Profiting Off Of You

That's right, I've turned on the Google Ads.  I have some trepidations about this and I've been putting it off for years.  Here's why I finally did it.

First, I'm unemployed and this site gets 300-600 hits a month.  I could use the money (but these days, who couldn't?).

Second, my friend Curtis (who suggested this in the first place) pointed out that Google offers targeted ads that you, dear reader, are more likely to be interested in.  If you see an interesting ad on my sight and feel compelled to click on it, where's the harm in that?  Personally I rarely click on ads (and certainly not on my own site because that would violate the EULA), and if you don't click on my ads that's fine.  This site has been running for years and I think it's obvious that my commitment is to providing content that's interesting to myself and hopefully to you.  Any monetizing that occurs is secondary.

I think this is what I'm really wrestling with.  I've ranted about this before, that there seem to be two kinds of companies: those who do it for the love of the thing, and those who want to squeeze every last dime out of their users.  Google is a wonderful example of the former; they are constantly buying or creating cool new technologies and then offering them up for free.  Their ads are as minimalist as possible, and even then designed to appeal.

Compare to Yahoo, who have monetized the hell out of everything they do.  I stopped using Yahoo Mail because they insisted on sticking giant ads on the page, even though I had a "deluxe" account.  They told me "we don't care how much money you give us, we're still showing you ads."  Why?  Because that way they can squeeze a little more out of me.  The ads were also ugly; my least favorite was the acne ad with the "before" picture.  And it covered up part of the window, making it harder to read my email.  It was literally enough to make me switch services.

You see this dichotomy everywhere.  Facebook vs. Myspace.  Apple vs. HP.  Some companies put extra effort into their products and then give you the improvements for free.  These are the companies that have brainstorming sessions titled "what other cool things can we do for our customers?"  The latter have brainstorming sessions titled "what else can we monetize?"  Those are the people who thought that a "Cash Creek Power Play" would be a good idea for the San Jose Sharks.

But the important thing to remember is the former companies, the ones who do it because they love it, still make money.  In fact, they make more.  Google is wildly popular while Yahoo is staring into the abyss.  Facebook is swelling while Myspace fades away.  Why?  Because these companies haven't forgotten the bottom line.  But they don't allow it to override their quest for quality, and the marketplace rewards them for that.

So, I'm putting ads on my site.  If I get enough negative feedback I'll take them down, not because I'm worried about losing "customers" but because the primary purpose of this site is to reach out to friends & family, and if it's not doing that, then there's no point in continuing.

I'm setting up a poll on the subject.  Vote in the poll, leave a comment, or let me know some other way.  Are these ads ruining the magic or should I stop sweating it and get back to generating awesome content?

J<