This blog, like many others, has found itself taking a break as its author engages in alternative activities such as employment, and work (writing a book) for which he hopes to be paid. Given that decline in production leads to decline in readership,the recent prospects for advertising might not have have appeared promising, but such is apparently not the case.
I was recently contacted by someone "marketing out a site" who proposed paying me at first $20 and then $50 (after I stalled) via PayPal for adding a sentence plus link to this old post about a community college. The idea was I should add this phrase "Taking online courses might help with the commute" to the post, with this link attached to "online courses." The link is to a site for online college courses. When I wrote back raising an objection about blurring the line between editorial and advertising content, the suggestion came back for a "disclaimer" saying "This post has been supported by an outside source." Since I haven't put in the link as suggested, it hasn't been so supported and I'm not expecting any payment. Nor have I any complaints about the approach, being dealt with graciously and professionally. But it does make me wonder is some of the blogs I read are "supported" in this way, and whether that undermines their integrity.
I was contacted separately by a sincere sounding person who wants to write a "guest contribution on your blog" and says:
"I came across the site several weeks ago as I was researching for my most recent publication titled "Veteran Education and Accredited Online Colleges" (at accreditedonlinecolleges.net), which discusses the economic climate for returning GIs and its implications on the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill that promises payment for tuition and living expenses for those who have served in the armed forces. The publication attempts to describe how current vets can take advantage of new mediums in which education is attempting to proliferate today.
"I think a blog post that discusses educational opportunities and incentives for returning GIs could be of some value and interest to your readers. If you're interested, I would love to write a short guest blog post for you that elaborates on this or an even deeper topic you might be keen on. What do you think?
"The resource has been referenced by the Kansas's Office of the Governor's Commission on Disability Concerns, the Navy Club of the United States of America, and Ohio's Green County Veteran's Services, among a few others."
I wonder if this person is expecting to be paid, which, alas, cannot be. Or, like me, does she not fully subscribe to Dr. Johnson's insightful contention that "No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money" ? I'll send her this post as a response.
The old blogging dilemma: you do what you have to do to eat ...or you tell the truth. Who am I to pass judgement? I'm lucky my circumstances allow me to blog without scrabbling for cash.
I will say this. In order to successfully insert advertising into your copy (like the big boys and girls in the corporate media do routinely) you have to have trusting readers. Basically, you exploit their trust in you. You trick them into consuming advertisements.
So the simple fact is that you can either advertise or tell the truth as you see it. I don't believe one can do both at the same time. At least I've never seen it done anywhere.
Well, I'm sorry to see you retiring from blogging. Hope you come back soon, maybe with a revamped site? If not, then good luck with your endeavors.
BTW, Dr. Johnson was a star so he didn't have this problem. Everything he wrote sold out instantly. Thus that famous quote has always puzzled me.
Posted by: Dan Van Riper | April 10, 2012 at 07:52 AM
More of a hiatus that "reitiring," I hope, until book is finished.
Dan Van Riper, by the way, can be found at http://www.albanyweblog.com/index.php
, a very insightful, readable and locally grounded occasional blog, albeit from a perspective that is often more liberal/left-wing than mine.
Posted by: Bob Conner | April 13, 2012 at 08:58 AM