Apr 10 2009
When is advertising enough and when too much?
When is it too much advertising? That’s a big question, isn’t it? I’ve been watching Today.com growing and adding the ads. Ads are beginning to be all over our blogs. We add ads, they add ads. When is it enough? When does your blog become one of those places where your eye doesn’t know where to rest. When you are too impatient to stop and find the blog itself and read it? I think Today.com is approaching that point.
For a while every time I logged in a huge ugly popup appeared in my face. I couldn’t wait to get rid of it. I was annoyed. Did this happen to you too? I hope no one responded positively to it. Eventually I came to know that they want to sell us advertising.
If I understand this right, we are not only the lure for people to come to Today.com, but we ourselves are also seen as potential customers. If I come and buy something from your site, then maybe you’ll come and buy something from my site - is that how it’s supposed to work? I can’t see it happening.
Of all the hundreds of people who read my site daily, how many of them stop and make a comment? Only a few, and most of the comments come from family or bloggers whose sites I visit (and leave comments at).
Early in the game I threatened to stop blogging if Today.com didn’t get the ads for Asian women (complete with pictures) off my blog. They say they have no control over it. Other people collect the ads for our blogs. Today.com just allows them to advertise here. Makes you want to squirm, doesn’t it?
Then they let us choose our own ads. We can choose our own Product Affiliate Links. I don’t mind that so much. I choose one that fits with the topic of the day. Sometimes, like today, I lard my blog with them, just to break up the words.
So, for free blogging I put up with the ads. I even put suggestive tags on each post so I can lure certain types of advertisers to my site.
I really dislike the photo ads that are on the blogs sometimes. The ones that keep catching your eye while you try to read. I don’t go to a blog so I can read the ads. I go to read the blog and I don’t like to be distracted. They usually are mildly offensive to me, such as offering a dating service. I don’t need a dating service, thank you so get off my blog.
My blog, that’s the kick. I feel possessive about my blog. I forget that Today.com has to pay the bills, mine included.
Marilynne
P.S. I think I overloaded the poor link. Still, I think you get the point.
Lol, you made me laugh. I like ads, they don’t other me personally and if it is generating income for every one and moving the stagnant economy, I am not complaining as long as I don’t have naked people all over my sites roflmao. I am sooooooooooooooo glad to be back blogging now. I missed it. I can’t waittill Sqip launches in a few days. I have been working hard with it and it will be another place to showcase our blogs and get loads of organic traffic ehehe. i will keep you posted and thanks for visiting me again.
I think it is hard to walk that fine line between making some money and not making your blog just one big advertisement. It is hard when someone else has control. What I really don’t like are the animated ads, but they are becoming more popular.
I like the ads. Sometimes. but I didn’t like the one that popped up when I opened today.com, the one for 4.99 a month? I like your counter, by the way! the cube, it is awesome. I just sat and stared at it.
I disagree with today.com about entrecard. I’ve read so many great blogs,and I got back to them and reread them, as well.
The cub is from neocounter. Just click on the NeoKube word and it will send you their site. They have both free and pay things that count statistics in a fun way.
I watch it too. If you experiment with it, you’ll see you can turn it around and do different things with it.
Maxie