September 2nd, 2016 at 11:50 AM ^
September 1st, 2016 at 9:43 PM ^
I'm not going to debate you about the intrusiveness of sponsored content vs. banner ads. As an ad guy, I can tell you banner ads generally don't work.
But here's what I will tell you:
Ad buys like this come together not through some ad network, or progammed buy with a computer. It comes about because someone read the blog and saw an opportunity to support said blog because the product aligns with the readership (sports fans who need variety of sports don't cut the cord).
So ad guy goes out on a limb. Bloggers agree to partner. Clients will want to see a wrap up of how the ads were perceived. Here's where it gets interesting. If the feedback is bad, clients get mad. Ad guy gets grilled. Ad guy will in turn not use site again for this brand or other clients.
End result would be missed opportunities for bloggers, and a bad experience for client an ad guy.
How do I know all this? I'm the ad guy who has happened to read this blog daily for the past 10 years. The one who thought "hey, what a great opportunity, lets partner here."
So far, the response has been okay. Maybe better than expected. So lets please keep it that way so I don't get my ass handed to me in future meetings. And so we can do more things like this in the future.
September 1st, 2016 at 11:51 PM ^
September 1st, 2016 at 5:20 PM ^
I think they should probably pay a premium for the way Brian included them. I actually read all of them and looked forward to the humor. Some of the best integration I've seen.
September 1st, 2016 at 5:23 PM ^
September 1st, 2016 at 5:24 PM ^
September 1st, 2016 at 5:25 PM ^
I'm happy to live in an area not served by Comcast and will probably never voluntarily sign up for Xfinity but I have zero issue with the ads. They're clearly ads. Nothing unethical about them. They're even reasonably amusing.
Is it football season yet?
September 1st, 2016 at 5:32 PM ^
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September 1st, 2016 at 5:37 PM ^
I'm all for the site making as much money as possible from sponsors, merchandise, magazines, and donations. That being said, "Beveled Guilt" should be renamed.
September 1st, 2016 at 5:42 PM ^
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September 1st, 2016 at 6:06 PM ^
How far back do you have to go with the blog to get the reference? I've been reading for 8 years and I still don't get it. I love a good inside/running joke but there's gotta be a more effective phrase to solicit donations. Something like "Support the Blog" would get the point across without alienating new readers and potential donors.
September 1st, 2016 at 9:19 PM ^
September 1st, 2016 at 5:38 PM ^
September 1st, 2016 at 6:12 PM ^
For in-text ads? For in-text ads? For in-text ads?
September 1st, 2016 at 6:32 PM ^
Ad blocker is probably why he has to do in-text ads. He has to ensure that the viewers see the ads somehow right. I'm fine with this, I listen to a radio station podcast and they leave their live read ads in because they get paid extra for this. This is also the reason a lot of TV shows have made product placement more of a thing, with DVR's most people don't see regular commercials.
September 1st, 2016 at 6:51 PM ^
I'm waiting for Mgoblog product placement. Superimposed cans of Rotel on opposing players in the UFR clips will be awesome.
September 1st, 2016 at 5:45 PM ^
September 1st, 2016 at 5:48 PM ^
they're inlcuded in the conversational style of sports talk radio. feels a lot like sam webb's contrived ads during the michigan insider.. seems to be consistent with the industry, so it doesn't bother me.
September 1st, 2016 at 6:15 PM ^
I love the riding mower ads on Sam and Ira's show. I do wonder if they are at all fact-based--like, does Sam actually even have a Boullion lawn tractor?
September 1st, 2016 at 6:30 PM ^
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September 1st, 2016 at 5:50 PM ^
At the very least, things like this are not appearing -
September 1st, 2016 at 6:00 PM ^
Wait, does this work?
September 1st, 2016 at 6:28 PM ^
Don't knock it until you try it
September 1st, 2016 at 5:51 PM ^
As long as ads aren't masquerading as content (or as posters), I have no reason to complain.
September 1st, 2016 at 5:57 PM ^
September 1st, 2016 at 6:28 PM ^
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September 1st, 2016 at 6:03 PM ^
People look at the ads?
September 1st, 2016 at 6:30 PM ^
September 1st, 2016 at 6:34 PM ^
The WLA will be appalled
September 1st, 2016 at 9:24 PM ^
September 2nd, 2016 at 7:01 AM ^
I know and miss the WLA. :(
September 1st, 2016 at 6:38 PM ^
to find out that guys can make a living blogging about something they actually love.
September 1st, 2016 at 6:32 PM ^
maybe some of us don't mind ads... but we don't like how they are *PRESENTED*....
September 1st, 2016 at 6:34 PM ^
If the ad space is sold to Mark Dantonio's Michigan hatin' Chip Company, who cares?! Skip past the ad and enjoy the content anyway.
September 1st, 2016 at 6:36 PM ^
September 1st, 2016 at 6:48 PM ^
I am, I think, in the minority in that I'd gladly pay a reasonable annual fee for an ad-free experience. And I do on other sites where it's offered.
September 1st, 2016 at 6:54 PM ^
September 1st, 2016 at 7:12 PM ^
That said, had Comcast for 6 years and I've had none of the issues people complain about. No customer service disasters, repackaged easily when contracts ran out, etc. I know that's just me but just throwing it out there as a data point.
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September 1st, 2016 at 8:25 PM ^
I'm the same. I pay like 200$ a month and just accept it...
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September 1st, 2016 at 7:19 PM ^
I agree 100% I have no problem with the ads, but I also very much enjoy shitting on xfinity/comcast whenever possible. hehe.
September 1st, 2016 at 7:58 PM ^
Comcast is devil's cable company. Their services are overpriced, and they nickle-and-dime the shit out of you. Oh, you thought the package you signed up for came with HD? Nope. I know we told you that you get 140+ channels, but you really only get the package that the channel guide stipulates is 90+ channels. Those will each be another $10 a month to upgrade, please.
They sent me to collections when I closed my account on the basis that I hadn't returned my equipment. When I called and stated that I was holding a receipt for the return, they "adjusted" my account, and refused to talk to the collections agency. Cue two months of back-and-forth phone calls and a hit to my credit. From what I've read online, I'm far from the only one.
Fuck Comcast. I hope every single office gets hit by a meteorite. Unfortunately, where I live I have no other options, not even satellite.
I get that Brian et al want to make money from the blog, as they should. That said, I respect the mortgage lender and the Stubbs dude because they've used their services and they seem to have vetted the people they are advertising for. Comcast is the worst. Everyone knows they're the worst. Isn't taking their money akin to switching to Adidas for a bigger payout despite crap uniforms and multiple alternates? Sometimes it's just not worth it.
September 1st, 2016 at 8:02 PM ^
Nice summary on Comcast I think you were being nice. I only use them for internet access and as soon as I can find an alternative that won't do the 12-month gotcha plan I'm switching. Hate Comcast!
September 1st, 2016 at 8:12 PM ^
September 1st, 2016 at 9:23 PM ^
September 1st, 2016 at 9:23 PM ^
September 1st, 2016 at 10:11 PM ^
1) Like it or not, MGoBlog has created its own culture that visitors have come to expect when they visit the site. The frontpage content, the content providers, diaries, MGoBoard, users, even the moderation contribute to the best sports blog you can find (moreso when you filter by Michigan-specific blogs). Up until now, the only sponsored content promoted local businesses that were also devoted to Michigan, so their inclusion fit within the culture. XFinity, on the other hand, doesn't fit the culture at all. Whether it's bad service or high costs, I recall numerous threads in the past complaining about Comcast or bragging about cutting the cord/finding alternate ways to watch their Wolverines and their other favorite shows. New Coke outperformed both Pepsi and Coke Classic in taste tests, but people hated it because it betrayed peoples' expectations when they bought Coke; [insert example involving Dave Brandon here]. It is a net positive for the entire blog to stay consistent within its own culture, including the sponsored content it allows on its front page.
2) Making MGoBlog profitable is something we all want, even if not all of us donate to MGoBlog. My uncle owned a bakery that my hometown rated as #1 for decades, so when a newspaper article revealed it was going out of business, sales turned around immediately (unfortunately, it was too little too late). None of us want MGoBlog to die, or for contributors to get laid off, or anything like that. If XFinity-sponsored content keeps MGoBlog profitable or expand its capability, I doubt anyone would object.
So can more be done to help MGoBlog preserve/expand its profit margin without defying its culture? What about advertising a Patreon account, or modifying the Donate button? Maybe an internet guru knows how to change my preferences to ensure the MGoBlog tag gets added every time I visit Amazon? I get these other options can happen in parallel to XFinity-sponsored content; tbh this single infraction isn't enough for me to declare MGoBlog a sellout.
September 1st, 2016 at 11:21 PM ^
September 2nd, 2016 at 7:40 AM ^
September 2nd, 2016 at 8:36 AM ^
Isn't this why we have a scroll bar? Don't like it, just go past it. I love this site too much to worry about how they are keeping it going. Selling out? When you have a family to raise and employees to worry about, you make choices to ensure you can endure. Comcast/Xfinity may not be the favourable choice, but they obviously see a good thing here and want to support it. And in doing so, this site remains free, extremely informative about our favourite school with a strong community of like-minded folks that make it a pleasure to visit on a daily basis.
If an advertiser wants to try and alter what content appears on this here site then there would be hell to pay and we can exert claims of 'selling out' if that were to pass, but I've been around here long enough to know that won't happen. Brian would have been scooped up to write for ESPN or another site by now if that was the case.