Ad Free Blogging

There is a ton of information on the Internet about making money blogging by selling advertising. Not so much on ad-free blogging. The lone cry in the Internet advertising jungle (that I found) is adfreeblog.org. I like what they are trying to do, and however 'finger-in-dike' it may be, I wholeheartedly support their efforts.

The corporation with its ubiquitous advertising, is largely responsible for much of the mess we find ourselves in today. Just ask the Himalayan country of Bhutan. In 1999 they were the last country in the world to introduce television. Since then the country, formerly the happiest, has seen people's expectations rise after they witnessed the fantasy world of TV Land, and all they had been "missing".

"Advertisements create desires, which cannot be satisfied by people's current economic position," said Phuntsho Rapten of the Centre for Bhutan Studies. "Crimes and corruption are often born out of economic desires."

I try not to buy anything from large corporate entities, and I will not take their advertising money. I will not pimp their products by mentioning them in faux posts, nor will I sell space for their mind-numbingly stupid ads. I will not compromise my writing just to make money. And when appropriate, I will use words like FUCK, and not have to worry about offending the people that would like to purchase my blog for their own nefarious purposes.

So I have placed the adfreeblog icon on NBA, and declare the following:

1. That I am opposed to the use of corporate advertising on blogs.

2. That I feel the use of corporate advertising on blogs devalues the medium.

3. That I do not accept money in return for advertising space on my blog.

In 2009, for the first time ever, of the 100 largest economic entities in the world, there were more corporations (51) than countries (49) on the list. We should be worried about this.

Corporations, by definition, are nasty and brutishly competitive artificial persons that exist for one purpose, and one purpose only - to make profit. "But isn't today's green, no sweat shop, sustainable corporation representing a kinder, gentler capitalism?" you may ask. No - because there is no such thing as a green or sustainable corporate entity. Corporations can never have 'enough'. They are insatiable vampires that will suck us, and the earth, till dry.

Human rights, ethics, and environmental stewardship are of no concern to the modern corporation if these things negatively affect the bottom line. There may be good people running these devastatingly efficient psychopathic artificial creations, but the corporation itself has no concept of good or evil. If evil is more profitable, then evil it is. The fact that these out of control structures have become wealthier than many countries is deeply disturbing, not to mention dangerous.

Disturbing because they are not just financially influential, but are politically influential as well. Corporations have used their gobs of greenbacks to purchase our governments and universities so that they can pursue their nasty, brutish ways unimpeded. Dangerous because they will go so far as to destroy everything they touch, even themselves, ultimately. I do not support them in my life, and I will not support them in my blog.

Do corporate ads, in your opinion, devalue a blogger's efforts? Do they distract you?

"If we, as a society, lose our voice completely, and corporations start doing all the talking, then we'll be utterly lost. To some degree, this has already happened. Our ability to envision a future collectively has already been severely compromised."
~ Kalle Lasn