Eh? Online residencies? I mean blog residencies, of course.

Actually, there are heaps of bloggers out there who get paid to blog – corporate bloggers, I would call them, such as those who run the Intrepid blog, That’s Melbourne blog, publishers’ blogs, and a million others.

But there are also bloggers and writers out there who get paid to blog by a parent publisher, who then publishes all the content on its own site. For example, the bloggers at Crikey get a stipend for publishing on that site (I have no idea how much), and also get the benefit of being promoted alongside the brand of the parent publisher. It’s a sweet deal but I’m not sure how easy it is to swing a gig like that.

Sometimes blogs offer a deal like that but on a short-term, or ‘residency’ basis. The State Library of Victoria‘s Inside a Dog website pays its resident bloggers, for example. I’m sure there are other government and arts examples out there, and maybe some corporate ones too. Again, it’s not exactly an easy gig to swing, as they’re usually not advertised spots but by invitation only.

I think blog residencies will soon become more prevalent. It’s already happening locally – the Melbourne Writers Festival had bloggers writing throughout the program, though I understand they were unpaid. And I think that paying resident bloggers will become more prevalent as the writing form legitimises (which is happening slowly).

Take the new Wheeler Centre (the institution formerly and briefly known as the Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas) as an example. I think they’re perfectly placed to run a blogging residency program. It could work like this: any existing blogger could apply for the program, if they were going to be in Melbourne for a certain amount of time. They would then attend events at the Centre, and blog about their experiences of literature in Melbourne. This would be paid, and would give the Centre great, ongoing, and constantly engaged content, and also expose the Centre to a broad community (each blogger’s existing audience, which would presumably come from all corners of Australia and the globe). It would also give the Centre an opportunity to legitimise blogging as a form of writing by offering payment for its residents. (Note: rather than telepathically receiving and instigating my idea, the Centre decided on a different way to blog; see Dailies, a kind of clunky-working blog but a cool idea.)

When I say residency, I really mean something ongoing rather than a guest post here and there. And I think residencies should be paid, as a column in a magazine or newspaper would be paid.

Of course, this has little to do with this series, really, as it’s not necessarily about self-generating income or doing something on your own site. Though I think that writers who already blog will be in good positions to put themselves forward as residents when the concept starts becoming more prevalent.

*Occupying my thoughts: are writers who blog different from bloggers? Of you’re a writer who blogs do you consider yourself a blogger?

*Photo by Mait Jüriado.

  • email
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • del.icio.us
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Digg