Loading ...Big Bloggers: We Keep Parroting Their Messages And They Won’t Spend An Advertising Dime At Our Sites
Let’s see — a couple of days ago, we had the Associated Press whining about we bloggers “stealing” their (so-called) “news content” and sending our valuable, proprietary traffic directly to their online “news” pages under “fair use”.
Fast-forward to today and what have we here? Oh, yeah — some of the largest (so-called) “liberal” bloggers in the blogospheres whining about how they continously parrot the talking points for these numerous (so-called) “liberal” — OOPS — “progressive” groups without being compensated by ad sharing revenues.
I’m sorry, but here’s the thing — they make a great point when they say “Hey, we’re small business people and how can we continue to operate when we’re not paying the bills by mimicking these organizations’ messages?” And it worked — Americans United for Change has caved into the demands of the “bigs” of the liberal blogospheres including Jane Hamsher of FiredogLake whose writing I admired enough at one time to quote and link to some of her content only to discover she deleted all of my trackbacks as SPAM (puhleez!), which is why she didn’t get a free link from here today either. Now, back to my point…
If these people can pull it off — slap up the DNC talking points every day with just a tiny taste of their own personalities added and make money doing so, good for them. I just appreciate independent thought, myself. When a Democrat is being a complete jackass, I don’t surf around and read all of the other Left blogs to see if it’s “cool” to call him or her out on it. Nope, I hammer the heck out of the wacko Dem and will continue to do so in the same manner I’m hammering on some of my fellow (so-called) “liberal” bloggers. I’m not in this for the money. I’m here to entertain myself, vent my frustrations, and hope others enjoy watching my self-implosion live. Apparently many folks do and I thank each and every one of you for it.
As a result — and I don’t know how many of you all think I sit around swilling beer all day and count all of my ad-sharing and direct advertising revenues as a fairly well-known (in political circles) blogger, but to those who assume I do, I have a wakeup call for you. I don’t do this for the money and as a result, this site brings in a tiny fraction of my household income and NOPE — I’m not anywhere near the top-twentieth percentile of wage earners either. The Tip Jar? Once in a blue moon. Ad networks? A couple of dollars a day. Direct advertisers? Another couple of dollars a day. Getting rich blogging? HARDLY. And I’m not whining about it either, unlike some (Washington Post Company’s The Plum Line by Greg Sargent). Cry… me… a… RIVER.
Don’t get me wrong, please — I do wish these people well. I appreciate small businesses and God knows if I could rake in the sort of cash they do while being independent and HONEST to the BONE, I’d be grateful for it. Unfortunately, there hasn’t seemed to be a “goldmine” in honest, from-the-heart blogging thus far but again — that’s not why I do what I do either. And frankly, I don’t understand how anybody can publish a website where their precious Democrats (or Republicans either) can do no wrong unless they have a bit of a “mavericky” (a.k.a., “independent”) streak in them can live with themselves much less enjoy their days work. Y-A-W-N.
But that’s just MOI.
***
Some interesting blogger reax…
“… This reminds me, I need to set up a tip jar so Mr. Soros and Mr. Buffet can thank me personally. Or for that matter they could email me and I’d give them the snail mail address.“
“… Welcome to a little place I like to call Reality.
Why should a group pay her to say what she was going to say anyway? …”
“… In other words, they’re kissing Obama’s ass as much as a human being possibly can, yet they’re not even getting so much as a moist towelette to wipe themselves off with. And then they have the gall to go public and complain about it! Talk about prostituting yourself. …”
“… Hey! I’m with you guys 100%. If you’re going to shill, the least you can ask for is some pocket change. All those years of brown nosing and you’d think these big shots would have the common courtesy to toss a few coins in the hat and give you a hanky to wipe the stain off your face. I mean, what’s the use of prostituting yourself if the party pooh-bahs won’t leave any money on the dresser when they leave? …”
“… So much for the “we’re independent and put our beliefs ahead of politics” meme. Animated!“
Dude, you’re completely right. I’m straight forward and up front about the fact that I’d love for WeThePeoplePolitics.com to become profitable. I’ll do what I can to try and make it that way, but I write now regardless of the fact that I bring in even LESS than you do. I write every other day (I better finish up my article for today. Yikes!) because I want to. It’s not for the ad money that I get barely any of.
The fact that they are complaining so much means that they are no longer interested in projecting the news and opinions, but that it is about money. I hate that the media does that. I’m going to continue to try and get all the different opinions on the site because that’s what the site does. Got to love the true bloggers.
I’ll second that, Jacob. If it wasn’t for the true bloggers I would have to buy more games to spend my computer time on. I’m very thankful for all of you, on both sides of the aisle, who write your own opinion not someone else’s.
I generally avoid the knee-jerk blogs because if I read one of them then I’ve read them all. I just wish that there was a way for you all to make a living at this and who knows?, the way the news and opinion organizations are changing, you may be doing that in just a few years.
I wonder if the organizations that caved in realize that they are going to be paying bloggers who are preaching to the choir.
I have to check to see which one of us wrote about this first! Damn it! HA! I beat you to it this go round bro….
I’ll be linking in to ya
Heh… yeah, Mat — ya beat me to the trigger, bro
Thanks, Jacob & Gaia!
Gunny you have to admit that we bloggers played a huge part in changing the moderate and fence post voters in the last election. I write politics like you because I love to write and bitch and moan. Its cheaper than a psychologist couch visit, we did play a part in the election and you have to admit that its bull for them to now dump us as a grass roots collective.
I agree with you that I don’t preach all is well and good with the Democrats but you don’t send your blogging kids off to boarding school once you have what you want. There is a mid term election coming up and that battle is already starting.
Bro, I believe my problem is more with the sense of entitlement by the so-called “big” bloggers for doing what you and I were happy to do without a single campaign purchasing ads on our sites.
I also believe my problem lies with the “Jane Hamshers” who despise this blog and do anything they can to try and make it seem as if it doesn’t exist simply because I criticize the left blogosphere and some of their champions when they are W-R-O-N-G. The Right does this and embraces diversity within their ranks while the Left in the blogospheres are basically what amounts to a bunch of bigots — different application, same POV though.
I don’t need any bones tossed my way from the ones whom meet the above description. They may be “bigger” by Alexa’s (what a JOKE!) ratings system but I’d be willing to be I get more MSM and talk radio coverage than any of them except maybe The Daily Kos. And I’d also be willing to bet both of our readers are more intelligent, more independent-minded and better informed (Left or Right) than the majority of theirs are as a body.
Give me some intelligent discussion from all sides of the argument ANY day of the week over a bunch of mirror sites for the left-side of the Democratic Party, I say. I might not be getting rich here in a monetary sense but… but just think about that part and fill in the blanks
I’m proud of what WE (including our readers and YOU, one of our pioneer writers) have built here together, bro. If they want to advertise here, God Bless ‘em. But I don’t feel “entitled”, NOR do you for your blog either I’d be willing to bet
And THAT is what it’s all about, bro 
I pretty much completely agree with ya, GTL. I didn’t start blogging for the $$$, though some of the cash I have made has been nice (made a nice bundle from a Cafe Press thing.) Quite frankly, if I wanted to make some cash, I would start a celebrity site with soft nudie picks that links to all the others. Those folks make some serious coin, and they do not even have to work hard, while we kinda have to keep up with stuff all day long.
I probably get more email from Democrat groups then Republican, because my email address I used to sign up at Obama’s campaign site was farmed out.
But, I find it truly humorous that so many of these high value progressive blogs which have railed about capitalism and the rich are now complaining that they aren’t getting paid for their work so they can become the rich
Hey GTL,
I’m with you 110%. As you know, my views are usually pretty far to the left, but I’m open to different ideas and sure don’t fit any stereotypes. I like the (usually) friendly and intelligent debate that goes on at your site. I like Teach’s last sentence there.
I intend to get a blog of my own going, someday. In the mean time, when I’m healthy enough, I’ll do my bitching and moaning on your site, and a few others. Thanks for being there.
GTL
I’m not really sure that criticising the Left because they are not far enough Left counts as independence.
Seriously, just the other day I was referring to your cutting article about…oh wait, that was about a Republican. Well, there was that article about…ummm..darn it, that was about a Republican too. Well, to paraphrase the famous quote about pornagraphy, I can’t recall your articles critical of the Left, but I know ‘em when I see ‘em.
Chuck,
I think a centered site like this one criticizes the Party of No so frequently because the righties are wrong so much more often than the lefties are.
William: I hear ya, bro! It’s really not that hard to make money in one’s PJ’s on the Internets and you’re dead on with the p0rN thing
G: Good luck on your own blog, Sir — please be like our brother Matthew O’Keefe though and visit early and often, offering your commentary here once ya’ do please
Chuck: LMFAO!!! I love ya, man!
But of course!
Oh, I should’ve added this to the post y’all — the reason I fell out of favor with my fellow libs in the blogospheres is because I am on a link of “bad libs who link frequently to right wing sites” — that according to a friend (who shall be nameless) in that group. Isn’t that something? BOO-HOO!!!
“G”
I have a major nit to pick with your statement. There is a profound difference between the GOP and us conservatives. Beyond that, I stand by my right-wing motto: Often wrong, but never in doubt.
Haha, Chuck. That’s great. However, you’re totally correct (bet you never thought a right-wing motto would be right since it’s often wrong.
). There is a huge difference between the GOP and Conservatives. I’ve been considering writing something about that for WeThePeoplePolitics.com.
Love the banter, and as a progressive or liberal, there is a profound difference between my views and those of the Democratic Party as well. In fact, these disagreements with the parties that supposedly represent our collective sides of the fence are frequently ones where we might agree, although sometimes for differing reasons. For example, you may be for the legalization of marijuana primarily from a “smaller government, stop wasting my tax dollars” point of view whereas I would be inclined to see it as a “constitutionally protected, human rights” issue.
Anyone on either side that thinks that a political party has all the answers is not living in reality.
Have a great day!
See, the problem, GTL, is that you link to many right blogs without being massively critical. Look at a site like Sadly, No. All they do is link conservatives and use derogatory and personal attacks.
I think there is an issue with the definitions of peoples political leanings. There are folks like you and Alan Colmes, among others, who call themselves liberals, and dip to the left a bit of the Classical Liberalism model, where you believe in tough national security, limited government intervention in our lives, but do lean more towards more government programs. It is not quite the Socialist Democratic model (in this case, Socialist is not really a bad word, per se, it just means that a person believes in more government intervention in the Economic Core.) Then there are the hard edged progressives, who want massive federal government control in the Moral and Economic Cores of Democratic government. It’s what Jonah Goldberg called “nice fascism.”
Now, bring on the $$$ p0rn! I have been tempted to have another blog. Heck, one or two link posts a day along with one or two picture posts (nothing more then R rated,) could make some money.
LMFAO @ p0rN!!! Go for the BIG bucks — go xxx, bro
Don’t let GTL kid ya Giradia, I only come here for the free beer. I could care less about all this politcal blah, blah, blah, blah rambling he does.
GTL
Allow me to add another reason for your fall from grace. You tolerate conservative counter opinion far better than most other “Lefty” sites. The fact that you haven’t been subject to the inquisition and burned alive still amazes me. Keep up the good work. Oh, and if they ever come for the burning thing, I drink a lot of beer so I’ll help put out the flames.
“G”
We are in complete agreement, for the very same reason on the legalized marijuana issue. What may surprise you is that most of my friends with ruby-hued necks are right there also. I would venture that the great majority of today’s angry conservatives are not from the religious branch. For every person that complains about stem cell this, and abortion that, I hear 9 folks upset about mind boggling spending and government encroachment on personal liberty. I suspect there is more common ground than the intertubes would lead one to believe.
Good point guys — I guess I need to start censoring out the “Righty” comments so I can be cool with Jane Hamsher @ FiredogLake? NAWWWW. I’ve been doing just fine without her come to think of it
I had a political science professor explain, many yaears ago, that what is presented as a line to the left and the right could actually be a two dimensional side view of a cicle; if you tip it a bit you can see that when you keep going to the left you eventually come back to the right and vice a versa. In this way, people reach similar conclusions from different perspectives. His point was that the appearance of polarity was an illusion and in fact, the majority of the population was in general agreement. This illusion of polarity is pepetuated by those who wish to profit from it, such as the Jane Hamsters and Rush Limbergers of the world.