|
|
|
Written by asap
|
|
Wednesday, 09 August 2006 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
AP Photo/J. Kamp
Blogger with a Kos. The Daily Kos' Markos Moulitsas Zuniga.
|
Fireman, astronaut or pizza-delivery dude. When I was in first grade, these were — hands down — the most popular answers to the perennial question “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Becoming a blogger wasn’t an option. The only thing most of us used a computer for 15 years ago was to play Oregon Trail.
It took most of us until our late teens or 20s to discover the pleasures of blogging: A job that can be done from the comfort of one’s home. For the lucky few, attracting a loyal audience has afforded a comfortable living from ad revenue or book deals and job offers.
But making a living as a blogger isn’t easy, and one top blogger says chasing the dough isn’t the right reason to start blogging.
Markos Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, who blogs at DailyKos.com, admits that he sounds like the crotchety old guy of blogging sometimes, but as one of the most successful bloggers out there, maybe it’s his right. Since May 26, 2002, he’s been posting about the war, elections and other issues. Today, the blog regularly ranks as one of the top five on the Internet.
“At the end of the day, a very small number of bloggers are successful, just like sports and music and everything else,” Moulitsas said.
Moulitsas, 34, admitted to frequently calling blogging “the sweetest gig in the world,” but that doesn’t mean shooting off his mouth was always so beneficial.
At 34, he admits he can still pass for a teenager because he’s always looked half his age.
Moulitsas, who hung out with the gloom and doom kids in high school (think Ally Sheedy in “Breakfast Club”), has come a long way from being an immigrant from El Salvador in “lily-white” Chicago suburbs. But it’s exactly that experience as an outsider — coupled with his two bachelors degrees and a law degree — that has helped make him successful.
If all this freedom sounds appealing, would-be bloggers beware. According to blog-tracking Web site Technorati, there are more than 47 million blogs.
Moulitsas’ key to success?
“I followed my instincts, never thinking that it was going to amount to anything.”
What a great way to be wrong. | Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. |
|
|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
We call it insight, you call it what you will. | |
|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
|  | Hola Amigos! I'm Sandra. I like to believe that people are 70 percent good and 30 percent dumb. I'm stickin to that story. Reading this blog might make you want to be good, but probably just dumb. | |
|  | Donovan Henderson is editor of NEXTnc. | |
|  | Here at Nextnc we have some characters. Get a sneak peak behind the curtain and find out what amusing antics our staffers get themselves into on a weekly basis. | |
|  | What is up FoCo?
I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
| |
|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
|  | over and out | |
| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
|
|
