Staci over at PaidContent.org pointed me toward the new ad network that was just launched by BlogHer, the women’s blogger network that started as a conference and has become much more than that. There’s more info on it here, but it looks like a slam-dunk idea to me (not that anyone asked me, of course). The service is starting with about 25 of the BlogHer network’s bloggers — not sure if that’s all of them or just the top 25 (it’s neither; see the comment from Debi Jones below) — including Badgermama (the mommy blogger with the purple hair), CityMama, Chookooloonks (a Jamaican Trinidadian term of endearment, in case you were wondering), Ninja Poodles and Surrender Dorothy.
As Staci explains it, the network is launching June 1 with a single advertiser — Sweet Simplicity Sweetener — and adding other ones later, in “contextual categories” starting with food. Participating bloggers agree that it will be the only graphic ad on their blogs, and agree to editorial guidelines. There’s a letter from the founders of BlogHer (Elisa Camahort, Lisa Stone and Jory Des Jardins) about the new venture here. This reminds me a little of The Deck, which Coudal Partners launched with a select group of blogs including Daring Fireball and Kottke.org. I wrote about that here.
Update:
Debi Jones of mobilejones.com also points out that there’s competition in the mommy-blogger space: a site called ClubMom.com has also launched a blogger and advertising network, in which bloggers are paid to post at least 5 times a week.