So you wanna be a Blog Rockstar?
And live large, a big house, 5 cars, you’re in charge
Comin’ up in the world don’t trust no body
Gotta look over your shoulder constantly

– Cyprus Hill – Rock Superstar, Rewrite mine

So, you’ve read every post from Rowse, Clark and Schoemaker. You’ve got hundreds of blogs in your Google Reader account and you keep a firm thumb on the pulse of the blogsphere. You’ve started your own self-hosted blog and you’ve signed up for all the recommended affiliate programs. You’ve read the blogging for bucks books and you feel, no you know you are ready to break out as a Rockstar Blogger.

Uhuh… Good luck with that!

There’s much more to this game then following a simple xyz equation.

Oh, but you say you know “marketing” and already have a few hundred followers on abc and 123 social networks…

My thoughts on this… That’s nice. Come back when you’re teachable.

Do you really want to be a Blog Rockstar? …Really?

First, you need to consider what makes up a “Blog Rockstar”.

• What skills do you bring to the table? Believe it or not, nearly every “Rockstar Blogger” started out in a different career. Some were writers, some web developers, some teachers and so on. In their transition to “Pro Blogger” they brought with them a unique skill set that augments their writing style. There are very few successful bloggers out there who have no previous professional experience. There are some, but they are very much an exception.
• What is your personality type? Yes, your personality type matters, quite a bit actually. I’m an ENFP and as such, I have a personality that provides roadblocks to my blogging career that I have to be conscious of and constantly work around. Don’t underestimate the power of your personality type. Learn it, learn to make the most of it. Learn to profit from it.
• Are you willing to sacrifice? There are many sacrifices you must make if you want to be a Blog Rockstar. Corner any of the big name bloggers in the industry and grill them and I guarantee that all of them will tell you that they’ve made some big sacrifices over the years. Blogging is work, at times, hard work. If you want the fame, you’ll pay a price.
• Do you have the stamina? Pimpin’ may not be easy, but neither is blogging. If you are under the disillusion that it’s easier to write a blog post every day than lay shingles in the hot Florida sun, I can tell you from personal experience, NO IT’S NOT! I use to be a roofer in my youth and that work was much easier in some ways. What we did was basic and physical. I’ll take physical exhaustion over mental exhaustion any day! Yet, blogging can be more rewarding, so there is a trade-off. With physical exhaustion, you at least have some of your mind left at the end of the day to give to your family. Not with mental exhaustion, it takes you completely out!
• Can you ask for the sale? Here’s a killer! Here’s the biggy that has caused me the biggest problems. How can you make any money if you can’t get users to click, submit, buy, etc? You can’t! This is what separates the people making a good living online from those who are not. If you are a good salesperson at your core, you have an advantage. However, if asking for people to take action bothers you, you’re going to have a hard time making a go of it.
• Do you have the capital? There are very few big name bloggers I know who have true “rags to riches” stories. Most had some degree of success prior to blogging. Blogging, believe it or not, can be rather expensive. There’s marketing, developers, designers, hosting, and “resources” that have to be considered. This adds up quickly. Sure, you can start blogging for free and start making revenue that will further fund your career, but the fact is, eventually, you’re going to have to pony up some cash.
• Can you take the heat? Let’s face it, there are a lot of opinionated people in this world. If @$$holes could fly, the Internet would be an airport! It’s just the way it is. The medium allows for virtually un-checked self-expression and many times, people say what is on their mind without any consideration of how it will effect others. If you want to be a Blog Rockstar, you’re going to be a bigger target and people are going to attack you. You have to have thick enough skin to take it or you wont succeed.
• Are you teachable? Nobody likes a pompous @$$ that thinks they know everything! The Internet is very dynamic. It changes daily and what people expect from you changes frequently. You must be a constant student of your audience and learn how to adapt to their needs. After all, Blog Rockstars have learned how to give the audience the show they came to see.
• Fill in the blank? The above is only a small sampling of everything you need to consider before embarking on the journey of becoming a Blog Rockstar. I’m sure many others who have been in this industry for a long time can add many more bullet points. In just the eight years I’ve been an Internet Professional, I’ve realized, the more I learn, the less I know and the more rapidly it all changes.

As a parting last word on this topic, I leave you with the following video from Cyprus Hill, Rock Superstar. For me, it clearly states the truth that not only defines being a Rock Superstar, but also a Blog Rockstar. Looks are deceiving. Beyond the cameras, bright lights, and fan fare, it takes work to be a star.

Nearly every day for close to eight years, I’ve read the hype surrounding the idea of being your own boss, breaking free of the 9-5 routine, and starting your own online business. I’ve read countless testimonials of people working at home in their pajamas and having untold wealth from being an Internet Professional. Many of these people claim that they saved their marriages and became more connected with their children by working at home. Well, this all sounds great, but I’m about to share with you the other side of the coin.

Do I tell you what you want to hear or need to hear?

If you want more grandiose tales of rags to riches, more hype about making untold wealth working at home, or more promises of freedom through being an Internet professional, I suggest you read something else. If you want to hear a personal story of how being an Internet Professional can be more of a sacrifice than a 9-5 job, how, if you’re not careful, working at home can cost you your marriage, and how working for yourself takes time away from your kids, then keep reading this post.

Still with me? Well, I guess I’m not the only one who thinks a lot of the hype is bunk. What follows is my personal story of the last eight years. Here’s the real sacrifice of being an Internet Professional.

Amy and James Morris - Christmas 2002

In the beginning, it was fun.

In 2001, I met the woman who would become my wife, Amy. She introduced me to the Internet. Prior to that, I had very little exposure to the Internet and didn’t even have an email address. Shortly after her setting up my very first email address at Hotmail, I became hopelessly addicted to the Internet. I still had a normal “day job” and I only spent a few hours a day online, but I loved it and wanted to know everything I could about it. It was then that I decided to go to college for Computer and Information Technology.

Tipping the hand of fate

During my first year at college, I took an introductory course on web design. It turned out to be more of an introductory course on Frontpage®. Frustrated with how little I learned in that course, the following summer I took the initiative to teach myself web design using search engines as my guide. This was the decision that tipped the hand of fate. Ever since that summer, I’ve spent more time at my computer than I have anywhere.

Even though I was in college to learn how to be a Systems Administrator, I spent most of my spare time learning web design, search engine optimization, social networking, open source software development, and many other related subjects. I was completely consumed by the Internet and becoming an Internet Professional.

Giving in to the hype

I kept reading how all these people were doing so great working from their homes. Given that I have an entrepreneurial spirit and I’ve always had problems working a 9-5, I thought this was the perfect fit. I could be my own boss, have plenty of time for my wife and make a killer living, all from my spare bedroom. I wish someone would have told me the secret to why those Internet Professionals were doing so good. I might have saved myself and my family years of pain, frustration, and very hard work.

Since that fateful choice back in the summer of 2002, I’ve succeeded in achieving most of my goals. I know how to design websites that are xHTML/CSS compliant, search engine friendly, accessible and visually appealing. I’ve learned enough about search engine optimization and marketing to own a few sites that have ranked very high for competitive terms and I’ve helped several sites attain higher rankings. I’ve held high profile positions in open source software projects and even helped start a new one. I’ve started my own online business and now own multiple websites that help generate revenue. I’ve graduated from college, with honors and have become a Systems Administrator for INBOX International, inc.. For the last couple years, I’ve been involved in Social Media and Social Networking quite a bit and have even started to develop a positive reputation.

Looks can be deceiving

This all sounds fantastic, doesn’t it? This sounds like all my dreams have come true and I’m living life to the fullest. Well, if the grass looks green, it’s because it was fed with a lot of fertilizer. You see, in all that I’ve achieved and all the thousands of dollars I’ve made working from home, don’t let me fool you into thinking everything is great. It’s not! Here’s some of the sacrifices that I’ve had to make and some of the myths I’d like to dispel for you right now. Maybe it will help you make better choices than what I made.

Sacrifices of becoming an Internet Professional

• Time: As outlined above, it has taken many years of hard work and research to develop the skills and knowledge needed to do what I do online. In the time I’ve spent learning how to become an Internet Professional, I could have earned a degree in Medicine or Law.
• Money: I’ve earned thousands of dollars working online, but I’ve also spent thousands. I’ve paid hosting providers, bought domains, bought software, bought books, and paid developers. Being an Internet Professional is not cheap. There’s a lot of ways to do some things for free or cheap, but eventually, there are costs you’re going to have to pay.
• Family Time: For every hour I sit at my computer, that’s another hour not spent with my wife, our live-in nephew or any other member of my family. Sometimes, my wife even has to pull me up on chat just to talk with me. It shouldn’t be like this.
• Personal Freedom: Most days, I feel like a slave to my business. I enjoy my “day job” with INBOX International, but that job ends at 5pm, Monday – Friday. Where I lose my personal freedom is the 40+ hours per week I invest in running my business.
• Personal Identity: I no longer recognize the man in the mirror. I recognize my avatar better than I do my own reflection. The man in the mirror is no longer “me”. It’s a shell of what’s left of me after working 80+ hours every week, sleeping 3-5 hrs a day and having a diet that consists of coffee, whatever is quick and beer. Trust me, this is not a good feeling.

Myths of becoming an Internet Professional

• Financial Wealth: Sure, I’ve made “thousands” of dollars online, but after nearly eight years of working online, my income online is still not enough to support my family. That’s why I work for INBOX International as my “day job”. I recently asked, What are you willing to sacrifice to make a living online? I could make a lot of money online, but there is a fundamental hurdle that I cannot overcome. I’m not willing to take advantage of people’s ignorance to make a buck. I give away what I’ve spent years of hard work learning. Altruism is great in itself, but it doesn’t pay the bills.
• Work around your schedule: I work 9-5 for my “day job”. I work every minute I can for my business. Sure, I could work around other things and make time for other activities, but that doesn’t make any money for my business. Every minute I’m not working, I’m loosing money. Flexibility, that depends on what you’re willing to give up.
• Enjoy the “Good Life”: If you call the “Good Life” being hunkered over a keyboard for 12-16 hours a day, 7 days a week good, then go for it.
• Save your marriage and spend time with your kids: My wife is my best friend. I love her with all my heart and a big reason I work all the time is to try to provide a decent life for her and our nephew. Yet, with all this time spent working, is it any wonder she has to IM me to get my attention sometimes? Sad, but true.
• Enjoy the personal freedom you’ve always wanted: I have no personal freedom. I work. It is who I am now. It’s what I do. I’m a machine in a human’s body.

Hindsight is 20/20

Why would I share such an intimate picture of my life with you here? Why would I post such a lengthy post about what’s wrong with being an Internet Professional? Why go against the status quot and say working at home is not the greatest thing since sliced bread? Simple, if I knew then what I know now, I would have spent eight years in college and would be making hundreds of thousands of dollars every year, even during a recession.

I don’t want to discourage anyone from following their dreams of becoming an Internet Professional. Hey, if you are OK with the sacrifices you may have to make and you don’t have an issue charging people for knowledge you obtained through free research, go for it! More power to you! I wish you all the success in the world.

For myself, I’m now investing the bulk of my energy in INBOX International, inc.. A very good friend of mine owns the company and is working just as hard for me as I am for him. Best of all, I have a paycheck every Friday and he doesn’t ask me to work after 5pm unless there is a real emergency with the servers. I still own my business and numerous websites, but I’d love nothing more than to get rid of all of them except this blog. Anymore, the cost of that business exceeds what it is worth to me. I’d rather have the time with my family than the money it generates.

Feel my pain? Share your experience!

What is more important to you, your conscience or money? Are you willing to sacrifice profits to end the day knowing that you’ve done no harm today, or are you more concerned with earning money?

Sure, I could go on with a 1,000+ word blog post about this topic, but it boils down to a simple question…

What are you willing to sacrifice to make a living online?

Seriously, think about it! Your answer will define every aspect of what you do online. I have my own answer, but that’s not what’s important to you. Think about the question and answer for yourself.

Recently, my buddy Samir Balwani tagged me with the meme 7 Things You Didn’t Know About Me. I’m a pretty open guy here on this blog, so it’s a bit of a stretch to come up with 7 things that I haven’t already put out in the wild here. Regardless, meme’s are a fun way to get to know people and this is my first, so let’s see what little tidbits are hiding behind the scenes.

1. I’m actually quite shy in real life: Yes, I know. This must come as a complete shocker. After all, I’m a blogger, consultant, am involved in open source and numerous social networks. How could anyone who is so far out in the public eye be shy? Simple, this medium we share empowers people. There is a certain safety a person feels as they sit in their home or office pecking away at the keys on a message destined to the endless abyss that is the Internet. There is a sense of disconnection that makes being social in spite of being a shy person possible. Having done this for several years, I’ve been able to port this mentality into the physical world and thus give lectures, teach classes and approach people I would have normally crossed the street to avoid. Yet still, I do not like crowds and do not like to bring attention to myself in real life. It just goes to show, you can be anyone you want to be online.
2. I was voted most likely to be dead before the age of 18: You know that crazy guy in your old highschool who was always up for some insane adventure? You know, that guy that was the hardest partier in the crowd who would do keg stands then jump over fires. The guy that thought climbing water towers when totally trashed was ‘cool’. Um, yeah, I was that guy. Fortunately, a back injury at 19 took away my ability to walk upright for a few months and that was pretty much the end of my ‘crazy’ days. I’ve since settled down quite a bit and now have an appreciation for prudence.
3. I use to work in construction and food service, among other things: Yup, before meeting my wonderful wife, I was a GED educated, hard working, back breaking laborer in construction and the wonderful food service industry. I’ve also done various jobs in appliance repair and delivery, I’ve worked in the fields flinging watermelons, I’ve worked in auto repair shops, and for some time, I even worked as a Machinist where I made the structure for high speed CO₂ etching lasers. Still have scars from that job. So, yeah, I know the value of a hard days labor.
4. I come from a big family that I never knew: Some total, I have 7 siblings. There is only one I have spent any real time with, that being my sister on my Mom’s side. Even then, we did not fully grow up together. My Mom chose to move to Florida when I was 7 and she raised me there until my mid teens. By the age of 17, I was on my own in the real world and never looked back. I keep contact with my Mom and her side of the family, but that’s about it. It’s not something I really talk about because, honestly, growing up so far away from them, you grow disconnected.
5. I’m not an SEO, or SMM, or Web Developer, or Server Administrator, or…: In fact, I reject your labeling and will not adhere to it! I don’t like labeling as a whole and nobody I know online can agree on ‘what James is’. The fact is, I don’t fit into anyone’s tidy little box. I do all of the above and many more things. While I’m certainly not unique as a whole, there are many ‘jacks of all trades’ out there, I am unique in that I am me. I label myself as a ‘web-a-holic’ so people have some clue what I do, but if you want to tag me with a professional label, the only one that fits is Consultant. That’s because I do a little bit of everything.
6. I’m a nature lover trapped in a geek’s body: I love nature, animals, tranquility, simple living, being one with my environment. I’d love nothing more than to grab a backpack with only tools in it and disappear into the mountains and become a part of nature. Just me, some basic tools and nature. However, having a wife, a child and a business does kinda put a damper on the whole mountain man gig, so I’ve put the gray matter to use online, doing what I do. Don’t get me wrong, I love my wife and kid and I’d even want to take them with me, but that isn’t going to happen, they’ve made that quite clear!
7. I have been diagnosed with ADHD, Dyslexia, and Anger management issues: In other words, I’m a bass ackwards jerk who can’t sit still. Seriously though, these are real issues that I struggle with daily. I don’t like to be quite this personal out in the public eye, but my story does serve a purpose. If a guy with a GED, mental health problems, a background of manual labor and physical injury can go from most likely to FAIL to being a college graduate (with honors) and who has become a success online, anyone can! If you want it bad enough, work for it, it will come.

So there you go. 7 Things You Didn’t Know About Me. Clearly, people are more than what meets the eye. I think the quotes that sums this meme up quite nicely are the immortal words from Shrek…

Shrek: NO. Layers. Onions have layers. Ogres have layers. Onions have layers. You get it? We both have layers.
[sighs]
Donkey: Oh, you both have layers. Oh. You know, not everybody like onions.

Well, not quite yet, but still, I’m honored and surprised none the less. Apparently those “special brownies” I shipped to Mike, Bill, Greg, Rand and Danny arrived in time!

You may wonder what I am talking about and why there’s a big rubber chicken on my blog. If you were not wondering this, oh well, I’m going to explain it anyways.

Recently, Mike Blumenthal announced opening of nominations for The 2007 Top 10 List of the Bizarre, Funny and/or otherwise Irrelevant blog entries in the Search World. In true attention whore fashion, I exposed myself… publicly and somehow managed to get on the list of nominations without having indecent exposure charges slapped on me.

In their infinite wisdom (or chemically induced euphoria¹), the judges saw fit to include one of my posts (The Internet Marketer’s Nightmare) as one of the Top 10 Finalists. While I certainly never expected that this laughable excursion into loose-lipped linguistics would ever achieve critical acclaim, I am truly honored to be in the running for such a prestigious award as The Columbo. It truly is an honor just to be nominated.

The nominees for this coveted award include some big names in the SEO/SEM industry and feature some of the most humorous posts made this year. Here’s a brief run-down.

• Want traffic? Rank for High Traffic Keywords…
• We Add Words to AdWords… Google Subtracts them
• Why eBay and Wikipedia rule Google’s SERPs
• SEOs home alone – Google’s nightmare
• 13 Things to Do When Your Loved One is Away at Conferences
• SEO High School Confidential – Premiere Edition!
• The Sphinn Awards – Part I & -Part II.
• Top 21 Signs You Need a Break From SEO (2007 version)
• 10 Signs That You May Be a Blog Addict
• The SEO’s Guide to Beginners
• The Internet Marketer’s Nightmare
• Mission Accomplished — Top Ranking in Google
• Google Interiors – the day my house became searchable

I must admit that I am extremely flattered to have one of my humble works included in a list of posts that feature famous bloggers such as Dave Winget, Sebastian, Rand’s Fiancée, Li Evans, Jeff Quipp, David Harry, Matt McGee, David Wallace, Mystery Guest [WTF?] and Jonah Stein. ²

You can vote on any of the above posts here; however, I would recommend stopping by Mike’s site and dropping a note in the comments as well. After all, he came up with this creative [and rather humorous] link bait… erm, I mean competition.

And now, if you will excuse me, I’m going to go wipe the brown off my nose, swish with some Listerine, and get back to casting my votes. Great link bait… erm, I mean competition Mike!

Don’t forget to cast your vote. I’ve included the following reminder to help you in the voting process.

Thanks for the votes!

[1] Don’t worry guys, you’re vision and appetite will return to normal in a few hours.
[2] Let me know when I can stop. All this ass kissing is leaving a bad taste in my mouth.