I am hoping you can all help me out with this in the comment section because I really have no answer to this and would love to hear your thoughts. I have been thinking about this all night and it is based on this “snarky” comment I received on my last post which was about making money blogging . Here is the comment:
[stextbox id="info"]
Dan, I’m pretty sure this is going to sound snarky, but I sincerely don’t mean it to sound that way. Trust me!
If you’re going to tell me the “most important tip” I need to making money with my blog, then I assume you’re making a boatload of money blogging. Or quoting someone who does. Otherwise, how are you qualified to make the statement?
I’ve read a few of our articles before, but am not terribly familiar with your blog. So, are you an expert at making money blogging?[/stextbox]
Here was my response:
[stextbox id="info"]You’re right that does sound snarky. If you read my post carefully, you will see that I stated that I would be making a lot more money if I had more time. I stopped by your blog and I am wondering how you are qualified to give blogging tips? You get my point?
You do not have to be the richest or most successful blogger to help other bloggers reach their full potential. Oh and by the way, I do very well making money online which includes blogging. You would be well served to keep reading my blog as I am sure you could learn a thing or two.[/stextbox]
So I stopped by her blog and all I found was a bunch of posts about ProBlogger’s 31 Day Better Blog Challenge. The ironic part is that she is trying to sell people on the idea of buying a blog package from her. I don’t want this to sound snarky but, why should a buy a blog package from you, are you some kind of expert or something?
I guess there are only three bloggers out there that seem to think that only Darren, ShoeMoney or John Chow could blog about making money blogging.
I know I am ranting but if you read my last post you will see that I never even came close to claiming to be an expert and the point of the post was to reflect on the fact that if I was able to commit more time, I would be more successful. I do not think anyone would argue with that point.
How much money does someone need to make in order to blog about blogging or making money? Allison Moore Smith, I would love to hear your thoughts on this?
It is not only expert that can teach, there is lots of others that can teach better than the expert.
Ah-ha, I see you’re taking your own advice and asking your readers a question… nice touch!
I have also seen many blog that blogging on make money online or make money blogging, well it is not tough to make such type of blog as there are so many expert bloggers out there where they can able to get content and rewrite the content for their blog.
People advice that do not start blogging about make money until you do not make money online, it is obviously true, after we make some buck then it will be easy to write on how to make money. Well for me I never misguide people, I only try to write what I experience and what I learn from other expert bloggers.
.-= chandan@work at home jobs´s last blog ..Dofollow link building resource =-.
Why should we be judged by a single post. You made that post with the intent to help people and not show off. I don’t understand why did she comment in an impulse. Thanks for sharing this. I learned something.
Some people just like to ruffle feathers. I am fairly new to blogging, but I find your post very interesting and informative. I think you do a great job! Don’t let the naysayers steel your joy!
.-= Amanda@TwinTalk´s last blog .."Your Baby Can Read" =-.
Some people just like to ruffle feathers. I am fairly new to blogging, but I find your post very interesting and informative. I think you do a great job! Don’t let the naysayers steel your joy!
.-= Amanda´s last blog .."Your Baby Can Read" =-.
@Amanda, Thanks Amanda! That was a nice comment to read.
You dont need to be an expert blogger if you are an average blogger with expert SEO knowledge, then you can make a living on it.
.-= Marty´s last blog ..Industrial Divider Curtains =-.
Dan, you have to take this as something to learn from, when I write posts about SEO, I try to make sure to state that my points are from my personal experience and testing, or even link to another source where I learned about it.
I left my thoughts on the other post, but essentially, you can’t shut your education off to only those that are more experienced than you, and I think your tip stating “put in the time” is probably one of the most important (if not the most important) tip any new blogger could receive. I have stated this in many article I have written, and even went further to say that there is no easy way, have patience and work hard.
Don’t sweat it, people are going to call you out and disagree, handle it with class and dignity and that is what will be remembered.
.-= Keith´s last blog ..Removing DoFollow From This Site =-.
@Keith, Thanks for the advice Keith. I feel like your/our buddy Sully over here mixing it up a little.
.-= Tycoon Blogger @promote your blog´s last blog ..What makes someone an expert at blogging? =-.
Hi Dan, I think the basic issue here is with your title and not your content. I enjoy reading your blog and I enjoy Alison’s blogs as well.
I would also like to comment on a separate issue that I mentioned to you the other day. I was somewhat surprised to see that when I retweeted you from a retweet button that I found on your post, that the retweet came from a different twitter account than from your own. Something about that bothered me and I thought that I would mention it now just to let you know.
For the record, I’ll continue to support both of your blogs and I’m glad that you let Alison’s response appear here.
I think these conversations are good to have as long as we bloggers can learn something from them or at least look at things from another point of view. Thanks for the discussion.
@Ileane
.-= ileane´s last blog ..Blogging Legacy – Have You Considered Yours? =-.
@ileane, I agree that the title is bold, that was the idea…to attract people to it. I am not sure I understand the different Twitter acount situation..could you clarify. Are you referring to the Twittley button?
BTW, thanks for your continued support!
.-= Tycoon Blogger @promote your blog´s last blog ..What makes someone an expert at blogging? =-.
@Tycoon Blogger, Just to follow up, when you press the RT button on Twittley, it automatically retweets from the person who submitted not the actual blog owner. As you know with social media sometimes you submit your own stuff and sometimes other people submit it. I believe you are referring to the @bloggingboy and I mentioned that is my 11 year old sons Twitter account. What can I say, he is my biggest fan!
.-= Tycoon Blogger @promote your blog´s last blog ..What makes someone an expert at blogging? =-.
@Tycoon Blogger @promote your blog,
Dan, see that’s what I mean about being able to have a good conversation. You just taught me something I didn’t know about using Twittley. I’m so used to using Tweetmeme. Thanks for the lesson. As far as I’m concerned, anyone that teaches ME something about Twitter is a “Twitter Expert”! So feel free to make that claim in your next post.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
.-= ileane´s last blog ..Blog Engagers That Make My Day! =-.
Blogging is really popular nowadays and people don’t even know that they can make money out of blogging (I knew many of them out there). In my own opinion, you can be an expert blogger if you can write interesting posts that can drive traffic in your blog like “hell” and you make money out of it. That’s my perception of expert blogger.
.-= Jeff@computer repair tutorials´s last blog ..Digital Camera Guide =-.
Many bloggers out there make money and some even don’t anything, that’s how things are.
I’m no expert either, but I started to customize WordPress themes as well as Thesis theme and that’s been really good to me. I have made a lot of money by doing this and it has helped me. I know I could make way more, but time is not on my side as I have a full time job and I do this after hours.
I think if you are a blogger that helps others then you will eventually make a name for yourself and others will donate.
Hah! As the “she” of your post, I’ll be happy to answer. But I think it would be more interesting to address the actual issue I brought up rather than get angry and try a blogging smack down. Ad hominem doesn’t prove a point.
(1) If “all you found” was a bunch of posts about 31DBBB, you didn’t look very hard. That blog has 31 total posts, 4 of which (at this point) relate to DBBB. So I’m not sure your evaluation is very thorough.
(2) You imply that stepping through DBBB and blogging it for my clients and other readers proves something about my expertise– although you don’t specify which expertise you think I’ve claimed that it supposedly nullifies.
(3) What do I have expertise in? I have expertise in the the service I am actually selling: beginning blogger system setup.
I also have expertise in making the equivalent of a moderate full-time income with part-time internet endeavors, business systems, business accounting (I’m the CFO of an engineering company), organization systems, educational methodologies, custom home building (from an owner-builder perspective), homeschooling, logical fallacies, using floss proficiently, analyzing religious dogma, chocolate (mostly eating), running marathons when you have no business doing it, public speaking, ballroom dancing, singing and musical theater related stuff, being married to one person for life and staying madly in love with them, staying up late — and I’m a pretty good mom, too. Most of the time.
When I write, it will generally be either about things I know a lot about or things I think a lot about and want feedback on.
(4) The implication that I’ve stated that only the top three can blog about money making is erroneous. Anyone is welcome to blog about making money. But to maintain credibility those people should only make valid claims. For example, I know a guy who did a great series on how he started from scratch and worked up to make $20 per day with blogging. He was an expert on that because he’d DONE it many time with many blogs and showed others how with a new blog he created.
(5) You seem to have missed my point on your other post. (Your link goes to your home page, btw, not the post in question.) You say (above) that you “never even came close to claiming to be an expert.” But you DID title your post “THE MOST IMPORTANT TIP YOU NEED TO KNOW TO MAKE MONEY BLOGGING.” That is a huge claim — and one that *requires* expertise to make!
Making a really big claim like “THE MOST IMPORTANT TIP” to make money blogging is probably best reserved for those who actually do make a ton of money blogging. As in more than almost anyone else. Otherwise, the claimed expertise probably isn’t really expertise. It might be a good idea. It might be helpful. But it’s not something you can back up as THE MOST IMPORTANT.
My main concern is that new bloggers (my clients, the people I work with every day) read this stuff and it can be harmful to them. I don’t think it’s helpful to make an unfounded claims. While both time and effort (and other resources as well!) can CONTRIBUTE to blogging success, the two simply are not equivalent. And new bloggers need to understand the other important parts of the equation.
Peace out, brother.
.-= Alison Moore Smith@Start Blogging´s last blog ..31DBBB: Day #3 Promote a Blog Post =-.
@Alison Moore Smith@Start Blogging, I will be sure to check in with you next time I write a post about making money blogging as I certainly do not want to harm any bloggers out there with my content. Thank goodness we have you to monitor things.
.-= Tycoon Blogger @promote your blog´s last blog ..What makes someone an expert at blogging? =-.
@Tycoon Blogger @promote your blog, Tycoon, I’d say a serious qualification for blogging would be being able to handle comments that aren’t always glowing endorsements.
Rather than address the actual issue I raised in the OP — or any those in my comment here — you just continue to spew ad hominem. What’s the point? It doesn’t make the argument any different.
If you want to contact me further, drop me an email.
.-= Alison Moore Smith@Start Blogging´s last blog ..31DBBB: Day #3 Promote a Blog Post =-.
I guess the term blogging success is relative. I guess we will have to agree to disagree as I do not think what I said was overstated at all. Thanks for the lively discussion.
Of course time is money!!! Become an expert is just as the saying of beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.
If you have knowledge about a topic that few people do i would say your a niche expert. So many people claim to be experts but only a few really are!
I don’t think eing an expert is the amount of money you make from your blog… there is more to it than $$$$$
Are you some kind of expert or something? Love that question. Its not illegal to sale a blog package like that Dan, may be some newbie love to buy it and to sale that kind products you don’t have to be an expert or something, lol!
This article really make me happy, love it!
Am I an expert? ha ha ha
Thanks Dan.
.-= latief@AnotherBlogger.com´s last blog ..Blog Progress =-.
Everyone starts somewhere. If you make more than a token amount, you’re qualified.
Hey, I was reading you before you started making a lot of money, and you inspired me then.
So you’re qualified.
.-= itauditsecurity´s last blog ..Top 10 IT Jobs =-.
I think that there is always someone that we know more than – so why not share with them.
If we are making $50 a month, there are a heap of bloggers that are not making anything that would love to be where you are. If you are making $500 a month then you have more you can teach.
Either way, I believe if you are honest and don’t try to make yourself out to be something that you are not, then you can start teaching people how to blog even if you are only just starting – (because some people haven’t even started, and you can teach those).
.-= Tom@Build That List´s last blog ..F.O.C.U.S. =-.
@Tom@Build That List,
i love this comment…you have said it all.
.-= mk akan´s last blog ..Is Akismet Bullying Your Comments Too? =-.