This situation has served to intensify the scramble for reader traffic and loyalty among blogs and with more and more blog owners becoming aware of their blog's potential to make money, it is expected that this mad scramble will not only not let up but will, in fact, get even more intense over time.



This is why the idea of creating what is now popularly known as a "blog network" has proven to be a wise one especially for the serious bloggers.

Loosely defined, a blog network is nothing more than clusters of blogs that are linked together and bound under one common name or banner. These blogs unite either for commercial purposes or to help one another promote each other's blog. An example of some of the bigger and more prominent blog networks online today are Gawker Media and Weblogs, Inc. There are many other smaller ones and new ones are emerging by the minute.

For those who are curious to know who make up the over 70 blog networks in existence today, there is a comprehensive list available online at the Blog Network List page. A survey of the list confirms that blog networks come in a variety of configurations ranging from the very large ones with a great number of blog members attached to them to the smaller, more tightly focused networks that target specific niche topics.

While becoming a member of a blog network seems to be the best option for bloggers who want to insure the success of their blogs, there are those who claim that there is a negative side to this.

As in all business decisions that need to be made, the best method would be to first review the pros and cons of the decision.

First the pros. As a member of a blog network you are assured of a certain amount of revenue derived from adsense placements on your network. You also increase the chances of your blog's name coming up during Google searches of certain topics. A wide range of expertise that you may need for the effective maintenance of your blog is available to you as a member of a blog network not to mention you enjoy a certain degree of influence which increases with each new blog added to your blog network.

Now come the cons. As a member of a blog network you do not enjoy a hundred percent of the revenue your site generates. You are also bound to the values, beliefs and behavior of the other members of the network so that, if anything bad happens, you will also be judged as guilty by association. Another downside of joining a blog network is that your blog will be located next to some very nice looking blogs and you have to insure that you do not suffer by comparison. Moreover, some of your readers may not like the idea of their favorite blogs getting too much traffic and attention as a result of the activities of the blog network.

The decision to join or not join a blog network rests solely on you. Just make sure you choose the option that you will be happy with and which will ultimately redound to a more fulfilling blogging experience for you.