I've decided that I would put up the following warning label:
WARNING: Certain mouseclicks here might make me money.
There. I said it.
Honestly? It's nice to get that off my mind. I've felt oddly guilty about this for a long time. Afterall, this is a blog, and blogs have traditionally been free of clicks-for-cash... but all that has dramatically changed, as P.R. Exec Steve Rubel highlights in this blog post and this article he wrote.
The bottom-line? This website is free for you to use--and I hope you will use it! The content and information I gather, edit, post, and publish, is practically free for your consumption (you just can't take it and republish it as your own without clear reference back here).
However, it's reasonably expensive--in energy, time and creativity--to keep this content as fresh and engaging as I can. Sometimes, I feel painfully aware that the content is lacking because I simply can't do more with the site.
That's where the ads come in. I use them to offset some of the opportunity-cost associated with keeping this site running nicely.
There are certain, select companies or products that I choose to promote here, and, for some of them, when you try out their product or subscribe to their service, they will reward me with a bonus or a payment.
Normally, the revenue-generating links are kept to the sidebar, or to areas outside the main content of the page. And, they're at-times painfully obvious. But there have been occasions where I have placed text-links or even buttons within the content of the site promoting particular companies, products, or services that are exactly relevant to the content at-hand. However, the only time this occurs is when I have personally used or experienced the product I am promoting, and I put my full belief behind the program or system.
With that in mind, I hope you will choose to heed the warning... and, if the product looks interesting to you, click anyway knowing you might be supporting us!
Filed Under: ads marketing blog
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