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Scott Adams Cracks Me Up
By JLP | November 2, 2007
Last night before I went to bed, I read an editorial in the WSJ by Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert cartoon. I didn’t realize that Scott had a blog (the Dilbert Blog). Scott’s editorial was about his blogging experience. Unfortunately the editorial isn’t availabe for free but can be read here if you’re a WSJ Online subscriber. A couple of quotes from the editorial really stood out to me (emphasis mine):
As with most of my life decisions, my impulse to blog was a puzzling little soup of miscellaneous causes that bubbled and simmered until one day I noticed I was doing something. I figured I needed a rationalization in case anyone asked. My rationalization for blogging was especially hard to concoct. I was giving away my product for free and hoping something good came of it.
A few years ago I tried an experiment where I put the entire text of my book, “God’s Debris,” on the Internet for free, after sales of the hard copy and its sequel, “The Religion War” slowed. My hope was that the people who liked the free e-book would buy the sequel. According to my fan mail, people loved the free book. I know they loved it because they emailed to ask when the sequel would also be available for free. For readers of my non-Dilbert books, I inadvertently set the market value for my work at zero. Oops.
LOL! People love reading blogs as long as they are free. I know, because I’m much the same way. I don’t have a problem with bloggers advertising on their blogs. I think they have every right to make money from blogging as long as they aren’t being sneaky about doing it.
I have thought long and hard about ways to turn my blogging experience into something that is financially rewarding. So far, other than standard advertising, I’ve come up blank. I have received numberous offers from companies that want to pay me commissions on stuff like credit cards but I just don’t feel right selling those kinds of things. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with credit cards but in order for me to make money with it, I would have to promote it and I’m just not willing to do it (I’m a crappy salesman!).
Anyway, I love blogging and I love feeling like I’m helping people. I’m just wondering about the validity of the statement as it pertains to my blogging experience: “Do what you love and the money will follow.”
Topics: Blogging, Humor | 6 Comments »
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Gather up all your articles and write a book!
November 2nd, 2007 at 2:25 pm
It’s ‘the money’ will follow, not ‘inordinate wealth’ will follow. For most of us, it’s likely to be a hobby that pays. I think consulting is maybe the other thing. I know that money saving expert (British site and forums) makes a significant amount of money from affiliate links. Enough to pay for multiple staff.
November 2nd, 2007 at 6:20 pm
Whoops–poor Scott Adams. I’ve just started reading his blog (after rereading his Dilbert Principle, Dilbert Future, and Way of the Weasel). It’s good stuff.
I’m planning to monetize my blog this month as it goes onto its own site.
Nothing fancy, just the Blogher network.
November 2nd, 2007 at 10:05 pm
Oh Dear how I can relate to this blog. Money will follow? When When When?
November 4th, 2007 at 9:08 pm
That last quote is something that people in my field deal with often. Young freelancers like to think that the company offering them the “privileged” of doing free web design work for them is trying to help by giving them exposure, when really, its just exploiting them. I wrote about it in a post on my blog. Although his error was unintentional, it is important to know what your work is worth.
November 4th, 2007 at 11:57 pm
Getting paid a modest amount to write a small column for a paper journal has been my most financially rewarding solution so far.