Thousands of intelligent, articulate progressives post entries to their blogs every day. A few of them make enough money from one source or another to do it full-time, but most do not. And that is not likely to change much.

But just because you can’t make enough money blogging to quit your day job doesn’t mean you can’t make a little money at it, and that’s what this site is here for. SustainableBlogging.com is committed to the idea that progressive political bloggers who publish worthwhile, timely material on a regular basis can earn a modest amount of money — enough to pay for hosting costs (for private hosting), a couple beers, and a nice meal, maybe — each month.

I can’t claim that I make a six-figure salary from blogging, and you won’t either after following my advice. The truth is, political blogging is not a lucrative activity for anyone who isn’t paid by a news organization, a blog network, a nonprofit, a candidate, or a supportive philanthropist. Blogging about consumer products or other heavily commercialized subjects generates far more advertising revenue than we ever will, and that comes with the territory.

As you might already know, there are hundreds of excellent web sites and blogs dedicated to the subject of making money as a blogger. Unfortunately, none focuses on those of us who write about public affairs, elections, and current events. Most of the information here is drawn from those sources, but it is tailored to more adequately meet our needs as a niche.

Here, I will blog about my experiences trying different methods of monetizing the web sites I’m involved in. We’ll also talk to other bloggers about their successes and failures, and hopefully we’ll have a lively discussion about them.

Use the information here as a tool to generate a little money from your progressive political blog. Keep it to pay for your costs or to convince yourself that blogging is “worth it,” or donate it to a worthy cause or campaign.