According to recent news reports, the city of Philadelphia is now charging a $300 licensing fee for bloggers. On one hand, this is just another good reason that I moved out of Philadelphia to the suburbs. This is a really bad idea for most bloggers. First of all, most bloggers do not make money, even those who have ads on their websites. It often takes years to develop enough of an audience to make money from programs such as Google AdSense. The linked CNN article quotes a Philadelphia blogger who has made a total of $11 in two years. Charging a $300 licensing fee to people who are unlikely to make $300 is unfair and will discourage many people from blogging. If a city were to do something like this, they should limit it to bloggers who have made at least $1,000. What’s your opinion? Is this a valid way for a city to make money or do you think it will discourage people from blogging? Please comment below.
