Blogging for yourself versus blogging for a network is a bit like choosing to rent your house versus buying it. Both have plusses and minuses.

Like most large businesses, there’s no way we can respond to everyone. Without going into detail, we’d essentially need a f/t person just to *respond* to the applicants.

That being said, the majority of applications I see come via the form are terrible. IMHO, the best way to get on our radar is to a) comment regularly on the blogs you are interested in, b) comment with authority and fairness (in other words, don’t fly off the handle, try to be logical and stay on topic) and c) start your own blog and show us how it’s done! This is how I got my job.

Ed, Grant pretty much summed up what I’d say to your questions. I’d say there is a considerable amount of turnover, and that Weblogs pays in line with the industry at large (which isn’t saying a lot since everyone has different methods– just ask a Gawker Media blogger).

In the end you’re either in this for the passion of your interests or you’re in this to make reams of cash. We look for passionate bloggers, not money-chasers.

1. It’s tough, but it’s doable. Turnover is a problem, but it is manageable if you plan accordingly and pay attention to your team. Keeping talent has a lot more to do with creating a supportive and positive environment than it does with monetary compensation.

2. Which dovetails nicely into this.. Although money is a motivating factor, as it is in (most) all things, looking at money as a way to keep talent is in my opinion the wrong approach. A blogger motivated only by compensation isn’t a blogger I want on my team. We pay well, but someone will always be willing to pay more. It’s the same but inverse rule to competing on price alone in a market.. eventually you’ll price each other out of business and no one wins. The more effective tactic is to recruit carefully, create a brand and product (i.e. site) that people _want_ to be associated with, and offer as much help, guidance, support and bloglove as you possibly can to both your bloggers and your readers. A positive environment where a team works together cohesively is a far more powerful motivator for the right writers. Sure, someone may offer one of my bloggers more money, that’s only fair.. The environment I strive to create at Download Squad is a powerful value-add which a writer would leave behind to go work somewhere else. In most cases, that’s more effective for retention than simply throwing more money at the problem.

I’m working on a guest post for Problogger myself, which will go into way more detail on the strategies I employ to grow traffic and keep my team working together. It’s something I’m very passionate about, and I’ve worked very hard over the time I’ve been at Download Squad to refine what I we do to a science. I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts with the community, and getting some feedback.

Also, if you’re interested in more on how we work, both Victor and I (and Scott McNulty of TUAW) were featured in Michael A. Banks’ book, “Blogging Heroes” which you can find on Amazon. It’s a good read, and not just for *us*. Gina Trapani (Lifehacker), Scoble, Frauenfelder (Boing Boing) and a ton of other insightful people contributed to the book.

http://tinyurl.com/2sr2w4

Q: How difficult is it to find and hold onto top talent? Is there much turn-over in blogging?

Q: Are bloggers being paid what they are worth? How important is pay to attract and retain talent at WIN?