a peek inside the fishbowl

Fair warning. I’ve rewritten this post and removed any mention of ranking because the ranking rankled the ranks. I get it. :)

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Since I was going to be a co-panelist for a Professional Writer’s Association of Canada (PWAC) seminar about blog monetization I thought it might be a good idea to know who else is selling ad space in Ottawa. More specifically, I wanted to know, how many independent bloggers in Ottawa actually make money by selling ad space on their sites? **

By “advertising” and “making money” I am referring to ad sales, network ads (like BlogHer ads), and affiliate ads that add up to an income of over $20/month. [ETA: is that a fair number? I think we have to draw the line somewhere. :) ]

I put the call out on Twitter on Saturday morning, and my fellow tweeps helped me come up with a few names. A few of their suggestions were blogs I hadn’t thought of (because clearly, I can’t follow every single blog that’s based in and around Ottawa) so I thought I’d make a list.

Why bother, you ask? I’m asked about blog monetization a LOT, both online and offline, and I’d like to be able to (a) point to other blogs as an example and (b) maybe touch base with those blogs at some point too. I’m not the only one in this market who sells advertising. Maybe we can support each other and help one another out?

This list will change and grow. Right now it’s a very short list, but I hope that you will help me sort it out.

You game?

Here are some blogs that currently earn revenue in the Ottawa area.

• PhD in Parenting
• Coffee with Julie
• A Little Bit of Momsense / A Little Bit of Foodsense [and her growing media empire] :)
• Kids in the Capital [group blog]
• ecochick /zchamu.com
• LouLou’s Views
• Apt 613 [group blog]
• Canadian Personal Finance Blog
• Postcards from the Mothership

If you would like to be added, please leave a comment below!

Edited earlier: I reformatted this list because some people weren’t keen to be part of this conversation and didn’t want to be ranked. That’s ok! I just wanted to show other people (including potential advertisers, media, etc etc) that there are other great bloggers who are earning revenue too. I’m not the only one! What’s more we need to support one another too.

If you know of a blogger who is earning a revenue from his or her blog, please let me know in the comments below. Thank you!

** I want to take a moment to point out that earning money from ad sales isn’t the bloggy holy grail. There are many other ways of profiting from your blog. Blogging has great value. Your blog can be a springboard for paid work, free swag (if that’s important to you), and can result in other great opportunities, not to mention wonderful friendships too. But I’m talkin’ about ads here, just to keep things organized. Thank you!

It’s Frrriiiiiday. I thought it would never get here.

Some fun and interesting things have been happening in my corner of the blogosphere lately. And I haven’t had time to write about any of them. A sample:

• I was interviewed on CHUO the other day about the business of blogging. I am struggling to trim the recording get it online at the moment, but as I’m doing that I wanted to let you know that Annie, Shannon and I are giving a seminar about blog monetization for Ottawa PWAC peeps downtown at the Ottawa library on Saturday afternoon! Woot! 
• The draw for the 4Cats giveaway is on Monday. Have you entered??
• Know More Do More! We’re sprouting lentils over the weekend. Join in the lentilicious fun! Heh.
• Twestival! Did you go? I am still floating.
• Remember my last reno post? The owner of one of the homes I photographed contacted me and we’re having dinner at her place this weekend. (!)

Life is so kooky and fun sometimes it just kills me.

What is it about Ottawans and hot beverages? (Sidebar: if you live in Westboro you might be interested in knowing that there is talk of ANOTHER coffee shop opening in the ‘hood. Seriously.)

We are coffeeaholics, that’s a given, but it’s suddenly all about tea. Is this a reflection of a long-lost tea drinking heritage, or something totally new?

Tea shops are taking Ottawa by storm. I wrote about it for SavvyMom recently. You can read it here.

Anyway, yes, I have been really impressed by the selection and service at David’s Tea. In fact, I think it’s converted me. A little. The staff are pretty excellent. They know what they’re talking about. And they are patient for newbies like me. They will bring down canister after canister of tea for you to sniff… until you find something you like. And I like. One of the teas I mentioned in the article – Forever Nuts – looks like potpourri. But seriously, it tastes like fruity pie. YUM.

Note to self: tea is not just a cold-weather drink. You can brew iced teas from this stuff too. I look forward to discovering some fruit blends for DIY iced teas.

Also tea-related: have you ever had tea at the Chateau Laurier? Would you consider going with your kids? It’s been recommended to me a hundred times but we haven’t been yet.

It may seem daunting, but I was talking to etiquette expert Suzanne Nourse (@EtiquetteOttawa) about it recently and she highly recommends it for kids age 6 (!) and up. (Although she admits that it might be better suited to girls. Ha. REALLY?)

I asked her why she thought it was important to expose our kids to this stuff. I think we already know this but it was good to get the confirmation… kids need to learn how to behave in nice restaurants. And if they become familiar with this kind of environment it will give them some much-needed confidence, not to mention prepare them for meetings with future father-in-law’s, international CEOs, Nobel Prize winners, or all of the above. 

Want to know the secret? High tea at the Chateau still has a fine dining aspect to it, but is much shorter than a dinner and doesn’t actually include multiple forks. And, there are treats. (Check out the menu!)

Suzanne has taken children there before, and prepares them by telling them that there are “home manners” and “princess” (or princely) manners. (Which is fitting since the Chateau looks like a castle.)

I think we’re doing a disservice by only bringing our kids to chain restaurants with paper menus and crayons at every table. I am determined to invite the girls to tea at the Chateau at some point in the near future. I think they’d get a real kick out of it. Suzanne gave me a great “rules” about tea time: no slurping, no pinkies, and the conversation must be brilliant. I like it. In fact, I think I might have that printed on a poster and hang it in the dining room.