Comments on: Word of Blog: an ad network by any other name… http://selberg.org/2005/11/04/word-of-blog-an-ad-network-by-any-other-name/ Erik Selberg's Homepage & Blog Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:25:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Erik Selberg http://selberg.org/2005/11/04/word-of-blog-an-ad-network-by-any-other-name/#comment-268 Erik Selberg Fri, 18 Nov 2005 18:18:32 +0000 http://www.selberg.org/2005/11/04/word-of-blog-an-ad-network-by-any-other-name/#comment-268 Your point on (1) is absolute crap. It's like advertising a home security system that's a doorman at your front door who won't give your key out to a thief. Thieves break in the back! And again, you provide no protection to Habitat from less than upstanding blogs. It's trivial to route around you, and most people who would want to slam them will not even bother to use you. Re: (2) --- Look, if you want to say, "We're a non-profit ad network, and we'd like to include you in our network," then say that. It's a fair offer, and while I'd still refuse it, it wouldn't tick me off. But to ask me to advertise for Habitat through you when I'm already advertising for them directly doesn't do me or Habitat any good --- it just helps you. So please, don't play this as something good for Habitat. Your point on (1) is absolute crap. It’s like advertising a home security system that’s a doorman at your front door who won’t give your key out to a thief. Thieves break in the back! And again, you provide no protection to Habitat from less than upstanding blogs. It’s trivial to route around you, and most people who would want to slam them will not even bother to use you.

Re: (2) — Look, if you want to say, “We’re a non-profit ad network, and we’d like to include you in our network,” then say that. It’s a fair offer, and while I’d still refuse it, it wouldn’t tick me off. But to ask me to advertise for Habitat through you when I’m already advertising for them directly doesn’t do me or Habitat any good — it just helps you. So please, don’t play this as something good for Habitat.

]]> By: Word of Blog http://selberg.org/2005/11/04/word-of-blog-an-ad-network-by-any-other-name/#comment-258 Word of Blog Mon, 07 Nov 2005 03:58:17 +0000 http://www.selberg.org/2005/11/04/word-of-blog-an-ad-network-by-any-other-name/#comment-258 Erik, To address your concerns: 1) Again, if you were a less than upstanding blog, the organization (in this case Habitat) could indeed block the badge from appearing on your blog, if it is a badge served by Word of Blog (every blog that posts a badge is openly listed on that badge's specific page on the site, as soon as it gets at least one click). It is a crucial security feature that Word of Blog offers. If your point is to say that you could still go to the organization's website, copy their logo and post it on your blog, then that's certainly true, but obviously it has nothing to do with us. 2) Regarding the badge rotation, what is your concern exactly? That we'd be somehow serving badges on your blog that you haven't chosen? If so, this couldn't be further away from what we're trying to do here, and I would invite you to take a better look at our site rather than relying on our perhaps poorly written email response. When you go to the site, you will see that you have absolutely no obligation whatsoever to choose the badge rotation feature (only a few of our users do), and then if you do, you get to build yourself your portfolio of badges that will appear on your page. You can change badges or remove all badges in a second. The very concept underlying Word of Blog is precisely to give publishers/bloggers full control over ads that appear on their blog! Hope this helps! The Word of Blog team. Erik,

To address your concerns:

1) Again, if you were a less than upstanding blog, the organization (in this case Habitat) could indeed block the badge from appearing on your blog, if it is a badge served by Word of Blog (every blog that posts a badge is openly listed on that badge’s specific page on the site, as soon as it gets at least one click). It is a crucial security feature that Word of Blog offers. If your point is to say that you could still go to the organization’s website, copy their logo and post it on your blog, then that’s certainly true, but obviously it has nothing to do with us.

2) Regarding the badge rotation, what is your concern exactly? That we’d be somehow serving badges on your blog that you haven’t chosen? If so, this couldn’t be further away from what we’re trying to do here, and I would invite you to take a better look at our site rather than relying on our perhaps poorly written email response. When you go to the site, you will see that you have absolutely no obligation whatsoever to choose the badge rotation feature (only a few of our users do), and then if you do, you get to build yourself your portfolio of badges that will appear on your page. You can change badges or remove all badges in a second. The very concept underlying Word of Blog is precisely to give publishers/bloggers full control over ads that appear on their blog!

Hope this helps!

The Word of Blog team.

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