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There are a variety of arguments both for, and against, blogging for money (also known as "monetizing" your blog). Each side of this argument has its merits. In many ways, the question of whether you should blog for money very much depends on your own unique situation, as well as your own motivations for blogging in the first place.

Here are some of the arguments people most commonly give as to why you should blog for money:

* Blogging for money can add extra benefits to a blog that you maintain as a hobby. You probably won't make enough on your needlepoint blog to retire, but you might make enough to cover your web site hosting fees.

* Blogging for money is now the de facto standard. Web surfers are used to seeing advertising on every web page they visit, so seeing some advertisements to your blog shouldn't push away any potential readers.

* Your blog provides a service. You give information and opinions that others enjoy reading and that can benefit their lives. You should be paid for your service, and blogging for money is one way to do that.

* There is nothing wrong with wanting to make money. You aren't stealing from your readers or trying to trick them. You actually add value to their reading experience by providing other ways for them to explore your interest area by placing ads for related items on your blog.

There are plenty of folks on the other side of this conversation, however. Here are some reasons why you should not blog for money:

* You may feel as though you are taking advantage of your readers. Your readers come to your blog and, before they know it, they have spent money that they didn't intend to.

* You may be concerned that blogging for money will prevent some visitors from coming back. You don't want your blog to look like those web sites that have hundreds of advertisements on each page.

* You think that commercializing your blog cheapens your blog, and detracts from the integrity of your blog. Your readers trust you for unbiased and accurate information, and blogging for money casts doubt on your objectivity.

* Money isn't the reason you started your blog in the first place. You aren't concerned about whether or not you make any money by blogging. You have better things to do.

Ultimately, the decision about whether or not to blog for money is one that you have to make, based on your own beliefs and your own ideas. Spend some time carefully weighing the options, and remember that you can always stop blogging for money if things change.

Learn more about this author, John W. Paulus.
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