My good friend over at Tale of the Tape has made several posts about bloggers who have ads on their site. He asks:
"How much money are you getting running ads compared to trading? If it's chicken feed, then why do it? If its a major source of your income, then I question how good your trading really is."
And then he goes into some rant about Mexicans stealing jobs.
Trader Mike has addressed this issue in the past. He states:
"If you have a decent sized readership then it seems to me that your content is worth something. Whether or not to monetize that content is solely up to the site owner."
I have a few ads on my site - not as many as most bloggers. And for the most part I try to keep them related to trading, things I read/watch (most of the Amazon.com ads), or things I have used in the past and endorse (The T.A.D. Principle).
There is a myth out there that bloggers make a lot of money off their ads - and there are a few who do. But I would guess 90% of the people who blog DO NOT make a lot of money - just a few dollars here and there. I fall into that category - a few dollars here and there. The amount of money I make in a year off ads on my blog is less than I make in a week of trading.
So why do I have ads? Two reasons - one is because all of the revenue generated goes to my pet project - Good Karma. And I match that money 2 for 1 (at least) from my personal account, and use those funds to help others and give something back for all of my good fortune. The second reason is I LIKE seeing that I made a few dollars here and there for the work I do on the blog. It gives me a since of value, and of a job well done. People come here because they like what I write, they (hopefully) find something of value to improve their trading, and they get a good laugh once or twice a week. So, I am somewhat credible and my readers check out the products on my site if they are so inclined.
I have nothing against ads on blogs, and I respect bloggers who want to make a few dollars for all of the hard work they do. Especially if they provide good content. What I don't like is when I visit a blog that has ads EVERYWHERE - ads across the top, on the left and right sidebars, at the bottom, and after every post. It is obvious that these people are trying to make money, and they are usually the same people who provide POOR content.
But when I visit a site like Trader Mike, his ads do not overwhelm me. He has put A LOT of work into his blog, his ads are tastefully placed, they are relevant to the subject matter, and most importantly - TRADER MIKE PROVIDES GREAT CONTENT!
So those are my thoughts. And I will end this post by reminding everyone that they can pre-order "Artie Lange's Beer League" on Amazon.com by clicking the link below!!!!!
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The Most Important Lesson in Trading Psychology
6 hours ago
20 comments:
You nailed it with this:
"What I don't like is when I visit a blog that has ads EVERYWHERE - ads across the top, on the left and right sidebars, at the bottom, and after every post. It is obvious that these people are trying to make money, and they are usually the same people who provide POOR content."
It's usually very obvious who just started a blog to try to make ad revenue. Google just *offered* me a free layout analysis of my blog to maximixe my ad revenue from Adsense. They suggested that I stick two big ass rectangles INTO my posts, like between paragraphs or right on the side of a paragraph. I told them no b/c I find those ads to be annoying as hell. Yet look at how many brand new blogs are doing exactly that. I guess to some people it's all the same but there are certain things that I think cross the line, like having ads float across the page, pop-ups & pop-unders...
Hey Mike - could you post the link to the post you did on ads? When I clicked on the link from your comments at TOTT, I got a 404 page not found.
Thanks!
It is hilarious that as I scroll down your blog I see Artie's picture twice. If they were not on vacation, I would call into the show and get you some more traffic@!
barry, with blogger technology that would probably crash this site in about 2.4 seconds.
But thanks for thinking of me!
X, here's that link - http://tradermike.net/2005/07/why_do_i_have_ads_on_my_site/
Here is the link Mike posted...but I still get the 404 page. Is it just me? Damnit, I broke something again.
Works for me. I think Mike blocked your IP address again. :)
Freaking technology and restraint orders. If it isn't one thing, it is the other...
Actually, it's not working for me. I guess Mike is blocking anyone associated with you!
YOU ARE KILLING ME ESTO!!!
i am not sure if i am misunderstanding u, or if i wasn't clear in my post...it was meant to be sarcasm...if it was up to me, i would open up the borders to everyone willing to work...if i was born in mexico, i would cross the border to support my family, and don't blame them one bit
even if it a penny a year, you have all the right in the world to monetize your blog. Your networth, other income or how much you make trading is irrelevant.
You should do it because that's the WHOLE idea of a market society. That's why we trade, start up businesses, work hard and play hard.
It is not about the actual dollar amount. It is about the sense of achievement, pride and giving back.
Money is like blood. If it does not circulate, it ain't any good.
there are other bloggers who whine about "donations" in every other post and have ads all over the place. i quit visiting their blogs. My view is that if you want to earn subscription fees, then make your site subscription only. Otherwise, use non-intrusive ads and more power to you.
Beautiful post Sami.
Hey X, did you see today's WallStrip -- nice little play on Entourage. I thought it was funny.
good comments sami.
estocastica - yes, that was hilarious. is that guy an actor? has he been on wallstrip before and i just missed him?
I'm not sure if he's been on WallStrip before, but he did a great Ari Gold rendition.
Sh!t, I don't know why that link is giving you guys 404s. I just tried it in IE and it works for me there as well as in Firefox. That's not cool.
OK, I figured out the problem. The page should work now.
IT WORKS!
The link works for me as well. However, I'd rather talk about Entourage and WallStrip. This entire ads vs. no-ads debate is really gettin' me down. I can understand Mike's position, and I agree with him, but, just like the R vs. anti-R debate, there will be no winners, losers, or resolutions -- only wasted time and additional frustration.
And another thing, why are we focusing on the ad debate, when we have that Cal guy to gossip about. Of course I'm kidding, but when you think about it, all this stuff is just gossip and speculation.
I think what we all really need is a big group hug. :)
Happy holidays to Trader-X and his readers!
I can't take it anymore. I started cleaning up the site after all this talk. I got rid of most of the boobies and have started a navigation bar (a few girls mixed in but not the focus) . My blog is a trial and error thing just like my trading. I try different things and adjust accordingly. I eventually will get this layout the way I want it and then leave it alone. You guys have much better sites than mine but all I am doing is trying to have some fun not inform the world. Lastly, the one thing that is great about the internet...if you don't like a site, don't visit it. Plain and simple. If you don't like the ads or the content, move on and don't come back. No need to bitch, no need to criticize. Unless its mine, and then please come back because I'll fix it, I promise
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