I Blog, Therefore I Sham?

If you’re among those who believe that blogging is the key to early retirement, I’m about to burst your delusional bubble.

Cindi from Moomette’s Magnificents recently showed off that some lead harvesting business opportunity site calculated her blog as being worth $31,049.70.

Knowing I’d sell my children for half that amount I decided to see how much my beloved blog was worth.

Any takers?

Thanks Technorati! I suppose you’re doing this out of spite after I made fun of you when your company completely botched my listing, but blackballing me and submarining my blog’s value in retaliation is just plain cruel.

As if the $0.00 value wasn’t insulting enough, they had the audacity to encourage me to put this button on my blog…to copy the code and “show off” the result to others. “Hey everyone! Look how much I suck!”

I fully embrace the fact that the blogging landscape has changed but I find it hard to believe that my blog is worthless. Not even a few pennies? I obviously have some work to do if I’m going to enjoy the kind of lifestyle that blogging has bequeathed to Dooce and a handful of others.

Truth be told, I think blogging is one of the most thankless jobs on the planet. So much so that Money Magazine recently ranked Blogging slightly below Mollusk Shucker in stature. This is a far cry from a few years ago when bloggers were ranked up there with the Pope.

Not too long ago, if you told people you were a blogger, they looked at you with some degree of awe because the media was all aflutter with blogging success stories. If you were a blogger, you were among the regal. It was an “I Blog, Therefore I Am” kind of thing.

Today? Not so much.

Over the last few months, bloggers have faced unprecedented scrutiny and have taken more than their fair share of shots from the media that once adored them. Tell someone you’re a blogger today and watch as they clutch their purse a little tighter. Tell someone you loved Avatar and prepare to follow your recommendation with a disclaimer.

The media is no longer having a love affair with the blogging community. It’s like having a vindictive ex-girlfriend after a bad breakup. Today, if you’re a blogger, you’re among the shady. It’s now an “I Blog, Therefore I Sham” kind of thing.

Perhaps this is why my blog is worthless. That and the fact that I haven’t made a post in weeks due to the holidays and an excruciatingly busy work schedule.

But I can’t help but think that Technorati is behind this in some way. Thumbing their nose at me and ruining my plans for retirement over a few sarcastic words.

In retrospect, I suppose I should remember that I blog for fun. Monetizing my blog was never the reason for its creation so I shouldn’t be surprised that a balled up piece of aluminum foil is worth more to people.

I need to remember why I do it. Because I love to write, I love to try and make people laugh, and I love the connections I make.

At least this is what I’ll tell myself as I cry myself to sleep tonight.