Dearest BZ Readers:
I have been solicited by 25 + recent e-mails now in the past two weeks alone (perhaps a pitiful amount, compared to others) to host various advertising concerns on my blog.
I just now had a pithy (or was it pissy) exchange between someone who, out of the blue, wanted me to advertise or write something about a competition for jewelry or somesuch. I’m sure she’s a nice person but, truthfully, you never know who you meet on the net unless you’ve established some sort of relationship or trust pattern in time. And with my country looking to jail my ass in contravention of various laws concerning blogs and advertising — well, I’m just not going there. Call me stupid or ignorant, whatever, but my job is not to trust someone who “cold e-mails” me.
Blogger itself, for example, contains a separate tab labeled “MONETIZE.” This tab wants me to sign up for an AdSense account.
Nope. Sorry. Won’t do it. Wouldn’t be prudent.
Yes, of course, I do have a “BZ Shops Here” heading under my blogrolls. But that’s because, oddly enough, I shop those places and would recommend them. I have actually used products from those places. But I haven’t received a dime from them.
I’ve turned down other concerns, and I’ll turn down the rest.
This is not my Life; my blog is my hobby.
When I finally retire in the next year or a few subsequent years, I may in fact consider ads on my blog. And, then, if I do — I’ll make it abundantly clear to those who read me. And I’ll operate within the law.
Until then: no. Sorry. No ads.
My feeling is this: if you’re taking actual time out of your hectic day to read me — and there are only so many blogs and so many URLs you can visit with your limited time — then I’m just happy as hell that you deigned to visit my winky little piece of the Blogosphere.
I’m delighted that you visit and read me. I am grateful for each and every visit.
So, while you’re here — I’m not going to use you.
BZ
P.S.
I’m thinking of going back to my original masthead, seen above. Any preferences?
I’m with you, BZ. As long as I can have my blog hosted on a free server, I’m not going to use advertisements. Blogging is a hobby, an outlet, not means to earn money.
Bingo. Okay, thanks Tom.
BZ
Please oh please, BZ, go back to your original masthead!! I have wanted this ever since you changed it!
While I very much like the clouds and mountains, (as witnessed by my clouds and, well, mountains on my own masthead) the original so much better expresses the point this country is at.
And, I tried AdSense while I was on blogger. Crappy return on high labor output. Not worth it.
“the point at which this country is”
“the point which this country …”
“the point where this country finds itself…”
Crap. You know what I mean.
I love both mastheads, but the clouds and such are so pretty…..
BZ – Well thanks for considering us, BZ. Ads are an annoying part of life that I believe, like you, don’t need to be found on my blog.
Which, btw, I’ve added you to.
cjh
I hear ya, in the past I spent soooo much time on the blog that I wanted to find a way to make money with it. But I could just never bring myself to do the ad thing. I’m not saying I won’t ever do it, Its just not something I’m comfortable with now.
I like having the freedom to say exactly what I want and promote whatever I believe in, without any other agenda!
Good thinking about the ads BZ and I really think this masthead is very, very appropriate for this time in our history.
BZ, just to be clear, I like the storm clouds at this particular time, but both mastheads are excellent.
I’m with everyone else: no ads.
As for the banner, I like the one you got up there right now–but, that’s just me 🙂
BZ,
I don’t have near the output that you do, but I wonder why you would chain yourself to your computer to make money. Being a cop is a lot of work, I know, this if for enjoyment. Keep up the good work. You are a strong voice, don’t become commercialized. I like this masthead. It’s ominous as are our times.
THANK YOU to everyone who weighed in on the ads and masthead.
Seems like it’s about a 50/50 split.
My most sincere thanks to each and every one of you who come by to read my scribblings! Your thoughts and comments are always welcomed — even the, ahem, “challenging” ones; ‘long as we don’t go into a full bang S-and-F word devolution.
BZ
I’ve been hit with a lot of spam comments lately. And you’re right about blogging being a hobby.
I also noticed that a lot of good blogs that carry ads take forever to load. Big nuisance.
Shoprat: and that’s an excellent point. It all depends a great deal on HOW it is you contact the internet. Even as I write this (I know most people cannot feature this), I am on a stupid dial-up. Way up in the mountains it’s all I can get. I have ATT for phone service but they don’t have the proper cabling up here for internet access as well.
Buh-ding, buh-ding, beet-doot, frrrrrrrrrt. . .
BZ
BZ-
You might try DISHinternet(wildblue satellite) or try a search for wireless DSL- you may be surprized.
As far as ads, I pretty much ignore them, except like Shoprat says they slow down loading.
My feeling is this: if you’re taking actual time out of your hectic day to read me — and there are only so many blogs and so many URLs you can visit with your limited time — then I’m just happy as hell that you deigned to visit my winky little piece of the Blogosphere.
Thanks for the consideration to your readers!
I feel like adding ads to my blog would be unnecessary clutter, and a nuisance. If I were actually investing a lot of time at it, maybe I’d consider trying to pull in an income.
Seems like it’s about a 50/50 split.
Either one is nice, by me. Hope mine was the tie-breaker.
As the Zepps were used for Nazi agitprop seeing one going down in flames is appropriate… I like airships as a class of vehicle and think they will serve as a future heavy-lift system for remote construction sites and as a means to near orbital payload delivery.
I didn’t want any money stream from my blogging, and accept none for it. I do put up links to commercial sites, and the overwhelming majority of them (far over 80%) I have actually purchased from. Others offer an alternative source for goods and supplies and deserve to be put up for that purpose. I’ve had two ammo resellers ask for a position and they both have gotten them. Likewise one of the general stores I purchased from online wrote to thank me for my purchases and mention in a review.
I get no coupons, no price breaks, no cash, no favors, nothing for posting those. I have posted elsewhere for paid-for reviews, but income from that is minimal and not even worth the bother of taking out for the past few years… besides, writing product reviews is damned dull.
I write because I like it and I get some motivation to do so internally. EDITING I hate, and the more I have to edit my works the less I like writing… yet I have a massive chore ahead this up and coming year to try and get three major pieces done. Then I will self-publish and take zero profit: people wanting hardcopy will pay for the paper, ink, binding and cost of getting it to them, with any marginal price increase going to those doing the printing, binding, etc. Soon that will be a fully automated system and my guess is that in a year or three your local bookstore will have that capability on-site.
Follow your interest, skills and heart, and getting a living from it will follow as well. Just make sure that changing an avocation to a vocation does not lose the interest in the avocation.