Blog Network Sustainability

I've got two caveats for this post. First, I'm going to talk about things that may bore some of you to tears - things like bandwidth and revenue streams. If that's you, feel free to skip this post.

The second caveat is that the opinions I express here are strictly my own. They don't necessarily reflect HighCallingBlogs.com or TheHighCalling.org. Or even Marcus or Gordon, for that matter. I have asked Marcus to look over this post before I hit publish so that I don't say something glaringly stupid. Hopefully. However any stupidity that happens to leak through is mine and mine alone.

Demise of a Blog Network

The past week was a sad one in the blogging world. For those in our community that may not have heard, one of the larger blog networks, KnowMoreMedia ceased operations last Thursday.

With over 100 blogs in 16 different categories all writing about business from different perspectives, KnowMoreMedia was arguably one of the top 10 blog networks in the world. I knew some of the bloggers who worked over there and count them as friends.

And I've worked for a company that went out of business so I know the pain, anger, fear, frustration, etc. that goes along with that whole scene.

A Whole Lotta Conversation

Obviously with such a big player as KnowMoreMedia folding there has been a ton of conversation in the blogosphere about the whole thing. Some big names are talking about it. Wendy Piersall, CEO of Sparkplugging (a network of about 20 or so blogs focused on working-at-home topics), points out a valuable lesson by using a cliche about eggs and baskets.

Jeremy Wright, the CEO of b5media (one of the biggest blog networks out there right now) wrote A Whole Lotta Thoughts On Blog Network Success , in which he discusses what it takes to make a blog network, well, successful. Of all the discussion out there, Jeremy's is perhaps the most authoritative. (b5 is one of the networks that Marcus talked with when he and Gordon were first starting HighCallingBlogs.com nearly a year ago.) And Jeremy has been with b5 since the beginning right along with Darren Rowse of Problogger fame.

(Another aside for those who don't know. Problogger is a tremendous resource for blogging information. Darren, a former pastor, started that blog to discuss different ways blogs can generate income. The tips and pointers that are talked about will help improve any blog, whether looking to earn income or just to connect with more readers. The 31 Days to Building a Better Blog series is a great place to start. )

Jeremy's post about Blog Network Success should be required reading for anyone working with or looking to get involved with a blog network. There is enough meat in that post that it will take a while to digest the whole meal Jeremy serves up.

But HighCallingBlogs is a Non-Profit!

So how does all this talk about blog networks as a business apply to us here at HighCallingBlogs.com?

One of the very first questions I asked Marcus when he initially approached me with the idea of HighCallingBlogs.com was this, "What monetization approaches are you considering?" In other words, where is the money going to come from to keep the site sustainable?

Marcus wants everyone to know that what we're doing here isn't free.

And because this is a non-profit organization we certainly should not be irresponsible with our resources. Getting a blog network up and running--and growing--takes resources. Things like server space, and bandwidth have to be paid for.

And that doesn't include the efforts from the various people that are helping our community to grow.

Not looking at revenue options that would defray operating costs would be poor stewardship of resources at best. My opinion from the beginning is that, long term, HighCallingBlogs.com must become self-supporting.

I firmly believe the network can be self-supporting in the long term.

What Does All This Mean for Us?

Because of my passion to see HighCallingBlogs.com become a thriving network that has a positive impact on far more lives than any of us could ever touch on our own, I pay close attention to things like the demise of a large blog network and the resulting discussion.

Here are some of the things I am taking away from this current unpleasantness.

A strong sense of community is critical.

In the various discussions I've read this past week about KnowMoreMedia, I gather that they could have done a better job of building a sense of community among their network bloggers.

This is an area where we are fortunate at HighCallingBlogs.com. We share the commonalities of our faith so we have a common ground for dialog. Admittedly, we can improve in this area, and you can help.

Make it a point to read a few other blogs in the community. Develop a habit of leaving encouraging and edifying comments on other blogs in the network. Pick one or two community blogs that you really like and become their most passionate fans. Tell others about them. Build them up.

When you find an exceptional post, let us know so we can be sure to highlight it.

Don't Worry. AdSense is NOT the answer.

Running Google ads on the network is probably a bad idea. Over and above the fact that they are no longer as profitable as they once were, contextual ads in general are likely not a good idea considering our areas of interest.

I can't imagine any of our network members wanting to see ads for cults and who knows what else next to their posts about their own work. To me, that seems like a recipe for disaster from the word go.

Fortunately there are other options in the advertising world today.

Creativity is the Key

The challenge we're faced with is to develop a system that generates enough income to cover operating costs long term that isn't obnoxious, especially towards our network members.

While that will take some creativity, I'm confident that it is a very attainable goal. With the rapid state of change in the online world there are new options being introduced all the time. And advertising is only one potential avenues.

For example, on my own blog I run very few ads, and those ads are there so I can become familiar with the ad systems more than for a serious revenue source. In fact, advertising is such a small portion of my income that I don't even consider it for business planning purposes. Yet my business is growing just fine so I know we'll find the right solution here.

Your Opinion

I am curious to hear your opinions on advertising in general, and internet advertising in particular.

How do you feel when you see ads on faith-oriented web sites?

Do you feel faith based non-profits should look at ways to be self supporting or should they rely on donation support?

Leave a comment with your thoughts on the whole thing.

• Tags:  
• b5media
• blog networks
• jeremy wright
• knowmoremedia
• problogger

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