Yakety Yak: There are several ways to monetize Web 2.0
By Tom Foremski - February 19, 2007
I love to remind people that blogging is by far and away the most honest form of self promotion bar none.
Because if you can't walk the walk and talk the talk it becomes very obvious--you can't fake it.
About 99.999 per cent of bloggers out there make their money from their day jobs, they establish thought leadership in their professions, whether it is a lawyer, or a consultant, or an industry executive--their blog is a way to draw attention and monetize their day job, or promote their books, consulting, or any other related products.
The trouble with being a journalist blogger, however, is that I have nothing but this news journalism to sell. Which is why I would like to write a book, and I think I have a good title and some good content: IMHO: 25 Essays From The Future (let me know what you think of the title). It will be based on some of my writings here and elsewhere, and it will be about trends and life in Silicon Valley.
The main reason I'd like to write a book is not that a book is a direct pathway to paying my rent, books generally don't make much money for their authors. But, there is an opportunity for speaking engagements and public speaking that pays very well.
Take a look at these speaker fees, which some of our top Web 2.0 evangelists collect many times per year (these are starting amounts, sometimes less in return for promotional exchanges, sometimes more.)
-Tim O'Reilly, the godfather of Web 2.0 is paid a speaking fee of about $40K.
Chris Anderson, the editor of Wired magazine and the author of the book about the "Long Tail" gets paid about $34K for a speaking engagement.
John Battelle, the Google and "search" expert, and author, commands a speaker fee of about $24K.
And there are many others that do very well for themselves, speaking at various conferences and events. Plus, they get to sell their books etc, so it works out nicely.
I think they produce a lot of value, I like hearing them speak, and I always walk away a little bit smarter. I'd love to be able to do the same--they are an inspiration.
By Tom Foremski - February 19, 2007 | Permalink | Comment
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Comments (2)
one of the best gigs around is probably "futurist." If you can make compelling and mostly-accurate predictions about the future, people will pay to read them. Actually...just the compelling part is enough in some cases =)
Posted: February 21, 2007 12:25 AM
I agree with you fully (I found you post from Scobel's link). The blog is pure, and you do need to write very regularly, thus your true identity spills out.
The same is true for a great author or speaker, however. Many can be a one book wonder, or have a canned presentation that plays well...but to be really talented means that you can get up in many venues and share your thoughts and have them be both engaging and entertaininig. It is hard work, and the reason why the top speakers get paid the big bucks.
Have A Great Day.
Posted: February 21, 2007 10:07 AM