A word about Patheos

Those who endure the slings and arrows of following my ramblings will remember that I was at the website Patheos for about a year.  It was - an experience.  It mostly consisted of those to the Left descending on a non-leftist thinker with scorn and ridicule, some trolling, and a few wanting mature discourse and debate.   I'll admit I dropped the ball in not regulating the comments better, something not a few pointed out during my time there, and it ended up costing me readers.  Strangely enough, people got tired of seeing the same old trolls chewing up the comments section, and I suppose that was one of the goals of the trolls in question.

Nonetheless, on the topic of readers, I want to correct something.  I just saw another Catholic who blogs on Patheos mock the idea that they're making any money by doing so.  I've seen that a hundred times from different individuals on Patheos if I've seen it once.  It's an often repeated claim, that it's stupid to think they're in it for the money.

This is true, to a point.  Yes, you get paid on Patheos based on how many hits each post receives.  Likewise, Patheos benefits by how many hits all of its contributors receive.  My guess is that's why I was allowed to blog there, since they figured someone who wasn't a progressive conformist might generate quite a reaction.  And I did.  Even though much of it was trolling, it wasn't anything for my throw away posts to generate dozens of comments, not to mention the endless visits to each that came from such attention.  Sometimes the comments soared into the hundreds. 

Whether trolls or not, it was the goal to get more visits to the page nonetheless.  While the main contributors could have made a pretty penny if they had visitors and readers by the millions, most were nowhere close to getting that much money.  The money I got would have brought me an extra order of nuggets with that happy meal.  Once a month.

So those contributors - Catholics included - who mock the idea that they're in the money are right then?  Well, not so much.  You see, the main reason to be on Patheos isn't the money, it's the exposure.  And there are some there who are nowhere near the biggest contributors who, nonetheless, have expanded their horizons and aided their own vocations and careers by being on Patheos.  The main way to do that, of course, is generating viewership on your blog. You do that by getting people to read your posts.

I just wanted to throw that out there.  I've seen it posted so many times, those mocking the idea that Patheos gets you anything.  True, it might not give you cash, but if you play your cards right, it can get you into a position where you'll not just get greater exposure, but exposure in such a way that the cash will follow.  And the way you do that?  Getting visits to your posts.   I doubt that is a fact missed by so many who say such things.

Next time you see someone downplay making money at Patheos, remember that.  Remind them that they no doubt don't make much money on Patheos, but it's also likely that money isn't the goal in the first place.