Since the site is now a year old, I'm committed to continuing it, and the readership is pretty well defined and quantified, I'm ready to move ahead in this direction. Since the beginning I've had Google's AdSense simply to allow for the fact there may be some advertising on the site. I don't, however, want to interrupt the look and feel of the site, so the advertising will be limited to two places and I'll have more details to follow (another weekend project I didn't get completed):
- On the left sidebar under the Welcome box, I will have a paid links box "NOC Sponsors". Links can be purchased on a monthly basis with a three month minimum.
- In post text advertising. Within posts I will offer text only advertisements. There will be a limited word count and number of lines, but hot links will be available. A sample of this type of advertisement can be viewed here.
Also, this WILL NOT CHANGE the no-fee posting of information from groups and organizations for events and activities. This is pure advertising as part of someone's business promotion.
I'd also be willing to have a 'title' sponsor, but haven't given more thought to it other than I'm open to it.
I'll be finalizing a media kit and will make it available. In the meantime, if you have comments, as always please leave them here or email me at editor@newsovercoffee.com. Additionally, if you would be interested in one of these opportunities, send me a note and I'll be sure to get you the information as soon as it is available.
8 comments:
This raises the question, "where is the sponsor money going?" As the world knows, Blogging does not cost any money to do. It may require time and effort. But not money.
So, in the interest of full disclosure (not that it is any of our business, really), what will you do with the money paid to you by sponsors? Pocket it? Donate it? Put it back into the site (perhaps open an actual website rather than just a blog)? I don't intend to judge, but I am curious.
Also, how will this affect the content of your site? Would a negative comment (and I mean a warranted one) about one of your sponsors (say, a restaurant that offered a poor experience, for example) be pulled from from the blog?
Fair enough, and let me say that when I started this site it was because I knew there was an opportunity for success because the business model did not lend itself to a full-time enterprise. This meant there would be no competition from traditional media outlets (for a community with pop. of Nazareth).
I also knew that someone else could do the same thing I was, because as you say the technology is in place to make it possible.
Having said that the investment in time I would have to make required a plan to generate some form of financial return. The trick for me was to gain a return while providing a service.
If you consider traditional online advertising models they are based on click throughs. Given the population we are dealing with for NOC's audience, it isn't a viable model.
Sponsor is not the right word, nor is patron, which is what I was also toying with. For the links I couldn't come up with a good name, they are simply paid links. Links to businesses that want to be seen by readers of the site. I'm not thinking a lot of money, something like $50.00 per link per month with a three month minimum (I don't want to be changing things daily).
Honestly, time is money. The question is how much and which time do you want to trade for it. There are many ways I would like to spend my time and this is one of many of them. If you are a craftsperson and enjoy making crafts, I wouldn't expect you to give them away, despite the enjoyment you may have in making them and people receiving them.
So given the time and effort I put in, and the value that comes out, I don't have a problem making some money on the side from it.
As anyone who reads this site knows, Brad and I are the only two who regularly cover local meetings. I have some ideas, but not a specific formula to determine how money should be paid out. In truth, it is an issue all sites of this nature grapple with. Once I get the first paid link, Brad and I will take that money and have a BBQ with the families to figure out how to divy it up in the future - assuming of course there is no snow or flood then;-)
While I have not invested a lot of money in this site, there are costs, and to date they have all been paid out of pocket. Outside of my time, there were promotional materials I had printed and distributed in town, not to mention fees for domain names etc.
Content will be unaffected. I'm providing the paid links and text ads as a service to businesses, but I'm not reliant upon them as I haven't been for the past year.
As you know from reading for a long time, I try above all to be fair even when being critical and if I publish the rates and terms it will be very easy to see how much money is generated and what I write or don't write about those who pay for ads.
I can say there won't be a change in coverage, except each paid link will get an initial post to present their business, and I also think this is good. I've tried to get people to submit information, always at no charge, and it is a challenge, if businesses see value in my audience and advertise, maybe it will demonstrate to groups and organizations that there is value to contribute.
Finally, I've worked with businesses already in essentially barter deals. Bennigans helped me out quite a bit when I was starting, Nazareth News Agency has provided me space for my Resident to Candidate night and my three Candidate open house events, and while we didn't exchange money, we helped one another, when I couldn't absorb another out of pocket expense.
I don't think some paid links and text advertisements will undermine the site, but this is very much an issue in the open source community and that is in effect what we have here.
Again, I appreciate your comment and I hope the long discourse I've provided gives you some insight into how I got from there to here and where I am looking to go.
Thanks again for the comment and long-time readership - it is very much appreciated.
And one last thing as I look at your comment again, it is your business because I've made all of this our business. I've said I'd be open and I hope to be open enough to satisfy anyone who is concerned with having advertising.
Ross-
We're having a BBQ?
While I might hate to admit this, I do "enjoy" (if that is the proper word) going to the NASD board meetings. Perhaps, I'm sick in the head ;)
Seriously though, I have always felt that I should be as involved as I can in my children's education and upbringing. Whether that is chaperoning the 1st grade field trip to the DaVinci center, coaching T-ball or going to meetings, I'm going to try to make time and do it.
I honestly do not expect any type of payment for going to meetings (which I was going to do anyway) and reposting my notes. It does take time, no doubt, but at the end of the day, I enjoy it.
Now, I realize that you put a considerable amount of time into NOC so I really have no problem with you making a bit of money on the side. Frankly speaking, I think this site is a great service to the community. While I do not expect any payment, I would surely help (if you wanted it) to decide what to do with (if any) advertising revenue you were to receive.
The other aspect of going to advertising, and yes I have given this considerable thought and have looked at what other sites have done, is the tax implications.
For many years I filed Nunamaker Media Communications for the freelance work I did writing, on radio, and service electric. I probably should have continued it last year and indicated a loss for the site, but at the time I wasn't sure where this would lead so I didn't.
The advertising would change more on the back-end then it would the front, but I think given the readership and rates I'm considering it would give smaller and start-up businesses an opportunity to get their name infront of people without making a significant financial commitment. And that is a tremendous benefit to them.
For instance, in speaking with Mike at the Nazareth News Agency, he isn't advertising because he can't afford it as he tries to get the business going. Hosting events for me has been good for both of us, because I couldn't afford to rent a facility and it gives him recognition and awareness.
Purely as an example (I haven't talked to him about this) if for $50.00 he could get a link up for 3 months and a post that would include information on the business, theoretically for another $7-$10 dollars, he could buy a domain name and point it at that post and he would have an internet presence.
Obviously not be the same as having your own web site, but in the absence of having any presence it is a pretty good return on your investment - $60.00 for three month link in front of people from the community to keep your name top of mind and a web address and page of information all done virtually for you.
It would not be for everyone, and again I don't anticipate making millions, but I do think it is time and it can be of benefit to at home, small and start up businesses in the community as well as those that want more of a presence in Nazareth.
As papier boy pointed out in his own post - "not that it is any of our business, really" he should have read his own words before proceeding.
NOC is a "free" service to the community. Not only are meetings reported, but significant analysis is provided. If every business in Nazareth advertised with you, your hourly rate would still be low.
To papier boy - if you follow this blog regularly, think about how much time you spend reading it. Now think about the effort to accumulate, analyze, compile and disseminate the information you are reading.
You could call it an an "honorarium" which is a
noun meaning:
An honorary payment or reward, usually in recognition of gratuitous or professoinal servcies on which custom or propriety forbids any price to be set
In thinking even more about it, there is probably no need to nuance - its a "Paid Link"
I've had adsense up so their have been advertisements on the site, just that I'd need a billion click throughs to start seeing dollars and in truth I never once checked the account over the past nine months to even see what has been happening with it.
Do appreciate the input from everyone as I'd rather have this conversation before hand than have people wonder why I'm changing things after the fact.
"Webadmin" seems to be sensing hostility in my original post that I did not intend to convey. Oh, well.
Anyway, NOC, you have built a great public resource here and I have followed and admired it for about a year now. I say you deserve every penny you can make from it. My original concerns were that the site would be, in some way, negatively affected by becoming sponsored. And I think you have laid my concerns to rest. Good luck.
Post a Comment