Vol. 28-No. 20 – ACCESSIBLY LIVE OFF-LINE

Let’s face it! In this day and age of writing for pay, it’s been rather tough for those that are not “influencers” (whatever the real meaning of an “influencer” is) to make an actual living on composing written prose on a regular basis.

As of this writing, the writers belonging to the Writers Union via the Writers Guild of America (WGA) are walking the picket lines for (of course) better wages for writing for television and TV-esque projects. It seems that they are stating that they are doing their jobs that resemble a “gig economy” where they write their material as needed, among other concerns that range from minimum weeks assigned to write scripts for projects to being replaced by A.I. (“robot”) writers taking over!

Although this writer isn’t bound to any WGA contracts or agreements, the stuff that’s been placed here deserves better options for that writer a.k.a. “me” can create.

Of course, I can supplement these pages through advertisements, either as placing full blown ads, or providing “paid content” material by writing about some form of subject matter for the sake of selling a product and/or service.

Placing ads where ads would not normally be found is far from something that’s new or unique. In fact, this same writer a.k.a. “me” composed an article expressing that viewpoint.

This is what I wrote about these ads posts way back in the ALOL issue of Vol. 10-No.21 published on the week of May 23rd, 2005 under the banner YOUR MESSAGE HERE! (..BUT NOT FOR FREE!)

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Back in the so-called ‘good old days’ (whenever those days were), a company who had a product/service/name would place an ad in some soft of form where the public can be made aware of the product/service/name in question. In public places, there were billboards or message flyer. Then there was the newspaper. Later, it moved to radio and TV. Finally, it has progressed to the internet. One would think that those places to see that product/service/name would reach everyone somewhere. Maybe so, but read on…

It seems that within the last fifteen years, any company who has a product or service to see (or at least holds a ‘name’ to have it be aware with the public) desires to advertise the name/product/service on any form of space or element possible beyond the above noted ad spaces. However, since we live in an overloaded communications society, the traditional places to place an ad has seemed to have become lost and cluttered. So these big companies do their damnedest to find an alternative place to have that product/service/name reaching to the general public in a way where it would stand out in front of the other products/services /names that may be out there. So what were the places to go? Naming of public buildings and places, such as sporting arenas. Inserting names or packaging in feature films (since the 1980’s, thanks to the home video and cable TV boom), and TV shows itself (since the early 2000’s, thanks to people possessing digital video recorders that can bypass standard TV spots–the same way that viewers skipped through commercials back in the videotape days!) Of course, such placement has even expanded beyond that, good or otherwise!

A well known internet based action site (we won’t mention their name, unless they pay us for advertising space!) once had a man in Nebraska placing himself to make his forehead available for ad space. He was paid some $37,375 to put a logo of a snoring remedy on his forehead for one month. Another person in New York was paid $1,000 to put two permanent tattoos on his arms — one for a pharmaceutical company and one to promote a well known home economics “expect”. Now here is the kicker! A couple in Winnipeg, Manitoba offer to have their baby wear clothing advertising a product/service/name for an undisclosed period of time. Of course, the story hit the news service wires like wildfire, and even became the comic subject matter to those morning drive ‘wake-up’ radio shows. The couple realized that their proposal was in questionable taste, so the ad was pulled! (PS…it didn’t get any bids!)

We here in the media business knows how tough it is to conduct a successful ad campaign, especially if it’s for a new product and/or service. However, we do respect advertising. It’s a good way to keep those informed about a product or service, and has become beneficial to both the seller and the buyer. However, where one carries the ad and how it’s executed is another matter altogether! One can place an ad, but where and how the ad is place can backfire! If an ad is located in a place where the location itself may be questionable, then nobody would want to be associated with the product! We would give examples of this backfiring, but that would be for another column!

And one other element we can state on advertising. Since this publication made its debut back in ‘96, Accessibly Live Off-Line has never carried any paid advertising! There is a reason for this. Since we began to scope that wild and wonderful thing called the internet, we were one of the few smaller news services out there. Since that time, the competition has increased a thousandfold! Today, there are places where one can find sources for news and information (some for real, and others questionable) that are created every thirty seconds! However, most of those places carry advertising, from full page ads, to ‘informational’ articles that look and read like a legitimate column, but in reality, is just a thinly disguised press release, to ‘banner’ ads, to pop up ads that appear in a way that the viewer may find annoying and obnoxious! We offer an alternative choice of writing and reporting news and information that is totally unbiased. Nobody, outside of subscribers, pays us for anything! Our reviews are written as the writer find them. If the subject being reviewed is great, we’ll state that! If the subject matter sucks, then it sucks! In other words, no ‘informational’ pieces, no product placement, no bullcrap!

OK…so in the above paragraph, we were advertising ourselves. That’s expected in such a publication like ours! Many of you readers have stated to us that we do such a great job with our writing and reporting. Others have claimed that we are just “OK”, while the rest think that we suck! Well, you can’t please everybody. We try though!

So have a great day, and if anybody sells ad space on their rear end, we would like to know who the lucky advertiser is. Then again, maybe its best that we don’t know! ‘Nuff said!

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ACCESSIBLY LIVE OFF-LINE

is a presentation of Linear Cycle Productions

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