Good Bloggers Work Like Dogs
WIRED Magazine published an article in the issue 15.07 about Michael Arrington(TechCrunch founder) titled “TechCrunch Blogger Michael Arrington Can Generate Buzz … and Cash“. Michael Parsons has a good summary about the article at Times Online:
Like all people who rise to the top of their profession, it demonstrates a simple truth: good bloggers work like dogs. You can’t expect readers to show up unless you show up. And the internet never closes. So Arrington is at his desk in his house about ten minutes after he wakes up. Then he writes all day. Then he goes out to Silicon Valley parties to schmooze. Then he comes home and does it all day. He reckons he has worked every day for the last two years on his blog. Every successful blogger I’ve come across is the same. Eat, sleep and drink the work. No time out, to holidays – in Arrington’s case, 16 hours a day, seven days a week.
Do you think it is easy to make money from blogging? Think again.
My two cents
As one of the few full-time bloggers in Malaysia, I always advice those full-time-blogger-wannabes think twice before they make their decision. Full-time blogging is not as fun as you might think.
Not everyone can sit in front computer and stare on the monitor for over 10 hours per day. Blogging might not the suitable job to you. It is a very boring job if you are an outgoing person.
My friends envy about the “freedom” of my job that I can take leave as I wish. However, they rather stick with their current jobs, if you ask them to be a full-time blogger at home. “Don’t you feel boring at home?”, they always ask me. Well, I won’t be a full time blogger if I do. :)
By the way, I am not hardworking enough to be more successful. Michael Arrington is such a workaholic!
(image courtesy jdlasica)
Hi Liew, how are you? Shueqry here..
well, i agree with you. Being a full time blogger is for somebody who love computers, Internet and like to blog about what he/she interests most, maybe tech, music, books or even tips of motivation (except that i blog in Malay).
I always come here to LiewCF.com to read some tech tips and some interesting stuff, alll i can say i really addiced to it!
Thanks Liew :-)
– shueqry –
all for one, one for all
Thank you, shueqry. :)
Hi Liew,
Agreed that full-time blogging is only suitable for those that can tahan sitting in front of computer watching the monitor for 10 hours everyday. Well, most of the time, I always sit in front of computer, no matter its at home or at work @@
I’m not an outgoing type of person, so I really envy your profession and your “freedom” LOL
Good luck to you and wish you a brighter future as a more successful problogger ^^
“By the way, I am not hardworking enough to be more successful. Michael Parsons is such a workaholic!”
Don’t you think it should be ‘Michael Arrington’ instead of Michael Parsons? Parsons is the Wired article writer
Some actually made more friends while blogging.
i am not an outgoing or sociable person and prefer to be at home most of the time in front of my computer, so i guess full time blogging might suit me BUT then problem is that i am not tech savvy. won’t know how to optimise my site, like how to get high traffic or how to put this or that ads in and so on.
if i do full time blogging, i’ll be bankrupt – not earning at all!… only writing, writing. :)
my collegue always saw me sitting in the Computer Room. they also ask me the same question… but i told them i won boring sitting in front of PC, as long have internet…but they cant understand why…this only be understand by IT people only…correct onot… :D
actually the hours passed by very fast in front of the computer, no? i find that i need more time working from home now :D
Other than blogging, what kind of online business, we can do at home?
Hallo! May I know it is worthwhile to be full time blogger? How much is the earning? Tq in advance for your advice. Have a nice day.
Do dogs work hard? hehe.. thought they just laze out all the time, and… u know what I mean… ;)
Liew, shueqry, you guys really do work hard, at what, 3, 4 am? hehe…
hi Calvyn… :)
jenny, never enuff time here too.
fistball. lotsa business can be done online besides blogging. you can pretty much do any kind of office work by telecommuting nowadays except maybe cleaning remote places. but then, you can do such manual labor work as a business too, instead of being employed on-site. See Pajamanation Malaysia for some home-based work samples — still growing the site for local market.
Actually blogging is time consuming and also can be addicted too. For me as long as the Internet connection is ok, I’m ok with it. But if the line is terrible,then it would be better if I stay away from the computer before I get angry.
I guess you need discipline, good time management and the love writing to be really successful in blogging.
“Do you think it is easy to make money from blogging? Think again.”
This sentence, reminds me of the hacker who hacked hongkiat.com. Hahaha
I agree with JennyHow, time flies when i’m in front of my PC, however as with all things in life do everything moderately and in time, it’s always good to chill too.
i was inspired by the phrase “You can’t expect readers to show up unless you show up. ” Ya as a Pro you need to be dedicated.
I always wonder, if the Pro in the State works like a dog… How is our local ProBlogger’s work flow like??
mind share share??
Hallo! It is worthwhile to be a full-time blogger? Have a nice day.
Wahh….so difficult to become pro blogger. I thought it is eazy maa…. so brother Liew , how many hours a day you spent time to blog.
I like your blog because I gain a lot of new info here. TQ bro…LIew
Good advice Liew. Most people don’t understand that writing for a blog is just one part of the BIG online money making puzzle. There’s marketing, promotion, not to mention SEO. Thank Goodness having a home based catering biz AND websites also means that I have 2 totally different but lucrative sources of income. I believe that blogging as a source of income can actually change your perspective about your full-time job. Imagine going to work everyday, but at the back of your mind you know that your blog or website is making money, I’ll bet you wouldn’t feel the strain and stress of TRYING to hold on to your job at all costs… enough rambling…
When I grow YOUNG, I want to be like LiewCF… Hahahaha!
Hi there Liew..
I beg to differ.
Don’t forget that the ‘Mat Sallehs’ have to work really hard on their blogs because they are living on their strong American dollars.
Lucky for people such as Malaysians or in any other third world countries, we do not have to work that hard to make money through blogging. For an example, a mere US$100 is a huge fortune to any Indonesian bloggers but such amount of money is nothing to Americans or Brits. The same goes for Malaysians, we can make decent money through blogging by dedicating only half of the time that American or European bloggers normally have to put in. In actual truth, they do envy bloggers originating from the third world countries :)
All in all, I don’t think people should see blogging as a primary money making opportunity. As for me, I make good money on eBay. It is much better and easier than blogging. :)
Welcome to my world; I lost my job, and I already had a Blog. I just got feed up working for someone or a company. After putting all those years working and making them money.
Then they toss you away. So now am a Pro Blogger.
Yes you are right I work llike a dog. I find myself just sitting in front of my Labtop, for about 25 hrs a day. How long does it take, Untill my blog starts making enough money to pay my bills ?
I post , I try to get my traffic up. I just need a good jump start.
Thanking you for letting me rant some.
Arrington is such a dedicated blogger ..got a smooth flow when it comes to writing tech business.But then again…does he have a life? 16 hours? that leaves little time to do everything else.
Why dogs ? Why not cats ?
Hi Liew,
I agree with you. Before start working, during breakfast hour in my office I would check my blogs & write something. During lunch time at the office, I would amend something in my blogs (I only have 10 – 20 minutes lunch time just to do my blog). After 5, go back, rest & check my blogs again, well, sometimes until midnight. I do that almost every day. Wow, I never know that I work like a dog. Thank you for your insight. For would-be-bloggers out there, think deeply before you choose to do this “side income”. Perhaps your time is worth it for some other things.
as long as I have internet connection..
I won’t mind sitting for 10 hours in front of computer…
but, i will go out if streamyx still give me 10mbps speed..
uppss.. 10kbps.. :)
Blogging for serious money requires a serious, don’t-play-play attitude.
Today I received this notification: “Thank you for your interest, but Worldwide Brands is not accepting affiliates from Malaysia or Indonesia . This is stated in the Affiliate Agreement (http://www.worldwidebrands.com/wwb/affiliate_signup.asp) on our website under the heading Countries not eligible for program. Your account has been suspended. Please remove any links that you may have linking to our website. ” We good Malaysians are very unlucky. We cannot make money online. Dear fellow good Malaysians, please advise our bad Malaysians to stop frauding.
The next thing I guess they would not accept any customers from Malaysia. So there we are, we can’t make money and we can’t spend money in internet. But we all know that internet is the future thus we must not miss it. What is the use we have world class MSC but we can’t do anything about this. Malaysia Government must do somethings about this, I do not have any idea how to do about it but our IT experts in MSC must advise government what to do.
Hi,
I only just got into blogging and have seen that it can take a bit of work. I dont have too many posts up and I would like to put up more. I have seen people on a lot of sites saying that you need to put in a lot of hours. Time is not my friend at the moment. My 9-5 job keeps me busy and I just had a baby girl and love spending time with her and her mother. Any ideas on where I can find time to work on my blog and get it looking good?
Stop by sometime and let me know what you think.
Thanks,
Gerri
Show Me The Money