Image via CrunchBaseI have been thinking of ways to blend those things that I truly love into ways of making money. Like most of us, especially those who have been collecting layoff notices lately know, it is tough out there to find a new job. I am not looking, but any smart person right now is working out what they could do if they are laid off, and then taking immediate steps to start getting those plans happening now, rather than waiting until you get the layoff notice.

We are also more than one-dimensional when it comes to the things we are doing, and the things we like. For example, I own a bookstore, and I write many book reviews not just for my store, but also put them into Amazon as well. These book reviews do ok, and have a decent rank in relationship to Amazon and its book review system. I mostly write book reviews for Science Fiction and Comic books because that is what I carry. I have been seriously thinking about approaching IO9 for a test run, I’ll write science fiction book reviews on the web site, but we can do this on a “let’s build an audience” basis. The offer is basically, I will build the audience, you provide me the books to review, and I’ll post on io9 first, and then use the io9 Amazon book review to pump the site. Later on, I will rewrite them for my own web site and my own Amazon book review ranking. Let io9 have them first for a month, start building an audience, and you pay me based on the number of page views.

This would a win for everyone concerned, they get content free while I build out a following, I get to learn to write better book reviews, I get to reuse the material, they sell more advertising, I make money, they make money, we all win. The approach has to be from a “win win” process, and you have to make sure that you can commit the time to make quality content, and post regularly. For the unemployed, this is a great way to fill time after sending a few hundred resumes for the day.

This might be an approach that other bloggers or other writers want to use as a way to get attention for themselves, work with a hobby or something they do already, and maybe make a few dollars on the side. While the blog network is under no obligation to hire you, the idea that you are willing to work for audience share could help throw you over the wall. It helps if you are already established, but there is no reason why you could not do this. I would expect that many of the blog networks would initially say no, either as a fear response, a quality of writing response, or just about any other reason you could think of.

The idea is to make the compelling argument, using the words “free” at first, and show the blog network that you are thinking of approaching that you are familiar with or comfortable with their way of doing things. IO9 usually posts an article very ½ hour except over night, keeping a steady stream of material coming. These are the kinds of details that you are going to want to know, and show the blog network that you have paid attention to what they are doing and how they operate. Worth a shot, plays on the strengths of the blogger, and as long as they are still floating, have money (even though money is tight right now in the blog networks), if you are already doing it, and already known for that niche, it might not be a bad idea to use this approach.

The worst thing that can happen is that they will say “no” while you are merrily going on with what you were doing in the first place. Anyone try this idea yet? If you have tried this let us know how it went, did it work, was it worth it?

Tags: unemployment, making money, side job, work, hobby, blog network, what you do best, thought, idea, positive, time