Nate Ritter

As you can see, we have a new Wordpress theme for my blog. It was designed by the449, and they did a pretty good job. I asked for simplicity and a better focus on conversation and community. With what is currently available with this system, they delivered a great product.

With every new custom theme, there’s always a few bugs. We’re working through them as we go which is just a testament to the449’s support.

But, with this theme there’s also new opportunities. I specifically wanted a few places left open for sponsorships. Those two spaces are above the fold in 125×125 spots. If you’re interested, contact me and let’s talk about a deal.

As we all know, I dislike advertisements, so I’m working on a deal with the folks from hashtags.org. I love their service, but I hate the massive ads they placed up on the site. I talked with one of them about that and suggested they remove them or make them a little less annoying. Instead, we may be working out a trade where they’ll take my suggestion and drop the ad. They’re considering removing the ads simply because I’ve offered a trade. I will give them a sponsorship slot on this blog. The trade is much more in their favor as I get a ton more traffic than they do right now, but it’s worth it.

What do I get out of it? A few things.

First, I get to see, use, and promote an awesome service. I love doing that, and if missing out on a few bucks for the ad spot on my blog means they get to have a better product, I’m all for it. I’ll take the hit to make it better for you (hmm… reminds me of that health care article I wrote recently).

Second, when they take down the big ad on the top of the screen, I’ll create a graphic which will be placed in a bit more conspicuous location and point back here. The point is simply to get a little credit for helping to clean up their product. I don’t have anything to sell the people who would visit hashtags.org, so the value is in the attention and influence.

So, I think that’s a pretty good deal. What do you think?