Rapid growth

Along for the Ride!'s web directory has grown quite rapidly over the last year. The web directory now has over sixty eight thousand (68,000) blogs. That's quite stunning and surprising considering the web directory is just shy of two years old.

When I started the web directory part of AFTR, many of the leading experts told me that the market was over-saturated and it wouldn't do well. Since my primary purpose for the web directory was to provide a way to keep track of AFTR members, I wasn't concerned about any over-saturation issues. To my delight though, the web directory grew much faster than I expected or anticipated. Thankfully, I planned for growth during the initial design of the web directory.

I have also heard talk that social media is killing blogs. While I'm not so convinced it is, I do believe that social media can be a death note to a new blogger or a single owner blog. Social media takes a long of time and its stacked against the blogger.  Let's be honest, there is only so much time in a day. If a blogger is spending a huge amount of time promoting their blog through various social media programs, when do they have time to write for their own blog? While I believe social media has it place, I have seen many good blogs fall to the high costs of time and energy required to get most blogs simple scraps of traffic.

I think my biggest challenge has been showing that the widget is a viable tool to bring together all these different and unique blogs in generating traffic for the web directory and its members. Here I am still struggling. Perhaps part of my struggles in the area is people are still a little "gun-shy" due to Adgitize, CMFads, EntreCard, and AdBrite folding.  Quite frankly, I really can't blame any blogger that is as each of the programs had a very strong following.

This is an area I will continue to work on and with AFTR turning five years old in April, I think longevity will work in my favor, or at least I hope it will.

AdBrite closing

First CMFads, then Adgitize, and now a major player in the advertising world - AdBrite is closing it doors.  Ironically, AdBrite had some serious cash going into it.  As a start up, it had $1.1 million invested in them.  They were actually the closest real competitor AdSense really had.

Here's the official notice from AdBrite:

Dear adBrite Publisher,

Over the last few weeks, adBrite and its management have been evaluating the go-forward plan for the business. Given market conditions and certain financial liabilities, in working with our lenders, we have decided to cease operations on Feb 1, 2013. 

This is a difficult decision for all of us at adBrite. However, after much deliberation this seems to be the best course of action despite the impact it will have on all the employees, clients and partners who helped build this business. There will be a team in place as needed to assist with winding down. Thank you for being part of the adBrite community. 

The adBrite Team.

This actually was a bit of a surprise as I really didn't think they would fold so easily. Sheesh, I remember watching AdBrite open its doors and was one of its first publishers.  I have to admit, I will miss this advertiser as they did do a very good job and their pay-outs were quite nice.

I personally believe the economy and the over-the-top taxes have had their impact with many businesses and sadly, AdBrite is another victim of the bureaucratic stupidity rampant in Washington right now.

Along for the Ride! will be five years old this April. Nothing lasts forever I guess... I'm just glad AFTR is still doing so well.  I suppose seeing a company like AdBrite collapse and fold under has made me think about the longevity of AFTR as I've had to make the same decisions AdBrite did in closing its doors.

Its never easy throwing in the towel...  I wish the best for all of AdBrite's employees.

A new beginning

I know that is a strange title for my dedicated readers, but one that really is accurate for this situation.  The best way to explain this is that "Along for a Ride!" (AFTR) is now on a brand new super high powered server.  Its hard to believe that AFTR has actually grown that much.

How it has grown and changed over the last four years is amazing. What started out as an experiment in in developing a different type of traffic system has grown into a full traffic system and a complete web directory with a new and innovative approach to getting traffic to blogs.

With the new and more powerful server being a "new" beginning for AFTR, I decided the AFTR blog needed a new beginning as well.  As many of you know, I wrote my own blogging software.  While it has working incredibly well. there is one major disadvantage - it leaves me unable to help people with "simple" questions on Blogger, Wordpress, and other common blogging platforms.

Blogger seems to be one of the more popular free blogging platforms that easy to learn and use, so I start here.  I figure the best way to help AFTR members and prospective new members is to experience all the issues as a "new" blogger myself by learning as I go.

So, here I am...  Learning how to use Blogger from scratch.  So far, its been interesting and easy enough...  with the very simple changes I've made. We'll see how well I do when I try to add the AFTR widget and my other widgets and advertising to this blog.

Without any further adieu, welcome to the new AFTR blog.... GOD help me with this crazy thing....