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You're right. When many people don't consider those sorts of projects ads then we're doing our job right. Good ads shouldn't be considered ads, but they shoul
by mmasnick 17y ago
You're right. When many people don't consider those sorts of projects ads then we're doing our job right. Good ads shouldn't be considered ads, but they should be good content.
And, yes, we do have conventional ads on the site -- and I'm guessing you're not a regular Techdirt reader (which is totally cool, by the way), but we've discussed this. Having conventional ads is a way to get companies to talk to us about the other offerings that we do. They basically act as lead generation for us because so many companies only think traditionally, they contact us about advertising, and we try to steer them towards other, smarter, programs. But we still let ads go through, even if we tell them that they won't be particularly effective. If people still want to give us money for no good reason, that's their mistake. But we are careful not to take intrusive ads.
And, our ad revenue is less than 15% of the site's revenue (during Q4 it goes higher). So, no, the conventional ads are a waste, and I expect them to die out over time. But, for now, they're a great way to get companies to pay us to become leads for more creative solutions.
- Semiapies 17y agoNo, I'm not a Techdirt reader. But thank you for the explanation.
- mrkurt 17y agoDo you not stay awake at night worrying about the effect that hybrid ad/content has on your ability to produce content honestly? In my preferred world, writers would never have any knowledge of which companies are paying the bills.
- mmasnick 17y agoNo. You seem to be confused. The content of our posts and the work we do remains editorially totally independent. These aren't "hybrid" deals. These are deals where we continue to produce our content as is -- with no changes or no requirements and no say from the companies who are sponsoring. That's on purpose -- and we're quite upfront about that to the companies we work with. Why would we risk our reputation by pulling punches, when it's our honest and forthright opinions that make the site what it is.
- Semiapies 17y agoAs I said, I'm not a Techdirt reader. However, just going to http://www.techdirt.com/index.php?edition=itinnovation http://www.techdirt.com/index.php?edition=itinnovation blind, I would not assume any such independence at all. Admittedly, that's a slightly different issue.
- mmasnick 17y agoWe have total editorial independence. They get their logos on the top on the right, and the rightto list resources in the righthand bar. We have total editorial independence on the content of the actual blog posts, and have said that repeatedly. They get to see the posts, same as everyone else does. The only thing that Sun and Intel employees get is that when they comment on posts, their comments are highlighted. But that's it.
- Semiapies 17y agoI'm willing to believe you. I'm simply saying that just looking at that page without knowing anything else would give me the expectation that this was an Intel/Sun organ, not an independent site.