What starts as casual blogging could turn into much more. Zach Brooks is proof. His blog, discussing cheap lunches around Manhattan, earned him $1,000 this month. It's called Midtown Lunch, and it receives about 2,000 readers daily. Brooks is part of an emerging group of bloggers with a couple thousand hits a day that's also earning a couple thousand dollars each month. According to this Yahoo! News article, programs like Google's AdSense are helping bloggers tap into online advertising dollars. According to the Internet Advertising Bureau, advertisers spent $16.9 billion online in 2006. In the first half of 2007, online advertising already reached almost $10 billion.

For Brooks, his blogging has also led to other opportunities. Not only has be met close friends through his site, but he's also scored freelance writing assignments.

A new social networking site is giving restaurateurs an online spot to chat industry talk with other like-minded foodies. It's called FohBoh, a combination of the insider terms "front of house" and "back of house." According to Springwise.com's newsletter, it's a vertical social network dedicated to those involved in the global restaurant industry. Tools include personal profiles, blogs, forums, groups, photos and videos. Right now, registration is free, but the site will eventually offer a subscription service that includes access to a job bank and restaurant marketplace. In addition, the site will promote interaction outside of its web world through sponsored live events around the globe for networking and education.

The holiday season wasn't too merry for most retailers, according to MasterCard Advisors, a division of the credit card company. Analysts say higher gas prices, a slowing housing market and a tight credit market all contributed to bleak holiday spending. MasterCard Advisors found that spending from Thanksgiving to Christmas rose 3.6 percent over last year--the weakest performance in the last four years. Comparatively, sales grew 6.6 percent in 2006 and 8.7 percent in 2005. Though the beginning of the shopping season held promise with strong demand for must-have electronics, that demand trailed off in December.

On the other hand, luxury purchases rose 7.1 percent. Analysts say the biggest winners this holiday season are Wal-Mart and Best Buy. But shoppers aren't ready to throw in the towel just yet--MasterCard Advisors predicts shoppers will spend about $60 billion over the next seven days.