Blog Advertising - Full Disclosure

I believe in full disclosure so want to state for the record that Patsy's Ponderings is not for sale to people who want me to promote their product, service, etc. and pretend it's content. When I talk about something on here that I like, or an experience I've had, it's all true - not because I'm being paid to say it.

The only paid advertising on Patsy's Ponderings are the google ad bars that are labeled quite clearly as advertising. If you see something of interest, help yourself by clicking- if you don't, ignore them. I am impressed that google matches the ads to content so well, but I am not a "blog-whore." I don't mind advertising, but I don't like advertising that's made to look like content. That's just wrong and such things will be the undoing of the whole "citizen journalist" concept blogs have grown into. There's a reason advertising in magazines and newspapers designed to look like content is labeled as advertising. Look closely and you'll see the little word "advertisement" there.

Now, all that said, if someone wants to buy ad space on my blog - I'm open to it - and I may well blog about my good fortune, giving you more publicity. But it will have to look like advertising. I'm not going put advertising into my blog that is masquerading as content. What I write here is just what I'm writing about and I try to be very honest about it if someone gives me a perk, like when Greg and I rode Union Pacific's Steam Engine 844 and I explained how we came to be on that train or when I did a review of Ten Zen Seconds and told you why I did that.

This blog is opinion, not reporting, in general, but I maintain basic journalistic standards. To not do so would be a dishonor to the journalism degree I worked for - and I did work for it with a lot of effort, lost sleep and doing things like wading through chemical spills "paying my dues" as a young reporter.

I was reminded this past weekend just how many holes there are in our massive media web when my coverage of the Greensburg tornado, which I was just getting from local media, was picked up by national media companies.  I give the average reader credit that if my blog were just one advertising thing after another they would ignore it as tripe. Patsy's Ponderings is just about Patsy's life - if someone wants to pay me to live my life and write about it here, please contact me - I dream of making a living being me - and we'll find a way to make it work. But I'm worth more than a penny for every 1000 words.

I hope I don't break my ankle getting down off my soapbox...