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Friday, January 19, 2007

getting paid

Yes, that is an advertisement up above. I decided today to enroll in blog advertising. My role as advertiser will be entirely passive: the robots at Google will select the ads based on the content of my blog. So far, so good. The first ad is for hurricane relief.

Are there still people out there averse to making money or any old lefties getting ready to deploy the trope of selling out against me? I hope not. Adulthood is one long struggle to get paid for the things one wants to do, or, in this case, what one was already doing.

One day I'll have to write a blog entry on my identification as a left capitalist. For now it should be enough to pose the rhetorical question, Who should make money more than you and I? You know Bush and Cheney are getting paid. Comrades, so should we!

9 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'd much rather discuss Velazquez than the ethics of putting ads up on your blog. For God's sake, who cares? What, did they pay you to talk about the ads, so we'd notice? Was that part of the deal? Pshaw!

You pre-empt obvious arguments about politics and ads, but perhaps there are other arguments, aesthetic and temperamental ones. Won't they smear the edges of your blog with flashing bits and provocative statements about impeaching Bush or purchasing Ann Coulter mugs? And then, do you really want us, your faithful readership, to be distracted by advertisements? Won't we at least be curious about what sort of ads will come up based on the content of your blog? Can we expect ads for Christian Porn? Didn't Harry Bosch talk about cum-halos in the Velazquez thread? Now every time I see a halo, or a blurred picture of Art Garfunkle, I'm going to think of cum-halos. And do you really want us to see ads that have been specially selected for those people who are fascinated by cum-halos? One shudders to think.

12:49 AM, January 20, 2007

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Gary Numan has allowed his songs to be used in ads, so we can't really complain. au revoir

8:58 AM, January 20, 2007

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The concern about advertising has to do with the potential to undermine content. The rate of your compensation from Google will vary in direct proportion to the level of your site traffic. The more page loads your blog, and any ads positioned there receive, the greater the level of your compensation. This may or may not have any impact on what you choose to write about, but the general concern about "selling out" is based on the concern that when money is involved, one will pay less attention to hearing "a voice in the wilderness" and more to "the buzz on the street". The presence of advertising suggests the *potential* for a motivation other than pure communication of your personal viewpoint. The absence of advertising makes the point entirely moot.

11:38 AM, January 20, 2007

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Selling-out is a pretty vague term in these days, ranging from artists to big-time corporations. Fortunately you're neither. If your topics turn more mainstream, and you attempt to make ridiculous claims, whether they be politically, religiously, or otherwise oriented, for the sake of the number of hits on your counter, you will undoubtedly be a sell-out. For now, while your posts about the paintings of Spaniards and your own lyrical escapades may be thoroughly enjoyable, they should probably not generate enough revenue for anyone to bat an eye.

3:57 PM, January 20, 2007

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Can people use something other than "anonymous" as a tag? It's rather annoying.

"Selling-out" does not only apply to advertising; as the most recent anonymous points out, it includes all sorts of pandering. Therefore, the question of whether this particular blogger is "selling-out" can never be confidently dispelled unless he either does sell out, or packs up and quits blogging.

2:19 AM, January 21, 2007

 
Blogger Jeff Strabone said...

Me sell out? What was Flavor Flav's response when Chuck D asked him in 1988, 'Yo Flav, do you think we're gonna sell out?' on 'Caught, Can We Get a Witness?'

Well, that's my answer, too.

3:06 AM, January 21, 2007

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm not too worried about Jeff Strabone selling out. And hell, sometimes advertisements make for good art and good discussion.

11:34 AM, January 21, 2007

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great viral marketting mention of PE Jeff! (Rest assured the check we discussed from MCA records is in the mail!)

4:18 PM, January 21, 2007

 
Blogger Jeff Strabone said...

Viral marketting in full effect, boyyyy.

10:46 PM, January 21, 2007

 

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