Are you passionate about blogging?

This is a guest post by Alan Johnson, be sure to check out his contest (with prizes worth over $1000) over at TheRatingBlog.com

Most online entrepreneurs out there make the mistake of launching a blog just because they see it as a potential moneymaking machine. Is that your case, do you only blog in order to make money or are you actually passionate about what you’re doing?

Can you make a lot of money as a blogger? Most definitely, and not just from monetizing the blog in itself. You have to understand that, as a blogger, you are also building a brand around yourself and, as a result, every new project you’ll be launching will automatically receive an impressive jumpstart. Being a blogger opens a lot of doors, you will be able to take advantage of a lot of opportunities you didn’t originally have access to. And just think about the possibilities as far as networking is concerned. The fact that you’ve build solid relationships with other bloggers, many of which you will consider close friends, is an important advantage and, just like you will always be glad to help one of your friends out by mentioning a new product he or she has launched, they will be more than willing to return the favor at any point.

But you will not be able to make the most out of everything if you’re not passionate about what you’re doing in the first place. As a blogger, you add value to the Web through your articles, are building a community thanks to the “comments” section and are networking with other bloggers. If you don’t like what you’re doing, others will quickly realize that and, as such, you can’t expect to succeed.

If you are not passionate about blogging, if you just write for the sake of writing, your readers will pick up on that, even if you don’t realize it. As a result, they most likely won’t return, since they are not enjoying their experience (you’re not adding value to the Web) and they won’t even think about commenting (there goes the potential of building a community around your blog). And, also, if you don’t have the right attitude towards your fellow bloggers, you will never be able to make friends and, as such, networking is out of the question.

If you are not passionate about what you’re doing, you will never be able to tap your true potential. This applies to blogging just as it does with everything else. You will never succeed if you just jump on the blogging bandwagon because you want to make money. If you treat everything like a chore, readers as well as other bloggers will realize that and, as a result, establishing a relationship is out of the question.

Are you interested in becoming a blogger? That’s great and the experience is excellent, as long as you add value to the Web through your presence. And that, my friend, can never be accomplished if you don’t like what you’re doing in the first place. What about you? Are you passionate about blogging?