Google Cycle

Psst, come here. We’re still a small group here, so come close. I’m 50, I’m a mom, I’m moderately talented and for once in my life, I’m working on making a living at something I’m good at and enjoy. And I do enjoy it. I run the dingoes in the morning, taking notes on my thoughts and ideas, come home and craft that into something worth reading, maybe cartoon a bit to make it more fun and entertaining, then post it.

And it’s actually possible to make a living at it because of the way Google conceived of it. It operates like an artificial ecosystem, with the same sorts of interdependent and symbiotic relationships. It looks something like this:

To clarify:
Google places ads. That’s their thing and they always need interesting sites where those ads can be placed. If they do a good job, and the ads get clicked on, they get to charge the
Advertisers who are gambling that at least some of the people who see their ads will decide to buy something. They pay Google for each “click” brought their way by
Bloggers who produce interesting sites where ads can be placed and who get paid a few cents every time an ad is clicked on by one of their
Readers who visit sites that interest and/or amuse them and who, before leaving the page, click on an ad or two.

Okay readers, you caught that last part right? Naturally, advertisers are hoping that if you see their marvelous ads, you’ll buy something. Me, I don’t care. I probably wouldn’t if I were you (though that “Mom discovers cheap way to whiten teeth” has been hard to resist). Even Google doesn’t really care - they don’t guarantee sales, just views. So Google actually encourages me to tell you this: if you’re reading my blog, if you’d like it to keep coming, click on an ad. You do not have to buy anything, you do not have to surrender any personal information and no one is going to track you down at home to sell you something. You can even do it with your eyes closed if it makes you feel better. But click. And tomorrow, I'll have something entertaining to read.