, plus a booth at the Expo.
For more information about this all-virtual Expo click here.
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Upcoming: Blog World Expo 2007!
Category:
Blogging News
,
Events-Conferences
Thanks very much to one of our fabulous members who posted the link to this upcoming event in our forums.
Coming to Las Vegas November, 2007 - The Blog World Expo
From site:
"The first and only tradeshow, conference, and media event dedicated to promoting the dynamic industry of blogging and new media. If you are currently blogging, vlogging, podcasting, producing some other form of new media content, thinking about joining the exciting industry of new media or just want to know what this whole blogging phenomena is all about then you need to be at BlogWorld.
The inaugural event will take place in Las Vegas November 8th and 9th at the Las Vegas Convention Center with an exclusive corporate only conference November 7th."
For more information, or to register, click here.
Coming to Las Vegas November, 2007 - The Blog World Expo
From site:
"The first and only tradeshow, conference, and media event dedicated to promoting the dynamic industry of blogging and new media. If you are currently blogging, vlogging, podcasting, producing some other form of new media content, thinking about joining the exciting industry of new media or just want to know what this whole blogging phenomena is all about then you need to be at BlogWorld.
The inaugural event will take place in Las Vegas November 8th and 9th at the Las Vegas Convention Center with an exclusive corporate only conference November 7th."
For more information, or to register, click here.
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New blogging jobs
Category:
Blog Jobs
As always, we scan the blog jobs and post the best for you here:
Usmagazine (the online version of the print mag) is looking for a west coast staff writer for daily publishing on a tight deadline.
TotalBeauty seeks a professional beauty and makeup junkie to play writer/blogger/editor in Santa Monica, CA.
The AT&T Tech Channel (broadband) is preparing to launch and seeks an on-air news anchor (not exactly blogging, but hey...sounds like a fun gig) in New Jersey.
VH1 Digital in Manhattan seeks a morning shift blogger for their pop-culture focused VH1 Blog.
If you have a blogging-based job to offer and would like to see it listed here in the Bloggapedia Blog, feel free to use our handy contact form to let us know about it!
Usmagazine (the online version of the print mag) is looking for a west coast staff writer for daily publishing on a tight deadline.
TotalBeauty seeks a professional beauty and makeup junkie to play writer/blogger/editor in Santa Monica, CA.
The AT&T Tech Channel (broadband) is preparing to launch and seeks an on-air news anchor (not exactly blogging, but hey...sounds like a fun gig) in New Jersey.
VH1 Digital in Manhattan seeks a morning shift blogger for their pop-culture focused VH1 Blog.
If you have a blogging-based job to offer and would like to see it listed here in the Bloggapedia Blog, feel free to use our handy contact form to let us know about it!
Bookmark this post:
Introducing...The Online Education Blog
Category:
Introducing...
The internet has proven to be an exceptional medium in which to further career study as well as meet basic educational goals. Overall, online enrollment increased from 1.98 million in 2003 to 2.35 million in 2004 with the online enrollment growth rate at over ten times that projected by the National Center for Education Statistics for the general post-secondary student population. The writers at Online Degrees Today recognized a need for a website that would make it easier for potential students to research the world of online educational opportunities and so developed The Online Education Blog.
They strive to make it easier for students to compare colleges & universities in the quest to further their careers and education.
View the resource here.
View the resource here.
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