Blog for sale

I got another email asking me to promote a product on my site. His approach was subtler than usual, opening with, "As a dating blogger, I'd love to get some of your advice." He then described the product (a "disposable phone number") and closed with, "Is there anything I haven't thought of? Any suggestions?"

Honestly, I was charmed. Though I had no intention of posting a link to his site, I wrote back with my opinion of the service (it's too complicated for me, possibly appealing for others).

In his next email, after thoroughly answering my questions, he made the direct ask, "Let me know if you feel like blogging about us, always appreciated!"

Maybe I didn't have to, but I felt the need to tell him that I wouldn't be linking to him and why:

I'm not going to blog about the service because I don't promote for-profit sites. If you want to pay for an advertisement, I might consider it. But I don't make money from my blog--why should anyone else?

Do you see where I'm coming from? I don't have ads on the site. I don't need the money. And if I were to have ads, I would want to have control over the content. I would have to be willing to promote that product.

Why would I promote something just out of the goodness of my heart? I may be a socialist, but I'm not stupid. I'm not much into buying and selling and commdifying, but I live in the real world. I've always thought that the best way to make money from a blog would be a subscription model. You want to read the full entry? You must pay! But you need a much larger audience than I have to make that worthwhile and I like providing free content. What if you were too poor to pay? Hmm…maybe I could have a sliding-scale subscription model.

At any rate, I'm not quitting my day job and the blog will remain free to read and free of advertising for the foreseeable future. Though, if there were a way to make a living from the blog, I'd be on that in a heartbeat!

Grateful for: freedom of speech, baby.

Drop me a line.