Customer Reviews

Money For Content and Your Clicks For Free: Turning Web Sites, Blogs, and Podcasts Into Cash

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Seems like all kinds of books are coming out about how to make money off your website. Most have to do with Google AdSense and are repeats of what made it to market first. But this one's a bit different... JD Frazer's Money for Content and Your Clicks for Free - Turning Web Sites, Blogs, and Podcasts Into Cash.

Content: The Business of Creating Content; The Advertising Game; The Membership Game; To Gate or Not to Gate; Branding and Merchandising; Online Communities and Online Consumers; The Ethics of Creation and Consumption; Protecting Your Creation; Fame and Your Audience; Ready, Fire, Aim!; References and Resources; Index

Frazer is the cartoonist behind the tech cartoon User Friendly. As such, he does know a bit about running a site that draws major hit counts on a daily basis. But like most people in his position, he wasn't sure how he could turn a hobby and passion into dollars. Through trial and error, he figured out ways to monetize his site and make a living at it. But it's definitely work, and he makes sure the reader doesn't think that they can create a couple of cartoons (or short stories or podcasts) and make unlimited money...

Yes, he does talk about advertising, but he goes into areas that most smaller content creators aren't yet exploring. In addition to Google AdSense, he also works with media firms to run banner ads for set campaigns that draw consistent income for the advertisers and himself. He also goes into the pros and cons of selling memberships/sponsorships to his site, having "member only" areas available for a fee, and how merchandising your "brand" can also pay off. That assumes you've taken the time to *develop* a brand, of course. But it's a two-way street. If you've accepted money for your content, you're obliged to deliver value for that money. You no longer have the option to decide that you want to move on and play at something else. The paying audience has a right to expect something for what they paid, and you no longer have an excuse for not delivering. Wrap all this book material up with a dash of his quirky User Friendly humor, and you have a very good book that will make you think a bit more about content and reimbursement.

If you want to go beyond slapping an AdSense section on your site and you think you have content that people would pay for, you'll do well to get a copy of this book. You may not agree with everything, but you'll end up thinking about issues before you make the mistakes associated with them. A very good read...

Money For Content and Your Clicks For Free : Turning Web Sites, Blogs, and Podcasts Into Cash (Paperback)
by J. D. Frazer
I picked up this book out of sheer curosity as I wanted to read what JD Frazer has to add to the already huge industry of internet marketers and guys who promise to make you millionaires in a few days. I have enjoyed Frazers cartoons on his website userfriendly dot org and he never dissapoints. Frazer shares a lot of valuable tips for people about advertising, branding and selling in general alongwith tips on copyright issues. For all those new breed of infoprenuers who hope to make a living from their website content this book is a must read. The book makes you think why your content is valuable and how to make people pay for it without grudging. And for those who have their content ready this book helps make a lot more money in ways you did not think about. On the whole well worth the money.
I give this book 5 stars on a scale of 5, 5 being the highest. I strongly recommend this book.
Niloufer Tamboly, CISSP

I write a blog that is accompanied by a lot of photography. I'm a storyteller of sorts, using visuals to help inspire my writing. I also would like to make some money in return for all of my work, which I love to do. As the author mentions, you can make just beer money or go really hard and make a living from your content. I think I'll start with beer money as my first goal.

The book is a very easy read, Frazer's style is excellent and clear. He gives excellent advice about business dealings and how to deal with ad networks and advertisers. He greatly dislikes affiliate deals which is ironic considering his book is on Amazon. Over all he appears to be a solid expert on the topic.

Something that struck me in his book is how he constantly emphasizes doing business ethically. And he stresses we should treat our audiences as community members rather than just consumers. Maybe some corporations could take a cue from him. I think he woud make a great CEO to work for.

This is the book you want if you have no idea how to do business as a content provider in the online world. Frazer assumes you know how to make and serve content, and concentrates on how to turn your hard work into money.

Money for Content and Your Clicks for Free is a must read for any online content provider. Bloggers, online comic strip creators, podcasters, bands, fan clubs, whatever. This book will introduce you to all the different aspects of turning your traffic into cash. Now, don't get me wrong - this book isn't just about putting ads on your site. Of course, it covers that, but more importantly it teaches you how to create an online community that others will keep coming back to.

Written by JD Frazer, who is the author of UserFriendly.org, an online comic strip. I also recommend this strip - it's very engaging.

I've purchased other "market your site" books before, and ended up with 199 useless pages out of 200, because they all came from the marketing agency side, with no real life, relatable examples or useful tools. Frazer's book stands far above that stack. His book is an easy read, but don't let that fool you. It is crammed full of helpful advice and useful information that you can put to good use immediately upon closing the cover. I've been in the advertising industry most of my life, and have had websites for about 9 years, yet just about everything I read in the book was brand new to me. I feel that I now have a roadmap to guide me to greater success with my content. If I only use one thing I learned from this book, it will pay for itself many times over.

I found this book to be intriguing because I work for a very big online media company. There is much in this book that the "elite" in my company could learn. The writer blows apart a lot of the monolithic "we're the big guys we can do what we want" thinking that seems to run rampant in Corporate America.

One thing I liked most about the book is that the kind of content you produce is irrelevant, almost all of the points are applicable to generating revenue. The content just has to be online.

Its not a huge dusty tome, but the book took a little while to read because a lot of it requires extra thinking, you need time to let things roll around in your head and then you get the "ah ha!" and realize that your thinking was stuck in a groove. I recommend this book to anyone who works in a large online media company, the writer offers some powerful thoughts.

Frazer is a well known Web cartoonist. He writes from his experience in establishing a viable business on the Web, selling his content. Those of you who might have something else to offer on the Web might look here for advice on how to make a sustainable venture.

Most of the book concerns advertising. He describes the various types of Web ads - popups, pop unders, skyscrapers etc. Most useful might be the pure text ads, best exemplified by what Google's AdSense provides. You are advised to use popups or pop unders sparingly, if at all. These are often considered to be annoying by viewers. Whereas contextual text ads might be more relevant to a viewer, and less visually intrusive.

Another source of revenue is to require visitors, or some subset of them, to take out paying membership. Frazer explores what you should provide in order for this to be attractive to them. There is no single answer correct for all websites. But with care, if your website has sufficient unique content, subscriptions may indeed be viable, without alienating most of your readers.

This book is for blog beginners. It is just specific enough to get started. If that is the kind of primer you are looking for, jump on it fast! If you are already passed stage 1, it might be helpful, but you might find it not advanced enough.

A book all about making money as an independent Internet content creator. Good advice, lots of nuts-and-bolts stuff, and not too focused on the cartooning side (JD is a web cartoonist).

I was really hoping to gather more insight into advertising and promoting on the web.

What I got was WAY TOO MUCH of the author's own references to himself, his site, and his personal bio.

For someone who has no clue regarding marketing, advertising, PR, and the like this may be okay.

But I think they would still pick up on 2/3 - 3/4 of the book dedicated to self.