Blog success stories: linkers as big money makers
So, you run or are about to start your own blog and devour the information (that is abundant online) how to make your blog successful. One of the ideas that you will come across in every article on blog success is that:
You need to generate original content of super quality.
Partly, I agree with this statement, but it is not always the case.
If you think that you can succeed in blogging with high quality unique content only I will prove you that you are wrong. Below are just a few samples of the blogs that are super popular on the Internet, but they do not generate much unique content, they just link to different kind of information that they find themselves or get from their readers.
I do not say that it is a simple way to succeed, but it proves that you can find an angle or niche, think of the ways how to present your information and succeed with the blog that just links to other website information.
BoingBoing The most successful blog of this kind I am aware of. They have about 50,000 feed subscribers (including me). Home page rank 9 (!). A Directory of Wonderful Things – this is the way they position themselves that gives a pretty wide area for post links – they cover any topics that fit their idea of Wonderful Things.
Lifehacker Home page rank 7. About 1,000 feed readers. Unique Selling Proposition (USP) – Lifehacker recommends the software downloads and web sites that actually save time. Don’t live to geek; geek to live. Yes, a great motto.
The Hype Machine This one is about music. They have a lower number of feed subscribers – just above 200, home PR 6. But it is very popular with those who search and listen to music online. The idea of the blog: Discover, listen and buy music discussed on the best mp3 blogs.
I have no idea how much online property of this kind generates monthly in cash, but I am sure that it is sufficient for doing things you enjoy in life. Any of the above websites is a brand name.
Summary: I repeat that the purpose of my post is not to state that the above blogs make easy money – the people behind the websites are smart guys (and ladies?), no doubt. I just would like to show that it is possible to succeed in blogging with some other things besides unique content: with an IDEA or with design or with content presentation, etc.
And there is a chance to succeed in any industry. It should not be a blog on some web related topic – it can be cars, humor, video, travel, business, career – any topic is a good fit.
[tags]blogs, boingboing, lifehacker, hype machine, links, myspace, seo, internet marketing, affiliate marketing, content generation, news aggregator, ebay, google, make money online, work from home, home based job, wikipedia, del.icio.us, technorati, bloglines, duplicate content, links, earn your living online[/tags]