In a move that might make some people scratch their heads, a loosely formed coalition of left-leaning bloggers are trying to band together to form a labor union they hope will help them receive health insurance, conduct collective bargaining or even set professional standards.The effort is an extension of the blogosphere’s growing power and presence, especially within the political realm, and for many, evokes memories of the early labor organization of freelance writers in the early 1980s.
Organizers hope a bloggers’ labor group will not only showcase the growing professionalism of the Web-based writers, but also the importance of their roles in candidates’ campaigns.
Blogging has lowered the barrier to entry to become a professional writer, and because of this, the number of writers has exploded. Since there is only a limited demand for their services from the professional blog networks and enormous competition for those jobs, the rate of pay is low.
The lowered barrier to entry applies not just to the act of writing itself, but also to methods of remuneration. Google Adsense and other advertising networks have made it incredibly easy to concentrate on creating quality content, because they handle all of the advertising sales and processing.
So, although many blogging jobs might pay a pittance, blogging entrepreneurs, even small time ones, are with hard work and quality content, able to make well more than a “fair wage.”
Disclaimer: I own a blog network and pay my bloggers a flat rate per post.
Photo by nicholaslaughlin. I thought long and hard about what photo to use with this post. I hope you understand my meaning.
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