Can Bloggers Make Money?
In an email exchange published in the Journal, Alan Mekler and Jason Calacanis debate the merits of the blogging business model. Mekler seems pretty convinced that - at for small blogs - there is little hope of creating sustainable income. Calacanis backs the "blog network model" and points to his own success with Weblogs Inc./AOL as an example for other companies to follow.
The debate in the blogosphere is as good as the article itself, and Om Malik sums things up nicely. Opinion and commentary ranges from the hideous to the sublime, and somewhere in between, Hugh MacLeod reminds people to consider the indirect benefits as well as the ad revenue: "The other major way to make money with the blogging platform is to use it to market your Global Microbrand, like Thomas did with English Cut. That to me is far more useful to far more people, yet it gets no mention in the Journal article. ... As I'm fond of saying, blogs are good for making things happen indirectlyetc."
Quoted from WSJ: While many blogs remain little more than amateur diaries, several bloggers have tried to parlay their online ramblings into branded businesses. One, Jason Calacanis, co-founded Weblogs Inc., a network of blogging sites that was acquired last year by AOL. Mr. Calacanis has been an outspoken proponent of blogs as business vehicles, arguing that quality content can drive enough traffic to attract advertisers.
Other discussion and links: Technorati, Memeorandum
Thomas Hawk's Digital Connection;Alan Meckler vs. Jason Calacanis, Can Blogs Make Money?
Mark Evans:Blogging for Fame....and Maybe Fortune; Publishing 2.0: Good Blogging = Good Publishing = Good Business; IP Democracy: Do Blogs Follow the Traditional Publishing Model?; duncanriley.com: Alan Meckler vs J-Cal at the WSJ; Bloggers Blog: How Much Can Bloggers Make Per Month?; Digital Inspiration: Do Blogs translate into profits ?;Paul Kedrosky's Infectious Greed: Bloggers Making Money; Don Dodge on The Next Big Thing: Can bloggers make money?; ben barren: "BlogPalMe@Paris Sidekick 3 for Last Weeks CPM"
Thursday, April 20, 2006
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