Do I Look Like a Professional at ANYTHING?
[This is part of the Blogging Foundations Starter Kit Series. Have you seen the other posts yet?]
One of the comments and questions that I’m getting a lot is what I mean when I say ‘Professional Blogger‘.
There are a number of differing viewpoints and not one of them is necessarily incorrect; in fact, anyone has the full right to call themselves a ‘Full Time Blogger‘ or ‘Professional Blogger’ regardless of any outside opinion. But, there seems to be an understanding, both cultural and nuanced, about what it means to be ‘Pro.’
Just think about it for a moment, especially as it relates to professions and jobs in other areas – What do you think of when you say that so and so is a Professional? You probably assume a number of things, right?
So, let’s start with a classic example and something much more familiar, shall we? Let’s talk about Professional Athletes for a moment. When you think about them you probably have a number of ideas in your head, all of them being correct and varied in your perspective.
So let’s start there.
Definition of a Professional Athlete:
A True Professional at His Craft
When you think of a professional athlete you most likely think of a person who:
- Is exceptionally talented, skilled, or competent. Most likely they are naturally gifted with both the mental and physical requirements to be the best.
- They have achieved a “top” ranking or standing within their particular sport of choice.
- They have had a number of personal and culturally understood accolades attached to their name.
- They train a lot. Every day and all year round. They spend most of their physical time every day playing their sport.
- I would argue that it is also what they mentally train for as well; I can imagine they think about their sport passionately and incessantly.
- They are competitive and play to win. They want to be the best at what they do.
- They have a long history of experience in their field most likely starting at a very young age.
- They have also received coaching, education, and mentoring within their field. Constant improvement is just as important as executing well and winning.
- They make a living (or a significant source of income) through their sports activity both directly (salary) and/or indirectly (endorsements, promotions, etc.). They receive payment for their performance.
And the list could go on and on. For the above example I’m trying to cover as much as possible but you always want to find the get to the most simple and most accepted definition possible.
So, the bottom line is probably best summed up with this definition of a Professional Athlete: They make a living playing sports and/or activities related to their sport.
Right?
With that in mind I’m going to jump into what it means to be a ‘Professional Blogger‘:
Professionals Attract People (And Fill Stadiums)
A Few Understood or Assumed Characteristics:
Just like the example of a professional athlete above our internet culture has crafted a number of assumed characteristics that allow a blogger to hold the title of ‘Professional’ or ‘Pro.’
Here are a few that may come to mind:
- A blogger who has an exceptional amount of “engagement” on their property, either in the form of comments, pingbacks, retweets via Twitter, or submissions to social sharing websites like Digg, StumbleUpon, Reddit, Delicious, and more.
- A blogger who has a lot of traffic to their blog, much more than the average blogger.
- A blogger who has a large fan base and community. Typically this results in visible engagement, as listed above, but it also can be seen in other ways such as the number of Twitter followers, RSS subscribers, email subscriptions, and more.
- A blogger who blogs consistently and who typically posts more than once a day (but not necessarily required).
- A blogger who has been blogging for a while and who has a lot of blog posts published. In other words, they have a pedigree and history within this profession.
- A blogger who has been able to move from the blogging and online medium to offline media. For example, a blogger who now hosts a TV show or Radio spot and/or is physically present at events for speaking, panels, and more.
- A blogger who is culturally seen as a thought-leader and a “guru” in their space. They are sought after for wisdom, education, and general leadership within their particular niche.
- A blogger who makes a living (or a significant source of income) through their blog both directly (salary) and/or indirectly (endorsements, promotions, etc.). They receive payment for their performance.
And again, the list of characteristics go on and some of these may ring more true than others for you and your perspective but most of them can be seen as part and parcel with being a professional blogger.
The Definition of a Professional Blogger:
So where does this leave us? You’ll notice that the last bullet point in both list of assumptions for the Professional Athlete and the Professional Blogger is the same. I think this just makes sense and is a common denominator for many of those that find themselves in the professional space and I feel confident using that as the foundation for my definition and how I use the terms.
A Professional Blogger is a person who blogs for a living.
Just like a professional athlete, a professional blogger is one who can support themselves and their family with the income generated through their online properties and their blog(s).
This is the definition that I’m the most comfortable with and is what I mean whenever I use the term ‘Professional Blogger,’ ‘Full Time Blogger,’ and other such combinations thereof.
It’s Not a Perfect Definition!
Now, before you throw rocks at me I understand that my definition excludes a number of bloggers who I consider to be shining examples of what it means to be ‘Pro’ but may not necessarily (at first glance) appear to make any money through their blogging (but they do).
For example, Seth Godin‘s blog does not appear to make any money from his blogging efforts (no explicit advertisements) but he is, without question, a Professional Blogger because he exemplifies nearly all of the characteristics above.
And Seth’s a marketer and uses his blog to promote his books (which he sells in boat-loads). His blog is his channel and platform for his income as an indirect source of revenue. In fact, he’s even said himself that his last book would be the last book he sells through a traditional publisher; his blog (and other online outlets) will be the primary channel of sales.
Another great example is a long-time favorite, Leo Babauta, who runs Zen Habits. His blog is one of the top 25 blogs in the world with a reported reader-base of over 200,000. I believe it’s much more north of this reported figure.
Again, Leo’s blog doesn’t appear to have any direct channel of income. In fact, he even states it explicitly on his site:
I love how this works and how he’s’ able to earn an income in other ways, through books, affiliates, speaking, and more.
Finally, there are countless examples of Professional Bloggers who really do not make any money and simply enjoy the experience, exercise, and activity of blogging. This list is just as extensive and long as those who claim to be ‘Pro.’
But here’s the bottom line:
- You can call yourself a ‘Professional Blogger’ and that’s well within your right, but there appears to be some culturally understood characteristics that provide clarity to the definition, just like a Professional Athlete. My 4 year old daughter can call herself a ‘Pro’ (and I let her!) but she is definitely not a Professional Athlete by any stretch of the imagination (yet…).
- A Professional Blogger spends their most valuable resource blogging. This resource is simply their time. They could be doing more with their time but they are not, and most of them strategically convert this time into a financial return, but not always.
Finally, just as culture dictates and guides us to a solid definition it is ultimately culture and community that helps firm up the definition as it characterizes the individual. In other words, someone may call himself/herself a Professional Blogger but it’s the community that ultimately supports that self-proclaimed title.
It’s saying something if no one shows up, right?
Are You Pro if No One Shows?
What Am I Missing?
This definition is most definitely a “working” definition but it will at least establish a foundational understanding as how I use it on TentBlogger and the other properties which I blog on.
What do you say? What am I missing? What do you think about my definition?
[This is part of the Blogging Foundations Starter Kit Series. Have you seen the other posts yet?]
epic. #win
I like your definition! I think 2 things can define a pro at anything: 1) you do it for a living 2) you make money doing it…That’s the basis I use for saying I’m an IT ‘professional’. I think being “pro” can also be somewhat humbling at times though, because even though you know your skill set, there always seems to be someone who knows more, or has more experience, or just more followers…just my two cents
love it. agree with your example! i’m a “pro web developer” too! i get paid to do that.
Awesome! I’m actually a pro server technician (little toned down from IT professional- that’s way broad!)…I love servers! If you ever need anything, I’m in Alpharetta
really… hmm. perhaps we can have a discussion about something?
Absolutely. I’m always open for discussion! Feel free to email me whenever you want
emailing….
I like your definition. Monetizing the act of blogging is probably essential, whether that monetization is direct or indirect. In my own case, I’m all over the board. I consider myself a professional blogger, but my role is not just writing a blog. I’m Editor of a blog about blogging that’s part of a larger network. I design blogs (and blog about blog design). And I’m Editor of a website that will soon be a kind of Huffington Post for Pastors – a job I was offered in part because of my blogging presence. Plus, I’m good at seeing just how many times I can use the words “blog,” “blogger,” and “blogging” in a single comment. Does any of that count?
At the end of it all, this monetization, in some form, is what separates those who are in it as a “profession” from those who are in it as a hobby or an interpersonal communication device.
love this brandon. you are, as you have been, an inspiration! i remember some of our first conversations about this stuff!
and you’re headed in a very exciting direction. keep running hard!
I agree with your “definition”, but I’ve always been thrown by the term. It’s akin to calling a housewife a “domestic engineer” in my mind. Blogging is sharing your stories and hoping they are interesting enough for people to read. If they connect with enough people, a following is created and advertisers want to capitalize on that traffic.
But at the end of the day, it is still your opinion or story and everyone has those. Kudos for those that can/want to monetize their gift for gab.
steve, i definitely agree. I think it’s still taboo to some people and isn’t seen as a “real” career or job… yet.
and yes, some people just gab all day long and people like it and businesses pay for it. a strange world we live in, right?
Yep, but it’s way cool that the freedom exists for us to do it.
definitely. i rejoice in it!
I really like the definition.
I consider guys like me who are most definitely not Professionals to be “College Bloggers.”
Pro’s get paid to do it and college athletes do it because they love it.
Might be a poor analogy, but I like the way it sounded in my head.
michael,
i actually thought about that. collegiate sports are just as intense and yet the “money” thing is off the table (or it should be).
great point!
What you mean is: Unless you are Reggie Bush?
ouch…
I like this concept! I am a college football fan and not so much a pro fan…so I can relate. I think this makes me a “High School Blogger” though.
musical?
You got to get your head in the game! lol
Wow, that seemed like a roundabout way to spit out the definition, but yes, I’d agree with you. A ProBlogger is someone who earns a living through their blog.
-Marshall Jones Jr.
sometimes it’s necessary to provide evidence to support the definition, right?
heh. Gig ‘em!
!!!
In sports they have two very definite words:
Professional and Amateur
If you get paid for doing your sport, you’re a Professional. If you don’t get paid, you’re an amateur.
Most sports have strict rules about amateurs not being able to get paid without declaring themselves to be professionals – and thus losing the privileges of being an amateur (i.e. College sports/pro sports)
The same goes for bloggers.
Once you ‘go pro’, you lose the privilege of being able to write whatever you want, take a month off , upset all of your readers etc.
i’m not sure you lose any privilege Peter…! I’m not beholden to my readers; if i take a month off then i’m going to take a month off!
pro bloggers might feel pressure to create content but i don’t. if i miss a few days, oh well!
and, i believe i can still write whatever i’d like! it’s up to the reader to stick around, right?
great thoughts.
Well… it does depend how far ‘pro’ you go. When people start paying to get your blog delivered to their Kindles through Amazon, you’re effectively making a contract with them that you’ll at least post SOMETHING for their money.
Same goes for advertisers… if someone pays to advertise on your blog then there is an expectation that you will post content to get page views.
…and if you earn your living from blogging then I think you do give up some freedom. Just like sportsmen and women can’t afford to have more than one or two bad games a year, because their pay will be affected, so pro bloggers can’t afford to have too many bad days because when the posts start being bad, the readers and thus the revenue will start falling away.
Of course, it all just depends on how financially dependent you want to become on your blogging.
well said here. i like it!
nice! I think every one who thinks they are a pro are pros
sure. that’s one perspective!
good definition but then, it is kind of obvious when stating that something is professional -> derived from a profession -> a job. so a source of income?
I know that professional sometimes means to do something very well like it was your profession but I’d say that is secondary meaning.
well, see that’s the thing. it’s not obvious! i’ve seen a bunch of definitions out there that don’t put this as the foundation.
and, some people still believe that blogging isn’t a “real” job!
blogging is not a “real” job but professional blogging is. just like playing basketball is not a “real” job but professional basketball is. that’s at least how I see it.
ah. nice clarification for your point. like it!
Probably made sense from the beginning but for those this didn’t make sense, you nailed it.
some people require a bit more guidance….
I almost go stuck at “has an exceptional amount of “engagement” on their property” but then I realized that I am not a pro blogger and that everyone in different – even the pro; just like you illustrated.
One thing is definitely similar between professional sportsmen and professional bloggers – is that it was not always like that – the money, the fame, the full time aspect. I am guessing that all pro bloggers today have that experience (unless you were hired into the job – are there just jobs?)
you’re right. money came much much later… fascinating, right?
= someone who can write a post about defining ‘professional blogger’ and not be joking
seriously, good thoughts
it’s like those preachers who say, ‘don’t go into the ministry if you can do anything else’
most probloggers would still be blogging even if they worked at Taco Bell, they just need to say things
i suppose you are right!
I have heard it like this. A pro is someone who knows more than most on the subject or is better than most at an activity.
that can definitely be true… but not always! there are people who know much more about blogging than i do but who do not decide to do anything with it. execution is critical!
You are right. Execution is always a requirement.
not a requirement perhaps… but essential. sometimes you just can’t!
I tend to use the term “professional” in a very simple manner, in 2 senses: (1) someone who is paid to do their profession, and (2) someone really good at a particular field, i.e. sports or blogging, in your examples, whether they get paid or not.
It seemed to me that most of the characteristics listed above speak to the stellar and/or excellent quality of a professional, anyone can bear the “professional” label regardless of quality and simply because they get paid. Case in point: professional driver.
i suppose so. i think one of the most interesting thing is the “culture” that surrounds the individual and the context in which they find themselves in. that determines a lot.
Definitely not a pro, yet.
not yet!
Thanks to my friend Josue Izaul – I’m here… It’s interesting how becoming a pro at anything today in age, is as simple as “Google It Up!”.
Well, glad to be here and will sure learn a lot from your past experience…
One quick question: your avatar is really nice, did you create it yourself?
JS
nope! i commissioned it.
Hello, I am in need of a pro-blogger, twitter ect. person. Small tanning salon. please message me
you need a social media consultant i believe, right?
Nice and crystal clear. The way it is explained is really admirable.
sure thing sarya!
Great post. Yes the writer ought to start with some goal and maybe not to start right off making money with it but at least plan where they would like to wind up. I think you did an awesome job of going over this. Great Micheal Jordan reference and being top in their field.