A question I have asked myself is "Am I a professional blogger?". It might be a question that some of you visitors have asked yourselves - well, those of you that have an active blog of course! But is there a set criteria?
Do you have to post every day? Blog is supposed to be short for "web log" after all, which implies it is meant to be kept like a log. But I know of plenty of high-profile and, arguably, professional blogs that aren’t updated daily. So perhaps that isn’t the key.
Do you have to host it yourself? That is, does your blog have to have an independent domain? Well, it doesn’t really seem to be that either. Have a look around on WordPress.com or Blogger (for example) and you will find some good quality blogs which are kept by so-called professional bloggers.
Do you need to make money from your blog? This could be a bone of contention. Some might argue that you do, or else you can’t really be considered a professional. But it’s a loose term anyway. I mean, being a professional implies being qualified, and I am unaware of any blogging qualifications (though I expect to be proved wrong).
So, what makes a professional blogger? It’s probably just passion and dedication.
5 Comments
IMO it’s someone who uses blogging as his main source of income, as there are no qualifications in blogging (that being one of the main points of blogging itself - anyone can do it).
I’m not so sure. There are plenty of blogs on, say, WordPress.com that could be considered ‘professional’, yet do not earn the owner any money.
Care to show some examples?
Lol no, not really. But there are plenty of professionals - not necessarily bloggers - who don’t make any money at all.
You seem to be missing the point of professionals entirely, as the definition goes: “A professional works to receive payment for an activity (as a profession), which usually requires expertise and carries with it socially significant mores and folkways”.
Just because you can write well and have a few people reading your writing does not make you a professional.