Jason Kottke, who is somewhat of a celebrity blogger, decided to become a full-time blogger during the 2005 calendar year as a “social experiment.” The idea would be that he solely solicited contributions from readers for his principle livelihood while bloggin. The site has no advertising. So what did he rake in last year? What seemed like an average of about 1-2 posts per week on his site, Mr. Kottke received $39,900 from about 1450 contributors, or micropatrons. 99.9% of that was received in his 3-week fund drive last February. That’s an average of a little over $27/contributor.

The irony in all this is that his fund raising announcement last year really put his site on the map and opened up a window of opportunities for him. He is now writing a book and is actively performing speaking engagements around the country. He is looked upon by many as the de-facto blogger. $40k was only the start.

What’s the big deal? It is a reminder to me of just how fascinating the internet has made the economics of monetization. My grandma still can’t believe I work from home.