Blogging -Tactics: the 15 minute blog post

I think the prospects for a blogger to make money are not very high. If there is serious money to be made the lone individual writing on his laptop somewhere is at a real disadvantage against the professional journalist. The pro knows how to get the copy together, has the support of colleagues and the infrastructure of his organisation and is able to devote the time to get the job done properly. I think it is a bit like musicians. There will always be the odd talented amateur who can break into show business. But these are few and far between and most of the income generated by music goes firmly into the pockets of the music industry and its trained members. We are already seeing the emergence of totally professional blogs like Gawker.com where the whole show is run with ruthless efficiency by ex print journalists who know just what they are doing. So if I am going to make any headway in my quest to generate a substantial second income from blogging I need an inspiring overall strategy and effective techniques. The key is to be able to generate compelling content to compete with the pros. The tactics first. I need to be able to throw up a readable post in a very short period of time and I need plenty of them. I don't yet know what is possible so to find out I am starting with a target. I want to be able to produce a post every day, and I want to be able to produce that post in exactly 15 minutes. I will try this regime for a few days. I might need to extend it a bit - it is vital that the posts I produce are readable and either entertaining or carry some value. So plan A comprises - - choose a subject - set the clock for 15 minutes - write up to the deadline - allow a minute or two to review for obvious spelling howlers or grammar obscenities - post onto the blog And if you are wondering, yes this post did take exactly the 15 minutes I allocated. Next post will be about strategy.