By Maria Jose
Ria-Lity Bites

YOU'VE been blogging for quite some time, and you've managed to write some meaningful entries. Some even caught the attention of total strangers. What now? This is one of the questions I often hear as a so-called "professional blogger."

A handful of people go into blogging with the purpose of earning money, but most bloggers are into it for the sake of blogging, of writing their experiences, thoughts, and feelings.

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Niche Blogging

Most bloggers start their own blog to have an online journal of sorts. They blog about their experiences, post some photos, and share their insights on issues, movies, food, and other stuff. From this collection of memories, once often finds their own niche.

From a hodgepodge of entries and ideas often surfaces a gem of an idea or topic that suddenly has a life of its own.

From my own experience, I started out with a personal blog, from which I noticed the dearth of topics I can discuss or blog about in politics.

From a single personal blog, I have branched out to a political blog, an entertainment blog, a Davao blog, and many other niche blogs.

Most of these niche blogs were developed from the topics I blogged about in my personal blog.

A lot of other bloggers have evolved this way. Aileen Apolo of "An Apple a Day" (http://www.aileenapolo.com) has spawned a handful of niche blogs based on the more popular topics in her blog. Being a frequent traveler due to her work, she has started a travel blog entitled "Lakwatsera Ako" (http://lakwatseraako.blogspot.com).

A local blogger, Migs Hipolito, a voracious consumer of technology and technology news has created a technology blog entitled "Migs Mobile Network" (http://www.migsmobile.net).

Unlike a personal blog, a niche blog requires more efforts in researching for interesting topics for your niche. It also requires more consistencies and a level of coherence which will make your readers interested in your blog.

Blog as Literature

A lot of bloggers, like me, are in fact unpublished writers. While there are writers who are also bloggers, there's a dearth of undiscovered literary talents in the blogosphere.

Marck Ronald Rimorin, more popular as a political blogger, has attended the Dumaguete Writers' Workshop and has created his own poetry blog "Anthology of Anger" (http://anthologyofanger.wordpress.com/) where he publishes his poems and other literary works.

Personally, I treat most of my blogs as literature. While I'm not much into creative writing, I take time and effort in making sure that all my entries are grammatically sound and are easily read while conveying the message I wish to send out.

Most of the time, I try to present my experiences, thoughts, and ideas as artistically as possible. No doubt about it, blogging is a means for publishing ones literary works.

Means for Social Action

Recent events in the news have brought to light the amount of influence and power that new media which includes blogs, can yield in pushing forward social and political issues and agenda.

Last year, a group of bloggers led by Manuel Quezon III (http://www.quezon.ph) filed an Impeachment Intervention including the BJE-MOA as an impeachable offense by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Just a few months ago, it was also bloggers who pushed forth the agenda of lifting the taxes on imported books. Another blogging effort which has caught national attention is the online No to Con Ass Movement (http://www.notoconass.com) which has caught the attention of legislators and mainstream media.

Here in Mindanao, a dedicated group of bloggers has organized themselves into Mindanao Bloggers (http://www.mindanaobloggers.com), a group that aims to promote the "deeper understanding of the different cultures and beliefs" of the people of Mindanao. The group has spearheaded blogging workshops and two successful blogging summits, which further spread the goal of honestly representing a true and balanced Mindanao through blogging.

Source of income

There used to be a time when blogging could be a good source of income for a lot of people. While some people still do earn a significant amount from blogging, the weakening of the dollar has caused a dent in the industry. However, blogging could still be a good source of income.

In order for a blogger to earn a substantial amount from a blog, you must pick a good niche that you are well-versed in or at least very interested in. Invest in that blog by doing research, writing well, and maintaining it properly. Having well-written substantive entries can earn a blog a lot of points from advertisers.

When a blog has established some credibility and expertise in its niche or industry, then the blogger can monetize from it.

Medium for Career Advancement

While some bloggers do not earn directly from their blogs, they have reaped the rewards of sound and effective blogging via career advancement. Personally, I have received content management, writing, and blogging jobs because of my blogs.

Rimorin developed his literary skills via his blog and he attributes his admission into the Dumaguete Writers' Workshop to his blog.

Several other Filipino bloggers have gotten job offers or job promotions because of their blogs. Blogging effectively about one's industry, business, or career can catch the attention of the members of your industry.

Similarly, Sonny Santos (http://www.santos.ph/) was offered a top position at the company he is currently working in because he offered a lot of good content, insights, and news about his industry in his blog.
Conversely, some bloggers have made the terrible mistake of publishing entries that have been detrimental to their careers.

So while it can give you a dozen job opportunities, it can also lead to the termination of your job. Blogging warrants a certain degrees of responsibility and accountability especially when discussing confidential or sensitive issues about your work or industry.

Networking and Marketing

A blog can also be a good venue to network and meet new people. This, however, requires the blogger to attend blogger or industry events. Here in Davao City, there are blog parties or blog events sponsored or organized by various groups. Most of these are under the Mindanao Bloggers group, but some are sponsored by corporate entities.

When attending blogging or bloggers' events, a blogger must be ready to go out of his comfort zone, meet new people, learn new stuff, and experience new things. One must be open to meeting new people, not just for the purpose of gaining new readers, but also for gaining new insights or inputs regarding their blog or their niche.

Blogging events can also offer new lessons or unique experiences such as the special race experienced by bloggers at a popular theme park.

One of the more popular blogging events in the Philippines is the Davao Food Appreciation Tour (http://www.davaofoodtrip.org) which gathered bloggers from Davao City, Metro Manila, General Santos City, and Cagayan de Oro City to tour around Davao City and try out the different restaurants and food.

The participants included Apolo, Quezon, new media professor Jayvee Fernandez (http://www.abuggedlife.com), popular photo blogger Juned Sunido (http://www.baratillo.net), and GenSan's most popular blogger Avel Manansala (http://www.gensantos.com).

Through the event, the participants were able to exchange information and ideas which each other, while Davao City and local sponsors enjoyed a lot of exposure and marketing via the participants' blogs.

Getting bloggers to help or assist in gaining new interests or giving feedback regarding your products and services can be very helpful. A blog can also help you generate clients or create a venue for feedback or for the exchange of information for your work or business.

There are infinite other steps and places you can go to after you have established your blog. You can opt to stick with personal blogging, but why limit yourself when the possibilities are endless?

For more blogging information or insights, visit http://workwithria.wordpress.com.