Did I miss a memo? Was there a seminar?
By Gina Spadafori
March 20, 2008
Every day seems to bring a new pet Web site, their operators apparently salivating over the more than $40 billion Americans spend on their pets every year. Problem is, they all seem to have the exact same ideas for content — a few articles written by a veterinarian, a few other pet-care articles, maybe a blog that never takes on any hard-edged topic or allows comments (wouldn’t want to annoy any advertisers!) and so on. All this and puppy mill ads, too!
What they also all have in common is they all send me e-mails wanting us to write about them here or in our syndicated newspaper column. (Or worse, “trade links,” how very 20th century!) It’s like they all went to the same “make a million dollars with a pet Web site” seminar.
Suddenly, they’re also all having photo contests. All of them! I kid you not! That must have been last month’s memo from the consultants.
Official Pet Connection Notice: We’re not writing about your new dopey “content-lite” pet site, and that would be true even if we weren’t all cranky-like from book deadlines. That’s Thing 1. Thing 2: Everyone who trots over from those Web sites and makes a dopey comment (a/k/a “viral marketing”) on a blog post here just to get a link to your site in the comments section on the PetConnection blog will immediately have your comment mocked and the Web site you’re trying to market put on our comments blacklist.
So take your puppy-mill ads and your lame, predictable content and go away. Kthanx.
Gina, you should open up and tell us what you really think.
Comment by Christie Keith — March 20, 2008 @ 4:23 pm
As if anyone is going to comment after that :)
(gulp!)
Comment by Laura Bennett — March 20, 2008 @ 6:38 pm
But … but … I LOVE comments. I just don’t like those that are about nothing more than promoting a site, not contributing to the discussion.
Now, Laura, you ALWAYS contribute to the discussion! :)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — March 20, 2008 @ 7:08 pm
I just wanted to say “Good job” on your pet related article and also promote my new photo contest - O, never mind…
Comment by slt — March 20, 2008 @ 8:01 pm
I have no idea why anyone would have a photo contest when it’s totally obvious my dogs are the CUTEST DOGS EVER, YO.
Comment by Christie Keith — March 20, 2008 @ 8:26 pm
Christie called to say I am not allowed to blog again until “The Ultimate Dog Lover” is complete and in the publisher’s hand, because I am too darn cranky now.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — March 20, 2008 @ 8:32 pm
Gosh darn it, there goes my plans to monetize my blog with click through traffic from PetConnection, selling my own book, customized T-shirts, and pay-for-google-bomb posts about topics entirely unrelated to anything my handful of readers want to read. I was considering writing in the mock-third-person as if I were my dog too.
“Daddy needs some _Norelco Razor Repair_ because I hate his razor and chewed it up! Maybe he can get it fixed after he gets a _Free Attorney Consultation_ and uses his _Dell Coupons_! Back to licking my privates, toodles!”
!@#$% why did you have to expose my evil plan!?! I was so close to fortune and fame. I even have my Photo Contest boiler plate all written. What’s a better way to get free content for a sham site than to hold a contest?!?!
Comment by Christopher — March 21, 2008 @ 2:46 am
I can just imagine the crap you get Gina. My latest run of crap marketing is all from companies who want me to feature their expensive ways to eulogize pets on line. One more email I will join Christie in head internal combustion line.
At least they don’t have photo contests right? (yet)
Comment by nancy freedman-smith — March 21, 2008 @ 4:32 am
‘Trading links’ is so nineties, dude. It’s all ‘leveraging content’ now ;)
Comment by emily — March 21, 2008 @ 9:44 am
Thanks for adding us to your blogroll! Sorry… but the irony was just TOO perfect and I simply had to post the thank you note here. I wish we had a photo contest or paid links or something else cheesy to hype - but we don’t.
Just odd, rambling thoughts on dog-related issues.
Oh, and please mock us! Conflict is SO much more interesting than politically correct niceness.
Comment by Janeen — March 21, 2008 @ 4:56 pm
Nobody mentioned having a cat photo contest. I think there has been some prejudicial comments here. Of course I am not accusing anyone in particular. I would not dare do that!
Comment by Colorado Transplant — March 21, 2008 @ 8:06 pm
Now your website won’t offer advertisements for lily pads so my cats can float down the waterways on them. What a pity.
Comment by Colorado Transplant — March 21, 2008 @ 8:21 pm
Gee, and here I was feeling all special because they picked me to share their “comment ads” with. Thank goodness for the delete button!
Comment by Marie Finnegan — March 23, 2008 @ 12:08 pm