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| from Comic Vine |
Long-time readers may have noticed that Amazon ads have appeared to the right and at the bottom of LoS. Soon, Google ads will join them.
I have more reservations about this than positive thoughts. I can't help but think it somehow taints the blog and I find it all a bit distasteful. I have no illusions here. Traffic on the site hovers around 3,500 hits per month, which is small potatoes; any revenue generated by these ads will be minimal.
You may be wondering why, in this case, I have taken this step. One factor, certainly, is curiosity. How much money can an obscure blog generate, even it it amounts to pennies per month?
A second factor is that well, the Gid and I are doing some research, writing it up and putting it out there in the world for the sole purpose of sharing our interests and discoveries (which is actually very satisfying). The occasional encouraging word is also a great pleasure. Less fun is to see the work used elsewhere with nary a thank you or even a head's up--especially on a site which uses advertising....but hey, I didn't put a Creative Commons license on the blog for nothing. On the other hand, if a lot of people are reading and/or using this information, why not make a little money? We like to eat as much as the next guy, after all.
I'm not sure if the monies earned will offset the arguably negative impact of advertising; I've half a mind to can it after a few months anyway, if the "experiment" proves worthless. I did this once before. The ads were up less than a week before I took them down, feeling somewhat tarnished. I asked Gid for his thoughts and he said go for it, why not? So after months of hesitation, we've decided to shake the devil's hand..
Like I said, I don't think this will keep me in caviar and champagne, but it may be able to defray the expenses of a book or two. My idea is that any money generated by these ads will go towards buying a book that could in turn enrich the content of this site. Either that or help me to buy a small island in the Pacific. After I kill off the Gid that is, and steal his share....
I think you will be very entertained to know that this is the ad that was featured...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/dp/0806141778?tag=lawofsil-20&camp=211493&creative=379969&linkCode=op2&creativeASIN=0806141778&adid=0A1CZ9J1009X5TS39PXC&
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You want a toe? I can get you a toe, believe me. There are ways, Dude. You don't wanna know about it, believe me.
ReplyDeleteI would like a toe, plz. Also, yes, saw that Amazon link! Chopping of the hands and feet of the natives seems to have been quite the colonial pastime: Belgian in Congo, the Spanish:
ReplyDelete"The book s arresting title, The Jar of Severed Hands, comes from a 1792 report documenting a desperate break for freedom made by a group of Apache prisoners. After subduing the prisoners and killing twelve Apache men, the Spanish soldiers verified the attempted breakout by amputating the left hands of the dead and preserving them in a jar for display to their superiors."
Also, as I've written previously:
"Francisco Coronado's successor Don Juan Oñate hacked off the left foot of every adult male in Acoma Pueblo as retaliation for a battle that left his nephew dead."
Bringin' civilization to the savages!
The CC License is really awesome and I'm proud to use it.
ReplyDeleteBut I am, by the way, already hiding behind one of your future coconut trees, Daurade, wielding a machete, and imaging the place where your ankle used to meet your left foot: So bring it on, because you promised me my own island from the beginning of this here venture, Sir Knight of the Rueful Countenance...
(I'm kidding, of course)
ReplyDeleteOh shit, I was worried! :) Strange though that ads still aren't appearing....a sign perhaps. I really do feel weird/hypocritical about it, but I'm damn curious to see what happens as....
ReplyDeleteOh well. Today has been the first real beautiful day of the year. I spent the morning raking up cut grass for the compost, sawing wood, building a small bridge--a simple nailing of planks--across the creek behind the house, went to the market. A good day so far!