Normally when I get crap in my email I just delete it. However, this particular email disturbed me on a few levels. Let me explain:
The offer:
They want to sponsor my weblog. This weblog. They want me to earn money, money, money through their sponsorship.
What’s in it for me:
Money and higher traffic to this little blog.
What’s in it for them:
Money from their sponsors because – and here’s the part I hate – I would be publishing their articles and links, which they would blog about and drive traffic to my site.
Why I hate it:
Because it’s lying to your blog community. Here you are posting per usual, only now you’re posting content for which you’re paid to post. And you’re not telling your audience (or you are). Doesn’t matter. In my book, this is a blog meant to build trust and community. It’s not a place to whore out someone’s product or service. If I promote something here it’s because I’ve tried it and I love it, not because I’ve been paid to do so.
How it differs from being paid to write someone else’s blog:
It’s different because you’re not mixing personal with business. I write three other blogs at the moment. All three of them are for different businesses. The theme – business and product-related. Never is there the sense that this is just a casual conversation among friends.
I looked at some of their sample articles. They give you one or two sentences and expect you to register to view the rest (not happening). Those sentences? “There are still other hot places on earth that you may want to visit aside from Europe or the Caribbean. An example of which is Bhutan.” Let’s not even mention the grammatical problems with that – let’s go straight for the excitement level – zero. Relevance to this blog? Again, zero. Think Demand Studios, eHow.com, and any other content mill. Some writer somewhere is getting screwed payment-wise in order to line this company’s pockets with money. Call me a prude, but I don’t think promoting the exploitation of writers is something I’m willing to do in order to make strangers rich.
I won’t tell you the name of the company – I refuse to promote them in any way. If they want to make money, let them find another way or someone else. Promises of money I’ll probably never see won’t sway me any more than promises of more traffic. I’m protective of my people. I smell a sour deal when I see one. The quickest way to kill morale is to take away trust and the bond that connects you. No thank you. I’ll earn my money same as always – without screwing over my visitors.
Have you seen this offer? What disturbing offers have you received?
15 responses to “Disturbing Trend of the Day”
Yes, I've gotten several of those. My response has always been; A) you've obviously never even read my blog and what you want me to post is irrelevant to the subject and B) You can't afford me.
Buh-bye!
This, in addition to your point about the total lack of ethics involved.
Further to that, my personal blog is just that — personal. It gives readers a view into whatever's going well and/or sucking at the moment. I don't even allow ads on the blog — why would I let someone else's badly written material on it?
Writing a business blog for someone else is totally different. When I write the content, it's aimed to show off the business and excite potential customers about said business. When I visit a business-oriented blog, that's the content I expect — not irrelevant content mill crap.
Precisely that, Devon. What concerns me is the way these companies attempt to sway writers by suggesting this is perfectly acceptable. It's not. If you're writing a blog slanted toward making you money, chances are I'm already not interested, so go for it. But don't cross the line – don't mask a business interest under the guise of a personal relationship with your readers.
I know of a few writers' blogs that are bastardizing content. I removed them from my subscription list ages ago. It just feels cheap. Mind you, if this were a blog that was selling something to the reader – such as writing coaching, computers, or insurance – sure. Sell away. But I see no correlation between these marketing companies and any content relevant enough to the reader of that blog. Do it yourself or your audience will abandon you.
The only advertising I ever do is sometimes-no rarely- I have a tie in with Amazon on a book review or a film. I have full control over what is selected. Of course, especially with films, I quite often dislike the film so it is hardly much of a sell-out.
But back to your post, look around. It seems like everybody's opinion is being bought and sold nowadays. You know I read that in China, the government pays average citizens to write comments on blogs and forums to support the party line. They are call "50 centers" because that how much they are paid per comment.
Keeping the reader is beyond any price as far as I am concerned. There are too many sell-outs in this world.
Thanks for posting this. I am new to the blogging world, and some of the blogs I have stumbled upon seem to have bought into this sort of thing. It seems like their articles have nothing to do with the description of their blog, and nothing really to do with anything except for selling some company's product. It's kind of strange, and I wonder why they even have readers anymore.
Anyway, thanks for the post, and for taking a stand.
Nomad, you're right. You lose the reader, and you're now the sound of one hand clapping.
Sandra, they're easy to spot, aren't they? One particular blog on writing posted about mortgage rates. Huh? I'm sorry – a quick buck is nothing if you've lost your reader. We're writers. Our goal is to appeal to our audience, not appeal to the advertisers.
Glad you both posted. 🙂
Lori, I think most of your regular readers like the community feel you've cultivated here. Why would you want a sudden onslaught of one-shot visitors who aren't interested in writing? Besides, once they get here, they'd probably wonder, "What's all this writing stuff about? I wanted to know more about this hot non-European, non-Caribbean place called Bhutan!"
Interesting timing. I have received several offers of link building in the last two days, all targeted to my horse blog, but coming in to ALL of my email addresses. Clearly they harvested them somewhere, but I wonder where? And I wonder if it's related at all to the offer you just got.
Anyway, my traffic to my work blog has dropped dramatically since I had to change the URL, so just in case anyone was wondering what happened to me, be sure you go to http://blog.katharineswan.com to follow my blog from the new address. I know I haven't been blogging as much lately, by the way, but I'll be updating more often from here on out.
Ah! There you are, Katharine! I wondered where you'd gone. 🙂 I've made the change. Thanks for updating your link.
Paula, thanks for the laugh! 🙂
That's bizarro and I'm pretty sure it's illegal, too. I didn't get this particular offer, but I did get an offer to pay me to promote some jewelry giveaway. If I referred at least 200 people, they'd give me a hundred bucks.
For me, the issue is not just the shady ethics but the fact that this would dilute the brand I've created. My blog is all about writing and freelancing, so my readers would know something's up if I suddenly started talking up Bhutan or some handblown glass necklace.
Don't these scammers realize that authenticity is more powerful than paid links?
I haven't received any offers like that. Apparently, I'm more popular with the Nigerians though. That Mrs. Smith, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer and lost her husband in some terrible tragic accident, sure needs my help in getting her money transferred from some bank somewhere. She's contacted me several times lately. Poor thing.
As far as the advertising bit goes, it doesn't bother me too much if someone has a few ads placed on their site. (like adsense) If you have too many, then I get annoyed though.
It's when the ads dictate what you say about certain products or services that I don't care for. I want the low down on an item; don't tell me all the great things and brush the rest under the rug. If I suspect that's what you're doing, then I can't trust you.
I think I got the same offer. They all go straight to my trash bin. My blog is to showcase MY writing, MY personality, and MY views … no on else's. That's not to say I'm totally against guest posts; such arrangements are acceptable to me when the content is relevant and approved by me. I'll never make a lot of money from blogging because I'll never sell out. That's just fine by me.
I've never received an offer like this one, Lori; though like Wendy, I do have plenty of dear friends all over the world who want me to handle their millions of dollars.
Good for you for standing on your principles! I feel that participating in schemes such as this one is ethically dishonest and exploitative on a number of levels.
Susan, I think they're more about quick cash. I don't know in what twisted mind it seems logical that someone selling out their blog readers would be a great opportunity for everyone, but I can't make the connection.
Wendy, when you're on a first-name basis with Mrs. Smith there, I'm calling for backup. 🙂 And you've nailed it – readers can't trust someone who would promote something or some article they've never tried. It's lying. I agree on AdSense – it's harmless. It leaves readers the option to click. No one's lying to them or forcing them to read the ads.
Kathy, I make my money blogging for companies. This is – dare I say it? – a labor of love. LOL I can't say that with a straight face thanks to the scumbags who offer to let us work on their "labor of love" for free.
Cassie, I agree. There are two things going on – unethical and dishonest behavior – when writers (or anyone) accept these offers. I'd rather my blog stand unattended a few days than put up crap that's not only irrelevant, but insulting to those who read here. (Glad to see you here, by the way! I have a special affinity toward Pittsburghers.)
"Call me a prude, but I don't think promoting the exploitation of writers is something I'm willing to do in order to make strangers rich."
Amen to that Lori!
As for blogs with an intention of making money…. All of mine are, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.
That money allows me to invest more time, energy and, well, money into improving it, bringing in new writers and offering more and better free resources for writers who would otherwise have to pay to have them custom-made themselves.
And I don't find blogging for money to be any less ethical or more offensive than any professional blogging with the intention of it helping their career or visibility. Doing so with even the possibility of it leading to paying work isn't any different in my eyes.
Either way, you're in it for something. One person's motives aren't better than another's as long as they're ethical in how they deliver the material (as in not selling out and pimping those content mills and other services exploiting writers knowingly — frankly I think sites like that are the worst thing to happen to this niche).
Audience first. Money second. But money doesn't have to be ignored in the process. Just my $.02.