Teach42

I rarely (read: never) click-thru Adsense or similar ads on blogs. As far as I’m concerned, they usually don’t intrude on the content.
It would ultimately be your choice how you spend any income from it (personally, I’d donate it to an educational charity).
Good luck with your decision!

Robert Rowe’s most recent blog post.. iPod Touch for a Musician

You put the content on here that gets people to come to your site. You should use some of the proceeds on yourself. Why don’t you use at least use the money to pay your hosting fees for the year? Then donate after that.

I’d say so long as it relates to the content of your site you should do whatever you want with the money you earn. It’s your site, and your rules.

I can’t think of any blogger or podcaster that I’ve stopped following because they took on sponsors. I know not everyone feels the same way I do, but I think most of those people don’t understand that time and server space aren’t free.

You’re site, do what you like. Ads, at least relevant, appropriate ads, don’t bother me. I tend to look through them, anyway. As for the money, same thing- do what you like, but of the options you gave, I’d say donate it.

Jim’s most recent blog post.. Club Two-Oh

when you say that you are going to put a banner of publicity and say that you’re going to, maybe, give it to charity, you are making a fraud (to the market and to the company that pays the advertising), because your visitors are goig to click to help an education charity… not because they want the product

or maybe you’re waiting that people also click in the adsense…

if a person wants to help some cause or charity, it should give it’s own money or say it after, not before putting an advertising

yor already have publicity, so it´s difficult to understand your post

Best wishes (and decisions)

While I think the decision is ultimately yours, part of the web 2.0 culture is to find out what everyone else thinks, so great way of modeling it through the poll. I could understand any of your choices. Love the charity idea, but how do you choose? Sometimes I feel guilty donating to one and not another, but lord knows, as an educator, we don’t have enough to give to everyone. I also wouldn’t blame you for keeping it. You earned it by putting out quality work that we respond to. Doesn’t help, does it??

Ultimately, it’s your decision-but why not try it for say a few months and see if people are annoyed by it or don’t mind it, and then decide what you’re going to do? A year could be long a time to commit to. I personally would want to see if it affected those who viewed my blog before going further.

Steve,
You have quite an audience to generate some cash. If an advertiser wants to give you money for something, take it and donate to a charity. You will feel good giving it away to someplace that needs it. Ads do not bother me too much. I rarely notice them.
There are many places that need funding and this is a no brainer to let someone else manage it and send it. I would.
I am from a school district which is well funded. We try to do many service projects to teach our students about giving back. So I say give it to those that would really make a difference in their teaching.
Thanks for asking our opinion.

Robin martin’s most recent blog post.. Beijing Calling

Take it and run with it! You earned it.

I’ve been approached a lot lately, as well. One of them promised “to to $4800/month” to all me to put their links on my blog. Good thing I don’t need the money.

I don’t believe them, for one thing. For another, I don’t want to risk having someone ending up with identity stolen, or spyware installed, or scammed, or anything else - by an ad on my page.

My vote it to forget it.

Jim Gates’s most recent blog post.. [TIPS] How would you teach THESE kids?

I agree. Keep some of the money to cover your operating costs, or to enable more content and features.

I love the charity idea, too. Why not set up a queue of Ed. charities, and donate to a different one each month, or each quarter, or something like that?