Money and Travel Blogging
I started blogging at the end of February 2012. My goal was to create a blog where I gave advice to travelers. Monetizing my blog was a possible solution to finance or contribute to my trip around the world in 2014. Today, things have changed a lot.
I will notably talk about some current topics.
What is a blogger?
A blogger is a person who shares their experience on the web (in my case, it’s travel and life experiences). The blog is for them a place of expression where they have their own freedom of writing; they share their personal experience on the web.
P.S. of course, there are other possible definitions.
The danger of advertising and losing editorial line
I previously spoke about freedom of writing. Just the fact of putting advertising causes the blog and the blog author to lose credibility. You can read critiques in this article: here. These comments are legitimate and they have the right to express themselves just as I have the right to put advertising on my blog which is my personal space that I share on the web. People are free to read me if they wish; I don’t force anyone.
Advertising is the scourge of the web and Google fights it, but the paradox is that Google itself lives off the advertising revenue it generates.
A blog with advertising! It’s kind of the same thing in the end; maybe for some blogging gives them pleasure, but others want to make a living from it, like me.
The personal aspect and writing a blog
The blog reflects the personality of the author and their involvement. Well-written articles where you feel what the author is living through the article are, in my opinion, the best blogs.
You also have to realize that most bloggers are rather literary types, good at spelling.
I am not one of them; I am a math guy (mechanical engineer by training) and I make spelling mistakes in my sentences. Even if I proofread, I will always make some because I cannot distinguish them. These gaps need to be improved and I am aware of that. That is why I write daily on my various blogs. It allows me to improve my writing skills.
There is a difference you can feel between my beginnings and today, although it is still not enough.
Personal improvement is something I have been working on for a long time. I think I would have given up like 90% of people who don’t complete their web projects if I didn’t want to change. You become a blogger by blogging.
Do bloggers set travel trends? Does blog advertising influence travelers?
I think yes and no. It’s not because one or hundreds of blogs talk about mass tourism or responsible tourism that trends will change. Trends are made by people who have money. Advertising agencies pay to position themselves on the web. Good positioning changes everything. It’s also the case for a travel blog, the better you are positioned, the better you will be contacted by these agencies or read on the web, and that requires a lot of work.
You have to put things into perspective and not everyone is capable of that.
My first two travel blogs provide precise and punctual information such as visits to do, unusual places, or information to settle abroad. I would like to build a loyal readership, but my audience is focused on punctual information and that is why I created other more personal travel blogs. Most good travel blogs are followed by other web actors and some loyal readers.
Highlighting these strengths in view of these weaknesses
Becoming aware of my weaknesses made me think that I could not break through in classic travel blogging for now. It is impossible for me to build a loyal readership even if my work was of much higher quality! This is a realization that few people CAN make; it is the harsh reality of blogging.
On the other hand, I have therefore chosen to make a monetized blog that is more within my reach and thus becomes more impersonal.
Highlighting my strengths and doing what I can do best, that is quantity, is in my opinion more logical. Monetizing my sites is part of one of my preparation stages for the world tour which has always been my primary goal. I am also learning other languages in parallel.
I could have published half as much and had the same monetization result for my blog. I accept constructive criticism and my challenge is to reverse the trend in 2013: read my 2012 review where I explain my choices.
Since my blog is part of continuity, it will improve.
Stefan Tanned
