Ok...how do WE make $$ with our Blogs? MDC momma blogs rock!

[MommyHawk]

Ok, so we all have read about the blog that makes $40K a month...and we're all in agreement...it blows next to OUR blogs!

So....how do WE start making dinero with our blogs?

How can we help eachother out?

[snowbunny]

I joined an ad network and have some direct sales. I have some affiliate sales too. I really need to be active in finding direct advertisers, but so far I haven't been at all--I approached one direct advertiser and the other approached me. With those three I make between $50 and $600 a month. I'd like to see it closer to $1K, but am not holding my breath. I don't do adsense, at least right now, because I think it uglifies an otherwise pretty blog.

We could make a habit of subscribing to one another's blogs and visiting them regularly which would help with any CPM ads, and we should always click on advertisers links too. That might boost revenue, if only slightly.

[eastkygal]

Can someone talk about ad networks. I've registered on Blog Catalog and Condron. Blog Catalog has only brought me 2 views and condron quite a few even before I formally signed on. Right now I'm using wordpress which doesn't allow direct advertising as I don't have money to pay for anything. At some point when I have a steady readership I'd like to move to making the blog profitable. I want to be a career writer however I can do it. I am a novice blogger and have never read any before blogging myself. I'm still learning how they work.

[Twocoolboys]

I'm still learning how blogs work, too. I've used adsense off and on for a few months and made a little over $5. LOL I just got accepted at blogher so I'm going to be having their ads on my blog soon - probably this week. I'm hoping that's going to be a bit more lucrative than adsense.

[dearmama22]

Yes .. our blogs are way better!!

IT's a good idea to subscribe to the blogs, that would help people out right?!

I will subscribe and/or follow anyone's blog who follows and/or subscribes to mine!!

I am personally not even thinking about ads until I Get my readers up much higher. That's just me though.

[dearmama22]

Oh, I have actually been thinking about having a guest post 2-3X a month so if anyone is interested and I like your stuff that would be a good way to promote your blog.

Actually, I think this works both ways as well. THe writer says something like, " I'm guest posing on such n' such blog, come check it out," so the host gets traffic, and the writer gets traffic from writing the review..

I *think* that's how it works

[AndVeeGeeMakes3]

As to subscribing to each other's blogs, I've been clicking on most of y'all's and using google friends to follow, if it's present. That way there's kind of a visual notice that other (cool, of course!) people read your blogs.

My blog hasn't come up in the "critique my blog" thingy yet, but I really have no idea how many people actually read it, or like it, or whatever. I do have a counter and get a fair amount of hits, though.

I would love love someday to make a bit of money at it. I am mostly using it to practice writing and to be able to send clips (since I know that some editors now actually accept them as clips).

[Twocoolboys]

Originally Posted by dearmama22

Oh, I have actually been thinking about having a guest post 2-3X a month so if anyone is interested and I like your stuff that would be a good way to promote your blog.

Actually, I think this works both ways as well. THe writer says something like, " I'm guest posing on such n' such blog, come check it out," so the host gets traffic, and the writer gets traffic from writing the review..

I *think* that's how it works

I've been thinking about this lately, too. We are going to be going out of town a few times over the summer and I've been wondering how I'm going to deal with my blog. I think I want to have guest posts. I will be able to get to a computer, but won't be at home to do my decluttering. So, I could have guest posts e-mailed to me, then post them to the blog. It's really important for me that I have daily blog updates.

[Twocoolboys]

Originally Posted by dearmama22

I am personally not even thinking about ads until I Get my readers up much higher. That's just me though.

I go back and forth on this. I'm going to give it a go with blogher and see what happens for now.

[dearmama22]

Originally Posted by Twocoolboys

I go back and forth on this. I'm going to give it a go with blogher and see what happens for now.

Blogher is different for me though. WHen I see that, I don't think, " oh that's an add.. they're trying to make money." BUt with other ad's, I do.

If that makes sense.

[Smokering]

I'm with dearmama22: I want to get my readership up to decent levels before I go ad-hunting. And I want to get my blog up to snuff so that if thousands of visitors do flock to my site, they have some decent content to look at! Right now my blog's new and my readers few, so ads are a way off. So I blog for self-expression (gag me with a spoon) and to get back into writing humour, in the vague hopes that one day I could write a column for... um, somewhere. Great tactical strategist, I am.

and we should always click on advertisers links too. That might boost revenue, if only slightly.

Uh, I don't want to be a party pooper, but that's click fraud. And Google can detect it if it happens with enough regularity to make any noticeable difference to revenue. And even if you don't get caught, it wil eventually just drive ad prices down because everyone keeps clicking on the ads without buying. And it's unethical. Please don't do this.

[MommyHawk]

Originally Posted by dearmama22

Oh, I have actually been thinking about having a guest post 2-3X a month so if anyone is interested and I like your stuff that would be a good way to promote your blog.

Actually, I think this works both ways as well. THe writer says something like, " I'm guest posing on such n' such blog, come check it out," so the host gets traffic, and the writer gets traffic from writing the review..

I *think* that's how it works

count me in! :...oh, if you like my writing, that is

[dharmama]

Originally Posted by Twocoolboys

I've been thinking about this lately, too. We are going to be going out of town a few times over the summer and I've been wondering how I'm going to deal with my blog. I think I want to have guest posts. I will be able to get to a computer, but won't be at home to do my decluttering. So, I could have guest posts e-mailed to me, then post them to the blog. It's really important for me that I have daily blog updates.

i was really sick earlier this year so i took a break from blogging and recycled old blog posts (and had one guest post). i have stuff from way back when only my mom and aunt (and occasionally my dh ) were reading my blog so it's new to my current readers. (i did make a note that it was an old post and when it had originally run.)

i also generally post daily (except saturday) but i take long weekends now and again. i will be taking one this weekend in fact because i have a lot going on. so i'll post on thursday and then sign off until sunday.

i used to be so afraid to not post every day because i thought i would lose readers but i would say the opposite has happened. people always seem to appreciate other bloggers doing what they need to do to manage daily life and keeping up with blogging and i've found that i've gotten a lot of supportive comments when i take little breaks.

[Twocoolboys]

Originally Posted by dharmama

i used to be so afraid to not post every day because i thought i would lose readers but i would say the opposite has happened. people always seem to appreciate other bloggers doing what they need to do to manage daily life and keeping up with blogging and i've found that i've gotten a lot of supportive comments when i take little breaks.

I am kind of afraid I'm going to lose readers if I don't post everyday. I have missed two days since I started the blog - one when I was sick and another when the day just got a lot busier with other things. I started the blog with the idea that I would post everyday. I feel pretty good about having done it almost everyday for 4 months. One of my reasons for blogging is to have the habit of writing everyday. Guest posts don't really count, then, do they? LOL Hmm... I'll have to think on this more.

[LittleSoulMama]

Originally Posted by dearmama22

I will subscribe and/or follow anyone's blog who follows and/or subscribes to mine!!

Me too

I'm not thinking about ads or making money on my blog either but I like reading other mdc mama blogs. I'm following yours now

[dearmama22]

Originally Posted by LittleSoulMama

Me too

I'm not thinking about ads or making money on my blog either but I like reading other mdc mama blogs. I'm following yours now

[LittleSoulMama]

Lisa, I added our blog to your blogroll I can't seem to follow your blog though as I just get an error message when I try and I don't actually know what feedburner is If I subscribe in feedburner will I receive emails each time you update your blog?
Great idea to do an MDC blogroll

[dearmama22]

great idea lisa! I accidently messed up in my first entry ( #4) so I had to add another one- any way you can delete that? I also don't know why there is a smily face at the end of mine??!!

[eastkygal]

I don't have a google account email or otherwise, so I can't subscribe to many blogspot blogs... I'm on wordpress. Not sure how to go about that. Any ideas. Also, I think adding each other to our blogrolls will be a help. Of course, we wouldn't be adding all of us, but the ones that piggyback on our blog, or catch our interest most to keep things authentic.
I do comment on other blogs when I have something to say that will add to the discussion or bring my own experience to it. I have never gotten a hit to my site from leaving a comment. I have left many.

[momma-molly]

Originally Posted by dearmama22

Blogher is different for me though. WHen I see that, I don't think, " oh that's an add.. they're trying to make money." BUt with other ad's, I do.

If that makes sense.

Exactly. I'm waiting to build up readership too.

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I just "followed" all of those that I could. How does it work for those of you that use WP?

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I LOVE the idea of guest posts, but I would want the post to be about a topic or skill that is specific to the guest poster, not just them posting about randomness, you know? I can do that. LOL

For example, I could do guest blogs on growing up in a large family, my natural childbirth experience or something else that is unique to me and I feel like I have the credibility to write about...does that make sense?

Maybe we could start a thread and list topics we feel qualified to guest blog about?