Blogging is the latest craze all over the internet universe. I call it a "universe" because there seem to be endless opportunities in this virtual world for just about everybody. It's like the American dream. If you have a genuine idea and you are willing to work hard, then nobody can stop you from becoming rich and famous, no matter what age, what religion or what nationality you belong to. But how have blogs helped so many people make so much money in such a short time? Well, you'll have to read and find out.

While blogs were initially started as just a place where somebody could express their feelings about something or just as a web space to write something down, very soon people realized that a blog was more than just a scribbling pad or a personal diary. Blogs can be said to have been rediscovered as a great marketing tool and then there was a sudden explosion in the number of blogs and the things that people were doing with them.

People started using blogs to market their products. Companies started using blogs as a place where they could get their consumer's feedbacks. In fact companies like Ford Motor Company, Honda etc. even asked people to give suggestions as to what they would want to get changed in an existing model and what they would like to be different in an upcoming model. Thus blogs suddenly became so famous that hundreds of people could be found discussing at the same time and making it a really lively place.

But where there's such a crowd, there's also an opportunity for generating revenue out of advertising. This is where the monetary benefit of running a blog comes into play. If you run a popular blog, one where you have a loyal visitor base and where people have a lot of fun and get some value for the time they spend, then you too can make a lot of money. You want to know how?

A popular blog is like a popular website where you can always make a lot of money through advertising. There are various methods by which you can make money out of advertising.

1. Sell your advertising space to an advertising company for a fixed amount (this is particularly favorite amongst the more famous and active blogs). This way you get your money every month or in lump sum for a fixed period of time. You don't have to worry about the advertising anymore.

2. The second method which is the most widely used is tying up with companies like Google Adsense which place ads on your blog and pay you on Pay Per Click basis. So every time somebody who visits your blog and clicks on any of the ads placed by Google AdSense, you get a small commission. The more the visitors, the more the clicks. The more the clicks, the more the money that you make.

3. The third way and the least practiced is by finding advertisers on your own and placing their banners and ads on your blog. While in this way you don't have to share your advertising revenue with anyone, you'll have to do all the running around. This is preferable only if you have some solid contacts and a long term contract for advertising.

One of the things that you must always ensure while seeking advertisers is relevance. If you are blogging about health and fitness, then an ideal advertiser on your blog would a company that manufactures or sells health products or fitness equipments.

And to ensure maximum number of visitors, keep your content absolutely to the point while using appropriate keywords to help the search engine locate your blog.

Also if you have decided to find sponsors for your blog on your own it would be wise to not put too many ads for two reasons. The first one is that too many ads may distract and irritate the visitor and keep him or her from coming back. Also if your blog is popular and the advertising space is less, you can charge your sponsors more.