I think this is a great question to ask, and it is also the subject of some debate. I guess the answer would depend on what the context is. Some bloggers are paid, but usually by some company to churn out news for that company or about a product, much like the way many popular newspapers, magazines or news programs operate.

In my opinion, I don’t think if you get hired by one of these companies you should be able to call yourself a blogger anymore..you’re then a journalist :). I do however think bloggers should get paid, and still keep their title. It really has to do with HOW they get paid.

I will get to what I mean by that in a minute, but first we need to examine the situation a little bit to realize why paying bloggers is a good idea.

I was at my buddy’s cabin this weekend and I don’t know if it was the peace and quiet, or the beer, but for some reason a thought popped into my head: What makes a good blog any different than a good song, or a good movie, or TV show? Why don’t bloggers directly charge their readers before reading their content? Even the best bloggers..why don’t they charge?

It’s because blogs were born on the internet, and the internet is about sharing information openly, and for no other reason than because people want to. Movies, Music and TV were born in a completely different place, where big companies controlled the content and did their best to put a lock on it, unless they were payed. But alas, the internet has found a way for even this content to be unlocked and shared with the world for free, and the big companies aren’t even getting paid anymore. There has to be a better solution for ALL intellectual property in this internet injected world…and there is.

Why has there been no blog platform like a WordPress or Blogger, that offers their most popular bloggers a percentage of ads placed. I’m not talking about ugly AdSense ads that only pay on a click-through or a purchase point click-through basis.

I’m talking about the website posting non-conficting, unobtrusive ads on a bloggers webpage, and having the bloggers get paid based on impressions(page views). One of the theories that makes this work is the ads being small, and them being placed in the corner of a function of a site, not a side bar.

In this case the function would be a blog article. The ads are not only placed where a user can’t really ignore it, but they are allowing the readers to get the content for free, while they are supporting their favorite authors, who would have more time to devote to writing good news. The icons could also expand to reveal more information. There are of course a few more crucial pieces of the puzzle, but I gave you as much information about it as I can right now.

This would create a blogosphere full of bloggers who suddenly have more time for things like research, fact checking, interviewing, travel, and other crucial aspects of what makes a good blogger a good news source.

This would essentially be a revolution of information, and the independent blogger community formed may even prove to be a contender for mainstream news networks, being more accessible, more updated as a whole, and with a much wider selection of sources on any particular topic.

The future of blogging looks bright, and pretty soon the hobby, or even secret double-life blogger, may be able to finally drop the act and introduce themselves to world again; this time as full time, self-made, “Professional Bloggers,” in the true sense of the phrase. It has a good ring to it..and being your own boss has an amazing amount of benefits as well, including working in your boxers, and also sometimes eliminating any sneaky or devious hidden motives behind article content. Oh how the world will change..Til then though, why not take up blogging? It might just eventually pay off..

Written by: Dante Cullari Founder & President Beat-Play, LLC