Blog Ramblings Continue
As you all know, I love to post my blog ponderings up here, in plain view on my blog. I like to debate new methods of advertising, ways to monetize the blog, keep my RSS subscribers, attract new readers, improve my layout and design, etc.
So today - I’m leaving an open microphone so that you can all give me your thoughts on what needs to be improved. To kick-start things off, I’m considering applying to a few sponsored reviews agencies. Perhaps even offering some sponsored reviews outside these networks. What would you do, if this was the case? Stop reading the blog? Stop reading these particular posts? Send me an e-mail telling me that I’d won a hundred-million dollars?
All I have to say on the topic of sponsored reviews, is that if I was most probably going to write about a similar story anyway (Yes - I’ll be limiting reviews to realted-only products!), then so long as I maintain an honest opinion on the product/website/community/shin-dig, then I see no reason not. Especially if it means I can remove the ugly PPC adverts, etc. But again, I’m asking you for ideas. What better way to find out exactly what you guys want?
Anyhow - I have to wait until the Google Pagerank update later this month till ReviewMe will accept my blog. 
Once that is done though, you could very well be staring straight at a PR6 TechZi! I won’t get my hopes up…
April 11th, 2007 at 10:14 am
I don’t think sponsored reviews would be very good. I wouldn’t be able to trust them. I don’t think the ads on the sidebar are that bad, just not in the reading column.
And i have a new blog at http://someandrew.wordpress.com
April 11th, 2007 at 10:33 am
See - that’s just it… People think that they can’t trust sponsored reviews. If we go ahead with them in anycase, I’ll be writing 100% honest reviews, with my opinions in. It’s just the way I am…
But seriously, if it means we could remove the nasty little AdSense adverts, I’m all for it! That and the fact that we’d probably make more revenue with the sponsored postings as opposed to purchases of ad space & generic clicks.
April 11th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
As long as you know where to place those adverts where they aren’t obtrusive, I have nothing wrong with AdSense.
Sponsored posts do sound good though
April 11th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
Thanks for the support Max! I reckon, so long that I keep the content true and honest, then if someone is paying me to write it, well heck. That’s just a bonus!
April 11th, 2007 at 11:38 am
I for one can never trust a site that has sponsored reviews.
You will lose many readers if you go down that road.
Some people say they’ll be 100% honest but in the end the all mighty dollar speaks to them.
P.S.
Blogging isn’t ONLY about making money or finding ways to make money. Blogging is about having fun and if you make a buck on the side, that’s great. In all honesty, you’re in a niche that quite isn’t a big money maker. technology news blogs are usually high traffic, low income sites and paid reviews will only hurt traffic.
April 11th, 2007 at 4:20 pm
To be perfectly frank, beign paid to write a review won’t sway my opinion. That’s the great thing about sponsored review networks (contrary to popular belief), an advertiser can’t DEMAND a positive review. Whilst I won’t be writing completely negative ones either, I will be packing the ones I do with constructive criticism and highlighting both the good and bad sides of the product(s) involved.
Either way, my earnings stay the same, so by not being honest, I’d lose readers whilst simply making the same amount of money.
If you get me…
April 11th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
David, my short answer is: I wouldn’t want ReviewMe or PayPerPost anywhere near TechZi, even if I were just a reader.
Now, here’s the long answer, atleast as long as my damaged right arm would allow it:
I’d rather have a thousand PPC ads plastered all over the place, even in my RSS feeds, than have an ocassional paid post, even if that post would’ve been the same even if it were not paid for. It takes away the trust, making the post a bigger and inconvenienter PPC ad to walk through. Ever notice how we skip the full page color ads on a newspaper to read that tiny bit of news about the latest Bently Broklands?
So, stay away from them, ‘coz they’re like a ten feet one way road of gold leading to a tall cliff. (Look ma! I claimed a new phrase!)
And, btw, why doesn’t CarZi.net redirect to CarZi.com?
April 11th, 2007 at 4:16 pm
I’m not using ReviewMe or PayPerPost.
I’ve found a new website which I’m hoping will order up a review - just so I can show you guys how it all works.
Hope your arm gets better! But would you really mind, so long as I keep the sponsored reviews honest and relevant? As a read of JohnChow.com, I find he does a great job of doing honest reviews whilst making sure they’re relevant to his genre. Just about, anyway…
As for CarZi, we don’t own the .net domain (yet)!
April 11th, 2007 at 4:20 pm
And, how about an experiment? Start a new subblog, like, say, techzi.net/sponsored, and see how many subscribers/pageviews you get. Would make for an interesting experiment….
April 11th, 2007 at 4:22 pm
I would do, but unfortunately almost all sponsored post networks require the sponsored posts to be on a blog which has non-sponsored content too, usually on a 3:1 ratio.
Thought I must admit, I did consider this idea also.
April 12th, 2007 at 5:13 am
Do you really truston the iwebtool’s prediction? Cause I think it’s not that accurate, I have an experience on it on my other blog, they aid that it’ll have pr 5 but after the update it was only 4.
Any predictions when will google update it’s toolbar
April 12th, 2007 at 8:53 am
Do I trust iWebTool? No. Perhaps you missed the ‘I won’t get my hopes up…’ bit?
As for when Google will update it’s toolbar, it’s schedueld for mid-late April. Not long now!
April 16th, 2007 at 9:44 am
Nice!
April 16th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
Interesting…
April 23rd, 2007 at 6:15 am
Keep rambling, David….
We love to hear from you.