Comments on: Should Lawyers Accept Ads on Their Blogs? Why Not?

By: Carolyn Elefant

Carolyn Elefant — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 07:25:45 +0000

Eric, Mark, Ryan – I think all of us are on the same page here. Eric, I think you are most cautious, but that also makes sense because I think that as a personal injury attorney dealing with consumers, you must take care to convey a very professional appearance at your site. Ryan, I know that you deal with high tech and biz companies, which may be more accustomed to seeing ads at sites.
As for Scott – your point is well taken. It is very difficult to find information about the going rate for ads, and cost does a make a difference. It doesn’t make sense to muck up the look of a site with a dozen $10 ads, but one tasteful ad from a reputable company for $120/month might be different (or the price point may be higher for some).

By: Carolyn Elefant

Carolyn Elefant — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 07:25:00 +0000

By: Ryan

Ryan — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:55:33 +0000

I’ve gone back and forth with google ads on my blog. My hesitance for them is primarily for the ‘professional’ appearance factor. My goal is to attract clients not clicks. But the ad revenue can take care of all your hosting/domain(s)/fax/phone costs.
I haven’t noticed any less potential client inquiries when the ads are present, though.
Eventually, I’ll probably go to a sponsored advertisement.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:55:00 +0000

By: Mark Britton

Mark Britton — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:31:52 +0000

I think this is great advice Carolyn. The reality is that the “free content” age is upon us and one of the only ways to support this free content is through advertising. Think of your blogs like magazines. Fill it up with amazing content, and then you shouldn’t feel guilty at all about advertising around it. Does the Legal Times or even Newsweek feel guilty about taking advertising? Nope, and either should you. We will all become more comfortable with this as the free content age progresses.
I do think Carolyn’s admonitions are right on point however. Advertising is a devilish thing and you must make sure that you are always serving your readers rather than your advertisers. It was a challenge we had at Expedia and it is something we pay particular attention to as we continue to roll-out our advertising platform at Avvo.
Mark
CEO, Avvo
http://www.avvo.com

By: Mark Britton

Mark Britton — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:31:00 +0000

By: shg

shg — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:03:40 +0000

The video, rough as it is, makes one very big point, but leaves one similarly big question unanswered. What is the cost of a blog ad? It was one of the basic questions asked of him by the potential advertising, and one that went unanswered.
For many, the amount involved is a very important consideration. Whether one would reach out to potential advertising as shown, and put ads on their blogs, would certainly be influenced by whether one would receive $10 a month or $1000.

By: shg

shg — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:03:00 +0000

By: Eric Turkewitz

Eric Turkewitz — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 10:11:52 +0000

My views mirror yours, to a great extent. I was first very opposed to ads. I thought there was a great danger in "uglifying" blogs with ads: Better Blogging: 12 Tips I now have one ad, for Law.com, for the same reason you do; the relationship brings in more visitors. I wrote about that subject here: A Personal Injury Blog Grows Up (Welcome ALM Readers) I think the gut reaction of any blogger to an offer to run ads should be "no." An exception can be made if there is a compelling reason for it. It seems that if a law blogger did want to allow ads, then the ones to accept might deal with books on the law, or legal services (Westlaw or Lexis, stenographic services, etc.) In general, though, it is the type of thing most people should stay far away from.

By: Eric Turkewitz

Eric Turkewitz — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 10:11:00 +0000