Les Jones

E-commerce > Jeff Jarvis on the Rewards of Blogging

Responding to Clay Shirky's article I mentioned yesterday, Jeff Jarvis agrees with everything Shirky says, but points out a material reward of blogging. It isn't micropayments or even tip jars, but connections, reputation enhancement, and book and career deals:

In the world of weblogs, I often point to Glenn Reynolds and say that he has branded himself online in ways that he could not in the classroom or in journals, and this is sure to pay off for him not just in audience and ego but also in wealth: Because he is the famed Instapundit, he is more likely to get book deals, TV deals, and a cushy Yale teaching gig.

I keep doing this weblog for many reasons -- gratification (I like writing again), ego (I like having an audience), learning (this weblog has helped me understand how to bring weblogs to my work), community (I like you people, I really do), but also some distant bet that it may help me get a book deal or a teaching gig. Thus, it's hard to see where fame leaves off and fortune begins; the line blurs.

I tend to agree. Offering free advice on the AOL Mac forums back in the early '90s helped me to meet David Pogue and contribute chapters to one of his books. It also lead to a book deal with Sam's Publishing. Writing 56K.COM lead to magazine work. I hope to land some e-commerce consulting work with my next project.

Writing 56K also lead to one of the proudest moments of my life: getting a call from the Playboy Advisor, asking me for advice. True, the advice was about 56K modems, but I usually don't tell people that part. Downtown Julie Brown was the centerfold that month. Yee hah.