In terms of ads, I think it’s a very inefficient way to drive revenue unless you have a very large readership. Pop up ads will turn off a lot of readers…clickthrough ads are more acceptable. I think partnerships and creative affinity programs can be more effective.

Now to think through each comment:

Sam, are you saying that we should consider seeking a partnership between Salem Network and Crosswalk.com? That is a really interesting idea.

Monica, I agree that ads don’t scare me at all. On the other hand, I also worry that they aren’t a very reliable income strategy–even for breaking even.

Robert, we prefer to think of this as putting our cards on the table–but you can think about worm analogies if that’s your preference. : ) If we went the ad route, it would probably be to sell banners to interested groups. Or have them sponsor posts. Something more organic like that. This is all very new for us. We’re really in the strategy stages at this point.

L.L., we’re definitely working here. We’re living too, I think. And we’re exploring ways to be non-profit entrepreneurs while we do.

So. Do what you need to do. We all work for a living. (Well, some of us are “kept”, but not many.) Seems to me that entities like the High Calling Blogs might need to “work for a living” too. Whatever that needs to look like.

I’ll sometimes click on ads on an especially interesting blog post as much to “tip” the author as my interest in what the add is selling. I figure everyone wins when I do that.

Monica & Robert, They’re all good questions. You’re both spot on about click throughs. Bloggers and users of social media sites tend to be much more ad blind than other internet users. Facebook, for example, is struggling with that very thing.

Obviously many things that we could do to generate revenue here are off the table at the start because they simply don’t align with the vision and values of HighCallingBlogs.com and the non-profit behind us.

And I completely agree with you, Robert, on the challenge of filtering out the junk from the quality goods and services that are out there.

Personally I struggle with many non-profit radio & TV stations (NPR, PBS for example, as well as some Christian stations) that “don’t have advertising” but have lots of long announcements telling all about businesses that have made “donations,” usually with the expectation of announcement airtime. To me it seems a lot like for-profit stations, just with different terminology.

So are y’all saying that you wouldn’t mind ads as much on a faith based site if they were for top quality goods and services and not for low quality things?

Personally, I have yet to EVER click on any blog’s ad. I just don’t care about ‘em – to the point I hardly even notice them now. I’m focused on either looking at the content, or searching for a specific bit of info, or whatever. I’ve often wondered how many others there are like that.

I know, from reading, that “click-through” rates are pretty small in general. I suppose if the site was more business oriented, such as a photography site, then it makes sense to have photo-related ads. But I’ve yet to click on a single one. Ever. Does that make me weird? Or typical?

But ads on a Christian Blog Network? Augh! Plagues of locusts! Hordes of frogs! Fire from Heaven! A sign of the Apocalypse!

Well, maybe not.

No, I’ve often wondered about this myself. On the one hand, there’s an awful lot of, well, awful Christian-oriented stuff out there. Just peruse any Christian Book Store and you can’t help but see all the cheap junk available. (Speaking for myself, of course.) I can’ t help but be turned off by it.

But on the other hand, there are plenty of solid Christian-oriented goods and services that ARE valuable and need advertising just like any other product. Then there are the goods and services that aren’t overtly Christian, just maybe owned or run by Christian folks. I believe they deserve a shot at success just like anybody.

So how DO you guys plan to make HigherCallings self-sustaining? It’s something I’ve wondered from the start. On the one hand, depending on the generosity of others seems to me to almost guarantee mediocrity as money gets tight. But on the other hand, you certainly don’t want folks to feel like they CAN’T participate or even contribute. Christian radio works just fine for the most part, I think, on listener generosity.

An interesting conundrum, Chris. I’m looking forward to finding out the answer.

I can’t recall seeing ads on a faith site. Maybe I go to the wrong ones. Again, not a problem.

Ads are fine for a non-profit to keep afloat, I think.

Is it because I’m a blogger and understand the need for ads? I wonder if I would feel differently if just a regular web user?