Since we switched platforms last October, I've made the choice to make ProgressiveHistorians an ad-free site. (I did accept one ad in late November, as was required to fulfill my contractual obligations with BlogAds.) I'm now reconsidering that decision, and I'd like your input.

If I did start accepting ads again, it'd be a bit different from last time. I wouldn't use a service like BlogAds or a network like the Liberal Blog Advertising Network, both of which I've had some difficulties with in past. You'd have to provide me with an image of certain dimensions -- or have strandsofpearl design one for an additional fee -- and send me money through PayPal, and I'd put the image up with a hyperlink to your site. Cost for the ads would be substantially lower than before -- something in the neighborhood of $20-$30/week -- both in view of decreased traffic to this site, and because we'd be eliminating the middleman (BlogAds). No flashing or moving ads would be accepted, and I'd also do some screening of ad content, which I didn't do last time. As before, I wouldn't be able to share ad revenue with the front-page contributors -- there simply wouldn't be enough to go around. Ads would appear in the top right-hand sidebar, just below the site banner.

I'm not convinced this would generate much revenue, so I'm truly open to your comments or suggestions. If you think this is a bad idea morally or aesthetically, please let me know in comments. If I did start taking ads again, I probably wouldn't begin for a couple of weeks at least.

Labels: Jeremy Young