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.)