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Ads are the new online tip jar

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(@paulhackett)
Posts: 794
Prominent Member Admin
Topic starter
 

With more people using ad blocking software or putting on their blinders, running a successful non-corporate website like ours becomes even harder. I'd like to borrow some words from Seth Godin who has summed up what I feel in Ads are the new online tip jar

"I never click on ads."

It's almost a badge of honor to say that. The subtext is, "I'm too smart/busy to waste my time doing that," or perhaps, "I don't want someone to sell my attention."

But the real effect is that you're starving great content.

I can say this because there are no ads here but,

If you like what you're reading, click an ad to say thanks.

Pretty simple, but not an accepted online protocol, at least not yet.

If every time you read a blog post or bit of online content you enjoyed you clicked on an ad to say thanks, the economics of the web would change immediately. You don't have to buy anything (though it's fine if you do). You just have to honor the writer by giving them a click.

You still get what you pay for, even if you pay with attention.

If you're using ad blocking software it only takes a minute to put in an exception for Guitar Noise. Isn't all the work we do worth that much?

Guitar Noises Newsletter

 
Posted : 22/08/2008 12:10 pm
(@kent_eh)
Posts: 1882
Noble Member
 

Generally I don't enable my ad blocker unless the ads are especially annoying or obnoxious (IE: they move or make noise).
Fortunately, GN's admins (and owner!) are enlightened enough to not allow that kind of annoying ads.

And, for what it's worth, GN has a real tip jar, for those who want to make a donation to the site. (note to self: it's been over a year since I tossed something into the jar)(Edit: fixed that oversight :wink: )

I wrapped a newspaper ’round my head
So I looked like I was deep

 
Posted : 22/08/2008 1:32 pm
 KR2
(@kr2)
Posts: 2717
Famed Member
 

It's nice to see (insert commercial advertisement here) the Internet developing etiquette.
Thanks for the tip on the tip jar, Kent_eh. I wondered about that.

Pass the hat, please.

It's the rock that gives the stream its music . . . and the stream that gives the rock its roll.

 
Posted : 22/08/2008 3:56 pm
(@streetkid)
Posts: 1
New Member
 

While I am thankful at the wonderful resource that this site is, and I will click on ads when I see them, isn't asking people to just click on an ad, with no interest in that product or service, just moving the rip off over to the ad companies and away from sites like this? Are we missing the whole point of advertisements in the first place?

 
Posted : 22/08/2008 9:50 pm
(@dan-t)
Posts: 5044
Illustrious Member
 

While I am thankful at the wonderful resource that this site is, and I will click on ads when I see them, isn't asking people to just click on an ad, with no interest in that product or service, just moving the rip off over to the ad companies and away from sites like this? Are we missing the whole point of advertisements in the first place?

I think most people who advertise on the internet realize that a majority of the people who click on their ads don't purchase anything. And alot of people, myself included, don't click on ads. Paul isn't saying "don't" buy anything, he's just encouraging everyone to click on the ads... who knows, maybe some people will buy something. I think anyone advertising here would be happy that more people are clicking on their ads, it ups the possibility that a purchase will be made. I think if even 5% of the people who click on the ads make a purchase, the advertisers would be happy.
I haven't thrown anything in the tip jar lately either, but to say thanks to Paul, you can be sure I'll be clicking away on the ads when I'm here! :wink:

Dan

"The only way I know that guarantees no mistakes is not to play and that's simply not an option". David Hodge

 
Posted : 22/08/2008 11:16 pm
(@paulhackett)
Posts: 794
Prominent Member Admin
Topic starter
 

We don't want to rip-off the advertisers either. They're our bread and butter.

My suggestion is more along the lines of "don't ignore the ads." Don't be "so cool" that you never click on an ad. Advertisers keep track of us, and more clicks leads to better ads. And who knows? Maybe one day you'll click on something that changes your life.

GN has a very strong fan base. What I think has happened over time is the most frequent visitors have become the most complacent towards the sponsors. Hard to blame them for them for wanting their daily dose without distractions. This is just another reminder that we need to keep the lights on.

Guitar Noises Newsletter

 
Posted : 22/08/2008 11:25 pm
(@rparker)
Posts: 5480
Illustrious Member
 

I've got a question. Is there a page on the GN site anywhere that has a list of links that you have affiliate deals with? It'd be nice to click on a link from the GN site to make a purchase and know that GN will get their 5-10% rev share for the sale. I know I've done it before (DH's book, and I'm quite sure I've purchased something through other links a while back). I know click-throughs are important, but are there any affiliate deals that we should be trying to frequent? I remember sheetmusicplus or something like that a good while back. Maybe I'm missing something, or maybe the web affiliate landscape has changed.

We don't need to know any specifics, but if there are any that are hidden that could be put on a link page or something, that would help us help.....us.

Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin

 
Posted : 23/08/2008 2:04 am
(@paulhackett)
Posts: 794
Prominent Member Admin
Topic starter
 

We got everything:
https://www.guitarnoise.com/affiliates/

Finding it is the problem.

Guitar Noises Newsletter

 
Posted : 23/08/2008 2:12 am
(@rparker)
Posts: 5480
Illustrious Member
 

Do we have any gear places with affiliate deals?

Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin

 
Posted : 23/08/2008 4:12 am
(@paulhackett)
Posts: 794
Prominent Member Admin
Topic starter
 

Anything through Amazon.com qualifies. No other gear vendors at the moment.

Guitar Noises Newsletter

 
Posted : 23/08/2008 7:09 am
(@chris-c)
Posts: 3454
Famed Member
 

Hi,

This is something that I've wondered about before. I live outside the USA, so the odds that I'll buy anything from an advertiser are negligible. This is especially true as the only ads that I've noticed here have been for smilies and for a variety of guitar courses, neither of which I have any interest in. But I do dislike the attitude that thinks it's smart to grab whatever you can for free. So I do try and contribute when and where I can.

However, I still doggedly don't ever own any credit cards, and I also don't wish to plough through the fine print and provide personal details to any other kind of online payment systems that would convert my Aus$ and deposit them elsewhere in the world. I guess that I'm just an old fashioned cash kind of guy. I did use another site for a while, whose owner lived in Australia, and I felt that his information had been worth something – so I just posted him some cash. But that's kind of risky, and technically not legal anyway.

If there were more ads for gear then I'd certainly be likely to click on them for information about products, as there would be a chance that I'd then buy the item locally.

Other than that I just try and be a reasonable ‘Content Provider' rather than only a ‘Content Consumer'.
I have read one or two articles here but when I did download a lesson I found that I never actually got around to doing it – so I'm apparently not a ‘Work through the Lessons' kind of guy either. What I mostly do is have a quick read of a few posts with eye-catching titles, and skip the rest. Then I try and post what I think are either useful questions, or useful answers, in the context of good site content. I spend a fair bit of time considering what to write, and then editing it in a way that I think will not just benefit me, but potentially also be understood by as many other visitors as possible. If necessary I'll ride a topic past the point that I've got the answer I wanted, in order that the whole thread ends up with a better package of info for others to read. I also try and research my own answers and attempt to give as full a range of angles and possibilities as I can. It's not much, but it's all that I've come up with so far....

I've been to many websites that looked great but had no content worth hanging around for. Guitarnoise is a place that has a good atmosphere and great content. So I try to add to that with a bit of humour, and with reasonable questions and answers. And, as somebody who does occasionally get paid for things that I write, I do see my waffling as being not entirely valueless. But of course, I could be massively kidding myself about that. :mrgreen: I might be simply wasting bandwidth, and my notion of 'contributing' be entirely illusionary. :shock: . The message here could well be “Cut the crap and make with some cash guys - it's your turn to pay for the drinks....”

Good luck with it all anyway. Maybe you could identify a weekly “Doorbell” ad that we all just click on our way in and out…

Cheers,

Chris

 
Posted : 23/08/2008 8:10 am
(@paulhackett)
Posts: 794
Prominent Member Admin
Topic starter
 

I've lived in about 4 different countries since I started doing GN. I've also traveled to a few others. What's interesting is seeing what ads show up where. Advertisers can target very specific regions. A lot of the smilie and glitter ads crop up in places that don't attract the premium advertisers. The idea is everything improves with time.

We seem to have developed a site where people love the content but hate the sponsors - that's not exactly fertile ground for the advertisers.

Guitar Noises Newsletter

 
Posted : 23/08/2008 8:30 am
(@mmoncur)
Posts: 168
Estimable Member
 

I love GN and want to support it, but...

I just wanted to warn you that this thread could get GN in trouble with the ad network(s). Most of them can suspend your account or worse if you post anything encouraging people to click on ads. There are exceptions (for example, affiliate links are always safe) and each network has different policies, but I would be extremely cautious.

Encouraging people to not use ad blockers is fine, but I'd be really careful saying something like "click on an ad to say thanks", even if you're quoting Seth. If they notice an unusual pattern of clicks (say, lots of people clicking through from this thread's page) you might have trouble. Again, this depends on which ad network(s) you use, and you know more about it than I do.

Just trying to help. I'm gonna go drop a few bucks in the GN tip jar now instead of clicking on an ad. :)

 
Posted : 23/08/2008 9:13 am
(@notes_norton)
Posts: 1497
Noble Member
 

Like a previous poster to this thread, I only block obnoxious ads. If they move it's OK, but if they make noise, I nuke them.

And I seldom click on ads on a web page, not because I'm too cool to do so, but because I'm doing something else.

The Internet advertising industry should get over the click through compulsion. Nobody clicks ads on TV, Radio, Newspapers, Magazines, Billboards, and other more traditional forms of advertising. But yet the ads do influence the consumers purchasing decisions. If they didn't, huge corporations wouldn't spend so much money on the ads.

Just because everybody isn't clicking on the ads, does not mean they are not working. The Amazon.com ad at the top of this page is promoting brand recognition, and they should be paying GN to post it here, whether or not anybody actually clicks it (I don't know if they do or not). Just as Budweiser posts ads in the middle of football games and other companies get prominent product placement in movies.

But that is all simply my opinion.

Notes

Bob "Notes" Norton

Owner, Norton Music http://www.nortonmusic.com Add-on Styles for Band-in-a-Box and Microsoft SongSmith

The Sophisticats http://www.s-cats.com >^. .^< >^. .^<

 
Posted : 23/08/2008 2:10 pm
(@pearlthekat)
Posts: 1468
Noble Member
 

OK. I'll click once in a while if you think it'll help. I've never clicked in the past because I don't want any spam coming in, but maybe that shouldn't be a concern.

 
Posted : 23/08/2008 8:55 pm
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