So, as I alluded to a couple of posts back, there are going to be a few changes to the blog.
To be perfectly honest, I’ve been back-and-forth for a while about what I should do with this little project – whether I even wanted to keep it going, and if I did keep it going, whether I should do it differently, and so on and so forth.
In the five years since I started blogging, it has evolved enormously. Back then, blogging was the Great New Thing – everyone and their dog had a blog, and you had your little blog circle of friends, and you all read each other’s posts and commented and generally had a jolly time.
And then, Facebook and Twitter came along, and writing comprehensive blog posts started to feel a lot like work, and one by one, bloggers packed it in.
YT belongs to a die-hard line of blogging enthusiasts. I enjoy blogging, because I enjoy writing, and in many ways blogging has allowed me to find my voice. I also enjoy the interactive nature of blogging – most of the time. Definitely not all of the time. In fact, that interactive aspect has a dark side that over the last five years has become markedly pronounced, and which has been the main reason for me wanting to pack it in. The other main reason is the enormous amount of time this blog takes up – an investment that sometimes seems insane to make, because it gives me very little return, at least in terms of revenue. In fact, I have occasionally questioned my sanity. But that’s another story.
But back to the planned changes.
One is that I intend to stop doing the short written weather reports at the end of each post. Instead you’ll see a new widget in the sidebar inviting you to CLICK HERE FOR THE WEATHER – which will take you to an automated weather report supplied by the Icelandic Meterological Office, which will be infinitely more accurate than my weather report ever was. The reason for not doing the weather report any more is simple: I’m bored with it. It’s become a chore, and so it’s time to stop. [Incidentally, if you're interested in the story behind the weather reports, you can read it here.]
Another reason I want to stop doing it is that I want to be able to write shorter, more frequent missives, whenever the mood strikes me, without sitting down to write a perfect, comprehensive Blog Post with a weather report at the end that requires me to log on to various different web sites to check all the weather stats. So expect the pace of this blog to change a bit.
I will also be taking a more mercenary approach to this project. As pro-blogging guru Darren Rowse recently remarked over at ProBlogger, if a blog is not making money it is not sustainable. I have to agree. Nobody wants to give it away for free forever. When I first started blogging, the topic of making money with blogs, such as through advertising or donations, was absolutely taboo. Not so now. After all, the majority of those who held that attitude have stopped blogging because, well, it turned out to be work. And when people work, they want to get paid.
What this means in practice I’m not yet entirely sure – I’ll be quietly plugging away at in the background and trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t. However, do not be surprised if you see adverts crop up in various places and suchlike. It will all be a part of the plan.
Finally, I’d like to take the opportunity again to thank you all for participating in this little community – after all, if you weren’t here to read, I wouldn’t be here to write.
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
I think you’re making a big mistake with the cockamamie idea about “giving it away for free” equating with zero return in much the same way as any band or record company that thinks it should be paid every single time anyone watches a particular video. Have a look at the TechDirt site and read through some of the “added value” and “RtB” stuff.
The IWR blog itself may not be making money but without the blog the money-making opportunities wouldn’t be available and you’d be little more than one of oh-so-many English translators. You have a forum which you ought to be able to further monetise. You, Aldakalda, have become rather prominent and have an excellent reputation. Your opinion is sought and paid for. All due to “giving it away for free”. The Grauniad pays you. So too HuffPo. You have more justification for higher translation rates due to your increased knowledge and contacts which you could use to move to a different occupation if you so choose.
As for dropping the weather blurb, when did you start thinking that the accuracy of that was the reason people came here to read? It was an amusing gimmick which led to stumblers and kept your blog “real” rather than yet another attempt to be next week’s Superawesome Writer of the World of the Century Fer Realz.
I think you’re making a few mistakes.
I originally found your site while searching for weather reports before a trip to Iceland. Glad you will still blog.
“Die hard”, yes, I’ll agree to that.
” …a blog not making money is not sustainable” I don’t know about that. I’ve been involved in blogging for nearly 6 years, as both a blogger and a reader of blogs and there are very few “pro bloggers” that I can read (I have only two which I link to), it seems that something (the love?) is always lost when a blog is monetized. If anyone could break that pattern, its you. You’ve been more professional than most pros, and yet retain a love for your topic. I’ll return to your blog to find out the “weather” in Iceland as long as you continue, pro or not.
In the pantheon of blogs ‘The Iceland Weather Report’ in quality and content deserves to be one of those self-supporting. Or, put another way, that you get paid sufficiently. Will be ever so curious how you go about this, but just as sure that it is possible in some manner.
As for the weather, automating it makes a lot of sense. However as useful as the weather map is, a nice detail perhaps if the current weather, say in Reykjavik, was displayed on the main page (no clicking involved). I’ve seen this type of thing elsewhere, so certainly possible. Then also, if and when in the mood, of interest if you commented on what in the weather inspired you.
For the record, I value your work here, and you might be surprised how many others find your efforts of true worth.
Good for you. I think the trend needs to be away from giving away good content. And I can understand about shorter posts. Personally I think you shouldn’t be afraid to post fragments and little random impressions, etc.
I have a friend who was able to quit his job because his little neighborhood blog went city-wide (Washington DC) and he can now live on the ad revenue. If you want to get in touch with him for tips, just let me know.
I know you have been reflecting on this topic/idea for a while. Your writing is brilliant, and you need to be rewarded for that. The most important thing is that you do what is right for you, really honour yourself.
Dear Alda
Automate the weather reports by any means, but a line or two about what it “looks like” out the window occasionally or “feels like” when you let the cat out would still be great. As you say if you want to know its 4.8C with a 10 km/h wind from the NorWest ….. there are sites for that.
If you solve the problem of getting rewarded for content on the internet expect a call from Rupert Murdoch
Certainly understandable wanting to get paid for your efforts. Little ads shouldn’t be a problem at all, that’s what adblock plus and noscript are there for. I hope you’ll still find it interesting and motivating to keep writing! The weather report part I never cared for anyway.
Thanks, everyone. I appreciate your kind words and support.
REC – If all you say were true, I would be a happy camper. Alas, it is not. However, if I ever need anyone to a) inflate my importance or b) tell me what to do, I’ll contact you.
idunn – I want to use the weather report from the Icelandic MO and they don’t provide anything smaller.
The intended changes are understandable, even though I’ll be missing the personal view on the weather.
I trust, that the ads won’t be coming from the aluminium industry in pursuit of a green image.
Anyone who cannot find current weather conditions in Iceland (or Fiji or Scotland or Akron, Ohio) should have their Internet license revoked. I come to the IWR to read what a normal, grown-up, regular Icelander thinks about, their regular life, what it’s like to live in a (very?) small, slightly odd, fascinating country I’ve had the pleasure to visit a few times and hope to visit again.
Maybe it would help if you ignored all comments longer than 100 words or so? Geez, do these people really have nothing better to do?
I kinda agree with REC, myself; I’m not sure how much revenue the blog indirectly generates, and whether that revenue is even enough to offset the costs most likely associated with running it, but I could well see a blog being a loss leader in principle, at least.
Not that I’d mind more adverts, though, at least as long as they’re actually of interest. Right now, for example, the one I’m seeing on the right side of the page there says “BlogHer Kids take the Silly Strawberry Video Challenge!”, and that’s not really something I’d be keen on seeing more of (although I’ll admit the sheer weirdness of the whole thing was amusing, at least), but if it was things that are actually related to Iceland etc… why not?
In any case – good luck, eh?
(And it’s a pity the inline weather will be no more, too. Ah well, I suppose all good things must come to an end.)
Oh dear. Yes, I don’t care if it is -10.3 or -10.6 degrees or where the winds are coming from. The “the winds blew the garbage can over and dumped a few inches of snow on the mess” is funny, that’s what I want to see.
And I agree – you are getting a lot of visibility here and credibility for other media. Ads? Do be careful that doesn’t end up as ads for Viagra. A university here in Germany started trying to have ads on their web pages. Who paid the most for placing ads there? The ghostwriting industry.
But thanks for the reminder – I wanted to invite you for another cup of coffee via PayPal.
Have a good 2010 and keep on bloggin’!
I originally started reading your blog because I am interested in life in Iceland and you write very eloquently on many topics. I have been less interested in the information on the economic crisis though I am sure that drew many people to your blog.
It is a bit of a dilemma pondering why one should blog for free, especially with the professional quality of your writing. What I have seen in the last year is that a few bloggers I follow have made it to the blogs of the mainstream media (as in your case). Their personal project was clearly a springboard into the mainstream media. One Irish food blogger (Donal Skehan who writes the Good Mood Food blog) had a recipe book published and TwentyMajor has had two books published. So the initial blogging was free but it led to other opportunities.
I would see it more like this. There are far more amateur artists, writers, dancers, models etc. than there will ever be professionals. As long as you enjoy your hobby then it is fine doing it as a pastime but your blog has clearly become work so I can see why you want to monetize it. Personally routing your content through the mainstream media would be the way to go. What about the Iceland Weather Report via the Washingto Post, NYT, Irish Times, Guardian….?
Aidan – not sure what you mean by this: Personally routing your content through the mainstream media would be the way to go. What about the Iceland Weather Report via the Washingto Post, NYT, Irish Times, Guardian….?
Can you explain?
To my knowledge, the mainstream media do not “route” content from blogs.
What I meant is that you could offer your blog content to the newspapers. You seem to had contact with quite a few newspapers.
If you looks at the Irish Times or NYT their blogs all have. I know the IT best but there you have blogs like Pursued By a Bear, Ultach and OutsideIn. I don’t know how they select their bloggers but I can’t see why an amateur blog could not go professional so that your blog content would be published within the framework of their websites.
For me there is no difference in content between amateur blogs and newspaper blogs except that the latter are normally written by professional journalists.
Thanks for the clarification.
Actually, getting one’s content into mainstream newspapers is a lot more difficult than apparently some people think. You don’t just send them an email and they’ll publish your content — well, unless you’re world famous.
In most cases they have their own Nordic correspondents that cover Iceland, and they are not willing to pay freelancers for content when they have their own salaried employees. The contacts I have at the newspapers are most often those Nordic correspondents.
I’m not sure which blogs you are referring to, but my suspicion is that they are staff bloggers.
Oh, and places that do accept content from bloggers – like the Huffington Post – do not pay. You do it free – for the exposure.
It is not easy but, look at it like this, your blog is at the top of the quality pyramid, your blog is mentioned in many mainstream newspaper articles about Iceland and you have already been published in various newspapers. Maybe I am being naive but I think that you have an asset that might interest the mainstream media.
My flatmate Fiona writes the ‘Pursued by a bear’ blog for the Irish Times, and yes, she is journo with them. I think it’s pretty tricky getting a blogging gig at a newspaper unless you’re going to write articles for them too. Although I can see you doing that too, Alda.
Anyway, I am HUGELY disappointed that the weather report will no longer be reporting the weather. I wasn’t in it for the actual fucking weather! I was in it for the ‘STAY INSIDE, IT’S FREEZING OUT THERE’ etc. You could have made anything up and I’d have been happy.
I’m with WiseWoman: I will miss the human touches that came with the weather through the years. You’ll not get that on weatherunderground.com or any other weather widget.
Best of luck to you sorting out what you plan to do with the blog. Selfishly, I hope you continue to publish. : ) A few ads for male-oriented pharmaceuticals wouldn’t chase me away.