After returning from Africa, I began to learn more about blogging through sites like Problogger and a great many others.
Blogging is very simple. Anyone can do it without spending more than the cost of an internet connection. I also became aware that successful blogging is very complex and constantly evolving. Making serious money blogging is next to impossible, which makes it possible.
However, the fact is that the odds of making a living are remote. Think of everyone on this planet who ever threw a basketball at a net. Then think about how many people haver ever played in the NBA.
There is a saying regarding web sites and blogs that "content is king". The idea behind this is that if you provide good content, the audience will find you. This is complete crap. Content alone is not enough and the audience will not find you, you must find your audience.
The ironic thing about posting content on the web with a purpose is that it is the opposite of most artistic endeavours. You've passed the audition, got the gig, signed the publishing deal or whatever. The trick is that it is also up to you to put butts in seats.
There are about 100 million blogs, 300 million facebook accounts and at least 100 million myspace accounts out there. Don't even get me started on Twitter, Digg, Technorati and all the rest. The good news is that only a small percentage of these daunting numbers are producing fresh, relevant and consistent content. The bad news is that there are still millions of people producing quality content on a regular basis.
The best news of all is that your potential audience is almost unlimited. Content posted on the internet has the potential to reach more people than any television station on the planet.
Apparently, I have made a few mistakes, the most crucial being that I did not make my blog about a very specific niche. If you want to make money blogging don't be general. I have come to learn that what I am doing is a subset of blogging known as lifecasting, or so they say.
Whatever it is, I have found a need to post content which is driving me to have a richer life experience so I can create more compelling content. I am still very new at this, but I am happy to know that if I post something , it will be read by a few people somewhere.
I am not making anywhere near enough to quit my day job, but it is a start and the numbers continue to trend upwards.
A recent review of my Google Analytics account showed that my blogs have been read in forty countries since I began in the spring of 2009. The map below shows where all of my visitors have come from, and I thank everyone who took the time to read my work in 2009.
I am still learning and striving to create better content in 2010 that will bring you back.
Thank you, and Happy New Year!
http://www.goyestoeverything.com
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