Obviously, these aren't the real titles, but the message of many of these articles is pretty close to them. It always bothers me when I get an e-mail like that, because I don't like being criticized for being a workaholic. I know that the advertisers don't mean to criticize me, but at the same time I'm not going to promote an article that describes all the reasons why my lifestyle and my identity are completely messed up. Though there have been some negative consequences (which I'll write about later) that occurred because of my obsession with work, at the same time my life is not solely about work. But being a workaholic is part of who I am, and I'm not going to apologize for it.
Some of the advertisers have actually offered to pay me, anything from small sums like ten dollars to Amazon gift cards. It would be nice to earn a little extra cash, but the problem with those ads is that I'm not even sure how long I'm supposed to keep them up. What if it's for as long as I have this blog? What if I get tired of seeing them up there and I want to take them down? Will I even be allowed to do that, or will I have to give the money back? And there are some products that I'd rather not advertise anyway, like those articles about how bad workaholics are.
On the other hand, there's nothing wrong with including ads on your blog. It's your choice and your blog, so you have the right to include what you want on it. I also don't think that the advertisers are necessarily doing anything wrong by trying to persuade bloggers to promote their products. Obviously, the advertisers have caught on to the fact that they can now reach consumers not just through TV and print ads but also through social networking sites, especially since so many people are on these sites.
But if I did include ads on my blog, I'd be tempted to throw in my two cents rather than let the advertisers have the last word. Here are a few examples: (Side note: the products listed below aren't from companies that have contacted me.)
Peanut M&Ms: the #1 reason that I will NEVER be a size 4
Who cares what the new iPad does? You'll still be cool for having one!
Dance Moms: A heartwarming show about the devil and her minions!
What about you? Do you include ads on your blog? Why or why not? Have any companies contacted you about advertising? If so, how have you responded?
I would include ads on my blog but I think it would detract from my main ad, me and my writing. That's really the only reason I don't. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Libby,
DeleteThat's similar to how I feel; I want my blog to be mainly about my own writing, and I feel like I'll have more control over the blog if I don't include ads.
I also receive lots of those promo offers, mostly they ask me to review some new software...why they contact me is beyond me...
ReplyDeleteI don't mind ads on blogs unless they take up the majority of the blog. I don't include them on my blog because I have little traffic, clogging my blog with flashy ads is just not worth it.
Love your take on ads. Ah, those M&M's :D
Hi Ivana,
DeleteI think that if I could get free M&Ms (and I mean a LOT of free M&Ms) for including one of their ads on my blog, I'd probably do it.
I don't like blogs with ads. Although I've heard of bloggers with a huge following getting ad offers that pay a lot. There's a couple I know of who make a lot of money that way. If a company emailed me and wanted to throw money my way, I'd probably reconsider my ad-free stance for my blog.
ReplyDeleteHi Karen,
DeleteI also wouldn't mind being able to make a lot of money from ads, because then blogging wouldn't just be something I do for fun; it'd be something I could do to help pay the bills. That would be a lot better than having to work another retail job I dislike. But like you said, most ads don't pay the bloggers very much.
Hmm..I don't have ads now for the reasons mentioned above. But also, I've never been approached by anyone cool (just a scrapbooking thing, which is so not me)
ReplyDeleteHi Gia,
DeleteI used to like scrapbooking, but now I only take pictures of my parents' dogs with my cell phone; as a result, my photo albums only have cute dog pictures.
Most of the companies that have contacted me are ones that I've never heard of; I guess it's because they're still starting out.
I LOTHE ads on blogs. Can't we have one spot on the internet free of advertising? Please!
ReplyDeleteHi Angela,
DeleteWhat bothers me about ads is that if I accidentally click on them, more ads will somehow pop up or it's hard to close them down and get back to what I was originally reading.
No one has ever asked to pay me to advertise for them on my blog. But I have to admit, if M&M did, I'd say yes. I can't say no to an M&M. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Emily,
DeleteOnly a few of the advertisers have offered me small sums of money/gift cards; one advertiser said that I'd get a "commission" if anybody bought the products that were advertised in those ads. But I figured that the odds of that happening were fairly slim, so I didn't bother.
I can't say no to M&Ms either. I always keep a stash of them in my apartment. :)
I don't include ads. I just want my blog to look clean and I figure I'm not going to get much $.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen that dance mom show--just the ads. The ads scare me!
You keep working hard. There's nothing wrong with that!
Hi Theresa,
DeleteI did try watching Dance Moms once, but I was only able to sit through a few scenes before I turned it off in disgust. I didn't like any of the moms, and I REALLY didn't like the dance teacher. I mean, seriously, who taught her how to teach?
This was hilarious! I've had a few people contact me about doing a review for their products on my blog, but didn't take them up on it. Just not sure I want to cross the threshold into 'blogging as a business'. You know?
DeleteLike you, I feel the need to say what I want to say. You can't do that so much if people are giving you money. : )
Hi E.J.,
Delete(Sorry about my late response; I've been spring cleaning and haven't had a chance to sit down in front of my computer!) I think that blogging as a business would be okay if I could say everything I wanted to say (without feeling censored) and still get paid for it. That would be fun.
I don't have ads. I tend to ignore ads myself, any way. Once I realised there were ads on the sidelines of Facebook pages, my eye sort of trained itself to ignore them. I think the only time I even glance over that way is if I see one of Diana Gabaldon's book covers (usually it turns out to be an ad for audible.com).
ReplyDeleteThere's enough advertising and neon signs and posters and tags everywhere. And enough clutter on my blog as it is :-)
Hi Deniz,
DeleteI actually wish I could put more stuff (though not necessarily ads) on my blog, if only I could figure out Blogger's format. The fact that I still haven't completely figured it out is also why I've had the same template on my blog for two years. :)
I'm scared to change my format because I've personalised the colours and... it's easy to procrastinate on editing, playing around with blog designs!
ReplyDeleteNope, no ads from me. I'll promote other writers, but that's it.
ReplyDeleteHi Lynda,
DeleteI've promoted other writers on a few occasions, usually fellow bloggers that I already know from following their blogs and from exchanging e-mails and blog comments with them. I think it's good to do that because it's part what of being in the blog community is about, that is, a community of writers who support each other's work.
As I type this, I am temping at a company where there is a huge bowl of peanut M&Ms on the right side of my desk. I have eatten wwwaaaaaaaaaay too many. Elastic pants are not in the companies dress code: it could get ugly if I stay at this job too long!
ReplyDeleteHi New York Cliche,
DeleteI remember working in offices where they had bowls of candy. Once I actually asked the person who had brought the candy for that day where she'd bought it, because it wasn't one that I'd tried before; it was really good. I actually went out to the place where she bought the candy so that I could have my own bag.