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Book ads coming
My friend and author Peter Cox, who runs the Litopia Writer's Colony has been recommending to me the BlogAds Book Hive as a way for BookMooch to generate a little bit of revenue. The ads he runs are only ever promoting books, can be approved or rejected by him, and thus can remain very relevant to a book reading audience. Also nice, is that BlogAds tends to focus on small advertisers and so they tend to get a lot of self-published or small-time authors, who are trying to find an audience for their own books. I like that. If you don't want to ever see any advertising on BookMooch, I've added a setting to your profile where you can permanently "opt out". In "your profile", toward the bottom, in the "options" section, you'll see a checkbox which reads: "do not show me any advertising". Here is a direct link to this opt-out setting. My hope is that these ads will make a few thousand dollars a year, which could pay for things like a stand at a few conferences that look promising (such as  Library Conference in Puerto Rico), and possibly other promotional ideas. Also, with the ads being solely there to promote new books, they're relevant, minimally intrusive and fit with the use of the site. Google has been calling me for years to get me to put their ads onto BookMooch, but I find their ads to be not very relevant and often crass (and I can't say no to ads I dislike) which is why you haven't (and won't) see Google ads on BookMooch. Here is what a typical book ad looks like. They'll run to the right of the edge of the BookMooch page. 
As I mention above, you can opt out of seeing any ads on BookMooch. -john
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John Buckman
12 years ago
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Comments
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I like that. I like that a lot. Book ads sound potentially *fun* to look at, as opposed to annoying or intrusive, and it sounds like something that will help out BookMooch a lot without putting users out especially. The ability to opt-out of seeing ads permanently especially strikes me as important, since it means they are only there for people who are willing to see them -- and folks who don't want to are not forced to pay for the privilege or anything. Great idea, John. *Great* idea. I actually look forward to seeing these ads! :P
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A good idea and hope the ads will be viewed by most members. If it helps BookMooch even better. I like reading about new books being published in particular so it suits me to view the ads.
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Great, a new way to get ideas for my Bookmooch wishlist! :-)
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I think this is a fine idea.
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I'm always interested in seeing info about books! Thanks John.
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I like this idea. Might open some people eyes to authors they have never read before.
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I like this idea! It seems like a great way to add to my wishlist.
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Very good idea...I think it will be a great way to find out about books/authors I would not have otherwise known about.
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While I'm against seeing ads in principal, I really like the idea of book ads and book ads from independent publishers. I doubt I'll be opting out of this... but I love that you've given us the option of doing so!
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This is a great idea, will there be the option of clicking on the link to add it to the wishlist?
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Great idea! I'm in!
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Book ads?!??!!?! I LOVE this idea...I think these are the only ads I could ever promote AND enjoy! I'm so interested in finding new authors :) And what a great way to generate some revenue!
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I also love the idea~ and honey, it's nice to see positive responses, how refreshing!
;~})
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Hope the wishlists will be able to cope ;-)
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this seems a lot like Bookpage which I pick up at the library and go thru marking new books I want to read. I don't know what exactly it will consist of so I have a wait and see attitude re this and having an opt out option is nice to know ahead of times. Still...aren't we all about books? As someone said-those are the only ads I actually want to look at....
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No problem with book ads. Just what I need, more books to add to my TBR list!
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I love this idea!
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I'm going to ignore the ads so I don't really care. I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank you for not signing up for Google Adsense. IMHO it would kill the clean and uncluttered look of the site. Plus you have all the porn and scam ads that Google somehow keeps "forgetting" to reject.
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I like it! You never know I might want to buy the book. And yes thank you for no google ads.
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Great idea! I especially love the part about the self-published or small-time authors. I am always on the look out for new authors to read. On a side note, I love BookMooch! Thanks John for all you do for us.
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They have things a little like that on goodreads. I find them a little annoying but ok. I'm not thrilled about this idea - is it an idea or a confirmed plan? - but I understand and appreciate the reasoning. Thanks for all your work, John & admin volunteers.
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Good idea! I would enjoy ads for the small presses and indies. Claire's question is quite relevant: would we need to click through to generate revenue for BookMooch?
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| | A point of clarification since ad web revenue is dependent on how the system is set up. I was wondering if this model follows the “banner ad space” where BookMooch is selling the space for ads or is this model similar to Google Ads where BookMooch is paid for the click through on the ads? |
The ads from "BlogAds Book Hive" are charged to the advertiser based on "cost per thousand impressions" (CPM). This is the "old model" before Google, and is not based on people clicking through on the ads. Also note that these are not (like Google) a mismash of ad stuff picked by a rotating algorithm. Instead, any ads that would run would have specifically chosen to run on BookMooch, and I can reject any ad. My friend Peter, who has been doing this for 6 months on Litopia, hasn't had any problems, whereas he did have lots of problems with Google adwords. -john
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Sounds like win/win/win. Moochers get ideas for books they might want; BookMooch gets some revenue; publishers might sell some more books. And I like that we can opt out. Thanks for all your hard work and good ideas, John!
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Si cela peut permettre de découvrir des ouvrages qu'autrement nous n'aurions pas eu l'idée d'échanger, ce peut être une bonne idée en effet.
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I love this idea, especially given that people who don't want to see the ads can opt out. Anything that makes BookMooch better (and generates some revenue for it at the same time) is great with me. I look forward to feeding my raving addiction by finding new authors which will require me to wishlist more books!
Thanks, John, for all of your hard work on behalf of BookMooch!!
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Sounds like a fine idea since any BM member can opt out of seeing the ads at all. I hope it brings you the revenue needed to keep your website strong and healthy.
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I like the idea as it will generate much needed revenue for BookMooch! I wouldn't mind seeing the ads on my page because I'll discover some new books to read! :-)
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As long as this doesn't open the floodgates (sorry people living along the Mississippi) for more ads, I am not against it.
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Like!
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Like I need to ADD to my wishlist!
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Ads that are book related fine and good way of creating revenue to promote BookMooch. Sound sense.
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I think it's a great idea. I frequently click on the book ads for goodreads and find ones that I want. Ok-maybe it's not a good idea.
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I think book ads are a good idea you can discover new reads and authors.With opt out you can always do it if you get tired of the ads. Great idea. Deb N
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Thanks. The book ads are a good idea. If I don't like them I can just refrain from looking or opt out. However, I don't think I will mind book ads. It's great to see all the positive responses & thanks for your good work.
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John, I think this is a terrific idea. My computer screen is constantly cluttered with ads that have no relevance for me (or for most people, I think) so to have such a small ad, one that interests me and could promote new authors, is a boon for all. i have received so much pleasure from BookMooch, trading books, having conversations with fellow members, hunting for that elusive treasure I just know will turn up ... if running these small ads helps you, or the site, how can anyone object?
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Thanks everybody, for being so positive about this idea! I actually decided to put a direct link to this conversation thread in the "endorsements" section of the "buy ad space on BookMooch" page. A small "advertise on BookMooch" rectangle is now showing on the book pages. No ads will show there unless someone has paid for that space (which is quite unlike Google ads). -john
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Yeah! More books.
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Ads aren't always bad - Indiectly one brought me here:
An ad on fantasticfiction.com led me to paperbackswap, and one of the books I got there included a bookmooch card.
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Great idea!
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Love it and as always, thanks for asking for our input. Take care.
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Good idea. Anything to improve the site is great with me.
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Great idea! A good way to earn some income for Bookmooch and a great way for us to learn about new books :)
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Just don't put up the ads that take over your computer. So many times I'll bring up a web-page of some kind and then I have to fight to get rid of this giant ad cloud that pops up. Or ones that start a video automatically. If I come on when I'm on work I don't want a loud ad that announces I'm on a non-work website. There are book ads on goodreads and I like them. PBS now has links to Kindle books where they get a commision, I assume, if someone follows the link from PBS and orders a book for their Kindle. Perhaps you could look into that. I'm not an ereader personally but I now people who like both print and ebooks.
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Book ads good. Google ads bad. Kindle is an awful name and a worse idea, perfect for ruining your eyesight.
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Me too! (liking the carefully handled ads)
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Thanks for the "opt out" option - even if we don't use it, that's so thoughtful! Will BookMooch get paid by the ads displayed, or by the click? Also will everyone get the same ad(s), or will they be targeted using our mooch history?
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Sounds like a great idea to me. Those types of ad don't bother me at all. I like your stand against Google ads. But really, the ads that truly annoy me are the ones that flash at you or suddenly speak - "you're a winner" - ugh.
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@ Peachfuzz This is why I always include a BM card or bookmark with my Paperbackswap or Swap.com trades. Glad you found us. :) I don't mind the ads idea either, and am just glad it is a potential source of revenue.
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This sounds great!
A little bit of money for Bookmooch & relevant adds to look at... :)
No reason to complain!
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I love the comment Sophie Houston posted 4 days ago; I actually always read the comment section on Bookmooch to see people nagging but people seem to be pretty positive about this idea. I think it is very relevant too and don't mind it at all.
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I'm all for it.
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I like this idea. I will see books by writers that will be new to me........ &&& just tried to open up your sample add since i have not read any of Jodi Picoult's books
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Thumbs up from me, too, and especially for the thoughtful opt-out option. Would like to add for those folks who are always looking for new books to read, though, check out LibraryThing.com if you haven't yet. I'm constantly reading threads that are full of ideas to add to my wishlist--that's what led me to read Patrick Rothfuss's "The Name of the Wind" and Jacqueline Carey's "Kushiel's Dart" (and sequels), two wonderful fantasy authors I might have otherwise missed.
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I think it's a great idea.
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Great idea John. I look forward to 'em.
Mike
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I don't mind seeing the ads....but good grief! $28 for a t-shirt? I think they'll want to advertise to someone in a higher income bracket.
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I just started a web business and love the idea of advertising on Bookmooch. I am a member and check my Bookmooch site at least once a day. I just can't find the price to place my ad before I join and fill in the forms. Thanks, Carol
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Heather, I was about to post the same question/concern. I'm fine with advertising if it supports Bookmooch (and haven't changed my settings to block ads), but I don't want to see ads that are not related to books.
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Well, actually I honestly figured coffee and books go together, so I wasn't too bothered. UNTIL - I clicked on the link and discovered it was one of those spammy (not spam, but close) sites that makes you register in order to "win" things. The actual company is "RewardsToEat" or some such thing, so while I wouldn't have really minded a Starbucks ad, this isn't even that.
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Robin, you're right, coffee and books do go beautifully together. Many's the book I've come across with coffee stains ;-)
However, I'd have minded less if there had actually been something resembling coffee from the company in that ad, but have you ever tried to buy a cup of COFFEE in one of those places? If you're someone that drinks some sugary mush, then click, but it isn't coffee!
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Is this Starbucks popup ad actually authorized by BookMooch? I marked No Ads when I signed up here a couple of weeks ago, but as of yesterday afternoon, whenever I try to log in directly, the ad pops up and I immediately get thrown out of my browser. I can get around this by going to a mooch request in my email, clicking on the moocher's name, and logging in from that home page. But it's annoying to have to do that, since the site worked so well for me up to then. What happened to our choice not to receive ads?
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I returned from a few days away from the Internet, and found the new advertisements up on BookMooch. I kind of like how the ads are placed -- they're pretty unobtrusive. I was under the impression that the only ads were going to be for books or at least be book-related, and the ad that most predominately appears on my screen is one for Starbucks. Was this impression wrong? Thanks as always for all your hard work on this project, John!
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I am upset! I thought I was responding to a starbucks contest and I was hooked into some automatice subscription service for $9.99 a month. the info about the charge is in small print at the bottom of the page. I texted stop but I guess I was suckered out of the money for the first month. I am very upset about this. WARNING toEVERYONE about THESE ADS!!!
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@Margaret - I'm not having the problems you are but I am annoyed that I've set my account to 'no advertising' and I still have to put up with the damn things! I've even double checked my settings, and nothing has changed there.
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I am using Firefox and have Adblock installed so am happily not seeing any ads. However, it disturbs me that people who selected not to see ads are being bothered by this ad. It also does not seem like the kind of company that I would think Bookmooch should seen to be endorsing.
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Just to let everyone know that I contacted bm administrator and did receive a quick response. As soon as it happened, I also contacted my cell phone co. I had to wait until the charge appeared and then they did remove the $9.99 charge. I'm glad that this was addressed so quickly and the ad was removed.
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I did not turn off ads until today when there was this animated one flashing in my face. I HATE those kind of ads. I don't mind and ad I can choose to read and act on or not. However an ad that distracts me from doing what I went to the page to do is ANNOYING. It is like a kid jumping up and down screaming, "Look at me", when you are talking with an adult.
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If only the Opt Out actually worked...
For me, it doesn't.
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