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There’s been a bit of controversy over under-age bloggers this year, particularly focused on Carl Ocab. Let me get my bias out right from the beginning - I’m all for kids starting blogs and trying to make money from them.
Blogging is a very accessible way for kids to get experience online, learning as they earn (or don’t!) with real, immediate feedback about what makes good content, and what drives traffic, and how to build relationships. The “real world” of adults will judge them purely on their results - a consideration that’s actually hard for kids to get in the physical world. The verdict of the blogosphere might be harsh, but it will be accurate feedback in exactly the way that school reports aren’t.
I was tickled when I Googled “Carl Ocab” today and found a gorgeous guerrilla marketing blog post about Carl from a 10-year-old blogger was in the first page of results (monkeylime3tc.wordpress.com/*carl*-*ocab*/). Way to generate traffic! Leveraging off someone else’s controversial blog. Full marks to James Brennan. (Although he will probably have to up the ante on quality content to retain any of that traffic!)
We get the kids in our Cash-Smart Kids program into some form of online activity from their first month, and blogging is a vital promotional skill, even if your core business is selling pink meringue elephants. Google loves blogs, so if you’re interested in using organic search or PPC to drive traffic, there’s no escaping the blog!
I’m going to swing out here and make a prediction (you heard it here first!).
More and more kids are going to start taking blogging seriously as a money-making activity.
This will impact YOU.
How?
1. More traffic for everyone
As these kids cruise around looking for ideas to copy, affiliate links, and freebies, they will boost everyone’s traffic numbers - but will they distort the demographic of the visitors who currently click on your PPC and affiliate ads?
2. Growing centres of gravity in the kid blogosphere
Let’s face it - kids have more surfing time than most adults. If Ashley Qualls (age 17, making $70,000+ per month from her site) can pull the traffic numbers she pulls for WhateverLife by giving away My Space layouts, then there are many, many blogging niches which could pull way more numbers than yet another blog about “How To Make Money From Blogging”. But who is best placed to be creating the compelling content for those niches?
3. What happens when you have four million kid bloggers all having flame wars in their posts …. and linking to one another?
Sure, none of us may be interested, but the teen and tween demographics are utterly immersed in “who said what about whom” for their every waking moment - blogging is just another medium for that. And with all that traffic and all those links, the serious adult blogs are potentially going to drift downward in the “Top X” lists.
So, what can you do to protect your ranking and revenues?
Only slightly tongue-in-cheek here - get a kid.
Seriously, if a kid has a huge readership, and you’re quoted in every third post as their mentor … ka ching!
Or, use a popular kid as a guest blogger, or start a parallel blog in the kidosphere and have a panel of kids you consult about whether your posts are “lame” in their eyes … or blog about how awful some of these kid bloggers are and then leap to the defence of others (in the spirit of “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”).
No matter how you respond to the challenge, the kids are here to stay - and I say, let’s celebrate the great leveller that is the Internet, where a 12-year-old can write or speak and have their ideas taken seriously on their merits. We have long underestimated our kids, but the likes of Ben Casnocha, Ashley Qualls, and the legions of less high-profile under-18 internet entrepreneurs are proving that kids can do anything an adult can do.
Jenny Ford
About the Author: Jenny Ford is an expert in educating children about business and wealth creation. She is one of the founders of www.Cash-Smart-Kids.com, and her blog can be seen at www.RaisingEntrepreneurs.org. She holds an Honours degree in Psychology, a Diploma in Training and Assessment Systems, and an Advanced Diploma in Business Management. She is the mother of three young entrepreneurs, all of whom started successful businesses when they were nine to twelve years old.
Relevent recent blog posts
http://raisingentrepreneurs.org/blog/2007/11/25/the-controversy-over-carl-the-kid-blogger-carl-ocab/
http://raisingentrepreneurs.org/blog/2007/11/18/7-reasons-why-kids-can-beat-adults-at-making-money-online/
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23 Comments →
As a kid blogger, I liked this post.
“Seriously, if a kid has a huge readership, and you’re quoted in every third post as their mentor … ka ching!” Yes,Jenny, YOu are very much right! I
As another kid blogger, I agree with Jaseem here. I’ve long been wondering why adults underestimate us kids a lot, despite their potential. Well this article should clear things up for us kids!
Yes I am a kid blogger too :) and I like this post about us. I think it should have some site about clever kid bloggers :)
Hey Carl!
I was shocked when I saw my blog is the front page of google for your name :) You should check it out if you did not.
Mark
Great post, I’m also a young internet marketer (14) and I really enjoy reading your blog.
Great post! Very informative!
Yeah thats the question, and, what are those niches?
That is the good part of internet and blogging, that even kids can speak and show that they have something that others should listen to. And you are a great example for that (nice kiddo :P)
Oops, I am over 30. Does that mean I can’t comment here?
I am not a kid blogger, but I do think it’s great that there are those of you who are. I only see positives coming out of all the new kid bloggers that are popping up. You’ll learn more about making money and business than you ever will in your school classes.
Good post…I think it’s great that more types of people are getting involved with the Internet. I agree with point #1 about how more people will translate to more traffic. Especially if you have a site that’s worth copying.
great post, this a big challenge for adult blogger…anyway, welcome kids blogger…
Carl is only 13, but I would say the owner of this blog must be at least 20 years old with 5 years of online experience. Great work, keep it up!
Hey I like this posts about kid bloggers. Is there any other post on the web like this.
Yes, Mark, I have a whole blog of my own about kids in business, both online and offline, on the Raising Entrepreneurs site - http://www.raisingentrepreneurs.org
If you have any suggestions for future posts, click on “contact us” and let me know!
Jenny
there’s nothing wrong with kid blogger!
i’m learning from them
Yes…same as me…we cant judge someone knowledge by his age…
I wont forget you when i inherit the earth Carl :P
Great post!
Yes, never judge someones level of knowledge with age. That would be a big mistake. I am 19 and Carl knowledge about making money online is far more superior than mine.
Thanks for the post about us i am 12 years old too and i am proud to be an internet marketer and a successful blogger
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Very good. I agree with you wholehartedly! :D
Hello i am sandeep, excellent your are 13 but you had done a good job.i am reading every day your blog.will you Please tell me Tips How to get traffic and more money. i am from India.