From the Nieman Conference--maximizing online opportunities

At the Nieman Conference in Boston today, Josh Benton (who either needs a new head shot or needs to shave and hit the hair gel), of Harvard's Nieman Journalism Lab, spoke about how writers can maximize their presence on the Web.

Right now, there are no direct opportunities for writers to make money online. (This is not exactly true, but what he said. There are some websites that pay for articles. The trick is to find them.) And when it comes to blogging, the vast majority of writers do not directly make money from blogging. There are a couple ways to do it indirectly, though.

One way is through advertising and sales. Google AdSense won't do it, not in any significant way. But if your blog covers a narrow, specific niche, then you could sell targeted ads directly. And, conversely, if you develop a wide audience and create a persona, you could sell T-shirts and other paraphernalia. (It could happen.)

But the best way that writers can use the Web to their financial advantage is as a marketing tool. Create a dynamic website or a blog that you update regularly. Also maximize social networking sites (i.e., Facebook and Twitter) and even start your own Wikipedia entry. (All your activities should feed off of each other--that way you can maximize your visibility without spending every waking hour on this project.)

To make the most of your blog, you have to generate traffic to it. The No. 1 way is to update it often. Ideally every day, but no longer than twice a week. Otherwise readers will lose interest. Then, integrate into the blogosphere (the modern version of networking). Find other blogs that cover a similar beat or topic, and be a good neighbor. Leave comments and ideally link back to your own blog. (Or sign your comments with the name of your blog.) These other bloggers will find you and return the favor. Their readers will do likewise. Also think "keywords" when titling your blog and the individual posts. This is where the action is for Google searches. Put as many links as possible within your posts.

What do you do with this blog? Use it to market yourself. Before you even start a blog, think about who you are. (In a panel on Friday, Marci Alboher and Dennis Palumbo talked about creating your own brand. Think about the image you want to project or what you want people to call you. Refer to yourself that way and act as if that is who you are. In therapist's terms [Palumbo is a former writer, current therapist], this is known as modeling your behavior. To the rest of us, it's akin to fake it until you make it. You become the image you envision.)

While no one will pay you for writing your blog, you can use it to increase visibility for your work, create a buzz for your book before it comes out and create a base of buyers for the book. You can also parlay your blog into speaking engagements and other opportunities.

There is one caveat. Whatever you do, whether website or blog, don't do it halfway. Invest the time to do it right, as a lackadaisical presence is worse than no presence at all.