My silverbeet is not big enough to be picked, but I was working in the veggie garden and I broke one entire little plant by mistake. Well, I cut it right back, and maybe it will grow again. I sauté the leaves with olive oil, some onion weed (again) and a few black olives. A pinch of salt and pepper and some grilled bread for bruschetta, and lunch for two was ready, maybe unplanned, but ready!
On Saturday Arantxa and I had our first book presentation in Italian, at the Dante Alighieri Society of Auckland. It was enjoyable to do the workshop in my language, and Arantxa did very well too. Once again I took out my iPhone quite late (there were lots of people and all the cupcakes were gone), and I really missed Bron taking photos for me :-)!
Lastly, I received an email from a company who asked to buy a space on this blog for advertising. I didn't respond and after a few days I got a second email. I wasn't interested, but I though of asking more details and I found out that they would pay me US$100 per year ($120 for online gaming), but no mention on what they would put on their "window" in my blog. I immediately thought of a Vegan blog that I often visit, and it has an ad for McDonald in Auckland! Well, I did see the same ad in other blogs too (possibly just because I live in Auckland), but seeing it on a Vegan blog was quite something... I don't know what you think, but it seems very little money for a year of advertising something you may not even like! Or worse, something that really cheapens your blog! I love to hear your opinions about this, and if you had similar experiences.
Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©
Oh man, I cannot wait until decent tomatoes for bruschetta, but had never thought to put silverbeet on!
ReplyDeletePersonally I'd be really uncomfortable actively letting a company put whatever ads they want on my sidebar (I think my blog already shows some ads because it's a free site). I'd be ok with a specific company putting something there that I've approved, and I like the company, but otherwise I agree, it does cheapen the blog somewhat.
What I'm more interested in is the growing number of sites asking bloggers to submit full recipes & photos to a for-profit site that gets advertising money but offers the blogger nothing in return other than the glory of being on the website. It effectively is taking the blogger's traffic and content!
Well Zo, in that case you may be interested in reading this
ReplyDeletehttp://alessandra-onlyrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/07/is-petit-chef-taking-advantage-of-me.html
finalmente delle bruschette diverse dal solito! ben venga il taglio sbagliato dell'erbetta :)
ReplyDeletele foto della presentazione italiana vanno bene dai, si vedono i volti delle persone felici di partecipare e questo è meglio di 10000 cupcake no?
sulla questione pubblicità......mi viene da dire: che schifo.
per chi le inserisce in aperto contrasto con ciò che va dicendo.
sarebbe come per me andare a lavorare in una macelleria.
non dico che non si debbano guadagnare soldi per carità, il diritto al pagamento di una prestazione per me è sacrosanto, ma se vai blaterando (non tu, in senso lato) di etica e morale e decrescita e autoproduzione e poi scopro che invece fai comunella con aziende che rappresentano tutto ciò che combatti, quale che sia il compenso che hai preso, per me sei da catalogare nello schifo nè più nè meno di loro, anzi peggio.
Chi va a mangiare da Mc D. ed espone la sua pubblicità fa bene, nel senso che non fa nmulla in contrasto con ciò che pensa....ma un veg* dai no, non si può proprio, dovrebbe cambiare argomento del blog quantomeno e dichiarare apertamente che gli interessano più i pochi soldi della pubblicità che tutti i blateramenti vegan.
Sono contenta che tu non abbia esposto il banner, e del resto credo proprio che una come te non l'avrebbe mai fatto.
Barbara
That's terrible of Petit Chef!
ReplyDeleteI'm still figuring out what I'm "ok" with or not...the lines are constantly shifting around online! Of course everyone is different too, which is good, although I guess the downside is that some places may think it's ok to step over your boundaries (intentionally or not).
All very interesting! I feel like I'm constantly overanalysing my "web presence" :D
ciao... solo per dirti che sono arrivata nel tuo blog e che mi prendo un po' di tempo per gustarmelo e... capirlo!!
ReplyDeletesaluti
V.
Ma è un mondo goloso il tuo. Complimenti sono molto belli i tuoi blog, interessante quello libresco, non parlo bene l'inglese, ma cercherò di racappezzarmici ......
ReplyDeleteUn miagoliio affettuoso miaoooooooùùùùù
I think the McDonald's ad on the vegan site may be a result of Google Adwords. They place targeted ads based on keywords that appear on your website as well as the reader's location. I wouldn't put it past marketing and SEO people to use vegan related keywords in their adwords.
ReplyDeleteIt hurts your credibility as a blogger if random ads are placed on your website. I think that if you want control of ads, you should only accept pre-approved banners that you personally insert onto your website. No automatic linked banners!
I'm more likely to respond to New Zealand based requests. I feel like the big overseas sites are often revenue gathering via click-throughs. Sounds like Petit Chef is right into that.
Ciao Alessandra, grazie per le tue lezioni di inglese on-line, interessanti e utili i tuoi post!!! ^^ ma traducimi i silverbeet cosa sono???
ReplyDeletePer la pubblicità...nemmeno io sarei capace di interessarmi di scrivere di qualcosa e a fianco vedere un banner che pubblicizza il contrario.
Bei volti felici alla vostra presentazione! questa basta a farci capire quanta gioia e passione trasmettete ai vostri uditori e sostenitori!
Un abbraccio, E.
bruschette originali da copiare subito, slurp!Buona domenica cara, un abbraccio....
ReplyDeleteI have used the leaves of Bull's Blood Beets to make a most wonderful pesto (just substitute basil with the beet leaves, pine nuts with walnuts). Tossed with pasta, you have La Pasta Rossa. Earthy, garlicy and spicy. Your bruchetta must have been delicious.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the advertising...I am not comfortable with that on blog, but understand it's importance to some. Thank you for asking.
Alessandra, try to contact Foodbuzz. They advertise on my site and while I cannot control content, the adds they place are always tasteful. I think you would be able to make more money using a broker then taking individual accounts. Another to look into would be the Foodie Blogroll. Hope all continues to go well. Blessings...Mary
ReplyDeleteThat looks so fun and everyone including your daughter seemed to enjoy the demo!
ReplyDeleteI think you should only add ads which suit your blog content, simply something that you're comfortable with :).
advertising is a great discusssion. I just signed up with Foodie Blogroll and Amazon this month. It is my first attempt and I could control both ads. I would be uncomfortable is they chose the ad. I am a vegetarian real food blogger. I think I would lose integreity if I had ads for meat or junk food on my blog
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your comments, it is really good to find out more and also different opinions and experiences.
ReplyDelete@ Bibi, coloro che vendono una finestrina per le pubblicita' non sanno cosa appare sul loro blog quando altra gente li visita (e' questo che mi spaventa). Le pubblicita' cambiano a seconda di chi visita il blog (come quelle su FB). Un robot che registra la mia visita vede che vivo ad Auckland e che sto visitando un food blog, quindi mi manda l'ad per il McDonald di Auckland. E quando si e' venduta la finestrina per un anno mica puoi tirarti indietro! Ma ci sono persone che scrivono blog solo per poter guadagnare un po di piu', fortunatamente non ricado in questa categoria, anche perche' guadagni cosi' miseri mica mi cambiano la vita!! hahaha!
@ Zo, at times we all over-analize our web presence, in fact I started this first blog to collect all those recipes and articles of mine that had been published on the web, so that I could try to keep them together (I didn't achieve that 100%, but I got quite a few in the side bar). These are mostly articles written for magazines, and then re-published by the magazines themselves online (in NZ they don't pay you to re-publish your article online, and possibly in many other parts of the world too).
But I do not copy and paste my own articles (unless they are free articles, which is rare, I only write free articles for non profit or registered charities' publications) on my blog, I simply put the link to the corresponding magazine sites, so that they get traffic. After all if I write for a client, and they pay me, I like to offer my articles to them only, even if I have the copyright of the words and in theory I could legally re-sell my article many times over to different publications.
All these words and in the end all I wanted to say... when I open a magazine with my article in it I may see an ad next to it that I don't like, but hey, I am a writer, I can go as far as choosing the magazines I write for, but at the end of the day magazines survive on ads, and editors, marketing people and art directors decide where to put them. This is a blog, it does not survive on ads, and if were ever tempted to have an ad it would not be a random one, or something I don't like, or something that pays peanuts :-).
@ Vale e Felinita', benvenute!!!!
ReplyDelete@ bunnyeatsdesign, I agree with you, these ads are random, depending on the readers, and who sells the space may not even know what he/she is selling (like I said in the previous comment). Some are quite funny and even a bit offensive, because I am a woman (possibly over a certain age) I keep seeing ads for a flat belly and to erase wrinkles!!!
Can someone tell me what the boys get instead??? :-)
@ Elana, penso che in Italia si chiamino coste, o almeno io mi ricordo cosi', e i gambi di solito si cuociono separatamente dalle foglie, ma questi erano molto piccoli e teneri. Solitamente sono verdi con i gambi bianchi, ma le ho piantate anche con i gambi rossi e gialli.
@ Gardeningbern, it sounds yum, I'll come and have a look!! And yes, I understand that some people are in need to make money, I just feel sorry if they don't make enough!
@ Mary thank you for the info, very interesting, I am a member of Foodbuzz and Foodie Blogroll, and of many others, I mostly did it at the beginning to socialize... but I find that I have very little time to go on forums and so on, and I have never considered their ad proposals simply because.... I was never interested in advertising! But when you start to get offers in you mailbox you get curious: even if I don't want to advertise myself I want to know how much they would pay me to put a 'lose weight' or 'cake decorating supply' ad on my blog. Just curiosity :-).
I have nothing against advertising but I don't think that we are so 'ad wise', or relaxed about this issue here in NZ yet .
@ Cooking gallery, yes I agree,
@ Judee, in that case I will wait to see what you think, maybe after a few months?? Books is something I wouldn't mind advertising even if the money was insignificant: I love books!!! And I am particularly interested in the Vegetarian aspect: did you fill a form saying that yours is a vegetarian blog so that they would respect that?
Thank you again to all for your comments!
Love that bruschetta, beautiful photo :)
ReplyDeleteRe advertsing I am with Blog Her & I am able to opt out of any categories of advertising that I don't like, e.g. fast food, so I am comfortable with that. They communicate regularly & drive a little traffic to my blog so win win for me.
I have also had several comments from Petit Chef but didn't like their site & didn't really seem to be any links back to original authors so gave it a miss. Very happy about that now :)
Youre always up to some super cool stuff!
ReplyDeletehttp://haymarket8.blogspot.com
@ Mairi, we should take note of all these things, i am sure that they will come up at the Bloggers Conference :-).
ReplyDeleteGood on you for checking what they wanted to advertise!
ReplyDeleteI've recently moved house and the previous owners have left a cute little veggie box of silverbeet so I'm really eager to try some new recipes out =)
Hey Alessandra, I periodically get offers from various advertisers and people that want to be promoted on my blog. I've never felt that the amount I'd get paid would be worth messing up the aesthetic for but I would consider it if it was a lot of money, or if it was for a brand that I particularly like myself.
ReplyDeleteI agree Sasa, a decent remuneration, or a product/brand that I really like
ReplyDelete:-). But my blog is so full of stuff in the sidebar that I don't think I would have much space!
I think $100 is not much.. for a year right? That seems too little.... And what if it's like McD! Don't worry, Alessandra. The appropriate advertiser will come to your way eventually!! ;-) Your brucschetta looks gorgeous and what a fun demo!
ReplyDeleteWell, I am not into selling ad space, but in the next post there is a sweet giveaway offered by an Artisan Honey Company, I like these things better
ReplyDelete:-)!
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