Everybody's bloggin'. Everybody in the manosphere, that is. There are hundreds of them. There are PUA blogs. There are anti-PUA blogs. There are MGTOW blogs. There are MRA blogs. There are female anti-feminist blogs. There are manosphere blogs about other manosphere blogs. And there are manosphere blogs devoted to giving other manosphere bloggers advice, like The Private Man.
What do they all have in common? Well, as Zosimus the Heathen pointed out in his last comment: everything. Remember the theme song of the old Patty Duke show? "They look alike, they talk alike, they even dress and walk alike." (Thanks a lot, Zosimus, now I'm going to be hearing that in my head all day!)
One of the memes of the manosphere is the "hive mind" of women, but Jezebel and Feministe ain't got nothing on these guys. They stay united by constantly commenting or repeating each other's comments. They band together at the virtual feet of their gurus, few of whom tolerate dissent within the ranks. Roosh is notorious for blocking the IPOs of commenters who fail to demonstrate the appropriate degree of fealty, while Paul Elam prefers to publicly eviscerate potential rivals to his throne. These tiny beleaguered sects cannot withstand much tension or challenge to authority before they splinter and fragment. And thus are born ever more blogs. Yet they're all pretty much singing the same tune, which goes something like this.
A preoccupation of many manosphere bloggers is figuring out how to spin straw into gold support their "masculine lifestyles" with blogging. (Cuz what's more manly than spending your days in your tighty-whities in front of a computer, kvetching endlessly about women?) In fact, Matt Forney is right now promoting on his blog his new self-published e-book about how to make money blogging and self-publishing e-books (even though he hasn't made any money yet and his stats aren't much higher than mine LOL).
Manosphere bloggers unite in their admiration of Roosh's ability to travel the world on the money he makes with his "Bang" guides. I'll admit I am myself rather curious how much income his blogging and self-publishing generate. Obviously, it's extremely variable. I've read blogs with high traffic can generate as much as $1000/month. Suffice to say he's no Stephen King, and, as his videos demonstrate, he lives frugally: in simple sublets overseas, in his father's basement stateside, schlepping his own panini-maker wherever he goes, and proudly refusing to buy drinks for the ladies (it's a matter of principle, doncha know).
Roosh
@rooshv
"And trust me it's not dope to be 25 and move back to your parents' basement" http://ow.ly/kuye4 Tell me about it
Manosphere blogging as a career choice is problematic on so many levels. One's potential readership is limited right out of the gate. (Of course, the manosphereans maintain this is just a matter of converting a critical mass of American youth.) As Delicious Tacos points out, he hasn't bothered to commercialize his blog because the potential profit doesn't justify the effort. And don't only manosphere readers buy manosphere e-books? And most of what is in their e-books is on their blogs anyway. Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?
Which reminds me of my mom's comment many years ago, when the shale oil boom collapsed, that the entire economy of Grand Junction, Colorado was being kept afloat by neighbors buying each other's stuff at garage sales.
Manosphere Blogging 101 – 21 Pieces Of Advice
There are many new, self-identified Manosphere bloggers cropping up ( some links below). I’m enthused by this. For all the new guys, I have some advice. I never thought that I’d be in the position to offer Manosphere blogging advice but after being at this for almost two years and with almost a million page views, I’ve learned a thing or two:1. Blogging requires patience and perseverance. Blogging for a couple of months and being disappointed is normal. A few hundred (if you’re fortunate) page views a day is to be expected until readers realize the seriousness of the blog. There are few, if any, home runs with blogging. Writers should only expect singles and doubles as page view counts grow.
2. Writing is work. For those not accustomed to writing often, it’s a serious chore. Not only must a man live his life, he has to be introspective and be willing to write about it. It’s not easy. You have been warned. Writing is work.
3. Manosphere writers, for now, are but humble pamphleteers (link below) and not real movers and shakers when it comes to shifting public opinion. The good news is that pamphleteers have an historic precedent of shifting public opinion. It just takes time and a critical mass of readership.
4. Commenters are the life blood of good blogs. A good blogger acknowledges and supports good comments. It doesn’t have to be often but it’s important that it’s done.
5. Haters gonna hate. Got hate comments? Nuke ‘em and ban ‘em. It’s your blog. It’s your real estate. If haters want to shit on your blog, moderate heavily and use the banhammer relentlessly. Don’t engage trolls… ever.
6. Spammers gonna spam. It’s vital that you check your spam inbox for legitimate comments because sometimes good comments get spammed out. Don’t let the spam folder get too full.
7. In the beginning, post often. These means three posts a week, at a minimum. When your blog gets some traction, you can cut back a bit, but not too much.
8. Brevity is the soul of wit. Posts needn’t be long. Rollo and Ian (links below) are the huge exception as their posts are usually quite long. You can’t be the exception to the rule until you’re well established. Three hundred words or so (well-written and concise) will do.
9. Comment on other blogs with meaningful comments that add to the original point(s). Dropping a brief comment just to generate traffic to your blog won’t do you any favors in the long run. Read the post. If you don’t have anything to offer, don’t comment.
10. Link to other blogs via your blogroll or your comments on your post. The other Manosphere bloggers will appreciate the links and be more willing to the link back to you.
11. Try to meet Manosphere bloggers and readers in real life. The Internet is not real life. Shaking a fellow man’s hand is real life. For example, I’ve got a live event coming up in March, 2013 (link below).
12. Find your niche. This will take time and your commenters will steer you in the right (write?) direction. As the Manosphere stands now, there are almost too many young men writing. For you young guys, consider focusing on a geographical or lifestyle niche on which to focus your concentration. Or, go personal as Danny (link below) has done.
13. Don’t give up. Patience and perseverance, remember?
14. Be willing to be a contributing author to group Manosphere blogs (links below). This will build your credibility and drive traffic to your blog. If you find yourself only able to post irregularly on your own blog, be willing to give that up and only be a contributing author to group blogs.
15. Be patient. Keep at it.
16. Post on forums with a link to your blog in your signature. There are loads of male-oriented forums that are not relationship of socially-focused oriented. Find the “other” category in gun, motorsports, sports, and male-oriented forums where men often go. Build a reputation there. Be taken seriously… then send them to your blog or other Manosphere blogs.
17. You want to monetize your blog? That’s a whole new level requiring far more time and effort. Don’t be half-assed about it. Go big or go home.
18. Respect your blogging elders. Rollo, Roissy, and Roosh are the starting points (links below) but there are many other Manosphere bloggers worth your attention and input. Check out my blogroll for a starting point. I don’t have them all.
19. Read the Red Pill women’s blogs (some links below). These dames are smart and worthy of serious consideration. They are also signs that life isn’t too bleak for the Red Pill man.
20. Don’t post hateful comments on blue pill blogs and forums. Once branded a hater, you lose credibility and that helps to lose credibility for the general Manosphere.
21. Men’s Rights Activists (MRAs) are part of the Manosphere. So is the Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW) crowd. That statement will get me some hate and I say tough shit.
Good luck, gentlemen. We’re doing something big here. Spread this advice.