It seems only fair that we ask the people who read the blog.
To advertise, or not to advertise?
Putting ads on the page is certainly not our preference. AdSense or something like it would be the blogger route for ads, matching keywords in our blog with advertising. Or there's the button... we're also not keen on PayPal's donation button for a variety of reasons (mostly on PayPal's end). For folks who think the Gage Hotel / Marathon Motel references in the blog are "ads," I only wish we were compensated in proportion to the time and effort we've put into promoting both locations. We have received paychecks from both; for grounds and housekeeping and other such unglamorous deeds.
To seek sponsors or not to seek sponsors?
This might be the more easily controlled option; businesses or people or anyone interested in having a presence on our blog could have a picture/link/blurb... anything really, on the sidebar. It would be less annoying and targeting than the "adsense" ads that Google would magically assign to the blog. But we'd also have to hope that folks would want to sponsor the blog.
To market photography or...?
We're thrilled that people love our photography. We just don't want to turn this blog into a "BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY, PLEASE BUY IT" type site - also because we're proud of our moths, too. But we also don't know which photos are most appealing, anyway, so unless folks told us which ones they liked, we'd be offering our favorites (which are pretty awesome anyway, but we could be biased).
All of the above would be drops in a bucket.
Basically, it boils down to this:
My part-time job at Sul Ross State University had been tutoring English, reading and writing. Graduation meant that I'd no longer be able to tutor. And two days before graduation, Matt and I were both laid off from our more significant part-time jobs. To the tune of half of our income. And things were already tight due to school; but it's better to finish a degree than transfer again!
We desperately want to stay in this region and are looking for jobs across the board, specialized or not. But we need to figure things out sooner than later.
Blogging from Marathon, TX about birding, butterflies, moths and more. Exploring the gems of Brewster County, Post Park, Big Bend National Park and the surrounding region. Bird watching: Big Bend and beyond!
advertised and keep this good page going please
ReplyDeleteAdvertise. I read several blogs and don't mind the advertisements. If it helps you financially and is not offensive (and the ads won't be), then why not? Make your life easier while you are looking.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the job hunt, by the way. Something in Alpine maybe? Texas Parks & Wildlife?
I also say make use of advertisements to support this blog. Hopefully, the advertisements can be informational about events and activities occurring in the Big Bend area. I like to have an excuse to pack up the truck to head back for more visits.
ReplyDeleteThanks to the three of you - and a pile of comments on facebook - we're looking into Google's integrated ad... stuff. Unfortunately that means ads will be "related" to our content, instead of, say, actual ads from local businesses and regionally appropriate things. Hopefully not much in the way of bird feeder ads, but who knows.
ReplyDeleteIt's already kind of a pain to set up, and there's no telling how it will do, but for folks more interested in supporting the blog directly, well, prints are generally available for most any image on this site.
Thanks for the encouragement - and if the ad thing just doesn't fit well with the blog, we'll ditch it and get innovative.
I think most people are used to ads and are used to ignoring them. If that means staying in the area and keeping the blog going...by all means, advertise!
ReplyDelete