The topic of moving creative content off-shore is a topic that hasn’t yet reached any kind of critical mass amongst bloggers, but I predict it one day will. The NYT article, for example, mentions how its possible that some bloggers are making somewhere in the range of $250 per month as an average. Yep — certainly hard to live off of. Even if you’re working at, let’s say 10 of these such blogs a month, earning $2500 can be a meagre set of earnings for the amount of work that it requires.

But what if you live in a place where the cost of living is low — and, I mean *really* low, compared to the United States?

And what happens if you live in a place where English just happens to be an official language?

Well, you might do all right on $250 USD per month.

For those bloggers restricted to the North American blogosphere, I ask you to turn your gaze east — far, far to the east. In places like the Philippines, the blogosphere is alive and well, and, might I add, kicking ass. I have quite a bit of personal experience with Philipino bloggers as one of them as the Tech editor of b5media (where DJI resides), Jayvee Fernandez, the former editor of the BlogHerald was a Philipino blogger, Abe Olandres, and the current assistant editor of the BlogHerald is a Philipino blogger, J. Angelo Racoma.

I’ve had a chance to work with bloggers from around the world, and I’ve got to say that, pound for pound, bloggers *not* from North America, but who are from areas where English is an official language, can write just as well as their North American counter parts, and are just as hungry for blogging jobs where they can find them.

India is another good example, like the wildly successful Amit Agarwal of Digital Inspiration.

In addition to bringing a different perspective to their blogging, the most important difference is not that they’re willing to settle for less — but that the current standard of blogging pay is more acceptable to them. The return on their time and effort is simply more worthwhile.

And if blogging can be a solitary and lonely activity which requires a great deal of upfront personal capital to develop your own voice, your own brand, and more importantly, experience with blogging competencies — well, I could see how it would be easier to stick with it if what you were being paid was worth more.

Is the opposite true of bloggers living in places like Europe? Do they have to work harder for their blogging dollar? I suppose, if they’re being paid with rates on this side of the Atlantic.

But the New York Times asks the question — “Can Blogs Become a Source of Jobs?”

I think the answer is more nuanced if you look at blogging from a global point of view. And I think that for bloggers who are being paid in American dollars, the answer is a more convincing yes for those living in places where the standard of living is lower — and they get a higher return on their time and effort. Certainly with respect to quality — of writing, of work, of effort — my experience is that they’re *at least* on par with their North American counter parts.

I guess the bigger question is that as blogging evolves as a global phenomonon AND as a genuine business enterprise, will we see more and more content creation move “offshore?”

And if it does, what will happen when the North American blogosphere takes notice?