Donation buttons may not make you rich or provide you with a regular income from your weblog. However, it might just help cover some of your blogging expenses (server/hosting fees, Internet fees, etc.). So, if you're inclined to set one up, one easy way to do it is to use PayPal's service.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 5 mins.

Here's How:

1. Go to https://www.paypal.com/.
2. Sign up for an account, if you don't have one yet. Just follow the instructions and you'll have an account up and ready in no time.
3. Once your PayPal account is active, log in.
4. Go to the 'Merchant Tools' section. Look for the 'Accepting Website Payments' section. You will then find a link called 'Donations.' Click on that link.
   
   
5. Provide the necessary information to set up your donation button. Just add the optional information to facilitate the donation process (donation name/service, donation ID/number, donation amount, currency, etc.).
6. You can also add more options, such as providing customized 'thank you' pages, cancellation pages, etc.
7. Once you're ready, click on 'Create Button Now'.
8. Copy the HTML code and paste it on your blog template.
9. Encourage your readers to use your donation button (or 'tip jar') to send donations.

Tips:

1. Unless you know what you're doing, try not to fiddle with the PayPal HTML code too much. Otherwise, it might not work properly.
2. If you have several weblogs or websites using the same PayPal account, you may wish to provide different names/services or IDs/numbers per weblog or website.
3. The use of name/service and/or ID/number is also useful if you seek specific donations (e.g., for server/hosting fees, for new digital camera, to fix old car, etc.).
4. Write a short blog entry intoducing your 'tip jar' or 'donation system'. Tell your readers why it's there, what it's for, etc. It's up to you how you wish to encourage your readers to donate - just make sure you don't oversell it.

What You Need:

• An active weblog.
• An email account.
• A PayPal account.

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From BlogAds:

So if you feel so inclined, please help create Blogads' new logo. Beyond a bunch of wires connecting 900 blogs to thousands of advertisers, what is Blogads.com? Please write a post describing what you think Blogads is and should be and how our logo might convey this idea. If you aren't a blogger, offer your suggestions in the comments below. Let your designer friends know about our need. Or have at it with your own markers, peacock feathers, jackhammers, neon tube benders, mouse or legos. Please read our legalese and use the form below to send us potential logos. Submissions will close on September 9 and by September 14, we'll post submissions (maybe 100?), excluding off-topic or objectionable ones, and solicit comments on each. (Update: You can make up to ten submissions, though we can't promise to publish them all.) When a winner emerges, we'll pay the winning designer $1000, and send $300 to the blogger who wrote the post that inspired or referred the winner, subject to the legal boiler-plate.

So make a logo and earn money.And maybe you can win $1,000. Just remember where to send the $300 "inspiration/referral" fee. Read the rest of this entry...

Many of the people who write blogs today simply want to share their opinion on something. But then there are the business-minded folks, who have found a way to use blogs, or Web logs, to bring in a little extra cash too.if you're interested in taking it further — blogging for bucks, if you will — here are five strategies that could turn your blog into a moneymaker.

1.	Sell advertising. This is likely the most common means of leveraging a blog to generate income. If yours happens to become a well-known blog, or one that is well-received in a particular niche, it's always possible to sell ad space on your own. For lesser-known blogs, services such as Google's AdSense or BlogAds enable bloggers to establish ad programs. AdSense's — which lets you select several ads that are consistent with the content of your blog — pays you based on how many readers click on the ads for further information. Even better, it's free. BlogAds, on the other hand, hooks bloggers up with would-be advertisers and levies a commission in return for any ad placements that result. "The nice thing, too, is that the ads are relatively unobtrusive," says Scott Allen, co-author of "The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors and Closing Deals Online."
2.	Help sell others' products. Here is another click-through opportunity. Affiliate programs enable your blog to serve as a conduit between readers and online sites offering various goods and services. One popular choice is Amazon.com. If, for instance, you offer book reviews or even just mention a book in passing in your blog, an affiliate program provides a means for your readers to click directly from your blog to Amazon to obtain further information about the book. If they break out the checkbook or charge card, you get paid as well. 3.Solicit contributions. Not every blog-related income opportunity involves hawking goods or services. As Blanche DuBois did in "A Streetcar Named Desire," consider relying on the kindness of strangers. Ask for contributions. If, for instance, your small-business blog supports a cause or issue in some fashion — say you repeatedly mention tax reform, health care or some other topic — you can always ask for reader support.Even if you've attracted a group of regular followers who simply enjoy reading what you have to say, they may be willing to underwrite their loyalty with a little financial help. Programs such as PayPal make it easy to establish a simple on-site contribution collection button. "There are lots of worthy 'cause' blogs that would qualify for donations from grateful members of the blog community," says Las Vegas communications consultant Ned Barnett. 4. Market your services in your blog. Many people associate blogs exclusively with a cyberspace-based soapbox — a place to shout your opinions and little more than that. Granted, blogs are an ideal venue to share your thoughts with others, but don't overlook their capacity to generate new business as well. When appropriate, work in references to what you do and, in turn, what you may be able to offer any would-be client or customer who may be reading your blog. That can spread your opinion and your business moxie at the same time. "Instead of short commentaries that begin a dialogue with readers, as many blogs do, I write the equivalent of journal articles that demonstrate my abilities, strategies and perspectives on specific issues," Barnett says. "When it resonates, it means money. Since starting this approach, I have generated three new paying clients and brought in about $10,000 on revenue — directly attributable to specific blogs." 5. Use a blog to deepen your existing customer relationships. Nor does any marketing material inserted in blog content have to be limited to bringing in completely new business. By using a blog to regularly communicate with existing clients as well as other readers, you can take advantage of the opportunity to fully inform them about everything your business does. That may expand your readers' understanding of the full scope of your products or services. "My blog has helped existing clients determine the range of my skills and services," says Ted Demopoulos of Demopoulos Associates, a Durham, N.H. consulting and training concern. "One client who had only used me for training in the past was surprised at my range of expertise and is now using me for a consulting project. Another who only used me on technical projects is now considering me for a more business-oriented project."

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On Becoming a Professional Blogger

Instead of simply waiting for a blogging gig to come along, here are some ideas that you can put in to action to get you on your way to becoming a professional blogger.

1. Invest in your own blog first.

It is the best "resume" you can have. How else do you prove that you can write with style? You also need to prove that you can write constantly and consistently.

2. Create and maintain the kind of blog you like.

Think about what kind of blog you would enjoy creating and maintaining. Do you want to entertain? Inform? Persuade? Influence? Before you target any potential client, make sure you understand what kind of writing will keep you engaged for the foreseeable future. Because a blog has to sound authentic and you gotta write a lot!

3. Target a specific market.

Target a market segment, just as you would in a traditional marketing analysis. In my case, I decided to focus first on a world I know very well. It's where I have some contacts and a network, and it's also where my services would be something completely new. Look for your own niche.

4. Don't be afraid to propose a concept to anyone.

When a friend said "work something up," I took her at her word and created a Concept Proposal, just like Iwould have in my traditional marketing job. She was a little taken aback that I actually followed through. But, after providing her with professional information and research, why wouldn't she be intrigued? And, I also got the column in the Metro because I emailed the editor with my column idea (pointing her to my blog to get a flavor of what i was talking about.) It took her 5 months (!), but eventually she called and offered me the column, just as I had pitched it.

5. Stay professional.

Blogging may be cool and on the cutting edge, but most employers or business owners don't get excited by being cutting edge for its own sake. Be professional before, during and after you work on a blog deal. I can still wait for the creative muse to strike on my personal blog, but I've committed to blog at a certain rate for these businesses, and blog I do.

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