The new avenue of freedom of expression- blogging – is a big hit. It’s turn for everyone to yield his thought on paper. And yes! We witness an increasing number of bloggers penning their thoughts and carrying forward the issues of public interests. It’s all about spaces for public. Blogs have evolved far beyond that initial concept. The blogging interface as we have seen in the justice for Jessica crusade and campaigns for justice for Manju Nath and Satyendra Dubey did wonders. But why blogging? Everyone wants to reach to as many as possible audiences and blogging is one such interface that can take us to millions. Besides, blogging opens up a new arena wherein everyone can put his feelings or thoughts on almost everything.

The fact that localized news got very important these days, people are more concerned about what happens in their neighborhood than in the parliament. And, this is how people started following blogs so religiously. We have witnessed few days back, Mumbai blasts, while mobile networks failed; it was blogsites that came to the rescue of many relatives. People made it to provide information, like hospitals and relief operations, through blogsites. Blogs can play a pivotal role in public activism and generating awareness. However, blogging has its adverse side as well. Many times vulgar and unwanted things get plotted in which is very much uncalled for. Unlike press, which works under many constraints, common bloggers work at their leisure on virtually anything that catches their fancy. As a matter of fact, we should not forget that we come across many hurdles while exercising such freedom. BlogSpot ban in India for example last year, etc. Such obstacles that come from the movers and shakers are a real threat to the new avenue of freedom of speech.

The Other Side! What is it that takes almost everyone to practicing blogs? What is it that made the new avenue so lucrative and tempting? It’s of course- the business side. It is one of the simplest ways of generating bucks. Your blogsite can fetch large amounts as you add some flavor of online marketing formulae. Pay Per Click (PPC) and Affiliate Program are what all it requires to make your site money-fetching.

Under PPC you need to allocate ad space for others. As a web surfer clicks on the ad on your site you will be paid. Google Adsense, for instance, is a popular PPC program. As you allow others to put ad, which you think relevant, on your blogsite you start earning money. However, for that matter, remember that content is king. To get more traffic to your site to lift the increased chance of getting clicks you need to match your blog and ad content. Affiliate program is another way of fetching money through your blog. Put text links or banners on your blogsite for others and get paid as visitors click on the banner. Depending on the rates agreed upon you can earn commissions. However, the underlying mantra that matters most is the site popularity. The more traffic you have the more are the chances of getting clicks. To carry forward your business you must embrace SEO based practices that involve link building, content updation, etc.

Also important is getting people to comment on your blog. Strategies like ‘open ended post’, ‘asking question’, ‘controversies’, ‘attention to readers’ interests’, etc. can breed comments on your post.