With so many options and differing traffic estimates, it's hard to say with any certainty just how much [sitedeleted].com rakes in. But Web industry insiders who know the site and have used the same BlogAds system estimate that he's netting a minimum of $20,000 per month from BlogAds alone—likely more when all levels of ad sales are factored in. Henry Copeland, president and founder of BlogAds, considers [sitedeleted].com one of his biggest financial success stories, given that it's a one-man operation with almost no overhead. While refusing to talk specifics, Copeland says [name deleted] "works the same hours as a brain surgeon. But he gets paid better." (For what it's worth, the median income for a neurosurgeon is about $300,000 a year.)
Now, forgive me if I'm wrong, but it's doubtful that I, or you, will ever make that kind of money in a single year. (If your situation is different, then congrats to you!)
However, considering the website(s) in question are successful due to their publishing the most unflattering and downright humiliating photos and information that can be made up in a tiny little mind, and considering the vast majority of the information is outright fabricated lies, and considering that all this money is being made on the back of people who happen to be celebrities, most of whom are just trying to go about the process of living their (sometimes flawed) lives, then I call it blood money.
I realize why so many people love to see our favorite (and not-so-favorite) celebrities get thrashed by airing all their dirty laundry (true or NOT) in public. Who do these celebs think they are, after all? What gives them the right to behave with such implied entitlement and privilege? Who died and made them god, with their bling and their fancy clothes and their holier-than-thou attitudes?
The public, that's who. The American public worships celebrity, and then thrives on seeing it destroyed. We build them up to tear them down. If I wasn't afraid of boring everyone to death, I might say this was also a metaphor for what people with low self esteem do to get them through the day.
You think celebrities have a "god complex?" I think the public has one as well. Woohoo! We rock! We showed that high and mighty celeb they are no better than we are!
I'll bet you a dollar to a doughnut that at least half the people who visit and post on these gossip sites do so because they feel guilty for their own celebrity worship. I wouldn't be surprised if half the people who visit these sites own the albums, have seen the movies, and wear the tshirts with their fave "stars" on the front.
Hypocrisy reigns.
Have you ever read the small print?
[sitedeleted].com is all about gossip and satire. The content that is published contains rumors, speculation, assumptions, opinions, and factual information. Postings may contain erroneous or inaccurate information. The owner of this site does not insure the accurateness of any content presented on [sitedeleted].com.
No kidding.
You may think it's OK to just go look, and not post. Wrong. Every time you click on the link to one of these sites, it is recorded. Ad prices are based on the number of hits the site receives. The more hits, the higher the ad revenue, the more money in the pocket of the gossip monger. Even if everyone just "looked" and no one posted, these bloggers would still be wealthy men.
Now think about certain other rumor mongers on the Net; those with a blog that won't die. Think he has other aspirations in mind? Aspirations that begin with "ka" and end with "ching?" Think about it.
So please, don't look. Don't visit, don't post, don't acknowledge.
Don't go there. Because in doing so, you are putting blood money into the already fat coffers of people who lack the humanity of moral human beings. Be elevated, be enlightened.
May they all become invisible.
Thank you for your consideration.
touchstone (n) a basis for comparison; a reference point against which other things can be evaluated
technorati tag: clay+aiken
technorati tag: celebrity+gossip
technorati tag: rumor+monger
technorati tag: clay+nation
technorati tag: pop+culture
technorati tag: blog+ads
technorati tag: claymates
©touchstone 2006
5 comments:
honey speak the truth! i totally agree with everything you said, and i know exactly what sites you're talking about too. i don't even look at those sites because i do not want them to taint my perspective of people who inspire me. i pray that one day these sites will no longer exist, or that they will at least stop creating false and erroneous stories. one can only hope. thanx for writing such a thoughtful and truthful blog. god bless and keep doin' you!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for this blog!!!! I have been in a state of utter confusion as to why anyone who is a fan of Clay would continue to go to these trashy sites and put money into the pockets of these sleazeballs.I made an effort on one of the boards fairly recently to state my opinion that every time anyone gives these sites a hit, it hurts Clay, but my comments were deemed "judgemental" and were censored. My enjoyment of the boards has decreased dramatically over time, as I am tired of being constantly exposed to negative jokes, stories and comments about Clay that are taken from other sources (including the type of sites/blogs you talk about) and brought over to his fan sites. WHY?
You spoke in a previous blog about the need for the fans to come together, to unify rather than be broken apart by outside forces. I would love it if the rallying point could be to help Clay in every possible positive way that we can, and by eliminating the need to always see (and share!) what the gossip sites and nasty bloggers are saying.Our ongoing interest makes them much more important than they are, or ever should be!
Thank you ladies!
Spread the word! Copy it or link it, I don't care.
I know those sites are like a train wreck sometimes; people can't help but look.
I am trying very hard not to sound preachy or judgmental myself. But considering it's often not a satisfactory or rewarding experience in any way, it's not informative, and it's hardly ever fun or entertaining to intelligent people - it IS possible to detox from it.
I resolve not to put another penny into the pockets of someone with so little integrity or regard for the dignity of others.
Hey, I don't mind calling someone out when they behave badly, but there is no need to print blatant lies, outrageous altered, stolen photographs or frat boy insults.
That is the work of lazy, uninspired, unintelligent wannabe hacks, who have more money than character.
Bottom line - They want to be more famous than the people they write about, but without having any discernable talent to earn that fame.
And that just ain't right.
Thank you.
Touchstone2,
WORD -- and thank you for this blog!
Have a great weekend!
Caro
Are you freaking kidding me? Twenty grand a month?? OMG, that's nuts. I had no idea. It wouldn't stop kids from going to the sites, but I wonder how many adults it would stop if they knew this. I naively assumed they made a couple grand, but I did recently make myself stop going to any sites at all. I was only a lurker, not a poster. Although I knew it raised their traffic, I had NO idea they made that kind of money.
Post a Comment