OMG, someone bought an ad
DMZ · December 11, 2007 at 12:43 pm · Filed Under Site information
Hey, so for a while I’ve been screwing around with ads — the Project Wonderful easy-bid thing, we did some Google ads randomly — and nothing made any money. So I signed up for blogads, and wow, today there’s an ad for a hair product of some kind. We put up the “buy us a beer” thing for a while (and got about 40 beers total over two trials).
Anyway, the short version is: we’ve been trying to figure out how to make USSM at least somewhat financially less horrible a venture without plastering the site with ticket scalper ads, and this is the the latest in the long tinkering. We’ll see if it hangs around.
Now if we only had ads for porn, pizza and beer, it would be the perfect storm of demographics and advertising.
“Anyway, the short version is: we’ve been trying to figure out how to make USSM at least somewhat financially less horrible a venture without plastering the site with ticket scalper ads”
We’re Mariners’ fans. Hasn’t been too many reasons to use scalpers recently, unless you’re looking for below face tickets I guess…
Not quite porn, pizza and beer but still, the add seems to be reasonably well on target for USSM readership. Certainly better on target than that class action guy on Lookout Landing.
Wait… Rogaine can’t stop my hair loss? I am so screwed.
How does this work? If I click the ad, go back, click it again ad nauseum, do you guys get paid each time, or is it separate IP adresses, separate days? Lets exploit this thing! (until the company catches on, pulls the ad, and you have to fill the space with another.)
Derek’s not allowed to tell us that, but we can research it ourselves by following that “Advertise here” link.
I use project wonderful on my site to much success but I run a webcomic site and that was PW’s primary advertising purpose in the beginning. It’s expanding slowly though to other things.
I stumbled upon something new today though. It may not be what you’re looking for but you could see if it would be useful or not to try to use. It’s called scratchback. http://scratchback.com
Again, I haven’t used it so I can’t tell you if it’s any good or not.
Was this hair loss ad a subtle slap at Bill Bavasi?
Is there any advantage (for USS Mariner) if we click through?
I too have hair… please come in.
Woohoo for the ad! I may need their services in a few years…
We might not want to speculate too openly on how to exploit the links, though.
8 – No, simply a sad statement about the state of the average Mariner fan. Either we’re going bald from the stress, or we’ve pulled our own hair out in frustration.
If you are REALLY worried about male-pattern-baldness, I think castration works.
Me? I just shave my head.
So, if Corco bought an ad, he could have an Idaho-fest in one of the threads?
It seems to be that advertisers pay USSM a fixed amount for a certain period of display. So clicking through is pointless, unless you’re balding and vain.
I’m both, but pride trumps vanity.
Plus I think I look really handsome with my head buzzed. (Looks in mirror again)
I’m sooo hot.
“OMG, someone bought an ad”
Nothing instills confidence in an advertiser quite like those five words.
Hey DMZ, what about using something like lemonade to generate some revenue? Especially at this time of year. They even look like they have support for video games, so you might even be able to recommend Portal for the common good!
Wow. Colm makes an appearence. What ever happened to our end of year party at the Baranoff, Colm?
Yes for ussmariner. That’s awesome, Derek.
I have a full, luxurious head of hair, thank goodness. The ladies totally dig running their fingers through it. If I were bald I’d probably kill myself, so if you are you should click the ad and buy Rogaine.
More importantly…Geoff Baker is talking up a trade of Jones and Morrow for Bedard and I think it’s about time someone on this blog posted a response to his reasoning. He’s essentially saying that we can’t possibly contend without a number one starter ala Bedard. I suppose the post from last week regarding a similar package for Santana still stands, but I’m tired of watching Baker tout a potentially very wasteful deal unanswered.
Jeff Nye, you should read the “Results” and the “Key Messages” box in this article before considering ProAnagen…assuming there’s enough of the hormone blocker to actually make a difference.
Personally, I wish more guys would realize removing the rest of one’s hair for a bald head is more sexy than that scruffy 2-day beard look that’s so popular these days. The two in combination looks OK on guys like Jason Statham, but it looks worse on guys with lank thinning head hair.
So much for ads at USSM…heh…
Colm, it’s only because of your English accent that you pull that off…
I remember this place used to sell t-shirts. I don’t see the link for it now though.
sell some text links. they are not very threatening. http://www.text-link-ads.com or http://www.linkworth.com. USSM has a google PR 5, I would buy one!
No injecting facts into the discussion, Karen! Tsk tsk. 🙂
I think I will probably, eventually, go with the fully bald option, because I agree that most attempts to “stem the tide” so to speak tend to end up looking silly.
Thankfully, I still have a few more years by my estimation to decide.
#24 – I don’t know if the USSM crew cares about their PR, but selling text links simply because USSM has a high PR is the best way to get it sent back to zero. Google did a massive update in late Oct. / early Nov. and bitchslapped thousands of sites who were selling text links. Trust me, I know firsthand 🙂
Nobody’s sure if a low PR = low placement on Google searches in the near future, but it might be better to avoid the text link ads just in case. That’s my two cents though.
When a friend and I were watching a game on TV, the camera panned the field from the perspective of the upper 100 level. A friend and I noticed that the audience was FULL of bald heads, almost exclusively.
I don’t have much hope for this product, but it seems like the right target audience. Also it seems like when the season is in its full throws, this site would be an on-line advertising gold mine, especially if the Mariners are doing well.
I had a wellness blog for a while, and tried google ads. They kept feeding me all kinds of stuff that the blog was pointedly against, so I gave up.
I’ve long wondered how it would work to turn USSM into a subscription site, at least partially. Are there enough loyal readers who would pay a little bit for bonus/expanded content?
They are banking on the Rauuuuuuuuul Factor.
to sell ads?
on KOMO Larue is talking about his blog item today on the M’s need to clear a few roster spots
[this post is not for criticism of moderation; if you feel you have been treated unfairly, email the authors using the link provided to your left]
I believe that, traditionally, OMG is used in an ironic and/or mocking fashion by certain moderators.
[deleted, mlbtraderumors.com is not a legitimate site, and useless pessimism is annoying]
I remember, years ago, a site that was running a “best mullets” contest. Michael Bolton was a leading contender until they disqualified him: the contest was for people who intentionally mulletized, but his hairstyle appeared to be what you get when the full-sailed ship of a rock star mane runs into the ugly lurking iceberg of male pattern baldness.
Because of my job, it’s not uncommon for me to listen to ESPN radio all night long, or all day long. (Yes, I’m a glutton for punishment, why do you ask?)
I’ve noticed the big four items advertised on sports radio: baldness cures, ED cures, weight loss, and get quick rich schemes.
From this, I’ve created a profile of the perceived sports radio listener, and it ain’t pretty.
So we’ve got baldness cure already–any bets on which one pops up next?
“best mullet” = Major oxymoron
“From this, I’ve created a profile of the perceived sports radio listener, and it ain’t pretty. ”
That’s one of the reasons I enjoy listening to talk radio. The “Freedom Loan” was a staple of a few shows whose politics I disagreed with for a while, so it made me happy to think that their audience was made up with people who couldn’t figure out investment strategies.
…then I discovered that was all across the AM dial and it became less fun…
Catching up:
Galaxieboi – I’m still game for a USSM bash at the Baranoff; but I’m chronically short of time, especially at this time of year. It’d be a hoot; any other USSM drinkers interested?
Joser – English! English?! I’m really quite Irish (born and raised in the Wee Six). Just because you happen to live in a stable for ten years doesn’t make you a horse (to paraphrase the Duke of Wellington’s comment on being born in Ireland).
Why not ask for donations, or put the word out that they would be accepted? That’s what a few other good sites like yours does, and it can be done in a classy way.
vr, Xei
Yahoo has a version of Google’s Adsense that people I know swear by. They say it converts well and the ads are usually spot on. The problem is it’s still in beta and you have to apply to get in. None of my sites made the cut, but USSM would probably have a decent chance of being accepted.
http://publisher.yahoo.com/
Colm: sorry, it’s hard to judge an accent from just text. And anyway, one accent seems to be about as good as another, in terms of hotness to the opposite sex. The important thing is to have one (or be really good at consistently faking it).
Heheh… For $20 over 1 week it will likely become very worth it at some point during the season to take out an OT, inside joke “Ad” on here 🙂 Leave it up!
I suggest a “DOYLE!” ad — pointing to Doyle New York, Doyle Sailmakers, or Doyle’s Cafe.
The clickthrough will be amazing.
I’d advertise my law firm on this site, though I’ll have to admit, being the only Mariner’s fan located in Orange County, I perhaps should goto the Angel’s blog for that. How much traffic do you get?
I have limited internet experience, but significant advertising experience. What I would suggest is an in-season banner ad program with some of the local restaurants that surround Safeco.
I would think with the game threads hitting 300 to 400 comments – and many more hits – that a local restaurant near Safeco would love the exposure to this audience. $10 off days, $20 for game days a month at a time.
My two cents.
(Where was the last meet and greet at? That would be a place to start)
I held out against the ticket text links for as long as I could. I thought they looked tacky. I caved to pay for tuition, but I never looked back. You could sell about $4,000 in ads overnight, I’d think. You don’t even notice them after a while. Food tastes different, dogs growl at you, and your hair starts falling out…but you still have the money.