Friday, September 15, 2006

Another Taboo Subject

No it's not abortion; nor is it same-sex marriage. The topic du jour is capitalism.

Kate has already alluded to this discussion with her post, "A Comment about our Advertisers". She has advertisers who work directly with her rather than using blog-ads. This way the page loads faster and she has more control over ad content.

I tried blog-ads for a while, but took them off for that very reason. I didn't particularly want my site being used to direct readers to a link where you could watch Godzilla fart!

Paypal is another option.

Some people just use blogs as a method to vent, influence opinion or escape boredom. However, others are looking to make some cash.

I'm just interested in hearing from anyone who has opinions and/or suggestions in this regard. Thanks in advance for your input!

21 comments:

OMMAG said...

Just some thoughts.
If you want to make your blog into a real business you need to get your own server space.
Set up a full function web site and post to your hearts content.

Once you do this you have full control over what transactions go through your site.
Downside is that it requires investment of time and money.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

PGP - That's an excellent point. Thanks.

Most of the higher-profile bloggers have their own domain names. You're right. Higher overhead, but more control. Blogger can be quite fickle at times.

OMMAG said...

Sounds like you are on the way to bigger and better things!

Bon Chance!

Joanne (True Blue) said...

PGP, thanks, but I'm just considering various options at this time. ;)

Anonymous said...

What is the business model? People read your writings, participate in discussion, and advertisers pay for the eyeballs?

I remember some discussion of google adsense, someone clicked on ads from their own site and adsense dropped them for "cheating". If they know it is you, why not just skip counting your self hits? So your kid has a friend over, and they go to laugh at mom's blog (just kidding), and they click on an ad and now you are banned?

pgp is right, you need your own server space/domain name to go big in this.

The big question is: How do those bloggers become "higher profile" in the first place?

Would you try to be (more) controversial to attract readers? For example, I detest Rachel Marsden (well her writing anyway), but I read her annoyingly sarcastic column whenever the Sun runs it, and hope they don't find out anyone reads her.

She annoys me enough that I've thought of going to her blog and commenting, but she is a known stalker and I don't need the crap. I'm mostly kidding about that, but it illustrates a point about having your own server space. I can turn off cookies and scripting and probably you (or sitemeter) won't be able to find where I come from. I think you would have to go through hoops with blogger to use the site connect records. Not as easy as what you can do on your own site. So I seldom comment on non-blogger (or typepad etc) blogs.

Speaking of "being controversial", does Jack Layton have a blog? I commented at Zac's about how Jack's best financial course is basically what he is doing, so he stays party leader and stays an MP long enough to get the big pension (times 2 with the missus if she can last as well). Maybe he's raking it in off web ads too...

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Ha! Liberal Supporter, you sound like Letterman on a roll today! You need your own blog. Seriously!!!

I promise I would be a regular visitor.

Red Tory said...

A very tiny sliver of the blogging community makes money from this activity. Some utilize the “tip jar” method (not sure how well that works) and others, depending on their traffic, are able to attract paid advertisements (again, not sure how that works out). I experimented with Google’s AdSense for a month and found it to be a complete annoyance. Also, I never made a single penny from it. I just wanted to see how it worked and the results were laughable. For example when I posted about left-wing “moonbats” (yes, I do that from time to time), the ads that popped up for days and days afterwards were promoting sites devoted to astrology, weird pagan religions and so on. No thank you. Zap went the Google ads.

BTW, since when is capitalism a “taboo” subject? We all have to eat, don’t we?

Kunoichi said...

BTW, since when is capitalism a “taboo” subject? We all have to eat, don’t we?

LOL You wouldn't believe how much it's taboo!

Just as an example, I am a member of a large online Canadian home school community. I love it. It's a gold mine of support and information, filled with a wonderful diversity of people. I can go anywhere in Canada and find friends because of this group. Just don't ever mention starting your own business, or being wealthy. A very large and vocal segment of the group views capitalism and wealth as evil. Money is evil, rich people get rich at the expense of poor people, somehow managing to force them to remain poor, and capitalism is the reason the environment is in trouble, third world countries remain third world, and terrorism has reared its ugly head. While outright flame wars don't happen on this group (it's amazingly civil - another reason I love it), some things just should never be discussed there.

Capitalism is almost as taboo a subject as spanking and Santa Clause.

Red Tory said...

Kunoichi -- While the distribution of wealth in our society can be the subject of sometimes heated and passionate debate, it’s certainly by no means a “taboo” -- at least not amongst the liberals I know.

Oh, and I'm pretty sure we'd all agree that Santa is a good thing.

Jay said...

Personally I hate ads but they have a place and if your intent is to make money it would probably be advisable to have some control over what is displayed. I saw a flux capicatator for sale on one blog and a grandmother for sale on another.

If you go with a web page, your domain name will typically be around $25 a year and you can buy it for upto ten years usually. You could get web service from a provider like rogers which has its own ad server included and support for online shopping, and many personal email address customized to you domain name. They offer many levels of service. I think they start at about $40. You get access to your web stats as well. Competitors should be priced similarly and with same options.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Jay, thanks for the info on that.

Red, yeah, I found that quite amusing too. I did a post on the problems with universal childcare, and got ads telling me where to get it.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Sorry - Meant "National Daycare"; not "universal childcare."

Note to self: Never blog when tired.

Anonymous said...

No, no, no!
Money is evil!
Get rid of it now!

Send it to me, I am specially trained to handle it.

Kunoichi said...

RT - for a lot of people, it *is* a taboo subject. On the one side, capitalism is nothing but greed, while on the other, it's the solution to all the world's problems. You wouldn't believe some of the agruements and comments I've heard from both sides of the spectrum (and I've never particularily noticed it as being a conservative/liberal thing, though the NDP sure seem to take "capitalism is evil" point of view).

Oh, and I'm pretty sure we'd all agree that Santa is a good thing.

Didn't you know? Santa is just the epitome of the evils of capitalism. That and parents who further the myth that Santa is real are lying to their children, risking permanent damage to their innocent psyche's when they learn the truth, never again being able to trusnt and believe anything their parents tell them. Parents to play into the myth of Santa on behalf of their children are psychologically abusing them.

Oh, and you'll noticed that the word Santa is just the scrabbled letters of Satan, so those who follow the myth of Santa are just devil worshipers in disguise.

I thought everyone knew that?

(turning sarcasm off now... ;-) )

Anonymous said...

cherniak_wtf:
Canada was successfully held together because the separatists did not have access to the best advertising minds, to help sell their viewpoint. The "effective advertising denial" programme involved hiring the creme de la creme of the advertising world in Quebec and paying them to sit on the sidelines. The separatists couldn't just turn and hire some agency out of Toronto, and hope their French is good enough to produce compelling ads, and agencies from France were too busy laughing at the colonials, with their funny accents, and weird words like "patate", to be of any help.

So other than my hearfelt thanks, oops, I mean my resignation to shouldering the burden, there is nothing for those sending me their evil cash, other than the freedom of being rid of it.

======
And what about the New York Islanders hockey team, with a player named Satan?

Anonymous said...

What? No mention of how the "do nothing" Liberals sabotaged the federalist campaign, turning an easy win into a likely seperatist victory. No mention of the tens of thousands ordinary Canadians who travelled to Montreal and reversed the seperatist tide. It's amazing how good the Liberals make themselves look when they rewrite history.

Anonymous said...

Hey swift, it's easy when there is so much material to work from to make it look good or bad.

The come from behnd approach, complete with the mobilization of thousands of ordinary Canadians worked out exactly as it was supposed to.

Anonymous said...

If you really believe your own lies you'll always be a Liberal supporter, never a Liberal insider.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

O.K. I must admit that I have been absent from this blog the last couple of days, due in part to the fact that my sister and brother-in-law are fabulous hosts! Awesome weekend, guys!!! Thanks so much.

The wine, the hot-tub, golf, the amazing ribs!!! - Emeril special. Oh, and those Mexican pies! Yum! :)

I think I finally figured out the art of putting. Must practice all winter.

Well, thanks to my readers for carrying on without me. I hope to catch up real soon!

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Kunoichi - Christmas will never be the same! :(

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Cheriak - lol!!!

I peeked in once in a while from my sister's and scanned for any swear words, etc. You guys are awesome! Just carrying on without me. No fights. Just great debates. Wow.