My pet hate when it comes to blogs is advertising. There is so much I hate about advertising (except the "Price Cuts" from BT – I want that kid’s hair and his t-shirt…), but putting them on blogs seems worse somehow.
First of all, I ask two things: "Why blog?", and "Why advertise?". If the answer to the first is to make money, then I am of the opinion is that you’re in the wrong game – few blogs make a fortune, and there are by far more lucrative pastimes on the Internet around than just writing.
I feel the ethos of blogging is to write about what you find interesting, give your own personal views on subjects, and also write about your own experiences. The key is that blogs are almost meant to be private, but we let everyone else read them anyway (on the offchance that someone else finds them interesting). But then some of us stick adverts in. It’s like letting out a secret. You are meant to read this blog in order so that I can make a few quid out of you. Furthermore, it’s almost like getting people to your site with the sole purpose to send them away again. Those people must be blogging for a different reason.
My other dislike for advertising on blogs, is that it tends to make the blog seem less prestigious, less special almost. Far too often I come across blogs with fantastic content, nice designs, and inspirational ideas throughout – only to find some poorly formatted box saying "Cheap Laptop Cases" or "Looking for Castration".
I don’t advertise on my sites because I don’t think it adds to it. Even if it would make me a sizeable amount of money, there would be a niggling thought at the back of mind telling me that people don’t visit my site to see the advertising, and the amount of traffic I receive will not be at all altered by having it there. Feel free to call me an anti-capitalist bastard. (And I’m sure some will.)
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A question I have asked myself is "Am I a professional blogger?". It might be a question that some of you visitors have asked yourselves – well, those of you that have an active blog of course! But is there a set criteria?
Do you have to post every day? Blog is supposed to be short for "web log" after all, which implies it is meant to be kept like a log. But I know of plenty of high-profile and, arguably, professional blogs that aren’t updated daily. So perhaps that isn’t the key.
Do you have to host it yourself? That is, does your blog have to have an independent domain? Well, it doesn’t really seem to be that either. Have a look around on WordPress.com or Blogger (for example) and you will find some good quality blogs which are kept by so-called professional bloggers.
Do you need to make money from your blog? This could be a bone of contention. Some might argue that you do, or else you can’t really be considered a professional. But it’s a loose term anyway. I mean, being a professional implies being qualified, and I am unaware of any blogging qualifications (though I expect to be proved wrong).
So, what makes a professional blogger? It’s probably just passion and dedication.
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I just read an article written last year by Damien Mulley called "How To Use Google To Get A Girl And Get Laid". It’s quite tongue-in-cheek but nonetheless funny. It is incredible the extent to which Google can be a part of a person’s life, and to that end how much it can control a person’s life.
Soon after writing that article, Mulley received thousands of hits. Bastard – I want that! So prepared for a guide coming soon. In the mean time, I shall probably rip off hardwords.net because, unfortunately, Weiran and I decided it wasn’t working and that we should close it down. We’re working on new ideas for it. Suggestions gratefully received. 
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We are constantly told to do our bit for the environment. Perhaps rightly so. So I have done my bit: I have planted a series of trees across my header.
All I need to do is to recycle my tags, put a wind farm in my archives, and remember not to leave my posts on standby.
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We (read I) at GeoffBrady wish to wish you a very Merry Christmas! I would also like to thank my regular visitors, my fellow bloggers and all those that comment for contributing to my site.
As you can see, I have been playing around (a lot) with my site’s design in recent weeks. At the moment, it resembles the Marks & Spencer in Northumberland Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne, as it remains open while works are being carried out! I shall say the same as they say, and that is “Apologies for the work being carried out. We apologise for any inconvenience caused”.
Anyway, have a great day, and a lovely dinner!
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