Interesting article on The Economist about “pro” blogging, whatever that means. Let me speak to this subject a little.

Not that anyone was reading at the time, but my very first post to this blog, was, appropriately, announcing that I quit my day job to blog pro. At the time that meant losing my healthcare and corporate benefits and taking a significant five-figure cut in pay to go work for a small piece of the Engadget pie.

Not that it should sound that risky. Having been with Engadget since almost the very beginning, I knew our publication’s meteoric rise wasn’t going to end in tears. About four months after I came on board we got bought, something I saw coming since early 2005. I was hired as a full-fledged AOL employee, possibly among the first in the world to do nothing but blog for a living for a major company who provided benefits, health care, and expense cards. If you think AOL is old-guard-internet, you’re so wrong.

Of course not every startup gets bought by insert major company here. I won’t say Engadget didn’t have the right start; when Peter Rojas and Jason Calacanis get behind something — even in 2004 — it’s bound to draw some attention. Granted, WIN took care of a lot of the overhead and the backend, the business and the sales. All we had to do was find great writers and write great content. But we didn’t get to be number one by slacking, even despite the boost. We worked like crazy day in and out, and we still do. If anyone thinks it’s easy, thinks it’s a cakewalk, you’re wrong about that, too. It’s fun, but it’s bar-none the hardest job I’ve ever had, and quite possibly the hardest job I will ever have.

If you’ve ever heard Pete, Jason, or anyone else (myself included) talk about blogging pro, that’s the line. If you want it badly enough, it’s yours for the taking — but be prepared to bust your ass for as long as it takes to make that goal a reality. Don’t think months, think years. We’ve all worked dead-end jobs where our intelligence and capabilities go totally overlooked. Blogging, that’s not really a possibility. And that may well be my favorite part about this business — everything about it is a direct meritocracy. When your work is on display for millions to see, illusions and politics are essentially moot, and those with an ego are the first against the wall. You’re reciprocally pushed to excel, and that’s something no desk at a day job will ever offer.