Wahm Blogging Part 2

We've already discussed the ease of starting your own blog, let's continue by discussing the benefits of wahm blogging

A Penny For Your Thoughts

The great attraction about blogs is that YOU are in control. Talk about your life; talk about your dog; talk about, well, anything or nothing! You're bound to find SOMEONE who's interested in what you have to say; just keep in mind that if you're wanting to make money from your blog, you're going to want more than '1 or 2 someones' to take an interest in what you have to say.

Well, so then what should you talk about if you'd like to make a little extra change? Unless you are considered an expert in an area in the 'outside' world where you already have a following, it may be best to pick a topic that's not too broad (more established authors may drown you out), and not too small (only a handful of readers). For example, 'parenting' may be a bit too much to bite off, but a blog on parenting twins, or parenting adopted twins, or parenting adopted twins of a different ethnicity - well, you get the picture - would be a smaller and thereby better niche to to tackle while still attracting a nice amount of readership.

Ok, you've chosen a blog platform, you've chosen a topic, so how do you make money? There are a couple super easy ways to monetize your blog:

• Contextual ads

Advertizers such as Google Adsense, Yahoo Publisher Network and Chitika pay you, the 'Publisher' , each time a reader clicks on one of the ads they supply you with to display on your site. Through an easy to install interface, these advertisers place relevant ads on your site and you make a small profit each time someone clicks on an ad.

For example, if you have a blog on fun toddler toys and you write an article about the newest, brightest thing to hit the market, you'll probably get ads on your site from companies like Fisher Price, auction ads for toys, and other advertisers who are trying to get their 'commercial' in front of the eyes of that particular audience type.


• Be an affiliate

There are companies that are willing to pay you to advertise for them. Depending on what your blog is about, or even what a particular post you write is about, you can probably find someone who is willing to pay you to place a link, banner, or some other type of ad format on your site. Popular choices to find these type of companies are Commission Junction(cj.com), Linkshare.com and ShareASale.com. Simply sign up for their program, choose which companies may be a match for the type of content you discuss on your blog and place the links strategically throughout your site. For detailed instructions on working wth affiliate programs, AssociatePrograms.com is a wealth of information that's a must to check out.

While not likely to allow you to quite your day job, at least not immediately, blogging for profits has shown itself to be a sure and steady source of income for wahms that can post regular, quality content.