Entrecard /Adgitize /Project Wonderful /Google Adsense



When I began blogging over a year ago now Entrecard was the first advertising method I used. I loved the idea of having my own business card widget and being able to advertise on other blogs just by using the credits I earned from dropping on different blogs. I have never paid for credits with EC. I always just earned by dropping and I think I only once dropped the maximum 300 which at that time I said to myself I would never do again. It literally took hours. I normally drop around 100 and receive about half back.

As with Adgitize there is the constant problem with receiving virus warnings, browser takeovers and all the other annoyances that go hand in hand with dropping EC. Now with their latest news that alerts all of us they will no longer be providing credits for drop backs I'm asking myself why should I stay with them? EC has said that the credits to advertise on other blogs will decrease as a result of this change and therefore we will all be able to take advantage of advertising on some of the premier blogs. However, let's think about this for a minute. Even if you drop 300 per day it seems to me that you will still in the long run need to actually buy more credits in order to keep advertising. It is not a winning situation for us bloggers but rather a winning situation for EC. They will be making more money and we for the first time will have to pay for our advertising.

I remember when I first began blogging I read an article by a woman, sorry I don't remember her name or blog name, who wrote a post for newbies. In that post she created a time line of what a blogger should be doing at different stages of their journey. One key phrase stuck in my mind and that was a successful blogger is one who has built his or her blog to a point where these extra advertising gimmicks are not needed because you have built a loyal following through networking and building friendships with other bloggers. I am now at that point where I believe she is right.

My thinking is, I normally visit, follow and drop on blogs that I enjoy and which I have some interest so instead of spending all this time dropping for the sake of dropping why not spend my time interacting with the blogs I follow? I can keep EC for dropping and advertising with my favorites and therefore my time much more productively spent.

I have decided not to do any advertising and limit my dropping with EC until after Sept. 1st so that I can evaluate the new decreased credits for each blog. I will however spend the next few days checking out all the blog categories which interest me and make sure I'm following the blogs I like.

Another positive on this is that it will also decrease the bounce rate and allow me to spend more time on writing and taking photos, which is why I blog. It may result in less page views but it is a weight off my shoulders.




I've been with Adgitize now for a few months. I signed up as a publisher which basically means that you provide them with your blog information, you then place a code on your blog which displays advertisers blogs and then each day visit 100 blogs in order to receive points which are transformed into cash. You also receive points for posting on your blog each day. I have been doing this religiously now since I signed up and I will be receiving my first payout next month.

I have however been wondering if having to visit 100 blogs each day is really worth my time. I've noticed as with Entrecard, there are many blogs which have pop up windows, scripts on their pages, viruses and on some occasions blogs which basically take over your browser when you visit them. Not to mention the ones that take too long to load. All of this, including the time factor for visiting tells me it's really not worth my time. They, being Adgitize will tell you that if you also advertise with them at $14.00 per month that you do not have to visit that many blogs. However, though the advertiser's payout is monthly, they are only receiving a few dollars above what they paid to advertise. So, again, what is the point? Granted this is a better system than Entrecard because you are getting paid to drop/visit but it is mind numbing and so monotonous that I really wonder is it all worth the trouble?




Now this is my kind of place. I signed up as a publisher with Project Wonderful, got my widget on my blog and earn cash each day. People bid to advertise on my blog and all I have to do is approve or reject the bids. The threshold for payout is $10.00 and I am very close to that amount. They are also great to deal with in that they are professional, organized, helpful and friendly. PW is a keeper.



Google AdSense is the staple when it comes to earning money on your blog. Granted the average blogger or website owner makes pennies per day however it does not require you to do anything other than add some code to your blog. The ads shown have relevancy to your blog content and if someone decides to click, you've earned $$$ that day rather than pennies. I just recently had to update all my information and provide google with taxpayer info in order to receive my payments when I reach that threshold. It certainly takes some time but is well worth the payout when the time comes. Also a keeper.

Comments

J. M. P. said…
Now that I've read your post I'm interested in Project Wonderful, it really seems a nice place. As regards Entrecard, I'm also wondering what will happen after September 1st... Thanks for the links.
bessye said…
Hey Joanne, thank you also for the information.
I agree with you. I'll have to check into this.

bessye
WoodWorker said…
About projectwonderful I totally agree , its the best.I been there six and a half month and I got payd 3 times.And they give exselent overwiu of my traffik .
Unknown said…
Your thoughts mirror my own. For my excitement over Entrecard has been waning more with each new announcement, and I have a real problem with Agitize's "points" system, which does not reflect the amount of effort that one makes. On the other hand, my experiences with Project Wondeful have been nothing short of wonderful so far.

The lone exception has to do with Google Adsense, but since Goggle spiders are everywhere, I keep my thoughts about it myself for at least now. I am glad that you are finally going to get a pay out from them, however.
I was with EC and left several months ago due to the ongoing nonsense. It was the best thing I did for my blogs! My traffic has increased and my bounce rate decreased. I am an advertiser with Adgitize so yes it costs me $14 per blog. At the moment I have 2 blogs with them. The first month I only had one blog. As an advertiser you only need to click 51 ads not 100. The first month advertising I made $16.10 for a net profit of $2.10. That isn't bad because my advertising paid for itself and I made a little bit of money. This month I am already over that amount. Project Wonderful has paid off once so far for me and I have enough to cash out again but I haven't been impressed with it's performance so I only have it on 2 of my 5 blogs and will likely remove it entirely. I'm getting decent payouts from other advertisers though.
WillOaks Studio said…
Thanks so much for your thoughts and observations about ads to bring in blog traffic!! I'm at a kind of crossroads about this so appreciate reading other opinions, too!!
betchai said…
thanks a lot for this helpful information Jo, I may have to withdraw my Entrecard and Adgitize too since I actually have not a lot of time blogging anymore.
Laura said…
I have EC and Adjitize on my blogs. The most I ever dropped with EC was around 150. Now I only drop when I visit a blog that I would normally visit. Like you, I felt it was just taking way too much time. I like Adjitize, and did advertise with them one month. But then life got crazy and I couldn't keep up with the 50 visits a day, and I got behind on my postings ... so I have kept the ads but don't really do anything else with it.

PS. I don't know if it is just my browser, but the Sony Holland youtube video cuts into the post column. I am using FireFox.
Cruiselife & Co said…
Excellent info Joanne. I can not tell you how much time I wasted dropping cards. The problem is, many of the blogs I drop on I will never read, just not my style.

However, I was so thrilled to find yours, and I know how very important it is to maintain relationships with fellow bloggers. Plus, I like to learn what others have to say.

With my schedule, I just can't drop cards everyday, it's not a priority. With school starting back on Monday, my focus will be entirely on that and my closest blogger friends.
Rick (Ratty) said…
A very good post, and it's very timely for me. I've been thinking about all of these types of ad places myself recently, and wondering if it's all worth it. I have only been using Entrecard as a way to meet new bloggers for awhile now. The credits are unimportant to me, although I have a lot. I never thought the advertising was very effective, but I advertise as a way of giving the credits to blogs I like.

I tried Adgitize and didn't really like it very much. I got no traffic from it, and I made almost nothing. I refuse to spend money for this kind of little service. Blogging is only a hobby.

Since you seem to like it, I might just try Project Wonderful. I don't need to advertise my blog anymore. Like you, I have built up a community of friendship, but I want to find and help others who haven't yet.
Very nice postie, Jo...I'm active new in EC member..but if it had like as your info...I think I will more wise to my decision on EC...Adgitize, CMFAds and Project Wonderfull will choiced...
Karen said…
I'm on Google Adsense and I agree that its worth it when you get paid even you've waited for a long time to meet the threshold.
Unknown said…
Interesting post, Joanne, with much food for thought.

I use EC, Project Wonderful and Adsense and make very little from any of them. But I did notice that when I was offline for several weeks lately, visits understandably tailed off and I lost my PW boxes. When I started posting again, it seemed that it was only through EC that I was able to rebuild my traffic, so I'll probably remain loyal. I wouldn't want to make a commitment to visit any number of blogs absolutely every day, so I'll stay away from Adgitise.
Joanne Olivieri said…
fullet, I love PW and hope you enjoy them as well.

bessye, thanks again for stopping by.

Woodworker, they are the best in my book. Thank you for commenting.

Fish Hawk, thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. For me PW and Adsense have been the best means of advertising. EC And Adgitize - I'm on the fence with a wait and see attitude.

Mom's, I didn't know that with only having to drop on 51 blogs if you advertise. I'll have to think a little bit about this. Thanks for sharing your information. It is very informative and appreciated.

WillOaks, I'm glad some of this helped. I also enjoy reading other opinions on this subject. Thanks for stopping by.

betchai, that's the major thing for me as well, the time element. Thanks my friend :)

Laura, thanks for sharing your experiences with all of these advertisers. As for the Sony video, I also have Firefox and have asked many others to check the blog and I have on;y had one other person that had the same experience as you so I'm not sure what it is. The majority of people see it fine. Thanks for the heads up though. It may be a screen resolution thing.

Dr. Lauren, I know exactly how you feel. It just kind of hit me the other day. One of those Oprah aha moments :) and I said Enough! Like you I'll be visiting the blogs I enjoy each day and dropping will be put on the back burner. Thanks.

Ratty, you have made an excellent point. It's about helping others as well :)

All About Samarinda, thank you so much for sharing and commenting here - very much appreciated.

Karen, It is the best. Thank you for visiting.

Jakill, That's very interesting about PW and thanks for the info. EC is an excellent way to build the traffic but for me the cons outweigh the pros right now. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
I use both EC and Adgitize, but they all take too much time, not to mention risking with the viruses. I am now only drops on blogs that I know and trust..As for Adgitize, I haven't even checking in for months!

Thanks Jo, for a very thoughtful, and helpful post!
Jaime said…
This is a great post - a kind of advertising smackdown. :) I'm not sure how I feel about Entrecard at the moment, as I haven't taken a lot of time with it. I've been looking a project wonderful for a while now because it doesn't really seem to have a down side. Your positive report has encouraged me to pursue it.
Anonymous said…
Thanks,

I found this post very helpful as I am looking into ways to make a little from my blog. Would you guys say these that have been mentioned are a few of the better ones or are there more? Dont mean to change topic.
I used to do a lot of dropping with entrecard, now it's very rare when I do drop. I still use them however and they have created some traffic for me, although not as much as word of mouth.

I will check out Project Wonderful and post my own review of their service.
Jackie said…
Hi Joanne,
I am so glad you posted this because I was thinking of going with Adgetize. But, I am on satellite and can barely make 150 drops a day just with EC. There simply is no way I could ad another 100 drops.

I have been doing drops all day and am just a little over 150 after almost 10 hours. When you are on satellite it is next to impossible to get 300 a day.

I really like what you have to say about PW and now will most likely sign up with them. I am staying with EC. They have brought me more traffic than any other forum I have ever been with.

I have been blogging at The Veil for almost 2 years now and have a wonderful following. But, I left EC twice before and both times my traffic dropped by at least half.

I am hoping some where along the way they will change this new policy. I know I have been reading a lot of negative feedback and I am afraid many of the best blogs will simply leave.

This is what happened in the past and they were forced to change back.

I apologize for being away for so long. But the last few days have been one technical might mare after another.

I am so glad you posted this. It was very helpful to me.

I hope you have a lovely evening!
Jackie
LizzyT said…
Thanks for this great post. I find dropping with Entrecard very time consuming but it does help with the number of views to my blog, which in turn helps with PW. I have been thinking of trying Google Adsense for some time though. This post has been very helpful, thanks!
Joanne Olivieri said…
Icy, I have not been dropping on either hardly at all. I have seen a decrease in traffic but I have so much more time. Thanks for commenting.

Jaime, yes PW doesn't have any downsides as far as I can see. I love them. Let me know how it goes for you if you check them out.

Anon, these are the basic ones. The best way I can tell you to proceed is by doing what you have just done. Visit other blogs, network and interact and you'll be fine.

The Insane Write, Sounds great I'll be checking in for your review.

Jackie, thanks so much for the info and your comment. I have drastically decreased my dropping with EC over the past few days and I have seen a decrease in traffic. Though my bounce rate has gone down and surprisingly I'm receiving more clickthroughs on my adsense. With adgitize I still post daily on my other blog so I do still receive points though cut in half. PW is perfect for me.

Lizzy, Thanks for sharing your thoughts. And, I never thought of that. EC drops would help with PW. I'll have to ponder that. Thx.

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