Ad me, odd man, add new

My blog is into its second ad campaign.  I got the tail end of the Darkest Hour 3D promotional blitz as my first paid gig, appearing on my site for less than a day and earning me such a measly sum that I couldn't even buy myself buko if I decided one day to ride my bike.

Then comes this Nivea ad campaign which I hope will linger longer and pay me more than enough to cover my next buko and a little something for the wife when I get home.

A former student and now a dear friend told me, "Eh sir, 'di ba yan ang goal mo, magkaroon ng ad sa blog mo?  Cool... meron ka na!"

True, that was the original intent - find out if I can find success in blogging.  And in a world where most measures of success go by the amount of money one can generate or afford to throw away, I find myself somewhat crawling around its periphery.

Any blog guru would tell me that if I want a significant income to materialize then I have to be more patient and build my audience till I can no longer count them, an empire after all is not built in a single night, and not even in the two months or so that I have started my blog.

But the euphoria of having an advertiser has worn off as quickly as my first ad campaign was pulled out.

My first ad campaign

Not that I am not happy that my site is now on the radar of those willing to pay to get their commercial message across.  In fact, I am honored by such a distinction knowing how advertisers can be so picky when it comes to choosing which blog has value and influence to reach a particular target audience.

I'd like to pat myself on the back but I can't, so I won't.  I knew it was just a matter of time, and there's really nothing much to be excited about when you very well know what's coming.

To tell you honestly, I don't love writing.  I don't even enjoy doing it.  It is draining. What gives me profound satisfaction though is the thought that I can make my readers smile, think, or look at things and situations in a different light.  Some tell me they learn new things, others say that my stories inspire them, and not a few claim that reading my blog allows them to forget their problems, even for a while -- that's why I continue to write.

So it's not really passion that makes me continue.  Just like when I decided that I wanted to teach, it has become an urge, some kind of obligation that I knowingly inflict on myself because I know I have something that needs to be shared.

So I'll continue to write.

Perhaps more than the bike adventures that I initially thought would comprise most of my blogs.  Life, after all, is more than just a bike ride.  Sometimes it's a walk in the park, or a swim in a lake, or getting lost in a multitude of people, or simply just moments spent in complete silence and isolation.  Often, life happens because people and events mold it so.

I'll write about them all.

And if by doing so advertisements keep coming then its just a welcome icing to the cake.  If you read this or any of my articles and you give me the thumbs up of your approval -- that is the cake.

I write because you read.


I'd love to hear what you think.  Please leave a comment or a reaction. Thanks!