Making Money with Blog Ads Presents Moral Dilemmas

I'd like to make money from my blogs as much as any one else. I certainly applaud bloggers who manage to derive some income from their efforts. However, I draw the line in the sand at some advertising activities. Just where that line is, what it looks like, and how much sand it disperses, is still somewhat unclear to me, but it's coming more into focus. I'd like to hear what you think.

A recent article entitled Top 10 AdSense Tricks to Boost Your Commission posted by The Admaster (a great site for blog advertising advice), got me thinking about how advertising works on blogs--and how it should work. There were several suggestions in this article (which offers tricks to make Google's AdSense advertising program work more effectively, but the concepts discussed apply to all blog ads, I think) that drew my attention. For instance: "Color code your ads to match your web site palette exactly" and "Incorporate the AdSense code into your page so that the ads look like a regular part of your site."

"Wait a minute," I said to myself. These suggestions seem to be advocating that bloggers make their ads fade away, not stand out, to appear to be just part of the regular content of the blog. Could that be right? Surely not. As a firm believer in the American capitalist system, I'm all for advertising. Yes, at times it drives me nuts, but I'd rather have commercials on television than state-run programming. I'd rather see ads in magazines and newspapers than not have magazines and newspapers at all--or than have to pay exorbitant prices for them.

I expect to see ads. Good ads should stand out. They should call attention to themselves, and viewers or readers should say, "That's a great ad, maybe I should check out that product." Or, contrarily, "That's a terrible ad; I'll never buy that product." They shouldn't find themselves being unable to tell where the ad begins and the TV program or magazine or newspaper article ends. Oh, I can hear some of you saying, "But what about product placement in movies?" The main character eats Cheerios for breakfast and then drives a Honda to work. Isn't that advertising? Well, maybe so, but it's not nearly as egregious as what this article is suggesting bloggers do with their Adsense ads.

When ads on our blogs look EXACTLY like our blog's content--I call that deception. I don't want to deceive my readers into clicking on my ads, thinking they are a post, so I can make a penny or two. I want my readers to click on the ads on my site because they are intrigued by the ads themselves and wish to investigate them further. If that doesn't happen--so be it. What do you think?

(graphics from http://blog.ictforhealth.com and http://advertisingandart.wordpress.com)

Eating at the Table--or Not?

Truly, I believe what experts say about the benefits of sitting down together for a family meal. It's a bonding experience. I get it. However, when my two children were little I always struggled to get my family to eat together around a table. It always seemed like a losing battle--they preferred to be anywhere else.

Now that my husband Milt and I are alone in our little townhouse, I find I have the same problem. When we bought our house, I worked diligently to create a lovely dining room. It's probably the most beautiful room in our home (see the accompanying photo--our Pomeranian Coquette is in the lower left-hand corner modeling it for you). The problem is --we never use it. We never sit at the table for any meals--breakfast, lunch or dinner.

No, although Milt and I always eat supper together, we don't eat it seated at the dining room table (nor at the kitchen table either). I sit in my favorite arm chair in the living room with my feet up on a hassock, plate balanced on my lap. This is comfortable and relaxing for me and I enjoy my meal--savoring each bit--much more than I would if I were sitting in the rigid straight back chairs around our lovely glass-topped table.

Milt stands in the kitchen and eats at the sink. Yes! He prefers this method because (in his words) he doesn't spill anything on his shirt. It must be his military training or something. Personally, the thought of eating standing up is repugnant to me. I can't even call such an activity eating. It's more like stuffing food in your mouth.

Anyway, I've become used to it. We eat dinner this way every night and have lovely conversations over the kitchen counter while the television provides ambiance (I'd prefer classical music, but I'll take what I can get). So, what would the experts say about us? Is the Rockwell supper style a satisfactory substitute for a family meal around a table? What do you think?

Can't Resist--I'm a Proud Doggie Mommy

Coquette just returned from a day at the doggie beauty spa. I wish you could see the cute little pink bow they put in her hair, but it doesn't show up well in the photograph I took. However, she is clean, sparkly, and proud as a peacock of her new look. Isn't she adorable? Can you tell that my two children no longer live at home? I lavish all of my affection on my Pomeranian (well, my husband gets some of it). Oh my gosh, I'm one of those weird cat ladies--except my cat is a dog. Aren't I?

Calling All Hugh Grant Fans

Hugh Grant has a new movie coming out next month called Did You Hear About the Morgans? with Sarah Jessica Parker and it looks like a scream. They play a soon-to-be divorced couple who are forced into the witness protection program and have to go live together in a cabin somewhere in the forest (or so it seems from the trailer I saw). I howled while watching it.


I've seen every movie Hugh Grant has made--my favorite being the best movie of all time--Love Actually--in which he plays the British Prime Minister in his own inimitable way. Yes, yes, I know Hugh Grant has a less than sterling reputation off camera--but he is a master comedian and I absolutely adore him on the screen.

Those eyes, that charming British accent, the slightly goofy way he tries to dance. What other older lady such as myself wouldn't go ga-ga for such a guy?

Are you a Hugh Grant fan? If so, tell me your favorite Hugh Grant movie or scene--and I'll tell you mine!

(photos from www.stark314.wordpress.com and www.phdepressed.blogspot.com)