There’s nothing wrong about people blogging their thoughts away. That’s the essence of democracy. But that freedom comes with responsibility too. Haven’t we heard for countless times GMA7′s “Think before you click” campaign?

Blogging is no different from the way we converse or interact with people from within our circles. In real life, we extend basic courtesy expected of any decent civilized man. Now if you are a blogger, with one to a thousand followers under your circle of influence, you become responsible for the information you feed them and the way it is communicated. Garbage in, garbage out. Consider yourself lucky if it gets recycled. At least someone from your backyard knows how to filter.

Are Bloggers Writers?

Writers can be bloggers anytime. A blog, by the way, is a publishing tool that can be used by everyone. Writing, like painting, singing or dancing, is a gift. Not all people were gifted with this kind of creativity and the patience for such discipline. Accolades are rare and given to select few, so writing is not like some sport trophies that you can buy elsewhere. Therefore, not all bloggers can be writers in the same way that not everyone who uses graphic design software can be called an artist.

A no-brainer you say? Some people need to be reminded at times.

Everyone wants to be read

Hell yeah, why not? This is a free world and everyone can do whatever that pleases them. You can write about your crappy or happy experiences, and choose to turn the public or private view button on. But there is such thing called “abuse” once you let power drive you. We have countless examples of bloggers who made a living out of bullying people.

Things to remember should you decide that blog to go public

Know what you are writing about. Not all of us can be experts in many fields, but please, have time to do research and do not claim to be what you are not.

Make an effort to write a good post. If you are eking out a living from blogging for certain brands, there is more reason for you to write properly – from the proper use of the language, punctuations, to grammar and all.

It’s not all about the freebie, you know. The reality is that some bloggers get invited to press cons and media launches of certain businesses, an indication that blogging has recently become the new medium in the Philippines. I have seen bloggers who would just copy and paste press materials while print journalists would usually check on creative angles and still get edited. If you are a blogger, have the decency to write something original that is worth every penny or goodie bag.

Do not bite the hand that fed you. Because I know of a blogger who asked for a free dinner in exchange for a blog entry. The following day I was aghast to read about what he had written, making him one ungrateful asshole in this part of the universe. I really would have not taken offense if he had only paid for his dinner.

Be honest. If companies ask you to write a product review, be honest but don’t get too cocky. There’s a way of writing a decent review, and some people with limited vocabulary often miss that.

Keep these things in mind and happy blogging!

Now, after spending many days thinking of sound ideas for that site, I have decided to make it a business blog for people who spend more time behind those roller shades, locked in their 8-to-5 jobs. It’s about earning extra income, or “raket” in Pinoy street lingo, while running their offices.

Wish me luck.

My friend needs a number of bloggers for a market research project. You will be compensated for your time and effort. Here are the profile of bloggers we’re looking for:

- has an existing active blog, at least 3 months old
- specializes in any blog topic or category
- resides in the Philippines
- should be 18 to 29 years old

If you’re the person we’re looking for, please email me your links and a short bio about yourself to elyenita@hotmail.com or ellen@portraithouse.net. Understand that they have to screen bloggers first before they decide on getting you on this project. If you haven’t received a reply from us in two weeks time, you know what that means.

And also if you’re a food/restaurant blogger, I have a separate project in mind. No age requirement though as long as you’re in Metro Manila. Just send in a short bio, your site’s link and web traffic details.

Pinoywriters blog workshop at Powerbooks Megamall

That was the first time I spoke to more than a dozen of people in a public place about profitable blogging. We were at Powerbooks Megamall last Saturday to conduct the second PinoyWriters workshop on web writing series called “Blog your passion and earn from it”.

Not that I have already achieved a six-digit income from Adsense. My online income since January is just enough to cover some of my monthly bills and set aside a portion for savings. The fact that I have already profited from this venture is already a rewarding experience. I don’t mind sharing to people about the things I know. There are people out there who went out of their way to teach me the craft. I felt it’s time to give back and spread the blessing. Watch out for it pretty soon.

PinoyWriters continues to offer its web writing series. This Saturday, Jude Cartalaba will teach bloggers and web writers how to write an engaging SEO copy.

I’d like to thank Aileen Santos of PinoyWriters for taking time out to train me together with a couple of new writer friends although I was not able to complete all three Saturdays. To those who attended the workshop last Saturday, I am so glad to have met you all so let’s keep in touch and buy the moon soon. And to Hey Jude, thank you for co-facilitating my first public workshop ever.

MoreNiche is a UK-based networking company open to humans anywhere in the world. Here’s how you make money as an affiliate:

1. As an affiliate, you receive $20 and 5% for every referral for life. There is an email format you can use to invite your friends.
2. Make commissions out of product sales. Choose whichever featured product you’d like to carry in your website. Commissions vary depending on the type of product.
3. You earn from sending traffic to MoreNiche website. Write an article about MoreNiche and post links at Digg, MySpace or any forums you want.

Here’s what you need to get started:

1. Your information
2. Your bank details so they would know where to wire your money. If you’re from the Philippines, you need your bank’s swift code which you can get here.
3. Your website. If you don’t have a website, they will help you create one at no charge at all.

To learn more about MoreNiche’s affiliate program, simply visit their website.

Secret ingredient = talent + hardwork

When Po the Panda opened the mysterious dragon scroll, he didn’t find any creepy Confucian writing there that says “nirvana” or something that would show one the path to glory. The scroll Tai Lung obsessed with was nothing but a small empty piece of fabric that reflected the image of everyone who looks at it.

There is no secret ingredient, formula or trick. Your funny t shirts have nothing to do with it. There’s only YOU and the countless things you can do.

This year, Pinoywriters will tap into the creative souls of aspiring writers through a series of workshops at Powerbooks. These workshops are designed to help Filipino writers find fulfillment in their creative pursuits and profit from it. First in the series is a two-day weekend workshop on “Freelance Writing: Pursuing a Persistent, Profitable Passion” on September 20 and 21.

For more details, click here. Or simply drop a note at the comment box below.

It was in late 1999 when my brother introduced me to the Internet. He was an engineer in an ISP company and would always bring home his IBM laptop to work on weekends. Micro sd was not a big thing then, but using a laptop was. The first thing he taught me was to sign up for an email account in Yahoo which I still use until now as a YM ID, too. Then he taught me to chat using mIRC.

I think he did regret teaching me to access mIRC. For the next two years that followed, I was completely, and insanely, addicted to it. Eyeball parties were huge back then. You bet, I did attend them. One of the few benefits it had was meeting people who were passionate about writing. They were actually the ones who introduced me to blogging.

The first free blogging platform I used was Livejournal. That’s where I practiced and developed my writing skills. It’s self-publishing, therefore, it gives you freedom to write down everything you want without getting attacked nor scrutinized.

My Livejournal is turning 7 in October this year. Reading through my LJ archives brought back lots of happy and sad memories of people I’ve met along the way and lost, the endless ponderings and musings and the decisions I made which morphed me into something you would both love and hate. (I don’t know what it is so go figure.) I did open a number of accounts at Blogger and Multiply but I discontinued them. Livejournal remains dearest to me. You know why? I have friends there who made my stay worthwhile.

What’s your story?

I don’t earn a fortune from doing these things. I have a day job to prioritize above all. What I get from my sources are just enough to sustain some forms of recreation like movies, and pay the electricity. But if you’ve got plenty of time and are diligent enough, you might just find yourself a good fortune in the internet.

Here are the basics for those who have their own blogs/websites to start with:

1. Open a savings account.
2. Open a Paypal account.
3. Put your digicam to use. Most viewers prefer websites with photos than heavy texts.
4. Try niche blogging. Blog about that one thing you love.
5. Monetize your blog by displaying ads from Google Adsense and Amazon.
6. Find companies online that offer paid posts to bloggers.
7. Make friends online. Join forums and communities. There you’ll find people who are in similar business just like your are and you can exchange ideas with them.

Remember, stay away from those scams that have quick rich offers. There are no such thing as instant money in the internet. You have to work hard for it.

If you’re a PPP blogger and advertiser, you would have probably encountered their latest addition to the network called SocialSpark. SocialSpark is a new community created by IZEA fashioned after PPP and the usual social networking sites with one striking difference: you earn.

Each blogger who signs up to SocialSpark is required to create a public profile that can be browsed by community members. You can submit a number of blogs as long as SocialSpark approves them. There are certain codes that you should embed in your website to claim your blog and get approved by Customer Love. Nothing complicated as long as you know where to locate the body of your website.

You can also create your own network of blogger friends, exchange links, ideas and props with them. SocialSparks also provide web traffic analysis using IZEA Real Rank. It is 100% audit-able in-post disclosure, transparency, real opinions and search engine friendly.

From time to time, a list of writing opportunities is being posted for you to take or reserve. Once the opportunity is open, the website’s support sends an email notice and you are given 12 hours to write the blog post. Sign-up is free of charge. All you have to do is to simply grab the opportunity by the tail and start earning in dollars. You should also have an active paypal account to receive your payments.

This is an exciting new concept for those who want to pursue their writing hobby and earn at the same time. Reserve your seats while it is still fresh and new.

US-based Pinoy blogger, The Composed Gentleman, created a poll rank survey of Filipino blogs in 2006. Every week, he would select 10 Filipino websites and allow visitors to his site to vote who they think should be awarded the Filipino Blog of the Week. For week 101, Travel Light has been nominated and to this I would like to say thank you for the recognition.

Here’s a suggestion – how about organizing a bloggers night out or a dinner party or something like it?

Fellow Kuro Mod and blogger, Mitch, has been very kind in helping me find gold mines in the blogosphere. I just want you to know that I have earned my first $200 after two months of getting the E-ON activated and already went shopping yesterday. Ha ha.

To those who want to know what it takes to be a pro-blogger, go to writer Connie Luayon. She knows the way and the exact tools to use.

Have a good weekend, everyone!