PROBLOGGING: PROFITING FROM BLOGS

A weblog (or simply blog) is a website that 'publishes' or features articles (referred to as 'blog posts,' 'posts,' or 'entries') written by an individual or a group and incorporating any or all of the following:

• Straight-forward text Photographs or images (photoblog) Video (videoblog) Audio files (audio blog)
• Blogs, which are typically presented and organized in reverse chronological order, are primarily used for the following purposes:
• Online journal or web diary Content management system Platform for online publishing
• A typical blog consists of the following elements:
• Date and time of the blog entry -the date and time of the blog entry.
• Category - the classification to which the blog belongs
• Title - the blog's title
• Main body - the blog's primary content
• RSS and trackback - provide links to the blog from other websites.
• Comments - annotations made by readers
• Permalinks - the complete article's URL
• Additionally available items include a calendar, archives, blogrolls, and add-ons or plug-ins.
• Additionally, a blog can have a footer, which is typically located at the bottom of the blog and displays the post's date, author, category, and stats (the number of comments or trackbacks).

Blogs come in a variety of forms. Several of them are as follows:

1. Political blog - covering news, politics, activism, and other topical issues (such as campaigning).

2. Personal blog - also known as an online diary, a personal blog may contain an individual's daily experiences, complaints, poetry, and illicit thoughts, as well as communications between friends.

3. Thematic blog - with a focus on a specific niche (function or position), which is typically technical in nature, or on local information.

4. Health blog - covering a variety of health topics. Medical blogs are a subcategory of health blogs that focus on medical news from health care professionals and/or real-world patient experiences.

5. Literary blog - alternatively referred to as lit blog.

6. Travel blog - focusing on a traveler's experiences on a specific journey.

7. Academic blog - for academic-related topics such as research notes.

8. Legal blog - a blog devoted to law (technical subjects) and legal affairs; also referred to as 'blawgs'.

9. Media blog - focuses on inaccuracies or inconsistencies in the mass media; typically published exclusively by a newspaper or television network.

10. A religious blog devoted to religious subjects

11. Educational blog - usually written by students and teachers, this blog focuses on educational applications.

12. Collaborative or collective blog - a group of people writing about a particular subject.

13. Blog directory - a collection of numerous websites.

14. Business blog - used by entrepreneurs and corporate employees to promote their businesses or to share information about their jobs.

15. Blog about personification - with an emphasis on non-human beings or objects (such as dogs).

16. Spam blogs - used to promote affiliated websites; alternatively referred to as 'splogs'.

Typically, blogging is done on a regular (almost daily) basis. The term "blogging" refers to the act of creating, maintaining, or adding content to an existing blog, whereas the term "blogger" refers to an individual or group that maintains a blog.

Today, the Internet contains over 3 million blogs. This number is constantly increasing as a result of the availability of various blog software, tools, and other applications that make it easier for almost anyone to update or maintaining a blog (even those with or without technical background). As a result of this trend, bloggers can now be classified into four distinct categories:

Personal bloggers - individuals who maintain a diary or write about any subject they are passionate about.

Business bloggers are individuals who are dedicated to promoting products and services.

Individuals who focus on internal or external communication within an organization or community are referred to as organizational bloggers.

Professional bloggers - individuals who are hired or compensated to blog.

Problogging (professional blogging) is a term that refers to those who blog for a living. Probloggers (professional bloggers) are individuals who earn a living by blogging (as an individual blog publisher or a hired blogger).

The following are just a few of the numerous revenue-generating opportunities available to probloggers:

• Advertisement programs Advertisement via RSS Advertisement Sponsorship Affiliate Programs
• Digitized assets
• Blog network writing gigs Blog network writing gigs Business blog writing gigs Non-blogging writing gigs
• Donations
• Blog flipping
• Merchandising Consultations and speaking engagements

The following are some points to consider if you want to succeed at Problogging:

1. Exercise patience. Problogging takes a significant amount of time and effort, not to mention a long-term perspective.

2. Be aware of your audience. The key to growing a readership is to focus on a specific audience or group.

3. Establish yourself as a 'expert'. Concentrate on a single niche subject and strive to be the "go-to" blogger on that subject.

4. Diversify your portfolio. Experiment with various advertising and affiliate programs to determine which ones will enable you to earn money online (aside from blogging).

5. Avoid boring your readers. Concentrate on the layout. White space, line spacing, and larger fonts all contribute to a blog's readability.

Certainly, blogs can be used to earn money. To be a successful problogger, one only needs to take calculated risks, have passion, and the right attitude.