End of Nuffnang
By 
As some of you would have noticed by now, the free advertising for Nuffnang has ceased from today. Despite all the hype built around Nuffnang, I must have appeared silly to do so.
As some bloggers came to know about me, I do not blog for money. Therefore, putting up these advertisements served only two purposes. The first is to create breakage between lines and lines of words, for cosmetical reasons. The second, is to have a go at these advertisements and see how truthful are the hype behind each of them. We will never know, until we try it right?
After talking to a few fellow bloggers, I began to realise that I am not the only one who was contemplating with this thought and also not the only one putting this thought into realistic action. Removal of Nuffnang that is. Of course, everyone of us have our own reasons for doing so. However, some of the reasons seemed to be a common one among all those whom have removed Nuffnang’s logo from their intended advertising place.
1. Waiting time
The waiting time is simply not worth the wait. Although Nuffnang carries a slogan of Asia’s First Blog Advertising Community, the experience I have had is far from that. Of all the advertising affiliates I have used as you can see in my blog, Nuffnang is the ONLY ONE in my blog with such a long waiting time without any deliverance of advertisements. Any other advertising affiliates do not come with the hype Nuffnang has enjoyed, but they surpassed Nuffnang in one simple area. Immediate deliverance of advertisements!
Never mind if Adsense displays irrelevant advertisements time and again, never mind if Amazon widget looks nice without anyone actually purchasing a book, never mind if Advertlets is reportedly slow in chalking up income. The point is, they delivered the advertisements! What’s an online advertising affiliate - without the advertisements!?
Even if someone says I am eating the sour grapes because I get no advertisements, bloggers whom have recently been paid also agreed that it takes some time for advertisements to appear.
2. Minimum traffic required
The minimum traffic indicated in Nuffnang’s signup page is 20 unique visits. I ought to be very thankful and touched by their kind gesture to allow my blog with very humble traffic rate to sign up, but truthfully I am not. This requirement is like a white elephant sitting there, with no realistic indication of how that will help advertisers and publishers.
Does Adsense require a minimum traffic to your site? The answer is obvious. Does Advertlets ask for a minimum amount of traffic to your site? The Advertlets advertisements flashing in my blog tells you the answer. Therefore, Nuffnang can set it at 20 unique visitors, 50 unique visitors or even 100 unique visitors it will not make alot of difference. It’s only a matter of how many people will be able to sign up, and the amount of people signing up does not equate to the same amount of bloggers who will be publishing advertisements. The minimum requirement also does not automatically mean you will be “pushed” for advertisements.
3. Numerical beauty
Asia’s advertising affiliates seems to be caught up with the obsession behind the numerical game of signups. In Nuffnang’s blog, it was reported that the Singapore community has breached the 4,000 membership mark. Impressive aye!?
One question remains, how many of these 4,000 members are actively serving advertisements? For Adsense & Advertlets advertisements, I see them everywhere! If I am an advertiser, I think I will worry about the kind of exposure I can get from Nuffnang compared to other advertising affiliates. If you have 4,000 memberships and all 4,000 memberships are active with advertisements then I will say that is something very impressive indeed.
The first Nike Advertisement campaign had only 13 blogs selected reportedly. Now go figure.
4. Recommendation of blogs
If you bothered to look into the Advertiser signup page, you would have realised the last step in their process is recommending a list of blogs for advertisers to choose from. That’s meaning to say, if your blog is not among those recommended you are plain wasting your time.
Of course, certain requirements goes into such a list. It can be anything from your site’s traffic to contents of your blog. One reason why you failed to see advertisements on your blog could be due to advertiser’s selection. You may not be the kind of blog advertisers want if you are writing about sex or celebrities caught nude all the time. The other reason is, you are not even recommended in the first place. Hence, you can display the Nuffnang logo (Reminder: publicity for FREE~! for as long as you don’t see advertisement) for three months and you can still get no advertisements.
Of course, what is truthfully going on behind the scene, we will never know. I bet they will get cursed and swore at if they showed anything that says zero recommendation done for any blogs registered to their advertising platform.
Meanwhile, I will let Advertlets and Adsense fill up the slots with immediate (or almost) advertisements served. Adsense took about 4 days before the advertisements appeared and it is gradually stabilizing with more relevant advertisements. Advertlets on the other hand, is looking pretty with their advertisements. The advertisements are more relevant to our countries unlike Adsense, and again it is the deliverance. I am definitely keeping Advertlets because the advertisements look so pretty instead of looking at an unpaid logo. Don’t you feel the same?
No amount of media coverage or publicity can cover up for the lack of deliverance, in my blog at least. If any more friends (especially those with unique visits lesser than mine) ask me about Nuffnang, two words - FORGET IT!
I preach again… DELIVER DELIVER DELIVER!
*initially posted in my personal blog*
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I took down Nuffnang a long time ago and basically had the same conclusions as you do, but I didn’t blog it because I didn’t think it worth the time. Plus, it’s not in tandem with the theme of my blog.
Besides, I aim my blog at an international audience and AdSense does that very well in terms of targeting ads for specific regions. Nuffnang only applies to Singaporean visitors — good only if you specifically write content meant for local readers.
Shalom.
Sicarii: True to some aspects. Adsense is indeed good for international audience. But even if I am writing majorly for local audiences, it may not necessary work. The state of Singapore’s blogosphere is another question mark in itself.
true depends on your blog niche
bottomline - as long it earns for me, i’ll keep on displaying it
Sha: Yea that’s for sure, for those who are already earning it’s considerable to keep. For those whom have not been receiving any single bit, it’s good to dump.
The state of the local blogosphere is another topic altogether. Let’s not go there yet.
Sicarii: Don’t worry, because I am already speechless. LOL!
They aint delivering the ads because you aint getting the traffic they want. I can only say that Nuffnang is more of a very topic specialized advertising company. Your site is the topic they like, you get the money, if not too bad. I myself only have 1 advertisement given so far out of 3 or 4 months and that is the nike advertisement. It is most probably because my review on the game Fifa 08 got into google search engine with decent ranking and from there on they thought a lot of my visitors are like soccer related etc. Thus, nike chose my site to be one of the few. Anyways, different methods of advertising are for different people. Some may work for others but not you. Some reported that adsense earns them nuts while adbrite (another PPC and contextual advertising company) earns them a lot. It all depends on you blog.
P.S I only earned 1.40 from that nike advertisement. Kind of little but can be quite a sum of money if the advertisements keep coming in.
Swift
Swift: That is why I said the 20 unique visitors is nothing more than a white elephant.
On the other hand, I do know of a girl who was given the Nike ad but she doesn’t blog about sports at all. Relevance of content seems to be a myth in this case. It’s possible for Uncle Sha since I know he has a blog entirely on sports related issue.
We should not also discount the possibility that advertisers only choose from what they present. If yours is not presented than just like you, many left dangling there with no ads. That is also what I meant by free ads for Nuffnang. 4000 memberships… but so what?
same.. I took it down.. but I didn’t blog it…
Sylv: It’s not really a must to blog it. Hahaha… My intention is not to slam Nuffnang. Just that I am tired of having to explain to all my friends one by one and always end up repeating the same thing. So might as well put it in a post and everyone can read.
Even if I am lamenting (haha!), it’s quite similar to how PayPerPost getting themselves bitten back in their arses.
Hmm … seems like I’m might be the only one who like Nuffnang. I agree there is waiting time but I feel that the wait is worth it. I dont blog for money too but since I want put up ads then might as well earn money from it. And so far the money I earned from Adsense + Advertlets is not even half of what I have earn from Nuffnang.
Well, you definitely can’t compare with Google Adsense because they work using contextual technology compared to manual selection in Nuffnang’s case.
The same issue exists with other ad networks, e.g. Adbrite.com, but considering the size of the local market (i.e. tiny) and advertisers just moving into the online space, Nuffnang’s problem looks more profound.
Still, there maybe something good in this because it’s a natural elimination of blogs that aren’t “desirable” for advertisers. I don’t know why Nuffnang emphasize on the number of bloggers they have, when it should be the number of eyeballs they can show to. If Pareto’s law applies here, then only 20% of those blogs is enough to attract 80% of the traffic.
Actually, not all ad networks work for everyone. I had a few nuffnang ads so far, my audience are mostly marketing professionals, not sports. For adsense, adbrite and so on, I had mixed experience. Adsense is slow, but steady. Adbrite was quite bad for me, have removed it. Amazon ads look nice, but totally zero. Kontera worked on some sites, not on others, and so on… In the end, we blog to share our experience, to network with others and hope the ads help us to defray our hosting and domain costs. If it buys the coffee, so much the better!
Larry: Thanks for sharing. I have not used Adbrite before so it’s good to hear from other sources as well. The emphasis on the amount of bloggers at their disposal is probably a selling point for them towards advertisers. While it makes Nuffnang looks “great”, how many advertisements are effectively pushed out into blogs is another matter. Like you put it, it’s a misrepresentation of sorts.
Vivienne: Thanks for sharing your insights too. I think your example there has also proven it is not the content that matters. They just want the traffic that’s all. If that’s the case, then I think it is very valid that the 20 unique visitors requirement is just a white elephant.
Actually the advertisers choose whether if they WANT to or NOT to publish in EVERY single member’s site. You see, if they would to do that, they have to pay more. It is not Nuffnang’s choice on whether the ads ought to be given to all members site or not, its at the advertisers disposal. Thus the amount of bloggers is indeed a selling point as it just gives the advertisers more choices to choose from thus to make their own advertising effective.
In conclusion, I felt that you have that misinterpretation that it is Nuffnang that controls whether the ad should be placed at one site or not.
Swift: In that sense, I agree. But wouldn’t such an affiliate already know before hand that it’s only second nature that an advertiser will want bloggers with as high traffic as possible? Given that, what’s the point of 20 unique visitors then? Sign up to make them look good but end of the day a whole load don’t get the ads for failing the “criteria”. What’s the point again?
very interesting discussion …
The 20 uniques is perhaps what they promised the advertisers? For that I am not too sure but even if you have less than 20 uniques you can still join nuffnang no? I don’t know what system they have in place and to find out, I have to subscribe as an advertiser myself. Perhaps then I would be able to see the advertiser’s panel etc.
In any case, this is one of the possibility:
Advertisers pay a FIXED amount per blog.
It is promised by NUFFNANG that each blog have at least 20 uniques.
From that, advertisers wont have to go into the trouble of wondering if they need to pay more or less etc. What I mean is the 20 uniques is a reassurance to the advertisers that when they advertise, there are people viewing it.
I like to strongly put forward one point which I still see that you might have minunderstood
People dont get the ads NOT BECAUSE of failing the critera (20 uniques per day etc)
People get the ads BECAUSE the advertisers choose them.
However, how the advertisers choose I am not sure. Perhaps nuffnang has a list whereby it promotes bloggers they prefer? Thus some having advertisements continuously while others dont? I cannot be certain with that but just to make presumptions. But with such evidence and experiences with others, that ought to be the case.
Once more, I stress that:
NO Ads = Advertisers never choose you
NO Ads NOT = below 20 uniques
P.S Actually if your site have only 1 unique per day, nuffnang wont delete your member acocunt wont they?
I dislike the idea of displaying nuffnang own self promo ad instead of others despite waiting for like 3 months with no ads.
Recently I signed up blog2u.sg and although they don’t pay a lot but at least it is better than doing free advertisements for nuffnang getting zero cents. I can still get a good 3 dollars for displaying the ad for just 30 days and after that take down. For nuffnang it is 90 days and zero cents!
Oh, at least cherry replied to me almost immediately and not nuffnang that goes MIA.
Also i noticed that nuffnang tends to give so much more of those that keep praising how good they are. They seems more related to nuffnang then like any bloggers like us. Invested interests?
Anyway i am fed up like many of you so now it is blog2u and advertlets for me.
Swift: I am afraid you misunderstood my point totally. Failing the criteria can mean above 20 unique visitors and below what the advertisers and Nuffnang is realistically looking at. Or it can also mean the content is not suitable. However, a few with with unrelevant contents but with Nuffnang tells us another truth, that content is not the problem but it’s the traffic they are after.
You mentioned; From that, advertisers wont have to go into the trouble of wondering if they need to pay more or less etc. What I mean is the 20 uniques is a reassurance to the advertisers that when they advertise, there are people viewing it.
Do you for a second, honestly feel that Nuffnang is able to go through 4000+ blogs one by one manually, plus reading the contents?
Another thing is blogs which are on the lower end but above 20 unique visits provides an assurance to advertisers, and so now I ask… they have helped Nuffnang to gain the assurance and confidence from advertisers. What’s in it for them? Nothing. Because the ads are thrown to the highest traffic sites. In that case, why should anyone be taken advantage of by doing free publicity when they have nothing to gain at all? Common sense?
Nicole: I can understand your frustrations equally, but I am not to that extend yet.
I don’t earn from blogging, nor do I intend to sit my ass at home waiting to make a fortune off blogging. So having ads or not, doesn’t hurts me much. Given the hype that has been written everywhere, I tested it out and it happens to be the direct opposite of what the hype tells us.
What is a good reason for anyone to give up a prime spot to wait “indefinitely” for Nuffnang? Is nuffnang paying much much more? Not really too. I read about the recent payouts and the amount from friends who received the cheques, that sum of money can be easily made with other affiliates. You don’t actually have to wait for 90 days of free publicity.
In another words, nuffnang gets 4000 bloggers to advertise for it for free!
Nicole: I am not really sure though. But those without ads are DEFINITELY doing free publicity. That’s a standing fact that we cannot deny.
I am sure there are guys getting ads too, but so happen most of the blogs that get regular ads are by female bloggers. On my side, other than Swift above who has one advertisement within the space of 3 to 4 months, there are no male bloggers on my side that received ads. All are female.
Hey =) Well they put up an ad in my blog for a week and thats like $1.40 LOL
Anyway, I don’t think people really care if they have 20 unique visitors each day. Some people who don’t get 20 unique visitors a day also sign up for Nuffnang.
Valery: The point is not the signup as itself. You can have Osama or George Bush both hugging each other and sign up together with 10 unique visitors each, they still will not get the ads. So why bother doing free publicity like the majority, when you are not the ones they are factually catering to?
I thought they got Citibank, Nike, F&N, Clearasil, Singapore Tourism Board, Twisties and Tunes Hotel lately? Still no ads on your blog?
Well, actually, if you look at it this way, nuffnang seems to work better for blog celebrities. The rest of the bloggers just don’t get it.
Perhaps Advertlets and blog2u would be a better choice for blogs with lower traffic.
DK: Not just me, alot of people none. You will see Wokking Mum’s cooking blog, see Bobo’s trivial blog, Kriscell’s blog on his work, see Xue’s blog on her daily trivials too… there a whole lot more examples that are evident that Nuffnang is not content based but solely traffic based.
My blog was chosen for the first NIKE ad (and earned a total of $12 for displaying it for 2 weeks). That was a few months back and up till now, I have had no ads served at all! Also, they promised that I’m getting a NIKE bag for doing a review, but up till now, I still have no news with regards to that.
I sometimes wonder what their criteria is. Comments above talk about blog topics, but my blog is not sports related so why the NIKE ad? If it’s traffic they want, I can say that I really think my traffic is higher then some of those currently serving ads, so how come I’m not serving any?
Ah wells. In any case, I’m just going to leave their banner there at the moment until I get other better deals.
And fyi, I think advertlets does score well with me. I added them onto my website AFTER nuffnang, but have already managed to earn around $200.
Hi all,
To clear up some of the speculation that is going on in this thread, let me just spend some time discussing how we work.
First of all, we do pitches to advertisers. If they like the idea of advertising on blogs, they say ok, here is some money, lets say 2,000 dollars, give us the number of visitors that amount to that.
They also set down criteria most commonly, age group and gender of your blog audience. I go back into my system, and i put these filters on, and a list is churned out, which i send in totality to the advertiser, who chooses/approves/dissaproves the bloggers.
It is not so much about the “content” of your blog as in who is reading it. For example, some campaigns might run off 13-18’s blogs like clearasil for example (of course clearasil has also older audience), some might run off older crowds (like nike plus, 24-30).
Unfortunately, much as I would love to give everybody ads, there is a finite amount of money in the advertising world. Partcularly for this medium. If you think about it, the more money you make, the more money Nuffnang makes.
We are focussing on getting more advertisers for our publishers, and this will always remain the focus. The responsibility of dealing out ads to 5,000 nuffnangers rest with me, and so I know what I have to do.
We have a business model that is sound. And we do not rack up “virtual” debt that when due, might go unpaid. We take into consideration our costs, and our revenue to ensure we have enough money to pay out all our bloggers when they reach cashout.
Have a good day ahead.
Best,
Ming
And there are ads literally running on hundreds of blogs this week.
CLEARASIL
From the biggest blogger, xiaxue.blogspot.com, to more modest bloggers http://cherries-everywhere.blogspot.com/
STB
Again, high traffic blog, thy-dowager.blogspot.com, to modest traffic blog, http://bumannavojbum.blogspot.com/
Nike
http://anntonii.blogspot.com/
Tunes Hotel
http://chobitss.blogspot.com/
You will forgiveme if I do not list the hundreds of blogs.
I need to run for an advertiser appointment now. TC all.
Best,
Ming
Oh and faddy, You didnt get your nike bag!
I thought I passed it to you! I didn’t get any emails from disgruntled people like yourself!
I will email you and follow up! Thanks!
Ming ming, where is my bag?
Out of the whole thread, the most useless reply i see here belongs to SHA.
SHA > for those who are already earning it’s considerable to keep. For those whom have not been receiving any single bit, it’s good to dump.
This sentence is as good the not saying it. You dont need a someone so smart like Sha to tell people what to do when they are earning or not right? SHA?
Hey, one more thing to add!
“Actually, the ad campaigns that run on your blog are not built directly before the campaign starts. Some might be built weeks before the actual starting date, so it might be because the particular ad campaign was built when you were at a lower band. :)”
This was the reply I got from the NuffNang help desk. Meaning? Even before ads are run, NuffNang already know how much you would be paid. They take the amount of visitors before the ad campaign have even started, and count it towards the ad campaign traffic.
My point is, since they are the back end party, you will never know what other absurd stuffs they can choose to do. I would say, use at your own risk.