I’ve had this website since around 2007. Yes, I’m an OG in the game! Back when I had my TV show, my interns would constantly tell me to get on social media and start a blog. At the time, I had no clue what a blog even was and being stubborn and old-fashioned, I resisted for a long while. Eventually, someone broke it down for me, and once I finally understood, I hired a web designer to create my very first site.
Back then, it was normal to spend thousands on layouts, themes, and pages. Over the years, my blog has gone through countless changes different categories, topics, and even a short-lived gossip phase (which I quickly realized wasn’t for me, lol). But I eventually found my lane, and thankfully, you all embraced it! This platform has given me millions of views over the years and opened doors I never thought possible movies, TV shows, events, travel, and opportunities I could’ve only dreamed of.
Through it all, I’ve stayed consistent and poured my heart into creating content that I hoped would make you smile and keep you coming back. And I truly appreciate every single reader who’s been part of this journey.
But like my dear friend Sandra Rose, who started around the same time I did, I’ve seen firsthand how things have drastically changed especially with the rise of AI. Where I once averaged over 800,000 hits a week, I now see closer to 45,000 a month. I’ve pushed back with my ad agency Glam Media, but they’ve offered little help or solutions. It’s frustrating because I know I’m still producing original content. I get exclusives sent to me daily from PR companies, yet when I search online, I don’t even appear while AI-generated sites and aggregators take my work and reap the rewards.
I’ve invested years into building relationships, creating content, and maintaining this space. It’s disheartening to see Google and other platforms profit from creators while offering us nothing in return. On top of that, the financial side doesn’t add up anymore. It costs thousands each year to keep this site running, and while it still brings me joy, power, and a sense of purpose, it’s becoming harder to justify.
I love this blog. It has been my creative home, my stress relief, and my passion. But the truth is, if things don’t turn around, I may have to shut it down. Until then, I’ll keep praying, pushing, and creating because being a storyteller and a creator is who I am at the core.
Excerpt from Sandra Rose on AI/Blogging…
Penske Media, owner of Vibe.com, Rolling Stone, Variety, and Billboard, filed a lawsuit against Google over stolen AI content. The lawsuit, filed Friday in a federal court in Washington, D.C., accused the search giant of scraping content from its publishers for its artificial intelligence (AI) Overviews summaries.
AI Overviews Reduces Website Traffic, Affects Revenue, Says Penske Media
Penske noted that about 20% of Google searches linking to its sites now show AI Overviews. The figure is expected to rise, leading to a significant drop in traffic and affiliate revenue.
“As a leading global publisher, we have a duty to protect PMC’s best-in-class journalists and award-winning journalism as a source of truth,” Jay Penske, chairman, founder and CEO of PMC, said in a statement to Axios.
“Furthermore, we have a responsibility to proactively fight for the future of digital media and preserve its integrity – all of which is threatened by Google’s current actions.”
Bloggers have long complained that Google’s AI summaries reduces traffic to their sites and affects revenues.
Affected blogs include Vibe magazine (owned by Penske Media), Sandrarose.com, Talkingwithtami.com, Icecreamconvos.com, and more.
Sandrarose.com has seen a 40% drop in traffic recently.
Friend of the blog Tami Reed, owner of Talkingwithtami.com, said her blog’s traffic dropped from 400,000 page views a month to less than 5,000 page views.
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