Blogs vs. E-Zines: Round One
December 20th, 2004 by Bob Bly
A number of bloggers have told me, ?There?s not much difference between a blog and an e-zine.?
I disagree. There are at least three important advantages I get with my e-zine that I (can’t speak for others) don?t get with my blog:
1. With my e-zine, I own all the names in my subscriber database. That list has commercial value. I can rent it, swap it, and sell other people?s products to it as an affiliate (I make thousands of extra dollars a month through such affiliate deals — with zero work on my part). With my blog, the RSS feed owns the names ? I never see them.
2. With my e-zine, I can send out a message and know it will be received by my 63,000 subscribers the same day. With my blog, I have no idea how many people get it via RSS feed — or how many of those go to the new blog entry when notified.
3. With my e-zine, I can actively promote my own products and services to the list. E-zine readers accept and expect promotions. I wouldn?t dare do that on my blog; it seems to violate the unwritten rule of blogging as a ?pure? content medium.
Bloggers: do you promote products and services on your blog? Can you track the results?
Do you read blogs that blatantly pitch products and services? Do blogs influence your buying as a business or consumer?
Is it appropriate or inappropriate to advertise on one?s blog?
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