Blogging has turned into a serious online money making business. For many, what seems like a part time hobby has turned into a full fledged business bringing in enough money for one to quit their day job. Some of the top blogger boast about easily making over six figure incomes by blogging.

As easy as it may sound, let me tell you that any successful blogger will tell you that not everyone who starts a blog is going to make loads of money. In fact, most newbies will make the mistake of starting a generic blog, posting a few times, and then give up in frustration.

Secrets to a Successful Blog - Content is King
Having a unique point of view is one of the most important things when it comes to blogging. Just because you love gadgets, do you really think that someone is going to read your blog over Gizmodo.com or Engadget.com? These days blogs are a dime a dozen and do you think you have what it takes to knock Perez Hilton out of the celebrity gossip circle? Be unique, or if you choose to do something more common, then put your own spin on it to make it stand out.

I Have a Unique Blog Idea. Now what?
There are a lot of free hosted blogging platforms available such as Wordpress.com, Blogger.com, and LiveJournal.com but in my opinion, nothing beats hosting your own blog. Sure there are some successful blogs on free hosted sites but here are some reasons why I tell people to get their own hosted blog:

• Greater flexibility with layout, design, and structure. Many free hosted blogs allow for different templates but most do not allow for editing HTML.
• Credibilty - nothing screams newbie louder than mycoolblog.blogger.com.
• Monetization - most free hosted blogs make their money by showing ads hence they do not allow for you to put your own ads and steal their revenue.

Hosting Companies that Offer Instant Blogs
Many of these companies I have already mentioned in my post Setting Up Hosting but the following I recommend for people looking to create blogs as they all include 1-click Wordpress Installations:

• Hostgator.com
• Bluehost.com
• Dotster.com
• Godaddy.com

Making Money from Blogging
Here are some of the most common ways to monetize your blog.

• Affiliate Marketing Offers related to your blog niche or topic. For more information read my post on Affiliate Marketing
• Throw on some Adsense. While not the most profitable, certain sites can generate decent income. For more information read my post on Google Adsense
• Text Link Ads - Simple integration with Wordpress, people pay to put links on your site
• Review Me and Pay Per Post - Business pay you to write about their product and or service. the more popular your site, the more you can require to write an review or post. Top bloggers make as much as $500 per review or post.