Back to: Blog

RSS Ads Update

I’ve scaled back my RSS ads experiment to show ads in half of my posts instead of every post. So far, the RSS ads are a dismal failure - averaging barely one click a day. Some feedback I’ve gotten from friends indicates this could be due to the ads being completely irrelevant to the content.

The comments are open for your feedback…

Popularity: 4% [?]

Posted November 26th, 2005 @ 10:07 AM

8 Replies

Jenm adds this Comment:

Thanks! I love to read your blog via RSS, but the Ads were a bit much!

November 26th, 2005 at 10:37 am
Matt adds this Comment:

I don’t have a problem with ads in RSS fundamentally. I do however, have a problem with ads that aren’t relevent to the content and secondly, are somewhat loud and obnoxious, which I find the Yahoo ones to be. Ads like the ones in Slashdots or especially Engadgets I don’t mind at all because they blend right in and don’t distract me from the content, while also letting me know they’re there.

Just my two cents.

November 26th, 2005 at 11:41 am
Chris adds this Comment:

Absolutely. I think I commented on this before, when I got an ad for microderm abrasions or some such. To be honest, for how I use my RSS the impact is minimal if you include the ads, but it sure would be nice if they were even semi-relevant…

November 26th, 2005 at 11:56 am
Alex adds this Comment:

The Yahoo ads are a bit of an experiment too - I may try switching the RSS ads to Google’s offering (which seem less invasive), or switching back entirely for a month and see how they compare.

November 26th, 2005 at 12:01 pm
Kerim Friedman adds this Comment:

I was just thinking whether or not there is some way I can block RSS ads the way I do on web pages with Privoxy…

Your RSS feed is already an advertisement for your own work. Because I subscribe to your feed I am more likely to know about, and perhaps blog about, your projects. Isn’t that enough renumeration?

November 26th, 2005 at 12:03 pm
Chris Meller adds this Comment:

Most of the ads I’ve seen in your feed are totally unrelated to the content (at least seemingly to me, obviously their system thinks otherwise).

They’re also a good bit bolder than I’d like. A softer shade of blue would probably go a long way to making them less “loud and obnoxious” (as Matt aptly put it earlier). Removing the bold (if possible) from the link title would also help.

All-in-all, I find that I am more apt to click on a Google-supplied ad in a feed than I am a Yahoo-supplied one… It’s just a combination of style and content that makes everything better.

November 28th, 2005 at 12:46 pm
Alex adds this Comment:

My application for Google’s AdSense for feeds was rejected:

Unfortunately, we’re unable to accept your application for the program at this time. Because AdSense for feeds is currently in beta, we’re unable to accept all applicants into the program. If we’re able to extend our service to you in the future, we’ll be sure to let you know.

November 28th, 2005 at 3:10 pm
alexking.org: Blog adds this Trackback:

Goodbye RSS Ads

The RSS ads were an interesting failed experiment: 20 days, 10 clicks. Ouch!
I’ve removed the ads until they prove relevant enough to be more than just an annoyance to my readers. Maybe I’ll check see if they’ve improved in a few mo…

December 7th, 2005 at 11:04 pm

Add a Comment

Please note: Use of a non-personal web site or blog in the field below and/or comments that are off-topic, personal attacks, or support requests will likely be removed at my discretion.