Ads now included on this site Aug20 '07
Many readers may have noticed that I now include advertisements on this site. Currently they're in the right-hand column, towards the bottom. I've also started to insert inline ads within blog posts - but only rarely.
I thought it worthy to post on my reasons for doing this, and my thoughts on ads in general.
First off, it took me a very long time to finally decide to include advertising on this site. The reason was I didn't like the thought of ads cluttering up my design or intentions. This is a personal blog, and to keep it personal and unique, ads never seemed like a good idea.
However, lately there have been some great advancements in ad systems, namely the ability to display ads that are unobtrusive and relevant. This allows me to quietly display ads without causing interruption to readers, or affecting my overall design and layout of the site. (If you can call this a "design.")
My reason for displaying ads is the same as anyone: money. But I don't expect to get rich. If it just covers my hosting costs, I'd be happy. And truthfully, I spend a lot of time writing for this site - why shouldn't I earn at least something for my efforts?
So, as it stands now, there are three spots you may see ads:
My sidebar content contains a section titled "Advertisements," which appears on every blog post.
I've also included select ads to reside inline, amongst the actual post content. This is only for posts that are no longer important to me. In other words, if the post content is outdated or irrelevant, but is still being referred to from search engines, I'll accept ad offers. An example is here: Cell phone tips, or tricks?. This entry is so old, I don't even recall writing it. But somehow it's attracting attention at search engines, so this is a perfect example of the type of posts that may have ads. I most likely won't include ads on newer, more relevant posts.
The third spot may eventually be the RSS feeds for this site.
In all cases, the ad content is textual, and is usually related to my own content.
I decided to go with Text Ad Links, because I like how they blend in with the site. This is attributed to the ability to remotely "call" the ad code, via an XML feed, rather than embedding JavaScript or Flash code.
Overall, this is largely experimental. If things become too cluttered, or if I decide on a different approach, I can remove the ads any time.
Categories: Advertising 
, Blogging
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is published and produced by Matt Thommes - an independent publishing enthusiast, mobile blogger, content creator, informative writer, web developer from Chicago.
Never one to conform, Matt intends to promote the effect the web has on our lives, in an effort to intensify, instruct, and clarify all that is happening around us.
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