Posted by Technorati just released their, State Of The Blogosphere 2009, and some of the results will surprise you.
According to the Fast Company Blog post, Blogging Is Dead, Long Live Journalism, writers, Bloggers, Journalists (or whatever you want to call them now) are making some good money from their online Blogging efforts…
"Technorati’s killer finding is that among the professional bloggers they surveyed who fall into the ‘full time’ worker category, the average salary works out at $122,222 – an enormous figure. Those full-timers equate to 46% of the respondees, which means that the majority of bloggers are part-timers – but these guys still take home some $14,777 per year, which isn’t to be sniffed at. That means the average blogger salary is about $42,548."
The big news is that the money is not coming from employers, running ads or sponsorship opportunities. The money is coming from everywhere else but their Blogs.
Bloggers who are active, consistent and have built some semblance of an audience and community are using that platform to convert it into book deals, speaking gigs, more traditional media appointments, and even setting up and running conferences. Essentially, individuals who have used a Blog platform to establish themselves as some sort of recognized authority are not just nurturing their online community, but parlaying it into real business (with dollars attached to it). Let’s also not forget those who have used their Blog to gain a significance presence that helped them secure a better position either within their company or with another one.
Amazing to think that it’s not about making money off of your Blog, but it is about using your Blog to establish yourself within your industry and community.
Never another podcast episode or article 
I’ve actually been wondering if there are other ways to make money off your blog than ads. I run a blog on my portfolio, and thought adding ads would be tacky since I’m trying to set myself up as a professional web developer, not as someone selling ads, but I put a lot of time into my blog posts and was hoping it would work for and monatize somehow, this has definitely given me a lot to think about. 🙂
I have to agree with you Mitch and Amber! Honestly, I haven’t made any money from my blog yet. But I have built a name for myself in my community and I’m starting to get requests to attend events, review products, and books.
I’ve only been blogging for 10 months but I think I’m on a good start. I’m going to continue and see where it takes me.
Loved the book too!
There are 2 types of primary blog income, direct (ads, affiliate links, etc…) or indirect (consulting, speaking, book deals, joint ventures etc…).
The key is the content, and it’s value to your audience. If you’re memorable, you’ll have a devoted audience that supports your every venture and will WANT to do business with you in various ways.
Sorry, had to add that I loved your book too Mitch! Great angle and exploration of social media.
Great post. Give’s me a new perspective after reading Joel Comm’s book the last several days. I guess ’03-’07 or so were the days of ads. Now its conferences on how to sell ads. Next it will be Conferences on how to put on a Conference! (Joking!). Some of these “Trust Agents” are well worth listening to and very inspiring. I think its a good, natural trend, and its benefits will keep growing.
I’m wondering if people like yourself still think that Blogs became as popular as was originally hyped, or if video, Twitter, Facebook really took some of the steam out of their grwing popularity?