We, prompted by his post, take this opportunity to announce our very own gear whore / advertising policy:
1} send lots of money, you will not be acknowledged,
2} send lots of gear, we’ll keep it and you will not be acknowledged,
3} send lots of requests for ad space, you’ll join our spam file,
4} send requests for link exchanges, you got it figured out by now?

Me? I’m just one of the malcontented misfits that visits your site every few days just to catch up on the latest gossip, oops, I mean gospel, of current events in the fly world. (And I guess that I just like to hear myself speak, but it’s my 2 cents, for whatever it’s worth, but I couldn’t even do that if it weren’t for you.)
I trust that you’ll have to do what’s right for you, and with that reasoning, I’m behind you 100%!

A random question for the Underground. I’ve just bought an 7′6 3 wt and a 8′0 5 wt McFarland Fiberglass Rods. Any ideas on possible reel/line combinations for these new toys?

Thank you.

Obviously, I can’t respond to each post individually, but a few thoughts did occur to me:

I’m not planning to alter my editorial mix (my content). That’s going to remain largely the same. I’m just hoping to toss some advertising into the mix, including the “in-my-content-stream ad posts” that offer the somewhat moribund online ad format a chance at a new life.

I know everyone expects everything on the Internet to be free, but if online advertising can’t be made to work, then it seems writers and artists face a pretty grim future online – working for free doesn’t exactly guarantee we’ll see the best writers/photographers/contributing to the online community.

Yeah, I’d like to see some return for all the time I invest in the Underground, but I’d also like to develop a model for other outdoor writers who’d like to get paid writing something aside from standard magazine fare. I have ideas for something bigger than the Underground, but until this piece of the puzzle starts paying its own way, the other stuff will remain an idea.

As for my editorial integrity, well, you’ll all have to decide that on your own. There’s precious little room to “firewall” anything in a one-man operation, but I’d like to make three points.

1. I’ve yet to hear anyone question Tom Bie’s ability to produce a kickass magazine (The Drake) despite the fact he’s generating more ad revenue from the latest issue than the Trout Underground will in a decade.

2. In just the last few weeks, I’ve been a little less than complimentary towards a pair of the industry biggies – despite the fact I’ve been thinking about this particular ad gig for the last year. If I was interested in playing it safe to court advertisers, I’m off to a pretty poor start.

3. There are a *lot* of interesting smaller companies out there (including other media types) building interesting stuff – people who probably can’t afford to advertise in one of the big magazines (and wouldn’t enjoy much benefit if they did).

Finally, the fact we’re even having this discussion suggests the world is tilting a bit; magazines don’t discuss advertising/editorial policies with their readers, suggesting once again that we’ve stumbled on a different kind of animal. I want to be transparent on this issue and hear what you have to say (hell, I never thought of the tip jar), but in the end, you’ll either believe me or you won’t, and we’ll see how that goes.

Thanks for all the thoughts and opinions. Expect to see some of the things I talked about appearing over the next week or two, and don’t stop with the comments.

TC

Long time reader and I don’t know that I ever commented on your blog but I value your site and try to visit it often….I think we’ll all know if you you are selling out! Besides most of the quality companies will stand by their products and if we buy their products and they suck or don’t perform, we’ll just send them back. That being said…..I think everyone knows a $20 starter rod and reel combo or an old garage sale find, could deliver the same experience as a rod much more dear. I say go for the ad revenue and take this beast into the next decade and beyond!

I say it’s all good. You are who you are and have your own unique style. As long as you let the advertisers come to you becuase of that style you will be fine.

I’ve always said if we could pull together about10- 20 bloggers and put out a publication online or off it would be something special.

I say do it. Keep the gear – collect cash if you can. But do us a favor – run reviews in a specific sidebar, and put a link at the bottom of the article. And if a piece of gear is sub-par, return it to the manufacturer and don’t write a review. Please don’t sacrifice the original and entertaining posts that you make to schlep gear for a vendor… we get enough editorial bagasse from the mainline media… which is why there are so many readers HERE.

If you need to make money, then you need to make money, and no one can fault you for that. Lord knows I could stand to make more too. But I have to be honest – remaining objective while developing advertising relationships with the industry is walking an extremely fine line (if it’s even possible). The argument is that the blog has gotten to be a hell of a lot of work without paying for itself, but I guess my question would be – does it have to continue grow, therefore necessitating more advertiser dollars, or is it possible to scale back to what feels sustainable, still maintain the core quality, although on a smaller scale, and forgo the entanglements in favor of retaining a truly independent voice? I fear that in the long run, it won’t be as simple as just providing ads and getting $/swag in return, but will get more complicated than that. It almost always does.

Regardless, I’ve always appreciated your candor and when needed, irreverence – I hope it doesn’t become a conflict of interest as the blog evolves. I wish you all the best.

That way your not keeping it, not having to report revenue/gifts to the IRS, and perhaps it eases your conscience a bit…

Its a real testament to the power of the new media when a company peddling “new tech laden gear” wants to advertise on a blog with pledged allegiance to the Phillipson Bamboo and Fiberglass anachronisms. Yes we can!

For what it’s worth, I would like to echo the previous comments that you should continue with full force and effect to receive any financial gain from your efforts that you see fit. You have certainly earned the appropriate credibility with this audience of misfits and malcontents (oxymoron?) and the right to lead your site in any direction you feel appropriate.

From my perspective, the real question is what are the expectations of your prospective advertisers? If they are willing to reap any benefits of the traffic and eyeballs you or Keith generate are they also then willing to face the truth of any comments and/or reviews that you produce? In other words, if you tell the truth and they don’t like it, is it their intent to withhold their support (advertising) or are they willing to take the good with the potentially not-so-good as the price/risk for access to your audience?

I agree with Woody that this could in fact be a slippery slope if not managed appropriately on the front end of any deal, leading to the uncomfortable decisions that he noted. In my humble opinion, if you keep it real they will continue to get eyeballs and attention even in the face of reviews/comments that may not be entirely complimentary. ‘Course, I may be naive in this regard (in fact, its highly likely)

Couple of final thoughts . . .
1. I have always appreciated receiving “value” advice from those I feel are more technically capable of evaluating products/services than I am. Keith does a great job at this with his renegade tying materials. Perhaps you could provide reviews on products that separate the wheat from the chaff, just like you have done on the Patagoochie softshell. I for one would appreciate credible opinions on offerings that rise above all the marketing background noise and point to quality, usability and value.
2. The TU “Tip Jar”. What you and Keith provide is entertainment (and quality information) – no question about that. When we as consumers of entertainment find something that pleases us – rises above the ordinary – we are led to recognize said with some sort of tip. Think waiter, comedian or street performer. If you had an easy way for us to express our appreciation with a few shekels when the spirit moves us I think you would be surprised by how many “tips” you and Keith would receive. I wouldn’t hesitate to drop a couple of bucks in the electronic tip jar from time to time to keep the entertainment coming.

Wow, this has gotten long. That is all. Keep up the good work and I’ll be along for the ride whatever the itinerary.

SA