OP - There are a lot of reasons to blog and a lot of opportunities to monetize your blog. Are you thinking about going with ads or affiliate links or something else? Heck, you could even just accept donations and sponsorships of your posts.

I think the important thing is not to bog just for money. You should blog about what you're passionate about so that your enthusiasm for the topic comes out in all your prose. If you continue to do that, you'll continue to grow a reliable readership and continue to increase your monetization opportunities.

The route I'm taking for optimization is one of showing my skills and offering services. If you can become an expert on a domain through your blog posts and blog offerings, that's when you can really make the buco bucks from becoming a "consultant."

Good luck with your decision!

My main reason for blogging isn't monetary. I pretty much just write/rant about random things. That's not to say I won't put any effort into making some money. It can't hurt to try - as long as you dont have ads all over the place raping my eyes, I think it's just fine and dandy.

At first i am blogging just for fun and share something with my friend,but at the end i monetize them with adsense and affiliate.Now i am work harder for money.

I think for me it will be a bit of both. I love writing but both Hubby and I are very creative people and if we can make money from blogging all our ideas, that will give us more free time to be even more creative. I hate working nine to five doing a job I despise and for someone that doesn't appreciate my work.

@nickohrn - being a consultant - I like it it seems that many bloggers are eventually becoming consultants - at least some of the pro bloggers I know.

Cheers all!

A few months back I started a Lens (Squidoo) just
to show my biz downline members a better explanation
of the company we are involved in and show my
progress. Keeping the communication lines open.

I got some good reviews and encouragement to
keep it going which I did and started a blog as
well. Now I have a hosted Blog. Still learning from
my fellow bloggers on how to improve and traffic
build but eventually I would like to earn an income
from my blog, indirectly for my affiliate programs
and directly from the blog itself.

The best of two worlds...enjoy blogging and developing
an income from it.

Gord

@arleigh - does that also include monetisation?

I just blog for the sole reason of blogging but someone suggested that I put Adsense on it just for the small change. Blogs earn, but not enough to consider it a livelihood.

No, i don't blog for money. Because that would be like job, and I blog to relax by writing online. No other purpose yet. May be some where in future, I will think about making money from it.

I blog to promote my site and help increase its traffic..

I do blog not just for money but to share my ideas and views regarding some of my interests. It is hard to get the desired traffic and even more hard to write the articles which would drive in the traffic. Making money is secondary but surely another way to make some extra income with your blog.

i'm blogging simply because i enjoy sharing my stories and personal experiences.

If somebody is serious to make money by blogging, I could offer my mobile blogging platform to use. Besides banner ad network you could charge directly pay per view basis.
At least it's my direction to earn myself living and as there wasn't any suitable software platforms available, I had to write it myself.
Opened a test blog at wapblog.freehostia.com so you could enter it to your mobile phone browser.
If somebody is interested to write short articles to this community, please let me know and I will open an account.

Thanks guys for the insights!

I do blogging just for money & Fun

Blogging should start with interest. Then after decent flow of traffic,then think about how to earn from those traffic. Blogging is very powerful these days and can help a lot to uplift the earning if managed well.

Well said, jackdun!

I've had a blog that started out with money making in mind - no interest. End result? in a month, I stop posting and discard the blog.