To Ad or not to Ad. That is the question.

I gave a workshop today on blogging at AWI. My last point was: Should you or should you not advertise or accept PR on your blog? Looking around lwm3b you can see which decision I made. But I'll humbly agree it's not for every blog nor every blogger.

Turns out, very few people feel lukewarm about ads. Most are emphatically in support or decidedly against advertising.

The case against ads:
Let me make this very clear. If you are blogging solely to make money on ads, you will fail. You. Will. Fail. Blogging for financial gain is very transparent. Don't insult your readership's intelligence by assuming they won't see right through that.

Ads can be distracting. I particularly get all a buzz by the fast-paced, zippy ones. I am not anti-animated button completely; I just avoid that ones that appear seizure-inducing.

Too many ads can be overwhelming.

The case for ads:
I trust bloggers more than commercials. All commercials say their product is the best. All companies pitch you. If I can relate to a blogger, and particularly if she has earned my respect, I am interested in the products that have made her life easier, better, enriched, more enjoyable. I want the "tried and true" low down on a product not some infomercial.

When you come to lwm3b, you can feel confident that the products I am willing to clutter my pretty sidebars with (you all know how I feel about CLEAN sidebars!) are either products I use myself, or companies I feel you will benefit from. Those partnerships are made judiciously and with respect for your time and interest.

Case in point: I actually think you should drink illy coffee. I'm not just putting that big ol' honkin' thing there because it's pretty. That's my espresso machine, and that's how I start my day - a triple shot illy latte. The world shines brighter shortly thereafter. I think it's magic.

Amazon Prime membership? Free two-day shipping. It's changed my life.

B&H Photo. I recently read that Pioneer Woman made it all the way from Oklahoma to NYC (where sits the real ginormous B&H Photo Store) and somehow willed herself to stay away. I don't know how. I ordered Handy Man's Nikon d200 from there, as well as all our lenses. They have been top notch. And as much as it can sometimes dampen my style, I totally respect that they shut down their website during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and seemingly whenever else I'm last minute shopping for my hubby's gifts. Shalom!

Academic Superstore. Gracious. My wallet thanks them! Yes, as a homeschooler there is a small hoop to jump through to prove you are an educator, but the result is up to 75-80% off software. $99 for Lightroom 2. That's a HUGE discount. I hope the savings you find there allow you to more easily afford the software I talk about on my blog all the stinkin' time - like Photoshop and Lightroom. I purchased my Adobe software through them and not only do I use the software all the time in homeschool projects - the software I purchased there keeps me gainfully employed at home.

And therein lies the difference - if you are a blogger and you have interesting content, post regularly, are mildly entertaining or enlightening and want to share your experiences with companies and products AND you can get a kick back from it? I tip my hat to you and say "You Go, Girl!"

So that's how I feel about ads. How do you feel about ads?

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