What Do I Do?
Jun/1041
I had a conversation earlier today with a friend who I’d not seen for a while. After an awkward pause in the conversation where he obviously wanted to ask me something but didn’t quite know how he said:
“I know I should know this…. but what exactly do you do?”
He went on to explain that he knew I was a blogger and that I somehow made a living from that – but because we’d not seen each other much lately and because I seemed to be starting new things all the time, he didn’t really have a grasp of what it was that I was spending time on these days.
Interestingly this is not the first time I’ve been asked this lately – I guess since I started blogging 8 years ago things have changed a bit for me and perhaps I’ve not communicated what it is that I actually do these days well enough to everyone. Life’s certainly changed a lot in the last decade – from being a theology student/minister (with part time jobs on the side) to full time blogger….
So – this post is an attempt to do just that for friends, family and anyone else who needs a catch up on what I do in my work. I won’t get into the nitty gritty of how my blogs make money – but what follows is an update of the ‘pies’ I have my fingers in these day. I hope it helps.
What I do – at least in my Work
Much of what I do these days revolves around my blogs. This isn’t that different to what I’ve been doing since I started blogging in some ways – but there have been some changes as some of the blogs are ‘newish’. The three blogs I own/edit/manage (in order of size from biggest to smallest):
- Digital Photography School – a blog about photography that aims to help people improve how they use their cameras.
- ProBlogger – a blog about blogging and how to make a living from it (sad but it’s amazing how many people want to learn how to do it)
- TwiTip – a newer blog about Twitter and how to use it
Each of those blogs have a variety of spinoffs and other social media sites attached to them. For example ProBlogger also has a membership site/forum that people pay to be a part of each month, a Twitter account, a job board where people advertise for bloggers, a facebook page, a YouTube channel etc. Digital Photography School has a forum (free), weekly newsletter and social media sites too.
I also have started selling eBooks off Digital Photography School (3 of them, one that I wrote and 2 that I’ve partnered with others on) and one on ProBlogger.
Then there’s the ProBlogger book – a real book made of paper (yes, very old fashioned but people still read them). This I co-authored with a friend and it recently was updated into a 2nd edition.
I also have partnered with others on a few other businesses. Some of you will be familiar with one of these – b5media which I started with 3 other bloggers a number of years ago. These days I’m not really active with that business but am a minority shareholder. I am more active however with a newer collaboration called Third Tribe – a membership site for online entrepreneurs.
That’s mainly what I do and am involved with. I do get asked to speak a fair bit at conferences but as most of it is in the USA don’t do a whole lot of that these days (I go over twice a year most years).
All in all business is good. I’m at a point now where my blogs are read by 3-4 million people each month (it can vary quite a bit) and where it’s more than a full time job. Things are at a point now where I’m getting ready to hire some help which will enable me to concentrate on the parts of the business that I enjoy most and to take advantage of some of the new opportunities that keep presenting themselves.
I hope that that gives at least some insight into ‘what I do’ at least as it pertains to the work area of my life. If it’s not clear or you need some clarification – do feel free to ask!
If it’s still utterly confusing – don’t worry, it is for me too!
PS: of course I’m more than just my work – I ‘do’ other stuff too…. but I thought rather than ramble on about ‘the rest’ I’d keep this just to work. Hope it helps.
Leave a comment
No trackbacks yet.
5:04 pm on June 7th, 2010
It is SO much easier to define what you do :-) I’m a blogger and I make a decent side income from aff sales and ebooks but I’m primarily making money by being, well, I don’t even know what I do.
Ok, so i work with Dave as the official media girl. So I help with interviews and do behind the scenes stuff. But technically I filter stuff for people. I find who the awesome people/products are, then try and find ways to help them. I don’t monetize this as it definitely isn’t a service.
All my parents know is that I wake up most mornings to money. When others enquire (as part of neis and seeing drs etc to recover from anxiety, i see a lot of people) I try and dismiss it as social media and ask if they know about twitter and blogging.
It’s awesome that I’m in such a fortunate position but as I meet more people I’m having so much more difficulties.
I know several virtual assistants targeted at bloggers. Dawn at http://www.mondaymorningva.com/ really impresses me :-)
5:08 pm on June 7th, 2010
That’s a good rundown of what you do. Maybe the next time someone asks you what you do, you can give them a card with the url to this page.
5:52 pm on June 7th, 2010
Bamboo Forest has a pretty good idea – you’d only need to carry a couple of them with you, but with sites like VistaPrint.com.au you can get pretty cheap “business” cards for just such a purpose.
And it’s nice to know “what you do” and how it all came about – thanks for sharing!
8:18 pm on June 7th, 2010
It was much easier to explain to folks that I was an internet consultant (”you know, websites, google, that stuff?”). But now I am quitting the consulting and coaching it becomes much harder. The print book helped a lot – my Mum even read it!
9:27 am on June 8th, 2010
Lol. Well, I don’t think he’ll be asking again:) I have lots of friends who don’t know what a blog is, don’t read them and don’t want to. Good for them. Several people who I’d been encouraging to blog because it would benefit their writing/business did start after I got a bit of attention and a free trip to Shanghai through my blogging. You’ve got fingers in a lot of pies. It’s impressive and you’re a great role model for bloggers.
12:53 am on June 13th, 2010
Wow.. That’s a lot of blogs! So you did most of them yourself? that’s amazing! I’m having trouble juggling three blogs and I have had to start getting help these past few months… And I’m still overwhelmed.
But how to people react when I tell them what I do? Luckily I live in San Francisco so peolple generally ‘get it’ only because it’s not uncommon in this town to meet people who do crazy stuff on the Internet. When I was living in Germany and chicago people reacted much differently.
1:34 am on June 13th, 2010
Ha! Here’s a conversation I had last night:
“So what is it you do on line, Mike?”
“I write blogs.”
“And people pay you for that?”
“No.”
“So why do you do it.”
“I earn a good living at it.”
“But you said people don’t pay you.”
“They don’t but……..don’t worry about it. Do you want another beer?”
2:03 am on June 13th, 2010
This post has inspired me to do the same thing on my blog. Most of my family members have no clue what I do and it is often hard to explain in 15 seconds!
Bob Stanke
3:05 am on June 13th, 2010
Darren, it seems like you do a lot….so many blogs, ebooks/books, etc.,
I would like to know how much time per day do you devote to “What you do?”
I want to give quick shout out to Annabel Candy and Jade Craven. Two sincere bloggers everyone should want to get to know! Thanks for your help.
10:08 am on June 13th, 2010
While I used to just tell folks I am a ghostblogger, as ghostwriting was my primary business model, it’s become harder to just throw everything under that umbrella.
Now I run my own blog (not yet really monetized) I am partnered with a friend on a membership site that brings a nice residual each month, and partnered with a new one set to launch soon that should double that residual… I have a handful of clients I still ghost for regularly, and am currently working on a product or two of my own… but clarifying that into one ‘thing’ that my friends and family understand… that becomes difficult!
So invariably I just fall back on ghostblogger… which leads to the question “so what.. you write about ghosts?” LOL
Anyway, great attempt at explaining what you do Darren, I agree with Annabel… you’ve certainly got your fingers in a lot of pies! lol
And Jade, sounds like you’re on your way to following in his footsteps, a lot going on! Congrats you’re doing so phenomenally.
Warmest
C
10:49 am on June 13th, 2010
Since you been there since eight years and had grown from strength to strength, you definitely have some insights we can gain for and you are a willing teacher. You definitely inspired many and are helping them make sense out of their lives.
It is still difficult for me explain to people what I do. They do not understand a blog leave alone Social Media. It is an uphill task. They do not understand it is like any other profession / career that needs all your passion to drive it and is demanding. For me it is “research and writing on the net’ !
Thank you, BTW I got your affiliate link on my blog for your book. 31 Days to Build A Better Blog.
7:46 pm on June 13th, 2010
I don’t know if I can call myself a blogger if people asked me what I do…:D
I did run a business through my blog but it ain’t a monetizing one….I has no adsense or other ads showed there to click on and yet I earn my living by maintaining it’s content.
I use it as my display of what I do best, I’m making wedding dress and party dress by costume made order. So, people who need me or interesting with my services will call to get my appointment. That’s what I do..:D
But it’s quite difficult to get others understand my occupation, coz I don’t have any boutique around, I don’t have a neon sign on my house too bout this business. Just a small home business. My clients and my blog readers know me as a designer, but people outside it are confusing about my explanation on how to blogging for business and in the same time sewing dresses…LoL….
I read Darren’s Pro-Blogger of course…:) I got some nice knowledge from it to improve mine……And I enjoyed reading this one, and the comments from all of U…Good luck for whatever all of u done…
9:12 pm on June 13th, 2010
Jason – it’s a full time job. Actually it’s more than that, I probably work 50-60 hours a week although the good thing about it is that it is flexible enough that I can take days off to do family stuff from time to time and probably take 5-6 weeks a year off for holidays/travel etc so there are weeks where it is much less.
9:13 pm on June 13th, 2010
Mike – sometimes the ‘don’t worry about it. Do you want another beer?’ approach is best…. particularly when they’ve already had a few :-)
9:23 pm on June 13th, 2010
Well, instead of saying, ‘i run a blog’ (which people don’t understand), i sometimes say, ‘i’m creating an online library about microfinance’. Now that gets people impressed! :)
9:26 pm on June 13th, 2010
This post was brilliant timing for me, as I’m at the stage of having to explain to friends and family that blogging can be a career choice! I often reflect on your post where you finally made the decision to ‘get serious’ about blogging and you promised your wife you’d make it work.
I’m at that stage now, and I’ve just had that same conversation with my husband. Thanks for the content Darren, it is so helpful!
9:51 pm on June 13th, 2010
This is a great idea for a post. Many “real world” people don’t get virtual work. When I am asked “what do you do?” and I respond “I am a Green Virtual Assistant” I often get a look if amazement… followed by blank… they still have no idea what I do! LOL
10:01 pm on June 13th, 2010
Thats great. Lots of stuff, Darren.
10:58 pm on June 13th, 2010
Although I only earn a small income on the Internet, I find explaining that to friends and family members VERY difficult. The blogging community is very much separate from the casual Internet user community. And for people who don’t use the Internet, the older generation, explaining my blogging adventures is absolutely impossible!
11:35 pm on June 13th, 2010
Sometimes that question is hard to answer because what we do here is new things for other people. usually I just answer “create some articles and put some ad”
12:16 am on June 14th, 2010
From the looks of it Darren the easier answer to ‘What do you do’ is telling what you don’t do. After all, when you do it all…
It’s probably not fair to say you do it all, but the deal maker was you saying you take time off for family stuff and vacation. Without that you’d be like everyone else; with that you show how in touch you are off-line.
When someone asks me what I do, like my wife, I just ask them to read my blog and tell me what I do so I’ll know.
1:10 am on June 14th, 2010
Wow – great post. Didn’t know you had the twitter blog, but I’ll definitely check it out. Personally, I’m only 16, but I’m trying to build my blog up already now, so that I can make a living from it quicker – or at least that’s what I hope… :)
I didn’t know you had this blog too, so I’ll look a bit more around before I work on the forum I’m about to launch together with a new theme on my blog (custom made).
1:33 am on June 14th, 2010
I find that while most people know what a “blog” is, they still think it’s someone’s diary…
50% or so of my income is from freelance blogging, so I tend to explain that “I make money as a freelance writer for several large websites — kind of like writing for magazines, but they’re online.” Sometimes, I explain about writing ebooks, running adverts, being an affiliate, etc…
My 86-year-old granny doesn’t quite “get” what I do, but she knows I’m doing what I love (writing) and working for myself, and she’s very proud of me … and that’s what matters. :-)
1:38 am on June 14th, 2010
Telling the truth is often the only way to communicate truth. It is hard to tell people that all you want to do is do good but I feel that what you do is give others the opportunity to improve themselves with what you have learned in the years you have been working hard at what you do.
Does that sum up much of who you are Darren?
Thanks for the truth and really being who you are.
I am in Canada yet I read of you everyday 365 days a year. What a great tool you have shown me how to use. To be me.
I am a blogger and want to be just like you. The “me” version.
Pierre Trudel
Thee Quest Perfect health
1:45 am on June 14th, 2010
Depending on the age of the person is how I respond about what I do. Some of the older family members understand writer/entrepreneur a whole lot better than “blogger”. But what I really am is a female Darren Rowse “wannabe”. I wannbe always willing to share what I do with anyone that cares to know what I’ve learned. Since Darren has taught us all so much, I try to pay it forward.
Currently, I am showing everyone how to save while shopping, maximize their savings and keep more of what they have earned. I find it surprising how many people have never even considered saving a dime while they shop.
The look on my 93 year old father’s face when I show him my blog and tell him that I made everything on that page appear is priceless. It is when he asks “How did you do that?” where the discussion is near to impossible. He’s so interested but yet so behind the curve that the concepts escape him…but he tries. :)
Thanks Darren!
1:51 am on June 14th, 2010
I am a member of several organizations and have several friends and family members that do not know what I do. I am about to make an income teaching them what and how I do it. I’m using this to show my expertise as a blogger. I hope to see you at future conferences.
1:52 am on June 14th, 2010
It’s interesting because I recently wrote a blog post called something like “So What Exactly Do You Do?”
Before returning to writing and starting in the blogging world, I was (and am) an online used bookseller, something people think of as a hobby rather than a full-time job. So people haven’t understood what I do for years…
And I second the shout out to Annabel. She’s great.
Gip
7:23 am on June 14th, 2010
I know my it’s tough to explain. My mom also is asking, “You charge people to read that?” and I try to explain, but oh well. It’ll catch on!
7:23 am on June 14th, 2010
I know it’s tough to explain. My mom also is asking, “You charge people to read that?” and I try to explain, but oh well. It’ll catch on!
8:55 am on June 14th, 2010
Darren! That must have felt good to get out! What a great snapshot of where you are right now. And aren’t you just curious as to how it will be different in, let’s say, ten years? I did something similar on my post just to answer the ‘what’s a blog?’ question, so I guess my friends are a little slower than yours! I also made it a permanent page on my site.
I am curious though, why did you say it was ’sad’ that some people would want to learn about blogging? I absolutely love blogging and greatly appreciate the information you so openly share at problogger….
No judgment, just curious.
Wishing you much continued success.
11:50 am on June 14th, 2010
My need for a way to finance my retirement lead me to Blogging. I started my career as a farmhand and I plan to end it as a Blogger. Currently I am an Australian web designer, starting on this road in 1999. Then in 2004, I read an article about an Australian Blogger I only knew as Darren. In May of 2004 I built my first personal website, added some adsense and affiliate links. Been doing the same thing every year since then. Today, I still have my web design business, but my retirement websites are generating a very nice superannuation fund for me. At this rate, I may be able to retire before Im 80.
Good to see that Darren just like the rest of us has to put in many many hours each week, I thought I was unique.
Steve
2:22 pm on June 14th, 2010
When people ask me what I do my answer is simple “I work with websites”. I never mention blog or Google – (if they don’t get it) they’re eyes just glaze over. If they show a bit of interest I elaborate, but more often than not, the conversation ends with “I just don’t get all that interweb sutff, Twitbook n’that, I can’t even switch a computer on!”.
5:00 pm on June 14th, 2010
I work online looking after newspaper websites, including their bloggers, but I blog for kicks, writing about science fiction.
I haven’t really thought about monetizing my blog beyond the basics as I do it for fun and as a creative release.
Nice post Darren
5:09 pm on June 14th, 2010
Well, you certainly got a lot of traffic on this one!
What do I do? I’m a full-time home-schooling mom (mom for 26 years, home-schooling for 20). I own a contracting business with my husband (he does the contracting, I do the bookkeeping – which I am good at but hate doing *sigh*). I am a part-time college student working on finishing a degree I started 30 years ago.
And one month ago I launched my own website/blog about home-schooling that I hope will one day add to my family’s income but that is not my primary motivation for starting it. When I launched it I sent an e-mail to dozens of family and friends inviting them to take a look. The ones that bothered to (and many did) now know what I am doing, sort of – though I can guarantee you they have no idea the hours and hours of work (and frustration) it took to get this website off the ground. I sometimes tell people now to not take the Internet for granted! It’s so simple to surf and read and shop, but what it takes to get websites launched – and keeping them interesting and running properly – is like climbing Everest in my book!
6:06 am on June 15th, 2010
I have been asked this very question many times, from my own family even. And I find that, for me, it can be difficult to put all the things I do into words. I run an online business and blog daily as well. But of course, each day is different while there are many “basic” routines that I fall into daily, there are countless other “to dos” which may be more difficult to quantify for people who are considered bloggers or online entrepreneurs because the idea is a bit more abstract. The job is not as common. Its not your standard office management job, in which the mere title alone evokes a basic understanding into what that person does.
Of course, the people who read your blogs, I am sure, have an understanding of what it means to be a full-time blogger. But for those that don’t, like your friend for example, how do you explain it to them without boring them to tears. Have an elevator pitch to suggest?
8:24 am on June 16th, 2010
Love the candid post, Darren ~ and I enjoyed all the comments, too. Your ProBlogger information has help me, also. Looking forward to checking out your Twitter tips, too. And, yes – it takes MANY hours to get all the behind scenes stuff done *whew* and many more to keep it rolling. Now where were all those posts about how to set your priorities…? I think I need a refresher course before I tackle the next six projects! *roflol*
12:09 am on June 20th, 2010
I’ve found the best thing to do is tell people I run websites, which provide information for consumers. And they generate revenue from advertising and promoting products in return for commission. That’s about as simple as one can put it :) If you get into explaining marketing methods, how a website works etc you soon seen the listeners eyes glaze with confusion!
8:13 pm on June 28th, 2010
Thanks Darren for sharing. I find it amazing that you have the time and energy to do all of that each week. Good for you! That’s great! I wish I had the energy to be so productive. Congrats!
4:45 am on August 24th, 2010
Dear Darren,
I like and admire your dPS website. Do you have a background as a professional photographer? If not, how did you kick start the website and established your authority? Another question is that I noticed the posts in dPS are without date and I could not find an archive (I was interested to see how you began). What made you decide on this format?
All the best,
Shai
5:18 pm on September 4th, 2010
Darren, you are amazing my friend! And I aspire to be like you, especially in the entrepreneurial world.
Cheers,
Kitty
2:08 pm on January 11th, 2011
Hi All, This has been very helpful. some really good information and tips! It was useful for my team. Thanks for all of your hard work!I love all the info provided. I will stay tuned.