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August 08, 2005

Pajamas Media: Rates May Increase If Traffic Does

A big drawback with PM is the flat rate of payment, which keeps anyone who thinks their blog might increase in readership (which is every blogger, pretty much, except me; I'm resigned to being eternally almost-big-enough-to-be-taken-seriously) from signing up.

It turns out there may be increases in payments. According to a spokesman for PM:

At the end of the contract period, if your traffic has gone up, which we believe it will significantly due to our promotion via our portal, your contract will change to reflect the new readership. Moreover, if your daily visits go up significantly more than the rest of the bloggers we are promoting --if you grow by 25% above the norm in the group's increased traffic, and your 25% jump is sustained over two months' time--you will get your new contract and more money mid-term to reflecting your readership growth.

Sounds... well, chancy, but if your traffic does rise for a sustained period of time you'll get more money. The suggestion is that you'll be paid according to the standard formula, but that's not actually said. Maybe you'll get less.

On the other hand... one beef I have with PJ's standard contract is that it's for 18 months, which takes us right through the 2006 midterms. Political bloggers know that traffic spikes during elections. A midterm won't goose readership like a full presidential election will, but still, one could imagine a 10-20% rise in traffic for the few months before the election and the month after. There's just a lot more news and a lot more interest in the news.

The standard contract doesn't seem to take into account that this period is a windfall for bloggers selling ads. I'm not going with the standard contract because I won't be able to get that little bit of extra ad money if I'm with PM, rather than with BlogAds.

I'm just not sure of this entire business model. Honestly, I could sign up for PM tomorrow, take the 18 months of not-so-crazy blog-money, and then never post again. As others have pointed out, this seems to be a strage and very counterproductive (dis)incentive system. I understand their desire to fix costs, but really, they ought to have some kind of fixed formula for higher or lower payments based on rising or falling readership.

posted by Ace at 08:49 PM

Comments

*I* take you seriously, Ace.

Well, okay, my alter-ego Mister Bojangles takes you seriously.

Don't make Mister Bojangles mad.

Cheers,
Dave at Garfield Ridge

Posted by: Dave at Garfield Ridge on August 8, 2005 09:06 PM

~ cross posted at Ace's Backup Site, www.ace1.mu.nu the one with BlogAds *wink* ~

Posted by: BumperStickerist on August 8, 2005 09:13 PM

Ummm... yeah, there's *that* too.

It just seems to be a model that pretty much encourages that sort of shady gaming.

Posted by: ace on August 8, 2005 09:14 PM

I mean, honestly, why shouldn't I take the PM money and then start posting at "Smitty's Place"? I could just generate traffic by linking everything I post there.

Posted by: ace on August 8, 2005 09:15 PM

Well, okay, my alter-ego Mister Bojangles takes you seriously.

Hey! My alter-ego is Mister Bodangles. I smell copyright infringement.

Posted by: Dogstar on August 8, 2005 10:07 PM

You could sign the contract with PM, take their money and then pursue one of two options:

1) Pull a Terrell Owens and demand a renogiations

2) Change the entire focus of your weblog for a month to something that Pajama Media does not want to be involved with so that they drop you.

or, if you think your readership is highly gullible, hold a fund drive. Set up a paypal with two options for giving 1) Pajama Media and 2) BlogAds.

Post that which ever choice gets more donations, that's the one you'll go with.

Though - as a bandwidth sucking parasite on your blog, I'd recommend you go with the service which promises the hotter chicks in the ads.

Posted by: BumperStickerist on August 8, 2005 10:27 PM

But if your readership decreases or stays the same, WE WILL COME TO YOUR HOME AND KILL YOU AND YOUR PETS

Posted by: Yogimus on August 8, 2005 10:56 PM

I say hold a drive because of your increased "bandwidth charges". Do it again six months later then become a gobsmacking liberal. That ought to get you pretty well kicked out of PJ media for some sort of false advertsising. then of course complain that youve been railroaded and talk alot about your white blood cell count. Then Blog only about Gitmo, Abu Graib, Gay marriage and the pope.

Classless I know but I couldnt help itand it's late.

Posted by: Lance Redstate on August 8, 2005 11:13 PM

18 months?

That's like 30 years in blog time.

Posted by: Pixy Misa on August 9, 2005 12:08 AM

How about just releasing a virus/worm/trojan that propagates and creates hits?

Posted by: on August 9, 2005 12:19 AM

From what I've heard so far, PJ Media sounds like an Amway convention without the whole "Speaking in Tongues To Latinos With Embarassing Stains" thing. I could be wrong though; you may want to check your complimentary toast for a Virgin Mary image. (It's free to the first 10,000 who sign up!)

Patton never demanded a legion of a million one-legged blind men in order to achieve victory.

Posted by: johnd01 on August 9, 2005 12:33 AM

Ok, here's why I joined.

Now, if I want to make money, I have to keep cranking out posts. That is, blog ad revenue is highly dependent on my traffic flow.

I don't know about you, but I don't get enough money from blog ads to justify all the time I spend blogging. I have a real job edumacating the utes of America.

So, if you're like me, then there is a real incentive to locking in a per month advertising rate. I now don't have to worry about fluctuations in traffic.

Since a lot of my traffic comes from Google, mostly because of my vast archives on the religion of peace (with the occasional star wars porn search), I see a lot of traffic fluctuation.

So, for me, it's all upside, little downside.

And the peace of mind knowing I'll have a monthly income that is able to Super Size my value meal at least twice a month is much better than having one month with just enough money to buy an extra Dr. Pepper following a month where I wrap my filet mignon in 100 dollar bills.

Remember, in the end, it's all about the crazy blog money.

Posted by: Rusty Shackleford on August 9, 2005 11:19 AM