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Sunday, June 22, 2008

For fun and prophet




Not long after I started blogging, I hooked up with Google's advertising program that places ads on your blog based on the content of your blog posts. In theory you get paid for the number of real people who click on the ads and actually go to the advertiser's site. Google apparently has some code on the ads that prevent you from simply going to your own blog and clicking on the ads yourself until you are a millionaire. Personally, I think that is kind of shitty of them.

Secondly, (I wanted to avoid having to insert an author's note later about this not being my first point in this post) the placing of ads based on blog content doesn't really work for my blog. There is no rhyme nor reason to anything I blog about. So I imagine I leave the server that sorts through the content scratching its memory chips in confusion wondering what kind of ads to saddle my site with.

This is not to say I haven't made any money off the ad scam. After almost fours years of blogging I've received two checks from Google for $100 each. A glass half full kind of person would say that's $200 I wouldn't have had. A glass half empty kind of person would point out that I'm being paid less than a bathroom towel attendant in India to write my blog.

A former co-worker of mine writes a blog and promotes it vigorously by mass e-mailing people (including me) when he has a new post. And every now and then he makes a plea for people to click on the ads on his blog to help him finance his blogging passion. Okay, loss of dignity through begging aside, Google strictly frowns upon people in their advertising program pleading for people to click on ads on your site to artificially inflate their click-through rate. Needless to say, I don't read this guys blog let alone click on his ads.

Okay, I'm obviously not into blogging for profit. If I was, I'd write content that promoted widgets (an unknown product produced by the Acme Company and largely sold to coyotes trying to kill roadrunners). Then the Ad-bot would be able to place ads consistently that matched my content and hooked suckers who could be reeled in by the people who sell widgets.

I've said this before, but I'm really glad no one pays me to blog. It is kind of an experiment in free speech after all. Once you start profitting or propheting, freedom gets bogged down in the desire to perform. Monkeys dance faster when they are motivated by reward or frequent shocks to their genitals. But they don't necessarily dance as well as when they do it because they enjoy it.

Therefore I don't profit from blogging and I am a prophet to no one. This monkey doesn't like to dance.

15 comments:

BlazngScarlet said...

Paying to blog ..... it kinda takes the fun out of it!
At least I think it does.

Time said...

Blaznfyre,
Actually getting paid to blog was what I was talking about. And I'm against it in principle unless someone offers me enough money. Then I'd dance as fast as I could. :)

Hayden said...

ummm... to say nothing about the shocks to the genitals being a kind-of turn-off for most folks. Of course, you've had readers who would have been titillated, but they were offended by vanilla.

one must choose?

Karen said...

It really puts me off when I start reading a post and there, strategically linked, is the product placement they are being paid to promote. It kind of loses all integrity for me from that point on though some people do it better than others.

Btw, I must say you look a little like Sean Connery in that pic ;)

Time said...

Hayden,
I suppose it is an acquired taste, kind of like Maple Nut Ice Cream. And of course you don't have to choose. Some monkeys take both the treat and the shock to the genitals.

Gypsy,
I'm shaken, not stirred. :)

Unknown said...

So your ex-co-worker couldn't hack it at a government job and is now spamming and panhandling for a living?

Wow.

Time said...

Richard,
I wouldn't call it a living. He just wants to live the American dream and make as much money as possible. He has actually had several other jobs at non-government agencies.

The main difference between working at a government agency and a private company is that you have lots more paperwork and you get audited all the time by people who think government wastes money. The irony here is that responding to audits all the time is the waste.

Unknown said...

tim id:
Well then request funding to hire someone to respond to the audits. I'm serious! We're all Major T. J. "King" Kong riding that big bad boy to oblivion anyway.

Speaking of audits, my wife can attest to the joys of working for an ISO certified company.

K. said...

Actually I sort of liked doing the ISO part of my job..... but I'm weird like that.

I also like doing ISO audits. I just hate doing the paperwork......

Time said...

Dude, you have a child, you bought a house and you're over 30. You are the establishment now. Don't be going all "Dr. Strangelove" on me :)

K.
It's nice to know bureacracy lives on in the private sector as well.

Time said...

Hate to break it to you, but that confirms you are one of the establishment.

Unknown said...

Why? Because instead of yelling "you suck," I can now give a detailed explanation as to why?

Time said...

The minute you start yelling at kids for things you used to do, you stop being one of "us" and start becoming one of "them." Face it Richard, soon you'll be like your grandfather, jumping out of bed everytime a motorcylce goes down the alley and ranting about how much noise the jackass is making.

K. said...

Now you're scaring me.

Time said...

K., I should have warned you at the Graceland Chapel. It's in Richard's genes. And his grandfather was named Gene. Can't argue with genetics.