AdSense conundrum

I’ve experimented with Google AdSense lately not for some concrete hope in getting loads of money like some of the other bloggers out there but just for some vain hope that I will be able to scrape enough to cover some minor expenses in my life, I am of course an unemployed struggling student without income. My daily traffic stems mostly from photo viewers from my weekly contest entries and my daily total visitors does not amount to anymore than 120 visits on an average day so my target advertising viewers is just a tiny trickle compared to the total number of net users out there.

But the real question is, is putting up ads on a personal blog betraying the true meaning of what we call the ‘blogging phenomenon’? Many out there would say yes, that there is no place for commercial adventurism when you’re supposed to be blogging about you personal happenings and thoughts. That by pasting a series of codes in your template you’re selling your soul to commercialism and abandoning any form of idealism. Many other might just be turned away because I can emphatise for the fact that a deluge of ads would make anyone go bonkers just as what they did with NTV7 where the ads re actually longer then the total run time of their shows. But I disagree, a blog space is your personal arena and with that you have the right to do whatever you please with it, adding advertising revenue is not a betrayal but good business acumen especially if people are interested in your site and the contents are related to what you’re talking.

The bad side is that many people out there misuse AdSense turning to churning out entries with specific key words to grab traffic and writing content aimed specifically to tie in with hot topics. In the end what may result is a behavioral change that causes a blog to turn fully into a commercial entity and no longer true to what it aimed to be in the first place. This may be one bad side to catering for ad revenue but thankfully many people out there are not so. Most write still true to themselves and the only addition is several columns of ads related to their writings. Others set up specific websites such as blogs on technology and science, others on recommending food and dining places, some endorse products while others are more on giving support groups or on a theme say parenting tips. Placing ads here is not only logical but a natural progression as your visitors most probably share the same interests as you subject matter and thus ads would reflect their needs.

Many have turned sour grapes that others are raking in money, this should not be so. These people with checks heading their way have done so by the strength of their writing and efforts put in attracting daily visitors so they have earned whatever dollars they have. Yes I hope to someday reach USD100 so I too can get some of the action but after half a month and only USD 1 I still have a long way to go. My blog is still my personal reflection, nothing has changed, the spirit that I first showed in setting it up is still carrying strong and nothing has changed abruptly with the exception of ads. I still have long way to go in integrating the ads so they are more seamless and less intrusive and maybe one day I will. Nicely placed ads will not distract while offering an avenue for people interested in them to follow the links. It’s a question I thought about a lot before I inserted ads into my blog but in the end I felt it is justifiable and correct. So to end, a toast to a long perilous journey heading for USD50.

P.s. Addition to my earlier post;

Today I've just read about Aunt Lilian's current post about her AdSense dollars being voided due to suspected tampering. From her suspicions that it was malicious intent from parties that are jealous of her money making success. If that is true, then my heart goes out to her for the fact that us as humans can drop down so low and be envious of other's success. It's ugly that when we see someone rise up with their own integrity and strength we feel a compulsion to drag them down to earth to their level instead of being inspired and look up to them as role models. It's shame really as Lilian had so much to offer, besides her usual blog she has others that give advise and councelling as well as helpful efforts in promoting goals like breast feeding (to which I am an advocate as well). So whither the good and let evil triumph, maybe Malaysian are truly like that, if so again I am ashamed. I hope whoever the sabetour is he/she/it is happy with themselves, they can revel in this little moment of triumph, relish their efforts in felling a good samaritan and rejoice in such petty accomplishments. It sickens me, Aunt Lilian my sympathies. If people hate others for getting money from AdSense then stay away from their site, they don't need you, they have others more genuine in intent. Nobody if forcing anybody to click. Lilian God will provide, be strong and have faith that retribution will be given to the deserving and rewards to those that do good. Call me naive for that belief if you will :)