Comments on: What is a Professional Blogger?

By: nicole

nicole — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:26:49 +0000

What professional blogging is, or professional writing itself is cannot be easily argued. The idea itself is extremely rhetorical. Do you need to be paid for anything you write to be considered professional? Are people in a work place who must write reports or memos not partaking in professional writing? Personally I believe anyone who is writing to be heard and is either writing rhetorically or to inform people on a particular topic (and that itself is usually rhetorical as well) is a professional writer. Therefore every blogger is essentially professional unless by some off-chance they have a private blog they want no one else to read…

By: professional blogging? « betosbloglol

professional blogging? « betosbloglol — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 04:36:09 +0000

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By: Phil Tyson PhD

Phil Tyson PhD — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 23:37:19 +0000

I blog, I’m a professional, but I’m not sure I’d call myself a professional blogger. I post about stuff I’m passionate about though and my readership is growing … but it will be a long time before I give up the day job!

By: W3A1- SEO/Blogging | Tollefsonz's Blog

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By: Bes Zain

Bes Zain — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 23:16:43 +0000

Thanks for the comment ShellMedia In your view, what is a full-time-pro blogger?

By the way, may I ask where you blog?

By: ShellMedia

ShellMedia — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:07:51 +0000

Ill call myself a semi-pro blogger. Im in the minors of blogging

By: Blacklin

Blacklin — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:36:36 +0000

Thank you for this post. I am looking into freelance writing and other writing avenues. To me, a professional blogger is someone who blogs or writes full or part time and writes (on a regular basis for some monetary return) quality pieces about subjects he or she cares about. Thanks again for the article.

By: Bill Barnes

Bill Barnes — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 22:10:35 +0000

We provide online medical assistant classes and are looking to hire a professional blogger to promote our website: http://www.medassistant.org – if interested please contact us. Thank you.

By: Gefen Australia

Gefen Australia — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 01:52:40 +0000

A Professional blogger is one who blogs in a more mature manner, like they are running something important, not simply a little spot of internet fame where they can discuss whats going on in their life. A Professional is also one of who blogging is their fulltime job.

By: The Criteria for Being a Pro Blogger is Money? » Reader Appreciation Project

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 22:32:13 +0000

[...] Bes wrote about his opinions on what makes a blogger a pro, he received some very insightful comments that I’d like to [...]

By: Deb Ng

Deb Ng — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 19:47:07 +0000

I’m sort of with Raj here. A person who fixes toilets for a living is a professional plumber. A person who makes a liging writing magazine articles is a professional writer. Thus, a person who earns a living blogging is a …professional blogger.

I work full time blogging, what else would I call myself?

By: raj

raj — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 19:01:41 +0000

The definition of a profesional anything is someone who makes their living from their activities. Unless I’ve misunderstood you, you’re trying redefine “professional”. Someone who makes their living by blogging is thus a professional blogger. But you’ve switched stances above, and I can’t tell if you are saying that’s true or not true.

Let’s take each person you listed:

Chris G – Professional blogger, freelance consultant/ blogger for-hire

CopyBlogger – Pro blogger, freelance copywriter

Daily Blog Tips – Pro blogger, freelance consultant

John Chow – Pro blogger, but as far as I know, John makes all his earnings from his website.

Kottke – I’m not sure what Jason does, but I think it’s outside blogging and consulting, with his blog establishing his authority. Thus, pro blogger.

ProBlogger – Darren makes his living both from his blogs and outside activities related to blogging. Pro Blogger.

Seth Godin – A blogger who happens to be a marketing consultant and author. Still, his blog supports his living and thus, Pro blogger.

Was there something I missed?

By: Simonne

Simonne — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 09:25:48 +0000

Alan, your definition is almost correct. However, I would draw attention on startups: you can be a professional, but still live on the savings, until your business takes off.

By: Alan

Alan — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 09:11:57 +0000

I’d have to say that the only thing that makes a blogger professional is if he or she survives off of the income of blogging, without any other supplementary or backup income or savings. It’s as simple as that – same with “professionals” in any other area of work.

By: Bes Zain

Bes Zain — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 07:45:41 +0000

Haha, thanks for the comment Simonne. I did list it alphabetically, but even without that I thought of your site among the first ones since the title is so catchy!

I like the “marketing” part of your description; blogging in many situations is indeed marketing. Also, your judgment of a professional blogger is so much better than many of the definitions and logics used today to define a professional blogger. For example, Chris G is a marketer who blogs. I am not sure why anyone would say he is a professional blogger without showing the logic/reason/work, or even explaining what a professional blogger is. Someone told me today that Chris G is a professional blogger because he is good at managing sites. Well, the only major thing before now, Performancing.com, the site he co-ran, was trading hands for different things it had [like selling some of the features that made it important for readers] and going down and in weird directions until he and Nick Wilson, the other co-owner/runner, slowed down and moved on. Someone correct me if I am wrong, but Chris G or Nick left either the main duties at performancing [where are all the details & posts about Performancing.com losing its bosses/ceo/etc and being sold?] or some control of it to pursue other things, and the site survived mainly because of the readers valuing such a resource and because of the site being sold to a new owner. So no: he is a marketer definitely, but not a professional blogger.

Of course, who am I to decide, right?

It’s very good that you mention wanting to pay bills, aka earning money through your blog, as one of your reasons for blogging. Many other blogs, however, I giggle at because they say they only blog for readers, when in reality they show ads or wanting to build own reputation or directing traffic/business/contacts to their offline money making opportunities like business.

By: John Chow’s rise to fame - A case study

John Chow’s rise to fame - A case study — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 18:24:09 +0000

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By: Simonne

Simonne — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 18:09:11 +0000

Hey Bes, thanks for putting me in the head of your list (or maybe it’s only because I had the longest name in the group ). I cannot define professional blogging, because I see blogging rather as a communication channel, a part of a marketing plan, a way to get your message out for your public. If one blogs full time about making ikebanas, is he a professional blogger, or a professional ikebana-maker? I’d rather say he is a professional in ikebanas who chose blogging as a medium of promoting his skills.
As of my blogging, I do it because it’s fun, and because I want to pay my bills, my shoes and my hairdresser somehow, without too much trouble. I find blogging a very convenient way to make a living. Of course a bigger audience would please me, but this is far from being my top objective.

By: Bes Zain

Bes Zain — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 17:27:45 +0000

Hi Keiron.

Heh, thanks for the comment: what do you think can be, or are, the real elements when it comes to deciding whether or not one is a professional blogger, in your view? What is a professional blogger overall, do you think?

By: Keiron

Keiron — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 10:28:35 +0000

Based on all that I’m not likely to become a professional blogger lol

By: Giving up the day Job? — Keiron’s Window to Madness

Giving up the day Job? — Keiron’s Window to Madness — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 10:27:59 +0000

[...] occasionally but more often than not don’t find the time! So when Bes posted “What is a professional Blogger?” I was [...]