The Future of Blogging Income - Amazon Web...

by David RisleyProfessional Blogger and Internet Entrepreneur

The Future of Blogging Income - (cc) David Risley - http://www.davidrisley.com

The Future of Blogging IncomeAnd How I Made $12,047.23 in 10 Days With My Blog - While I Was On A Cruise

http://www.davidrisley.com


IntroductionAs I write this report, it is January of 2009. The news is dominated by one thing: the economy.

Just in case you've been under a rock, here's what's currently happening in the world...

✦ A Global Recession✦ A Credit Crisis✦ Massive Foreclosures All Over The Place✦ Government Bail-outs✦ A Growing Consumer FEAR

According to a recent survey of my audience at PCMECH.COM, there are two issues most pressing on their minds: job security and money.

There is no sense in beating around the bush here. Things are bad. And they might get worse. But, as anybody will tell you, things will get worse before they start getting better.

At the same time, though, this brings HUGE OPPORTUNITY. Right now. As you're reading this, there are those who are positioning themselves to take advantage of this market. They're learning skills to pay the bills. And 2009 is going to bring more opportunities than there are right now.

History has proven, time and time again, that down times serve as a make-break for many people. Some people do "business as usual" and end up prolonging the hurt while others take advantage of the opportunities they are afforded, learn skills, apply them, and come out the other end doing extremely well.

Bloggers are in a position to come out the other end doing well. To put it frankly, bloggers can make a killing during the recession.

The world has changed. This economic downturn is different because of one thing: The Internet. The net represents a business medium that is decentralized, equal opportunity, and worldwide. It does not take a huge budget to become well known on the Internet. All it takes is work, determination - all coupled with skill.




But, I think bloggers need to change their approach to internet business. The old, traditional ways of making money as a blogger might not be as dependable in the future. Economic worries are likely to result in instability in online advertising revenue. Blogs which depend solely on ad revenue are in for some tough times.

Sure, online ad spending is likely to come back before any other kind of advertising. After all, the ROI online is usually much better for the advertisers. But, do you want to be dependent on THEM figuring that out? Do you want to be a feather in the breeze? A breeze created by something you donʼt control?

I donʼt.

And thatʼs why I started concentrating on new ways of generating income with my blog. Revenue which I am in control of.

In this report, I will share with you the basics of my approach to professional blogging. It is all still a work in progress. Iʼm always changing as I learn more and new opportunities arise. But, you canʼt argue with the statistics. I am making a reliable and steady six figure income per year as a blogger.

Iʼm sharing this information because I want to see bloggers succeed. Because I think bloggers are in a prime position to expand and make more money in this recession economy.

I canʼt solve every problem in this report. I canʼt answer every question. Thatʼs why I blog every day at David Risley dot com.

But, I hope this will get you going in what is perhaps a new direction and a new approach to making good money as a blogger.

Spread The WordIf you like this ebook, all I ask is that you spread the word. Do these two things for me:

1. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@davidrisley) www.twitter.com/davidrisley




http://www.twitter.com/davidrisley

http://www.twitter.com/davidrisley



2. Be sure to retweet this manual to your twitter followers using the URL www.davidrisley.com/blogincome/. Please do me a favor and direct them to that URL. I would like people to sign up for my mailing list (as you did) in order to get the report. This way, I can keep in touch with my audience and keep them informed on what Iʼm doing.


http://www.davidrisley.com/blogincome/

http://www.davidrisley.com/blogincome/



How I Got Into This GigMy evolution into a six figure pro blogger was gradual and, in many ways, accidental. It began way back in 1997 when I started my first website. I created it as a hobby and it had no topic at all. However, I realized the site needed more than pet pictures and lots of animated GIFs. So, I decided on a topic: computers.

Computers were a hobby of mine. Not only that, in my quest at the time to learn more about computers, I found that there was a severe shortage of plain-English how-to for computer users. So, I started my first topic-based website: PC Mechanic.

In the early days, this site was all static HTML files. As you can imagine, it was a maintenance nightmare. Even despite the manual nature of it, I was creating a lot of content. The site was hosted on GeoCities and I was unable to make any money with the site at that time. However, I distinctly remember checking my stats and seeing that I had gotten my 1,000th visitor. I was floored.

Computer hardware was a huge, developing market at the time. I was chatting with people like Anand from Anandtech.com. I knew that people were making money in online advertising. In order to begin accepting ads, I had to get the site off of Geocities and onto a real web host. So, thatʼs what I did.

From there, I started accepting advertising and making some money. It didnʼt suck! :)

Fast forward a short while. We were in the middle of the dot-com rush. Money was being thrown around like crazy. In the rush, I had a company called eFront Media offer to buy PC Mechanic. The offer added up to almost $1 million in payments and stock options. I thought I had died and gone to heaven and I made the decision to go through with it. I signed the deal.




Well, it ended up not being the sweet deal I thought it would be. The company soon got into financial difficulty as the dot-com bubble burst. They started cutting corners and sometimes that included paying their publishers. It ended up being a huge blessing in disguise because it forced me to start thinking of new ways to make money with my site.

It was in the middle of this that I created my first information product. It was nothing but a compilation of material written for my website. I put it together on CD and I actually burned the CDs one at a time on my computer and packaged them myself. People bought the CD, too, and I made some much needed money.

Before too long, eFront Media fell from grace in a huge ball of PR hell. The publishers were giving them a really hard time. There was a lot of negativity surrounding the company and it all resulted in somebody hacking the CEOʼs computer, stealing his ICQ logs, and publishing them online. It just so happened that those logs contained some provocative talk with underage girls and, well, that spelled the end of the company. By this time, I had already had my lawyer send an official letter to eFront holding them in breach of contract. I was busy removing my site from their servers and restoring it on my own. It came to an end quickly and I ended up being the rightful owner of PC Mechanic once again.

As 2001 was coming to an end, I was graduating college. My friends were finding jobs in information technology. Not me. I graduated college without a job. I was making money on the Internet. Enough to maintain my lifestyle at the time, anyway.

It was the beginning of a blogging career.

I had created my own content management system to power PCMECH.COM. But, blogging was huge and my site was essentially a blog even if it wasnʼt running what was considered blogging software. Eventually, I decided to make it official and I converted to Wordpress. It was the best move I ever made.




Today, PCMECH remains a big part of my online business. I am venturing into other things now. I am also using my experience over the years to get into a new market - professional blogging.

It really is funny how this hobby has evolved into being my entire business. Iʼve learned a lot along the way.

In 2008, I really put the pedal to the metal. I started learning about internet marketing. I started networking with people a lot more than before. And I combined all this new knowledge with what I was already doing and what I had already learned.

Itʼs been a great ride. In 2008, I grossed $141,657.15 as a professional blogger. As we begin 2009 (as of this report being written), I have already generated many thousands of dollars. And as you could probably tell by the title of this report, Iʼm going to tell you the story of how that happened.




There is one thing to keep in mind here, though...

Blogging IS a BusinessIʼve learned a lot in the course of my development as a blogger. But, perhaps the most important thing is that it should be treated like a business if you want it to be your business.

Blogs are awesome communication tools. They can be used to share information and to build relationships. They are great for search engines. They can make great hobbies.

There is, however, a big difference between hobby blogging and professional blogging. Pro blogging spells a different approach. It means that you think about your monetization strategies before even delving into your blog. It means that you learn how to market. And you think about what it is youʼre going to offer.

Yes, I said offer. What are you going to sell?

Letʼs look at something...




How Is Money Made With a Blog (Usually)?Most aspiring probloggers seem to be confused on how to make money with their sites. The two most common ways to do it (and the ones first thought of) are:

1. Advertising2. Affiliate products.

Both of these ways of making money are popular. They work, too. But, let me make one thing clear: IT IS HARD.

Now, making money as a blogger isnʼt a walk in the park anyway, but making advertising revenue and expecting that to make you a full-time income will prove frustrating for most beginning bloggers. It takes a lot of traffic to make good money with ads or to attract sponsors. That takes time. Most bloggers give up way before their blogs are getting enough traffic to make a full-time income in this way.

Not to mention that ad revenue is dependent on other companies. And remember those economic concerns I talked about at the beginning? Those things affect advertising budgets. And hence the amount of money you can make as a blogger by depending on advertising alone.

In my story of getting to where I am, I was often in a situation where I needed to find others way to make money because of the ebbs and flows of advertising revenue. It isnʼt secure to be subject to the whims of outside companies for your livelihood.

Affiliate commissions are another way to make money with your blog. You sell other peopleʼs stuff on your blog and you make money through commissions. Done correctly, you can make good money this way. I myself make a couple thousand per month (usually) this way.




Affiliate sales are more controllable than advertising revenue. You donʼt need as much traffic and it is more dependent on your writing and your marketing skills. So, I like it.

At the end of the day, though, youʼre selling somebody elseʼs products. Thatʼs a lot of time and effort spent on your part and youʼre getting only a percentage of the money you generate.

Donʼt you think itʼd be better to be able to keep 100% of your earnings?

So, those income opportunities most commonly thought of do work. But, theyʼre not easy. And theyʼre dependent on people other than yourself.

Which leaves us with...

The BEST Way(s) To Make Money With a BlogBy now, you can probably see where Iʼm going with this. It is better (and much more profitable) to sell your OWN products on your blog.

Remember, as I said above, treat your blog like a business if you want it to make a business-level income. And, last time I checked, most businesses SELL THINGS.

Whether it is a product or a service, businesses sell things. Thatʼs how they make money. Why should your blogging business be any different?

And, letʼs cut to the chase here. No, I am NOT saying you need to start selling goods. You donʼt want to have to maintain inventory. Too much hassle! Thatʼs not what the Internet is all about.

Information marketing is the golden ticket.




You sell knowledge. You create the product once and you can sell it over and over again at no additional cost. It is ultimately about as close to a 100% profit margin as you can get in business.

Smart bloggers are figuring this out. They are realizing that selling their own info product makes much more sense. And, let me tell you, the most popular pro bloggers out there now sell things. Sure, they make money through ads and affiliate commissions, too. But, they have been involved in marketing their own products, too.

If you look at the most successful internet marketers out there, they ALL sell their own stuff. They sell information. And they sell membership programs.

And therein lies the best ways to make money as a blogger:

1. Selling information products relevant to your blog.2. Selling a membership continuity program.

And...

The Future of Making a True Six-Figure Income As a Blogger Is Continuity.

Which brings me to my story...

How I Made Over $12,000 On a CruiseOK, time to tell you the story I promised you. How did I make $12,047.23 with my blog while I was on a cruise? Well, Iʼll tell you the story!

In December of 2007, my wife and I had our first child. I feel very fortunate to be in a financial position where my wife does not have to work in order to make ends meet. So, she took the year off of work and focused on raising our daughter, Elyana.




Of course, this means that my wife hadnʼt gone on vacation. I took a few business trips in 2008, but she stayed home. We both needed a vacation. So, we decided to go on one in January of 2009. And, so that we could truly get away and not have to do much of anything, we elected to take a cruise.

Now, being able to take time off whenever I want is one of the great things about an internet business. So, I wasnʼt worried at all about putting my business on auto-pilot while I was away.

But, I wanted to do more than put it on auto-pilot. I wanted to make a killing while I was gone. Just for fun, you know. :)

My membership program on PCMECH.COM was called PCMech University and it was priced at $9.97/month. Iʼve had multiple people tell me that the price was too low. And, after having surveyed my audience and also after having really gotten into doing a high volume of online video, I decided to make some changes to the membership program.

In short, the PCMech University program becomes PCMech Premium. I will start introducing information on how to make money with the Internet. I will start doing a LOT of online videos. I will provide a helpdesk. In short, I really decide to take my membership program to the next level.

The price was REALLY too low at that point, so I elected to raise the price. But, this introduces a great marketing opportunity to drive new members to the program before the price goes up. Thatʼs what I elected to do.

As I have said, marketing is very important to making money on the Internet. So, I sat down and devised a marketing plan about two weeks before we left on our cruise.


http://www.pcmech.com/signup/

http://www.pcmech.com/signup/



Yes, many times I will script out a marketing plan ahead of time. I donʼt do it all “off the cuff”. I planned to do a series of videos. I outlined what I wanted to address in each video. I wrote out the emails which would be sent to my list on those days to direct traffic to the videos. And I also wrote out the emails which would be sent while I was away on my cruise.

I treated it as a mini product launch, with a marketing plan going into it.

Here is the broad outline I set up for the marketing plan. Note that I was to leave town on Saturday. The weekend prior, I had sent out a survey to my list asking them about their primary concerns for 2009. I also got some testimonials from existing members and got questions from my non-members about the program. With my audience answering these questions, here is the plan:

1. Tuesday - Video showing PCMU Survey Results from SurveyMonkey 2. Thursday - video explaining my philosophy behind the program 3. Wednesday - Video answering people's questions about the program 1. What are the benefits? 2. Is it a scam? 3. Why are you charging for things people could get online some where else for free? 4. Do you intend to pursue computer stuff more than the new stuff like social media? 5. Do I have a degree program? 6. Can you just be up front about the cost of the program? 7. It this program of such that I might ask my employer to cover the costs???? 8. What would I gain with a membership to PCMech-U that would be beneficial to me professionally and personally? 9. How many people do you have working on PC Mech? 10. How many members do you have ?




11. is anything you "teach" helpfull in getting a better paying job??????? 12. Can you have free programs for high school students? 13. Please explain (with examples) how it can help make money from the internet 14. Do you get as much back or are you personally satisifed with what you have put into this business-or I mean, PC Mechanic, etc.? 4. Friday - video announcing 2009 changes and the promo for coming week 1. Blog post is "stickied" and very obvious on PCMech for entire week of cruise 2. Put a countdown timer on the site for entire week 5. Monday - promo mail 6. Wednesday - Regular newsletter, but mention special in the blurb 7. Thursday - promo mail 8. Sunday - promo mail - almost over! 9. Monday of return to office - everything stops, registration is DISABLED. Time to go to work.

So, as you can see, I planned four videos. The first video would go up on Tuesday and videos would be released during the week. The videos were recorded right in my office. They are not works of art by any means. Just me talking at my desk.

On Tuesday, I release the first video. It is a simple screencast where I take the viewer right into SurveyMonkey (the survey system I use) and SHOW them the survey results. As it turns out, the results were overwhelmingly positive. This builds incredible social proof for my program. And, since they can see that Iʼm taking them right into the survey system, it provides an element of realism to the video. And, trust me, it was real.


http://www.surveymonkey.com

http://www.surveymonkey.com



On Wednesday, I did a video where I talk about why I have the program set up the way I did. I provide my own personal goals with the membership program.

On Thursday, I did a video where I did nothing but answer questions people had about the program. I didnʼt censor anything. Even if the question was a bit stupid, I answered it. I donʼt want to make judgement calls on those kinds of things because, if people are asking it, chances are others are wondering the same things. So, by doing this, I handle their questions and I tackle their concerns.

On Friday, I release the final video where I tell them all that I have planned for 2009. I also outline the terms of the membership drive. Namely that the price is going up and that they have until the time I get back from my vacation to sign up and get in at 2008 pricing.

I schedule some emails to get sent to my list while I am gone (I love that I can schedule emails in Aweber). On the site, I launch a brand new sales page with all new sales copy. I also use the main promo bar on the PCMECH site to link to the four videos. But, I did one other thing....

I used a simple timer script. I timed it for 10AM on the Monday morning when I get back into my office. And that timer would count down until then.

Why did I do that? To introduce scarcity. I wanted the viewers to visually see that the clock was ticking and that time was running out. I wanted them to feel the need to sign up right then and not think about.

And trust me, they were getting a fantastic deal! It was a real no-brainer off. So, the fact that Iʼm driving it home with some scarcity is just icing on the cake that helped my conversion rate.


http://www.davidrisley.com/list-report/




So, it all began that Friday and we left on our vacation officially on Saturday.

There were two options new subscribers could choose from:

★ $9.97 per month★ $97.00 pre-paid for a whole year

On that Friday, I wanted to get a feel for how effective all this lead-up was before I left. Well, I was pleasantly surprised. That Friday, the membership system brought in $835.82. It was obviously working! The Saturday before we actually departed on the ship, I made $691.67.

The cruise was fantastic. We visited Princess Cay (in the Bahamas), St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and Grand Turk. These are all Caribbean islands. We went mountain biking at St. Thomas. And we had the opportunity to go sailing on an Americaʼs Cup Sailing Yacht - and go racing! - in St. Maarten.

Somewhere around day 2 or 3 of our cruise, I wanted to check in on things. Well, the cruise line offered internet service via satellite, but it is anything but cheap. If I paid per-minute, it was 75 cents per minute. I elected to go for a 250 minute plan which costs me $100. Hey, itʼs business.

Well, I was floored to see how well the membership drive was going. Not only that, but I could see that Aweber was delivering the emails on schedule, as planned.






My wife and I in the Virgin Islands.

The entire drive was scheduled to end when I got back into my office. So, I had an email scheduled to go out early Sunday morning. By that time, we were back in Port Everglades waiting to get off the ship. The day prior, while we were still out at sea, I used my Flip Video to record a quick video and I was able to post the video to PCMECH from the ship. So, with the email and with that video, it was a final, last minute push toward the deadline.

A lot of people signed up at the last minute. Scarcity works!

Come 10AM that Monday morning, I fulfilled my promise. I disabled registration to the system and put a waiting list signup onto the signup page. I removed the countdown timer. I put the site back into normal mode.

When all is said and done, the membership drive grossed $12,047.23 in revenue from January 2nd through 10AM on January 12th. At least according to Quickbooks. Below, though, is a screencast from Amember.




LessonsObviously, I did well on this. It surpassed my expectations, actually. This was all done just using my own list. No JV partners. No affiliates. Nothing. And it was done while I was on vacation. How cool is that?!

But, let me illustrate the real power of this outside of the influx of cash. This was a membership drive. That means it is recurring revenue. Whether they signed up as a monthly or a yearly member, they will be re-billed unless they cancel beforehand.

At the end of this membership drive, I had about 600 members. That was an increase of over 200 members in the span of those 10 days. That means that I had 600 people now paying me on a routine basis.

Even at the $9.97 monthly rate and average that out for 500 members (less than I actually have because yearly members donʼt pay the same monthly rate), thatʼs an average of $4,985 per month.

This is the power of continuity. And this, I believe, is the future of problogging income.




It creates a consistent, dependable income stream. Rather than convincing people to partake in a one-time offer, you can sell them once and they pay you continuously. Yes, members drop off. It is only natural. But, generally you will get more people signing up than drop off and so it all manages to balance itself out.

When you combine the power of continuity with having your own information products on offer, PLUS also hosting advertising and doing affiliate sales, you form several different income streams which add up into a full-time, six-figure income from your blog.

And multiple income streams is VERY important. You NEVER want to put all your eggs in one basket. You want to make money from outside companies, but you also want to have ways of generating your own money in-house.

Is This Feasible For You?Absolutely.

Letʼs look at something here. Weʼre bloggers, right? That means we write. A LOT. I always tell people they should write at least a few posts per week. I shoot for once per day (except maybe on weekends).

So, we write. And if youʼre in a good market, you shouldnʼt have a problem coming up with material.

Now, would it be that hard, really, to write a little more? A little more than what gets posted publicly on your blog? And then you put this additional material into information products and/or a membership program?

See, Iʼm most definitely not saying to password-protect your blog and make people pay for access. No! That wonʼt work! Blogs are powerful communication




mediums, but they only work if they are freely accessible. So, youʼll still need to write a lot of free content. And itʼll need to be good.

But, we can write more. And if youʼre the type who needs a good reason, how does cash-money sound? Iʼve outlined above that it can and does lead to money.

So, what I would recommend is that you set aside a block of time, on a routine basis, for writing. You spend a certain amount of time creating free content for your blog. And you spend the remaining time creating additional material for information products. You have to make a conscious effort to create information products and actually get it done.

Will It Work In My Market?My membership program is a cross between computers and online business. The aim is to show people how to do things with their computers to get things done, save time, optimize and also use the Internet to put some money in the bank. PCMECH, as stated earlier, is primarily a computer site. That market (technology) is a popular one, but not always the most lucrative. But, a survey showed my audience was interested in making money, too. That is something I happen to be quite adept at. And I do it using the Internet and computers. Seems like a good mix to me, so essentially the membership program is a direct reflection of my approach.

But, again, thatʼs MY approach. Not everybody is in this market. And Iʼm definitely not saying that you need to get into the “make money online” market to make money online (ironic, I know).

This approach can work in any market, but the key is that you provide VALUE. You are providing a solution to help your readers solve problems.

What are the problems your blog readers are looking to solve? Or, if your blog is mainly entertainment, what do your readers find entertaining?




These are questions you need to ask. Use a survey system and ASK them. If you have a list, ask them. If you donʼt, then use a blog post to get answers and invite them to post comments. Use your blogʼs comments to learn more about your audience. What makes them tick? What do they need? What are their concerns? What other sites do they visit and why?

Obviously, it is usually best to think about the monetization of your blog market before starting a blog in that market. Makes it easier. But, even if you already have a blog started and you didnʼt really think about monetization beforehand, start surveying your readers and find out what they want.

And it will get your ideas flowing.

How To Set Up a Membership Site With WordpressObviously, I canʼt answer every question for you in this report. The topics of market selection and then how to actually market and sell your stuff is a really big topic.

But, I wanted to give you more than ideas in this report. I wanted to give you a roadmap to the technical side of setting up your blog as a membership site. It is actually pretty easy. Once youʼve done this, youʼve got the groundwork laid for your membership site. From there, it is a matter of populating it with content and start marketing it to your blog readers.

I am going to assume that you know how to install software to your server. This report is not a technical manual, so I am not going to walk you through installations. We can do that later, OK? :)

OK, first off, a big part of your membership site is the software you use to manage your members. This software is responsible for protecting content, managing member profiles, re-billing them, expiring them if necessary, etc. The




software you use is a big decision and there are a lot of options out there. But, let me save you some time.

I use Amember Pro and I recommend it to you, too.

As of this writing, the price of this software is $180 and it is worth every penny. Seriously, if you are disappointed that the price tag seems high, step back and take a deep breath. :) This software will be the hub of your membership site. Not only that, but if you compare this software to many of the competitors, it is priced very well. Very affordable, actually.

OK, so I encourage you to buy and install aMember Pro. Install it into a sub-directory of your blog. I have mine installed in a /members/ sub-directory.

With this, there is now a decision to make. You can go two routes with the private content for your members:

1. Use the same blog for both free content and members-only content2. Use different Wordpress installations, one for free stuff and the other for

private stuff.

The primary benefit to the first method is that your premium content will appear in the same timeline as the free content. The downside is that it is more difficult to set up.

The primary benefit to the second method is simplicity. Essentially, you will install a second and separate installation of Wordpress into a sub-directory of your site. You will then use aMember to protect that entire folder such that your members will be required to log in before they can ever view the contents of your private setup of Wordpress.


http://www.davidrisley.com/amember-report/








I can tell you that I started out using the first method, then eventually (and am in the process of switching over as of this writing) switched to the second one. Iʼll briefly outline both for you.

Here is what youʼll need to have members-only content in your primary blog:

1. The Amember/Wordpress plug-in. Available for $40 from the same folks who did Amember.

2. The HidePost plug-in for Wordpress.3. Role Manager plug-in for Wordpress.

Download and install those two plug-inʼs to Wordpress. The Hidepost plug-in will allow you to designate posts or even partial posts as members-only. The Role Manager plug-in will allow you to modify and set up new user levels in Wordpress. These user levels are what aMember will use to assign members and their capabilities.

Install the Wordpress plug-in for aMember. It is basically just a matter of uploading it to the correct directory. Then, in aMember, go to “Setup/Configuration” and activate the plug-in. It will be in the “Protect Plug-ins” list. Just check it off and save. You will then have a new tab in aMember setup for “Wordpress”. Here you will set up your database information for Wordpress, the


http://nguyenthanhcong.com/2007/03/27/hidepost-plugin-for-wordpress/

http://nguyenthanhcong.com/2007/03/27/hidepost-plugin-for-wordpress/

http://www.im-web-gefunden.de/wordpress-plugins/role-manager/

http://www.im-web-gefunden.de/wordpress-plugins/role-manager/





encryption keys as defined in your Wordpress config file, etc. Instructions on doing this are outlined in a text file on the same screen as these settings.

The simplest setup is to have a single membership level to your site. You can use the Role Manager in Wordpress to create a new user level inside of Wordpress. Perhaps call it “Premium”. Assign it a user level of “1”. Once it is set up that way, go back to Amemberʼs Wordpress set up. Set the default Wordpress role to “Subscriber” or whatever the “0” level Wordpress usergroup is.

Next, it is time to set up your product in Amember. Iʼll let you figure that part out (it is easy), but make sure you tell Amember to upgrade your premium members to the “Premium” user level in Wordpress when they sign up.

See, what youʼre doing here is creating a new class of user inside of Wordpress. Then, youʼre telling Amember to make your active member subscriptions active as this new class of user. Then, youʼll use the Hidepost plug-in to hide content from people who are not in this upgraded class of user in your blog.

OK, thatʼs the essentials. There are blanks to be filled in, but weʼll get to that at another time.

The second method is to use a second Wordpress blog. As I said, this is the simpler method. You donʼt need any plug-ins at all. Essentially, just install a completely separate version of Wordpress into a sub-directory of your blog. Be sure to assign a different prefix to your database tables in your WP config file so that you can have two Wordpress installations in the same database.

With a new install of Wordpress set up in a folder, you will use Amember to simply protect the entire folder. You should use the new_rewrite plug-in which comes with aMember. When setting it up, you will tell Amember which folder to protect. Amember will then attempt to create an .htaccess file in that directory. If it has a permissions issue, it will give you an error. Set the permissions on that folder to allow Amember to create a file. Then complete it. When it is done, that






entire folder will be protected. If anybody tried to access it without being logged in, they will be re-directed to log in.

The good thing about this is that you can do anything you want inside that protected folder and Amember will protect it.






In ClosingBloggers are in a position to make money regardless of our economy, or even especially because of our economy. Bloggers and other internet entrepreneurs are on the forefront of new business models. The Internet represents a powerful and equal opportunity platform for business.

Communication is the key. It is the universal solvent. Communication is what links everything together. And bloggers communicate! They help. They teach. They provoke. They motivate.

Bloggers are on the forefront of new media. We are a citizen-driven flow of information. No longer do we need to depend on the top-down approach, where we seek our knowledge from people in the ivory towers.

Bloggers, now is the time to perfect your craft. Done correctly, you can become a leader in your market.

Now, looking ahead into this field of opportunity, we also look at how we monetize along the way. After all, if you are in a position to be a thought leader to




some, to help and to inform, then you are also in a position to be compensated for your efforts.

The future of problogging lies in information marketing. And more specifically, it lies in continuity.

As I hope I have demonstrated, turning a Wordpress blog into a membership site isnʼt that hard. Once you have done that, then provide value. Real value. Deliver on what you promise. Your members will continue to pay you for your efforts.

Remember, it is a lot easier (in my view anyway) to sell somebody on a small payments many times than one much larger payment. Plus, it helps you because you have a constant river of paychecks coming into your bank account.Blogging is a business - if you want it to be. If you treat it like a business, and think like a business owner, youʼll find you can make it.

As always, I encourage you to be a subscriber and continual reader to David Risley dot com. I am blogging there on almost a daily basis on different aspects of making money as a blogger.

In the future, I will also be setting up some premium-level continuity on David Risley dot com. I practice what I preach, yes. But, only in that kind of setting can I provide a true roadmap, a step-by-step approach on how to do all these things. It is a lot more than technical stuff. Marketing strategies and tactics are HUGELY important to making all this work. And, as Iʼve said before, Iʼve spent thousands of dollars learning. And Iʼm still learning.

I hope youʼll continue to learn with me. The only thing left to do is - START!

Thanks for reading.

David RisleyDavidRisley.com








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