Everywhere you look there's a new gadget blog launching. I'm just as much to blame, having just launched Strange New Products.
There are several hundred "general interest" gadget blogs, that seem to focus on anything and everything that could be construed as a gadget: Gizmodo, Engadget, Cool Tools, yada yada yada. These sites have some very respectable Google PR, 8, 8, and 7 respectively.
Then there are the special interest gadget blogs, that focus on gadgets meeting a specific parameter: Kitchen Contraptions and Design*Sponge.
Really, any niche has gadgets. Take for example, genealogy. There's always neat and cool things coming out. On my Genealogy blog I mentioned the "Cite Your Sources" post-it notes. Dick Eastman always blogs about the latest genealogy software for handheld computers. Then there's odd stuff like the "Birthstone Family Tree".
I bet you could find gadgetry in niches like Bingo, Barbecue, or Bowling.
So why are gadget blogs so successful?
I think it's because everyone likes news. Everyone wants to know about the latest stuff that's out there, and everyone is intrigued by the coolest new inventions, especially when it fits their specific hobby or profession. There's also an entertainment value in seeing cool and weird stuff.
Haven't we all been captivated into browsing a Sharper Image store, or a Brookstone store, and marveling over the cool looking gadgets?
In terms of monetizing this kind of content, well, I suppose there's always the Google AdSense workhorse. But don't count out the affiliate programs. For example, Sharper Image and Brookstone each have their affiliate programs. If these stores and others like them allow you to create a link to a specific product, then it's just a matter of doing just that everytime you blog about a new product.
In fact, one way to do a gadget blog is to monitor the newest products that these stores sell, and then blog about each one as it comes out, and create the affiliate link for it.
There are several hundred "general interest" gadget blogs, that seem to focus on anything and everything that could be construed as a gadget: Gizmodo, Engadget, Cool Tools, yada yada yada. These sites have some very respectable Google PR, 8, 8, and 7 respectively.
Then there are the special interest gadget blogs, that focus on gadgets meeting a specific parameter: Kitchen Contraptions and Design*Sponge.
Really, any niche has gadgets. Take for example, genealogy. There's always neat and cool things coming out. On my Genealogy blog I mentioned the "Cite Your Sources" post-it notes. Dick Eastman always blogs about the latest genealogy software for handheld computers. Then there's odd stuff like the "Birthstone Family Tree".
I bet you could find gadgetry in niches like Bingo, Barbecue, or Bowling.
So why are gadget blogs so successful?
I think it's because everyone likes news. Everyone wants to know about the latest stuff that's out there, and everyone is intrigued by the coolest new inventions, especially when it fits their specific hobby or profession. There's also an entertainment value in seeing cool and weird stuff.
Haven't we all been captivated into browsing a Sharper Image store, or a Brookstone store, and marveling over the cool looking gadgets?
In terms of monetizing this kind of content, well, I suppose there's always the Google AdSense workhorse. But don't count out the affiliate programs. For example, Sharper Image and Brookstone each have their affiliate programs. If these stores and others like them allow you to create a link to a specific product, then it's just a matter of doing just that everytime you blog about a new product.
In fact, one way to do a gadget blog is to monitor the newest products that these stores sell, and then blog about each one as it comes out, and create the affiliate link for it.
