So You're A Writer, Eh? Ever Earned Any Money At It? Here's One
Way...
Copyright 2006 DK Fynn
The purpose of this article is to briefly outline how any
writer, on virtually any topic, can earn money by simply posting
one's thoughts to a website. This particular process, which you
can follow, is free, very simple, proven, and one you can start
with as soon as you finish reading this article. I'm happy to
report that with this method, there are no contracts or
deadlines!
We The Writers
We're writers. We write professionally, academically,
recreationally, and for our own personal use. We write about a
lot of different topics, from world issues to people who snore
in the bedroom.
We have dreams of "getting published" someday soon, but
regardless of outcome, we continue to create information by
writing.
This is important to realize, so read closely: As a writer, you
create information. I'm sure you know that, but it's a point
that this article is based on.
Why People Go Onto The Internet
Let me ask you a question: Why do you go onto the Internet? You
check your e-mails, you surf, you check out what's going on in
the world, and so on. On the Internet, people do all of these
things, and more, but do you know what is the #1 common reason
why people go onto the Internet? In other words, what is it that
people on the Internet want in general? Did you say
communication? Close! The #1 thing that people on the Internet
want is information. Whether it's to communicate, download
files, check e-mails, gossip, or surf, people do these things
because they want certain information.
Remember how I said that, as a writer, you create information?
Read on.
Enter the Blog
Do you know what a web log is? This is popularly known as a
blog, which is one or more web pages featuring an on-going
collection of written--or, in our case, typed--entries. A bit of
a more technical definition is that a blog is simply one or more
web pages that display entries. You can think of a blog as an
on-going electronic diary, though it doesn't necessarily have to
be a diary. Just as you can write anything you want as a writer,
as a blogger, you can type a blog entry about anything you want.
You don't have to always write on the same topic.
Let me tell you, blogging is very popular and well-established
on the Internet. Various figures, as well as the more common
folk like you and I, share news, ideas, and opinions through
blogs. These blogs, or any blog for that matter, can become
initiators of discussion, and on some blogs people can post
replies. A blog can, in this way, become like a forum, except
that blogs are usually open to the public.
Rest assured that with 6+ billion people on the planet today,
and the continual expansion of Internet-connected communities,
there is a very good chance that, no matter what topic you write
about, there are people interested in what you have to say.
Though the main purpose of a blog is to share opinions,
reactions, ideas, etc., blogs can also be used as portals. By
"portals," I mean that they can connect advertisers with
potential buyers. A prime example of this is the phrase "Ads by
Gooooooogle" that you see on some websites. When someone goes to
one of these sites, sees one of these ads, and clicks on the ad,
the webmaster earns a tiny profit for connecting the potential
buyer to the advertiser.
Can you start to see a profitable picture here? Can you begin to
see how you can share how your ideas an opinions for profit?
What if... ...you had blog site, people came to your blog site,
saw a Google ad on your blog, and clicked on the ad? You would
have just earned money!
It's that simple, my writer friend.
That is perhaps the most established way that writers like you
and I can catch the blog wave and transform our
information-producing passion into cash.
To be sure, you may not make huge sums of money in the
beginning, but there seems to be an accumulating effect as time
passes. It's definitely worth an ongoing, consistent effort,
which isn't asking much if you're already creating on-going
information as a writer.
If you want a simple plan of action, here's one:
1. Know what you want to share with other people. (You never
know: someone could see something you've written on your blog,
and approach you as an interested publisher.)
2. There are a number of providers, like Google, that offer free
blog services. You can set up your own blog for free at one of
these sites. You can begin your search for a free blog provider
by typing "blog," "free blog," and "free blog account" into a
search engine like Google. If you want to follow the plan
outlined here, be sure that Google's AdSense ads are compatible
with the blog you choose.
3. Set up a free Google AdSense account. You don't have to be an
advertiser, seller, or buyer to do this.
4. Just follow all the instructions you get from these sites,
and you're set!
As a word of caution, this is the Internet, and cyber-thieves
lurk around. Obviously, don't freely share personal contact
information or any other sensitive information. Also, to claim
your information as yours, copyright your blog, just like I
copyrighted this article. While this may not fully prevent
unethical people from copying your work, it is a proactive
precaution. (You can go to www.copyscape.com if you ever want to
search for copies of your information.)