Advertising On My Blog

Sunday, September 27th, 2009

I’ve never considered advertising via Rockers Delight, my gaming blog. Why? Because it’s something I’ve never taken seriously. It was, and still is, purely for enjoyment; something I started through my passion for gaming, and something I contribute to with minimal effort.

In other words, I’ve never put much effort into maintaining or driving traffic towards it. With that said, I decided to sit back and take a good look at my stats. If there were enough eyes casting over my blog, wouldn’t it be logical to take advantage of that? Especially as I’ve ranted on recent occasions about my lack of expendable moolah. If it meant I could make enough to cover the cost of one new game a month, which I could then review, then everyone (both myself and readers) would be a winner.

However, advertising isn’t easy, and so I plan on experimenting with it a bit as I find what works for Rockers Delight and what doesn’t. First of all I’ve went down the BuySellAds route, offering two 125×125 ads on the sidebar of my blog for $15 (£9). There’s no reason I’m charging $15 other than I figured it was a reasonable starting point. I can reevaluate this a couple of months down the line, but I figured 15 bucks for an average of 5,000 visitors a month wasn’t out of line (if you’re some BSA guru and disagree, please let me know).

If, after a few months, this fails to return any results, I’ll consider other avenues and blog about their progress here. There’s Google Adsense (which I’m not overly keen on), Text Link Ads, affiliate links to, say, Amazon, or I can privately source advertisers. It’s all a learning curve.

On that note, I would love some input from those who have similar sized sites and have chosen to advertise. What did or didn’t work for you? And, obligatory shameless plug ahead, if you want to take out one of the ads for 30 days, you can do so here.

Tags: Advertising, Rockers Delight
Posted in Personal | 4 Comments »

How (Not) To Win Clients

Friday, June 26th, 2009

I’m surprised that 6 months into 2009, unsolicited email is still being used as a means of ‘marketing’ services by individuals or companies.

A few days ago I was contacted by a “branding and graphic identity agency” (let’s, for the sake of argument, call them Generic Web Agency), offering their service to overhaul the branding and graphic design of Rockers Delight. Obviously I’ve not long had Rockers Delight redesigned; a decision that was made by myself, not inspired by a spam email, therefore I’m not in the market for a fresh rebranding. Even if I was, I know that the last ‘type’ of company or individual I’d hire to do so would be those who send unsolicited email.

In the past I’ve received many of these types of emails, and I always brush them off. This one, however, was different in that it was personal and directed specifically towards me. I could tell it wasn’t bulk email sent to myself and other site owners; it was very much targeted towards Rockers Delight.

There are a few things wrong with how Generic Web Agency went about this. Firstly, what made them think I was in the market for a redesign? I hadn’t stated anywhere that this was the case, and my site certainly doesn’t look in dire need of a fresh coat of paint. Secondly, did they even visit my site? If so, I’m surprised they think – judging by their site and portfolio – they could do a better job than what Massive Blue achieved. I don’t want to criticise their site, especially as it isn’t awful, but I know that what I currently have is better than a flash intro that, once finished loading, is simply a splash page… Thirdly, telling me they are “big on experience and small on price” may appeal to the shoestring budget I currently have (setting up a business is expensive!), but I’m wise enough to know that, with web design, you get what you pay for.

So, I took it upon myself to politely reply to their email. The gist of my response was: “Look, mate, I don’t know where you’ve got the idea from that I’m looking for a new web site, but you’re only going to give your brand a bad name by contacting people via email which is unsolicited, therefore considered spam. Think about it.”

That was completely paraphrased.

Hopefully Generic Web Agency have taken on board what I said, as it’s a very valid point. You may think there’s a possibility you could get a bit of work out of this means of ‘marketing’, but in 2009 there isn’t! That isn’t the way to win clients! What impression have I conjured from being contacted in this way by Generic Web Agency? That they don’t know what the hell they’re doing.

Tags: Rockers Delight
Posted in Personal | 4 Comments »

Video Footage Woes

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

I had big aspirations for the video portion of Rockers Delight. Initially I’d start off posting short, 5 minute reviews of games, and then I’d branch out into something a little bigger. As with anything techy, I leave all the fine details to other people, so a very significant factor regarding the equipment I use to capture my 360 footage completely escaped me.

The capture card I use is only capable of capturing games running at Pal 50. Most games on the 360 run at Pal 60. I discovered this when attempting to record Resident Evil 5 while being left with a blank screen. I frantically Googled what it may be, and found a video on YouTube of a guy with the same problem. I was disappointed, but since I’d already recorded and uploaded a video of Skate 2, I thought the problem may only be restricted to a couple of games.

Not so! I had a look at each of the boxes of my 360 games, and I’d say that over 90% run at Pal 60. This leaves me with very limited footage. Off the top of my head, the games I can record right now are Left 4 Dead, Army of Two, Skate 2, and Lego Batman, which I’m only borrowing.

I had been itching to make a JRPG medley of sorts, simply because I love that genre and know how much of an acquired taste it is. I was hoping to pass on my love for this genre to those who are a little unsure. But not one of my 5 JRPGs are compatible. Gutted!

Obviously I’ve been hunting around for loopholes, or even brand new equipment, but so far I haven’t found a thing. If you know any way around this, or a guaranteed piece of equipment I can buy that would capture Pal 60, please let me know! If it helps, I’m using a MacBook and Elgato EyeTV Hybrid to do the work.

Tags: Rockers Delight
Posted in Personal | 2 Comments »