The Adventures of Systemsboy has been ad-free for it's entire existence. But as I head into my fifth year I find myself thinking more and more about reaping some financial rewards from the many hours I put into this site. TASB was never planned as a financial endeavor. But our budget's been somewhat tighter with the financial crisis and all. And surely watching all that Mad Men isn't helping either. Let's face it, I've got ads on the brain.
So I'm considering a little experiment. I'm thinking of putting some subtle Google AdSense ads up. This site was, after all, intended as a learning experience, and, more than anything, I'm just plain curious what it would be like to advertise here. Just a bit. And to see if I'd make even enough money to cover my hosting costs now that I've left Blogger.
What I'd love from you guys is feedback. Two kinds, actually: I'm curious to know if anyone thinks the site is — or will become — worse with the introduction of advertisements — I can always pull the ads later if it does; and I'm curious to hear other people's experiences adding ads to their sites.
Has anyone done this sort of thing before? Is there a better way to go than AdSense? Any pitfalls?
I'd love to hear in the comments.