The Unmentioned

Blogging As A Profession

A profession is defined by dictionary.com as

"a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation."

Blogging as a profession means blogging with the "specialized knowledge" and the "academic preparation" which lead to a satisfactory blog entry. The links to outside sources and the author's own personal experience contribute to the "specialized knowledge"; he (or she) has discovered something that he would like to bring to the attention of the blogging community. He therefore develops (as any professional writer would) an argument with a thesis and supportive evidence; in other words, he conducts "academic preparation".

Professional blogs, then, are those that make up the minority of the weblog community, those that are frequently updated and maintained for the sake of the audience. Often, they are also those that receive the most comments from readers, although this is not always true.

Blogging As A Hobby

A hobby is defined by dictionary.com as

"a subject or plan upon which one is constantly setting off; a favorite and ever-recurring theme of discourse, thought, or effort;..."

Blogging as a hobby means blogging which acts as "a favorite and ever-recurring theme of...effort"; it also acts to put forth the author's "favorite and ever-recurring theme[s] of discourse [and] thought." The authors of these weblogs update and maintain their weblogs because they are a favorite type of internet medium, and the focus of their blogs (such as keeping in touch with family and friends) tend to follow "ever-recurring themes."

Hobby blogs, then, are those that make up the majority of the weblog community, those that are updated and maintained only as necessary or as desired by the author. They usually receive few comments, because the readers have less to read and the content is often not intended or capable of provoking ongoing discussions.

The Blogging Career

Human beings typically have many hobbies while growing up, although it is generally true that one of them stands out above all the rest and acts as a developing career interest as we grow older. For example, I always enjoyed writing, but I have also been an active athlete (figure skating). Writing eventually became more prevalent in my mind, so that is the path that I chose on my journey towards a career. I have had less and less time and energy to spend on developing my skating abilities, because more of my efforts are going into writing.

Blogs are the same way. Practically everyone starts their weblog as nothing more than a hobby, updating it only as they see fit. If they give up other things in their lives to pursue blogging as time passes, it becomes not a hobby, but a profession. They update it in order to satisfy the needs of their customers (their readers, or audience), rather than their own desires alone.

Truly, it cannot be denied that the most "successful" bloggers, those whom many sources cite as authorities in the field, are those who have chosen it as a profession, as well. They are given great credibility, public attention, and sometimes even money as payment for services rendered. This is not to say that all "successful" bloggers are in the business for these reasons, although it certainly doesn't hurt.

The Career Outlook for Blogs

There is still a wide demand out there for blogs that are maintained by professional bloggers. Subjects and topics that have yet to be explored in-depth in the blogging community are nearly countless in number. Unfortunately, professional blogs do not offer the same profitable returns that other careers do, so few bloggers ever seek to reach the goal of a career in blogging.

As long as blogging remains a relatively "poor" profession, it is almost certain that the number of frequently updated, "career" blogs will not increase substantially. This is a fact that may one day change the very fundamentals of the weblog and its fellowship.