I’ve been talking to a friend of mine who owns a blog about advertising on his site. It was interesting to see how we both have two different views on the idea. I think that the advertising, as long as it’s useful to my readers, is worthwhile. It has a value added to both me, and my readers. He, on the other hand, felt like it was selling out; that you should blog for the love of blogging.
In the end we decided that advertising is great to build a small cash flow, but it should not be the reason why you blog. You should blog for the joy of it, and because you have something to share. That’s when we began to wonder if the actual advertising gave any benefits, other than some money.
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Well, I had to go with neutral…. while ads won’t cheapen a great blog, I certainly respect those that don’t have CRAP on their blog. I’d rather see AdSense than some real crap.
I agree with you Dave. Although, I don’t generally endorse any ads I have on my site, I make sure they pertain to my topic. Sites that have random ads up, that’s just annoying.
Advertising that pertains to your topic can add value, especially if some ads are from well-known brands. They can add a certain appearance professionalism thanks to the halo effect.
I think you’re right Craig, but once again it comes down to value added by the advertising. Does it help your readers? or the brands well known?
I deliberately chose not to place any advertising on my blog as I believe it adds another level of authenticity/credibility. In my opinion, credibility is more important than a little pocket change. But at the same time I don’t disrespect people who run ads on their blog – each to their own.
Thanks for your input James! I can agree with your opinion that credibility is more important than a little money, but do advertisements hurt one’s credibility? I guess that’s a question for another poll.