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January 08, 2008
The future of ‘Grow
Hello everybody,
I am truly touched by the many emails I received & the wonderful comments left here in the last 24 hours. I know that many appreciate my “work”, but I just don’t get to hear it often enough. Anyway, this is not the main reason why I’ve been thinking about quitting.
I really enjoy the process of blogging (Which for me consists of spending hours every day on the intertubes & simply editing undiscovered gems into small combos). If I could live doing just that, I would be a perfectly happy guy. But things change & I’ve always embraced changes.
I don’t know yet what to do with this site; I hate to erase it "Just because" (Even though it will be the Nietschean thing to do), but I feel that it needs an upgrade, or a downgrade. Or maybe a sidegrade. I am open to any suggestions, radical or not, from anybody who wants to contribute anything.
One of the readers commented that I should “monetize” the site, and this may be an incentive to continue. But really, can blogs make (real) money? If you have a concept of how to do it, please email me to discuss.
I was toying with the idea of building an adult version of this site, for members only & supported by monthly subscriptions. I could provide the same type of amazing, unusual links to Triple-X, sexually-explicit wonders. Grow-a-brain has always been PG-14, but I know of extraordinary adult things. Would you buy into something like that? And how much will you be willing to pay for the privilege? Would you pay $5 a month for a similarly-interesting “grow-a-dick”? Would you pay $25/month? If I can get 2,000 readers (The average daily number on Grow-a-brain is 15,000-20,000) to pay $10/month, I will do it.
For some reason, I have not been posting much about my real estate business here. Why? I don’t know. If I am to continue blogging, I will use it much more to promote my business, expose my listings & look for business opportunities with other investors. I really have not used the popularity of this site at all to do that.
For now, here on the side, is the main reason why I want to spend less time on the internet -
Anyway, as of now I’m not sure what to do. As I wrote yesterday, I have about 20 days of pre-composed posts which will come online every midnight, and then we’ll see. Please let me know of any proposals that may work.
I leave you with -
Previous Site News Here
January 8, 2008 in A new Direction, Website News | Permalink
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Comments
Thank you for at least considering continuing this. :)
As for monetizing it...have you considered advertisements? I have no idea how much it would actually pull in, but I do know some people who are able to make money off of blogging.
Personally, I wouldn't use an "adult" version (but that's because I have very little interest in such a subject), but I'm sure you could find at least some subscribers for such a site. I'm sure you'd be able to find quality things, if GAB is any indication!
Posted by: Thom at Jan 9, 2008 12:42:27 AM
I'm not sure the adult site thing is a joke , but I laugth :)
did you just consider reformating the site to include the "google adsense" ads it wont make you a billionaire but at least it can bring a little cash in
Posted by: alban at Jan 9, 2008 1:41:55 AM
I second the Google Adsense - an easy way of making some quick money, and relatively unintrusive as well.
Please don't kill the site!
Posted by: Will at Jan 9, 2008 2:47:01 AM
What normal man wouldn't turn away from the internet (assuming her personality is as beautiful as she is physically)! Enjoy life. As far as I know, we each have only one in this world. Perhaps a less frequent (weekly or semi-monthly) updating to BAB could be a compromise to the daily schedule you've been keeping
Thanks for all you've shared and best wishes!
Posted by: John Costello at Jan 9, 2008 3:34:20 AM
Oops! Of course, I meant GAB.
Posted by: John Costello at Jan 9, 2008 3:39:30 AM
Keep GAB just like it is.However add a big donation button and get a pay pal account.I will donate.I'm sure lots of people will.
Posted by: Matthew at Jan 9, 2008 4:28:35 AM
Sheesh. Right when we discover you!
Consider some new format, and with posts when you feel inspired instead of feeling burdened by the daily.
Posted by: bird dog at Jan 9, 2008 6:07:05 AM
I echo most sentiments above: I enjoy the "PG" version and would definitely not be interested in a so-called adult version. I guess I always thought you did this as a hobby, and I thought it was such a cool hobby.
If Adsense or a donation button can't get you past a break-even point, I will sorely miss GAB, but can't afford to subscribe right now.
Posted by: NancyJoy at Jan 9, 2008 6:15:35 AM
Say it ain't so! Google ads? Anyway, thanks for the ride, it's been great.
Posted by: fixedgear at Jan 9, 2008 7:00:04 AM
There's a woman who runs a site called the Dooce. http://www.dooce.com/ She says her family's income comes from her site and started a company to run her blog as a business. Apparently she does well they recently bought a new house.
Posted by: nsolo at Jan 9, 2008 7:26:26 AM
Here's a quote from her site. "In October 2005 I began running enough ads on this website that my husband was able to quit his job and become a Stay at Home Father (SAHF) or a Shit Ass Ho Fuckingbadass. He takes both very seriously. This website now supports my family."
Posted by: nsolo at Jan 9, 2008 7:32:47 AM
Ive been lurking for about 3 years visiting semi regularly each week, i personally agree with both the google ads and donation button (paypal) and as far as an adult version, i'd actually visit a site like that but wouldnt be likely to pay and subscribe
Posted by: josh at Jan 9, 2008 8:24:52 AM
Firstly, I absolutely love the site and always have. I hit it damn near every day, and as a fellow link-gathering blogger, I've found many treasures here as well. Naturally, I'm quite sad to hear you're thinking about shutting down.
I don't know what kind of traffic figures you're seeing, but I'd be willing to bet you could make a tidy profit from using Google AdSense or the like. I have a friend who knows a bunch about those kinds of things, and if you want some pointers, I would be happy to ask him how to get going.
The adult version is intriguing...
Posted by: r3tr0 at Jan 9, 2008 8:35:30 AM
are you kidding? with any service like google adsense, or anything else, + 12 million hits, you can bring in a nice paycheck.
Posted by: bokharni at Jan 9, 2008 9:07:17 AM
Yes. Add ads. You'll make money. I personally don't have a problem with them, and I'm sure visitors would understand a need for a little compensation.
An adult version, on the other hand, should be a backup plan. You can make this work! You're in a unique position. You should take advantage of it, but don't alienate anyone.
It's a wonderful site as it is.
-f
Posted by: Fred at Jan 9, 2008 9:44:10 AM
One way is to network - it sounds dreadful, but it's the way to make money. My site - www.anorak.co.uk - is a showcase for other writings. But it gets traffic. I've been working with an SEO who has told me some thing that have helped.
Feel free to email me and talk more...
Posted by: Paul at Jan 9, 2008 10:03:25 AM
you gotta do what you gotta do, but we are a silent majority who should be less "silent" and more vocal in thanking you for the hours you spend putting this thing together.
You introduced me to Alizee - how can I ever thank you enough?!
Anyway good luck making a decision, maybe one day this site will resurface on a .nz domain . . .
Posted by: dave at Jan 9, 2008 10:05:33 AM
I apologize for joining this conversation late, but I just stumbled upon your blog. I saw that you are considering monetizing your blog. I have been looking into the same thing, to a degree, and I came upon a blog at www.bloggingexperiment.com. He answers your question about if you can make real money blogging or not. I'm not affiliated with him in any way, so I'm not trying to pitch you anything, but his blog is interesting and has made me take a new look at how I run mine. I hope that helps.
Posted by: Nathan Blair at Jan 9, 2008 10:06:30 AM
Hey,
If it doesn't do it for you, then it just doesn't, but I'll sure miss your work. Thanks for everything.
Posted by: L at Jan 9, 2008 10:46:57 AM
here's a suggestion... maybe you can provide the topic, and your readers can provide the links. or perhaps make a "co-op" type site where people make the posts, and if you like them, you post them.
thanks for blogging.
Posted by: cobra commander at Jan 9, 2008 10:52:26 AM
Meanwhile...
I love this blog! I am put off from commenting because of the 'comments' button that comes AFTER the SEVERAL story links. On most blogs I log onto there is one story/link and the opportunity to comment on the single topic, and I am interested in others comments regarding the topic, so I comment and read the posts. IMO, the uncommon situation at GAB waters down my interest in posting because I may only be interested in one or two of the stories enough to comment on it. Other posters might write about a link that I find only marginally interesting.
Besides that, Hannan, not many blogs have Zappa links. No, you may not shut this site down.
Nope, forget about it buddy.
Posted by: scott at Jan 9, 2008 11:17:05 AM
You are under *no* obligation to post daily. Just do it when you feel like it. People have you bookmarked. They will look; they just don't comment.
Posted by: cathy at Jan 9, 2008 11:18:44 AM
Thank you all! I will address many of the individual comments & suggestions. However, so far it looks like there's very little interest in a seperate adult version of this site....
Posted by: Hanan / growabrain at Jan 9, 2008 12:21:05 PM
Didn't figure you to be a greedy type. i'll delete the bookmark after I send this. Good luck making money, since that's what appears to make you happy.
Posted by: Tom at Jan 9, 2008 12:27:24 PM
Pay for porn???? You gotta be kidding! :)
Posted by: Chappy Joe at Jan 9, 2008 12:49:18 PM
