The Post Sell-Out Post
April 2, 2016 My fellow wrecky minions,
For 8 years I have steadfastly refused buy-out offers, sponsored posts, full-page ads, and every pop-up ad my network allows me to opt-out of. I have turned down "free money" in the form of after-the-click jumps, slideshows, and other unscrupulous posting practices. In short, I have done everything I possibly can to make Cake Wrecks a fun place for free laughs while still allowing John and I to do this for a living. It gets harder financially every year, as we've long since had to let go our part-time helper & guest writers, but these are standards I've never wavered on, and never will.
I thought it would be funny, then, to do something so WILDLY out of character for April Fools that you regular readers would immediately get the joke. I decided to make a CW post that looks like most other blog posts these days: a tongue-in-cheek, "sponsored post" parody.
Unfortunately, even after 8 years of writing online, I still managed to drastically underestimate the knee-jerk, jump-to-the-worst-conclusion-and-then-gather-an-angry-mob reaction of the interwebz at large. Not to mention their inability to check the calendar, and/or remember they were on a humor site. o.0
At first I took it as a compliment that so many people were falling for it, but within a few hours it was obvious things were getting out of hand. We lost readers. There was lots - and LOTS - of yelling.
;)
Some even called into question the legality of what we were doing, while others bashed poor Wilton, which of course knew nothing about our post, much less gave us a single cent in compensation.
I like to think the silent majority got the joke, had a laugh, and moved on, but regardless, John and I received a sound virtual thrashing yesterday.
I'm still rather bemused by the whole thing, but to be honest, I can't help but think: this is our thanks. This is what we get, after all these years, thousands of posts, thousands upon thousands of hours of hard work and heartache and just trying to do the right thing by our readers. After showing you guys who we are, after building a sense of trust and even community here alongside the giggles, all it took was one ill-received joke to turn us into pariahs.
Worse, it wasn't even a hurtful joke. Nothing tasteless or thoughtless or targeting any individual or group - just a parody of what everyone else online seems to be doing. Something that if we DID do (which we wouldn't), would only be because we needed the extra money to keep CW running.
To be fair, a few readers yesterday - who still didn't get the joke - were supportive. They wrote to say they understood, and everyone has to make a living, right? - and I was weirdly grateful, even while thinking, "How can you believe we would do this? Don't you know us?"
So anyway, I just wanted to say thanks to the silent majority who remembered what day it was yesterday, even if you didn't think my post was funny. And thanks to those who would support John and me even if we did "sell out." But mostly, thanks to those of you who took into account every post before yesterday's, and showed a little trust.
Now, let's get back to cake.
Because hey, I think I finally have an excuse to post this one:
;)
No foolin'.
*****
Thank you for using our Amazon links to shop! USA, UK, Canada.
Reader Comments (424)
I'm sorry they didn't get the joke. I believe nothing I see on April Fool's Day.
Honestly, if you were going to get a sponsor, Wilton would be a logical one. I know I give them enough of my money at cake decorating time.
Jen and John - you are awesome just the way you are! Please don't let those overly sensitive people bring you down. The silent majority loves you!
I didn't even connect the post with April Fool's...because every day seems like April Fool's around here.
I am, however, slightly disappointed that my dream of a Cake Wrecks line from Wilton is never going to be a reality. So many missed opportunities! Sugar balloons with questionable tails! Poo brown frosting accents galore! How To Spell: The Cake Edition practice books! Lettering sets that spell out "Happy Falker Satherhood"!
You make me laugh daily so maybe I can return the favour by telling you that those silly people who posted bad things to you yesterday were not the only ones to make an April Fools boo-boo. I thought I found the BBC's annual April Fool's Day article. It was so badly written with several 'Seriously?!' moments in it. Unusually, it was based on a person not an event but it was so obviously ludicrous I posted all about it on Facebook...then saw it on a bulletin after 12pm and again that night. Oops! Felt. So. Bad. Delete post has never been so welcome before!
Re: yesterday on CW - anyone with the sort of sense of humour to love your site should've had the sense to see yesterday as a quirky twist even if they didn't spot the date. Ignore the fools. You are both fantastic.
I didn't get to yesterday's post until this morning, (life happening, you know how it goes) but FWIW I caught the joke. I'm sorry the not-so-nice side of the 'Net erupted at y'all.
We need an Internet corollary to Murphy's Law: Anything that can be misinterpreted, will be. And people will have the vapors.
Cakewrecks (and Epbot) are my happy places on the web - I look forward to them everyday.
Yesterday's post was funny, in keeping with the day, and not in the least a source of concern for me.
Thank you, so very much, with sprinkles on top, for all you do, and don't let negatives get you down. =-)
I am SO sorry that I didn't go to the comment section on the first, just so I could have given a wake-up call to the nitwits with no sense of humor - or the date. I will admit that you got me, until the Wake-Up Fairy finally bopped me over the head with a calendar toward the end. But even then, you did not deserve to be bashed!
And even if you had picked up a sponsor, one does what one must to survive and flourish. I can certainly understand why you might be tempted to go that way. Besides, Wilton is all about home bakers, not pros... So it's not like you were "selling out" to the very people you've been keeping on their toes all this time!
Bless you both, and please keep up the good work - not all the people who read your blog are total blockheads.
Everyday is April Fool's Day on Cakewrecks. People need to stop being knee-jerking morons. I love what you do! My coworkers love what you do! You give us a good laugh every day of the week and then amaze us on Sundays. Be who you are and the hell with the rest of them!! :) <3
I've been reading, loving and sharing your posts with others for years now, but I've never posted. I just want to say thank you for your wonderful site, your hard work, your consistently entertaining content, your honesty and creativity and everything else that makes cakewrecks special. It's very disappointing to see how fickle and rude people can be. I appreciate you and cakewrecks and your April fools joke! (I actually didn't see yesterday's post til today but really... The things people get upset about o.O)
Jen and John: the Internet is a scary place...you guys are brave souls to put yourselves out there every day. Thanks for all you do. Cake wrecks and epbot are two of my favorite blogs....been reading for years. Your creativity and humor are inspiring on a daily basis.
So I didn't even get that it was a joke about sponsorship (I'm slow) I thought it was just a tongue in cheek joke like the pan wow post. Honestly you guys have been making me laugh from the beginning and maybe you should relax today with a smile on your face...it takes a lot to fool people on April fool's day and you guys obviously pulled it off.
Thanks for all the laughs, you guys are awesome!
Irony and satire sometimes don't translate well on the interwebz. There were recipes posted on real journalistic Facebook pages yesterday that I don't trust because I can't tell if they are real. Anyway, I hate April Fool's Day ... and pranks ...but I love CW. And Wilton should so send you a check for yesterday. Wreck on.
I've been visiting this place for three or so years, first time commenting. This place is where I go to start the day with a chuckle, and a little drooling when looking at the sunday sweets. I even show my favorites to my husband and friends so they too can get a good laugh. I just wanted to let you both know that I love what you two do! I have always appreciated all the hard work that it must take to keep a place like this running. *hugs* I saw the post yesterday and thought it was hilarious, it is a shame that you both got such flak from people who thought it was real. :(
Coming out of lurkdom to say that you are awesome, the Internet is insane, and if you ever decide to have a sponsored post so that you can keep doing what you do, I am ON BOARD.
Actually, I took the post in the same tongue-in-cheek style you did everything else. Totally forgot the date. Didn't even consider that what you'd done was a "sponsored" thing, just that you were taking the piss out of the cake wreckers. Again.
To those who gave you a hard time, i guess that it's hard to remember that on the internet, there are very, very few friends. And even fewer firing neurons.
Keep up the great work! Lotsa laughs over the years, I hope there's many more!
I read the post yesterday and thought, " I wonder how many people aren't going to get this."
I had no idea there would be so many. I'm sorry.
Cake Wrecks is my favorite blog.
After all this time.
Always.
That's the first time I've laughed at getting RickRolled. I should have known better, but I clicked anyway and it was funny.
April fools is the bane of my existence, because I can be fairly literally minded and a lot of people seem to think "funny" and "mean" are synonyms. There are always things I don't clue into and some of them are hurtful. But yours I just thought "OK, this is a post in the style of an infomercial" and then "okay, I guess they have a sponsor. Seems out of character but I guess doing an over the top intro post would be a good way of demonstrating that they not really going to chang -- oh wait it's April first. I bet those links are rickrolls. Ha, good one, cake wrecks". Can't imagine anyone getting worked up about it, but people never fail to disappoint! I'm sure a lot of them will be back when they clue in (and hopefully some will realise that they're pretty lucky to have great daily content for free, too!)
Another silent majority. Never commented before, but a daily reader. I'm sorry for dumb people. I loved the post yesterday. Thanks for all you do to bring more laughter and fun into the world.
Another member of the silent majority here. I love you guys. I got the joke. I didn't click through to the comments; I usually don't. I hope that your detractors will see this post and feel silly. And then send you an apology cake. :)
It's insane to me how entitled people feel to receive FREE content that other people put so much time and work into! I didn't get that it was joke, but I wasn't bothered by it in the slightest. At first I thought it was just a comedic device you were using, then that it was actually a sponsored post, and finally that it was weird that Wilton would want to advertise with a website about cake wrecks. Regardless, I just thought "that was different" and moved on! Sorry to hear other "fans" reacted in such an extreme and selfish way... Thanks for all the laughs over the years!
we still love you and get your humor ('cuz it is just like ours!) sending you virtual hugs!
Um.. call me the silent majority but... I didn't notice it was an April Fool's joke. I just thought it was another hilarious cake post. Keep it up! You make me laugh (chuckle, snort, and gaffaw) nearly every day. And your Sunday Sweets posts inspire me!
Silent majority here: I'm so sad to read this post. You guys make me laugh every day. Even yesterday. I don't think we readers realize everything you do to bring us smiles on a regular basis! I'm so sorry you got blasted. You are truly appreciated.
I loved yesterday's post and I'm sorry I didn't say it. I totally got that it was a joke and it was one of many things that had me grinning from the moment I woke up yesterday; I thought all the jokes running around the internet were especially good this year and I can't believe people are catching heat for making others smile.
I am sad about all the anger directed your way. Your work here and on Epbot has been lovely, and I hope that you guys continue to give that gift for a long time despite a (hopefully small, proportionately speaking) lack of graciousness on the receiving end.
I've been a social media admin for a website since 2011. I thought I had seen every kind of butthurt known to man, but those dinklefwats from yesterday take the cake. (Look! I made a punny!) I am sorry. I love this site and read it daily, even checking for surprise posts on Saturdays, though I rarely comment. Just know that you are loved and appreciated.
I live on the other side of the Date Line, so it wasn't even April Fools Day here when I read the post, and I still thought it was very funny and clever, and assumed nobody would be taken in past the first few links - it was so over-the-top and obviously a parody.
Sorry to hear you got such flack for it. Just goes to prove, there's a lot of people on the internet who start typing before they start thinking...
You so totally should do ads just like that for real because it was very funny. Make money how you can because this blog is too funny to lose. Thanks for all the laughs and I will keep on reading!! Wish a business could appreciate an ad like your April Fool's one.
I thought it was funny. I came in expecting a joke, and there was a joke, and it was funny.
And hey, at least you did better than GMail!
So please turn your frowns upside down C: .
Thank you for everything!
Thanks for the daily laughs and Sunday Sweets!
Thanks for the secret door into Amazon! (I feel like Fred and George!) Love you forever!
The meanies will miss out in the future and that is their loss! But I bet they'll be back because your blog is TOO good so let's hope they'll apologise. Keep it up for those of us that love you and have better things to do then moan when you try something new!
I wish I'd said something yesterday, now! I didn't want to acknowledge the joke and ruin it for others who fell for it... :( I thought it was funny!
Some people are on auto-offend, I swear...and today, when they realize they were fooled, they'll probably still be mad because "you made them look bad!" Idjits.
Those of us with more brains than butt-holes think you are brilliant and awesome, and we love you!
Just want to come out from lurking to say that I thought it was funny.
I can honestly say I thought it was just one more silly way to frame a post. For all that I WAS looking for jokes on the first, I didn't get it - I just looked at the cakes and went on.
To all those who got y about this site 'selling out': seriously people, get over yourselves. These fine bloggers owe us NOTHING. They've already GIVEN us a regular stream of mirth. Be happy with what you've got and be happy if you get some more. And if you don't - then just walk away. Heaping abuse on people who gave you stuff for free because you don't like how they do it is NOT OK.
Please, PLEASE don't let the idiots who didn't get your wonderful joke yesterday discourage you!! I love your blogs, and know its tricky putting stuff (even subtle humor) out for public viewing. Keep up the wonderful writing, creative jokes and clever ideas!!
for what it's worth, I didn't get the joke and totally forgot about AFD. I also didn't get mad a you; it didn't even occur to me to get mad. Wondered if maybe it was a sponsored post, but since you didn't say it was I figured it was just some silliness on your part that I as a cake outsider didn't 100% understand. And the wrecks were still funny, so, no prob.
Signed,
an ever-loyal reader
Please ignore the haters. Some people get their pants in a wad over everything. It's not for them to decide what you do or how you do it. Thank you for making me laugh every day and keeping CW ad free. I appreciate it!
That's so frustrating. Thanks for always making me laugh out loud. People are stupid, and what better way to make them come out of the woodwork and make them show themselves than with an April FOOLS day joke.
Keep it up!
I love Cake Wrecks, and would still read/support you guys even if you did sell out! Hahaha That aside, I also vowed early yesterday morning not to believe anything I heard or read yesterday, knowing what the date was! (My sister *almost* got me with a fake Patrice Bergeron/Boston Bruins prank article, but I saw it for what it was too!)
Keep up the great work and I hope none of my cakes ever appear on here! (But I'll giggle along if any do!)
Silent majority here <3 love your posts! HOHOS NOT HATEMAIL
I got it, thought it was funny, and moved on. It's the internet on April Fool's, who doesn't understand how this works by now?
I got the joke and chuckled. I thought it was well done. you can count me as part of the (no longer) silent majority.
I'm so so sorry that April Foolin' got so out of hand for you yesterday. I was more than surprised that Wilton's had even asked you (but I'm the best dupe evar on that fool of an April day)...anyway...I know it's not much but I appreciate what you are doing and how you make me smile (and shake my head) everyday. Thank you for not giving up on us!!! <3 <3 <3
Yikes! I don't usually comment but I guess I should have yesterday, because I thought it was pretty funny. I'm sorry you had to go through all that. :( You guys rock!
Another member of the silent majority here. Another first time poster. OK, I admit I didn't get the joke, sorry. In retrospect, I really should have. I'll blame it on being semi-distracted by mini people while trying to get my Cake Wrecks in. The post was really funny. I actually gave mental props to Wilton for sponsoring a blog like this. They gained brownie (cake?) points from me! I'm a little sad on their behalf now that I know they aren't actually sponsoring you. What a missed opportunity to be cool!. :)
Silent Majority making themselves known! I love your site and share it often! Don't let negativity from stupid people get you down. I am sorry you ever get negative reviews because you provide such a wonderful service of bring us little things to laugh at in a cold world. (Plus highlighting the decay of our standards and educational system!) :-) You are wonderful and please don't ever stop!
I'm sorry to hear you guys got such a lashing! Thank you for all of your years of comedy and for opening up your lives to us (both here and on Epbot). I know the Internet can be a callous and cruel place sometimes, but I'm glad that you stay here to help make it a little bit friendlier!
I for one, wouldn't blame you if you did pick up a sponsor, and I know and trust that you aren't the sort of folks who would bombard us with ads anyway. That said, I did indeed realize it was likely an April Fool's deal, and simply enjoyed your efforts to entertain us. If someone didn't take it as intended, then they aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer and should probably stay out of the gene pool.
Sigh. I'm so sorry people (a) didn't get the joke (which I found to be HILARIOUS, despite the lack of penis/turkeys) and (b) people who didn't get the joke found it their privilege to be mean to two people who clearly dedicate their time, attention, and resources beyond time and attention, to what is OBVIOUSLY a labor of love.
Which reminded me that I've never actually stopped by to say thanks (or, "tanks", "tahnk you", or "THANK YOU underneat"). Thanks. You make me laugh, brighten my day, and remind me that we all make mistakes...and some are more visible than others.
Wishing you well and as many years of joy from this as you can wring out of it - 'cause I'm pretty sure I'm never going to tire of those cakes.*
*Okay, the cut-into lifelike baby and belly cakes do freak me out a little...