5 Common Blogging Myths – BUSTED!

A lot of people have this misconception of relating the word ‘blogging’ with ‘content writing’. There is a huge difference between the two. Content writers are those who can write on a plethora of diverse topics. Throw at them any topic – photography, parenting, relationships, finance, travel, you name it. They’ll research the Internet and will come up with a re-hashed essay in just a couple of hours! They mostly work as freelancers or full-time writers for marketing firms.
In contrast, a blogger usually has a definite niche of his own. Unlike a content writer, he isn’t a jack of all the trades. A content writer may never get the exposure and identity that he deserves for his work. In contrast, a blogger has a solid identity and he represents a brand (his blog name). Like, whenever I hear the name – Pete Cashmore, I instantly associate it with Mashable! And whenever I hear the name – Darren Rowse, I associate it with ProBlogger!
The second important difference is that established bloggers have a huge following – a fan base that listens and acts! Content writers don’t enjoy these benefits because they remain anonymous most of the time 🙂

The reality is – Blogging can be a full-time career. But just like any other successful career, it requires you to invest in your time, efforts, energy and of course patience! It can not happen overnight. I see people spending a good 6 to 7 years building their careers. And even after spending so much time and money of course, many of them don’t even make to the industry – thanks to the rising demand and supply mismatch!
Do you want inspiring examples where people really have made fortunes turning blogging into a serious full-time activity? I’ve plenty of them. Enjoy this treat –

1. In 2007, Jeremy Schoemaker showed the world his $132,994.97 check from AdSense!

2. Darren Rowse, the widely popular and authority icon in the blogosphere has many times revealed his earning reports. On 24th April 2013, he posted how he made a whooping $420000 in 10 years from the amazon affiliate program!

3. Harsh Agarwal of shoutmeloud.com also regularly shares his income reports with his readers. He is a full-time blogger from my city – New Delhi. On 3rd November, he shared his October month’s income report with his readers. He reported to have made an amazing $5544.64. Wow! Harsh, that’s very impressive and motivating. Kudos to you mate 🙂

Myth #3 – Blogging is only for jobless/retired people

Really? No way. Blogging is in fact a ‘new-age-business’. Pete Cashmore, CEO and founder of the immensely popular blog Mashable built it in 2005 when he was just 19. Amit Agarwal is the first full-time professional blogger from India. He is a graduate from IIT with an engineering degree in computer science and had been working with ADP for clients like Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch until he decided to quit his full-time job to make room for full-time blogging as a career.

Myth #4 – You can’t make money on a free blogspot

Those who say that you can’t make money on a free blogspot are absolute liars. My photography blog (digital-camera photography.blogspot.com) earned me my first Adsense check of $130 in 2012. No domain registration charges, no hosting charges & not even a single dollar spent on buying any traffic –> pure profit! What matters the most is – the quality, uniqueness and usefulness of your content. Besides that, learning some basic SEO and smart content promotion tips is always an added advantage.

Myth #5 – Only a veteran in English can write a blog

While writing skills are important, but it is not an absolute necessity that you have to be a grammar wizard to be able to write a blog in English. By rough estimates – only North America, Great Britain and Australia account for the highest percentage of English speakers worldwide. Moreover, out of the total 196 independent countries in the world, only 20 to 23 countries have English as their primary/native language. So, if you’re able to think creatively and are able to express your thoughts in simple sentences that make coherence and sense to the reader, you’re good to go.

Your Views?

How do you see the bloggers around you? What are your views on ‘blogging’ in general? I look forward to your thoughts in the comments below 🙂