This is a topic I’ve been meaning to write about for a while now – bloggers that seem to blog about nothing else but blogging.
So, yes, you have a few big profitable blogs out there that do just that. Then you have a gazillion small blogs, often started as the first blog by that blogger, that aim at bloggers as their target audience.
The problem is, these bloggers, often blog about nothing else but blogging.
Seems to me like this huge online community has developed discussing every new feature of WordPress, latest developments in SEO, blog themes and how to do affiliate marketing (for bloggers-oriented products). New blogger wannabees come over, read up and begin their own blog… about blogging of course!
Then, when people try to monetize their blogs, they try selling each other templates, ebooks and a myriad of other blogging-related products.
I don’t know. Is it just me, or is there something weird here?
I mean, yes, this blog of mine here is part of that phenomenon, but it’s not really written with the aim of making a profit. I have other blogs and sites, about other topics and geared at different audiences altogether, that make me money. I wonder about people who try to make a living by entering an overcrowded niche here – seems to be getting more crowded by the day…
What do you think? Is your blog about blogging? Do you have other sites or blogs? Do you think blogging about blogging is a reasonable business plan these days, or has it run its course?
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Twitter: BlazingMinds
says:
I have tried to blog about everything on my blog and though it does tend lean it’s way towards tech, twitter and websites at the moment, I do proud myself in saying that I post about whatever I want when I want
.-= Karen @ Blazing Minds´s last blog post ..Saturday Six – Famous People You Would Like To Meet =-.
I really like your blog and it’s actually not the kind that I had in mind when writing it. I was thinking about all of the “how to” blogs for bloggers. Yours I consider more of a personal blog.
Twitter: AlisonMSmith
says:
Spot on!
Sheesh, this is one of my pet peeves and so, as usual, my response got way too long. I’m planning to write a post about it and I’ll link on over to this post as reference.
.-= Alison Moore Smith´s last blog post ..See the Back of Your Head: Hinged Bathroom Mirrors =-.
Looking forward to reading your post about this, Alison!
Twitter: mattchedit
says:
I sometimes *mention* blogging or make references to good/bad uses of blogs, etc (after all as web development consultants, part of our job is to make sure clients know how to use the right tools to get the best results) – but it is always offputting when you land on a blog which contains nothing more than spiel about how to blog.
Even to “newbies”, the hows are fairly self-evident – it’s the deeper whys, as well as maximising benefits that are arguably more complex. But still can’t imagine you could run a whole (valid) blog about it! Nor that you’d want to
.-= Matt Chatterley´s last blog post ..Starting an online shop – Part 6 – The Shopping Cart =-.
I agree, and yet some people seem to not only dedicate their blog to blogging, but often to an aspect of blogging only… Not that there’s anything wrong with that, only that I feel there may be too many of them.
I’ve seen these blogs that blog about nothing but about blogging. And also selling ebooks and products about blogging. I got a feeling that most of these started out with no intent but to help those who are starting out. Eventually though, perhaps they found that a lot of wannabe bloggers wanted to be spoon-fed with step by step information they can follow word for word instead of doing things their own way and giving their blogs their own touch. They’d rather shell out money to get a blue-print they can follow instead of charting out their own course. Perhaps these motivated the enterprising ones to pounce on this ‘weakness’. Just a thought.
.-= James M.´s last blog post ..Galaga Video Game =-.
For me, it is a challenge to be success in this crowded blogging niche. I do have another non blogging blog which give more earning if compare with my blogging blog but I like a challenge.
.-= Dana @ Blogging Tips Blog´s last blog post ..GoDaddy May 2010 Discount =-.
Twitter: websiteweekend
says:
It turns out I went after that niche deliberately when I started out 16 months ago. Should be sort of obvious from my website name.
I did it all wrong.
I spent 6 months writing content. I had 101 articles written before I ever started promoting.
Bad move.
When I started, there were some low end folks, in the low hundreds of dollars range, and Yaro Starak offering what I intended to offer.
Now, the low end is free with the amount of information available expanding rapidly, and at the other end, all the Big Name Bloggers have a hand dipped into it.
I’m in the middle being squeezed out.
Were I psychic, I would have spent the year teaching myself Ruby on Rails and iPhone coding. But I’m not, and what happened, happened.
Sucks, but there it is.
The next web venture I take on I’ll be promoting immediately and not worrying about quaint notions of authority and credibility. Don’t need ‘em. Proof is in the audience.
.-= Dave Doolin´s last blog post ..Persistence – the critical trait for success, in any endeavor =-.
Ahh, if we could be psychic and guess trends… I’ll be doing iphone stuff too
You bring up an interesting point – there is a risk in putting a long while writing content and holding on to it. Sometimes it’s best to launch with just part of it and sort of test the water. A topic for a different post, I guess…
Twitter: DennisEdell
says:
Oh how so true indeed!
Ironically though, I’ll be starting one; targeting a specific niche. Not simply any ‘ol blogger.
It’s all in the domain name, which I can’t reveal now, but will become very obvious soon enough.
.-= Dennis Edell | Direct Sales Marketing´s last blog post ..A TRUE Make Money Online blog – Part 2 – Choose My Domain Name =-.
My blog is not about blogging.
I’d guess for the new “I-want-to-make-money-online”-er, it probably appears to be a lucrative approach seeing how many blogging blogs there are, and out of those, how many are selling you a method, often their own method of how you can make six figures by blogging [usually by blogging about blogging
]
I think that niche is beyond over-saturated. But at least I can find thousands of free resources for tips and blogging advice.
.-= Aaron´s last blog post ..Met-RX/ESPN 2010 Sweepstakes =-.
I wonder if part of it is them reading so much about blogging, that they feel that becomes their only field of expertise
hey Anne,
So if I was to write a post about this post, would that be a blogger blogging about a blogger blogging about bloggers writing about blogging, and what if someone then wrote a post about my post? And can you say this sentence ten time in a row real fast?
Seriously, just like with many topics, there are a few good blogs and many rehashing the same ol’ stuff.
~ Steve
PS. I scored points with my kids by telling them the swimming pool/diving board joke. Thanks!
.-= Steve, the Trade Show Guru´s last blog post ..Best Trade Show Giveaway Idea Ever? =-.
Interesting – too many uses of the word blog in a sentence sounds exactly like you’re drowning!
Glad your kids liked the joke
Twitter: sonlinebiz
says:
LMAO. Boy was I guilty of that and still am to an extent. That’s why I had to introduce a weekly roundup of all the blog posts I read in the week that made quite an impression on me. This way, i keep things fresh and different.
.-= Udegbunam Chukwudi | StrictlyOnlineBiz´s last blog post ..StrictlyOnlineBiz’s Top Blog Posts Of The Week 11 =-.
Twitter: sonlinebiz
says:
One more thing, do you mind installing the subscribe to comments plug-in? It makes my commenting on blogs a lot more productive
. Thanks
.-= Udegbunam Chukwudi | StrictlyOnlineBiz´s last blog post ..StrictlyOnlineBiz’s Top Blog Posts Of The Week 11 =-.