Professional Blogging For Dummies®

Foreword

Over five years ago when I first met Susan Getgood, the term professional blogging might have seemed almost oxymoronic. Sure, there were a handful of bloggers who had been hired by forward-thinking companies to write nascent "corporate" blogs. There were a couple of blog networks that hired bloggers to churn out regular content. There were a couple of advertising and affiliate marketing options out there (most of them low-paying) through which a handful of very large individual bloggers made some actual money.

But the average blogger wasn't motivated by monetization. The average company wasn't thinking about how to engage with bloggers. And the average reader didn't consider their favorite bloggers to be professionals, let alone brands.

A lot has changed in five years.

Today, the vast majority of the largest businesses are active in some way with social media. They have blogs, Twitter accounts, and Facebook fan pages. They advertise on blogs and hire PR firms to conduct blogger relations.

Today, blogging and social media savvy is a highly sought-after job skill.

Today, the opportunities for bloggers have exploded.

What hasn't changed in these last five years is the fact that most bloggers are still motivated by passion and commitment. And the best professional bloggers have as much passion and commitment as the ardent hobbyist.

So, driven by passion and commitment, and presented with numerous, sometimes competing opportunities ... how can bloggers make the most of their opportunities ...