So, you want to get paid for this?

Here’s something interesting. According to an AP article, a group of bloggers is trying to band together to form a labor union, hoping to “receive health insurance, conduct collective bargaining or even set professional standards.”
According to the article, “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.”
Hmmm. That’s interesting. But...
Let’s face facts people. Most bloggers blog for the sheer enjoyment of blogging (here’s a sentence that wouldn’t have made any sense 10 years ago). Have you ever clicked the “next blog” link on the top of the page? While there are a handful of bloggers out there trying to shape the political landscape, or even trying to get paid to blog, most bloggers blog solely about crap they are interested in. From pottery to pot.
According to the article, 120,000 blogs are started everyday and there are at least 94 million blogs worldwide.
And the likelihood you could band all of these bloggers together to form a labor union, even a majority of them, is about as realistic as a fish-flavored soda winning the cola wars. Look. Blogs are pretty cool. Good blogs. And it’s great that bloggers are redefining niche marketing by offering plenty of choices for readers of all types, but it you want to earn a paycheck with benefits you’re probably going to have to do it the old fashioned way — get advertisers, get sponsors, win the lottery or get a haircut and get a real job.