Fame or Money
In the last week and a half that I’ve been sitting at a PageRank of 0, I’ve been doing a lot of reading, mostly speculation as to why this happened and how to correct the situation.
Like any problem that arises within any world, there are the conspiracy theories, die hard believers on both sides and a lot of guessing by both people in the know and out. And from each side I feel like there’s a lot to take in and understand but one thing for me is sure.
It’s time for all bloggers who have been hit by Google to ask themselves one very important question, find the answer, and stick to it.
Do you want to be a blogger of fame or a blogger that makes a little bit of money?
Notice those words “a little bit.” Because choosing fame does not necessarily mean that you can’t make money with your blog. It means that you may have to go about making your money with your blog in a different way and probably over more time.
So, ask yourself that question, weigh the pros and cons and see where you end up.
Choosing fame means that you’re looking to be a top-notch blogger. You’re a blogger that people come to for some real news or information on whatever topic of your choosing. There’s a reputation to uphold and standards that are set.
Will you make money? Sure, once the fame comes because people want to buy with people of influence and that’s what fame will get you. In addition, you’re looking at high traffic, high organic search traffic and PageRank.
Choosing money means that you face possibilities of being de-indexed by Google. You’ll lose your PageRank if you haven’t already. And the money that you make comes in intervals of $5 to $20 at a time with sponsored posts. This may also mean in the long run you could lose traffic and organic traffic if your sponsored posts are not relevant to your blog’s topic. Not necessarily true but we are talking possibilities here.
Over the last week I have asked myself this very question and I believe I may have come to an answer.
I don’t believe that I want to be or ever will be an “A-List” blogger. Those on this list that I do read seem almost untouchable and unreal, that’s not the kind of person I am off line so it’s not who I want to be online.
For me, there’s also one word to define 95% of these “A-List” bloggers: snobs. And while I have a tendency to be stuck up in some of the things I say, that’s not exactly where I’d like to be listed with any of my readers.
Money is great but honestly, I don’t make a whole lot with sponsored posts. In more than a year with PayPerPost, I’ve made just over $400. It’s been good and I’ve used nearly all of it on Zadey.
When the first knocking from Google came I gave up PayU2Blog. Other than these 2 services, I use SponsoredReviews which I have only made 4 posts for.
You see, I’m not really making the money either with sponsored posts so here’s my choice.
I find myself somewhere in the middle. No, I do not want to be an “A-List” blogger because I don’t believe that I can ever provide late breaking news, worldly subjects, or information of every day importance. Sure, I could handle such topics but they aren’t something that hold my interest enough to be interested in writing about them.
Fame would be nice but in the fashion of being helpful, providing some tips, and still sharing the core of who I am and what makes me the person that I am.
I’m going for the “D-List.” Someone that people know, come to read often but don’t die if they miss me for a day. I want to stay with talking about the subjects I always have. From my most loved city, to what Zadey does, and the newest tips I have learned to apply to my WordPress blogs.
I want to continue to share ideas from working at home and exploring the few aspects of politics that really do show who I am.
Place me with Kathy Griffin. Make me known, love my words, pay me for some things here and there. Talk about what you hate and love about me.
Short term money is fine. You won’t hear me complain over a single penny that is placed in my PayPal account from anyone, including a sponsored opportunity.
Don’t get me wrong, as of this moment, I’m ruling anything out. My important debate at the moment is to find my balance.
Will I allow you to pay me to blog about something of relevance? Of course I will.
Do I believe that the concept of SocialSpark is on to something? Absolutely!
Am I going to work for something different with blogging? No doubt. But not at the cost of losing any position within Google or any other search engine for that matter.
My blog has never been for a search engine, it’s been for me first and then my readers. I don’t sprinkle in huge keywords because I can’t think of enough of them. My post titles aren’t overly catching but they give you a hint of what’s inside.
While today I’m on the “Z-List” I have no complaints in my loss of PageRank. Ultimately, it was me who wrote the posts and placed them on my blog. It was also me that took the money. There’s no one to blame but myself and I won’t regret any of my choices.
But this is giving me the opportunity to look at the fork in the road and decide where I will go. The answer will come in time for me when I see what the answer is for why everything is happening and how I can blend both worlds.
November 24th, 2007 at 5:15 am
Preach on, sista!!
*giggles*
I completely and totally agree with you. Blogging, first and foremost, IMO, should about the person blogging, not about how much said person can earn :) I read your blog because you’ve got great information, but you’ve also got an awesome personality that shines through in your writing. You’re open, and you listen to people, well, read them, but still, you get my point.
November 24th, 2007 at 6:19 am
Great posts and I truly believe what you said is true about 2 sides of blogging. All the best and if you can get the best of both worlds, let me congratulate you first!
November 24th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Sarah » LOL! And thank you for the multiple compliments!!
Derrick » Thank you! Who knows if I’ll be able to accomplish it but I certainly want more real content here than just sponsored posts and if that means I’m making $0 per month that’s fine with me. It’s the blog I want, not the money.
November 25th, 2007 at 11:28 am
who needs fame ??? fun ok some people just blog for fun but some try to make some money. i went from 4 to 2 and back to 0 with on of my blogs just because i was talking about bloging for money. and the best of all was the fact that google put the same ads on my site like i was writing about before. i think google is trying to save themselfs the big part of the cake but blogger should strike back in some way.
November 25th, 2007 at 11:42 am
Great post, I wrote something like this when a blog I just recently bought (this one) got it’s PR removed. Lots of people immediately began saying I didn’t know what I was talking about, blah blah blah blah and evidently all those nay sayers had PR0 and ads for SPONSOR ME on there first fold.
PR DOES play a role in search engine rankings but not that large a role. Bottom line is it’s not worth being in the bad books for 50-100 a month. Well maybe it is for you but not for me. I’m glad you wrote this it echos the way I feel and many others. Many who only make there income from PPP etc don’ t want to admit it. If they are in denial that is there problem. Bottom line is there is a large correlation between PR0 and selling sponsored reviews that can’t be ignored.
P.S thanks for joining the forum!
November 26th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
Hoto » Sounds like you’ve made the choice at where you’d like to be in the grand scheme of blogging. That was exactly the point of this post. Everyone has someplace different they’d like to be with blogging… neither way is right or wrong, it’s your way and your choice.
As far as taking action against Google, I’m not sure I can get behind it. Each company has to do what they believe is best for their destination and model. This was Google’s choice. If you don’t like it, don’t use it. The same way that you wouldn’t go to Burger King if you didn’t like their hamburgers.
Home Business Blog » Thank you! It seems as though now that PageRank has been lost by many there are many attempts at grabbing and reaching for money to regain what they’ve lost with sponsored posts. It sucks and I feel for those bloggers. I just wish more of those “money making” opportunities were relevant to each blog’s topic and sometimes, they’re just not.
I agree with your statement about PageRank as well. It’s not the most important thing ever but that’s why making this kind of choice is important now. If you’re sitting at a 0 you have no place to go but up so decide if you’re going to do it or not and what it’s worth to you. I would have to agree though that for myself, personally speaking, my rank is more important to me than $50 to $100 a month (which I never made with sponsored posts).
Thank you both for coming by and sharing your thoughts!
November 29th, 2007 at 4:56 am
Great post Katy! I was a bit worried about PR at first when my blog went from 4 to 2, but now to be honest. I don’t give a hoot because I’m content with where my blogs are. And besides I always have you “Ms.Information” to ask for guidance. LoL.
November 29th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
[...] Fame or Money [...]
November 29th, 2007 at 11:13 pm
Wow girl, I didn’t ever see your blog at a 4. It too me 2 years to get Community Advertising to a PR 4. I know the work involved in that.
Today, as I announced already, I got my PR 3 back. From here, I’m going up and going to do everything I know how to do it to make it go up and not down again. That includes eliminating sponsored posts that do not fit within Google’s terms. Until there’s a new industry standard, this is what we’re left to use and I’m making the choice to use it.
December 15th, 2007 at 7:33 am
very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce
January 14th, 2008 at 10:41 am
[...] Link us to one post from your blog that best defines who you are. My post, Fame or Money best describes the biggest turning point for me in blogging and gives a real sense of who I [...]
June 9th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
[...] Blogging gives you a medium to become the author you’ve always wanted to be. If you wanted to have a world wide voice, now you can have one. If you wanted to write a book and talk about your skill set, now you can. And it’s not just doing it, it’s having the information published, instant feedback, and if you’re good, fame! [...]