Publishing for Profit and Influence: It’s All About the Passion
After maintaining several blogs for a couple of years, learning about web publishing and observing different niches, I have come to the conclusion that success for web publishers mainly relies on how much passion you have for the topic you cover. Not exactly a ground-breaking insight, you might say. But let me explain how I personally came to realize this.
I’ve built quite a few sites throughout my life online and the only ones that remain or thrive are the ones covering topics, for which I have a very deep and strong interest. The other sites gradually slowed down and died because I only had a passing fancy for them.
Initially, I created these failed sites because I thought the specific niche was lucrative or because I saw how well some other people were doing. When I started them, I didn’t even know much about the field. For me, it was all about getting more pageviews and transforming that into ad revenue. That was the height of my goal. And nothing more.
Over time, these sites died off because I lost interest in writing for them. I ended up spending more time on the sites about topics that I loved. I slowly built these sites up while enjoying the interaction with people in the same niche. It just felt a lot more natural.
Blogging can be difficult. It takes time and energy to write. Sometimes you’ll get busy with other things in your life. You don’t see any money or benefits. Nobody is reading you. Nobody comments. Nobody links to you. You don’t seem to grow. Even though you try.
When this happens, the only thing that will keep you going is your passion for the topic. If you are truly interested in the subject, you won’t give up easily. You won’t stop. You’ll make time to write. It won’t be a chore. You’ll enjoy it. This high level of enthusiasm overcomes the inevitable inertia you’ll sometimes face as an individual web publisher.
Image Credit: Hide N Seek
It’s not too difficult to own a profitable or influential site. You just need to give a damn. You need to really care for the site, enough to use it as a vehicle to explore the topic and share your knowledge with others. While profit is important and a part of your motivation to blog, you care more about spreading your message and getting others engaged.
I honestly believe that you can take any great interest you have and transform it into a popular website. You already have the motivation and background knowledge. All you need is to learn certain skills: for instance, like how to use social media to increase exposure for your brand as well as other online marketing methods.
The most essential thing is your passion for the chosen subject. If you love it, you’ll persist in publishing and you’ll naturally be motivated to learn how to share your content with others. Interest is by far the most important ingredient for influence and profit.
Some might suggest that you don’t need to be interested in a field to make money from it. After all, you can hire people to write and just manage the business. I agree to some extent but even when it comes to managing the business, I’ve noticed that I tend to work harder for sites I care about. Why? Because everything I do for them is more fulfilling.
The same theory applies for hiring bloggers. I’ve noticed that the ones that are the most interested or involved in the field are the ones that’ll go the extra mile to make sure an article is terrific. So make sure you hire writers that are exceedingly fervent and willing to learn. You can always train the writer and teach him/her shortcuts or skills.
You don’t want word bots that can churn out the daily post, you want a fanatic, someone who loves reading and writing the same stuff even on their off-days. Trust me, he or she will enjoy the whole process and you all will have a more meaningful relationship.
So it’s all down to passion. If I could recommend one fundamental building block towards success as a web publisher, it would be this: you should be obsessed or in love with the topic you’re writing about. Everything else can and will be sorted out over time. You’ll learn new skills. You’ll make new friends and you’ll know exactly how to grow your site. Don’t worry.
If you’re thinking about setting up a new blog and am deciding between a ‘profitable’ or ‘popular’ topic and one that you really care about, pick the one that interests you the most. For what its worth, I have found that in the end, these websites make me a lot more money and give me more influence than the other sites, no matter how lucrative they seem.
In web publishing, passion almost always transforms into influence or profit in the long run.
It all depends on where you’re going with the site.
Passion is great but a good plan helps a lot, passion will fill in the gaps and a plan will help keep the passion directed. But a plan with no passion won’t get you very far.
I’ve spent years chasing elusive passions. Lately I’ve been wondering if it might not make more sense for me to re-frame my perspective on what it means to be passionate. We are creatures of change. Even those who resist change are inevitably forced into it by time. If I’m not passionate for a topic, what else could I do to invest myself in the task at hand? Could I be passionate about quality, accuracy, design, or word choice? It’s the difference between finding passion in the tings we do versus doing things for which we have passion. The latter seems limiting. Passion is an irrefutable quality for captivating an audience. Your post simply made me wonder.
Thanks Maki!
Passion for your project makes everything easier. It’s easier to be motivated to put in the hours. It’s easier to push past the slumps. It’s easier to just sit down and do it - in fact sometimes passion can make it harder to get up and STOP doing it.
It’s something I’ve known for a while but have just started to put into place in my own life and I can already see a difference. I’m following my passion and things are just clicking like they never have before. It’s a heady feeling.
I do agree with Doug though that a good plan definitely helps. The passion is great, but if you don’t know where to point it, it can lead you around in circles.
Thanks for another great post! AMVA
Excellent post Maki. My son has just become interested in starting a blog and I’ve tried to explain to him that you have to be dedicated to your blogging efforts for it to be fun and successful. You’ve said it much more eloquently than I can so I’ll definitely have him read this post.
Passion is definitely the key…Building any business is a lot of hard work….And passion alone can you drive to work hard (especially in the initial days)…
Simple fact, pretty much anything that carries with it the opportunity for deep impact, both upon your own or other peoples’ lives, also takes work.
There will be struggles, challenges and endless opportunities to bail, but what keeps you inspired, engaged in the process is, in the end, passion. Those who would learn from you, team with you and buy from you see and respond to it like nothing else.
Awesome post, my friend. The lesson goes far beyond blogging.
As always a good read with lots to think about
Thank you
I think it’s important to blog about something that you are immersed in. If you work in a specific field, and you blog about that industry, everything seems to click much better. Not only do you have “expert status,” but you also get a natural and never-ending flow of ideas as you go through your work day.
I say, love your job, and blog about it. It’s win-win.
Hello Maki, I haven’t been keeping up with my reader because I have been really really busy lately so it was a pleasant surprise to come across this post while checking my reader. I agree with you wholeheartedly. I believe it is passion or that fire that will help you to continue and thrive. I am really blessed to have found a niche that I am passionate about although it has been blown up in the media now a days. Being Green has become so faddish that I am afraid that it has become a trend. Not a way of life for some. But hopefully it’s passion within myself that will inspire me to continue and spread the message. I have had temptations to start other blogs for monetary reasons but I just stuck with the green blog and a personal blog (which has no monetization whatsoever). I am glad I didn’t spread myself out too thin. This would probably be #1 advice you could give to a new blogger. Thanks for spreading the message.
I always firmly believed in passion as the driving factor behind great sites. You make a wonderful point in that it’s also the factor behind the most influential and most profitable sites.
Your paticular passion also becomes your point of view. And without a passionate point of view we’d just be reading repeats from other writings.
Yeay, this is the article after my own heart! Just change the word “Web publishing” to “entrepreneurship”. . .
Because I write about entrepreneurship, I have checked some forums in the field, and am surprised how so many people ask questions like, “Anyone have a great idea?” I’d say the idea comes from your own heart, and if someone has to ask this questions, maybe he or she is not ready to become an entrepreneur, even if they have MBA and funds.
Thank you for pointing out this very basic yet often ignored point. And I’d love to hear back from you about the interview — you are perfect for my Interview With Successful Entrepreneurs series!
Maki,
I really enjoyed this because it hits on something that I have seen over and over out here in Blogsville. People blogging with no more interest in what they are saying than the dollar signs at the end of their road. It shows all over the Internet. It shows in careless, non-proofread writing that seems to be copied over and over with few word changes like an echo from blog to blog.
I love what I write about. I came out here to make a difference, not make my first million. I’m in the “do what you love and the money can show up later camp” I am also old enough to have the luxury of knowing that after almost 50 years on this planet, my obsessions aren’t likely a passing fancy, I think it’s safe to say I can invest in this goal with a whole and abiding heart.
I doubt your readers are in that first catagory. You seem to inspire passion in all that you do. You take the time to be informed. FIRST. Ahead of the crowd. You are a leader. This is who I want to learn from. I think others that you attract may be the same.
Signed, some reading and writing fanatic
Great reminder. However, if one can’t help but get the “new website!!” mood for a passing fancy, turn it into a solid 5 bucks per day with a weekend “niche” long-tail-keyword site.
Another excellent post. This certainly helps me out in deciding on a topic for my next blogs. I’ve been tossing around a few ideas in my head for the past few months and haven’t been able to decide where to put my energy. Thanks for the good read.
You just need to give a damn. Smiled at that.
I like the fact that you keep telling us the same things over and over again. Like hammering nails.
So true. But you know what keeps me from building out some of my other blogs in topics where I am passionate? Worlds colliding. I don’t know if I want all of my mainstream audience to know I just got engaged to a guy with different religious and political beliefs than I do. And it really causes problems when my poet friends find out I have a little cash flow, lol. That’s what I need help coping with, how to either be okay with my worlds crashing into each other, or how to find a good set of handles to keep them separate…
Strong passion and persistence is needed in order to thrive. I have only one website, and it may be my very last one as well! I’m so absorbed at my niche.
Normally successful people succeed in their passion’s filed. And passion is the thing that Full time blogger must have. The succeed blogger are people who are like to blog, write article and willing to teach person. Not everyone can turn their passion in to text. Although a person has the passion on certain thing but it will not guarantee that he will success in blog if he don’t have the passion of blogging.
Maki- Simply wonderful post. Issaac Stern once said of his audience and any one else’s for that matter something like this. That his audience comes not just to hear the violin, they come to witness his joy at playing it. He also chose his student’s as little children by how natural the fit between the instrument and the child and their delight in holding it. So, Maki, bien fait. And thank you for writing this. It means alot.
Maki- Simply wonderful post. Issaac Stern once said of his audience and any one else’s for that matter something like this. That his audience comes not just to hear the violin, they come to witness his joy at playing it. He also chose his student’s as little children by how natural the fit between the instrument and the child and their delight in holding it. So, Maki, bien fait. And thank you for writing this. It means alot.
Yess Maki. Once again a great posting.
Thanks for sharing your passion. When I see your email notice you get a privileged reading, cause you alwayss have something interesting to say. Every time again I can learn something from you. You’ve got the passion!
This post contains a lot of truth indeed. I can tell from my own experience. After a few months of struggling with a website I knew had potential but I wasn’t interested in the topic - I gave up. I gave up and started a blog about niche that I’m really interested in. I can already tell that it was a smart decision. Writing new articles and managing the website is much easier and exciting now…
Very well said, and abundantly true. I also find, that it is important to write *only* when you have something to say. If you’re writing just to get another entry in for the week, it becomes glaringly apparent to the reader. Few things turn me off as much as an article that was written for the sake of squeezing in just one more entry. So in addition to the necessity of loving what you write, one must also write only when there is something truly compelling to be said.
Just like most careers, if you love what you’re doing, eventually the money will follow.
Hi Maki,
This is too true. I’ve been blogging for about a year now, and like way too many people out there I’ve “tried” to do several blogs at the same time. The only one that’s even somewhat “taken off”, is the one that I look forward to posting on every day.
Todd
True Bamboo Forest… I really hate those blogs that have trillion of posts but most of them are like two quickly written paragraphs about nothing… boring stuff and it’s clearly visible that it was just a neccessary “post to post” without any inspiration. What is worse is that there are more and more blog like that everyday - I have even seen blogs that have zero unique content - all text is just pulled from some RSS feeds. That’s really lame.
Maki, thank you for this post. I think it’s hard (and easy - yes, a dichotomy!) to do what you love on faith. But, in the end, it becomes less of a choice, and more of a necessity to just follow your own funk.
I remember the writer of girlatplay.com saying to me once that everytime you don’t follow your heart, you suffer. I know that to be true from personal experience.
Thank you, again, for this post.
take care…
If you have a singular focus, a mission, a purpose and it translates into a driving force…blogging, networking, connections grow organically and flourish. Profiting is the by-product of it all. Great post.
Blogging can be difficult because sometimes, we can run out of things to say and then be idle for sometime and readers are gone..
I’m just starting to get into blogging with my pme site, and I fully agree with this post. I don’t know everything about my niche that I’m working in, BUT at the same time that is pretty much the whole these of my blog. Starting small, and working my way to the top. My passion is in the learning experiance I am getting from this blog. It has inspired me in so many ways in just a few weeks and I can’t wait to see where else it will take me. My opinoin is blog about something you love and it will sell itself.
“You just have to give a damn.”
Classic, Maki - absolutely classic. ^.^
I was just thinking about this the past day and I totally agree with you.
The problem is that although sometimes you have passion for a subject, you might not be that good at it. This is what puts people off and makes them stop trying.
As for me, I personally think that if you like it as much as you think you do, then you will do anything to become more knowledgeable about it
Hi Maki,
Passion is definitely THE driving factor. I once owned a blog that the main motive is money - I deleted it after 1 months or so posting pointlessly.
The reason? Lack of passion.
I’m happy to say that it is passion that drive my current blog - so far, so good
Thanks for the great post!
Hi,
Indeed it’s important to write about a subject that means something to us.
One can think about having a website/blog focusing on a subject that is looked upon by many people in order to get lots of traffic.
However it goes without saying that the number of competitiors will also be far higher and if you’re going to write about something that you know little about, things just won’t lift off.
It’s just as thinking : I’m going to develop a porn website and gets lots of traffic/money.
Yeah ! And you’re the only one doing it….
That’s why my blogs are about Art, which is my hobby and I know some things about it.
It may not give me add revenue money as I wanted to, or many visitors, but my blog does appear on the first pages (namely the first page) of Google.
And why ? Because I write about quite specific subjects.
Another way of getting traffic is quality content and that’s why Doshdosh gets so many views and especially returning visitors.
Kind regards,
José
I think there is a sweet spot where your passion overlaps with the perceived needs of others. That’s the spot to aim at and the spot I look for when working with clients. If you only focus on your own passion, I don’t think that is enough for success. Consider the case of the narcissist whose main passion is him or herself. Will writing all about his or her own life necessarily interest others? And yet on the other side, the person who is just trying to write for others and doesn’t care inherently about the topic will burn out and lack quality.
I really think, like so many things, it’s a matter of finding that balance.
Passion will always make you go that extra mile to get what you what. When I first started some blogs, I only looked at how profitable they can get and, after a few months, I found no motivation at all in creating content and promoting them. Then I decided to start blogging about what I really liked and it turned out great. Still, I don’t regret starting those other blogs, because I really learned a lot from that experience.
And about the passionate bloggers. You’re right, but it’s not that easy to find them and make them work for you without proper financial motivation (and, unless you have Cuban supporting you, that’s not very easy, especially for non-mainstream blogs)
Maki, I couldn’t agree with you more buddy. I really enjoyed your post. Passion is key. I’ve wanted to throw in the towel with Monologue Blogger a few times, I hate to admit it because of my pride but it’s true. I wanted to call it quits and shut down the site, due to negativity, confusion, fustration and obstacles in life that come our way BUT it is because of my passion, what lives in my heart, that propells me, past all the roadblocks…to keep pushing forward with what I enjoy, no matter how difficult it gets. It is when we do not have the necessary passion, that we dismiss it eventually. With passion I believe you are correct that a plan will form itself. It will lead the way on its own. You just need to have your faith in it. The rest is in the doing.
I relate to your post and it leaves me with some inspiring thoughts. Thanks for writing it.
“To Try May Mean To Die, Not To Try Is Never To Be Born”
I commented on a blog last week where the blogger was doing a seminar on blogging on Saturday and was asking for advice you’d give to someone new to blogging. They had outlined the topics they were covering in their seminar, with the first one being ‘Why People Blog’. Whether it was an oversight or not, the bullet points for this topic were ‘Reputation’ and ‘Money’. These might come later but you’ve got to start by having fun and real passion for what you’re writing about.
Never the least… passion keeps the ideas burning.
Dosh Dosh,
One heck of an article. This article, I feel, is the heart and soul of why blogs exist today. I’m sure most of us here realize that many people blog to make a quick buck. I’ve realized when reading the blogosphere, that many think that making money online is an easy task - by writing some blog posts here and there can somehow bring traffic onto their sites and people would start clicking on their Google Adsense ads.
I most certainly agree with what you said about your article. I also find that many successful bloggers started making real money without the thought of initially making money in the first place. The successful ones started because of their knowledge of something they knew a lot about - like internet marketing, food, sports, etc.
May those who are passionate about a particular topic be the successful ones!
Well Maki,
i agree with ur deciding ‘profit’ or ‘popular’ topic
i like money
but i wont make my blog for earning purpose
no flame. just my personal idea
peace!
Maki,
Go ahead and admit it.
http://www.1goodreason.com/blo.....out-there/
You read my piece published 3 days before and simply ripped me off? Or, great minds think alike? Or both of us received subliminal messages from Twitter streams and we both wrote what we thought the world needed to hear at the time?
In either case Maki, as always you do an exceptional job of delivering the message eloquently, and with passion.
Thanks,
Chris
This is with anything in life. I’ve found it’s very applicable to my career. I’m good at what I enjoy because I spend my time thinking about it when I’m bored. That just naturally breeds excellence in that area. You have to go after what you enjoy. It’s the same with blogging.
I’ve been thinking about this post for a few days because when I first read it last week, I was ready to throw the towel in when it comes to blogging, and it really hit home.
Here’s the thing. While writing about a topic I am passionate about (the Web and all its related good stuff) helps me feel connected and in some ways grounded, I’ve always maintained that I would not to put ads on the site. However, without ads, the only way I can earn an income from my blog is to be hired by someone else to work on theirs…
And therein lies the problem.
Working for other people takes me away from working on my own blog. Because I do want to earn more, I find myself saying yes to other jobs, and, as a result, my own blog suffers with less frequent posting.
So what to do? Because this is truly driving me insane…if I don’t write for a period of time, I almost get withdrawals
Do I continue focusing on my own blog and take fewer jobs (earn less)? Or, do I work for others and let my passion die down (write less)? I don’t like either scenario - yet - can’t see any other option.
Great post Maki.
I hear the term passion a lot. What’s the absolute easiest way to ignite the passion?
Cheers,
Codrut Turcanu - “Succeeding Against All Odds!”
I totally agree that blogging is difficult. Even if I had the time, I would struggle to find the inspiration to write worthy content. Which brings us back to your point I guess, if you are passionate enough about a subject, then you don’t need to drag it out of your imagination kicking and screaming.
If, like me, you have a full time job though, where do you find the time. The internet generally is just so consuming, it is hard to devote your time to the variety of things that you want to contribute to.
Yes, if a topic is truely your passion and not just a means toward financial gain then you will always have something to say. Unfortunately some blogs and web sites are updated too frequently just to maintain an update schedule rather then publish a good piece.
I agree wtih you that it is really about passion. I did a blog with the intention of profit at the start but found out now that it is not really about profit but the joy of sharing what I believe. And that is what is keeping me going in the midst of the busy life of caring for my kids of 4.
While I agree with you, that passion is important, there is nothing wrong with having websites in a niche you don’t personally care about. If they make you money, that can in some cases be enough motivation.
Thanks for the motivation.
I am one of these people that want multiple profit blogs and for my first dive into niche blogs I picked a few subjects that interested me.
I picked animals because I love them, it’s doing well, no profit yet though.
Nutrition, lots’ of source material, an interest to me to.
Digital Wallpapers, everyone likes pictures and it is easy to maintain.
Once these are working out I guess I can start working out what else interests me.
I have to totally agree with you. While many many things could be a source of motivation, passion, i believe, is the strongest of them all. With passion, one can go through many lengths, through many hardships, just to obtain success.
I agree that passion is really important in blogging. If not that the blog will just fizzle off and die. Occasional writer’s block is understandable but if you don’t have the passion for it, you won’t continue writing
This post has been featured in FullTiltBlogging.com’s Daily Blog Summary today. Great post!
@ Doug
A plan is definitely important, especially when you want to make your passion profitable.
@ Stephanie
Finding passion in what you do is possible… sometimes you grow to love something over time as you become more immersed in it. I guess the bottomline is go with the flow and not fight against natural boredom/inertia.
@ Amanda, PertinaxVir
You’re welcome!
@ Sharon
I hope this helps your son!
@ Jonathan
You’re totally right, this goes far beyond blogging. Passion attracts…
@ Patrick
Yes, working in a field naturally motivates you to write about it, that is if you love what you do. Its a great way to build your reputation as well!
@ Jolly Green Girl
I hear ya on green being a fad. But keep at what you’re doing and hopefully you’ll make a decent livelihood out of it, if you haven’t already!
@ Ming Artist
Great point on how passion leads to a unique and individualized point of view.
@ Akemi
It all starts with a dream or vision….and 90% of all entrepreneurship is about making that vision a workable and profitable reality.
@ Wendi
I’m definitely more and more in the do what you and the money will show up later camp. In the end, life is short and you might as well have fun along the way… money is important but it usually comes when you work hard (and smart) at what you love… so why not?
@ Shaun
I’ve built those sites before… yes, they are good for some extra income but in the end, I think big and popular sites have a greater earning potential even if you have many many small niche longtail ones…
@ vimoh
Repetition is the key to get ideas across…. at least in this post
@ Tinu
Well they don’t have to know that you have different interests. How much you want to disclose or connect your sites/identities together is really up to you. I know what you mean, I guess as long as you feel comfortable with your current system… its good enough!
@ Marketing Deviant
Only one website is good…only one thing to concentrate on!
@ tc
Passion needs to come with the right set of skills…. like you said, one needs to learn how to communicate ideas by learning how to blog, write or market oneself.
@ Janice Cartier
That’s a great Issac Stern line! And you’re welcome!
@ Guy
You’re welcome!
@ SEO Web Tips
Glad you found your niche!
@ Bamboo Forest
I like that idea. Writing only when you have something to say is a great way to blog… especially because it reduces the amount of stress that comes up having to maintain the blog regularly.
@ThePoint
You’re welcome. I find that if you don’t follow your heart, you’ll end up regretting the time you spent and we all know how regrets suck….
@ Rajaie
If you have the passion for something, you’ll learn more and read more.. it comes naturally. You don’t even have to plan or work around your schedule…
@ Noobpreneur
You’re welcome! All the best for your blog!
@ Jose
Things will be competitive, I agree thats why I stress on picking up skills to boost that passion. Just having knowledge about a topic is not enough, you need to learn how to share it … especially all the nitty gritty stuff about marketing which just comes easier when you are passionate about the topic.
@ SystemsThinker
There are actually quite a few popular personal blogs, about people who only write about themselves and for themselves. And people still read them because they love the emotional nakedness. I see your point about meeting perceived needs but the thing is, the market is always chaotic. Its hard to identify needs because they change as well.
I guess the goal is just to work through the obstacles or perceived lack of demand by being the big fish in a small pond. The web is so big, there’ll always be an audience for you unless you’re doing something that’s really, really obscure.
@ Vlad Balan
Good to hear that you found what you really liked. I learned a lot from my previous experiences too, everything is fodder for future success.
@ Joseph
You’re welcome…keep on keeping on!
@ Ed
Reputation and Money will come from blogging…. but you’ll get em a lot easier if you were passionate about it. Blogging is not an easy way to make money.. you need to go the distance and last longer than your peers and passion helps there.
@ VentureBlogster
Definitely. It’s so easy to create a rubbish blog for adsense clicks but the real money comes when you have a popular site that can sell direct ads or give you consulting/freelance assignments. Doing what you love half the battle won when it comes to being successful.
@ Chris Kieff
Actually I’ve never seen your blog before… and your post is entirely different from mine.
@ Lid
The solution is simple.. do what makes you happy and stresses you out less. When you’re happy, you’re in the optimal frame of mine to work. Personally I like to just focus on writing for the blog and use ads to pay for any income needs, instead of working for other people. I noticed that most consultants or freelancers don’t blog very often and that’s probably because they are too busy working on client jobs.
If you truly enjoy writing, work on your own blog, make it sustainable and profitable and then decide what you want to do later on.
@ Malte
I hear ya. Money can be motivation too.
@ Forest Parks
Nice to hear you pursuing your interests … hope it all works out for you!
@ Everyone else
Thanks for your comments!
If you do not like what you are doing, you will feel that your work as a duty or responsibility. If you enjoy what you are doing, you will not think that your work is work. Therefore, you will do better than your competitor, you will be success in your business in the long run.
Do not worry about the money, it will follow you!
For me, Passion is the essential element that pushes one to success. If you don’t have the passion, love and patience for the work that you’re doing, then it’s not even worth trying to venture in such fields. The money making idea is always here whilst starting a business but it’s good to keep in mind that money is not everything!;D
Maki, thank you for the post, and the reply.
I’m now stuck in a world I don’t want to be in (writing for other people about stuff that bores me senseless
) - but the whole “don’t put ads on, don’t put ads on” thing I’ve been telling myself over the past few years is starting to crumble.
Problem with this is that I’d feel like such a hypocrite - regardless of what anyone else says - I don’t know how I’d feel about it myself. I’m pretty good [expert] at saying - hey, I stuffed up, but it’s taken a long time to build a continuing readership (much of it is the result of visiting and learning from this site - so thank you :)) and I really don’t want to annoy them now by changing the game.
I’d love your thoughts (one day, when you’re not doing a gazillion other things)
Thanks again!
Maki this is so true, as I found out earlier this year. I started a second blog, but after only a couple of months, it died off. I just didn’t have the energy — or interest — to keep it up.
I was even going to start some minisites around topics I know well and have a passing interest in. But, I thought, why not spend all that time working on my primary blog and site. THEN, if I’m where I want to be financially, I can turn my attention to secondary sites.
I often wonder how people maintain more than one primary site and blog. I do all of the writing for both of mine, and I just can’t imagine fitting in anything else — unless I was as passionate about it.
You’re dead on.
Yuwanda
Maki,
I know I am a bit late with my comment, but I came to your blog just now. I think you’re absolutely right - passion is it! I am an amateur but passionate photographer, and I am passionately (can you say that in english?) blogging on my photo-blog, wanting to show other people the world as I see it through the lense of my camera. The traffic to my blog is still very low, and without me being passionate I would give up blogging.
Lately, I’ve been drinking Seth Godin’s cool aid. He believes passion is an essential ingredient as well, to get through The Dip and to become #1 in your chosen field of interest.
The problem is that some of the stuff that you’re passionate about is absolutely worthless as far as advertising is concerned. I have a friend who has a great blog and a loyal audience. He’s passionate about his subject, but nobody wants to advertise in that niche so he doesn’t make anything off of it. So much for profit. I know people say follow your bliss and the money will follow, but that doesn’t always happen. Of course this only matters if you’re in it for money…
BTW, next time I see the name Seth Godin I’m going to puke in my bucket.
Great article. So many bloggers think only about the money that is possible to be made from blogging.If you write about something you are passionate about, it will show in your posts in a positive way.
Passion is the key to success. Only passion will keep us going when we are facing troubles. Passion makes us keep going and brings us to success.