Janet Collins
Billy MNow Bloggers Can Sell Out Too !!
January 3rd 2007 13:23
If you've ever been young and critical, then you've probably considered the moral issues of selling out, and how you can pull it off yourself. The biggest hurdle ? Actually having something to sell.
With the internet, we can all be sell-outs ! Every blogger now has access to valuable commodities - their thoughts, their audience and best of all, their integrity. This may be difficult to come to terms with, so I'll give you a minute... Done? You're sitting on a goldmine !!
But it can be a concern when all of a sudden a popular, critical, left-wing pinko ( and believe me, there's many of them ) turns around and says "BioZet powers through my laundry". It may well be true, but Greenpeace would be ashamed.
Hold fast though, because there's more to think about. Recently I stumbled across a blog screaming murder, bloody murder, that certain websites were enticing Bloggers to write reviews for money. Blogging can be time consuming and it certainly won't pay the mortgage.
It's a lot like asking the lawyer representing Saddam Hussein to stop because his client is an angry dictator. It won't happen, because he's found a way to survive - and if you want money, no appeal to morality should stop you. Unless that person is willing to pay the utilities.
Then again, joining a program like PayPerPost, CreamAid or ReviewMe may very well sacrafice your standing in the blogosphere. After all, noone wants to read a blog that is mostly advertising. We get enough of that on TV.
The biggest question here relates to the Bloggers Unwritten Code of Ethics. Should blogging be a money game?
With the internet, we can all be sell-outs ! Every blogger now has access to valuable commodities - their thoughts, their audience and best of all, their integrity. This may be difficult to come to terms with, so I'll give you a minute... Done? You're sitting on a goldmine !!
An early blogger - would he sell out?
Hold fast though, because there's more to think about. Recently I stumbled across a blog screaming murder, bloody murder, that certain websites were enticing Bloggers to write reviews for money. Blogging can be time consuming and it certainly won't pay the mortgage.
It's a lot like asking the lawyer representing Saddam Hussein to stop because his client is an angry dictator. It won't happen, because he's found a way to survive - and if you want money, no appeal to morality should stop you. Unless that person is willing to pay the utilities.
Then again, joining a program like PayPerPost, CreamAid or ReviewMe may very well sacrafice your standing in the blogosphere. After all, noone wants to read a blog that is mostly advertising. We get enough of that on TV.
The biggest question here relates to the Bloggers Unwritten Code of Ethics. Should blogging be a money game?
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Comment by Joe Blogg
Joe Blogg's Blog
manchesterunited
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I bought in.
Ted DeBiase said it best:
"Everybody has a price for the Million Dollar Man."
Comment by Nina
That being said, I don't think readers mind people making money off a blog - they just prefer it is done through other channels. It depends on the nature of your blog or website, but selling ad space and merchandise relevant to your site seems to be the way to do it. While not a blog, the webcomic Ctrl-Alt-Del does a pretty good job of that.
Comment by AnthonyB
I think, though, that that is the biggest concern for some people in the blogosphere - that people will sell their audience and integrity for money. If you're forced to swear black is blue and cancer is type of crayfish then it isn't really worth it.
Thanks for posting !
- Anthony
Comment by AnthonyB
It is unfortunate that ad placement doesn't pay quite as much as it should. Blogging is fun but it can be a lot of work, and it does cut into a lot of 'me' time.
But if you work at it, you can build quite a readership and actually make a difference in public opinion. You can have a hand in shaping people's reality. User-generated content is an amazing thing. We should see some cool things happen in the coming years! Thanks for your comment !
- Anthony
Comment by KylieW
Celebrity Obsession
Blogging is time consuming...and if you're not careful it can become all-consuming. But unfortunately it's probably never going to pay the bills. So I'll focus on readership and just the kick that you get from knowing people click on the page to hear my views on things (which is still kind of a weird thing to imagine....very cool, but still takes some getting used to). I'd hate to jeopardise that to sell out and become all about the advertising (but hey, pay me enough and there's a chance I could learn to live with it!).
Another great post as always!
KylieW
Comment by Ahmed
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Comment by AnthonyB
Yep, you can kill two birds with one stone. If you're blogging anyway, then make a few dollars on the side. Unfortunately, financial concerns can be mentally taxing, and if a few reviews have to published to save you bankruptcy, then it would be a crime not to!!
I've never really considered that aspect of things. I had almost 200 readers yesterday. I know some are getting like 800, but that's amazing ! I would never have thought so many people could read my work.
Thank you so much, Kylie, always a pleasure chatting with you.
Ahmed; No-one said anything about spelling. Where did that come from? I do get a kick from good grammer and punctuation, though. I would take money, but not for writing dodgy reviews to lead people astray. No money could compensate the moral crime of deception.