Putting Ads on Blogs: And Why I Can’t Do It Anymore
I’ve debated over the topic of whether I should have advertisements on ol’ gathering in light since I starting using wordpress back in February. Some of you have noticed the on and off frequency of this site having ads, this was because I was trying to see if I had reactions one way or the other. The only feedback I got was negative, “why do you have advertisements on your blog?”
I also wanted to see how much money I would make by having them up, well needless to say I
realized it didn’t really factor up to a hill of beans. I also realized that I will never be one of those “power-bloggers” (not to be confused with the power-team) where I make my living from writing articles on my blog and raking in revenue for google’s ad-sense. I guess even if that ever did happen I’ve decided to reserve this website as an ad-free place. I make it a point to not wear clothes that advertise, why should my internet persona be any different?
When posed with the question, “Why do you have ads on your blog?” I thought,”Now that’s a good question, so good in fact that I think I will take them off.”
My reasons for having ads on the site were:
1) Most of the really popular bloggers do it, why can’t I?
2) It makes it look more official.
3) I might be able to earn enough so that my blog pays for itself.
4) I like to try things out on my site – so why not try out ads on it?
My reasons for taking the ads off:
1) None of those top four reasons have any, or very little, to do with theological reasoning. #3 might be my only justification but I would have to reason it like this, “I shouldn’t spend money on a site, so if it earns enough to pay for itself then I am okay in spending the money.”
But let’s face it, not only is that circular reasoning, but my web host siteground (Just a heads-up, I’ve added my referral ID so if you sign-up via that link I will get a few free months) only charges $4.95 a month, I think I can cope with that. Plus I look at my having a site as “professional development” so its something worth investing in. Getting a referral to siteground every once in a while, as is the case, seems to be my one way in which I will accept a little “handout…”
2) A lot of really popular bloggers don’t have them.
3) I realized that as a Christian Quaker who tries to live out and encourage simplicity, frugality, and a middle finger to the big corporations and media conglomerates, advertising for these money hungry mongrels doesn’t really line up with anything I actually believe in(I am joking about the middle finger I don’t actually ever do that..yet).
4) My site actually looks better without ads.
5) I still can advertise for people and organizations that I do like without receiving money for it, just because I like what they are doing. Such as my little “buttons” at the bottom right corner of
this page.
6) If you take the ads off, you can get a really cool non-ad ad from the ad free blog site (another embedded ad).
7) I have decided to dedicated the bottom-middle spot of my footer for ads – if you’d like to get a one or two week spot, just depends on how busy I am, contact me and tell me why I should advertise for you and most likely I will.
I Don’t Mind Ads Elsewhere
Finally, I have a number of friends who have ads on their sites, I am not in any way, shape, or form attacking your usage of advertisements. I am sure that you have your own good reasons for using them, and frankly it doesn’t matter to me whether you do or don’t, but in my case I didn’t feel that it was really consistent with everything else I do, talk about doing and wish I’d do.
I am curious to hear thoughts from people who do use them, who don’t, and even from people who have blogs whether you mind ads or not.
tags technorati : advertisements ads_on_blogs making_money_blogging