Periodically, I'll get an offer emailed to me about a "potential partnership" and to make money advertising on this blog, which I have done and still do from time to time. But this one was interesting. They wanted me to incorporate key words into the content of my blog posts. So, for instance, if I'm rambling on about how politically incorrect someone was and complaining about this and that, I would somehow stick,
free vacation giveaways -just like that along with a hyperlink. They wanted to pay me $25 U.S. dollars per word on just one post through my PayPal account. Not bad, but how in the world would I get away with having a semi-decent looking blog with my readers not cringing every step of the way? For me, whenever I see a blog flooded with advertisements and hyperlinks to advertise about Indian fish markets or whatever they're trying to sell (which happened to be one of the selling points by the way), I. run. fast. I could have made up to $100 in one post if I just kept sticking in
free vacation giveaways everywhere. So, lately, with all these
free vacation giveaways, I thought about visiting an
Indian fish market, and was surprised to learn that Indians really don't like fish all that much. Neither here nor there.
Looks horrible, doesn't it? (But I hope you clicked on ALL of those links. There are some pretty bizarro photos I added.) But that's how my blog would look like, along with random advertising words. The worst thing anyone can do when they have reached a certain level of both audience and pay is to fling on a ton of pointless advertisements. Although many companies are legit, as the one who proposed this offer to me, it cheapens a blog a great deal. Sidebar advertisements, fine. But in the content or a separate paragraph after your article --- cheap. cheap. cheap. Which ultimately may want to make readers click the "X" box and head over to another site that isn't so obnoxious. I get it though. There are people who genuinely want to make a buck or two just by adding a few "harmless" lines into the mix, but it is SO not worth it. I am very appreciative of these offers, it's just too much. That's just my 2 cents on it. Okay, carry on kids. I'll be back tomorrow with less key words and hyperlinks and more substance, hopefully. Enjoy your Thursday.
For more of Deb's articles, please visit: www.debrapasquella.com or join her on Facebook and Twitter. Check out her cooking blog for some of her famous recipes!
