I'm sorry to disappoint you first thing this morning but I don't have anything but fresh raspberries to share with you. I hope that's acceptable.
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The first thing I'd like to discuss this morning is customer service. I spent several hours on the phone last week trying to get some problems solved. Let me say this, if you want to work in customer service don't every tell a customer, "There's nothing I can do." It will drive your customer mad and having been in customer service myself I can tell you that there's ALWAYS something that can be done.
NOTE: If you intend to buy furniture from IKEA, purchase all the pieces you intend to buy at the same time. Otherwise you run the risk of having color match problems. This has happened to us twice.
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I followed a USPS tracking number only to discover that they held a book that I'd ordered for TEN DAYS in a distribution facility. I think the postal workers were reading the book before they sent it on it's way.
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EPISODE ONE of the tale, "Just Fell Off the Turnip Truck" or,
If it sounds to good to be true, you can bet it is.
Having been raised within spitting distance of the city of Chicago, I can guarantee you that I did not just fall of the turnip truck. But years of living in the country has dulled my senses to scam behaviors. Remember, this is how we do business around here.
I've never understood the whole concept of blog advertising. I've had Google ads forever is seems and briefly placed ads through a women's network. That was an unsavory experience because not only did the dictate to me where the ads would appear, I awoke on the second day of their advertising to discover an ad that was offensive to me. I insist on having some kind of control as to what appears on my blog.
Blogs with thousands (and millions) of readers have marketing networks that represent them, allowing them to have fabulous giveaways (think Pioneer Woman) and create revenue from their blogging. Others talk about being contacted by all types of businesses looking to place advertising. An upcoming conference in Nashville promised to give some inside scoop on these matters but I could hardly justify spending $500-600 in travel and conference fees.
I'm very conflicted about this entire issue. I'm not here to make money. But I would like to generate a little revenue that would allow me to do some things to improve the blog and to go on small adventures. Wouldn't you like to go along with me to visit the world's largest ball of twine? Or to the Cheese Curd Capital of Wisconsin?
Well, here's what happened. I was contacted by a marketing team (at least that's what they said) looking to place an ad on my blog. I checked out the website of the company that they were supposedly representing and it was certainly something that was a good fit. We emailed back and forth. I placed the small ad on my sidebar and waiting for the payment to be made to my Pay Pal account.
I don't have to tell you what happened. You can guess. I don't know what they could possible gain by having their ad for three days on my website for free before I removed the link.
Poke me with a fork, I'm done. I'm simply going to concentrate on writing and taking pictures and look for other ways to finance my little adventures. I'll put another marketplace together with my aprons or something!
I'd love to hear your experiences in this regard. As for me, I'm going to grab the next turnip truck that passes my way!
Here's some cute cowboys to look at. Maybe we won't feel so overwhelmed by all this advertising nonsense.
20 comments:
It's tempting to imagine a little pin money piling up somewhere from something that one is already doing. There are a few blogs that I no longer find as much fun because of the advertising. Likewise there are quite a few where the advertising doesn't bother me in the least. I'm sorry that it didn't work out so well for you. All the advertising that I do on my blog is done for the companies just because I truly enjoy their websites myself. Course, if they want to pay me just for a link, I'd think it was great.
One more thought, it must've been fun to be contacted in the first place. I was contacted once way last summer by a company I had never heard of and that told me that they couldn't pay me for the advertising they wanted me to place. Forget it!
Oh, the raspberries are beautiful and delicious. They appear to be waiting for a clafouti.
Many people have suggested that I advertise on my blog, but I refuse to do it.
Hoping your day is fun filled and warm.
I hardly ever ready the sidebar stuff anyway - unless I really like the blog (as in your case) so I would find adverts annoying because they aren't really about you or your blog. Just my two cents. Thanks for the delish fruit this AM!!
Thanks for the berries, they were very good in my cereal:)
In Denmark, where I hail from, we still shop like that, on the side of the road. I love it. Never have I gotten any fresher goods than that.
Sorry about the scam.
Have a good day.
Never apologize for fresh raspberries!! They are wonderful, and you are wonderful for sharing them!
You know I added the google ads to my webpage, but I haven't actually put any announcements out because I first of all don't know how too and second of all, once I signed up it started talking about where to send my tax cards and being in Norway I wasn't sure how the tax thing would work and I haven't paid taxes to the USA in forever..so the whole tax thing messed up my big plans of great announcements on my webpage. I have tried cancelling and sent the information they wanted and got a letter back that I didn't send the correct information and to resend it..which I don't know what to send since they won't take the stuff I think they need..so I'm just hoping they will get fed up with me and cancel my account themselves if I don't put anything on my blog. It's honestly better without all the announcements anyways.
Is that how the pioneer woman does all those great give aways? I was wondering...was beginning to think the American rancher was making pretty good money to be able to give away such nice stuff all the time. This cyber world is a sure complicated!!!
I love the eggs sold by the side of the road, they do that here too with fresh strawberries in the summer..and cherries and rasberries...I really thought that was a Norwegian thing- because we are so behind the rest of the world in some things!!! Nice to see people still have faith in the honesty of people!!!
Have a great day!!!
The raspberries were delish! I'm not a big fan of reading blogs with advertising on them. Your blog is wonderful just the way it is.... sorry the ad thing did not work out for you. Hang in there, something will come along at some point and you will be making enough to do the things you want.
Di
The Blue Ridge Gal
Wow, I'm late to the morning meeting! I would love the raspberries, but I'm already sitting here with a plate of nachos. Bad Girl, I know.
Customer service- hum, I've had good and bad, from the same company. The same company I seem to be calling all the time because my internet isn't working. The guy that comes out to my neighborhood is great!! That's because he has to deal with us face to face. I wish I just had his personal number, but they don't work that way. I have to call the whole loop of people first!!!
I love the eggs being sold that way. I saw pumpkins like that in New York last fall. What an ideal world it would be if we could do that with everything.
Good things, do happen. My neighbors dog broke his fence, ran away. I saw it happen, hopped in my car. Put the dog in my yard for the day. When he got his dog he noticed I needed 2 stumps dug out. Guess what was gone the next day!!
Gorgeous berries - what I wouldn't give for a basket or two of them!
As for advertisements - it's never even crossed my mind to put them on my blog. However, I've always wondered how profitable they really were...
I saw a link posted on another blog to a post (on yet another blog) showing how much one woman earned in two months from each ad thingy or whatever and comments on each. Here's the link:
http://www.getting-out-of-debt.info/2007/07/make-money-on-internet-update-for-may.html
I would love to earn a little here and there for my blog, but I think I'd have to do a little work on it and begin posting more regularly.
No ads for me and I can honestly say I have never clicked on any. For a while I felt weird about advertising my Friday Flea Market offerings to my readers because I didn't want it to sound like I was just trying to sell them things...thats why I started a completely separate blog to offer my goodies and started listing on Etsy.
I've seen Bloggers come into the Etsy forums and say "who wants to advertise/be featured on my blog.." and Sellers are fawning all over the place trying to get featured...makes me wince. Almost like pimping yourself out...LOL.
If I buy from someone that has a great product and stellar customer service I may feature them....
Just my .02...got any Cool Whip to go with those berries?
I can smell the curds already!!!! I cant wait for you to come up and spend a couple of days with me!!!
As for the scammers - death my limp noodle beating I say!!!!
I tend to agree with Vee, who comments on how advertising is distracting or detracts from the blog. Bottom line, it all depends on what we want from our blogs.
It seems to me that you've created a wonderful network of good friends here, and that's pure gold.
My blog started out as a Web site that pretty much served as a bulletin board for my writing workshops. Then it morphed into a blog, almost naturally. Sometimes it also serves as a resume for editors who need to look at my writing samples before giving me an assignment. It works nicely for all of the above, but I have to say I really enjoy the conversations that arise from the posts!
Oh, those raspberries look delicious! I placed a few paid links on my sidebar. A flat fee for one year. I was paid promptly. But then I panicked thinking that I actually had an obligation to continue blogging for another year. What if I get writer's block? What if I just don't have anything left to say? Oh, the pressure! :)
And yes, I know I'm a little late for the MORNING meeting... but at least I'm not in my jammies.
xoxo,
Mary
I haven't attempted to put ads on my blog yet. I don't always like the advertisements that flash on other blogs I read and I am not sure I would like seeing those on my own.
Those raspberries are nice, but the cowboys look nicer :)
Back to your book sitting in a post office. i ordered a book from Amazon.It was shipped from Dallas, 180 miles from me. After 2 weeks it had not arrived and they tracked it to a mail facility in Maryland. Amazon resent the book at no charge and the next day the long lost book finally arrived.
Ummm, I really like those cowboys.
I don't hate advertising in the sidebars; I can choose not to look at it. I don't like it when they are intrusive (flashing, etc.) because to my eyes, that makes the blog look cheap and trashy.
What I really hate are ads that expect the blogger to write a post advertising whatever. I click away from those fast. If someone wants to mention something by name and a link because they like it and use it, great! I will go take a look. But don't make something up just to collect a few bucks, yuck.
I've tagged you Suzanne and I hope you'll play along. The meme is to reveal the Sixth photograph in your sixth folder - the rules are on my blog if you would hop across and take a look.Can't wait to see that photograph.
I thought I'd have google advertise on my blog and then decided against it,but the message to check and confirm my adsense account still persists on my dashboard ,a constant reminder.
I placed one google ad on my site last month for the first time and earned a whopping fifteen bucks. It makes me wonder if it is really worth it to have the annoying ad in exchange for so little cashola. However, BlogHer ads pay very well in comparison to Google. At least three times as much and often more. I have also had some luck with contacting businesses that relate directly to content that I often write about, to either host a give-away prize or place an ad. They are usually far more interested in hosting a give-away prize. It is actually kind of fun to contact companies who manufacture products that I love to use to see if they will respond to a blogger. I have been pleasantly surprised several times. And then there are the companies that don't even acknowledge your offer. Ah well....
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