A quick review of weblogs listed as recently updated on MSN Spaces revealed few, if any, containing more than a post or two. Many simply state, “There are no entries in this blog.” Apparently, Volvo, in its decision to sponsor MSN Spaces weblogs, did not see this as an issue. The car maker has entered a sponsorship deal with MSN Spaces whereby it will receive ad placement on the MSN Spaces homepage as well as at the top of each MSN Spaces weblog.
Ad Age reports MSN has indicated Spaces has been “wildly popular” and now has 4.5 million users. That’s all the blogosphgere needs – 4.5 million more empty, useless, pointless weblogs. Boing Boing also reported in December, when MSN Spaces launched, the blogs are heavily censored which, as Microsoft should know, really negates the entire point of publishing a weblog.
Volvo, seemingly unable to realize MSN Spaces is filled with newbies with nothing to say when a plethora of intelligent, quality blog content is right around the corner at the BlogAds blog advertising network, BlogAd Founder Henry Copeland informs Adrants the car manufacturer has not yet used the network commenting, “these MSN Spaces bloggers are writing about random stuff rather than specific, publicly useful information niches. Spaces bloggers are newbies on the fringes of the blogosphere. MSN may well have promised Volvo 100 million page impressions a month, but these are impressions seen by nobody — or more exactly “nobodies” — people who are viewed as influentials only by their moms and ex-girlfriends.”
Further questioning Volvo’s absence from the BlogAds network, Copeland made an analogy to Volvo’s well known brand position of safety saying, “If you want safety, wouldn’t you rather sponsor name-brand bloggers like Markos Moulitsas, Glenn Reynolds, Josh Marshall, Andrew Sullivan and hundreds more in blogospheres ranging from law to music to baseball? Why advertise on blogs of the anonymous once-a-monthers, when you can associate your brand – probably for lower cost – with star bloggers, folks who have national reputations in their respective fields and are the hubs for rabidly loyal communities?” Very good question, indeed, Volvo. Perhaps Volvo should speak to Audi who has fully embraced “real” weblogs with a substantial buy on the BlogAds network.
