Ads on your blog?

How do you feel about ads on your blog?

I put a lot of time into the Heidelberg Confession. I'd like to put some sort of advertising on there but it might look tacky and if I use Adsense who knows what ads would come up. Maybe Amazon at the top but the return is so low for the price of looking tacky.

In any case I want to put an Amazon search thingy in the sidebar of my blog but I don't know if it's popular enough yet for anything to happen with that.
Jeff

i've got them on mine... i did it originally just for another set of blog stats... but then i've made like $1.30!! in like 10 years I'll get a check for $100!

yea... i say adsense is the way to go... but you have to place them well... they shouldn't have bad things show up in them i'd imagine... but it is always a chance...

Personally I'd rather not have ads on a blog. I don't mind links to someone's Amazon referral list or something, but no other advertising please. I'll never add it to my blog, unless WP adds it in at some point. If that happens I'd probably switch to another site, but who knows.

It generally does not bother me one way or another.

I have even contemplated them myself. I like doing my blog for the shear enjoyment and the time being spent in the Bible. The cost of the hosting is inconsequential based on those benefits so advertisements offer no benefit for me.

AS long as it adds value to the site, then I think that the advertising works. I have some small AdSense ads on my site, and they usually target the ads pretty well. And if something pops up that I don't approve of, then I can flag it as one that I do not want to appear on my site.

I also use the affiliate programs to target specific books that I think add value for my readers. It is sort of a "for deeper study in this area" reference.

I don't make a ton of money off of any of it. However, after about a year I have about $60.00 built up in my AdSense account (it pays out at $100), and it is progressively growing faster each month. And I have "sold" about $1,500 worth of books which have resulted in about $150 in commissions for me.

The book site references I think add the best value. I have seen readers at my site follow certain posts and then order 10-15 copies of certain books (probably for a small group study). But if I am "selling" over $100 worth of books every month, then that tells me that there is enough interest and value to keep it there.

I agree with Bibledude. It has to add value to my blog.