- Alchemy: Growing your means through Web 2.0
- Digging the well of blog monetisation: 412 days later
- Blog monetisation – Baby Steps to Growing My Means
- Problogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income
- Blog Monetisation: Many Paths Lead to Money
- Plucking money out of thin air: You can do it too!
- Otaku Banzai! What I learnt from the Number One Otaku-internet-entrepreneur Danny Choo san
- Social Networking: Beyond Fun and Friendships
- Blog Monetisation: Experiment and Learn
- Creating Your Own CPF Life Income Stream
- Blog Monetisation: Reflections and Realisations
Posted: 02 Jun 2008 11:07 PM CDT
How much has Panzer made in 2008?
I have been seriously blogging for a year plus now and will start to provide a record of my earnings as a way to motivate myself to continue to grow my means through blog monetisation as well as the learning journey that goes with the new technologies.
From 1 Jan 2008 to 31 May 2008, here is what I have managed to generate through the various monetisation programs (in Singapore Dollars unless otherwise stated):
INCOME
- Google AdSense: $546.47
- Nuffnang: $42.98
- Kontera: US$1.97 (S$2.65)
- Bidvertiser: US$9.83 (S$13.27)
- Adify: US13.24 (S$17.87)
Total: $623.24
EXPENSES: (Does not include manpower costs)
- Webhosting: $145
- M1 Mobile broadband: $23 (just started this month)
- Maxonline: $300 ($60 per month) – this is used at home for personal stuff by spouse as well
- Domain names: $120
Total: $588
Profit/Loss: S$35.24
Is it worth Panzer’s time?
If you look at it from a purely profit/loss angle, it doesn’t make sense for me to devote time and energy to blogging as the returns are miserable to be honest. But if you look at the expenses, the main cost is my Maxonline subscription which I would have to pay whether or not my blogs made money. Thus, my blogging helps to offset my broadband costs.
The other main cost is my time. However, I see blogging as a hobby and it’s actually quite fun. There was a period where I forced myself to write an article a day with disastrous results on the quality of my articles. It became contrived, forced and artificial. An helpful reader actually sent me an email to say she doesn’t read my blog because I am rehashing the same concepts over and over again. Her comments made me pause and reflect. Reading the problogger book also helped me to realise that blogging is not about churning out articles and attracting eyeballs to make money. It is about building relationships using the online medium of social networking, blogging tools and communities of like-minded people. If the relationships work, the money flows and I’ve realised that is the case. 
Why blog?
I see blogging as a way to express myself online on the various interests of public speaking, personal finance, investments, my reservist experiences as well as my volunteer experiences as a kidsREAD teacher. It also allows me to keep in touch with the web technologies. If not for blogging, I wouldn’t know the difference between blogger and wordpress nor why twitter is so hot now and what is AdSense all about.
I would be lying to say I don’t dream of being the next John Chow or Darren Rowse but it takes time, effort and a bit of luck to be able to be earn a six figure income blogging. But I will work on it because I feel that besides being able to break even on out-of-pocket costs, the learning that goes with blogging is a great way to learn a new life-skill in this technologically changing world.
I’d love to hear your own experiences about blog monetisation and I don’t mean selling those get-rich-quick or work-from-home schemes. Drop me a note in the comments section and I’d return the commentluv!
Be well and prosper!