Thursday, March 10, 2011

The Rumor of his Parties and the Orgies on his Yacht!



And the rumor of his parties and the orgies on his yacht!
Oh, he surely must be happy with everything he's got.


Is anybody getting rich from blogging? Probably none of my friends. But I have noticed that some of the bloggers I follow have been doing various things to earn money from their blogs. Some are using Google AdSense. Some are earning money through referrals to amazon.com. Some have banner ads for "sponsors". Some carry simple one line text links as adverts.

I would be interested to know what other people's experience is with this. How is it working out for you? As a blogger are you earning enough to make it worth bothering with such options?

I would also be interested to know what readers think of this. Does it change your perception of a blog if you see it's carrying ads? Do they make you think the blogger is more serious? Or do you think ads cheapen the look of a blog?

I receive emails pretty regularly these days from people asking if I am prepared to carry various kinds of ad on my blog. I've no idea what the going rate for such ads is. I told one guy I wasn't really interested and he immediately doubled his offer! For example, what is the normal rate for a simple one line text link on a blog like mine?

I look forward to hearing from you in the comments. I'm grateful for your patronage and thank you very much.

33 comments:

O Docker said...

FWIW, I've been getting more of those offers lately, too.

I don't know if there is more of this going on or if one persistent person or group has started doing it a lot.

So far, I haven't replied to any. It doesn't bother me to see ads on blogs, but as a blogger, would you feel free to be as candid in your posts? Would there be any more posts about mommy boats if one of your sponsors was Sailing Coaches "R" Us?

Curious, I started checking out one of these solicitations and found that, besides trying to place ads, they were also seeking people to solicit bloggers for ad placement - a Mary Kay kind of organization.

I'd guess pay is based on how much traffic your blog draws. I probably wouldn't earn enough to buy beer nuts. But, with your bully pulpit, maybe you could become wealthy enough to join Joe's yacht club.

tillerman said...

Interesting. That explains why I get so many approaches from apparently independent "consultants" trying to place ads on behalf of various boating web sites.

I don't expect to become wealthy. Just want to earn as much as Richard Cory so I can have some of those yacht orgies.

Antolin said...

my blog is pretty low volume compared to yours. I would not mind getting some money from decent sources...like a potter's wheel manufacturer or a rum company. I am about to start a web page for my laser district 13 and part of the hosting will be payed by laser dealers and interested parties as such...

be well

Antolin

ps I really could use money on my bel mar blog...hey my coffee mugs are nice ;)

Litoralis said...

I still think that the only money to be made in blogging is in purporting to teach others how to make money by blogging. That said, I'd be happy to show you how to make money with your blog for a nominal fee plus commission.

will said...

i do not blog for money. period. i blog for pleasure. to take money to allow CLUTTER would be death knell for my pleasure. i also do NOT wear clothes with visible logos or swooshes. they'd have to pay me athlete's bucks for me to allow adverts on my blog. nuff said?

Baydog said...

I would actually blog for content.

"So my mind was filled with wonder when I went online tonight, Richard Cory went home and added Amazon to his site"

Mojo said...

Don't you just love capitalism?

Is it wrong to commercialize the creative content and discourse of the blogger-artiste?

Who's to judge, and what is the Proper Course?

Take sailing for example. What would the "esteemed" America's Cup race be without its commercial sponsors?

No visible means of support....

... just a boring old race with a glorious tradition between a few boats for the sake of amateur athletic pride and a tarnished silver spitoon.

Hah!

But blogoshpere capitalism is new ground (or open water).

Since traffic (eyeballs on the blog) is what the soliciting advertisers are after, how about a cooperative (collusive?) incentive fee-sharing arrangement between the blogger and the (persistent) reader/commenters??

Think about it: more comments = big eyeballs = big bucks, substantial dollars, 'lotta cash!! for the blogger.

And I thought you just wanted an outlet to express your avant-garde (sic) perspective.

Excusez-moi for the long and rambling comment.

Wait a minute... if I had my own blog, I could be working both sides of this trade.

(note to publisher: please add standard fee credit for
Proper Course product placement in editorial)

the google said...

Tillerman and Mojo - We are watching this discussion with particular interest.

Remember the credo that we live by: Don't be evil.

We also wanted to remind you of the translator tab on (y)our homepage. No need to speak in tongues anymore, vraiment.

Kyle Ewing said...

I've had a blog as an online diary for my sailing and cruising (www.saildonnybrook.com) for about a year. I do it for fun and only recently have started looking at who reads it. Not many, but it's a thrill when I see a few people read something I wrote, especially when they're on the other side of the planet!

For fun I setup a Zazzle account and added a badge. I sold one hat in nearly a year (to a friend). It was exciting when I got the email saying I made a sale!

As a challenge I've been playing with search engine optimization with the goal of increasing my ranking. I'd like for it to be near the top for "Lake Michigan sailing." That'll take a lot of work.

I may add revenue generating features, but out of curiosity and for the challenge of figuring out how it works rather than to make money. Some sites with ads look cheap and are a turn-off to me. Others don't bother me.

I think everyone has the dream of making a lot of money doing something they enjoy. I love the idea of posting something to my blog when I feel like it and getting a nice check, but it's not likely to happen.

Baydog said...

Kyle, I like posting something I think is cool to my blog and actually having someone read it. If I were also getting paid for it, my wife would kick me and tell me to roll over!

Nice boat BTW

Chris Partridge said...

I have had Google Adwords on rowingforpleasure for ages. It just sits there, I don't have to do any work, and Google sends me a small amount of money once in a way. Does anyone feel my blog is compromised by the ads? Be honest, now (but polite, please).

Joe said...

Since I'm on a paid service, I have two innocuous text ads to cover my costs. There is no way most of us are going to get rich from blogging. I also write (no money in my pocket) for 2 other sites, Waterhound and PressureDrop, that have sponsors and they're not making any money. From what I've read, even Scot Tempesta of Sailing Anarchy does not make a living from his web site.

Smilicus said...

Don't fall in the trap of capitalism Tillerman. Most of us do it for the pleasure of writing and airing our opinions.
Unless the old age home is nasty and keeping your cookies at bay , you might need to bring in some extra dough to bake you own.

On a serious note, it probably wont hurt to get a few extra bucks to get a bigger screen as the eyes go out the window.

AdSense to me is a very slow money maker, if you can call it that. You need a lot of traffic om your site with a lot of clicks thru's on AdSense and Amazon ads. The way to go, if you get approach by them, is to place ads on the site.

Hope my 2cents worth helps

Dan said...

I don't think it's a problem if you're blogging about a subject you love and you accept a few offers for advrtising.

On the other way round, people who write a blog with the intention of making money will be of less interest.

There are many other ways of making money from your blog. Affiliate marketing is my favourite kind

JP said...

I occasionally get those sorts of ad requests and have turned them all down so far.

Its not been that much money and I like the idea that blogging is a hobby so could stop without feeling I'd taken someone else's money who'd assumed I'd keep going.

I also wonder about whether it would mean crossing a legal line that could impact use of material. I try to use my own photos etc but sometimes there's a good one (e.g. the "and the winner is" pic) that I don't know the background.

If my blog is ad free I can honestly say that I haven't materially gained in any way.

If however I've adverts hence income and something slips in that shouldn't then could it be argued I've materially gained from someone else's work?

I honestly don't know, and you could use the "fair use" argument, but would rather never have to worry about that sort of thing.

Fungod said...

I have had several offers of $100-$150 for a year long contract. It's not much but could buy you some cool apps for your iPhone.

Fred said...

Please keep the environment, errrg your blog clean!
I would really appreciate that. And to hell with a couple of cents as long as the Internet is free for all.
Smooth Sailing!

bonnie said...

Sounds like a good reason for me to continue not posting an email on my blog. I get email solicitations for the normal unfortunate range of products, but solicitations to clutter up my already clunky-looking blog are not among them.

I've gotten one or two through the comments, that's it.

I always liked Bowsprite's disclaimer:

This should be an ad-free blog.

If you see an ad, mention 'bowsprite' for 15% off your next cutter suction head purchase.


I'm not philosophically opposed to ads or anything, it's just that I blog for fun and I like it that way.

bonnie said...

BTW, does anyone know if it's possible to get kicked off of Facebook for saying that all of their little sidebar ads are uninteresting?

I did leave the See's Candy ad alone this morning. See's Candy is interesting.

my2fish said...

I don't really have a problem with a blogger having ads, but prefer them to be of the rather small and not distracting variety. Text links I'm sure are hard to even notice sometimes.

I had a random company pay me a small amount to have a link to their site in my blogroll. I hemmed and hawed about it for a while, and finally said sure. I have had several others just ask me to add links to their site, but no offer of payment.

I blog for fun though, and don't get enough traffic to make it worth setting Adsense or something like that up. Plus the free version of Wordpress that I use doesn't allow it.

I will randomly post about a sale at APS or similar sailing suppliers, or maybe about an event at a sailing supplier nearby, but I am not getting anything for it - just posting it so others can take advantage of the sale or attend the event.

You've posted about this before - are you considering it more now?

cheers,
my2fish

Unknown said...

Well I would say if your goal is to try to create an income I would not bother with adsense, and I also wouldnt bother with this blogger system, how is your going to drive traffic into this? What you need is an niche say some kind of website that lists docks or yacht clubs and your manually build the listings, or pay someone to do it correctly, and overtime say 2 years of building great backlinks and adding nothing but the best information on whatever topic you choose then you will be able to charge people to list and sell advertising space once you have traffic. for instance i launched this site a year ago coachesindex net. it lists business, personal and life coaches I have over 1000 pages in googles index and I am in the process of building authority which will come over time.

O Docker said...

Woohoo! I knew it!

The key to riches is a blog about docks!

Thank you for your support, Cheryl.

Mojo said...

Nice thought, O Docker, but don't give up your day job just yet, notwithstanding Tillerman's provocative inquiry.

Building on Cheryl's good work, might there be an opportunity for a new site: cockroachesindex.net?

arnold be da man!

bonnie said...

or how about just roachesindex.com?

Arnold be da arthropod!

Mojo said...

Yeah!!

... and Maggie, Terre & Suzze singing a cappella in the background...

The Roches (1979)

I have it on wax, BTW. The entire album is a treasure.

WV: hence... forth!

Carol Anne said...

JP raises an interesting point that I hadn't thought about ... not sure, though, that courts could successfully prove a violation of fair use simply for permitting advertising on a blog.

Gerald does have advertising on his blog; he's paid one-tenth of a cent for every customer who clicks an advertising link. In two years, he's earned three cents.

Meanwhile, I have an ad-blocking add-on for my Internet browser, so I see very little advertising.

PeconicPuffin said...

I've tried it (ad sense, other placed ads) and after a few weeks arrived at Tugster's conclusion re clutter. It was a serious buzz kill...not worth the money.

Pat said...

For me the adverts wouldn't be worth the bother. Go Corinthians!

Capt. Puffy said...

I recently read that 80% of the surfing public has never clicked on an ad link. That said, my site has produced around $9.35 all time, of course I won't see any of that until I've accumulated at least $100. I don't mind ads, anymore, they are every where. You should see the apps on my Android. Feel free to visit http://www.boatdejour.com and click away for several hours a day when ever you are bored, we've been thinking we might need a bigger boat!

TT said...

The rates depends most certainly on the number of visitors you've got on your blog but generally it seems like a simple text ad in the US can be charged at something like 10-30 USD a month if you have a medium to large sized following.

Banner ads with a full logo, link and so on would be a bit more and this is really up to the blogger him/herself to decide whatever price you feel appropriate.

We've got some advertisers (and sponsor links) on our blog and we have put our own individual price for the ad space. The ones who are willing to go for those prices/agreements are welcome to do so, others we're simply not interested in. No sell out on advertising space even if we could. Just like I try to explain to most companies approaching us with different offers: "The overall look and feel of our blog is much more important than to make a few more cents of it and therefore we do only accept advertisers who can agree on our terms."

But generally, the more readers you have and the higher your google page rank is - the more power will you automatically get and this will allow you to charge the way you want.

I agree with Dan, if you blog about a subject you love, it shouldn't be any problem to accept a few advertising offers.

It seems like you have a quite high status in the sailing blogosphere with your ProperCourse and your page rank is pretty high too so I would suggest you to go for it. I mean, why not?

To charge for blog advertising space have been normal and accepted in other industries for years, I think it's about time for the sailing blogs to also realize their opportunities to make money on their passion.
/Taru

Pat said...

Sailing blogs are an "industry"?? Guess I've really not been industrious enough.

PeconicPuffin said...

Yes Pat, an industry! On the scale of an ant farm.

Pat said...

Probably I'd take "art form" over "ant farm", then, and stick with a noncommercial approach .... uh just how purely Corinthian is anything on a computer, anyway?