Remember remember the 5th of October
October 5th, 2009 by GregHere in the UK there is a Rhyme, ‘Remember, Remember the 5th of November’ which refers to the date when Guy Fawkes was caught in the cellars of the Houses of Parliament with several dozen barrels of gunpowder. Guy Fawkes was subsequently tried as a traitor with his co-conspirators for plotting against the government.
Fawkes was sentenced to death and the form of the execution was one of the most horrendous ever practised (hung ,drawn and quartered) which reflected the serious nature of the crime of treason.
The following year in 1606 it became an annual custom for the King and Parliament to commission a sermon to commemorate the event. Lancelot Andrewes delivered the first of many Gunpowder Plot Sermons. This practice, together with the nursery rhyme, ensured that this crime would never be forgotten!
OK, but it’s October not November. Yes but today, the 5th of October 2009, Entrecard has decided to force it’s membership to accept ’sponsored’ ads on their blogs with no control over these ads. Members have been given three choices basically:
1. Accept the fact that EC are going to advertise on your blog, even advertising sites that you disagree or compete with.
2. Pay $50/year to not be forced to display these ads
3. Leave Entrecard altogether.
I am not saying that Entrecard should experience the same fate as Mr Fawkes but I wonder what members can do to retain their independance. There have been a large number that appear to have left EC or have said they will today, I’ve seen just a few that are going to pay the $50 fee.
So far today I have personally not seen any sponsored ads on this blog today and I think the best way to fight this would be for everyone who is against it to post their thoughts about it publically on their own blog. Surely then, potential advertisers will not want to advertise on sites that are so obviously against the system.
Oh and if you are against the sponsored ads, why not remove any additional ‘referal’ ads you have linking to EC, surely you can not refer new members to an EC while you disagree with what is happening.
Posted in General, advertising | 6 Comments »
Well since I left I feel happy I don’t have to think of that drop, drop, dropping all the time!
Funny thing though, I went to the EC site this morning and there are 2 blogs in my drops inbox which have apparently been dropping on me everyday since I had no widget!! Nuts eh!!
I have dropped over 100 cards today and have not seen a single ad yet (at least, nothing that I recognized as a paid ad).
just like daisy I haven’t seen anything that I’ve recognized as a sponsor ad. I have noticed though that some of the blogs I normall drop on don’t have the widget up anymore. I’m a wait and see blogger, I do know that there is no way I’m paying the $50
[...] I was reading the blog of Greg Matthews and he mentioned three choices that EntreCard users now have, these [...]
my question would be who is controlling what “ads” get through because there were some raunchy sites in the rotation when I would click through peoples blogs and even some of the cards that point to normal sites are raunchy and I don’t see why any of us should be subjected to it.
I have been away for a few days from dropping as I ahve had the flu, but I haven’t spotted any that look like paid ads on my drops so far.
I know that I am unhappy about having no choice as to who advertises on my blog but I can’t afford the $50 to stop it. I will leave when I get a paid add on my blog as it winds me up the lack of choice!! I’ll also mention it on my next post.
It’s nice to meet an other Brit blogger…we seem to be few and far between, lol!!