Tuesday, February 17, 2009

How to improve this blog (with your help!)


(George McGovern and the Bobover Rebbe zt"l, May 1972)

My friends: It's been almost 4 years since we embarked on this very noble venture and started the blog. Back then we were new to the game, we saw the need and jumped in, not knowing where it would lead or how long it would last. Much has changed - for the better, I think, despite losing the "anti" aspect of it. We learned that we can have intelligent discussions here without trumpeting the vices of today and without doing major attack jobs on people who live in our communities. We're pretty much unique in that sense. Over 500,000 unique hits later and I've been told by faithful readers that we've reached the next level. I've been told that this blog has what it takes to turn into a serious blog that can support itself make some cash, pocket change, yes, but cash nevertheless, without asking for the support of the readers. In other words I can get advertising dollars, also known as "making money while you sleep." Don't worry it won't be in the classic, DovBear schnorrer fashion, of "please buy my book." It won't really involve much effort on your part at all.

For the last few years I've had several amazon ads up on the sidebar. They add a bit of the color and make me an affiliate. If you click on one of the icons it'll take you to the actual product that you clicked on, but you can also browse all other amazon products and - if you make a purchase - it'll be as if you were referred to them by Circus Tent and I'll get a shtikkel commission. Amazon pays you your referral fees in 100 dollar increments. I've added some new widgets and stuff to the site, some of which may not be all that appropriate for my readers, but you'll excuse me while I tinker with the site a bit. There's also the "I liked" widget that rotates the products (books, mostly) that I clicked as being my "favorites." The same goes for Google ads. There the system is based on clicks, you don't need to buy anything from them or from the advertisers. I don't expect people to sit and click the Google ads for me. The Google people got tired of my ads not being clicked on so all I see now is "Help Hurricane Katrina Victims" ads or other very generic (not specific to what we feature) from them on my site. Maybe I'll throw myself into that a little bit too and see what I can gain from their ads.

My point is simple: I need to get some sort of compensation for all the work that goes into writing and moderating and commenting without passing it onto you, the reader. I know there are ways to make money when you have as many readers and visitors as I have and I want to take advantage of it. Please, do not think that I'm slowing down or giving up, on the contrary, I plan on making this blog bigger and better, especially since I see that the efforts pays off in the amount of new readers. I may have to broaden my horizons a bit, whatever it takes, well, almost whatever. But from what I understand, what it really will take to make it is soliciting ads from Jewish (and non-Jewish) businesses and getting google and amazon to work for me. Where you people come in is if there's somebody out there that works in this line and can help I'd love to hear from you. If you have ideas and experiences to share - even discouraging ones - I'd like to hear them too. If you think it'll never work tell me why, but I need to know, and from what I hear it can work, and not in the "Earn $5,000 a day and work from home" type of way either.

my email address is neveler@gmail.com

Thanks for listening!

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

We love Hirshel, we love the blog lets get behind him.

Anonymous said...

He's not a real Chabadnik...he does not learn, daven or say Yechi.
He thinks about Himishers too much.

Anonymous said...

"How to improve this blog (with your help!)"

Just do it!

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

what's that supposed to mean?

Anonymous said...

"what's that supposed to mean?"

If that comment was addressed to me I mean that you should try implementing whatever ideas you have and see how it goes. Don't agonize and deliberate too much. If you have an idea that works implement it, if not keep on going as you have been.

If it's not broken don't fix it.

Learn from Microsoft, they are always sending out and adding "patches" to their software running on your computer, like "lattes" on old-times clothing. And if Microsoft is not afraid or ashamed of sending out "patches" you can too, just add or change incrementally as ideas come to you, but don't rock the boat too much.

Remember what happened to tzemach atlas when he tried to change his blog into something more fixed away from blogspot, he basically got in over his head and never recovered from that and just threw in the towel. So don't repeat his mistake on that front.

If you have ideas for change and they can be added, then just do it, if not, let's just get on with the show...

Anonymous said...

You have ads? they don't come up on my screen!

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

that may have something to do with your filter, if you have one.

Anonymous said...

that may have something to do with your filter, if you have one.

I'm not complaining.

Anonymous said...

If my filter had any brains it would block your entire blog.

Anonymous said...

"Anonymous said...If my filter had any brains it would block your entire blog."

And if your brains had any filters they would either be cigarettes and go up in puffs of smoke or would block out the assur Internet and we wouldn't have to hear your comments.

Der Shygetz said...

BS"D

Honestly, I do not see Jewish non-news blogs as a source of real income or even pizza money. To make money with this you would have to either report news or go way, down deep into the sewers of LH and MSR and attract a crowd which wants that. Not worth it.

I don't bother promoting Creedmoor because I want to keep it fun and update it when there really is something or someone to make fun of (or around Purim time as I am doing now). I have a small and not very vocal following of people I know from elsewhere and so be it. People tell me I could run rings around a certain blog which is neither frum nor satire but for what? It would take 2-3 hours of work a day and it might bring me enough money to pay my Internet connection bill (now a mere quarter of what it used to be due to competition and the devalued Ukrainian hryvnia) every month.

Just have fun, write what you want and when you want, and don't give up your day job unless you want to be CV"S like Failed Scotty who has no life offline and feels he is important because he is a big macher to his deluded following online.

Anonymous said...

if you want to make money, you can do a vos iz neiaz kind improved .like news with a chassidishe twist
lemoshol ,you can bring Maddoff and the Bal Shem Tov gathering a minyan of ganovim to open doors in heaven
ANd also you continue with your chassiddishe discussions on the side
you have popularity and you are going to get much more
in this kind of sites, money comes on fixed advertising

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

I appreciate the suggestions. Thanks