Potpourri

Happy midweek, everybody!

I want to begin by thanking everyone who stopped to offer congratulations on MBS's nine millionth hit. It's a staggering number to me too. I am pleased that readers find this blog helpful and encouraging. The content and purpose have evolved over the years, but my vision of consensual spanking as a positive, shared experience remains unchanged.

It's been a very busy spring around here. Lots of events, good, bad, and time consuming, pop up like weeds on our calendars. Real life keeps interfering with my blogging! I'd like to hope that summer heat will bring with it a slower pace, but we'll see.

In terms of spanking, we've had some ups and downs (often involving Randy's hand). Right now, I'm in one of those mindsets where the more I get, the more I want. There is a remedy, but we haven't achieved that yet...

I posted a poll about advertising on blogs a while back. The results were intriguing. After the first twenty four hours, the numbers were running strongly against. Since then, pro-advertising votes increased considerably. Even so, at last count, a solid majority (66 percent) preferred not to see ads with graphic pictures.

A couple of readers wrote me to ask whether this poll was a precursor to advertising on MBS. I assured them this was not the case. I've not collected a single dime, and as long as this blog operates under my control, it will stay that way. I would never presume to tell any other blogger what content they should present, but this is my choice.

So why the hard line? Here are three reasons:

1. As a writer, I am a bit of a control freak. One of great appeals of this medium is that I can be author, editor, owner, and publisher. The content you see here is mine. It is absolutely unfiltered and just the way I want it. Were I to accept advertising, it would be at the expense of some of that autonomy. That's not an appealing bargain, at least for me.


2. Have you seen some of these ads? This blog is not about skin. Pictures of people's private parts have no place here. The issue is not that I think the human body is ugly (quite the contrary), but if readers seek porn, there are plenty of sites that do it well. MBS has a different mission.


3. The biggest single reason why I reject advertising is that I desire to retain my editorial independence. I want readers to understand that when I say I like a product, person, or blog, it's not because I've been paid. My advocacy comes from my heart.

I imagine some readers may think this stance is idealistic and naïve. So be it. I invite them to start their own blog (and I'll probably even link it!).

Speaking of links, how do you like the new placement of the blogrolls? I found myself using the chronological blogroll a lot more often than the classic huge alphabetical list. So why not push it up to the top? I like it, and if statistics tell the story, many of you do as well.

If you haven't tried the MBS blogrolls lately, I invite you to give them a whirl. With 337 links, they're comprehensive. Let MBS be your portal to the newest and most fascinating spanking bloggers. What's more, we trim those pesky dead links and abandoned blogs so you won't waste time looking for old news.

I have plenty of ideas for future posts. Hopefully in the coming weeks, most will find their way to the blog. Until then, please know that I truly appreciate your continuing support.

Bonnie