As you’ve no doubt noticed, I’m experimenting with ads on the sidebar of “Alas.” I’m trying this out with a lot of trepidation. But here’s what it comes down to:
1) In a good year, my income is $12,000 before taxes.
2) This year will not be a good year, if the last seven months are any indication.
3) My monthly take-home is low enough so that even an extra hundred a month would make a difference. My impression is that some of the other “Alas” bloggers are similarly on the financial edge, where even a little extra money matters. (Although none of them have said so to me; the decision to try out ads was solely mine.)
So given all that, if there’s a source of income available to me, I’m not in a good position to ignore it. And if the ad program works well, that could enable me to spend more time on “Alas,” which I’d like.
So: Ads. I’m only doing ad programs that allow me to reject ads I find offensive – although in the case of google ads, building the filter up is a gradual process, so it’ll be a little while before I’ve successfully censored all the diet ads from this website.
I realize that many “Alas” readers don’t like ads. I feel bad about having ads on the site, frankly. But for right now, in my life, this may be a necessary evil. Then again, maybe they’ll be a total failure, and if they are I can yank them off the site, which will cheer me up even if I’m broke. We’ll see how it goes.
If Alas needs the money, Alas needs the money.
As long as there are no links to hate sites, hawt lesbian pr0n, or the ultimate evil, popups *shudder*.
Capitalist swine.
hmmm… i’m afraid i can’t agree with you, Robert (which is a relief – because then my head would implode).
but really, i think “capitalist swine” is overestimating Mr. Ampersand’s place within the overall economic structure. if we take his self-reporting at face value – & really, why would any citizen in a free state feel like lying? – then we can clearly see he is, in fact, po’ ass. but given that he’s also a pointy-haid intellectual/artist type it would therefore also be inappropriate to assume he falls under the far-too-often-employed “lumpen” category.
if we are to classify him (& we shall!) then according to the rules & definitions of the international revolutionary lexicon i submit that it would be more scientifically & politically accurate to say that he ‘s a “running dog lackey of the capitalist ruling classes.”
i hope that’s all clear. i don’t want to have to recommend re-education. although some hawt lezzie pron could change my mind…. :P
Barry, you gotta feed your family. I understand that, and I expect most folks do.
I hope the Ads turn out to be a good source of funds.
I have ads on my site. It covers the cost of hosting, DSL and yarn to knit sweaters. That said, my traffic is much lighter than at Alas.
I’d advise spending very little time setting up filters; wait until after some horrid ad appears. Based on experience, Google does a good job filtering ads. It should take google 2 days to filter out ads about…products you can purchase and then consume to slenderize yourself . The only sort of funny ads I see appear when I write patterns to knit Afghans. Strangely, that triggers ads for “Hot Afghan Singles”. (Turns out it’s dating site. )
Anyway, good luck!
Oh no problem with the ads and I hope you get more than a little money out of them (do you need us to click on them?)
Well, I’m sure clicking through wouldn’t hurt. :-)
Is that how you would make money? Or do you get paid just for having the Ads? I don’t know how the Ad thing works. Can one person, clicking Ads multiple times from the same computer generate revenue? Or do only original hits count? I can spend a bit of time clicking Ads if it would help. :)
Google AdSense pays the site owner for each click received on ads. I believe that multiple clicks on the same ad from the same IP address are not counted.
Before you decide to go on a clickfest, bear in mind that its the tiny advertiser paying for every click – not Google. It wouldn’t really be cool to run up a bill for the advertiser (who is, after all, supporting Alas) with fake clicks.
Fortunately, the ads that a content-rich site like this one generates are pretty interesting in and of themselves. I’ve already clicked on several sites to see what’s up.
I presume that clicking on ads for e.g. MSN is totally cool, though?
Woof! Woof!
I have never seen Amp run.
Stroll with a slightly less lackadaisical air, yes.
Run, no.
Maybe he’s a strolling dog lackey.
Hmmm. I could click on every visit, as I haven’t got a static IP address (which is normally a nuisance).
You gotta do what you gotta do, Amp. I’d much rather have Alas + ads than no Alas!
I think Robert has it right, twice: (1) there are likely to be plenty of interesting ads to click on so no need for fake clickery, and (2) “strolling dog lackey” is wonderful.
Hmm, I don’t particularily like the sites that you have on your ads, but if it costs money that goes to you, I’ll click in more often, from different computers :D
Robert wrote: Maybe he’s a strolling dog lackey.
ha! good one.
I demand more ads for video slot machines. Oh, and maybe some Texas hold ’em, too.
Do people even care about ads any more? I mean, they are pretty standard. Chalk me up as someone who doesn’t mind them in the least. Heck, if it means some money going your way, I’m darn happy to see them.
And until all those filters are up and running, I don’t have much objection to clicking on those diet ads knowing the snake oil salesmen on the other end have to pay you for it. Karmic justice if you ask me.