Blogs, Business And... Babies!

Blogs, Business And... Babies!

"Will you sponsor my blog by giving me money for the Heart Kids Blogathon?"

A friend was surprised at my question.

"What's a Blog?" he asked.

Imagine contacting all of your friends, urging them to pledge support for your favorite charity - and telling them you're "blogging" for it.

Would they understand what you were talking about?

Probably not. You might need to educate them about the revolutionary concept in online communication and personal publishing that's taking the Web by storm - 'Blogging'.

So, what is a Blog?

Blog is a shorthand term for "weblogs". Blogging is simply the act of keeping a regularly updated Internet journal. Some webloggers (bloggers, for short) post a diarylike record of their lives, while others write lengthy essays, make political commentary, or even post digital pictures that document their daily travels.

In the past year, web logs have changed from being an underground trend to becoming the hottest mainstream Internet phenomenon -- not only are they virtually omnipresent on personal home pages, they are even maintained by rock stars, major authors, and former television stars - even heart surgeons!

Blogs are passionate hobbies. But with few exceptions, they've not generated income or profits for their owners. Even business blogs are primarily used for internal communication and collaboration within organizations rather than as business building and growth tools.

Until recently.

Things are changing rapidly in the blogosphere. Several profit models exist to convert the 'purely hobbyist' medium into a revenue spinning powerhouse. My recent book, "Blog Profit Ideas Exposed" lists no less than 33 different ways to profit from blogging.

http://www.BlogProfits.com

One that works well is the "Donation Model".

Ask for money from visitors to your blog - and give them a good reason to donate. Explain your need. Focus on a cause. Showcase an issue. Then ask for contributions.

Individual blog owners have come up with innovative ways to implement this idea. And some earn a good income this way. In 2001, Andrew Sullivan made $21,000 just in donations - and in December 2002, a further $79,020. Amazing, isn't it?

Or you may pool resources and work together with many others. A very interesting collaborative venture is the annual event called "Blogathon 2003".

For the third annual Blogathon, web users from around the world will engage in a 24-hour marathon of blogging, each to raise money and awareness for his or her own good cause. In the words of founder Cat Connor, "I've always felt the best thing about the web was its ability to affect the real world. The web can be a major force for good."

Blogathon is an attempt to harness that force, uniting hundreds of bloggers together to raise money for dozens of different charities. Pledges are gathered from friends, family, fellow webloggers, and occasionally total strangers, all of whom sponsor a blogger just as they might sponsor someone in a walk-a-thon.

Some bloggers use the Blogathon as a chance to publicize lesser-known charities. Blogathon is a celebration of the capabilities of the World Wide Web; for a single day it unites a decentralized mass of participants, sponsors, viewers, and charities to work towards a common goal of affecting change in the world.

And it's a fantastic model. I signed up to raise funds for our Childrens' Heart Foundation that sponsors heart treatment for kids from poor families. And in just a week, we've received pledges and donations for over $675 - with more certain to come in the days ahead. You can help too!

Blogs, Business and Babies - they get linked by Blogathon 2003.

It's definitely something to email all of your friends about. Go to
http://www.EzineMarketingCenter.com/blogathon/

Help save a child's life today.

About the author:

Dr.Mani Sivasubramanian has been building profitable niche
minisites since 1998. He recently launched "INSTANT NICHE
MINISITES" - a Web-based tool you can use to 'point-and-click'
your way to creating niche marketing websites.

ideas@ezinemarketingcenter.com