Comments on: Blogging 4 Bux, cont’d http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/05/20/blogging-4-bux-contd/ Same old blog, brand new place Sun, 12 Oct 2008 00:04:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: John Caddell http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/05/20/blogging-4-bux-contd/#comment-52511 John Caddell Tue, 20 May 2008 14:33:46 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/05/20/columbus-and-i/#comment-52511 Doc, I've found that the blogs on my RSS list with the most advertising are read the least. And I've banished a few from that list that got too commercial. The ads get in the way visually, and also hover over the posts themselves. "Is that guy talking about this particular email marketing package because he's being paid to?" So a post has to be really powerful to cut through that background noise. Few are. A blog is a self-promotional vehicle at some level regardless. Without ads, it is certainly clear who is being promoted: the author. (Disclosure: I host a strip of Google ads on my blog, as an experiment. I hope to make enough this month to pay for a dirty Chai at my local coffee shop, with a tip.) Regards, John Doc, I’ve found that the blogs on my RSS list with the most advertising are read the least. And I’ve banished a few from that list that got too commercial.

The ads get in the way visually, and also hover over the posts themselves. “Is that guy talking about this particular email marketing package because he’s being paid to?” So a post has to be really powerful to cut through that background noise. Few are.

A blog is a self-promotional vehicle at some level regardless. Without ads, it is certainly clear who is being promoted: the author.

(Disclosure: I host a strip of Google ads on my blog, as an experiment. I hope to make enough this month to pay for a dirty Chai at my local coffee shop, with a tip.)

Regards, John

]]> By: Crosbie Fitch http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/05/20/blogging-4-bux-contd/#comment-52489 Crosbie Fitch Tue, 20 May 2008 10:57:58 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/05/20/columbus-and-i/#comment-52489 Well, I'm currently working on a widget to enable a blogger's readers to pledge a penny per article, so I'm pretty confident about the possibilities of a decent revenue model for bloggers, i.e. making money without cannibalising one's integrity and audience's goodwill. However, I am sympathetic with the idea that bloggers being rewarded for promoting something else (by its merchant) may not have so much of a future. Well, I’m currently working on a widget to enable a blogger’s readers to pledge a penny per article, so I’m pretty confident about the possibilities of a decent revenue model for bloggers, i.e. making money without cannibalising one’s integrity and audience’s goodwill.

However, I am sympathetic with the idea that bloggers being rewarded for promoting something else (by its merchant) may not have so much of a future.

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