So far we’ve been able to keep the Xuropa Platform an ad-free zone.  We provide value to our clients by enabling them to build engaging communities around their products.  They lower marketing and support costs, and are able to build and nurture relationships globally without having to get on a plane or attend an expensive trade show.  That’s how we aim to support our business and we’d like to keep it that way.

There’s another reason we’d like to keep ads off the platform - real estate.  One of the hardest aspects of building a platform of this degree of sophistication is the user interface and use model design.  We have lots of ideas for cool features and functions, but it’s always…”where do we put it?” and “how are people going to use it?”

However, when push-comes-to-shove and ads are your only source of revenue, other than a sense of “yikes!”, I can understand the compromises in design and usability that have to be made.  But, when the reader of your blog has to scroll down past three columns of ads to get to your post you’ve lost your way.

Lost Your Way I

When your ad is threaded within your post in such a way that the title of the post actually looks like it is “Ads by Google”, you’ve lost your way.

Lost Your Way II

When I was at the EDA Bloggers Birds-of-a-Feature meeting at ICCAD last month it was great when Rick Munden stated that he had taken all ads off his blog.  When I asked him “why?” he pointed at Sean Murphy (the organizer of the meeting), who came back with the perfect analogy.  “Why advertise cup holders when you’re selling a Cadillac?”

Sean’s absolutely spot-on.  Most of the bloggers that I see out there are doing it on the side as a marketing promotional tool for their day-job.  More often as not it appears to be consulting or contracting work - the Cadillac!

Unless you think that advertising can be a driving revenue stream for your business, don’t do it.  It can cheapen either the perception of your core product or the message within your post advertising your core product.

If the additional revenue stream can be a significant contributor to your business model, then please do yourself and your readers a favor.  Position your ads without compromising the readability of your post or the usability of your blog.

Less is definitely more in this case.

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Posted under business, marketing