Comments on: The benefits of a non-commercial travel blog https://www.501places.com/2011/11/benefits-of-non-commercial-travel-blog/ Sharing the world with you Thu, 24 Nov 2011 12:09:39 +0000 hourly 1 By: TravMonkey https://www.501places.com/2011/11/benefits-of-non-commercial-travel-blog/#comment-69198 TravMonkey Thu, 24 Nov 2011 12:09:39 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=7799#comment-69198 Interesting post Andy! That photo is superb! For me, having no adverts on this site is one reason why I come back to read it. Non cluttered, no distractions, clean, good writing. A danger with relying on income from ads is that you degrade the overall site, not just in SEO terms (if you go mad with ads and place them in the wrong places) but for usability. I love 501 places design don't go changing.... well massively anyway. Interesting post Andy! That photo is superb!
For me, having no adverts on this site is one reason why I come back to read it. Non cluttered, no distractions, clean, good writing.

A danger with relying on income from ads is that you degrade the overall site, not just in SEO terms (if you go mad with ads and place them in the wrong places) but for usability. I love 501 places design don’t go changing…. well massively anyway.

]]> By: Andy Jarosz https://www.501places.com/2011/11/benefits-of-non-commercial-travel-blog/#comment-69197 Andy Jarosz Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:59:02 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=7799#comment-69197 Thanks again for sharing your comments folks. Conrad, you've got some fascinating stuff on your site (and I like your meandering style!) And shy is cool. Kirsten, great to meet you at WTM (and next time I'll tag along and get some photo lessons from you!) It was a great chance to see so many different folks for the first time. Pam, what can I say? I think you've got this blogging thing pretty well sussed out. If I was holding a bloggers' event I'd have you doing the keynote. Seriously. Thanks again for sharing your comments folks.
Conrad, you’ve got some fascinating stuff on your site (and I like your meandering style!) And shy is cool.
Kirsten, great to meet you at WTM (and next time I’ll tag along and get some photo lessons from you!) It was a great chance to see so many different folks for the first time.
Pam, what can I say? I think you’ve got this blogging thing pretty well sussed out. If I was holding a bloggers’ event I’d have you doing the keynote. Seriously.

]]> By: pam https://www.501places.com/2011/11/benefits-of-non-commercial-travel-blog/#comment-69196 pam Wed, 23 Nov 2011 02:31:05 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=7799#comment-69196 I'm not exactly a noncommercial blog. I have a little bit of passive income that I don't do a lot to get. But I'm not exactly commercial either. I don't have anything to sell, I'm not service focused, I don't even have a niche, really. I'd love to make more money off doing Nerd's Eye View, but I'm not interested in selling stuff to my readers that I don't love, nor am I interested in changing my focus on narrative to create a better strategy for making money. The blog has been a great portfolio, it's got me, well, everything in travel writing that's come to me has come because of my blog. So it doesn't make me a lot of direct money, but oh, what it does for me is pretty freakin' amazing. What you said, mostly, sort of. I’m not exactly a noncommercial blog. I have a little bit of passive income that I don’t do a lot to get. But I’m not exactly commercial either. I don’t have anything to sell, I’m not service focused, I don’t even have a niche, really. I’d love to make more money off doing Nerd’s Eye View, but I’m not interested in selling stuff to my readers that I don’t love, nor am I interested in changing my focus on narrative to create a better strategy for making money. The blog has been a great portfolio, it’s got me, well, everything in travel writing that’s come to me has come because of my blog. So it doesn’t make me a lot of direct money, but oh, what it does for me is pretty freakin’ amazing.

What you said, mostly, sort of.

]]> By: Kirsten https://www.501places.com/2011/11/benefits-of-non-commercial-travel-blog/#comment-69194 Kirsten Tue, 22 Nov 2011 03:20:08 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=7799#comment-69194 Andy, I cannot thank you enough for writing this post. I could go on for 1000 words about why. But you could probably surmise all the reasons anyway. I'm a non-commercial blogger as well, though somehow I still get invited on press trips because of other writing I do. I really appreciated all the things you had to say at WTM events and this reinforces all of that. I'll be tuning in more carefully in the future. Cheers! Andy, I cannot thank you enough for writing this post. I could go on for 1000 words about why. But you could probably surmise all the reasons anyway. I’m a non-commercial blogger as well, though somehow I still get invited on press trips because of other writing I do.

I really appreciated all the things you had to say at WTM events and this reinforces all of that. I’ll be tuning in more carefully in the future. Cheers!

]]> By: Conrad https://www.501places.com/2011/11/benefits-of-non-commercial-travel-blog/#comment-69193 Conrad Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:57:23 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=7799#comment-69193 Oh, and I like to ramble too much to be properly monetized. Yip. Oh, and I like to ramble too much to be properly monetized. Yip.

]]> By: Conrad https://www.501places.com/2011/11/benefits-of-non-commercial-travel-blog/#comment-69192 Conrad Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:54:17 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=7799#comment-69192 To me its simple. I am way too shy to be commercial. Really I still don't know what to do with "hey love your blog can I..." and so and so. I mean, I wonder 'why - why me?' I just want to write a bit (often crappy) and that will be it. No pressure (please not), no corporate (oppression) (- sorry couldn't resist ) ambition, no appropriate blog-sized eyes or ears or whatever that might spoil the fun of what I am doing. All I want is to disappear - no shiny brand for me! Ha! To me its simple. I am way too shy to be commercial.

Really I still don’t know what to do with “hey love your blog can I…” and so and so. I mean, I wonder ‘why – why me?’

I just want to write a bit (often crappy) and that will be it. No pressure (please not), no corporate (oppression) (- sorry couldn’t resist ) ambition, no appropriate blog-sized eyes or ears or whatever that might spoil the fun of what I am doing.

All I want is to disappear – no shiny brand for me!

Ha!

]]> By: Andy Jarosz https://www.501places.com/2011/11/benefits-of-non-commercial-travel-blog/#comment-69191 Andy Jarosz Mon, 21 Nov 2011 18:22:20 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=7799#comment-69191 Thank you Anna - and yes, you are a good example of why you should take the time to get to know your readers :-) I tend to think in a strange way a non-commercial blog is easier to maintain just because I don't get to go on wild and glamorous trips. 'Gringo-frequented destinations' - I like that description :-) Thank you Anna – and yes, you are a good example of why you should take the time to get to know your readers :-)

I tend to think in a strange way a non-commercial blog is easier to maintain just because I don’t get to go on wild and glamorous trips. ‘Gringo-frequented destinations’ – I like that description :-)

]]> By: Andy Jarosz https://www.501places.com/2011/11/benefits-of-non-commercial-travel-blog/#comment-69190 Andy Jarosz Mon, 21 Nov 2011 18:19:41 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=7799#comment-69190 Cheers Justin - appreciate the kind words. Cheers Justin – appreciate the kind words.

]]> By: Andy Jarosz https://www.501places.com/2011/11/benefits-of-non-commercial-travel-blog/#comment-69189 Andy Jarosz Mon, 21 Nov 2011 18:18:48 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=7799#comment-69189 Thanks Nancy and a great point about being out and enjoying the day rather than thinking what to blog about. Had the same realisation over the first year, that actually over the course of a trip there will be plenty of material to write about, whether you look for it or not. And you're writing for fun, then why spend too much time worrying about finding a story? Your blog is on my radar now - thanks for sharing your thoughts. Thanks Nancy and a great point about being out and enjoying the day rather than thinking what to blog about. Had the same realisation over the first year, that actually over the course of a trip there will be plenty of material to write about, whether you look for it or not. And you’re writing for fun, then why spend too much time worrying about finding a story? Your blog is on my radar now – thanks for sharing your thoughts.

]]> By: anjči https://www.501places.com/2011/11/benefits-of-non-commercial-travel-blog/#comment-69188 anjči Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:38:27 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=7799#comment-69188 Thanks for this, Andy. Could I agree more? : ) One of the (many) reasons I like your site so much is because I know it is entirely non-commercial. I love it that there are no ads. I love it that you don't retweet every post ten times. And it's just great that you take time to write about non-mainstream things. The cyberspace is frankly inundated with dramatic, once-in-a-lifetime, gringo-frequented destinations claiming to break trends and instead endorsing them. Would encourage you to get to know some of your readers though. Some of those contacts may grow into friendships, as has happened to me : ) Thanks for this, Andy. Could I agree more? : )

One of the (many) reasons I like your site so much is because I know it is entirely non-commercial. I love it that there are no ads. I love it that you don’t retweet every post ten times. And it’s just great that you take time to write about non-mainstream things. The cyberspace is frankly inundated with dramatic, once-in-a-lifetime, gringo-frequented destinations claiming to break trends and instead endorsing them.

Would encourage you to get to know some of your readers though. Some of those contacts may grow into friendships, as has happened to me : )

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