Undesirable Consequences

Apparently there are people whose job it is to troll the internet for their bosses, find where the most eyeballs are going, and then insinuate themselves into that success with suggestions of their own (to the benefit of their own company).  This happens to me several times a week, and usually takes a predictable pattern.

#1 UC (undesirable consequence)

The person emailing me will be effusive and full of praise for my blog.  Then they will drop the URL from an article I wrote (usually several years ago), and point out that the content is outdated, no longer viable, or that the link is bad.

They, of course, have a suggestion for how I can recover from this embarrassment by substituting their brand new resource (infographic, article, etc.) for the obselete info.  Usually the info is of marginal value to my readers, and I almost always politely decline.

Here are the suggestions from the past week.

How to make Gmail your default email client

Design Software Graveyard

Top Ten Credit Card Machines for UK Businesses

I guess you could say they got their wish since I just published their suggested URL on my blog, but really…do these look like topics I’d expect my voice-over readers to clamor for?

In over 10 years of blogging, I've never made a dime on this site. In fact it's cost me a pretty penny. Click To Tweet

#2 UC 

The second type of unwanted blog hanger-on is the person who sees big dollars in a modestly successful blog like mine.  They’re usually less complimentary, blunt, and to-the-point.

They promise paltry amounts per week for being able to post what they call an unobtrusive ad on my blog that will certainly interest my readers.

I don’t post ads on my blog.  In over 10 years of blogging, I’ve never made a dime on this site.  In fact it’s cost me a pretty penny. Some might call me stupid for doing that, and I might even agree with them, but I have a deep altruistic streak, and I believe posting the blog is its own reward.  On rare occasions, I’ve endorsed products, or posted an affiliate link, but that’s usually a one-off.

My response is always, “I don’t accept ads on my blog” (they just clutter up the place, anyway, right?) 

#3 UC

Do you coach?  My blog apparently draws newbies.  They like what they see, and they ask.

No.  I don’t coach.  I’d be a hypocrite to coach.  I agree with Talent Agent Erik Sheppard who famously said that it’s irresponsible for anyone to get into VO coaching these days.  See yesterday’s blog for a tongue-in-cheek video embellishment on this theme: A Warning From the FCC.

So NO…I don’t coach, and this again could be assessed as stupidity on my part.  I typically get a 3:1 ratio of coaching requests to actual VO job offers.  I just want to do the voice work.  See my 2016 article on this:  The Trouble With Trainers.

So there you have it, the stuff you don’t see that I deal with behind the scenes.  Tough life, huh?

You?  You’re the desirable, wanted consequence of my blog.

Thanks for reading!

CourVO