Yes, I have returned to the blogging space. Yes, I returned just to ask a question.
Something that has weighed on my mind for some time now concerns the monetization value of my blog. While my statistics are not anything to write home about (but are holding steady despite a substantial lack of content), I could potentially try harder to create more of a network that harbors revisits and better SEO practices. With literal hundreds of articles to my name—all of which varying in topics—I think I could try it. I’ve built up a somewhat respectable base.
What usually stops me from doing so is the thought of having my blog actually contain ads. For seven long years, my blog has basically been a place for me to write my thoughts and potentially bask within a certain community; I never intended to make it a living. Now? A little extra money sounds beneficial, and who knows? If I try hard enough and keep at it, maybe this could keep me from having to work too hard out in the “real world.” But that is far from my only reservation.
I just fucking hate ads. They’re soulless, manipulative, and vapid attempts at stealing people’s money by offering them stupid shit. While I am not opposed to shilling for content I think is worth one’s time, the thought of ad space dedicated to products I give zero shits about that may or may not be run by despicable corporations that I would prefer to have zero affiliation with makes my brain unhappy. And the fact that my content, which boils down to “Dude with an English degree writes about random shit,” should feel confident enough that it deserves to profit off of views feels kind of shady to me. I like my opinion, and I think my writing is interesting and easy to digest. But is it worth drowning it out with flashy bombast and corporate-approved appeal? Hard for me to justify that.
Going through the options, there’s also an opportunity to provide a subscription-based service for exclusive content on the site, which I found intriguing. But again, what the hell is worth doing so? I just write my opinion on things. Should I hide certain opinions behind a paywall? That sounds like garbage. Maybe I can bite the bullet and do episodic anime reviews every season and put that behind a subscription prompt? Those tend to be pretty popular. Maybe some spicy takes or personal writings that I don’t typically share for the blog? It’s a process, but one that sounds more appealing as my desire to get away from “the real world” grows.
So, I will turn it to you, reader. Whether you enjoy my content and have been following me for a while or this is your first time here (probably more for the former): What do you think? Should I go for it? Should I not? Would ads make you leave the blog forever? And if you are for it, what would you like to see more from me? What can I do to make the blog more appealing to you? Any sort of information would be very beneficial to me.
Thank you all for reading, and I hope you have a good day.
The Visualist's Veranda 
As a reader who occasionally reads your content, I don’t think that running ads would be a bad thing. Having a subscription for opinion’s isn’t bad either. Of course there are extremes where you can go too far, and I share some of your same thoughts about ads and paywalls.
I am sure you have already considered the monetary benefits of doing either, or maybe both. If getting “paid” to create content would help create content that others would enjoy, I see it as a positive. While with ads someone may be leeching off your success, people who aren’t interested in those ads will ignore them anyways because they are there for your content. If you want a paywall to have your opinions that is fair. After all you put time into your ideas, why should your time be free? We live in a world where money is required to survive. While yes it may be hard for someone without income to read all your opinions, its not like they won’t have other things they can’t read from you. I don’t mind giving someone money to read their opinions, if I truly value them. Your readers will decide whether paying you for your thoughts is worth it.
Your readers have the choice to pay to read for your opinions. Your readers have the choice to click on ads. Just my thoughts on the matter, from someone who occasionally reads.
Really appreciate the feedback. Thank you.
It’s definitely not an easy decision. Don’t really have much advice, so hopefully others who have monetized can offer more insight for you. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!
It’s your blog so it’s fine to add ads if you like. Personally I find them distracting at best, but very few are obnoxious or make me turn away. I know many bloggers use Ko-fi or patreon options instead of complete monetization, and only put certain posts behind a paywall, which might be an option for you.
I appreciate the input. Thank you very much.
As a reader, if it’s clear what’s an ad and what isn’t, and if the ads aren’t so big that they overwhelm the content, then I don’t mind.
As a blogger, I try to keep the ads small and related to the content. That means I don’t host Adwords or WordPress ads because I can’t control what’s in them.
The reason ads have gotten such a bad reputation is that some of them auto-start video, pop up and take over the screen, or do something else that’s distracting and/or annoying.
If you focus on your readers’ experience the ads could be a good thing!
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