Reading Khaled‘s Best of the Net 2006 today I was surprised. A quote about 9rules struck me.

While I know it wasn’t fun for any of the 9rulers out there to see our network’s name dragged into the mud, it made for interesting reading to be included in the internet gossip pages.

So much for the once well known, sometimes snarkily spiced proud over at 9rules.

Khaled, an early and long time 9rules member, expresses perfectly the difference between a professionally run network like b5media and a fun board such as 9rules.

And I thought ScrivsTyme was gossip.

@ Network Director : Can someone please get rid of the excerpt on the main page?

We see it everyday: actors and actresses or other celebrities making the headlines because of a recent break-up, or because of some nasty thing they’ve done, or some wild thing in general. Paris Hilton is an example. Those sex videos and the heiress personality would sure be an attention-grabber. Recently, it’s Britney Spears, who just announced an upcoming divorce.

It’s one simple, surefire way of getting attention in the blogosphere: be controversial. Make the most out of the who, why, what and how, and I mean in the sense that you will be able to grab people’s attention and keep it (boy, attention spans are so short these days). Write about something out of the ordinary, something shocking, or something with a strong opinion. It’s even better if you can write previously-unwritten scoops and rumors, and it would be good if it’s about something that people can relate to, like money, entertainment, or some popular fellow blogger.

People will come flocking to your blog, and you can expect a lot of discussion. Some would be in agreement, while some would be in violent objection. And do expect a lot of snark. Hey, that’s the price of fame.

So if you plan to make it big in the blogosphere, better get out of writing lame, uninteresting things. Write about something shocking!

You know the machines are about to take over the world when the people are living their lives in cyberspace, interacting with the people they meet there and even buying and consuming goods in the virtual world. I know it’s kind of like how many of us spend all of our waking hours in front of the computer, but it’s even scarier when you actually do have a second life in cyberspace.

I have been playing this online game called Second Life for the past three months and I can say it’s quite addicting. If you don’t know how to control yourself, you would tend to think your real life is what actually happens in the virtual world. And why won’t you? You can do all sorts of things on Second Life that simulate the real world. You can get a job, run a business, buy land, build structures, have romantic relationships, and even have sex!

I realized things were getting big when companies signed on for placements online. Reuters has recently opened a news bureau for the Second Life world, where real reporters would publish news stories on what happens in the virtual realm. I hear Sony BMG, Toyota, Sun, and Adidas are joining in. Even Starwood is setting up its hotel chain inside the Second Life world soon.

Oh I can’t wait to be plugged in.

Mosey published a well thought-out article about celebrity blogs being put up left and right. And he highlights the importance of substance over style, of depth versus shallowness, of reasoning over sensationalism.

Good revenue, good stats. I get it. But I just pray that there is some equanimity and it doesn’t last. It certainly doesn’t deserve to.

Yes, celebrity blogs have a good potential for bringing in good revenue. Being a self-proclaimed expert on blog monetization, here’s what I can say about celebrity blogs.

• You can expect low-end readership. Come on. Do the thinkers, movers and shakers really give a damn about the latest nipple slip or who got who pregnant (Oops, I did it again!)? People who have a genuine interest with the stars are those who are starstruck. And the advertisers know this. Therefore …
• Celebrity blogs usually have low costs-per-click. There you have it. If you want to earn from CPC advertising like Google AdSense, you’d better consider that you’re likely to earn little per click on celeb blogs. Like about a few cents per click. But …
• You earn from the sheer number of clicks. Given that most of those who read celeb blogs are not so tech savvy (I say most, lest I offend some of you tech savvy people who just can’t resist nip slips), who don’t know the difference between an AdSense link and a regular link, you can expect to get high clickthroughs. Match this with enormous traffic and you’ve got what it takes to do good in AdSense.

There’s a flaw in my reasoning here, somewhere. And that’s probably the part where I say I’m an expert in monetization.

Oh, all right. In reality, we celebrity bloggers just love having the excuse to write about nipple slips, bulging tummies and adulterous relationships. And the right to post pics of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan? That’s priceless!

[tags]celebrities, blogging, celebrity blogging, adsense[/tags]