Hello dream job! Issue #37

How to be a professional blogger

By Charly Paap
Published: September 1st, 2008 | 11:02am

While many blogs are produced by seasoned writers, a number are penned by non-literary types who are gurus of their domain. Whether you’ve already started blogging or are scared shitless, here are some pointers on how to set yourself apart from the rest.

SHE’S GOT THE LOOK
While we’d all enjoy bringing in the bucks for making fun of celebrities, keep in mind that profitable blogs are often backed by companies with experience in the medium. Jezebel (the blog whose tagline boasts “Celebrity, Sex, Fashion. Without Airbrushing”), for example, was launched in 2007 by Gawker Media as a “girlie Gawker,” says Jezebel Managing Editor Anna Holmes. Though Jezebel’s success is due largely to its whip-smart commentary, it doesn’t hurt that the company behind the New York–based blog manages 12 weblogs with a collective monthly readership of more than 20 million worldwide. But don’t be intimidated by the power stats. Even without a corporate sponsor, you’re just a few clicks away from a professional-looking blog that’s all yours.

For those of you with no Web design skills, most provider sites have dozens of easy-to-use templates from which to choose. Blogger, WordPress, Tumblr, and LiveJournal provide free services with optional pay-for add-ons like extra storage or individualized domains. University of Illinois student Carlye Wisel — founder of overUC.com, a site the covers the music-related happenings in Urbana-Champaign — likes Tumblr because it’s easy to use and “incredibly customizable.”

A drawback of these services is that you can’t use your own domain name — if, for instance, you have your heart set on joanieloveschachi.com and you choose WordPress as your provider, then your Web address would be joanieloveschachi.wordpress.com. This isn’t a big deal for some, but for intermediate and seasoned bloggers interested in a more professional look, it may be worth your time and money to purchase your domain name wholesale if it’s not already taken.

AfterEllen.com Blog Editor Trish Bendix says you don’t have to be a Web designer to be a blogger but recommends asking a designer to build a header or logo for you because “that’s the most interesting visual on the blog.”

WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?
Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan make a living as the “Darth Vaders of celebrity fashion” for their wildly popular blog Go Fug Yourself. The duo that coined the term “fugly” to mean “frighteningly ugly” says it’s important to choose a blog topic that interests you. “Otherwise, it will really feel like work — and that will show,” Cocks says.

Be it geology or jeans, Morgan recommends blogging about something you can talk about regularly and at length without getting repetitive. The L.A. blogger attributes this “interesting factor” to the success of food blogs. “People love to cook, and there’s a unending supply of recipes out there,” she says.

Cocks adds that it’s vital to stay true to your own voice. “Don’t try to copy Perez [Hilton], Defamer, or any of the other blogs,” she cautions. “Your blog is your chunk of cyberspace to be yourself and put your authentic spin on things.”

DO YOUR RESEARCH
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, who writes about knitting for yarnharlot.ca and landed a spot on NorthxEast’s “Fifty Most Influential Female Bloggers” list, urges selecting a topic that hasn’t been done to death. Research competition and find interesting things to say about your topic of choice. You’ll know you’re on to something when your traffic stats increase.

That’s not to say that you should choose an obscure topic just because it hasn’t been done before. Certain topics will ensure that you and your mom are the only readers — and that’s before you run out of things to say about them. In an interview with BL Ochman (whatsnextblog.com), self-proclaimed “Web marketing virtuoso” Stephan Spencer encourages would-be bloggers to “pick a very narrow topic” while making sure that “you have enough content to keep the blog going.”

Darren Rowse of problogger.net agrees but adds, “It’s important to choose a topic that meets a demand for information” and advises that you “choose a topic which currently has few quality sources of information already existing online.”

TRAFFIC REPORT
To build your site’s traffic, Bendix recommends updating often and hosting other media, such as video blogs, that attract a wide audience. “Commenting capabilities are very important,” she says. “People don’t want to just read — they want to react.” Additionally, free services like Twitter and Bloglines help inform potential readers of updates to your site and attract new ones by keeping you high on search-engine result lists.

As far as measuring the amount of traffic your blog gets from readers, it’s important to define terms. Sometimes it’s complicated to distinguish between hits, pageviews, and unique visitors. Here’s a narrative breakdown: When I turn on my work computer in the morning and visit venuszine.com, that counts as one hit, and my computer is considered one unique visitor. If I read 40 stories, venuszine.com has just received 40 pageviews. When I go home and read two additional venuszine.com stories on my laptop, I’m considered a new hit, my laptop is considered a new unique visitor, and venuszine.com gets two additional pageviews.

WORKING 9 TO 5
Most professional bloggers admit to putting in a lot more time than your average workday. The Jezebel gang blogs from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., with new posts going up every 10 to 15 minutes.

Wisel insists it’s a work-around-the-clock mentality. “Whenever you’re awake, you’re in the blogging mindset,” the 21-year-old says, adding that new technology seems to be catching up with the blogging trend. “Once I get an iPhone? Fuck. It’s going to be nuts.”

TEMPORARY TO PERMANENT
Once you get the hang of blogging and build up traffic to your site, you may want to consider turning it into a revenue stream. Several networks allow bloggers to tap into advertising money. On a list of top money streams that Rowse updates every three months on his Problogger blog, Google’s AdSense network, Chitika, and the Amazon Affiliate program are consistently listed as top earners. Bloggers apply to be part of these networks and are paid for every thousand impressions on their site (known as CPM, which stands for “clicks per thousand.”) If your blog gets to the point where it’s getting 20,000 CPM or more per month, you can also think about selling ads directly to companies, although this can be time-consuming.

WORDS OF WISDOM
Wisel recommends that you “be yourself and be honest. It’s so transparent when someone is trying to write in a ‘blogger’s mindset’ and attempting to be controversial just to prove a point.” Bendix stresses the basics of blogging — linking and photos — and says, “as long as you’re able to master those, the rest will come in time.”

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DESIREE STIMPERT:
THE SHOE BLOGGER

JOB TITLE: full-time “Shoe Guide” for About.com
YEARS ON THE JOB: four
SALARY: “I don’t have a set salary as an independent contractor, but I’ve done extremely well.”
COWORKERS: zero if you don’t count her husband’s “mad programming skills” that keep her organized. Her “virtual” coworkers including more than 700 “Guides” who blog for About.com.
SITE TRAFFIC: specific numbers not available, but About.com, which is owned by the New York Times Company, scores about 38 million unique visitors per month; 63% of the readers are female.

How did you become a shoe guru?
I was always shoe-obsessed, but at some point I realized I’d taken it beyond just building my own collection and really started studying footwear. I’ve learned about shoemaking, shoe repair, and design. I’ve always been interested in fashion and art — and shoes are both. I observe trends and historical styles, study what works and what doesn’t, and read everything I can get my hands on.
What’s your schedule like?
I do most of my work between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. I spend most of my time doing research and writing articles about the latest trends and labels — and, of course, shopping for shoes. I also participate in my forum discussions, write a weekly newsletter, build photo galleries, do general site upkeep, and answer a lot of e-mail. I put in well over 40 hours a week, but it’s because I want to, not because it’s required.
Do you work from home?
I have an office — I rented a place at the beginning of the year, thinking that it would help me separate work from pleasure, but I’m rarely there because I love working from home.
What do you like about your job?
I love the shoes — looking at them, trying them on, and reading and writing about them. I also like helping people. A lot of people visit my forum asking for advice. Whether they’re having trouble finding shoes in a particular size or style or just need advice on what shoes to wear with their new dress, it’s great being able to help them.
What do you dislike about your job?
It’s hard to get out of “work mode.” I’ve worked from home most of my adult life, and people often ask how I manage to get any work done. Often they assume that it’s difficult to turn off the talk shows and get down to work, but I actually find the opposite to be true. Since my office is right across the hall from my bedroom, work is always just a few steps away — and there’s always more to be done.
Do you think about competition?
Not at all. I prefer to focus my energies on providing as much original, interesting, and helpful content as I can. In the Web industry, it’s easy for people to get caught up in what others are doing. A lot of people think that if they just copy someone else’s formula, tone, or content, perhaps they’d be more successful. I believe that the best things anyone can bring to the Web are their own perspective and voice.
What are your most popular posts?
Trends are usually the big “news” items, but my practical, common-sense articles generate interest too. There are a lot of tools that will help you gauge which phrases people are searching for, but I think it’s important to go with your gut. For example, when Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale started appearing in ads for Rhino Red by Marc Ecko, I knew that people would want to know which styles they were wearing. I wrote about the topic, and that post has been very popular. No tool could predict that was going to happen — if you’re really on top of your topic, you develop an instinct for knowing what will be hot. —AMY SCHROEDER

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SARAH COFFEY:
THE DECORATING BLOGGER

JOB TITLE: part-time co-editor for Chicago’s ApartmentTherapy.com and writer for an architecture firm
YEARS ON THE JOB: one
SALARY: as a freelance blogger, Coffey is paid for each post she submits to Apartment Therapy.

What’s your typical post like for Apartment Therapy?
I write four posts a day for the site, including house tours, store reviews, inspirational interiors, DIY ideas, product roundups, scavenger posts, and green home ideas.
With your art and writing degrees, how did you become a professional blogger for Apartment Therapy?
I got the job when Apartment Therapy posted an open call for writers on the Chicago site. I submitted some photographs and writing samples, and they asked me to write a few try-out posts — and then they offered me the job. Now I split my time between blogging and writing part time for an architecture firm. I make some money blogging, although not enough to live on. It’s not always easy to wake up and write a bunch of posts, but if you’re committed to what you’re doing and you really love it, it’s worth it.
What’s best and worst about being an apartment blogger?
I have a lot of creative control over what I write. Blogging allows me to combine art and writing in a very fluid, creative way. A plus and a minus of blogging is the comment system. Readers can say anything they want, which can be a wonderful experience. I love the communal nature of blogging, and I actually love the fact that the authority of the writer can be challenged. You have to build up a thick skin, which is actually not such a bad lesson to learn as a writer.
How does your average day flow?
I wake up in the morning and blog on my laptop for Apartment Therapy. Then I grab lunch, hop on the bus, and go to my other job, where I work afternoons. I get home in the evenings and, many nights, I try to finish up a couple blog posts before the next day begins.
What’s your advice for aspiring bloggers?
Unlike many other media, blogging is easy to break into. Anyone can start a blog. Be bold. Be willing to make mistakes and learn from them. The great thing about blogging is that it’s still one big experiment. Nobody’s completely sure where it’s going to lead, so enjoy the ride and remember that you’re helping to shape a new form of media, which can be really thrilling. Communication is accelerating at such a rapid pace that it’s hard to hold on to the illustion that a writer is an isolated person whose success depends only on their own charisma. My success depends on all of Apartment Therapy’s other writers and on the larger success of blogging as a medium.
What do you think the future holds for blogging?
Ten years ago, people didn’t really make a living blogging, but now it’s a viable job. Blogs are getting more sophisticated, as are bloggers. Apartment Therapy has a thriving, growing readership. So far, the future of blogging and other online media looks good. —JESS BLUMENSHEID

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A BLOGLOSSARY OF TERMS

BLOG FEED: Use this to subscribe to Web sites or automatic e-mail messages when your favorite site publishes. The most common format is RSS.

BLOGGIES: The largest annual weblog awards — 2008 winners include Dooce.com for Best American Weblog, PostSecret.com for Best Art or Craft Weblog, and Said the Gramophone for Best
Weblog About Music.

BLOGOSPHERE: All the blogs in the world.

CPM (COST PER THOUSAND): Cost per thousand views – most commonly used when setting a price for Web advertising.

FTP (FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL): Takes info from your computer to another, usually via the Internet. Use it to post, upload pictures, or download mp3s. Most blog hosts like wordpress.com, livejournal.com, and blogger.com have FTP built into their Web sites.

NETIQUETTE: Emily Post may never have written about the Internet but still, be nice!

PERMALINK: The URL (web address) to a specific post.

TAGS: Keywords of what’s in a post. Putting lots of popular proper nouns in here helps up your hits.

TECHNORATI.COM: A search engine for blogs

TROLL: In the comic book of the blogging world, this is the bad guy. He or she posts mean, off-topic, or deliberately controversial comments.

VLOG: A blog with video.
—JENNY AN

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