Shockingly, there are many similarities between blogging social media to make money online and World of Warcraft.
1. People you’ve never met in person are some of your best friends
WOW, players are often teased for calling someone they regularly play with and talking to their friend. How can you really be friends with someone you’ve never met face to face?
Similarly, most bloggers will never meet most of the people they interact with in person daily. As bloggers, we share much of our personal experiences and personality with our readers over time. We regularly discuss via comments, Twitter, Facebook, or other messaging services.
Similarly, most bloggers will never meet most of the people they interact with in person daily. As bloggers, we share much of our personal experiences and personality with our readers over time. We regularly discuss via comments, Twitter, Facebook, or other messaging services.
2. Learning About It Is Addictive
When players first start into WOW, it is uncharted territory. Each quest, location, and skill is exciting. The more you play, the more your eyes open to the possibilities and the more you want to learn and improve. Once players get past the initial learning curve, they can get caught up in reading about the game and even forget to play at a time.
Learning about blogging is highly addictive, too. At first, it is a little scary setting up hosting, picking a theme, finding plugins, and starting to write content. Once you’ve settled into your first blog and started writing content, you see the vast possibilities. It’s easy to start reading tips from all the experts on how to get better and forget to spend time writing for yourself.
Learning about blogging is highly addictive, too. At first, it is a little scary setting up hosting, picking a theme, finding plugins, and starting to write content. Once you’ve settled into your first blog and started writing content, you see the vast possibilities. It’s easy to start reading tips from all the experts on how to get better and forget to spend time writing for yourself.
3. Stats are addictive but useless without purpose
World of Warcraft players are notorious for obsessing over stats and achievements. Who has the most Attack Power or Spell Damage, or who can do the most Damage Per Second? When it comes down to it, unless you can utilize those powers for a single purpose (often with other teammates), they don’t do you any good.
What blogger hasn’t checked her stats 5 times in an hour or checked his Twitter to see how many new retweets he has received? Seeing significant traffic numbers is excellent, but without a game plan for monetizing them, they don’t help you reach your end goal.
The same is also true of blogs. As bloggers, we have thousands of free and premium themes, each with an endless supply of new plugins. Some plugins are for cosmetics, others functional, but all are personal preferences. It is easy to spend hundreds of hours customizing and optimizing your blog appearance for the best results. It’s also easy to accidentally put too much on the screen simultaneously. Information overload INC!
What blogger hasn’t checked her stats 5 times in an hour or checked his Twitter to see how many new retweets he has received? Seeing significant traffic numbers is excellent, but without a game plan for monetizing them, they don’t help you reach your end goal.
4. You can spend countless hours tweaking your plugins and add-ons
One of the best features Blizzard included in World of Warcraft is the ability to customize your HUD (your viewable screen) significantly. Programmers have created hundreds of thousands of add-ons and plugins to change the appearance for functional and cosmetic reasons. Many players will spend dozens of hours optimizing their display to fit their desires.
The same is also true of blogs. As bloggers, we have thousands of free and premium themes, each with an endless supply of new plugins. Some plugins are for cosmetics, others functional, but all are personal preferences. It is easy to spend hundreds of hours customizing and optimizing your blog appearance for the best results. It’s also easy to accidentally put too much on the screen simultaneously. Information overload INC!
5. It doesn’t make sense to people who are not involved
There is almost always something to be done when playing WOW, whether raiding dungeons with 25 other players or fighting in the arena against other players worldwide. It’s almost impossible for someone who doesn’t play WOW to understand the draw to play all the time.
With reading other blogs, commenting, sharing on social media, building a following, and tweeting to your heart’s content all “needing” to be done, loved ones will also question why and how bloggers spend so much time working on their blog (especially if you aren’t making any money doing it yet).
With reading other blogs, commenting, sharing on social media, building a following, and tweeting to your heart’s content all “needing” to be done, loved ones will also question why and how bloggers spend so much time working on their blog (especially if you aren’t making any money doing it yet).
6. There is money to be made, but only for the top fraction of a percent
Most people don’t realize there are sponsored tournaments for World of Warcraft where the winners split as much as $75,000 for first place. While it might not be a legitimate living in the Americas and Europe, Korea has several sponsored teams that are paid a salary.
Unless you are active in the Make Money Online community or you’ve seen a special on 60 Minutes, it is very possible that you didn’t even know you could make money blogging. Many people who hear about it try to make money blogging, but most people never make a penny, few people break even, and only the most minor percent can make a living online.
Unless you are active in the Make Money Online community or you’ve seen a special on 60 Minutes, it is very possible that you didn’t even know you could make money blogging. Many people who hear about it try to make money blogging, but most people never make a penny, few people break even, and only the most minor percent can make a living online.
7. It is fun being excellent and famous
Something weird happens when you start doing well in WOW. Everyone wants to be your friend, help, ask for help, or just talk to you for a nanosecond. On your server, you can become famous as the player with the best gear and the best ratings or as being in the best guild. It’s enjoyable and satisfying knowing that almost everyone wishes they were you (in a game, at least).
I can’t think of many things more fun than making money blogging/marking online. Professional sports is probably the only line of work that could rival the fun potential (although sales and bartending each have their own aspects). For example, when a player gets that fantastic gear, a blogger is ecstatic the first time his or her post goes viral or gets that first affiliate check.
I can’t think of many things more fun than making money blogging/marking online. Professional sports is probably the only line of work that could rival the fun potential (although sales and bartending each have their own aspects). For example, when a player gets that fantastic gear, a blogger is ecstatic the first time his or her post goes viral or gets that first affiliate check.
8. Despite the enormous size of the community, everyone at the top knows each other
In World of Warcraft, it is almost impossible to be at the top before people start noticing you. Other players might check out your gear or spec to figure out how you are successful and mimic it. Other top players will start introducing themselves to you and either talk (usually) friendly trash or offer to team up with you.
Bloggers also ban together. Chris Brogan, Copyblogger, and Problogger can often be found collaborating at conferences (hanging out in their underwear), guest posting, cross-referencing each other, and sharing data. Guys like Shoemoney and John Chow regularly chat and share tips and stricks they’ve picked up. Even in niches that aren’t as big as MMO, the top bloggers are known by more than just their followers.
Bloggers also ban together. Chris Brogan, Copyblogger, and Problogger can often be found collaborating at conferences (hanging out in their underwear), guest posting, cross-referencing each other, and sharing data. Guys like Shoemoney and John Chow regularly chat and share tips and stricks they’ve picked up. Even in niches that aren’t as big as MMO, the top bloggers are known by more than just their followers.
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