August 30, 2013

The Tipping Point.

It has finally come to this.

Things have shifted in my world, to the point where I'm looking at alternate ways of taking the edge off the grocery bill. I mean besides cutting out treats.

I don't blog for money. But that doesn't mean that money can't come from it. Like countless bloggers before me, I've often considered installing ads in my sidebar. Neil Kramer at Citizen of The Month bravely took the ads leap this week.


We all have different philosophies where ads-on-blogs are concerned. After eight years, it was a deeply personal decision for Neil.

The thought of compromising the look of my blog freaks me out; we're talking about Art Direction here, and my blog is my style. My brand, if you will. Most ads are ugly to me. Also, they're tailored for each viewer. Give up control of my visuals? My mouth just went dry. I can't even spit. I feel dizzy...and faint...I can't make a fist.

Here's an example, handily screen-capped from Dooce's sidebar (I rarely go there - why read Dooce when you can read Neil, right?):


No offense to Dooce, or Neil, but I don't want something like this on my blog. It matters not that you don't care, because I DO.

So unless I draw it myself, there will be no ads here. What about sponsored posts?

To me, art = love. Having spent decades in advertising as both an artist and a producer, I have a well-formed opinion on commercial art. It's sex for money, verses sex for love. At the end of the day, sex for money can be enjoyable AND lucrative. Theoretically then, I have no problem with it. But the theory falls apart when I think about the kind of products I'd get into bed with, so to speak.

I'm afflicted with responsible consumerism, so that narrows the field somewhat. Products I use already, and love, okay, but just try getting their attention.




Before you diss me for approaching a brand directly on Twitter, remember that it did work for me before, here and here. Of course it helps if the brand are not brain-dead on social media. And one can't spend all one's time chasing after brands.

I have done reviews before but I don't really want to "review" a product for money. Reviews need real passion to drive them into a place that's interesting for a reader; I doubt I have the kind of writing talent required to pull that off if the product doesn't move me to love it or hate it.

And so we arrive at The Tipping Point.

Think of me, if you will, as a Street Performer; I dress up in a funny costume, bounce around the screen, make you laugh, make you cry, do a few backflips, and at the end, I pass the hat.



The amazing followers of Amanda Palmer ponder the difference between asking and begging. I think there is. So I'm asking; if you love my work as The Animated Woman, please feel free to approach The Tipping Point....and tip.

I won't perish without it, but it will be really fucking awesome if you do.



17 comments:

  1. You really do need to make the big one work... cause it's so not clear...

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    1. I can't. I'm too lame with html. But also, the one on the sidebar is the permanent one.

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    2. I managed it. Thanks for the suggestion.

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    3. What about selling ad space on your blog that are designed by you? This way you keep the same feel to your blog. You can say yes or no to a brand and if yes create a specific ad in your style to run on your blog for them.

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    4. I....LOVE that idea. How do I find advertisers who trust me to draw an ad for them - that's the next step, right?

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  2. That's not a bad idea Robyn. JC, you could even take it a step further and bring in some commercial advertising revenue by creating ads for companies to use elsewhere too.

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    1. Yes....I'm thinking about that. Thank-you for the encouragement!

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  3. Have you considered selling add space to other bloggers on your sidebar? Then the artwork could be yours and it'd all keep with the theme.
    I decided to give advertising a shot and the cost was a mere $20 a month for a 125 X 125 add.
    You could even screen the blogs to make sure they keep in line with your values. Just a thought...

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    1. I like that...I mean, if it was only text, or if I could 'design' the ad myself (as well as screen them for values as you point out.) Good thought Chris.

      Thinking....

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  4. I virtually walked by your blog, listened to your entertainment and threw a few bucks in your hat. :-) It was fun. I'm going to come back and do it again. BTW, do whatever you want to do, my friend, 'cause nobody knows your heart and soul better than you.

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    1. You mean you virtually 'flew' by my blog, you angel. Come back anytime: I'll spin plates!

      Thanks, Bobbi <3

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  5. Like you, I'm exploring other ways to make money. I do freelance stuff, but there's only so many hours in the day after my day job. Monetizing my blog would be nice, but for now I think it just wouldn't bring in enough to be worth the effort. Besides, I have two problems with putting ads on my blog.

    First of all, I have a history in the magazine industry. There, I learned about having a STRICT separation between ads and content. If we had a review for X on page 5, no ads for anything related to X had to be near it. Otherwise, it would look like our review was paid for by the makers of X. And that was a big no-no.

    Thanks to contextual ads, any review I posted (whether from a supplied product or just something I bought and liked) would acquire an ad for that product or something similar. It would be easy to assume that I'm getting paid to run ads for the product so of COURSE I'd give it a good review. (Even if that wasn't the case at all.)

    Secondly, as a web developer, I've seen ads slow down websites too much. Your wonderful, quick loading design suddenly needs to rely on an overloaded ad server to complete loading.

    On the other hand, I've had lots of luck with the tip jar format (on other websites I've run in the past). Not enough to quit my day job, mind you, but enough to pay the website bills.

    Good luck!

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    1. BOOM. That's all the back room 911 right there. You're dead right about ads VS content: no brand wants to risk saturation. And I don't want to slow my loadtime down any more than my patient audience already deals for me.

      Keeping on!

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  6. I like the idea of pitching to brands you love and use at home. Eventually they'll come around. Just try reaching out in other ways besides twitter.

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    1. Yes...I do consistently post stories about my dog. Prolly worth pushing that one. Thanksies :D

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  7. I run ads on my blog but I keep close tabs on the type of ads, and thanks to Google AdSense it's easy. However, I probably won't get a check for years and since I don't need it to survive I'm considering removing them.

    I threw some money in your hat because you asked. Maybe that's all it takes. :)

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    1. Ah I thought that was you! Thank-you very much indeed, Nathan :D

      Since I wrote this post I did put a couple of ads for blogs up. It's ok with me if I get to draw them myself.

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Cuz You Rocketh.