We started Adeline and Hazel a couple of weeks ago with the idea of providing an eclectic mix of most everything blogging. The eclectic mix is because we have a variety of interests. Since starting this blog I have read article after article on the blogs that make money blogging. At least they claim to make money blogging.

Last night I read an article that took a different tact. This article basically downplayed every suggestion for making money blogging that is put forth on the other blogs. The author of this article made the statement that the money bloggers can’t make money because they don’t sell anything. He stated that you’re not going to make money just writing articles, you have to sell something.

Of course, he then went on to write a hard sell for a product he was selling.

The first half of the article was negative. It sounded downright catty. The second half was the hard sell. All of the article lacked imagination and appeal. I would have found it completely forgettable had it not triggered me thinking about what constitutes a salable product.

As a psychotherapist, I’ve spent my entire career earning my income from what I know. People have paid for my knowledge, insight and time. People didn’t walk out of my office with a shiny new piece of equipment in their hands. What they left with was intangible, but valuable all the same.

When looking at the blogs from this viewpoint, I have found myself wondering what is this person selling and why would someone buy it?

I’ve run across blogs that are all about making money. Some of them offer meaty articles with solid advice and instruction on how to pursue one avenue or the other towards making money. Others appeared to have authors who just want to make money on their blogs. Period. They had article after article about making money for themselves.

Which of those types of blogs would you go back to? Which would you make a link to so you could access it easily? The answer is clear, of course. The one that offers something you would want to reference again.

The product wouldn’t necessarily have to be tutorials on how to make money. The tech blogs are probably the very best at making money. The celebrity gossip blogs, how-to most anything blogs, humor and satire blogs all have something to offer. If they put coherent sentences together and give their readers something of value, they will develop a readership and be rewarded with an increasing blog income.

If you are serious about making money on your blog, you need to ask yourself two basic questions.

• Does my blog offer anything that would entice someone to return to my blog after the first visit?
• Would I buy what I’m selling?

Copying someone else won’t do it. Write about what you know. Find your own passion and offer that to your readers. It might be how to make money. It could just as well be how to do upkeep on your automobile or parenting advice. Most of all, keep a positive attitude. The dude who wrote that you had to have a tangible product to sell was way too negative. For my taste, anyway.

Adeline and Hazel has done very well in its first two weeks. It’s not breaking any records but it’s progressing quickly and we are having fun. We’ll keep you updated on our progress and any new gems of insight we find along the way.

Hazel, you are so right! In our professional lives, we both provide services - not products. We went through many years of schooling and then years of experience to develop the knowledge base we have. That is what we have going for us - along with determination and intelligence and darn good looks. Catch you later . . .