Rise of the Professional Blogger

And now he gets even more money... by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 20:28 · Score: 5, Funny

You just had to link to him on Slashdot, didn't you. Come on, he's making enough already ;)

Re:And now he gets even more money... by phalse+phace · 2005-07-16 21:18 · Score: 2, Informative

I thought you only make money from AdSense when someone clicks on an actual ad?
Re:And now he gets even more money... by BoldAC · 2005-07-16 22:35 · Score: 5, Insightful

Money, money, money...

What in the world ever happened to building a web site to help people, to spread information, and to build a "community." Even more so, when did money become the primary goal of a web structure?

For example, slashdot was built for fun and information spread first. Only after it became successful did it start making lots of money. Now people do just the opposite... they design the web site for money first and if the site turns out to be useful, then it's an accident.

In college, I designed the Moan and Groan Page (now very dead) where people could bitch about their hardware. It was the hardware/software explosion time and all the major players were pushing a ton of junk into the marketplace. People could search my site before they purchased anything. I got threatened my tons of companies... and lawyers who used the site came to my defense. The hosting was donated, etc. Then I started my real life (job, family) and had to leave it all behind.

Once I established all of that, I returned to the web to start another project. What a difference those few years made. I wanted to start a similar site helping people with computer problems and tech-recipes.com was born. No thrills, no fluff, no pop-ups... just helpful computer hints. We make enough money from google to pay our server costs... nothing more.

Despite the fact that we just provide raw information, we have never developed a huge community around us. Sure we receive a ton of hits from the search engines, but I miss that feeling of having tons of users helping and supporting each other.

Now I have to worry about everybody stealing my information and slapping their ads all over it...

What a difference a few years make...

AC
Re:And now he gets even more money... by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 22:44 · Score: 0

No, AdSense uses/chooses CPM (Cost Per Mille impressions) as well for certain Ad formats.
Re:And now he gets even more money... by matt21811 · 2005-07-16 23:38 · Score: 3, Informative

There are a large number of SEO webspammers out there churning out often useless cookie cutter sites designed mostly to get good positions in Search engines. I'm an editor of DMOZ.org and find it frustrating that 2 out of 3 sites submitted have been created for no other reason than to make money.

Part of the blame lies with our beloved Google. They are actually funding a problem that they used to fight. It would be nice to see them put some effort into the problem instead of just cashing in like the do.

Adsense isnt all evil. It does allow many people to fund their often beloved web sites. It can be a great way to encourage people to make public their skills and knowledge in their special interests. It is fueling the best aspects of the web, that being the amazing diversity and depth of knowledge in any area you care to name.

It's such a good thing I even made a web site telling people how to do it right.
Re:And now he gets even more money... by BoldAC · 2005-07-17 00:54 · Score: 1

Adsense pays my server cost. Google gives me the majority of my traffic. I can't knock google too much.

However, I hate seeing people still sniplets of my website and then paste adsense code all around it knowing that some users will get confused and click the ads instead of the links to my article.

DMOZ is another issue altogether. The majority of my sites have been placed in there... although sometimes in odd positions. I certainly can't knock someone willing to sacrifice his time in an attempt to keep the directory accurate. However, you have to worry about the integrity of some dmoz editors however.

DMOZ is another perfect example of something free on the web that at high risk of being corrupted by greed.

Hey, Matt... thanks for keeping DMOZ clean of those crap sites. Stay away from the dark side. :)
Re:And now he gets even more money... by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 00:58 · Score: 3, Informative

That was until now. If we all add this to userContent.css he can go back to his previous job:

iframe[src*="googlesyndication.com"] { display: none !important; }

If you don't want to see similar stuff on Slashdot, just do enter this:

iframe[src*="googlesyndication.com"], iframe[src*="industrybrains.com"] { display: none !important; }

I think this explains why I post this as AC. Further reading: Blocking Advertisement.
Re:And now he gets even more money... by bigman2003 · 2005-07-17 01:51 · Score: 3, Interesting

Okay, I have to answer- with a shameless plug and a short story.

I run a site called InsideWoodland.com (in my sig). So far I've written about 70 stories. Each one takes me about 8 hours to do- with photos, interview, etc. This is a major chunk of my free time.

This is my main 'hobby', I spend a lot of time working on it, and a lot of time talking about it. Everyone I talk to wants to know why I am doing it, and most importantly, 'how much money do you make.' I haven't made a single dime. Monetary rewards were never my focus. (Although I do have an area where people can advertise, but nobody has done it yet, and I don't really push it.)

My real reward is just the knowledge that people really do read my stories, and look at my pictures. AND, I get to make other people 'famous' along the way.

The only people who have really understood this yet, were the gang-banger types that I met at low-rider car show while doing a story.

While a guy is telling me that he has devoted the last 4 years of his life, and $50,000 into his car- he has no problem understanding that I am doing something just because I enjoy it. But sadly, most 'normal' people just think I am a nut for not trying to make money.

I have looked into Adsense, but my traffic is to small since the website is tightly targeted (people in my small town). And, I don't like the way the ads look.

My only real goal is to somehow make a little bit of money to pay for my hosting fees. And if I paid for my current hosting fees, the first thing I would do is upgrade my hosting plan, to make the site perform better- even if it did end up costing me more money.

So yes, there are people out there who set up websites just for fun, and not for the money. So if this is a good thing, why do so many people tell me I am stupid for doing it?

--
No reason to lie.
Re:And now he gets even more money... by defile · 2005-07-17 01:57 · Score: 1

Would paranoia.com exist today? Probably not, because it doesn't exist today.

I'm suprised thirdworldtraveler.com doesn't have ads all over it yet.
Re:And now he gets even more money... by enrico_suave · 2005-07-17 02:02 · Score: 1

" I thought you only make money from AdSense when someone clicks on an actual ad?"

This is true, but if you have say a 1% clickthrough rate, and suddenly have a couple hundred thousand new/extra folks stampeding through your site... you stand to benefit ($$$) from that temporary boost in traffic/exposure.

e.

--
Build Your Own PVR/HTPC news, reviews, &
Re:And now he gets even more money... by drsquare · 2005-07-17 02:35 · Score: 2, Insightful

What in the world ever happened to building a web site to help people, to spread information, and to build a "community." Even more so, when did money become the primary goal of a web structure?

Who says they're building it just for money? Money does a lot of things. For one it pays for your webspace, domain name, and all that crap. Secondly, it pays your costs of living, so you don't have to get a second job, so you can focus on your website fully. Surely the quality's going to be higher when you're spending all your effort on it. Or would you rather website makers put 90% of their effort in their mindless day job?

You're just making enough money to cover your costs. Now imaging you made so much money off it you were making ten times more than you were in your old job, meaning you could quit. Surely you wouldn't turn that down, or is your post thinly-veiled bitterness that someone else's site is more success?
Re:And now he gets even more money... by jc42 · 2005-07-17 02:57 · Score: 2, Insightful

So yes, there are people out there who set up websites just for fun, and not for the money. So if this is a good thing, why do so many people tell me I am stupid for doing it?

No mystery there. Lots of people believe that you should only do things that are profitable, and by "profitable" they mean you get money. They don't understand that there are other kinds of profit.

Much of this can be understood as the "economic" model of human behavior. Some years ago, my wife was working toward a degree in economics, and she liked to describe a discussion topic that kept popping up at school: One way that scientific theories are tested is by using them to make predictions, and see which predictions come true. Most economic models aren't very good at prediction. Some are a bit better, and those are the ones that include things like fame and power as motivating forces. These don't translate easily to/from money, but they can be independently measured, so they can be used in models. Such theories aren't politically acceptable, however, because they're considered "Marxist".

Myself, I like another illustration: If you consider it stupid to do things for fun and not for money, you would never have children. If humans actually worked that way, our species would be extinct within a century. This hasn't happened. So at least a significant minority of us must not have money as our only motivation. In fact, if you look at the costs of raising children, you have to conclude that some humans are stongly motivated to do some things that are financially really stupid. Most economists would call such people irrational. But without them, we would be extinct.

Maybe you're one of these people.

--
Those who do study history are doomed to stand helplessly by while everyone else repeats it.
Re:And now he gets even more money... by onepoint · 2005-07-17 03:15 · Score: 2, Insightful

You enjoy what you are doing, Never let anyone tell you different. I have a small site that I have updated daily since 2000, it does not generate alot of traffic but it helps my in my hobby. Also it's nice to recieve a thank you letter from people ( that's the best reward from my point of view ). so keep up the great work.

Onepoint

--
if you see me, smile and say hello.
Re:And now he gets even more money... by djChinito · 2005-07-17 03:23 · Score: 2, Informative

Is that his original intent? I don't think anyone ever goes into blogging or site building ( outside of porn, maybe ) to make buckets and buckets of cash. It's just a consequence of a succesful site. I am building a site ( not a blog - since the format doesn't work well with the content ) to help men figure out the basics of a wardrobe and organize their closets. ( Plug - http://www.swaggerinc.com ). I find that having Amazon links and Google ads help subsidize the hosting fees. Your main purpose can be to help, but it doesn't mean that getting money for it is wrong...

--
Dude, Dress Better
Re:And now he gets even more money... by raju1kabir · 2005-07-17 05:00 · Score: 1

Myself, I like another illustration: If you consider it stupid to do things for fun and not for money, you would never have children. If humans actually worked that way, our species would be extinct within a century.

For the very poor - particularly in places with limited rules about child labor and mandatory schooling - having children is profitable because they are able to gather additional resources for the family in excess of the cost of their individual upkeep.

And in traditional societies where children are expected to take care of their parents in old age, investing in children is a sort of self-funded pension plan.

As long as these conditions exist, then even in a world of perfect economic rationalists there will be children.

And of course, in the places where people are not having children, the economies will quickly collapse due to the shrinking labor pool, leading to a resurgence of the conditions outlined above.

--
"Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." -- GBS
Re:And now he gets even more money... by Buran · 2005-07-17 05:18 · Score: 1

I use Adblock, you insensitive clod!

--
i am a soviet space shuttle
Re:And now he gets even more money... by tf23 · 2005-07-17 06:27 · Score: 1

What in the world ever happened to building a web site to help people, to spread information, and to build a "community."

One word: Greed

People are greedy. They, for the most part, don't send in payments to help support a free website. They expect it to operated 24/7, to be quick, to have great, timely, information that's easily accessible.

But they don't want to pay for it.

Hence, services like paypal, adsense, etc. Atleast it helps pay the h/w and electrical costs.

--
http://slashdot.org/~tf23/journal
Re:And now he gets even more money... by Tacky+the+Penguin · 2005-07-17 07:11 · Score: 1

Money, money, money...

What in the world ever happened to building a web site to help people, to spread information, and to build a "community." Even more so, when did money become the primary goal of a web structure?

So what's wrong with making money? My kids have this habit, you know... they like to eat, and prefer to have a roof over their heads.
Re:And now he gets even more money... by ThePromenader · 2005-07-17 10:26 · Score: 2, Insightful

Hey, I am completely in the same boat as you.

I started a site to share (and as an excuse to continue my interest in) my love for the city where I live - every two weeks I would add a new section with a map itenerary covering a new section, some new photos and a bit of text describing the history of the land covered. It began simple but became much more... shall we say important.

Some told me that I should have people pay for all the info I give out for free, but I don't think the web is ready for that yet (most prefer some for free over something more complete but pay-access - and as far as I'm concerned people are still wary of paying for anything through the web), so I chose instead to make a place for ads and have visits "make my site worth its while" in that indirect way.

Not only am I told that I am stupid for doing this, but that I am naive. True that, open since a month and a half already, but not yet generating a lot of traffic, I am already finding bits and pieces of my info elsewhere on the web on sites that appear higher up in the SERP's than mine, sites that also sport google ads, and sites that probably also generate much more "click-through" cash than mine.

By being honest, how are we to compete?

--

No, no sig. Really.

ThePromenader
Re:And now he gets even more money... by RFC959 · 2005-07-17 12:44 · Score: 1

If you have a 1% clickthrough rate, you are the new King of All Media, and you should expect to have people beating down you door wanting to know how you do it. Clickthrough rates are more commonly about 1/20th of 1%. I work at an internet advertising firm, so I get to see these numbers fairly often. Sometimes they're higher, sometimes lower - it depends on the site, on the campaign, etc. - but 1% would be very high indeed.
Re:And now he gets even more money... by jdavidb · 2005-07-17 15:17 · Score: 1

Most economic models aren't very good at prediction. Some are a bit better, and those are the ones that include things like fame and power as motivating forces. These don't translate easily to/from money, but they can be independently measured, so they can be used in models. Such theories aren't politically acceptable, however, because they're considered "Marxist".

Huh? What? I'm pretty sure all you've described here is utility theory, the general theory that actors in the economy work to maximize their "utility" which may include money or other factors as you've described. I don't see what's so controversial about that. I definitely accept that theory, and as an anarcho-capitalist, I'm about as anti-Marxist as you can get.

Do you actually have evidence that people believe economic models that account for the fact that some or all people do not believe money is everything are "Marxist"??

--
Secession is the right of all sentient beings.
Re:And now he gets even more money... by enrico_suave · 2005-07-17 15:58 · Score: 1

" If you have a 1% clickthrough rate, you are the new King of All Media,"

baba booey baba booey...

I was using 1% as an easy to digest figure. The point being that if you get an average of x amount per clickthrough and you average x percentage (or .x percent) and you increase the number of views/unique visitors dramatically you're gonna have a positive effect on clickthrough based revenue.

FWIW, the google adsense clickthrough rate across all my sites *is* 1% on the dot... and that seems to hold for this month, last month, this quarter, or for the past year and a half.

Where can I pick up my crown? I'm sure google would like to hear that I do not get 1% clickthrough on most of my traditional image banner ads.

e.

--
Build Your Own PVR/HTPC news, reviews, &

wha? by fearspooky · 2005-07-16 20:30 · Score: 0, Redundant

wow thats pretty cool.. making money for blogging..

so did he buy ad space on slashdot? by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 20:31 · Score: 1, Insightful

I think its a valid question as the article really has no news value.

Re:so did he buy ad space on slashdot? by baadger · 2005-07-16 22:16 · Score: 1

It's news because it reflects how web culture is grossly affecting some peoples lives and the way in which they make money.

I for one found it rather alarming and interesting and rather read about it than another story about Firefox or Windows updates.

*Cough*RolandPiquepaille*Cough* by Atario · 2005-07-16 20:32 · Score: 4, Insightful

'Nuff said.

--
"A great democracy must be progressive or it will soon cease to be a great democracy." --Theodore Roosevelt

Re:*Cough*RolandPiquepaille*Cough* by LiquidCoooled · 2005-07-16 20:48 · Score: 1, Insightful

Why do you have a problem with somebody making money?
Slashdot exists to do the same thing, exept taco etc don't even do ANY work - its all submitted.
I don't mind Roland or any other submitters as long as the subjects are interesting and direct links are available.

--
liqbase :: faster than paper
Re:*Cough*RolandPiquepaille*Cough* by line.at.infinity · 2005-07-16 21:00 · Score: 1

I don't think he has a problem with RP, but merely pointing out that pro bloggers are probably not new (e.g. RP).
Re:*Cough*RolandPiquepaille*Cough* by Breakfast+Pants · 2005-07-16 21:02 · Score: 1

Hah, more like professional plaigiarist (I realize he has changed his evil ways significantly but I don't think that makes up for his wicked, wicked past)

--

--

WHO ATE MY BREAKFAST PANTS?
Re:*Cough*RolandPiquepaille*Cough* by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 21:03 · Score: 2, Interesting

We all know some kind of deal was made behind the scenes.

Some of us (I, for example) wouldn't mind it so much if Taco came out and said that the stories are sponsored (not by the subjects of the stories, mind you, just by the blogger). Of course, if that happened, others would infer via slippery slope that more links would be thus sponsored; they would probably get pissed and stop reading Slashdot.

So instead, management acts as though nothing's going on, and we all grumble some, but largely nothing happens. Besides, we have bigger fish to fry (the usual suspects).

The best part... by locokamil · 2005-07-16 20:33 · Score: 3, Funny

is that his blog doesn't even render properly in my browser (Firefox, Unbuntu). Step right this way, ladies and gentlemen. Spew out your opinion and throw internet standards to the wind... it's all okay because you've got a big AdSense cheque coming your way.

Re:The best part... by line.at.infinity · 2005-07-16 20:56 · Score: 1

I compared it with Safari and Firefox - they look the same and I think it's the intended look.
Re:The best part... by larry+bagina · 2005-07-16 21:03 · Score: 1

that doesn't mean shit if it was designed for IE. However, it looks like ass in IE as well.

--
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
Re:The best part... by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 22:53 · Score: 0

When I designed the site's template for Darren, there were no errors, the code was valid and I designed it using Firefox, checked in Safari and then in IE.
Re:The best part... by AaronLawrence · 2005-07-17 00:17 · Score: 1

It doesn't cope with larger than expected text - the layout is all pixel based apparently. Wouldn't be the first, but it's still silly.

--
For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert. - Arthur C. Clarke
Re:The best part... by Luke-Jr · 2005-07-17 01:10 · Score: 1

I guess your template was before AdSense was included-- the required unmodifiable code is invalid XHTML 1.1 Strict.

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Luke-Jr
Re:The best part... by everphilski · 2005-07-17 08:18 · Score: 1

Wow. Someone on /. admitting they used IE.
(might wanna run... think I see some geeks with pitchforks and torches)
Looked fine in Firefox to me; had some interesting information on his site to boot.
-everphilski-
Re:The best part... by ch424 · 2005-07-17 08:57 · Score: 1

It works fine for me here, using firefox 1.0.2 (hmmm, I need to update!) and ubuntu 5.04.
Re:The best part... by locokamil · 2005-07-17 10:15 · Score: 1

Honest typo... it's Ubuntu, not Unbuntu, as my previous post put it.

Not a smart thing to talk about... by anthony_dipierro · 2005-07-16 20:34 · Score: 2, Interesting

Google's terms of service explicitly forbit Adsense members from revealing details about how much they make.

Adsense is great, and those figures are probably accurate. But if Google finds out this person broke the TOS, they might just take those payments away.

Re:Not a smart thing to talk about... by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 20:38 · Score: 3, Informative

Not anymore. Information about earning totals has been ok for some months now. Adsense publishers still can't reveal clickthrough rates and per-click earnings.
Re:Not a smart thing to talk about... by paul.dunne · 2005-07-16 20:41 · Score: 3, Informative

Not so, at least not quite. It is now allowed to reveal gross income, which is all this chap has done. It is still against the TOS to go into detail, though.
Re:Not a smart thing to talk about... by camcorder · 2005-07-16 21:30 · Score: 4, Funny

Not even to government?
Re:Not a smart thing to talk about... by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 22:56 · Score: 0

not true any longer
Re:Not a smart thing to talk about... by drsquare · 2005-07-17 03:06 · Score: 1

What's the matter? Does Google think that if people know how the system really works, it will expose some sort of scam? I thought Google was all about doing 'no evil'? Whatever happened to free speech?

Makes me wonder what's really going on, obviously there's something there which if revealed could harm Google's business model.

Another thing I'm wondering, is that as Google makes a lot of money, they obviously take a cut from the money the advertiser sends to the site owner. In which case, why not cut out the middle man and do business direct with the advertiser?

For example, if an advertiser pays $100 for some amount of clicks, and the website makes $60 from that, then Google would be taking a $40 cut from it. But if the advertiser directly pays the site $80, then they would save $20, and the site would gain $20. So why don't people do that? What do Google actually contribute to earn all those billions?

In other news by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 20:34 · Score: 0

Surprising! People make money with ads in their webs!

Re:In other news by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 20:47 · Score: 0

The surprising part is that readers still fall for it. Blogs are the ideal advertising platform: Diverse content (good mix of ads), updated daily (return visitors) and low expectancy of journalistic quality (cheap to make, easy to sneak in surreptitious advertising). Consequently many blogs exist just as a vehicle for ads. That's not exactly news. But hey, if people want to read it...

errr by Capt.+Caneyebus · 2005-07-16 20:36 · Score: 1, Redundant

blogging is so passe.

--
-- Yes, I work for the government, and yes I am watching you.

Re:errr by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 21:58 · Score: 0

I was just thinking the same thing... "Enjoy it while it lasts"... The blog "bubble" is getting close to popping...

(posting as AC because my office has just started a big new "blogging project" that hopes to capitalize on the popular perception that people are interested in this "new medium". I'm waiting for "podcasting" next.. [groan]).
Re:errr by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 01:26 · Score: 0

Blogging -> Podcasting -> Video Blogging / Video Casting.

Your office is 2 steps behind 'state of the art'.
Re:errr by generic-man · 2005-07-17 02:19 · Score: 1

I heard there's a company out there playing with a new video broadcasting mechanism. Using something called a "camera," people can capture real-time images at up to 1280x720 at 60 frames per second (think of the bandwidth!) and transmit them to millions of people simultaneously with no connection lag.

I'm going to call this videomultibroadblogcasting and I swear it will take off. I'm going to make so much freaking money off the AdSense revenue.

--
For more information, click here.

This is really sad... by rel4x · 2005-07-16 20:36 · Score: 2, Funny

...I read this, and I swear, I half expected 'ol Roland to have submitted it...

--

Before you mod me funny, think, perhaps I was insightfully funny?

Now I'm curious by AntiGenX · 2005-07-16 20:36 · Score: 3, Interesting

Since this has been posted to /., is everyone looking at his blogs clicking on a adword? If so his check next month might be even larger. Perhaps that would constitute another definition of the /. effect.

Re:Now I'm curious by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 20:47 · Score: 0

Dont you also get cash after 1000~10,000 impressions of the webpage ? so even if people dont click on an ad, he should make some cash...
Re:Now I'm curious by FidelCatsro · 2005-07-16 20:50 · Score: 0

Greetings, friend. Do you wish to look as happy as me? Well, you have the power in you right now. So use it. And send one dollar to "Happy Dude," 742 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield. Don't delay. Eternal happiness is just a dollar away!

--
The only things certain in war are Propaganda and Death. You can never be sure which is which though
Re:Now I'm curious by notanatheist · 2005-07-17 07:05 · Score: 1

Gee, if that's the case then my site could sure use a slashdotting (as long as you click on something I'm not supposed to ask you to click on) If I was making that kind of nearly free money I'd be giving a go 20% toward OSS projects.

BS by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 20:40 · Score: 0

I read this guy's blog, looks like the kind of testimonials you get in one of those Penis Enlargement spam mails. I call BS.

Re:BS by larry+bagina · 2005-07-16 21:25 · Score: 1

Looking at a few of his blogs, it seemed like one big circle jerk, a few claims with vague details and links to other entries, shampoo, rinse, repeat, ad infinitum. Not to mention the layout is as visually appealing as michael moore in a speedo.
If his other 20 (?) blogs are anything like that, he's either full of shit or got a nice click-fraud racket going.

--
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.

On logging webs. by hyperm0g · 2005-07-16 20:42 · Score: 3, Insightful

Honestly what on earth is with this 'blogging' craze? I refuse to even acknowledge 'blog' as a legitimate term. Web log perhaps, and I'm barely into my twenties! These web loggers seem to think they have stumbled onto some hertoforth undiscovered treasure -- compensated authorship! Wow, it turns out that a very small percentage of 'bloggers' have the writing ability to generate income doing said activity. Color me serpryzed. Oooh. I just invented a word. Serpryzed. I'm going to go append this to my meta-blog about blogging with a headline stolen from an obscure band from my assumed hometown.

Re:On logging webs. by maxpublic · 2005-07-16 21:01 · Score: 1, Troll

Count me in as scratching my head. I've checked out a good number of the popular "blogs" (stupid fucking word - you'd think geeks could come up with something better than that) and fail to see the attraction. Most of them devolve to nothing more than intellectual masturbation, along with a liberal dose verbal vomit on why the blogger's opinion is so much more important than anyone elses concerning the topic at hand. They're very much like Slashdot posts, eternally modded to 5 because you don't get the chance to slam them into oblivion.

Hmmm...y'know, that isn't a bad analogy. Bloggers as former Slashdot posters who got tired of being modded down.

Max

--
My god carries a hammer. Your god died nailed to a tree. Any questions?
Re:On logging webs. by John+Seminal · 2005-07-16 21:23 · Score: 2, Funny

Honestly what on earth is with this 'blogging' craze? I refuse to even acknowledge 'blog' as a legitimate term.
I agree. What is the difference between a blog and a service like livejournal? Places where people write down their thoughts.

I don't waste time on blogs. I have never found anything that interesting to read in them. Most are ramblings by people. It is too much work going through them until a good one is found. Then, with my luck, that person shuts it down and moves on. One of my favroites was fancyrobot, he sold his website to some chick and the quality of the writing has gone way down. Funny thing is I found his "blog" not because I was searching for blogs, but because I was searching for information on the cast of French In Action, what happened to them all. The blond in that show had the best titties of any woman I have ever seen, they would poke right through her puffy sweater. There was one scene, where they wanted to teach how to say "sorry" and they had robert spill some water on the blonds dress. The water must have been very, very cold, because I have never seen two nipples stick out that quickly in my life. And I wondered if the creater of the series is still alive, what he is doing, along with the younger sister and robert, the american.

The ones that post about news, I'd rather watch the big 3 network news programs. I can't believe some guy in his basement will get better insight into what's happening in the world than ABC, NBC, or CBS news. I like solid news, not spinning. Plus, who has the better contacts in government?? Could a blog have gotten deepthroat, or some high ranking FBI official to spill the beans. Reporters are prepared to go to jail to protect thier sources, they have great legal teams. What protection does the blogger offer?

The other reason I dislike blogs is because they are pointless. The person might write about food and recipies today, and about his walk in the park tomorrow. There is no real subject. I guess some could say it is like fiction, the linear life of a person, but most people don't live lives worth writing about. Well, there is one, Richard Marcinko. If someone lives a life like him, by all means, write it down and put it on the web. ;)

--
Rosco: "If brains were gunpowder, Enos couldn't blow his nose."
Re:On logging webs. by Trepalium · 2005-07-16 21:57 · Score: 1

If you were a blogger, you probably would've said you invented a "meme", and would've somehow included the "blogosphere", too. There's plenty more verbal diarrhea involved in most blogs, but those are the only two that I can remember at the moment. Unfortunately, I found a link with plenty more. :-(

--
I used up all my sick days, so I'm calling in dead.
Re:On logging webs. by DarkEdgeX · 2005-07-16 22:44 · Score: 1

Indeed. I use the term "wiaries", a clever mix of "web diaries". Unfortunately when I use it in conversation it a) sounds like I'm saying something relating to "wires" and b) confuses people because they have no idea what it means. :(

Oh well, at least it's not as retarded as "podcasting"..

--
All I know about Bush is I had a good job when Clinton was president.
Re:On logging webs. by Yaro · 2005-07-16 23:13 · Score: 0

Well, there are two trends of blogs I know about :
- intellectual masturbation (as you said). Look, I found a journalist card with my burger !
- teenage craze. Show the world how cool you are and how many friends you have.

But all in all, it's pretty much what the web was already all about for lots of people. Blogs just made it more evident.

And I, myself, admit to posting with ego. Mod me up !
Re:On logging webs. by FoXDie · 2005-07-16 23:27 · Score: 2, Interesting

This is all a product of our collective Attention Whorishness. We all want people to pay attention to us, we want to look cool. People make blogs because they think people care, and that they will read their totally creative and interesting life stories.

The kind of self-indulgent bullshit, pathetic emo ramblings, and general hollow angst that was usually safely confined within Diaries and Journals are now being broadcast to everyone with Webernet access.

But that's not even the worst part. Here's an excerpt from someone's Xanga blog that I happen to know: "He said please let me give you a ride home with tears pouring from his eyes and I said no no no and ran the other way crying as I am still right now just remembering what happened. So I started to walk away looking back every once in a while hoping, praying he would come driving back to me. Picking me up saying that my world will be a little easier. And he never came and never came and never came. Which made me cry even harder."
She just exposed the long-kept secret that women are manipulative drama queens... on the blog that her boyfriend reads... that his friends read... and that his parents read!

If someone would like to help form some kind of terrorist organization (more COBRA less Al Queda) to rid the world of Blogs, and hell Reality TV while we're at it, please contact me.

--
Support Liberty, Support Ron Paul
Re:On logging webs. by FoXDie · 2005-07-16 23:30 · Score: 1

By the way, would you like to see my Blog?

=P

--
Support Liberty, Support Ron Paul
Re:On logging webs. by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 23:34 · Score: 0

I'd rather watch the big 3 network news programs ... ABC, NBC, or CBS news. I like solid news, not spinning.

You are joking, aren't you? Please tell me you're joking.
Re:On logging webs. by 0111+1110 · 2005-07-16 23:54 · Score: 1

That aint you :). But it is funny. I just don't get whether it is for real or not. There should be a whole website for suicidal blogs. Now that's something I could sink my teeth into. Hot girls posting about how happy they are and how many guys checked them out makes me want to rape, torture, and kill them. And then kill them again. And then maybe rape them again. Saving the last bullet for myself of course.

--
Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave.
Re:On logging webs. by myster0n · 2005-07-16 23:54 · Score: 2, Interesting

I think "blogging" is the web version of rap. The basics of rap are that anyone can do it, you just take a riff and start rapping over it. And it was cheap. There was a time that rappers wanted to bring a message to the world (Grandmaster Flash, Public Enemy ...). But these days it's mostly just "I'm a pimp and I'm dangerous. I've got a big dick and I fuck around, YO bitch". That is to say : this is the only kind I here on the radio these days.

I see a lot of similarities with blogging. Taking a sample (link to some story), and throw in some bullshit (most blogs don't really have a message).

That said, I do read some blogs sometimes. But those that I read try to be funny, silly, entertaining.

--
Nobody believes the official spokesman, but everybody trusts an unidentified source. -- Ron Nesen
Re:On logging webs. by TCM · 2005-07-17 00:29 · Score: 1

Here's what our thoughtful, considerate critic Maddox has to say about the issue: http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=ba nish . Amusing read, as is all of his stuff.

--
Of course it runs NetBSD. BTC: 1NT7QvbetmANwaMzhpVL6
Re:On logging webs. by CGP314 · 2005-07-17 00:47 · Score: 1

I keep an online dairy (I also hate the word blog) as a way to keep in touch with friends and let everyone know what I've been up to. I'm terrible at writing letters/emails to people I care about individually but I can manage to write one letter for everyone and make it public so those who are interested can read it.

Why not just email my whole address book? Two reasons: 1) I don't want to presume that they all want to know about what's going on and 2) people whom I've lost contact with can easily find me (which has happened a lot). Admittedly it's a lot less personal that way, but it's a price I'm willing to pay. Also, to my endless suprise, other people are actually interested in the journal and I've made a few friends through it.

-Colin
Re:On logging webs. by Luke-Jr · 2005-07-17 01:52 · Score: 1

LiveJournal is a blog service...

If you want "solid news, not spinning", stay far, far away from any network TV.

--
Luke-Jr
Re:On logging webs. by Dun+Malg · 2005-07-17 03:10 · Score: 1

I've checked out a good number of the popular "blogs" (stupid fucking word - you'd think geeks could come up with something better than that)
When you think about it, the word is perfect. It's downright onomonopoetic, being the sound a handfull of feces makes when gently flung against the wall.

--
If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
Re:On logging webs. by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 04:14 · Score: 1, Funny

as slashdot is a blog, it would seem you have "wasted" quite a bit of time.
Re:On logging webs. by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 05:11 · Score: 2, Insightful

As someone who has been employed by one of the major news organizations you mentioned as a news writer, I disagree that "they" have any better insight than you or I or some blogger. The majors have an AP wire and subscriptions to the NY Times and the Wash Post.
Then they rewrite it.

Nothing, nothing is reported on a radio or TV network that is not a rewrite of a wire service or newspaper story. The sole exception might be a fire or hurricane where a network affiliate has sent a camera crew. But as far as news about politics or Washington or any other topic of substance, a good blogger may have just as much insight as the networks, and possibly more, since he or she does not have to worry about getting fired (or, more realistically, placed on next year's layoff list). On the other hand, anybody can start a blog, and it is harder to find a blog featuring a talented blogger than it is to find news by flipping between channels 2, 4, or 7.
Re:On logging webs. by vitaflo · 2005-07-17 05:13 · Score: 1

You do realize you're commenting on a weblog right now, right?
Re:On logging webs. by tf23 · 2005-07-17 06:23 · Score: 1

The ones that post about news, I'd rather watch the big 3 network news programs. I can't believe some guy in his basement will get better insight into what's happening in the world than ABC, NBC, or CBS news. I like solid news, not spinning

Especially when they're reporting on what the bloggers are saying! I just love those little segments ;)

--
http://slashdot.org/~tf23/journal
Re:On logging webs. by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 07:01 · Score: 0

If someone would like to help form some kind of terrorist organization (more COBRA less Al Queda) to rid the world of Blogs, and hell Reality TV while we're at it, please contact me.

http://www.gnaa.us/
Re:On logging webs. by kbahey · 2005-07-17 08:20 · Score: 1

I feel the same, so I wrote: I am not a blogger, this is not a blog.

--
2bits.com, Inc: Drupal, WordPress, and LAMP performance tuning.
Re:On logging webs. by FleaPlus · 2005-07-17 09:32 · Score: 1

Are the same guy that was spitefully linking to his ex-girlfriend's blog last year? If so dude, that really isn't cool.
Re:On logging webs. by wootest · 2005-07-17 12:20 · Score: 1

They're very much like Slashdot posts, eternally modded to 5 because you don't get the chance to slam them into oblivion.

Want to 'mod them into oblivion'? Don't go to their pages.

90% of 'blogs' are crud! Sure. That's because 90% of everything is crud.

Let people write what they want to write. So what if they 'devolve to nothing more than intellectual masturbation'? Who's forcing you to read it? Be picky about what you read. You don't lose your right to choose what to read just because some people label what they write 'blog'.

(Yes, 'blog' is an awful word. And yes, making money off of your writing - which is common to 'blogging', angry comments on Slashdot, columns, articles and books - may be terrible or acceptable depending on what, where, when, who, how, and the applicable specifics.)
Re:On logging webs. by FoXDie · 2005-07-17 19:51 · Score: 1

Nope not me. My ex-girlfriend didn't have a blog. HINT HINT, lol.

--
Support Liberty, Support Ron Paul
Re:On logging webs. by tabrnaker · 2005-07-18 05:52 · Score: 1

It's not a clever mix if a) it doesn't communicate the concept b) it sounds stupid. :)
Re:On logging webs. by tabrnaker · 2005-07-18 06:02 · Score: 1

OMFG!!! We must kill these nasty people that not only have feelings but wish to describe them!!!
Shame on them. Don't they know that in our world only the 'external objective reality' matters???
Re:On logging webs. by cavac · 2005-07-18 06:57 · Score: 1

For me, blogging is just a better way to create small, hopefully interesting - articles without having to code HTML.

My nucleus-blogger (at http://www.magicbooks.org/ ist just a tool, where i can create my articles as a text-file and let a script upload it - and still the layout is the same on every page without having to worry about later layout-changes...

(I dumped my old hackit-on-the-fly approach recently and started from scratch - when there are good tools available, why not use them?)

--
Look, this thing is totally safe! Built it myself, you know. You just press that button like this and then turn that lev

$10,000 - 20,000? by j_philipp · 2005-07-16 20:43 · Score: 2, Insightful

I'm missing the part in his blog post where he speaks about earning $10,000 - $20,000. He only talks about a big paycheck. Only in the comments is this figure mentioned. So I wonder where exactly the figure's coming from...

Re:$10,000 - 20,000? by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 20:46 · Score: 0

the lying sac has it in his comments section.
Re:$10,000 - 20,000? by Spezzer · 2005-07-16 21:39 · Score: 2, Informative

It's in the comments of the blog post:

http://www.problogger.net/archives/2005/07/12/earn ing-milestones/#comment-28122
Re:$10,000 - 20,000? by michaelhood · 2005-07-17 10:06 · Score: 1

This was in another blog entry on problogger, I won't dig it up again, I kept this on my clipboard:

http://www.livingroom.org.au/problogger/Picture-3. gif

Obligatory... by millennial · 2005-07-16 20:50 · Score: 0, Offtopic

Oh man. If Maddox heard about this, he'd be pretty upset.

Oh wait. No, he wouldn't. Because he's a badass pirate, and according to the Uncyclopedia, "it is important to note that pirates will never, ever stop being cool."

Not to be confused with Ninjas, who "just totally flip out and cut people's heads off ALL the time". Ninjas would not make good bloggers, because they would constantly be attacking their monitors because they look like heads.

--
I am scientifically inaccurate.

Re:Obligatory... by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 21:34 · Score: 0

His page is pretty much a blog as well.
Re:Obligatory... by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 22:04 · Score: 0

His site is not a blog you blog loving bloger you!

According to Maddox: by millennial · 2005-07-16 20:57 · Score: 1, Troll

Blogging: If minds had anuses, blogging would be what your mind would do when it had to take a dump.
<maddox>

--
I am scientifically inaccurate.

Re:According to Maddox: by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 21:57 · Score: 0

The best page in the universe IS a blog, not all blogs are alike.
Re:According to Maddox: by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 23:34 · Score: 0

A hexdump, that is.
Re:According to Maddox: by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 00:28 · Score: 0

If minds had anuses, blogging would be what your mind would do when it had to take a dump.

Isn't that what most of human chatter is, a way of relieving oneself? I guess cellphones are a form of wireless sewer then :)
Re:According to Maddox: by b0rk+b0rk+b0rk · 2005-07-17 00:57 · Score: 1

Actually, that's probably what I would use blogging for if I had a blog... as a braindump for ideas, to organize them.

Nothing wrong with that...

But WHY? by Angostura · 2005-07-16 20:59 · Score: 1

I'm sorry, I've just had a look at this blog, and why would anyone bother? It's self referential, a little self indulgent, and there's nothing either interesting or insightful on the front page.

Perhaps a regular reader could tell me - is it usually better than this?

Re:But WHY? by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 21:11 · Score: 5, Insightful

He does what always pays best in a new market: He shows a way to make money.

The spammers who make the most are those who sell spamming tools. The people who earned the most with the web in its early days were the ones who built the tools to make websites. The bloggers who make the most are those who blog about making money. The podcasters who will make the most will be the ones who tell others how to make money podcasting.

He's a pro-blogger blogging about making money with blogging. He's right on the money and tells you to do something else, because if you started to blog about problogging, you would start to cut in on his action.
Re:But WHY? by CHESTER+COPPERPOT · 2005-07-16 21:54 · Score: 1

The specialized niche blogs are excellent. I for instance read a lot of war and intelligence stuff. So Blogs like Global Guerillas, History of the Middle East & Religion, Counter-terrorist blog, Pentagons New Map blog, Terrorism Financing, Cryptome and Scheiner among a whole heap of others. The problem for me is I have to try keep away from Kos, Instapundit and LGF cause those type of blogs are partisan fuckwads that are more interested in bagging each other out and giving deceptive 'news' than giving realistic war analysis.
Re:But WHY? by Strolls · 2005-07-17 01:15 · Score: 1

I've just had a look at this blog, and why would anyone bother? It's self referential, a little self indulgent, and there's nothing either interesting or insightful on the front page. Perhaps a regular reader could tell me - is it usually better than this?
If you read a bit more, it turns out that the site linked to is only one of about a dozen blogs he writes, and he claims to make very little off that one.
He states that some, but not all, of his other blogs are mentioned in his archives, and indeed I managed to find that his best earner is a digital camera review blog, yet another one for laptop reviews earns him less. Both those sites looked pretty similar to me - essentially each article seemed to be a photo, a link to a real review site, a 2 line summary and a couple of paragraphs quoted from TFA - but the camera site seemed to have good layout and relevant, tasteful ads.

He also stated in one blog article that of the dozen sites, only a couple earn him any money so he was considering killing off or selling off the others but that his dilemma is to hold on & see if they take off in the future.

What I find really interesting is that he spends 8 to 12 hours a day maintaining his sites. Essentially this story isn't about a one-man blogger getting paid a fortune for his insights on his favourite subject - he's effectively a one-man publishing business, and the article is about how the internet has empowered him to succeed.

A six-figure salary is pretty good considering that, but I'll pass, thanks. I'd rather be lazy and poor.

I personally don't like the fact that his most successful has little of its own content - his business model seems to be based on aggregating other sites' information and (presumably) doing that research actively enough to get it on his site whilst it's still newsworthy to his readers.

Another poster earlier has expressed similar feelings, but I find it a little disappointing that Google - it's Adwords that earns him most of his money - is empowering sites with less of their own content. To me the power of the internet is that a search engine can find you reviews and forums about digital cameras if that's what you want to know about, and it seems a little wasteful that he's earning money off the back ofd the reviewers as just a middleman. But on the other hand, he's obviously doing a useful job filtering and highlighting content for people who can't find it with a search engine - we all know how clogged Google gets with portal sites, and at least this guy's putting some effort into ensuring his is relevant and interesting.

In any case, if the bloke can make a living at it then good luck to him. I can't help but thinking of the similarities to the dot com (or desktop publishing?) boom - there's no barrier to entry, so anyone can start doing the same thing and competing with him, but that's the nature of business and if it doesn't work out he can always move along and do something else.
Re:But WHY? by supercytro · 2005-07-17 01:16 · Score: 1

ProBlogger (i.e. the blog that the ./ article links to) is not the same blog in which he has made all this moolah. He mentions that he has made the majority of his 10-20k from 3 other blogs.
Re:But WHY? by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 02:51 · Score: 0

Not really. I read Gizmodo and Engadget, and many of their articles are "our partner site Foo found a cool site on news.com please go through our partner site so we get more ad impressions."

Slashdot's almost as bad, what with the OSTG cross-promotion and the self-aggrandizing bloggers that submit articles they "wrote," but blogging generates an awful lot of corporate-style noise.

Frankly, I prefer television news to the stream of idiocy that people spew in the "blogosphere."
Re:But WHY? by lionheart1327 · 2005-07-17 06:17 · Score: 1

Actually, as he clearly states in his posts, this blog barely makes him any money.

Bloggin about blogging doesn't make anything.

All his money comes from his other blogs where he reviews Cell Phones, Laptops, etc.
Re:But WHY? by michaelhood · 2005-07-17 10:11 · Score: 1

Having just read that whole site, I understand he operates 17 blogs. Problogger accounts for a very, very small portion of his income. You can find links to his othre blogs interspersed on Problogger.

Advertisements by hayalci · 2005-07-16 21:04 · Score: 0

I can't imagine how people are clicking on ads so often. I have never seen anyone clicking on an advertisement. It just does not make sense; If I'm looking for a hosting, I search for hosting firms on the search engines, I do not click on the ads of a page that contains the word "hosting" in it.

I only click on ads of some project web sites, when I like what they have done and I want to show my appreciation without spending money.

--
hayalci

Re:Advertisements by larry+bagina · 2005-07-16 21:09 · Score: 2, Funny

they read blogs, they click on ads. they probably buy herbal v1agra and L@@K at RARE! ebay auctions too.

--
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.

someone post an RP link by Tofuy · 2005-07-16 21:07 · Score: 0

please?

Mod parent OVERRATED ,OFFTOPIC and redundant by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 21:07 · Score: 0

clearly totally offtopic ,overrated redundant post.
I mean its a Simpsons quote where Homer tries to swindle cash via telemarketing and constantly clogging peoples phone lines .
The parent is about the slashdot (not unknown for its clogging of bandwidth)effect applying to some dude getting his money making scheme posted to and make more money
Oh wait , no it isn't , its completely relevant.
May i just add

his is Homer Simpson, a.k.a. Happy Dude. The court has ordered me to call everyone in town and say that I'm sorry for my telemarketing scams. (pause) I'm sorry. If you can find it in your heart to forgive me, please send one dollar to "Sorry Dude," 742 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield. You have the power

Self fullfiling prophesy? by TapeCutter · 2005-07-16 21:09 · Score: 2, Insightful

A blog about how bloggers can get rich, gets him get rich from blogging.

--
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.

Re:Self fullfiling prophesy? by TapeCutter · 2005-07-16 21:12 · Score: 1

Sorry, there are a few too many "get" words in that last (hic) post. BuuUURRRRrrPPPP!

--
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
Re:Self fullfiling prophesy? by ergo98 · 2005-07-17 01:05 · Score: 1
A blog about how bloggers can get rich, gets him get rich from blogging. I see two possibilities here, both of them pretty pathetic:
- He lied. Obviously, given that his "business" is pimping professional blogging, he wants to make it seem like the thing to do. We should all be pro-blogging, and we can all be millionaires!
- He actually is making that much money, which just shows how screwed up society is - the guy talking about making money blogging is the one making the money. It's like those people who do the conventions and infomercials about how to make big bucks, making big bucks off idiots who have no hope in hell of making big bucks.
On a whim I put adsense on a site, one which receives probably 200 quality visitors a day, and let's just say that a year later I haven't hit the minimum to receive a cheque. This is the more realistic world among many who have experimented with Adsense, but just like the stock boom of the .COM days every idiot is going to go quit their job and try to become a pro-blogger.

Did google ruin the internet? by John+Seminal · 2005-07-16 21:10 · Score: 4, Insightful

It seems to me, there are more websites now with the intention of making money than with the intention of fostering a community.

The strategy has changed. 10 years ago, if someone wanted to talk about tv shows, they might have started a website called TvTome, and let members contribute, and it was a real community. You would not believe how many knowlegable star trek fans are out there, same goes for quantum leap. These people wrote some great insightful episode summaries, which had great attention to the shows history, philosophical meanings, and excitement. While I did not see them all, I bet there was a nice battlestar gallactica section. Those posts are gone.

Then someone got the idea to start advertising, and nothing has been the same since.

Now websites have a plan, get members to contribute for free, and take those contributations and make money. Isn't that crooked? There is no "thanks", no respect.

In the case of TvTome, cnet came and purchased them for a cool $5 million dollars. The owner of TvTome did not care about his community anymore, he wanted the money. And all the posts, everything the community contributed was lost. How many people want to put the effort into rebuilding what they already made?

I'll give another example. AVS forums is a place where people talk high end projectors and plasma televisions and the such. The owner sells projectors, and made a new rule, only MSRP prices can be quoted. Yet, if it was not for the 100 or so very insightful members who offer great advice, his forum would be nothing, meaningless. People go to his forum because there is a smart community there that is willing to offer good advice. Meanwhile, the owner capitalizes off this and makes a profit. Seems to me, the people who should be making a profit are the ones giving their free advice and building the community.

And then there is one DVD website where the admins went bezerk. They lost their minds. They started banning people left and right, people whos posts are still there and posts that are valuable. Why were these people banned? Your guess is as good as mine, I think one admin said he banned a guy because he had a link to amazon, and did not use the forums link to amazon which generates some money for the forum.

I love the idea of a community, where people exchange their knowledge and friendship. I hate the idea of 1 person owning these communities and getting rich off the free work and contributations of the members.

--

Rosco: "If brains were gunpowder, Enos couldn't blow his nose."

Re:Did google ruin the internet? by DoktorTomoe · 2005-07-16 21:26 · Score: 3, Insightful

The world is neither black or white, and the sades of grey it is painted with are mostly the lighter ones.

Of course there are sites that only exist for a quick buck. There also are a lot of valuable "communities" (albeit it has come to my attention that communities tend to make a lot less ad-related income than websites with litte or no user-interaction).

However, running a popular web project is not for free - there are hosting costs, and there may be a point when you need technical assistance from a professional (geeks as we are, we know how much we are billing). And after all the work the site maintainer has put into a successful site, I really think it is legitimate if he wants to get something back.

I am running a fairly popular german-language download site. Adsense does pay for the bills of hosting and for my work. It even allows me my rather costly taste for good coffee. I am not feeling like a criminal - after all, I've had and have most of the work with this project.

--
Screw the FSM - Real geeks believe in the Invisible Pink Unicorn
Re:Did google ruin the internet? by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 21:27 · Score: 0

are you talking about slashdot?
Re:Did google ruin the internet? by Cramer · 2005-07-16 21:33 · Score: 1

...and take those contributations and make money...

It worked for Redhat...

...he wanted the money...

And for $5mil, I wouldn't give a shit about "community" either. And, in fact, I've "sold out" for far less before.
Re:Did google ruin the internet? by Eminence · 2005-07-16 22:05 · Score: 4, Insightful

Yeah, money is evil, it destroys communities and pretty much everything.
But seriously, you exaggerate. Only few would make any money from their blogging or sites yet many sites appear. For most of the bloggers I know putting an ad link is something extra, something that you do just for the heck of it. You can easily tell those who blog for money (or try to) from those who blog to express themselves - the former usually don't have anything to say. And if someone has something to say that is so interesting to people that he is able to get real readership and thus ad revenue then what's wrong with that?

Same goes for forums etc. - no one forces you to post on a form whose policies you don't accept. And if there is no forum/community that would suit you start one with the policies exactly the way you want them to be.
Re:Did google ruin the internet? by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 22:12 · Score: 0

Yeah, money is evil [cpusa.org], it destroys communities and pretty much everything.

You misspelled "communism".
Re:Did google ruin the internet? by dakkon1024 · 2005-07-16 23:09 · Score: 1

There is a fine line between selling out and making a dollar. If you stand for something, you are not supposed to compromise your ways for anything. Most people though, stand for making money, and will do anything legal (or illegal in some cases) to acquire it. I do not know the owners that you discuss personally, but if their first goal is the legal acquisition of money, then they are not really selling out. They are just profiting from a hobby. It would be no different then this scenario. You take an interest in sculpting; spend a year or two creating sculptures. Then someone offers you 5 million for one just to smash it. The sculpture (or website) isn't really all that important to you if at all. You don't stand for art and never did, you're an IT guy, so what's it matter if someone wants to smash it. You take the 5 million and call it a day. Also, you are free to create some form of uncorrupt able "PBS type" forum. I do agree with your dismay though. I wish that more people would stand for something other then the dollar. It's just a product of capitalism.
Re:Did google ruin the internet? by grumbel · 2005-07-17 00:32 · Score: 1

### I hate the idea of 1 person owning these communities and getting rich off the free work and contributations of the members.

Yep, thats the problem, you however can't blame google for that, since 1-person-owned forums where there even before google. I think the problems which we see are for most part the result of the fall of the usenet. Today most people no longer use the usenet, heck, most people doesn't even no it ever existed, so its a lot harder to form any kind of community there when the web is a much more attractive place. The point at which people started using web forums instead of usenet was where the throuble begin and I can't blame google for that, most of the throuble was with the usenet itself, hard to use software, lack of features in usenet software, creating a new group is pretty hard, lack of free servers, it doesn't integrate well with the web at all and such, so it was only natural that people moved on to things that suited their need better, we it webforums or mailing list, usenet itself is pretty much dying.
Re:Did google ruin the internet? by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 01:24 · Score: 0

money is teh awesome
Re:Did google ruin the internet? by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 01:25 · Score: 0

You misspelled "all employees and shareholders outside of the CxO clique". Or have you forgotten that Enron's new board has already voted themselves raises of up to a million dollars? Retroactively! Man, I wish MY job got raises like that.

But when it comes time for this board to shell out the money for bankruptcy (since thats what they're there for), I'm sure they'll get their millions before any of the other creditors.
Re:Did google ruin the internet? by Junior+J.+Junior+III · 2005-07-17 02:14 · Score: 1

Dude, that's a great rant, except for one thing...

Advertising predates Google. By, like, ...a lot.

If you changed the subject line for this post to "Did advertising ruin the internet?" I think many would agree.

Did google ruin the internet? Hell no. Google actually made advertising that doesn't completely suck ass. Nice, inobtrusive text-based ads, that don't blink at you or animate, what a concept. It's easy not to click on them if you don't want to, they don't suck down a lot of bandwidth the way a flash ad or .gif does, they don't hijack your browser, and no monkeys were ever harmed.

It'd be a stretch to say that Google saved the internet, but they do a lot of nice things which make it a better place. No one's perfect, but I'm glad the world has at least one Google in it.

--
You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
Re:Did google ruin the internet? by earthbound+kid · 2005-07-17 04:07 · Score: 1

Yeah, you're right. There are no more websites for people to talk about Star Trek for free anymore.

Be for real man. In 1995, all of 10 people had the web. Whatever the internet was like then, it was bound to change. Anyhow, servers cost money. Are you really so opposed to people making websites without going broke if their site becomes useful to others (and thus has a higher bandwidth fee). Anyhow, we have GNU and Creative Commons licenses for stuff now anyway, so matter what happens no one will be able to lock up future versions of TV tome (such as the aforementioned Memory Alpha) without running afoul of the law.
Re:Did google ruin the internet? by ml0fl1n · 2005-07-17 04:34 · Score: 1

I'd be happy to get 1/10th of "$10,000 - 20,000" myself.

--
My home: http://theloflins.com/
Re:Did google ruin the internet? by Just+Another+Poster · 2005-07-17 09:16 · Score: 2, Insightful

Seems to me, the people who should be making a profit are the ones giving their free advice and building the community.
But the owner is the one who expended resources to set the site up in the first place. Without him, there would be no free advice or community.

From the site's sitemeter.com stats by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 21:14 · Score: 0

as i refresh, i find that the Firefox percentage is decreasing (from 60% when i started typing this text to 53% as i finish typing this text). So, most ppl here read slashdot articles with IE?huh!.
Flames welcome

Live and learn ... by Richard+W.M.+Jones · 2005-07-16 21:17 · Score: 5, Interesting

We had the opposite experience with Adsense. We set up a site (j-london.com) with an agreement that we'd develop the back end (discussion, place for people to put adverts, etc.) in return for taking revenue from Adsense adverts on the site.

Well, I think we earned about $600 last year from that one :-(

It's not helped by the abysmal state of the dollar-pound, nor by the fact that Google pays with dollar checks and the bank takes a huge cut along the way.

Adsense gives us hardly any guidance as to what fees we get. It seems like Google takes a large cut. We're looking at replacing it with a commission junction advert slot.

Rich.

--
libguestfs - tools for accessing and modifying virtual machine disk images

Re:Live and learn ... by HyperChicken · 2005-07-16 21:32 · Score: 1

Of course Google takes a huge cut from it! I mean, it's their main business model. They need to take a large cut.

--
Free of Flash! Free of Flash!
Re:Live and learn ... by DoktorTomoe · 2005-07-16 21:35 · Score: 1

Well, of course Google takes a large cut. That's their business model, and that is what makes them survive.

If your site made $50 per month, you are doing something wrong, and quite possibly you just have too few visitors. It also seems you only show one ad per page, when you can show up to 4. Why is this? What if the second, third or forth would have made a click? Use a larger banner format (skyscraper?) and try again.

--
Screw the FSM - Real geeks believe in the Invisible Pink Unicorn
Re:Live and learn ... by ezzzD55J · 2005-07-17 00:11 · Score: 1

Well, of course Google takes a large cut. That's their business model, and that is what makes them survive.
I think you and Hyperchicken misread GP's post; he said the bank takes a large cut when cashing checks, something I have first-hand experience with too.

It also seems you only show one ad per page, when you can show up to 4. Why is this? What if the second, third or forth would have made a click? Use a larger banner format (skyscraper?) and try again.

Eww, it doesn't sound like you're making his pages prettier..
Re:Live and learn ... by DoktorTomoe · 2005-07-17 00:45 · Score: 1

Eww, it doesn't sound like you're making his pages prettier..

Well, as someone who actually holds a Master Degree in Japanese, I fail to see how some rather stupid and childish ad to a fortune telling service does create income of significant magnitude.

If this really is the only ad he/she is going to have, maybe the OP should really check other means of getting his work paid.

--
Screw the FSM - Real geeks believe in the Invisible Pink Unicorn
Re:Live and learn ... by rnx · 2005-07-17 00:47 · Score: 1

commission junction:

By facilitating strategic relationships between advertisers and publishers, Commission Junction leverages its proven expertise in affiliate marketing, partner marketing and search marketing to drive measurable results for its clients.

ouch
Re:Live and learn ... by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 03:16 · Score: 0

Actually, your website just sucks.
Re:Live and learn ... by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 06:25 · Score: 0

Are you sure you want to work with Commission Junction? While they will probably generate *some* leads for you, they have some significant issues as well:

1) Weak technology platform -- basically, you do all the work, whereas Google provides you a working solution.

2) If you are looking for eyeballs, you'll not find them with Commission Junction -- my (major internet destination) employer's site gets just a few hundred per month. Compare with the scale of Google.

blog = diaries! so how are they different? by fantomas · 2005-07-16 21:18 · Score: 1

yup, I agree - blog = diary. Whoopee, people have been keeping diaries for hundreds of years. People have been writing diary columns in newspapers for ooh at least a hundred years, and receiving mails in response to their "postings" which they in turn may respond to and discuss. Can somebody tell me why blogs are so different? (medium aside)

Re:blog = diaries! so how are they different? by Pantero+Blanco · 2005-07-16 22:01 · Score: 1

Diaries are meant to be private...I've never seen a "diary column", but it doesn't seem like it's a diary in the original sense of the word.

Blogs are meant to be public, and the fact that they're online gives the author the feeling that it *just might* be read by thousands of people. Yes, the diary columns you're talking about are essentially the same thing on a local level (though a true diary isn't).

He's gonna be even richer... by vectorian798 · 2005-07-16 21:24 · Score: 1

...from all the web traffic that is gonna come flowing in from Slashdot.

Re:The REAL tragady of P2P by sillybilly · 2005-07-16 21:38 · Score: 2, Funny

ahahahahaha! what do you call slashdotting? urinating?

you're my hero. by sinner0423 · 2005-07-16 21:43 · Score: 1

i'd mod you up if i had points.

when did google adsense allow blogs? by krunk4ever · 2005-07-16 21:48 · Score: 1

i remember i got rejected for this reason...

--
HD Trailers

Re:when did google adsense allow blogs? by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 23:47 · Score: 1, Funny

No, you got rejected because your blog sucked.

profit by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 21:48 · Score: 0

1) Setup a site that lies about making tens of thousands in profit.

2) Get a link to the site on Slashdot.

3) PROFIT!!!

Re:profit by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 22:15 · Score: 0

+5 Insightful
Re:profit by Mazem · 2005-07-16 22:21 · Score: 1

He's not a liar - just temporally challenged.
Re:profit by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 04:18 · Score: 0

I dare say he would much prefer not to have been slashdotted - you guys are clearly clueless.

Numbers Game by Ray+Radlein · 2005-07-16 22:16 · Score: 4, Interesting

Wait a second... his site gets a piddling 3000 page views a day (/. gave it that many in the last hour, in the middle of the night!), and he claims to be making big bucks?

WTF?

Technorati has 16 links in the last three days (many of them this current story), which is nice, but not exactly Boingboing, is it? Alexa has it at a nice, but not spectacular, rank of 32,764 (compare to TalkingPointsMemo's rank of 19,893 or Juan Cole's 19,776), and it barely shows up on Daypop. I don't see where the money comes from with those types of numbers.

Re:Numbers Game by Greg_D · 2005-07-16 22:33 · Score: 2, Funny

He claims to have 20 blogs, and some generate more traffic than others. Of course, when Google decides to no longer advertise on blogs, he can apply for a nagging housewife position somewhere, since he seems to be successful at giving his opinion when nobody's ever asked him for it.
Re:Numbers Game by hankwang · 2005-07-16 23:24 · Score: 3, Insightful

Wait a second... his site gets a piddling 3000 page views a day ... WTF?
Read. He says that he has around twenty blogger web sites; he just doesn't tell which one is generating most of the revenue. For example his digital camera site has 20k views per day.

Apart from that, Adsense revenue depends a lot on the type of advertisements. Advertisers only pay $0.05 for clicks on ads for small niche products with little competition. It can be over $10 for a single click on high-competition, high-profit products. See all the bogus web sites that are stuffed with "information" about debt consolidation, loans, online poker, etc.

--
Avantslash: low-bandwidth mobile slashdot.
Re:Numbers Game by xENoLocO · 2005-07-17 00:27 · Score: 1

Seriously...

I get way more page loads than that (34k/day), and I get maybe $50/m from adsense...

Something tells me this guy is making this all up.

--
"The need to build the internet comes from something inside us, something programmed... something we can't resist."
Re:Numbers Game by k98sven · 2005-07-17 00:43 · Score: 4, Insightful

Something tells me this guy is making this all up.

Now why would a guy running a blog named "Professional blogger - Helping bloggers earn money" possibly want to exaggerate the amount of money he makes off his blogging?
Re:Numbers Game by Dun+Malg · 2005-07-17 03:05 · Score: 1

Now why would a guy running a blog named "Professional blogger - Helping bloggers earn money" possibly want to exaggerate the amount of money he makes off his blogging?
Heh. Set up a blog to discuss the way he makes money running blogs in order to lure traffic (and clickthroughs) and perhaps actually make money running a blog.

--
If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
Re:Numbers Game by webview · 2005-07-17 05:40 · Score: 1

Now why would a guy running a blog named "Professional blogger - Helping bloggers earn money" possibly want to exaggerate the amount of money he makes off his blogging?

It reminds me of that crooked scam that went around 10 years ago where you run all these ads in newspapers around the country:

The ad tells you to send $10 to get information on how to make $10,000/mo. You mail your money and receive (what amounts to) 'training materials' that tell you to do the same thing.

One guy would be on late-night TV hawking this. He reminded me of some smooth-talking salesman. But hey, he's probably laughing his ass off sucking down mai-tais in Maui (I think that is where he 'was' in those informercials).

Sickening. by BubTheZombie · 2005-07-16 22:29 · Score: 2, Insightful

It's things like this that prove that humanity as we know it is getting increasingly asinine. (As if that weren't already fucking apparent.) Blogging is the most redundant form of emo droning on the net.

--
Meh.

Well condsidering by OverlordQ · 2005-07-16 22:31 · Score: 1

Pretty much 1/2 the content on this guys page is Google Ads and/or ads for something else, I'm not surprised.

--
Your hair look like poop, Bob! - Wanker.

it's Australian dollar by the way... by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-16 22:56 · Score: 0

Look at his "about" page. He's in Australia.
Isn't it $2US = $1AU ?

Re:it's Australian dollar by the way... by ScribeOfTheNile · 2005-07-17 00:38 · Score: 1

Nope. $2US = $2.66AU.

OMG Bloggers ... by Living+WTF · 2005-07-16 23:02 · Score: 0, Redundant

... hear what maddox has to say about them: http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=ba nish

--
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.

These days... by Neticulous · 2005-07-16 23:21 · Score: 1

Its all about the money... "Hey, this blogging thing could make me money if I spend 30 minutes spare time writing up random stuff!" REAL bloggers dont do it for the money, dont even have ads, and just do it to give visitors information about their personal life, or information on whatever the blogs topic is. If there were a new form of "blog" that didnt have ads, and werent meant to create revenue those would be the "blogs" to visit IMO.

Re:These days... by Brundylop · 2005-07-17 04:27 · Score: 0

See, that's why I like Maddox. He refuses to advertise on his site, even though he could make tons of money off it.

He has only 2 blogs by NigelJohnstone · 2005-07-16 23:54 · Score: 1

Searching on his Google ID

http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=UTF-8&fr=sfp&p=p ub-7461244205906982

Shows only 2 entries
http://feeds.feedburner.com/DigitalPhotographyBlog

and the ProBlogger one.

Since he's not allowed to have multiple Google Adsense accounts, he must only have 2 sites.

Re:He has only 2 blogs by Cylix · 2005-07-17 03:43 · Score: 1

That's not a blog, it's a cut and paste review site.

Gah....

Why are on earth does anyone encourage this.

I've got a really good one too... try to search for a game cheat.

Oh that is indeed quite a laugh.

--
"You should always go to other people's funerals; otherwise, they won't come to yours." -- Yogi Berra

"I'm like Tom Vu, With Yachts and Mansions..." by bbzzdd · 2005-07-17 00:18 · Score: 1

Total infomercial vibe. No longer do you have to place those tiny little ads in newspapers to make millions -- it's all about the power of blogging combined with teh Google ads! Tony Little ain't got nothing on this guy.

Re:"I'm like Tom Vu, With Yachts and Mansions..." by Charles+Jo · 2005-07-17 04:19 · Score: 0

I thought the same. Cindy Margolis interviews!

--
Charles Jo
Re:"I'm like Tom Vu, With Yachts and Mansions..." by Zhe+Mappel · 2005-07-17 20:25 · Score: 1

This new sleazy buck-a-minute blogging trend, combined with the advancing IPTV rollout by Time Warner, will succeed in finally fulfiling a fervent right wing fantasy for the Internet.
It can at last mutate into television.

He already blogged about being slashdotted by Thomas+DM · 2005-07-17 00:19 · Score: 2, Interesting

He already posted a new blog regarding this Slashdot in which he clarifies some issues, misunderstandings and other things.

http://www.problogger.net/archives/2005/07/17/prob logger-slashdotted/

"Unbuntu" "Unbuntu" (I Just Like to Say It...) by RobotRunAmok · 2005-07-17 00:39 · Score: 1

his blog doesn't even render properly in my browser (Firefox, Unbuntu). Step right this way, ladies and gentlemen. Spew out your opinion and throw internet standards to the wind... it's all okay because you've got a big AdSense cheque coming your way.

Exactly. You nailed it. Good for him.

Geeks are funny sometimes. (OK, all the time...) We praise the Internet and the Web cuz it lowers the barriers to publication, democratizes punditry, allows any schmo from Podunk to make a name for himself doing whatever he's good at, but then, like the professional journalists looking down their noses at the bloggers "working in their pajamas," geeks sniff at the newbs whose work 'doesn't even render properly in... Unbuntu.'

Generally speaking, I would have to say I prefer the obvious jealousy and envy of the Geeks over the obvious jealousy and envy of the professional journalists cuz the Geeks' obvious jealousy and envy is much, much funnier.

"Doesn't render properly in Unbuntu." I'm sure that egregious failing will be gnawing away at him while he stands in line at the bank teller next week...

ilegal? by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 00:40 · Score: 0

I think there is a clausule in the Adsense contract which says is ilegal to say the earned cuantity, isn't it?

Intriguing weblog usage? by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 00:55 · Score: 0

Say what you will about most bloggers out there, but this guy's blog is still worth a weekly read.

What I like is that instead of doing the "blah blah blah" about news items or what's going on in his life, he shares real stories (although he's changed some things to protect the innocent I suppose) that are very well written, suspenseful and entertaining.

If you're into computer or information security - you need to check it out!

Re:Intriguing weblog usage? by DigitalHammer · 2005-07-17 05:36 · Score: 1

boring. find something better to do with your time, like killing yourself while using BSD. 'Cause its dying, yo!

This is not the norm.. by Stalyn · 2005-07-17 00:58 · Score: 1

this guy's blog is equivalent to those "make money off Ebay" books. Sure he makes tons of money selling his advice on how to make money... which is the only way to make money.

--
The best education consists in immunizing people against systematic attempts at education. - Paul Feyerabend

Re:This is not the norm.. by Charles+Jo · 2005-07-17 04:44 · Score: 0

That is one thing I never understood about why people would buy educational materials from people who would show you how to make millions. If you had a great thing going for you and your company, why would you sell this know-how to strangers rather than growing your own company and making yourself rich? You would keep the secret and make as much as you could before the rest of the competition catches up. It's obviously to make the 95%+ of future income on selling how-tos.

--
Charles Jo

The amazing thing is by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 01:08 · Score: 0

You know, the amazing thing is I went to the site and saw none of the mentioned ads that this bloke is making money off of. Oh, that's right - I guess that would be thanks to Firefox/Adblock combo blocking pageads*.google*.com/*

let's tax braggers by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 01:24 · Score: 0

Okay, let's just refer the tax department to his blog, and then we'll see if he'll keep on claiming he makes that much money with his blog...

geeks do have better terms for blogs by Eric+Coleman · 2005-07-17 01:31 · Score: 1

kblog
gnublog
fireblog (legal status pending)

You're not alone by Darkman,+Walkin+Dude · 2005-07-17 01:36 · Score: 1

The best web page in the universe is squarely in your corner, buddy. FTFA:

In observation of all these shitty phrases and acronyms, I've decided to coin another phrase that can be used for "blog" called: comment-log or CLOG for short. What users do is labor over documenting their inconsequential lives, trivializing man's greatest invention, the microprocessor, until the Internet is so CLOGGED that commerce comes to a screeching halt. Anyone contributing to the congestion would be known as a CLOGGER. I hate blogs.

--
What he can't kill, he has sex on. Trent.

I read alot of technical blogs by Stone316 · 2005-07-17 01:47 · Score: 1

I'm an Oracle DBA and I read a bunch of blogs. I use the planet software to aggregate the feeds on my local machine so I only have to go to one website for a quick look. Some of the blogs I read contain posts by numerous developers, its my way of seeing what deveopers are upto these ways and how I need to change to be able to support them. Some are RSS feeds of websites that have interesting articles such as dbazine. The rest of the blogs are by experts such as Tomas Kyte, the Drizwell blog and Pete Finnegin. While there is alot of 'opinion' tossed into some of these blogs alot of them are very informative and help me keep up technology and how people are using it these days as it relates to my field.

--
"Thanks to the remote control I have the attention span of a gerbil."

Has anyone here ever clicked an adsense ad? by Sark666 · 2005-07-17 01:49 · Score: 2, Interesting

I have never, and learned to mentally block out ads years ago before adsense existed probably like many of you here. Now, you might say that average joe six pack hasn't learnt this skill yet and might click through, but who is average joe six pack these days.

For example, I have quite a few friends who never used a computer in their lives until the late 90's. I'd see them confused by webpage layouts, clicking ok and cancel on boxes which obviously are ads, but they'd see it as a functional part of the page. In not too short a time, they were surfing 'like pros' in that they'd never click any ads and I could tell they had just learned to mentally ignore them. Now these guys are still highly ignorant on computers in general (in dealing with software/hardware issues, spyware, adware etc). I've helped them with that with ff, and all the other tools etc. But with browsing with ads they just picked that up on their own. I didn't have to teach them how to filter out ads. It seems pretty much anyone, computer literate or not, will soon enough learn to filter ads all on their own.

So who's joe sixpack these days? Our moms and dads? If so, I wonder as this generation gets older and the previous generation passes on, and an even more tech savvy generation comes online, how will any of these ad models sustain themselves.

Re:Has anyone here ever clicked an adsense ad? by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 14:55 · Score: 0

I once visited a site that had some useful information to me. So to reward the publisher I clicked on a Google link to make him some money for publishing content that I found useful.

One thing overlooked... this isn't one blog by enrico_suave · 2005-07-17 02:08 · Score: 1

I think, although technically correct, calling him a "blogger" is slightly misleading. You don't make that type of scratch from one blog (even a high traffic one) via adsense. Unless it's an asbestos lung cancer mortgage blog or other high ticket keyword. He's more a blog publishing mini-mogul.

This guy is making this kind of scratch from running a network of blogs. I don't blame him for that, in fact *kudos* for creating a mini-self publishing empire/network!

But if you or I want to replicate his success, it's not going to happen with pictures of your cat and your mp3 playlist on livejournal or what have you...

At least that's my experience... maybe i have an ugly cat?

e.

--
Build Your Own PVR/HTPC news, reviews, &

I did read it...its trash of the worst sort by qadmon · 2005-07-17 02:12 · Score: 1

A long drawn out fairy tale about fantasy gaming is what it appears to be.

I spent 2 minutes on it. You are apparently the blogger and attempting to gain some hits.

ad money can be dirty money by Lord+Ender · 2005-07-17 02:13 · Score: 1

A lot of people use software such as clicking agent to scam advertisers. I have discovered many attempts of people (mostly from chinese IP blocks) trying to proxy through Apache mod_proxy instances to connect to CGI proxies which create thousands of bogus ad impressions per hour. I won't advertise online unless they can find a way to cut this junk out.

--
A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.

Re:"Unbuntu" "Unbuntu" (I Just Like to Say It...) by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 02:15 · Score: 0

The day that someone cures cancer, at least 50% of the comments on Slashdot will complain that that person's web site doesn't render properly in Unbuntu. Or Debian. Or Gentoo/PPC. Or Lynx. Or, so help me God, Safari.

"If only they had coded to the standards," the unwashed masses would say, "everyone would be able to enjoy this news. But now I'm boycotting that noncompliant prick."

Podcasting is the Next Big Thing! by bubbaD · 2005-07-17 02:26 · Score: 2, Insightful

like the...boom of the .COM days every idiot is going to go quit their job and try to become a pro-blogger.

Thanks to the dot-com days these people don't have day jobs anymore. Really these scams have great appeal to the unemployed, who have extra time, are desperate, and feel like they have less to lose. And although its easy to make fun of "the losers," they're not paying income taxes or into social security, so we're all losing out.

Money For Nothing .... by SkiifGeek · 2005-07-17 02:28 · Score: 1

Without attempting to whore this topic, I strongly agree with the above sentiments.

The information that my company publishes is NOT supported by ads.

That's right, there is absolutely no advertising on the site, unless you regard the content to be advertisements for the company.

A decision was made when the site was being established that the company would wear the hosting costs for the goodwill of providing advertising free content.

Yes, it does cost, but that is an accepted cost for doing business / providing information on the Internet. I guess that there are still some people out there who still hold to the idea that the Internet is about free, reliable, information free of advertising pressure / annoyances.

The link is easy enough to find from this post, for those who are interested.

--
InfoSec that matters, when it counts.

As if you can make money on the internet. by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 02:35 · Score: 0

Someone point me to a way to make $5/hour from home and get paid weekly.

How is this story not piramid scheme spam? by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 02:45 · Score: 1, Insightful

(a) make $10,000/month
(b) work only couple of hours a day and from home
(c) links to ebooks on how to do this

Re:How is this story not piramid scheme spam? by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 06:33 · Score: 0

Blogging is a pyramid scheme. Most people - like over 90pc - give up pretty quickly.
It's just that no one counts the dead blogs, which become filled up with spam.
Re:How is this story not piramid scheme spam? by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 07:56 · Score: 0

Heh! Nice catch - that was the first question that came to my mind as well
Re:How is this story not piramid scheme spam? by anthony_dipierro · 2005-07-17 10:40 · Score: 1

It'd only be a pyramid scheme if the advertising revenue was coming from the the blog sites themselves. As long as the ad revenue comes from outside sources, it's not anything even remotely close to a pyramid scheme.

Yes, and I've bought from the advertiser by blorg · 2005-07-17 03:07 · Score: 2, Interesting

...when I was searching for a product, and the ad was relevant and useful to me, and offered a good deal on the product. Why not?

AdWords can even be _more_ relevant than the main search results if you are in a small European country; the main search results can tend to be from USA sellers that won't sell to you anyway, while the AdWords are targetted, from local sellers who will...

Cindy Margolis by Charles+Jo · 2005-07-17 03:35 · Score: 0

So we can expect Cindy Margolis to interview this entrepreneur at 2am to show us how we can all become millionaires by placing tiny little ads.

--
Charles Jo

UBUNTU by dustmite · 2005-07-17 03:42 · Score: 0, Flamebait

Three people in a row? People, it's fscking "Ubuntu", not "Unbuntu". If you're going to criticise people, at least make sure you have a clue what you're talking about.

Zonk and blogging stories by The+Hobo · 2005-07-17 03:59 · Score: 1

YAZBS (Yet Another Zonk Blogging Story)

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There is another kind of evil which we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men. -- Boondock Saints

Mooo! by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 04:19 · Score: 0

An online dairy!

Webinar by TNWoodturner · 2005-07-17 04:37 · Score: 1

Speaking of tech-speak. I loathe the psuedoword "webinar". I will not use it here nor there, I will not use it anywhere.

Firefox + Adblock = Google puts ads on pages? by capedgirardeau · 2005-07-17 04:50 · Score: 1

Using ff and adblock, I find it pretty easy to block the javascripts that put even text ads on pages for people.

One sneaks by now and again, but it is trivial to open up adblock and find the script that is doing the ad placement.

For example, one entry for: *googlesyndication.com*

will block all the adsense text ads.

I know it probably isn't helping keep content free to the consumers like us, but I have my rationalizations to make me feel better about doing it, and Im sure most of everyone else does too.

Regards

--
Wax on, wax off baby!

Something smells funny by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 05:04 · Score: 0

1) Google does not send to PO Boxes
2) Any check over 10,000 is sent via USP Courier. Thats why they are called the "UPS" club. (Ant UPS also does not deliver to "Post Office Boxs")

Give the guy a break by macurmudgeon · 2005-07-17 05:36 · Score: 1

It is always entertaining to watch Slashdotters trashing people without bothering with little details like checking facts. I've been reading a couple of this guy's other blogs for a while, one for about three years, (Livingroom), and another for two (Digital Photpgraphy Blog). In fact, while I was writing my own religion blog (mysticcowboy) I emailed and trackbacked with Darren every couple of months.

That this guy is blogging solely for dollars is absurd. He is just an info junkie who has happened to find a way to make a living at his passion. He also answers question, engages with people writing feedback and gives his writing away, the way most bloggers do. So what if he found out that Google would reward him through its add program? Kudos to him.

C'mon folks. There's no hard sell here, maybe a little blogging fanaticism, but what's wrong with that? What's so evil about making a living writing? It gives some hope to those of us in cubicles doing tech support. Maybe there is another way to make a living doing something fun.

Comment removed by account_deleted · 2005-07-17 05:55 · Score: 1

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Something is not right here.... by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 06:02 · Score: 0

Google does NOT send checkes to PO Boxes and if you do happen to make over 10,000US, you get it delivered via UPS Courier.

This guy claims he got his check from the PO BOX!!!

Search for "Adsense UPS Club".

Re:Something is not right here.... by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 06:21 · Score: 1, Funny

Also, in Australia, I do not think they have a US Postal Service.
Re:Something is not right here.... by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 11:57 · Score: 0

from someone living in melbourne where darren lives....

I've never seen a US Postal Service.

Re:And now he gets even more money...HONEST Money by Iggert · 2005-07-17 06:47 · Score: 3, Insightful

All I see is a bunch of wannabe critics who obviously ooze with jealousy because they've never been able to achieve this level of success outside of their mere rantings they contribute to the comments section of Slashdot. Of course some of those who are posting such harsh criticisms are probably guilty of nothing but ignorance because they have yet to figure out how to do what many are doing... Personally, I believe the opportunities that come along with ads on blogs and websites are a win-win situation. Advertisers like them, Publishers like them and Uncle Sam likes them - why shouldn't you? And even if you don't, no one is forcing you to click. Sheesh! Besides WHAT are ya'all complaining about? At least the folks making money from blogging or a variety of other internet based avenues are helping support the millions of people on welfare regardless of what part of the world they are in. Helps keep YOUR taxes lower, don'cha think? Got things to say? Get a Blog! Perhaps people will like you well enough to click on you too! Iggy

--
Because we can all be an Iggert sometimes!

WTF is up with people like you? by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 07:03 · Score: 0

Red Hat is somehow different than Suse, Mandrake, Caldera, Turbolinux, etc etc and every other linux distro maker that every was who packaged the work of "others" and then sold it? Gimme a freaking break.

Red Hat while "using the work of others", as IS the point of the GPL, has given back every piece of software they have every made to the community. They've even done things like buy closed source software and then make it open. And finally they of course sponsor people to work on Gnome, X, and several other projects. WTF else do you want?

And yet people like you still post crap like that. Better they should be like Microsoft and take code from BSD, sell it, and then not give anything back? Get a life Troll.

Re:WTF is up with people like you? by Cramer · 2005-07-17 09:40 · Score: 1

Yes. Redhat did it first. And redhat started out, in the early/mid 90's, more as a community than a business. I remember when redhat was a half dozen people -- a half dozen college kids -- designing a better packaging system, not a linux distribution. The follow-on's have been for-profit enterprises from day one. There are distributions older than redhat that have never become "money hungry", commercial enterprises. [Technically, SLS tried it first, but they were already half dead.]

The point of the GPL is certainly not to allow one to profit from the work of others; it's to ensure the openness of software. The only closed source software that comes to mind is the Netscape/Sun ONE/iPlanet directory server, which was a dead-end product when they bought it. (it's been bundled with solaris for years, so it's not been a fully commercial product for over half a decade.)

There are thousands of companies (and individuals) funding the development of various OSS projects. The primary motivation is a tax break, not altruism, or guilt. And the bottom line... redhat "gives back" far less than they collect.

Most people don't "get" it. by cynicdave · 2005-07-17 07:12 · Score: 1

A lot of people here don't seem to "get" the fact about blogging. Blogging is here to stay and it's not about pretty looking sites. It's for the dissemination of information. Many blogs were like mine-- personal journals like that exist in in livejournal or myspace, but a growing powerhouse are political, technology, travel, lifestyle, and a host of other topic orientated that take advantage of the very simple format of most web logs.

Take for instance gadget and technology blogs such as Gizmond or engadget. Or linux orientated blogs. Or programming blogs. Or CSS design blogs. They have great info updated every day and give you the bleeding edge info you simply cannot find in any other format. Sure you can make an account on a forum and get a thousand other irrelevant threads, but like reading a good periodical or magazine, i trust the author/editor to make those informed decisions for me.

that's the power of the blog.

(for god sakes, even if you think blogs weren't nicely designed or didn't have good writing, they still were responsible for a host of other things relating to REAL news and actually changing the way "old" media works. is ANYONE political aware these days besides the narrow focus of their self-interest? read anything else other than slashdot?)

Did you guys see his traffic stats? by cynicdave · 2005-07-17 07:23 · Score: 1

From 1000 regular visitors a day to 120000 from slashhot. I bet he made LOTs of money today. Where do I sign up to be slashdotted? http://www.sitemeter.com/default.asp?action=stats& site=sm1problogger&report=5

oh so revolutionary by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 08:09 · Score: 0

If i want an editorial by a guy who knows half as much as he thinks he does I'll go to the electronics store down the street, or ask the guy wearing the beret in the coffeeshop

how targetted 'blogs' don't have the same issues as print media with encouraging people to buy things, fearing loss of ad revenue, etc. is beyond me....

i also fail to see how flat editorializing by one or a limited number of individuals is revolutionary, other than giving one the ability to create an flashmob ruled by the lowest common denominator.

i'll check in when mainstream 'old' media like the nytimes or the bbc has an editorial board accepting submissions to a user-moderated and metamoderated site that provides a useful forum for collaboration and higher quality content.

until then, spare me the power of the egocentric 'better-than-MSM' blog.

And yes, i am politically aware, tyvm.

It's called being a service provider... by everphilski · 2005-07-17 08:22 · Score: 1

It is called being a service provider. Google manages the clientele and the advertisers, writes the software to figure out which ads are relevant where, and implements it. That's what the money is for. If we all had to do it on our own, it would be very difficult to find advertisers. But google, being a big company, has an easier time finding big advertisers than Joe on the street.
-everphilski-

my adsense does me no good by kailashnadh · 2005-07-17 09:05 · Score: 1

Making $20K a month from a personal blog seems to be a fiction. How much people would have clicked (how many of those) google ads! I am the founder of the boastMachine project , it's a fairly new and budding blogging platform. (ofcourse, Open source). The project website receives around 10K unique visitors a day, but unfortunately, my adsense revenues don't even help me pay my hosting fees :(

--
"A mind is a terrible thing to waste ;) " - Kailash.Nadh

5 replies and not one link to the french chick by mister_jpeg · 2005-07-17 09:22 · Score: 1

here you go:

http://www.celebritymoviearchive.com/tour/name.php /796

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-jpeg

Re:5 replies and not one link to the french chick by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-18 07:28 · Score: 0

Bless you.

Hot. [nt] by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 09:37 · Score: 0

____d

Confused by starakurva · 2005-07-17 10:16 · Score: 1

What does this article have to do with gay prostitutes? :/

--
All you need is lurv.

Re:Building a community by dtungsten · 2005-07-17 11:03 · Score: 1

Despite the fact that we just provide raw information, we have never developed a huge community around us. Sure we receive a ton of hits from the search engines, but I miss that feeling of having tons of users helping and supporting each other.

That probably stems more from that fact that there are so many, many more web sites now then there were "back in the day", than due to any commercialism.

Now I have to worry about everybody stealing my information and slapping their ads all over it...

Now that DOES probably stem from commercialism, or more correctly, individual greed. Part of the unfortunate nature of humans, I'd say.

On a related note, I often see a lot of complaints about the "commercializing of the web" as if that's a bad thing. True, there is a lot of crap out there, but most of the major corporate commercial sites actually have useful information, tech support, and driver downloads; which is a whole lot better than getting that off of some random site. For example, most "restaurant" chains have nutritional information available. If people are mourning the demise of "hobbyist" sites (of which there seems to be no shortage), I would think that was more the responsibility of the hobbyists themselves. Like anything, there is both good and bad in it, though.

Please note that I'm not disagreeing with anything you've said, just trying to add some hopefully interesting and relevant content of my own to your excellent comment.

What ads? by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 11:47 · Score: 0

I wonder if Adblock for Firefox is hurting any of this for Google?

I don't see the ads........

I make useful money with Adsense by gtoomey · 2005-07-17 13:15 · Score: 1

I have a site that "massages' Australian stockmarket data for downloading in various formats. I've been getting adsense income for years. For me, increasing revenue just means adding extra features to the site. Its easier than writing a blog every day.

Re:And now he gets even more money...HONEST Money by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-17 15:06 · Score: 0

totally agree. You're all just jealous. Good for him I say!

How he does it? by SCVirus · 2005-07-17 17:49 · Score: 0

Getting a link to his blog posted on websites that cuase a large number of users to click it...

Do geeks really click ads ? by labnol · 2005-07-17 18:25 · Score: 1

Problogger may have received lot of new visitors but do the visits translate into clicks on GoogleAds when most of the visitors are techie types who know how to distinguish between ads and content.

Re:Do geeks really click ads ? by cynicdave · 2005-07-17 19:05 · Score: 1

You are under the impression that all ads suck. Google is trying to tell you that sometimes ads will be relevant. I click on google links a lot because at the time I AM searching for a new cell phone service or vacation package to Bali-- or something. But yes, increased visits will mean a lot of clicks from a lot of people, even accidental ones.

How about craigslist.org? by jbordall · 2005-07-17 18:26 · Score: 1

I find craigslist one of the few, truly altruistic web sites on the internet. I also like that Craig publishes his own blog. Wouldn't you agree that craigslist.org has succeeded (for the most part) in building and maintaining a popular community-focused website?

$20/hour? Hm, I know who makes more :-) by Anonymous Coward · 2005-07-19 22:30 · Score: 0

DevArchive.com http://www.devarchive.com/ is making more - $25-30/hr afaik - insider guy told me recently...

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