Some Blogs Shouldn’t be Monetized
Seth Godin is an expert marketer who manages to stay well above the get-rich-quick marketing mantra. He’s kind of an artist and just recent wrote a post called “Maybe you can’t make money doing what you love.” His premise is that sometimes, when you try to monetize your passions, you lose them and your gift is cheapened.
In the realm of blogging, this is essentially true as well. Not every blog should be monetized. I operate a blog about web design, but I don’t offer any advertising since the ads wouldn’t fit with my design and would probably point potential clients to my competitors. I also operate a blog about my life as a Pastor. I monetize it only in that I recommend some books off of Amazon and have a few affiliate links, but I’m careful and selective.
One of the problems with Adsense, and other ad networks, is control. You’re often limited on sizing, design, and advertiser selection. Affiliate programs usually offer a bit more control, but you still have to be careful about how an ad distracts from your creative genius. What kinds of blogs shouldn’t be monetized?
1. Some personal blogs. If you blog for family, do you really want to hit them up with ads or affiliate banners? The ads will basically distract from the unique personality of the blog.
2. Religious blogs, with some exceptions, shouldn’t be monetized much. Why? Because your greater purpose should probably be to speak to skeptics, who will see your monetization as an offense.
3. Corporate blogs, again with some exceptions, probably aren’t the best place for advertisign because the blog itself is the ad for your business.
Donations sometimes serve as a decent alternative, but almost nobody really donates, so it may be an ineffective use of begging. If you have time, I’d suggest operating multiple blogs so that you can monetize one or two, but not all four or five.
One last factor to consider is that you should always be giving away content. I give away free WordPress themes. You might give away an ebook or free advice. Just remember always that it’s “more blessed to give than to receive.”
photo credit: Caveman 92223
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